Philographics: Turning Concept Into Color & Shape

May 3, 2013 | design

Genis Carreras is a Catalan graphic designer whose latest project turns whole complicated concepts into minimalist designs. He breaks down the essence of what ideas mean, and reinterprets them in bright colors, calling the series philographics. It began as a set of 24 posters, “But so many important ‘isms’ were left out that I decided to add more designs to the collection,” he said.  So far he’s created 95 different designs after spending the past six months immersed in the project in his London studio.

He’s turning the designs into a book and a postcard set, using Kickstarter to fund their creation. He needed £15,000 for the project, and has already reached £40,721 after starting funding just a little over a week ago.

Each design includes a simple definition of the philosophy it represents, written by Chris Thomas. Each uses a bright background color topped with simple, often symmetrical shapes that interact with each other to embody concepts that can be difficult to grasp.

The designs don’t reduce the concepts, they make them beautiful and understandable, transforming centuries of theoretical debate and discussion into colors and shapes that effortlessly explain everything.

Only 25, Genis said he wants philographics to serve as a “visual dictionary of philosophy,” and previously he’s designed posters, websites, icons, album covers and more. He also made this really cool portrait of Steve Jobs out of Macbook parts with Ben Redford at Mint Digital. Philographics will be his second self-published book after writing and designing Colouring our Perceptions, a book that examines how color effects communication. 

His Kickstarter profile reads:

“I love things like simplicity, books, modernism, video games, nature, London and beagles. And beer, I love beer too.”

For more about Genis and his work, see his website, his Kickstarter project page, and his print shop.