Explicit, sensitive content, restricted, blacklist. Recognize any of these? They are all forms of censorship, something we are very familiar with in this generation. People view certain words as “curse words”, but are they really bad words or just a form of expression just like art is? Sure we use them as expressions that are backed by anger but they are great modifiers for emphasis on emotion. We shouldn’t be afraid of these words especially when it comes to design. Words are just letters until you put them in a space together. The viewer interprets them as they see fit. 

Looking back at the origin of these words they didn’t always mean what they mean in society today. Back then they were innocent words that referred to an action, an object, or an animal. Today these words are used as nouns, verbs, adjectives, interjections, or adverbs. They are used to show excitement, sadness, happiness, anger, disappointment, as fillers, as replacements, and so on. One shouldn’t be judged for showing emotions, it should be seen as a normal part of society, a form of expression. 

My book [Restricted] emphasizes how “curse words” are just words. By using modern mediums of graphic design such as a computer for layout and past mediums of design such as letterpress printing using wood type, I want to show people that “curse words” are okay and normal. We shouldn’t be scared of them or censor them; we should embrace them as just words.