Design Quarterly 133: Does it make sense? (April Greiman)

Published in 1986 by the Walker Art Center, this is widely recognized as a watershed moment in the digital transformation of graphic design. Commissioned to design and edit the issue, Los Angeles-based design pioneer April Greiman completely subverted the traditional 32-page magazine format by structuring the publication as a massive double-sided, fold-out poster measuring over two by six feet, housed within a compact paper slipcase. Created during the infancy of personal computing, the piece was a technical tour de force executed entirely on an early Macintosh computer using MacDraw software and digitized low-resolution video captures. The front features a life-size, pixelated, digitized nude self-portrait of Greiman overlaid with celestial, symbolic, and typographic elements. Inspired by philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, the poster questioned and validated the potential of the new digital medium. Now held in the permanent collection of MoMA (where you can better see the poster in its entirety), this landmark object remains an iconic exploration of human identity intersecting with electronic technology. Pow!—and it’s from the collection of Steven Heller. RARE.