Set syllables

Five. Seven. Five. That was the start. Condensing a tableau of palimpsest into seventeen syllables, Set Syllables is an exercise in brevity, in restraint of language.

  
          Designer
          Midnight Umbrella
        
          Project Form
          Writing & Illustration
        
          Client
          Personal
        
          Dimensions
          Various
        
          Year
          2010–Present

Scrawled on scraps.

distilling stories down to three lines

If you’ve made it this far, you might have noticed that much of my other design work is colorful, friendly…and ofttimes a bit verbose. Set Syllables was the first foray into a more subdued, deliberate style of writing and form making. I’ve always found writing to come more naturally than design, so over the years these 17-syllable poems have piled up in the marginalia of notes and on ephemeral scraps of paper.

Haiku is a form of poetry that is self-limiting; it requires taking a scene, concept, or feeling and wringing out all superfluous information, leaving only the most emotive skeleton. While classic haiku involves deliberate seasonal metaphors and other literary parameters, to be honest I’m relying solely on the contemporary 17-syllable convention of form as a limitation to spur meaningful brevity.

Handwritten notes on white paper with blue ink, containing repeated lines of poetry or lyrical phrases, including 'overgown,' 'in no man's land sits,' 'a bell, blighted, battered, withered grass, bell,' and 'in splendid decay,' some crossed out and some circled.

Handwritten notes on graph paper mentioning design ideas, with quotes about design inspiration and qualities like soft rain and passing.

Quote in white text on a black background reads: "In every desert I see you in gravel ghost and passing soft rains."

FIVE.
SEVEN.
FIVE.

every syllable in its rightful place

Each of the project’s initial poems feature 17 concrete, and deliberately placed syllables. While some of the imagery wrought by the word choices may be overt, others simply attempt to convey a palimpsest of feeling, an ephemeral sight or sound. Like looking at a landscape through a cloudy lens.

There’s something slightly contemplative about the scenes; something wistful, or reflective, or fleeting. They’re a grey-skied day; a slow exhale; a slice of frozen time steeped in wabi-sabi tinged imperfection.

Black background with white text overlay, including a dotted arrow symbol and the title 'No. 001'. Poem reads: 'amongst the ridgeline wolves cast long ragged shadows into the blue hour'.

A book cover with a grey background, white text, and a dotted design element in the top left corner. The title is "along a fencepost three tattered swaths of fabric collapse in the calm" and the cover is labeled No. 002.

A minimalistic quote card with a light grey background, small black dots pattern at the top left, the text "No. 003" near the top left, and a quote in black serif font that reads "the cadence and din as your feet traverse the floor makes me feel safe

Black background with white text reading 'on mealy concrete, the serifs of a letter slowly dissolving' and a small white dotted arrow at the top left.

Gray background with white text stating, 'from drought, skeletons of steamships rise anew from muddy riverbeds' and a small decorative dotted arrow in the top left corner.

Text on a light gray background reading: "No. 006 accidental flags, threadbare bolts of tatter sall are clutched in treetops."

Black background with white text displaying a poem number 007, and the poem lines about a bell, a verdigris, and decay.

Cover of a book titled 'the asynchronous song of an electric lamp slowly waking up' with a minimalist gray background and white text

A gray background with black text that reads 'No.009 a brittle halftone photograph turns to gray ash, up and out the hue'.

Red background with white text 'your timbre of voice as soft ragged edges on AM radio' and small white dotted arrow in the top left corner.

Text overlay on black background: 'No. 011 behind thin, scratched curio cabinet glass — a worn brass tie tack'.

A light gray background with white text that reads: "we then intervened — he efforcesed, carried by the cold, sweet salt air."

Text on a gray background reads: 'we see echoes in quiet handprints in coal dust saying "We were here"'.

A black book cover with white text that reads, 'the protest and din of a rising tide wanting to extend its reach'.

Gray background with white text that reads, "a mother bottle feeds her out of focus child beside the window" and a small dotted arrow icon at the top left.

A book cover with a light gray background, black text, and a small dotted triangle graphic in the top left corner. The text reads: 'No. 016' and a quote: 'a stained window pane, your offset fingerprints stay suspended in glass.'

Poetry excerpt with the words: "the tree-line in shadow, roman candles bleed starlight from a darkened street" on a black background, with a dotted arrow graphic in the top left corner and the label No. 017.

Gray background with white text and graphics, featuring a small dotted arrow in the top left corner and a poem about the sea and tired stanchions.

A poetic text on a light gray background reads: "a strand of spider silk hangs from a citrus tree as the sun rises."

Black poster with white text that reads 'No. 020' and a riddle about a ghost town haunted by shiny weeds and blistered paint.

A graphic with a grey background and white text that reads: "nighttime ritual: set the hasp, engage the lock, and pray for safety"

Sketch of a scene with a pond, mountains, and handwritten notes about frogs, lily pads, and jumping frogs. The drawing includes a pond with lily pads and a central square with markings, surrounded by notes about frogs and nature.

A modern graphic design with a light gray background, a small dotted decorative element in black in the top left corner, and text in black saying "No. 022" near the top. The main text is a quote in black serif font that reads "the ghosts of ploughmen

Black poster with white text that reads "No. 023" and a poem: "it's nighttime in summer and the cool air of evening sits quiet on the sill". Small decorative dots in the top left corner.

Gray background with white text displaying a poem about rain and the sea.

Text quote with a minimalistic design: 'up in the attic, a message in pencil on the knotted hoorboards' on a grey background, with a small dotted pattern in the top left corner.

An illustration with a black background with white text that reads, "this abandoned pier bears no ghosts save the lurching dense vapors of fog". The top left corner has a design of dots and a label that reads, "No. 026".

A gray minimalist book cover with dots in the top left corner, labeled No.027, with text saying "objects I recall: a diorama, a pin, and dented thimbles."

Text on a light gray background reads: "about strange rooms, the lingering fumes of incense and earl gray roses". A small design of black dots is at the top left corner, along with "No. 028" in bold.

Black background with white text featuring a quote about sensing omens, with a small arrow graphic and the label 'No. 029' in the top left corner.

Gray background with white text reading: 'warding away ghosts, well worn rocks on a railing keeping watch 'til dawn' and a small dotted arrow pattern in the top left corner.

Text announcement on a light gray background with black and bold text that reads "in the rental hall the off-kilter letterboard announces events" and a small design element in black dots in the top left corner.

A black background with white text that reads: "No. 032. An old general sleeps beneath the soil while his salted fields remain."

Gray background with white text displaying a poem about a bus bruise. The top of the image has a dotted arrow graphic, and the label 'No.033' next to it.

Text on a gray background reads: "a skull of foxes, round a bowl of rotten fruit as an evening dies. I

Black background with white text listing poetry lines and a small dotted arrow icon at the top left corner.

A book cover with a grey background and white text. The title reads 'an overnight train hauling the equinox in, crossing county lines' and it is labeled No. 036 in the top left corner.

Handwritten notes on a piece of paper with words and phrases such as "Your fields of color," "flowers," "arrows," "travelling," "steps," and "smiling wide," along with annotations and underlines.

A page from a book or magazine with a minimalist design, featuring small black dots, a section labeled 'No. 040', and text in black and gray that reads 'For Lester Beall, your fields of color, fluid arrows and letterforms, halftone faces smiling wide' on a light gray background.

Text on a dotted patterned background reads: "THROUGH HISS & HUM OF AN OLD BEE GEES CLOCK RADIO, WE WAIT FOR BROADCASTS."

Handwritten lettered text on graph paper that reads, "I SHUT THE U LOVE U FEL P R I T T FOR I SHUT COLLEGE THAT SPELLS JOY T O M T T"

breaking form.

thoughtfully expanding and evolving

After bringing a few dozen finished poems from scrap to screen, I wanted to infuse the project with some updated forms. Utilizing additional typefaces, color palettes, custom letterforms, illustration and other detailing let the words sit askew from their previously formulaic layout. It was a nice break from form, and a nice way for the project to stretch its legs. Additionally, having the poem’s letterforms textured, decayed and slightly askew felt like a nice subtle reinforcement to the actual written content.

new forms, too.

Since Set Syllables had expanded into a deeper range of visual forms, maybe it was time to push the written boundaries as well. In reality, despite my best intentions I didn’t fall perfectly in line with the 17-syllable restriction with each an every poem. Whoops.

So what the heck then? Set Syllables now has the permission to be an umbrella for most written and visual endeavors being I’m working on.