Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design

selection of “Hidden Heroines” who have made important contributions to
art, design, and film. In addition, other elements are likely to appear
throughout, including a witty animated sequence of women’s hands ranging
from a revolutionary raised fist to a diamond-clad glove. Humor is an
effective mediator in the communication of Pussy Galore’s decidedly
ideological messages.
Although Pussy Galore was created for an experimental design
venue, it is not intended for a visual elite of sophisticated graphic designers
alone. The digital nature of the font is accessible to anyone with a
minimum of computer savvy. It serves both as a graphics tool for those who
choose to integrate some or all of its forms into layouts or as a game of
digital hide-and-seek for those who choose to uncover all the hidden
messages. “Through the user’s ‘personalization’ of the typeface,” Triggs
adds, “Pussy Galore’s aim of embracing democratization is underscored,
removing any reliance upon ‘artistic’ sophistication which might render it
alien to popular use.” The “letterforms” have indeed been created as simple
shapes or pictograms for the user to reconstruct or redesign, and the
possibilities are numerous: Through certain keyboard configurations a
picture of Eve’s snake might be juxtaposed to a floppy “dumb blonde”
hairdo. Likewise, strings of characters or words develop accidentally
depending on the user, “but each connection is heavily charged with
meaning and value,” says Triggs. “In this way technology is used to help
users assemble their own visual languages, bringing to the typeface unique
experiences, individual prejudices, and interpretations.”
It is not likely that Pussy Galore will be bundled with the iMac or
any other personal computer, at least not in the near future. But there is no
reason why it should not be. Although conventional wisdom might argue
that an essay in the World Book Encyclopedia(which is bundled on many
computers) on feminism is a more straightforward method of conveying
factual information, Pussy Galore’s interactivity ultimately invites more
questions and presumably greater engagement in the issues it raises. What
began as an attempt to challenge typographic principles in an experimental
context has become a model of how new media encourages novel methods
of communication. “The old gal has fared really well!” Triggs concludes.
“We are really surprised that Pussy Galore has taken on a life of its own.
What is really satisfying is when we get correspondence from students in
New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States who want to explore
further the ideas we propose in research essays and in their own use of the
typeface. We always said if we reached just one student/designer, the whole
project was worthwhile!”