Cranbrook Design and Type Treatment

Katherine McCoy, along with her husband Michael McCoy, led the Cranbrook Academy of Art's Design Department from 1971 to 1995. She played a major role in shaping postmodern graphic design, particularly in how typography was treated as a visual and linguistic form.

Cranbrook's approach to design, particularly during McCoy's tenure (1971–1995), was known for its experimental, deconstructivist, and postmodern aesthetics. Cranbrook’s design work, particularly under Katherine McCoy and Michael McCoy, was used for a wide range of publications, branding, and educational materials.  Cranbrook embraced postmodern design precisely because their audience was experimental and engaged in critical discourse about design, art, and communication. Their use of deconstructionist typography, fragmented layouts, and layered meaning was not just for aesthetic effect—it was a deliberate response to the cultural, academic, and artistic circles they were designing for.

While postmodernism in design was highly conceptual and expressive, it often sacrificed readability in favor of aesthetics, which created challenges for accessibility. The deconstructivist, distorted, and layered design elements that Cranbrook embraced often reduced legibility. McCoy and other postmodern designers treated typography as a visual element rather than a communication tool.