Here’s what I’ve gathered from studying these manifestos:
1. Start with Authenticity: Both Bruce Mau and Sister Corita wrote from their personal experiences and beliefs. A manifesto should genuinely reflect your values, intentions, and aspirations. It’s essential to write with honesty and authenticity to ensure that the manifesto resonates on a personal level.
2. Emphasise Process and Growth: Manifestos don’t need to be perfect or complete. They can be dynamic documents that evolve over time, much like Mau’s Incomplete Manifesto for Growth. Embrace the concept that a manifesto is part of a journey rather than a final destination.
3. Encourage Action and Reflection: A compelling manifesto not only articulates beliefs but also inspires action and reflection. It should prompt both the writer and the reader to think critically and engage actively with the ideas presented.
4. Be Inclusive and Collaborative: As illustrated by Sister Corita’s work, manifestos can foster collaboration and shared learning. Consider how your manifesto can unite people, promoting collective growth and creativity.
5. Keep It Simple and Clear: Both manifestos are straightforward and accessible, ensuring that their messages are easily understood and applied. When writing a manifesto, clarity and simplicity are crucial to communicate effectively and resonate with a broad audience.
I have started drafting my manifesto for a project focusing on the phonetic legacy of the Devanagari script, which has been largely standardised and overshadowed due to industrialisation and the cultural dominance of Latin-centric typesetting machines. These machines failed to capture the beauty and phonetic richness of the Devanagari script and its conjunct letters that preserve authentic sounds.
My manifesto will serve as a call to action for emerging type designers to challenge the effects of industrialisation and embrace the Devanagari script in its true form. It will emphasise the need for Indian-led typesetting technologies that honor Devanagari’s complexity.
Core Principles of My Manifesto:
Each letter in the script has evolved through a rich legacy of foreign influence, phonetic usage, and the preservation of authentic sounds.
The script represents how it is spoken, not just how it is written.
Complexity is an inherent aspect of its beauty.
As an alpha-syllabic script, it defies conventional alphabetic typesetting systems.
Goal: To educate readers about the script’s legacy and what it means to be an alpha-syllabic script in a predominantly alphabetic world.
Possible Headline: Being Alpha-Syllabic in an Alphabet-Dominated World.
For the visual aspect, I am deeply inspired by Fiona Banner’s use of continuous text to merge emotion and typography. I aim to replicate this essence in my manifesto, avoiding traditional paragraph breaks or sections. Instead, the manifesto will present a continuous flow of information that evokes emotion and engagement.
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