The First Things First Manifesto was written for the first time in 1964 and published by Ken Garland. It was undersigned by him and 21 other visual communicators, promising to use their skills responsibly and create functional and lasting design. The manifesto states that visual communicators should use their skills to make things that better the lives of others, like books, educational aids, road signs, etc.

 

I have taken the First Things First Maifesto, as an eye witness account of those designers at the time. They were witnessing what was happening in the world of advertising and decided to promise that they would not just use their skills to sells useless products to consumers.

 

To represent the promise of the manifesto, I have decided to create a typographic exhibition to pay tribute to functional and lasting design. The different deliverables that I designed are: a road sign, a book, a newspaper, a type specimen, an instruction manual, an educational aid and a scientific publication.

 

The exhibition will be held at the Babel restaurant on Babylonstoren Farm, where the viewers will consume typography, instead of consuming food. The books and publications will be exhibited on the tables in the restaurant, where the viewers can sit down and enjoy the designs and typography in all its glory.

 

The target market of my exhibition would be all creatives and visual communicators, or anyone interested inresponsible design. For the exhibition I also designed a poster, an invite and a pocket manifesto, which will be for sale at the exhibition. I also designed the manifesto in a book form, which anyone can sign at the exhibition, making the same promise as Ken Garland made in 1964.