Warrick Bruan

Graphic Patina

The Graphic Patina Project is a culmination of pictures taken from 2023 to 2026 in Canada, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, New York City, and various provinces in the Philippines. The mission behind this documentation and sequence of images is to highlight the ways that graphic design, typography, photography and age and settle into the materials and communities they inhabit. In a world with an ever-increasing digital presence, it can be easy to forget that environmental graphic design comes with the consideration of how the media will evolve over time. The material of the work, the material it is installed into, the climate(s) of the area, the surrounding colour palette, community history, and the state of decay on the base material itself. All of these factors combine to transform the work as it ages. giving it the chance to 'settle' into the environment it is placed in and become one with it.The boxes and plinths that these books are mounted on are hand-made, in order to gain a better understanding of how to work with each material specifically. Each plinth also features found objects that have been recovered from previous projects, with each having a patina of their own such as discoloration, rust, and oxidization.

“The Graphic Patina project is a series of books focusing on material studies, specifically how environmental graphic design ages on wood, masonry, and metal. Each book is mounted on handmade plinths and display boxes, with the intent of better connecting with each material showcased in the books. ”