Recommended reading: ‘Marcel’s Letters: — A Font and the Search for One Man’s Fate’
Carolyn Porter is a great graphic designer based in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. She’s a talented artist and always professional. I learned this when she donated her time and talents to a nonprofit I was working for several years ago, as she created beautiful brochures and maps.
Once in a while, she mentioned a personal project she was working on: designing a font based on some old letters she found in an antique store in Stillwater.
I had no idea the journey Carolyn was on, until this summer when I read her compelling story about not just creating an elegant script typeface, but searching for the Frenchman who had written the letters and the family he sent them to from a work camp in Nazi Germany during World War II.
While I knew that eventually she had a couple letters translated and even traveled to France to continue her project, it wasn’t until I read her new book that I fully grasped her amazing experience. It was fun discovering the things my friend had been doing while we worked together, but Marcel’s Letters is captivating to anybody with a heart and a curious mind.
Reading the book, I also learned that in addition to being a talented designer, Carolyn is a skilled storyteller. She writes in a page-turning style, but rolls out the twists and turns at a slow enough pace to let the reader really share the experience. Her challenges and frustrations were described with honesty and soul, while honoring the terrible realities of war, and explaining the history of French families who were torn apart through an obscure and illegal policy by their occupiers.
Marcel’s Letters is a fun read and a meaningful story. I’m proud of Carolyn, actually kind of stunned at her hidden talents, and happy to urge you to track down this book and read it. More info and purchase options are here from Skyhorse Publishing.
