Chloe Keppie (she/her)
My graphic design practice employs a research-led approach to explore my identity, heritage and culture. From referencing my upbringing in Shetland to uncovering family history in private archives and collections, I analyse these narratives to create work that reflects the historical and cultural landscape which has shaped my background. I express these ideas predominantly through typography, publication design and printed matter— this year creating a typeface which reflects the history and sound of the Shetland dialect and designing a catalogue that aims to present and preserve artists and designers from my ancestry.
Shaetlan
The Shetland dialect (also known as Shaetlan) is a language with a complex history. A combination of Norn and Scots with Lower Germanic influence, Shaetlan has generally been passed down aurally through generations rather than in writing, meaning that there is very little formal literature on the subject.
This book aims to celebrate Shaetlan through providing educational insight into the dialect and its rich cultural history. Informative texts on the mechanics of Shaetlan provide a basis to further understand the applications of Shaetlan in poetry and prose, which provides insight into the life and culture of the isles. The book is designed with detail and legibility in mind- the text has been typeset so that it is easy to read smoothly. Shaetlan isn’t generally seen in a written format, and so with this careful attention to detail I hope to make it a more pleasant reading experience for someone uneducated in the dialect.
To accompany the text, a typeface was developed which references Shaetlan’s cultural and linguistic history through its letterforms. The type references the runes and carvings of the picts and vikings, with a subtle flare to suggest the more dramatic forms of blackletter and uncial calligraphy.
Shaetlan Regular
The Keppies
John and Jessie Keppie are two relatives of mine who studied and worked at the Glasgow School of Art in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century. John was an accomplished architect who ran the firm Keppie & Henderson in Glasgow for many years, while Jessie was a talented fine artist who specialised particularly in watercolours.
Both of the Keppie’s were connected to famous architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Mackintosh was an apprentice, then later partner, in Johns firm, whereas Jessie is speculated to have been engaged to Mackintosh during their Art School days. Today Mackintosh is well remembered and celebrated across the world, and has largely dwarfed his peers in the publics memory. Subsequently John and Jessie are much less known and are not remembered in the same fashion.
This publication aims to collate the works which I could find of the Keppie’s across the internet and physical archives, in order to celebrate and preserve their work in a physical format. It is unheard of to find a collection of their works together, and so these catalogues seek to provide a broader scope of John and Jessie’s various creative talents. I hope to expand this project in future to become a monograph of their works, by continuing to discover and access more of their work.
The books format references the shape of The Magazine, an Art School publication that the Keppie’s were involved in during their time at art school. The colours of each book are designed to work in harmony with eachother, while referencing common colour palettes found in each Keppie’s work.
In collaboration with Caleia Mckennan, who generously provided her time to take photographs of John’s buildings around Glasgow.
Casa Do Vinho
Inspired by some vernacular lettering found while on holiday in Lisbon, Casa Do Vinho was a one-day project exploring the process of developing a typeface in an iterative manner.
Rosie MacDougall
Rosie MacDougall is a knitwear designer in Glasgow. Using bright but limited colour palettes, and taking inspiration from natural forms such as the surface of shells, Rosie creates knitted pieces which focus on contrast, texture, and using sustainable materials.
This brand identity seeks to emulate common notifs in Rosie’s work- particularly the use of contrasting horizontal lines of colour which distrupt the rhythm present within her knits. The logo is designed to be contemporary and timeless, so that Rosie can apply it to numerous collections in years to come. This project is still in development, with plans to create a lookbook and website from the structure of the identity post degree show.
