The emblem from within Slaughterhouse-Five that I chose to represent this quality comes from a scene where Billy decides that an appropriate epitaph for his gravestone would be “Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt.” This absurd statement sums up Billy’s absurd view on life: Accept it as is because it’s not possible to change. This image was printed in the novel, and I did not modify it besides its size. I decided that using some of Vonnegut’s own artwork would be a good way to represent my client’s values while creating this brand identity, but I guess it’s up to you to decide if I’m just plum lazy.
For starters, this image offers an actual example of Vonnegut’s tight, light writing and focus on the absurdity of death. With just a few witty words, Vonnegut creates a thought-provoking image that forces readers to confront death, a serious topic. Similarly, the simple nature of this drawing mirrors his textual lightness and reminds me of Calvino’s own emblem for lightness (that of Cavalcanti jumping over a headstone). There are very few uneccessary line. At the same time, the distorted connections to infinity that I mentioned in my design and analogy sections are still present, if not visually. The image of a headstone certainly brings thoughts of completion and a return to the beginning of a cycle, but not in a positive way. Billy’s death will not be a successful completion of a useful cycle but rather a merciful end to a wasted life.
