Starting with a kickoff meeting with Steve, the producers, and the lead editors, we watched clips of the show to give the Brim team an idea of the tone and pacing. The docuseries heavily featured poetry by Langston Hughes, American writer and social activist. The name of the docuseries itself is taken from one of Hughes’ most famous poems, ‘Let America Be America Again.’ It was important to let the message of that poem make an impact without calling attention to the typography itself. A fitting typeface for this challenge was a typewriter-inspired one. It evokes the nuts-and-bolts nature of this classic writing tool. Additionally, the utilitarian nature of the typewriter is an understated counterpoint to the series’ nuanced and complex themes of race, class, and public education.
Brim was tasked with adding creative input for on-screen typography for the docuseries, ‘America To Me.’ For his docuseries about race relations between students in Oak Park River Forest High School, Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning director Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Life Itself) wanted to feature simple yet effective typography. The intention was to keep the audience’s focus on the subject matter and not on the typography itself.
Goal
Logo
On-screen graphics
Style direction for typography
Deliverables
Process
'America to Me' debuted at the Sundance Film Festival 2018 to critical acclaim. The Hollywood Reporter named ‘America To Me’ as #1 on its list of Best TV Shows of 2018.
Other acclaims include the following:
Vox, 'The 7 Most Essential Shows of 2018'
Thrillist, 'The Most Binge-Worthy TV Shows No One Watched This Year'
Vulture, 'The Most Political TV Moments of 2018'
The New York Times, 'Best TV Shows of 2018'
Time - '17 Overlooked 2018 TV Shows to Stream Over the Holidays'
IndieWire - 'The Best TV Shows of 2018'
Vox - 'The 11 Best Documentaries of 2018'
‘America to Me' was purchased by Starz for distribution, premiering in Fall 2018 to nationwide critical acclaim.
