WORKS
HACK MANHATTAN
Visual Identity, Branding, Typography
Instructor — Paula Scher
2025
Hack Manhattan is a non-profit hakerspace dedicated to the culture of DIY and open-source hardware. The visual identity draws inspiration from the "Blue Screen of Death" (BSOD), reinterpreting system errors not as failures, but as essential steps in the creative process.
At the core of the system is "Hackvetica," a custom-modified typeface that "hacks" the ubiquity of Helvetica. This logic extends to the iconography as well; every icon is constructed exclusively using the geometry of Helvetica characters.
By intentionally breaking the grid and shifting strokes, the visual language visualizes the act of deconstruction and reassembly.
The intense RGB blue serves as a functional signal, unifying the space from digital code manuals to physical signage.