Darwin Under GlassTypographic & Editorial Exploration of
Evolution & Perspective
Darwin Under Glass is a typographic and editorial exploration of evolution, perspective, and the tension between structural rigidity and organic change.
About
Set against the context of Victorian glasshouse architecture, the project examines the ideological conflict between fixed frameworks of thought and the fluid, iterative nature of Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theories. Grand structures such as the Crystal Palace are used as metaphors for imperial control, spectacle, and societal rigidity, standing in contrast to Darwin’s radically adaptive worldview. His work, intimately connected to these glasshouses, is reframed in this publication as an ornament for disruption, exposing the tension between historical reverence and contemporary interpretation.
The publication interrogates how Darwin’s theories were later distorted through social Darwinism, contrasting the organic evolution of knowledge with the rigidity of systems that misappropriated it. Typography becomes the medium of disruption: words are time-stamped, fractured, and interrupted by lines of motion that echo Darwin’s observational methods and experimental thinking. This visual rhythm resists linear reading, encouraging the viewer to engage with the content as a process rather than a conclusion.
Printed on 110gsm Magnolia Accent Antique stock, the paper was chosen for its warm, cream tone and subtle transparency, reflecting the delicacy and clarity of glass as well as the shifting nature of perception. This project balances historical referencing with critical reinterpretation, demonstrating an ability to translate philosophical concepts into a tactile, visually layered experience that challenges conventional narrative structures.
Set against the context of Victorian glasshouse architecture, the project examines the ideological conflict between fixed frameworks of thought and the fluid, iterative nature of Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theories. Grand structures such as the Crystal Palace are used as metaphors for imperial control, spectacle, and societal rigidity, standing in contrast to Darwin’s radically adaptive worldview. His work, intimately connected to these glasshouses, is reframed in this publication as an ornament for disruption, exposing the tension between historical reverence and contemporary interpretation.
The publication interrogates how Darwin’s theories were later distorted through social Darwinism, contrasting the organic evolution of knowledge with the rigidity of systems that misappropriated it. Typography becomes the medium of disruption: words are time-stamped, fractured, and interrupted by lines of motion that echo Darwin’s observational methods and experimental thinking. This visual rhythm resists linear reading, encouraging the viewer to engage with the content as a process rather than a conclusion.
Printed on 110gsm Magnolia Accent Antique stock, the paper was chosen for its warm, cream tone and subtle transparency, reflecting the delicacy and clarity of glass as well as the shifting nature of perception. This project balances historical referencing with critical reinterpretation, demonstrating an ability to translate philosophical concepts into a tactile, visually layered experience that challenges conventional narrative structures.
PLANT
MOVE
MENT
Poster
ZARA LOUISE MELVILLE