Having written more than 30 plays, Neil Simon was one of the most prolific and culturally significant playwrights in modern American history. With a strong catalogue of works set in New York City and the surrounding area, bringing two of his plays to Central Park for free performances at the Delacorte Theater will bestow his wit onto a new generation of theatergoers and everyday New Yorkers alike.
The Odd Couple and Barefoot in the Park are two of Neil Simon’s most famous plays. The former is a comedy featuring two roommates, one organized & high-strung and one untidy & carefree, while the latter is a romance featuring a newlywed husband and wife, with him worrying constantly about trivial problems in his apartment and her feeling content and optimistic nonetheless, urging him to be more carefree.
Graphically, the poster combines unconventional pairings of type and color with a sense of whimsy, reflecting the themes of the subject matter. Both plays are from the 60s, prompting experimentation with popular 60s typefaces which inspired the custom lettering. The plays feature ideas of Divorce & Marriage, Conflict & Commitment, and Laughter & Love, but are perhaps summed up best by the theme of MISMATCH and MATCH, which have a strong design presence both in visual expression and pleasing spelling harmony.
The pairs of socks, either as matching pairs in different colors or two sets of mismatched socks depending on how they are viewed are themselves an “Odd Couple” and come off when one is “Barefoot in the Park”.
The poster was designed for the inaugural Typography & Language exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology, which was highlighted by a special appearance by Paula Scher, designer of The Public Theatre‘s influential Shakespeare in the Park posters. To mark this special occasion, “bookmark” invitations were designed, with input from students, professors, and the School of Art & Design's Exhibitions Manager.
Images 9 and 11 by Jonathan Gonzalez
Client
Academic Brief
Location
Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY
Service
Publicity
Having written more than 30 plays, Neil Simon was one of the most prolific and culturally significant playwrights in modern American history. With a strong catalogue of works set in New York City and the surrounding area, bringing two of his plays to Central Park for free performances at the Delacorte Theater will bestow his wit onto a new generation of theatergoers and everyday New Yorkers alike.
The Odd Couple and Barefoot in the Park are two of Neil Simon’s most famous plays. The former is a comedy featuring two roommates, one organized & high-strung and one untidy & carefree, while the latter is a romance featuring a newlywed husband and wife, with him worrying constantly about trivial problems in his apartment and her feeling content and optimistic nonetheless, urging him to be more carefree.
Graphically, the poster combines unconventional pairings of type and color with a sense of whimsy, reflecting the themes of the subject matter. Both plays are from the 60s, prompting experimentation with popular 60s typefaces which inspired the custom lettering. The plays feature ideas of Divorce & Marriage, Conflict & Commitment, and Laughter & Love, but are perhaps summed up best by the theme of MISMATCH and MATCH, which have a strong design presence both in visual expression and pleasing spelling harmony.
The pairs of socks, either as matching pairs in different colors or two sets of mismatched socks depending on how they are viewed are themselves an “Odd Couple” and come off when one is “Barefoot in the Park”.
The poster was designed for the inaugural Typography & Language exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology, which was highlighted by a special appearance by Paula Scher, designer of The Public Theatre‘s influential Shakespeare in the Park posters. To mark this special occasion, “bookmark” invitations were designed, with input from students, professors, and the School of Art & Design's Exhibitions Manager.
Images 9 and 11 by Jonathan Gonzalez
Client
Academic Brief
Location
Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY
Service
Publicity
