Words in Action: Seeing the Meaning of Words

In this imaginative typographic "dictionary," words are defined by arranging their letters to show what each word means.

Generating alternatives is the basis of all creative endeavors. Words in Action is an inventive resource that was developed over decades, one word at a time, by architect and professor Michael Pause. Its 366 graphic images add to the inventory first published in Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar's 1962 booklet Watching Words Move, a classic of typography that changed how designers think about the power of words. 

Whether you’re a graphic artist stuck on a visual problem, an author with a case of writer’s block, a teacher looking for a fresh take on helping your students learn, or anyone whose creativity needs a jump start—this book is for you. Anytime you’re stuck, just flip through this inventory of inspired ideas and fun surprises. You’ll never look at a word the same way again!

Before teaching design fundamentals courses for 40 years, Michael Pause was an architect in Chicago and Boston. He holds a PhD from MIT and an MArch from Washington University. His book Precedents in Architecture, coauthored with Roger Clark, has been an industry standard since 1985. He has won numerous awards for excellence in teaching, advising, and mentoring. He lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina.