This pro bono project was a labour of love. A love of literature. A love of the creative process. And a love of collaborating with other incredibly talented folk like Joseph Feil who shot the typewriters for us.

This project drew on many of my complimentary skill sets, including the copywriting of the festival tagline, “It started with a word”. This line addressed both the conundrum of the author contemplating the blank page, as well as the very beginnings of Genesis itself.

It was understandbly the greatest honour when an enviable list of authors mused on the meaning of this phrase as part of the festival’s opening night gala. Little old me. Putting words in their mouths.

I also designed the festival identity which was intentionally steered away from the more obvious Jewish symbols. Instead, featuring overlapping quote marks which pointed towards the intersection of a multitude of voices.

There was a series of posters, each featuring a different typewriter. This had the effect of creating some variety and visual rhythm on the streets where they appeared. While it might seem anachronistic in an age of tablets and smartphones to feature vintage typewriters, they are such beautiful industrial objects, that speak with such singularity to the toil of the author, that we couldn’t resist.