decade of discovery
Clunky, Playful, and Proudly Informed
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Yiddish Book Center launched A Decade of Discovery—a ten-year campaign to explore and expand the cultural life of Yiddish and modern Jewish literature. I was asked to design an identity system that could flex across a decade’s worth of unknowns: new yearly themes, event formats, and evolving partnerships. The goal was to build something modular, expressive, and rooted in history—but very much alive in the present.
Modernism with a Memory
The final system was inspired by the blunt geometry and joyful urgency of Russian Constructivism—a visual language that feels at once historical and unexpectedly modern. I wanted the mark to nod to traditions like woodblock printing, where clunky shapes and inconsistent ink created vibrant, living forms. That tension—the handcrafted past and the flexible present—shaped every design decision.
The YBC’s recognizable goat mark was reimagined to distinguish the campaign from the core brand while honoring its legacy. The logotype used a hand-modified font and operated as a kind of sliding module: it could stretch or contract depending on the year, theme, venue, or context.
Designing for the Unknown
Most brand systems are designed for consistency. This one needed to prepare for chaos:
- Annual themes like Yiddish in America, Women and Memoir, or Yiddish and Social Justice
- Event locations across the U.S. and Canada
- Evolving partnerships with libraries, museums, and cultural centers
- Multiple content formats—from posters and mailers to badges, folders, and social avatars
The result was a set of flexible visual blocks that could hold or release information as needed—accommodating quotes, images, or whitespace without losing cohesion.
A Rare Kind of Playfulness
This project marked a shift for me. My work often leans into the clean precision of Bauhaus and avant-garde principles, but this campaign reminded me how satisfying it is to loosen that grip. The outcome still feels smart and strategic, but it has a graphic warmth that’s rare in identity work.
In some ways, it reminded me of time spent in Prague—where layered architecture and handmade signage coexist with crisp modernism. That same duality lives in this system: past and present, serious and playful, structured but alive.
It taught me that flexibility isn’t just for the client—it’s also how I grow as a designer.