In response to Context of Practice 2, it was decided to focus my essay on the debate between objectivity and subjectivity, one of the longest running debates in the history of graphic design. With a particular focus on type and layout design, the question which was formed states 'does design, in particular, type and layout design, have to be objective to be functional?'
In starting to research this topic, one piece of literature which I read was the famous 1972 debate between designers Wim Crouwel and Jan Van Toorn on the topic. Through this it was found that Crouwel was particularly in favour of objective design, suggesting that graphic design needs to consist of an order for the benefit of clarity and transparency of information, which needs to be founded on certain principles since such clarity and transparency on their own do not lead to quality of information. On the other hand, Van Toorn favoured the subjective approach to design, suggesting that there is no such thing as an objective message, since designers introduce an element of subjectivity in everything they do (we are subjective by human nature). As a result, subjectivity within design should be used to the designer's advantage to freely construct social meaning.
Another piece of literature read was Graphic Design Theory: Readings From The Field. Within this, the beliefs of varying designers were communicated, one in particular being Joself Muller-Brockmann who was in favour of the grid in producing objective pieces of design. One of the main arguments stated by Brockmann was that 'the grid allows endless individual variations' and suggested that the designer can still have creative freedom whilst still using objective means of design, contrasting the view of Van Toorn found in The Debate.
Based on such arguments presented within the essay, in establishing a practical project with particular reference to this written work, it was decided to produce a publication to put such ideas of type and layout design into practice, using both objective and subjective means of design. The main way in which this theoretical research has been used within the practical work was that the essay itself was used as the written content for the publication, typesetting each section in various ways which were meant to be representative of the arguments being communicated in each passage.
Another particular way in which theoretical research has been used to influence the practical work was through looking at specific quotes using within this, singling these out and putting them into practice. For instance, one David Carson quote suggests that 'designers have gotten lazy, letting the computer make so many default decisions for them'. This can be seen within the publication in the use of type in that the default font Minion Pro has been used to present the main passages of body copy. Another quote used stated that a lot of design today all looks the same due to objective principles, therefore suggesting design lacks individual identity. This has been used to inform decisions in the overall colour scheme of the publication, using a set palette of black, red, yellow and white which was taken from a lot of found examples of Dutch graphic design. This also allowed me to provide a consistency throughout the publication which highlighted this argument even further.
Overall, however, the design of the publication aimed to communicate the conclusion of the essay in that objectivity and subjectivity work hand-in-hand in terms of design, and that design does not therefore have to be purely objective to be functional and have a purpose. In visualising this, a happy medium was found between the two approaches and utilised in the layouts.
Wednesday, 25 April 2018
Sunday, 22 April 2018
OUGD505 End of Module Evaluation
One of the main things this module has taught me was how important it can be to make graphic design appropriate to the 21st Century in order to communicate issues of politics, ethics, etc and how these could fit into the market for ethically driven design. Such approaches to design were highlighted in Studio Brief 02 and was something which was quite enjoyable to work towards. This allowed me to put my own issues, concerns and ideas into my design work and helped show me the importance of creating work which means something to you. Despite getting off to a bad start in the initial ideas production process, as a result of focusing on my own concerns, this helped to better motivate and push the boundaries of my work to produce a series of outcomes which would have a clear purpose in the world of design.
Studio Brief 01 presented similar ideas to some degree, however made more specific, in aiming to present issues of 21st Century society that some micro-genres of music are concerned with. The micro-genre which I decided to focus on for this brief was Vaporwave, a form of electronic music which emerged in the early 2010's. It was found that this genre had become something of an art movement and internet meme, with its typical visuals being something which did not match my usual style of work. It was decided to pursue this idea however in challenging myself further in terms of my work, and this actually became to be quite enjoyable as a brief whilst also being a steep learning curve in regards to my practice.
In developing a series of stickers to be used for bubblegum packaging and floppy disk labels through Studio Brief 01, representative of the sense of nostalgia which Vaporwave is concerned with, allowed me to work closely with design for packaging, something which I have not done previously. Although the full objects were not made, careful consideration had to be taken in designing in the correct formats and making sure that all relevant information is present on the designs, some which can be challenging to work with such as barcodes and nutritional information. However, due to the nature of this brief, this allowed me to work more playfully with the designs.
The making of recycled paper was a process which was worked with in response to Studio Brief 02. Handmade approaches to design have always been of particular interest to me, however, this was a method new in my experience. Although the process worked in itself, the idea was to use this paper to print on, however the thickness made for difficulties in the process. This could have been considered more carefully initially and meant that the final production of my outcomes had to be reconsidered. If more time had been allowed, I would have experimented with making this thinner and softer in texture so that it could be printed on. Despite this, the method allowed me to show how there should be a clear link between what sort of message you are communicating in your designs and the production method which should be used to show such ideas in practice.
Both briefs, although more specifically Studio Brief 02, allowed me to critically engage with research and showed the importance of this in providing clearly informed design decisions that work effectively to communicate a chosen message. Research I feel is something of a strong point already, however this module allowed me to think on a much broader scale - work which could potentially have a huge impact in the world and is something which I shall attempt to use more to inform my design work and creative practice, particularly a sustainable one.
Studio Brief 01 presented similar ideas to some degree, however made more specific, in aiming to present issues of 21st Century society that some micro-genres of music are concerned with. The micro-genre which I decided to focus on for this brief was Vaporwave, a form of electronic music which emerged in the early 2010's. It was found that this genre had become something of an art movement and internet meme, with its typical visuals being something which did not match my usual style of work. It was decided to pursue this idea however in challenging myself further in terms of my work, and this actually became to be quite enjoyable as a brief whilst also being a steep learning curve in regards to my practice.
In developing a series of stickers to be used for bubblegum packaging and floppy disk labels through Studio Brief 01, representative of the sense of nostalgia which Vaporwave is concerned with, allowed me to work closely with design for packaging, something which I have not done previously. Although the full objects were not made, careful consideration had to be taken in designing in the correct formats and making sure that all relevant information is present on the designs, some which can be challenging to work with such as barcodes and nutritional information. However, due to the nature of this brief, this allowed me to work more playfully with the designs.
The making of recycled paper was a process which was worked with in response to Studio Brief 02. Handmade approaches to design have always been of particular interest to me, however, this was a method new in my experience. Although the process worked in itself, the idea was to use this paper to print on, however the thickness made for difficulties in the process. This could have been considered more carefully initially and meant that the final production of my outcomes had to be reconsidered. If more time had been allowed, I would have experimented with making this thinner and softer in texture so that it could be printed on. Despite this, the method allowed me to show how there should be a clear link between what sort of message you are communicating in your designs and the production method which should be used to show such ideas in practice.
Both briefs, although more specifically Studio Brief 02, allowed me to critically engage with research and showed the importance of this in providing clearly informed design decisions that work effectively to communicate a chosen message. Research I feel is something of a strong point already, however this module allowed me to think on a much broader scale - work which could potentially have a huge impact in the world and is something which I shall attempt to use more to inform my design work and creative practice, particularly a sustainable one.
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