Sargent Claude Johnson

Polymode is honored to have designed the publication and exhibition graphics for the Sargent Claude Johnson show now on view at The Huntington.

In showcasing the profound artistic contributions of Sargent Claude Johnson, Polymode chose color and materials drawn from the variety of experiments across Johnson’s body of work, including gilding, enamel, and glazing.

As one of California’s pioneering African-American artists, Johnson’s legacy reverberates through Abstract Figurative and Early Modern styles, spanning across various mediums – from painting to pottery, ceramics to sculpture, and beyond.

About the typefaces:

Jaamal Benjamin, the founder of Studio Grand based his display typeface Harlemecc (2023) on the hand-lettering of Aaron Douglas(1899–1979), a leading artist and designer of the Harlem Renaissance. Douglas’s typographical style was formed under the mentorship of Winold Reiss (1886–1953), a German émigré designer who encouraged Douglas to look to Art Deco influences and African art and traditional craft.

Tré Seals of Vocal Type designed VTC Tré(2023) as a revival of Pegasus by Berthold Wolpe (1905–1989). Vocal Type is a Black-owned design studio founded on social justice and inclusion.

Greg Lindy of Los Angeles-based Lux Typodesigned Pragmatic Grotesk (2022). This workhorse geometric sans serif typeface serves as a functional body text counterpoint to the expressive power of Harlemecc.