They were forgotten then….
The print edition of my New York Times this past Sunday included an extra supplement, and one which caught my attention immediately as a designer: here it is, a cover that uses what I refer to as a “type attack” as the only visual. Set against a dark brown background, the type is legible but not bright and/or white. A series of intertwined sentences offers a glimpse about each of the 12 African Americans whose obituaries were finally published, in some cases decades after their deaths.
It is all part of the series titled Overlooked, which reveals the stories of remarkable people who did not get their proper due for their contributions. These people left the world better than they found it, but their accomplishments were never mentioned in a proper obituary.
For example, you will read in Overlooked about Gladys Bentley, a gender-bending performer in the Harlem Resaissance. Or, Scott Joplin, a master pianist and ragtime musician who wrote the iconic The Entertainer. And, did you ever hear about Zelda Wynn Valdes, a fashion designer to the stars of screen and stage. Let’s not forget Major Taylor, a world champion bicycle racer.
The color palette
The Overlooked series supplement makes use of bright colors, in the form of blocks where the black and white photos are positioned. It provides for a good contrast. I find the color use to be effective in highlighting what are usually small and not easy to read photos of another era. The color modules allowed the designer of the supplement to bring eye popping attention to each of the profiles. Notice the generous use of white space at the top of each profile. Well done.
As the Times’ editors explain it:
We started the series last year by focusing on women like Sylvia Plath, the postwar poet; Emma Gatewood, the hiking grandmother who captivated a nation; and Ana Mendieta, the Cuban artist whose work was bold, raw and sometimes violent. We added to that collection each week.
Now, this special edition of Overlooked highlights a prominent group of black men and women whose lives we did not examine at the time of their deaths.
In each of these obituaries included in the supplement we find interesting people who did fascinating things, achieving success in their lifetimes, “only to die penniless, buried in unmarked graves. But all were pioneers, shaping our world and making paths for future generations.”
Content additions such as Overlooked are part of what makes The New York Times perhaps the greatest newspaper in the world. With stories such as the ones we find in Overlooked, the Times shows its readers that it not only covers the present and future like only the Times‘ team can, but that there is a handshake to the past too.
That counts.
For more about Overlooked series:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/reader-center/overlooked-obituaries-black-history.html
TheMarioBlog post # 2984