Michael Bierut, Jessica Helfand|Audio
January 26, 2017
Episode 49: My First Tattoo
On this episode, Michael talks about the tattoo he designed for his daughter Martha, who has type 1 diabetes. Jessica, who wore an allergy bracelet as a child, tells a story about discovering her son’s tattoo:
It is in a typeface that is really odd, and kind of horrifying, and the kerning is really bad.
His response?
Honestly, mom, just so you know, the real act of rebellion was choosing a typeface I that I knew you’d hate.
Also mentioned:
International Diabetes Federation, Blue Circle
Kerry James Marshall: Mastry at the Met Breuer
Mark Rothko: Dark Palette at Pace
Eric Kandel, Reductionism in Art and Brain Science (excerpt)
Henry Cowles, Play and the Scientific Method
Paul Rand, Design and the Play Instinct
Tad Friend profile of Mike Mills
Mike Mills, 20th Century Women
AIGA/NY Citizen Designer Pledge
Cliff Kuang on the 2017 Citizen Designer Pledge
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Jessica Helfand is an artist and writer based in New England. A former critic at Yale School of Art and one of the founding editors of Design Observer, she is the author of several books on visual culture including Self Reliance, Design: The Invention of Desire, and Face: A Visual Odyssey.