BOOKS

A bigger personal history

“Graphic designer Jan Erasmus has documented his 25-year career in Intrigue; and Bead by Bead presents the uplifting story of Monkeybiz's success.”

Responsible for the widely used Thornface and Transition fonts, as well as the Nando's font and the 2010 FIFA World Cup font, Menyaka, Erasmus's typographical design is literally written all over South Africa's streets.

Receiving a diploma in graphic design from Wits Technikon in 1975, Erasmus went on to complete his postgraduate studies at Philadelphia College of Art. Long before computers and digital photography, Erasmus's background in black-and-white photography and hand-drawn letterforms still comes through in the structural and textural quality of his contemporary work.

The transition to technology was whole-hearted though, with Erasmus becoming South Africa's first distributor of electronic fonts in 1992. Using direct mail to market his software, Erasmus's radical flyers were inspired by the tempestuous political climate of the day. Increasingly becoming a promoter of the digital age of graphic design, it was only a matter of time for Erasmus to start designing his own fonts.

Featuring only a preface and introduction by Carl Lamprecht, the evolution of Erasmus's work is told through the humble, self-aware voice of the creator himself. Intrigue is a monograph that is more significant than just Erasmus's career, giving an account of the undocumented history of South Africa's graphic design industry, through the political and digital transitions.

Beads go ape

Bead by Bead presents the uplifting story of Monkeybiz's success, from original lightbulb moment to the beacon of social upliftment it is today. Besides the written history by Dion Viljoen, an upbeat, exuberant layout complements the 50-page full-colour gallery of some of Monkeybiz's most quirky beadwork. Indeed, the overblown scale of the photographs makes the beaded surface almost tactile and the artistic buoyancy even grander than pop art.

Of particular poignancy, the book goes on to introduce a number of the Monkeybiz bead artists, who are photographed in their homes, alongside their personal beading achievement and an account of how their participation in Monkeybiz has changed their lives. Employing more than 450 beaders, mostly women who were previously unemployed, the Monkeybiz difference is significant. Since its inception in 2000, Monkeybiz has also expanded to incorporate skills building, an HIV/Aids clinic, medical tests, crèche facilities and many other support components.