What Where When

August 6th, 2009 by Calliope

Burning Man, Print, Typography No Comments

In 2008 and 2009 I designed all aspects of the covers and inside pages of the event calendar that is handed out to participants upon arrival at Black Rock City. I redesigned the layout of events on the interior pages for increased readability and added icons for categories, so participants could see at a glance which events were gatherings, parades, workshops, adult-orientated or kid-friendly.

We moved to a smaller size in 2009 to make the guide more portable. I’ve been delighted to use Corpid Condensed for the main typeface in the event calendar both years, the italic weight has been playful for headers and the regular condensed weight extremely readable and versatile. In 2009 I added Mayo Borders and Regular to the cover and inside pages, as the ornaments and borders added an evocative organic twist to the theme of evolution without using visual cliches. I found many of the glyphs in Mayo reminded me both of cellular division and wayfinding.

I used my own photographs on the cover; taxidermy groupings of cape hunting dogs and oryx. Their positioning and social nature reminded me of packs of people on the playa, organizing themselves according to their own purposes, be it tracking down an art project, going to a bar or finding music.

The 2009 edition totaled 96 pages, and included a pull-out art map.

The pull-out art map for 2009 included a new feature to aid in the location of art installations around the city. The city is arranged in a circle where the center point is the Man himself. Blocks of the city are laid out in radiating arcs that form a horseshoe shape. Where the city isn’t, the art is. By including the distance from the Man, noted in feet on the art map, participants could orient themselves more easily to find installations.

Close-up of imaginary engine on 2008 cover.

The cover for the 2008 event is an exploded vector stock illustration of an engine. City streets in 2008 were named after defunct or highly impractical car models, in line with the art theme of The American Dream. The engine worked well with that theme, as an idealized image that stood in for the disillusionment of mechanical marvels. I added graphics that evoke engraved marks and stamped numbers, referencing the currency we use to chase after our material dreams. The 2008 edition was 78 pages, with a pull-out art map.