There
are signs in the graphic design community of a reaction against the
slick digital look of ”the future“ that I am going to call a primitive
revolution. This low-budget hand-rendered look “works” because it
stands out from the pre-processed competition. It is visually startling
and often witty and refreshing. Art directors like the primitive
revolution because it is effective, at this point in time, in the
marketplace. Graphic designers like the primitive revolution because it
raises interesting questions about our culture’s values, because it
reaffirms their humanity, and because it’s fun.
    I mention all this because of a website that I ran into today: Hijackyourlife.com. Hijackyourlife and Hand Job: A Catalog of Type,
are two of the fullest expressions of this primitive revolution that I
know. One of them comes the Netherlands and the other from the United
States. It it too much to think that this intensely personal revolution
may be occurring internationally? (Thank you Johnny B for the brilliant link.)