Not What They Seem

Made for The tandem contest!

My randomly assigned partner for the contest was kiwi-damnation. I took the photo, she wrote the poem, then I got far too carried away playing with fonts when I added the poem to the photo.

Kiwi's copy of it is here (and the literature-only version is here, if you want it minus the photo background). If you fave my deviation, please also go fave hers.

Things I learned:
1. Typography and visual poetry are much harder than they look.
2. I am probably kind of terrible at them?
3. I have collected far too many typefaces that I never use, and really need to cull a few hundred.


Poem from the above image:

In every crack, in every crevasse,
There is freedom crushed in dust
There is anger, there is hatred:
‘You are not one of us’
The mortar stained with desolation,
Blood and stolen dreams,
Yes, this is what can happen
When things are not what they seem.

In the stones, they’ve pounded anguish,
One by one, they’re laid in fear,
Broken backs and shattered spirits,
See the strong men disappear,
Their eyes once bright, now dull with pain,
Their hopes, a distant gleam,
Yes, this is what can happen
When things are not what they seem.

In this wall; the crimes of ages,
The men torn down to build,
Sallow skin and shallow breathing,
They fell or they were killed,
Now shadows of their ghosts walk tall
Where once they only screamed,
Yes, this is what can happen
When things are not what they seem.