Events
Salon Series: Formal Play: Chinese Lettering Manuals from the 20th Century
with Synoptic Office
Amid the transformations of 20th-century China, a unique form of lettering emerged, unbound by tradition and technology.
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In the early twentieth century, a unique of form of lettering called meishuzi emerged in China against a backdrop of profound cultural, political, and social change. Occupying an ambivalent position among a deeply rooted calligraphic tradition and a rapidly changing print tradition, meishuzi became an experimental playground unencumbered by traditional notions of form making and the constraints of print technology.
Initially the domain of commercial artists with a simple goal of drawing as much attention to words as possible, the practice of meishuzi spread to a more general audience and was eventually marshaled into larger ambitions of nation-building. Capturing these dynamics are the many instructional books produced during this period which documented shifting attitudes and ideas in lettering.
Drawing on Letterform Archive’s collection of these manuals spanning 1930 to 1971, this talk examines the dynamics among visual experimentation, tradition, and politics and the negotiations in form making that emerged. What the saga of meishuzi reveals is not a set of specific styles but a set of lettering practices amid turbulent change.
Synoptic Office
Synoptic Office is an award-winning design agency founded by Caspar Lam and YuJune Park. They work globally with leading cultural, civic, and business organizations to communicate ideas, build experiences, and cultivate new audiences. The studio’s work has been honored by Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards, the Webbys, Design Week, the Art Director’s Club, and the American Institute of Graphic Arts. Synoptic Office was selected to participate in BIO23 and BIO26, the Biennial of Design at the Museum of Architecture and Design in Ljubljana. They have exhibited at the Ningbo Museum of Art in China, the 26th International Biennial of Graphic Design in Brno, and at Palazzo Mora with the European Cultural Centre. GD USA spotlighted Synoptic Office as a leader in socially responsible design for their work in education and cultural heritage. In 2022, Caspar Lam and YuJune Park were selected for Creative Review’s Creative Leaders 50 list, which celebrates global leaders advancing their field.
