Interview with Peter Bilak on Illegibility book
conducted by Peter Hall for Upper & ower case, 1995

Where did the idea of thesis on 'Illegibility' come from?
In 1991, I first encountered the Macintosh and Fontographer. In 1992, I sent my first type design (FF Craft) to FontShop International, and it was accepted for publication. Since then, I’ve designed plenty of other typefaces, and was working on numerous graphic design projects. It was just logical (perhaps inevitable) to deal with my work and the subject of contemporary typography on the more theoretical level. The event of my B.A. thesis seemed to be the right moment for it.
In the book, I was using the term “legibility” as a quality of reading in a piece of graphic design which may or may not include type—legibility as a degree of comprehensibility of communication.

How long did it take you to complete? Did it form the main part of your course at ANCT?
Consequently, the project began in the U.S.A. when I was participating in an overseas exchange program in the fall and spring semester 94/95. I entertained the possibility of working on a book on “Il-legibility” for quite a long time. I began work on the project sometime in November of 1994 when I discovered the possibility of publishing the book. The work was completed at the finish of my second semester, but I was left with the problem of printing. I was lucky enough to be offered a summer internship at Reese Brothers, the company in Pittsburgh that was originally going to print the book. It was very lucky because in addition to writing and designing the book, I was able to do the typesetting and printing. So, this project originated before my coming to the ANCT.

What is the rationale behind the varied typographic treatments?
The typographic idea of the whole project was quite simple: classic two-column divisions of the page according to the Golden Section. This grid became a challenge for the graphic design of the book. Each page was designed separately. The layout was gradually liberated from the grid system without completely abandoning the grid. Simply stated, the format and the grid were the main inspiration in the designing. While I was presenting the idea of dramatically changing communication, the design of the book was evolving as well.
I now feel a distance from the book. Having worked on the Slovakian republishing of the book in four issues of DE SIGN UM magazine (first two already published), I have already changed some designs in the second half.

The diminished central spacing between column reminds me of some Cranbrook Academy experiments with layout. Who were your influences?
I was aware of current trends in graphic design in the US, but I was not consciously influenced. American designers are undoubtedly very important for graphic design at the moment. However, I can not say any name that would have played a significant role in my work. The diminishing central spacing between the columns comes from experimenting with grid & format. Some type makes its way to the very edge or runs into the other columns as a result of my interest in the space of the page. I was interested in what was happening outside the visible area of the page. The transition from the computer screen to the printed page, the way things could change from being very abstract and unlimited to very tangible and confined intrigued me.

Why do you consider it so important for designers to put themselves into the process of communicating other peoples’ messages?
It is the job of the graphic designer to communicate other peoples’ messages. The question is how to organize a message. Designers should be the most sensitive readers. They have the potential to pose questions, discover complexities of text, and to introduce readers to new feelings. I do not like the “spoon fed” style of typographic treatment. I really like the idea of the reader as an active participant who employs his own imagination to get the message. Graphic designers should have respect for the author of the text and the reader.
Looking for new, unexpected solutions is quite important for me in graphic design as well.

Wolfgang Weingart, who led many of the early revolts against the strict rules of Tschichold and Ruder, has said to me that a society in which text is rendered illegible is a society in disarray. What is your response to this argument?
Wow, a very complex question... I think what we see around today is the product of the period of transition we are in. We are still waiting for a new definition of graphic design. New media requires new (specific) graphic design. Technology is changing so fast, our minds can’t keep up and that causes very confusing, explicit, sometimes illegible text. In this sense we can say we live in an era of disarray—overwhelmed by information. The Internet, for example, is in complete chaos. There is a lot of work for graphic designers to do. I am optimistic about the future because we are living in a more critical era.