(suggestion: zoom in on the letter…)
This delightful sequence of minimalist concrete poetry is an homage to Bembo’s Zoo and Anipoemas is the result of a creative collaboration in which the technical and the conceptual become truly interconnected. Its minimalist aesthetic includes technical aspects like producing it with animated GIFs— an early Web technology for animation— and keeping font sizes close to 12 points, and using the Courier New font, which is simpler and Web-friendlier than Bembo. These creative choices are designed to make readers pay attention to the text, as well as emphasizing the minimalist graphics in which just a few pixels can make a huge difference.
I recommend you read the intro by Waber and Niemi, which will explain the genesis of the project and the constraints that guide its conceit. At a time when typography is often taken for granted, this refreshingly witty Letterist “zoo” makes us pay attention to letters, their shape, and the importance of a few well-placed pixels or motion.
And despite its hypertextual interface, which allows you to access the poems in any order, I recommend you read them in alphabetical order to best appreciate the punchline at the end.
