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PASS INGPASSING

DEFINING PEDESTRIAN TYPOGRAPHY

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PASS INGPASSING

DEFINING PEDESTRIAN TYPOGRAPHY

Photographed, written and designed

by Shannon McGill

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YOUR MESSAGE HERE

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This book is about messages, sent and received by humans

such as yourself. As humans, we seem to have this innate

need to express our thoughts and ideas.

In cities, an interesting dynamic develops. Both intentionally

and unintentionally, people are constantly expressing

their personalities and essences. But as people’s focus

shifts to their destination, these bits of expression are less

controlled, left behind in their raw form. A crumpled note

hastily dropped in a rush to catch the bus. Words of wisdom

scratched on a bathroom stall.

These jumbled messages that exist for the smallest fraction

of time arguably contain infinitely more truth than their

contrived counterparts. Because we are not privileged with an

identity to attach to each message, we instead look objectively

to the message itself to find the story.

For the sake of this book, we will refer to these messages and

their forms more specifically as “pedestrian typography.” There

are four distinct elements that comprise these messages : they

are created by pedestrians while in transit, they are impromptu,

they are impermanent, and they are anonymous.

READ THIS

// CONTENTS

Read this (foreword)

Pedestrian typography vs. graffiti

Pedestrian

Impromptu

Impermanent

Anonymous

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PEDESTRIAN TYPE IS NOT GRAFFITI

BUT KIND OF

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A distinction must

be made between

graffiti and pedestrian

type, as they are both

separate yet very

much alike in their

nature.

GRAFFITI IS NOT

(NECESSARILY) PEDESTRIAN

TYPE

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First, we will attempt to define graffiti, Graffiti (“little scratch-

ing,” from the Italian graffiare, “to scratch”; the singular is

graffito) are a form of communication that is both personal

and free of the everyday social restraints that normally pre-

vent people from giving uninhibited reign to their thoughts.

As such, these sometimes crude inscriptions offer some

intriguing insights into the people who author them and into

the society to which these people belong (Abel).

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13Graffiti is not about clean lines,

pretty colors and beautiful blends.

Graffiti is my life’s turbulence

exploded on a wall.”

Mint Serf

“

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While graffiti is

raw passion and

personality, it is in-

tentional. Graffiti

artists thoroughly

plan and sketch out

their designs prior

to creation. There is

a technique to their

art. Before they scrawl

across subway walls

and labyrinthine bridge

tunnels. There is preci-

sion and steadiness of

hand with every paint

stroke. This thorough

planning and gridding

out is the main difference

between graffiti and pedes-

trian type.

However, their likenesses

most definitely outweigh the

differences. By nature, both

are a product of street life.

There is raw emotion, an un-

deniable need to be heard.

The city, a wild and untam-

able force, becomes their

canvas.

This canvas is accessible

to anyone. One needn’t

expensive tools or a stu-

dio to work in. You don’t

need extensive training

or a masters degree. In

fact, you are perfectly

capable exactly where

you are. Because you

are human, you have

ideas. And those

ideas are worth

hearing.

THIS CANVAS

IS ACCESSIBLE

TO ANYONE

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“I mean for the basic public, you’re walking down the

road and you see a bit of spray paint on the wall and you

don’t take a second glimpse, you know, you don’t bother

to read it, you just walk straight past. For a graffiti

artist, it’s like living in another world, you know what

I mean? Every bit of writing on the wall means something to

someone and you take notice of it all.”

Mear

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I equate the feeling of living with

my ability to express myself. It

seems to be something I do in-

nately, in my most natural state.

When something important or

meaningful occurs in our lives, we

feel the need to document the ex-

perience and share it with others.

Sometimes, making anonymous

connections with strangers can be

just as significant as connection

with close friends. All types of con-

nections are formed through our

abilities to express ourselves.”

“

Brenna Paxton

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We feel the need to document our experiences

and share them with others.

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Graffiti is one of the few tools you have

if you have almost nothing. And even if

you don’t come up with a picture to cure

world poverty, you can make someone

smile while they’ve having a piss.

Banksy,Beating Your Head Against a Brick Wall

“

Banksy,Beating Your Head Against a Brick Wall

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PEDESTRIAN

pe•des•tri•an // adj. //

1. Traveling on foot as a

mode of transportation

2. Moving, traveling

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The best way undoubtedly of seeing a country is on foot.

It is the safest, and most suited to every variety of road; it will

often enable you to take a shorter track, and visit scenes (the

finest perhaps) not otherwise accessible; it is healthy, and,

with a little practice, easy; it is economical: a pedestrian is

content with almost any accommodations; he, of all travellers,

wants but little, ‘Nor wants that little long’. And last, though

not least, it is perfectly independent.”

Robert Newell

“

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into the reality that we do not want to remain islands.

It’s a glimpse

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Pedestrians are curious creatures. And

in reality, each of us is one of these curi-

ous creatures.

When living in our respective commu-

nities, we work and live amongst each

other. To function in our daily lives, we

must move and travel to our obligatory

destinations. In cities, we are afforded

a great deal of options in the transpor-

tation department. Each of us picks

our respective mode for very different

reasons. This choice defines our experi-

ence greatly.

For those of us who travel the world

on foot, we become part of an entity

that is both collective and isolated.

Pedestrian type seems a peek into

this dichotomy. It’s a glimpse into the

reality that we do not want to remain

islands. In fact, we do want to connect.

We feel this inherent craving to peek in

the lives of those who pass by us, fellow

humans who we may never cross paths

with for the remaining duration of our

lives. In that fraction of a moment, we

are occupying the same space.

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As pedestrians, we have a capacity for interacting with others

that we do not have in an automobile. Popular pedestrian

environments seem chaotic; they accommodate movement, but

offer many opportunities for spontaneous exchange.”

“Anonymous

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Robin Jarvis, in his book Romantic Writing and

Pedestrian Travel, said “to walk is, beyond all

comparison, the most independent and advantageous

mode of traveling.” Though there are faster ways to

travel, walking is unique. We are able to interact with

our surroundings on a much more intimate level.

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stranger,If you, passing, meet me,

and desire to speak to me,

why should you not speak to me?

And why should I not speak to you?

Walt Whitman

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IMPROMP

TU

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IMPROMP

TU

im•promp•tu // adj. //

1. Prompted by the occasion rather

than being planned in advance

2. Composed with little or no

preparation; extemporaneous

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There are times when thinking about something is the worst possible policy.”John Christopher,

When the Tripods Come

“

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As pedestrians, we are nearly always

traveling to reach a destination. To

get to work, to meet a friend, to get to

the store on time. This is the nature of

travel for most pedestrians. There is a

rush, a sense of restlessness as we are

still in transit. There is a distinct focus

on the destination, getting from point A

to point B effectively and efficiently.

Because travel time is most often not

the focus of our attention, our encoun-

ters during that time become

simply a means to an end. A

purely functional part of our

day.

Our rush to get going does not

allow much time for anything

else. Everything else becomes an

afterthought.

Whether intentional or unin-

tentional, Pedestrian type are the

messages left behind in our rush.

A scrap of paper, a sticker hastily

posted on a storefront window, a

name scratched in the cement.

There is no time to edit or revise

what we choose to put out there.

Our window of opportunity is

short in that moment of inspira-

tion. There is only enough to get

our message out. The heavily con-

trolled and often contrived facades

we usually output are . We lose con-

trol and the messages take on a life

of their own.

There is no time to edit or revise

our output.

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“Sometimes I just need to make something immediately, something ugly. Completely disregard aesthetic.

Because sometimes, that’s the only thing that feels honest.”

“

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impermanentim•per•ma•nent // adj. //

1. Not lasting or durable; not permanent // 2. Fleeting; transitory

Everyone has to scratch on walls somewhere“Michael Ondaatje, In the Skin of a Lion

OR THEY GO CRAZY.

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impermanentim•per•ma•nent // adj. //

1. Not lasting or durable; not permanent // 2. Fleeting; transitory

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IMPERMA

NENT

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IMPERMA

NENT

im•per•ma•nent // adj. //

1. Not lasting or durable;

not permanent

2. Fleeting; transitory

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symbol of our existences. We ex-

ist for that time in an unstable

environment. Because the mes-

sages we leave behind are also

in this volatile setting, they, too,

exist for but an instant.

There is a spectrum here as

well. Sometimes the message

lingers for a few days, weeks,

months. Other times it is

washed away in a moment. Be-

cause it does not hold the same

permanance as something like

an establishment sign, there is

often times no way to predict the

longevity of this message.

But then, predictability isn’t

really the nature of a pedestrian

lifestyle, is it?

we desire so deeply to hold onto

things,to keep them forever,

Impermanent are all component things,

They arise and cease, that is their nature:

They come into being and pass away,

Release from them is bliss supreme.”

“Mahaa-Parinibbaana Sutta

But the reality is that most things

don’t last. Even us.

For some individuals, pedestrian

type is a way for them to evade such

a harsh reality. It seems people leave

messages behind as an attempt to feel

worthwhile, to defy time and defy our

mortality.

The streets can become a profound

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to keep them forever,

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Eventually, everything goes away.”Elizabeth Gilbert“

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“As far as I have discovered, the most

important thing in life is making

connections with other people. So we

often have the desire to leave a mark in

a normal place, as a way to tell the world

that ‘something special happened here

and that this place matters.’”

Brenna Paxton

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ANON

YMOUS

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ANON

YMOUS

anon•y•mous // adj. //

1. (of a person) Not identified by

name; of unknown name.

2. Having no outstanding, individual,

or unusual features; unremarkable or

impersonal.

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The streets become the very platform we need for expression.

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As humans, we all have a natural fear of

being judged. We like to impress people.

We enjoy being thought of as intelligent,

capable, worthwhile.

Under these rigid constraints though, we

lose a great deal of our content. In our fear

of rejection, we hold back. And the world

misses out on what goes unsaid.

Because of this, we find great freedom

in anonymity. To express, to simply

be ourselves, in our purest form.

When expressing anonymously, an artist

removes herself from the confines of social

constructs, because nothing can be tied

back to her.

The streets, then, can become the very

platform we need for expression. We start

a conversation with our physical environ-

ment. It is as if we don’t even need someone

to receive our message. We just need to

express.

This dynamic allows the artist’s identity to

lie solely in his or her message.

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IT’S THE ONLY TIME

WE’RE ALLOWED

TO BE STRANGE. We find these messages

everywhere. Scrawled in

notebooks. Etched into

bathroom stall walls.

Scribbled on receipts. The

coolest thing about these

bits of information is the

personality we receive.

Even without identifying

the artist himself, the art-

ist becomes separate from

the message, so we can

take the message for ex-

actly what it is. For some,

it’s the only time we’re

allowed to be strange.

It’s the only time we can

fully be ourselves.

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that causes people to feel the need or

the compulsion to express on it their

frustrations, hatreds, fantasies, desires,

wit, wisdom, their innermost secrets,

things they would not ordinarily reveal

to their closest friends or loved ones?”

“WHAT IS THERE

ABOUT AN EMPTY

LAVATORY WALL Anonymous

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For you, as well as I, can open fence doors and walk across

America in your own special way. Then we can all discover who

our neighbors are.”

Rob Sweetgall

“

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This book was typeset in Trade Gothic and Swift. It was

designed in Adobe InDesign and photos were edited in

Adobe Photoshop. All photos were taken in Lawrence, KS,

Kansas City, MO, and Dallas, TX and were all shot with a

Canon 10D.

A special thanks to Alec Bostwick and assorted pedestrians

that I encountered through my studies. Their unique

perspectives and ideas are embedded in every page of this

book.

Designer as Author, Patrick Dooley, Fall 2012

The University of Kansas

SOURCES

Abel, E., & Buckley, B. (1977). The handwriting on the wall. Westport:

Greenwood Press.

Macdonald, N. (2011). The graffiti subculture : Youth, masculinity and

identity in london and new york. New York: Halgrove.

All individual quotes are credited to their writers/speakers in text.

Credits