Intern Sweatshop: Typography is Art

Imagery and the copy in an ad have always gone hand in hand. There are times when they unite to create a spectacular display of typographic art. If you think creating imaginative and clever graphics in an ad is tough using graphics and photography, try using only words. That’s how typography can become an art form in and of itself. Having the ability to visualize something and design it using only text has got to be a huge challenge, and I’m envious of the designers of the following ads; creating such powerful illustrations requires great talent.

At first, I didn’t even realize that the dog in this ad was made from letters. Then it hit me: such a clear depiction of a dog has been created from one word. Created by 1PointSize in India, this puppy speaks volumes in just five simple letters.

This ad for Greenpeace calls to “help stop global warming before it’s too late.” Created by Grey Tel Aviv in Israel, the message is perfectly clear, and a complicated image of a flooded London street is entirely unnecessary. The simplicity lets the viewers visualize the drastic results of global warming without showing anything but a single word.

This great ad for a Sao Paolo newspaper demonstrates in an inventive way that celebrities literally make up the paper’s news. Though the letters don’t form any words, the idea is that print can come to life. Taking an iconic celebrity like Marilyn Monroe and portraying her in nothing but characters goes beyond just advertising.

This one is definitely my favorite. Created by AMI Collective for Vodaphone, this ad is a true piece of art. The colors add depth and help distinguish the different elements, but the fact that type can be carefully sculpted to resemble the Sydney Opera House is astonishing.
Clearly, these awesome ads show that creating a strictly visual ad doesn’t need to have any images in it at all.