Blog Eleven 27th April 2009

Barbara Kruger seemed to be one of the main focal points of tonight's lecture. Her book love for sale was analyzed in detail and was a good transition into the topic of postmodernism and deconstruction. Her work approaches ideas from a different perspective, was untraditional, and stated that no speech is transparent. Others mentionable designers are Jacque Derriada and David Carlson. Carlson had an idea of a post structural world, having nothing coming from traditions. His work pushed typography to the max and as a result inspired many young designers to output numerous fonts, with the help of fontographer. Works from ad busters really spoke to me, i find it marvelous that designers collaborate to make a narrative of current events, allowing the public to seeing the negatives, when they are constantly being shown positives and consumerism. A worrying factor that arose from this lecture is from the discussion of outsourcing and how even designs are being outsourced to cheaper labor. The question that arises to me personally is what can i do as i designer to make myself valuable to a firm?

Discourse Two

On the Choice of Typeface
By Beatrice Warde

• There are a multitude of factors that determine what typeface a designer should choose for a design. A great quote from Warde that basically sums up the article is “ type, [is] the voice of the printed page”

• The factors are legibility, size, paper, and what tone or message you want to voice.

• Type can be legible and dull, or legible and fascinating based on its design treatment. When talking about type design in book printing, the problem of ocular legibility can be solved in advanced, however when one begins talking about readability there are a variety of experiments and options that can take place. For Example, given the same book in three similar typefaces, Fournier, Caslon, and Plantin, even a non-typographer would be able to notice the subtle differences, and have a subconscious bias towards one or another, because it is like three different voices or personalities.

• Typographer should be able to, within a moments notice, be able to calculate how many pages the copy will come to in a given face, and also be able to take into account the point-size, set-width, number of lines, and leading.

• The word “set” refers to the actual type of the widest letter in the font, ex capital M. All types have different type settings, some occupy more space others less.

• Some typefaces are more successful in sizes above 11pt.

• Quality of paper influences the choice of typeface.

• However the main deciding factors that narrows down the decision to choosing a typeface is bas on two generalizations:

1. Question whether the face itself is tolerable or intolerable; this is before any question of physical or literary suitability.
2. “Is the thing worth doing?” is it worth the time for the designer to make such a thought provoking decision.

this images suffices as an example of what the article is addressing, and basically what Warde main theme is, all typefaces have their own voice. As seen in this image the sentence "Design your own pads" is continuously used in different typefaces and font families. All express a different tone, a goood example of this is comparing Branding Iron with Korinna. Branding iron is a more condensed typeface and has a smaller 'set' than Korinna does, this would perhaps be effective for when one is conserving space and a designer wants to portray the feeling of claustrophobia. Where as Korinna could be used for a more airy and unconstrained design.




This image exemplifies the topic of legibility. If this typeface was to be used for an entire book is would be very illegible and difficult to read. As a result, designer would select this type of typeface purely as a small design elements on a composition.




This third images displays a successful type choice from a design perspective. The designer was comfortable in this typeface, which allowed for experimentation, and the creation of a dynamic composition. When choosing a typeface, one has to always take into consideration who the audiences is, if it is meant to be legible, and what the feeling they want to achieve in the piece.

Blog Ten 20 April 2009

postmodernism was todays focus in all aspects. What was discussed ranged from the historical models for Postmodernism, and its stages, to New Wave typography. I got a lot out of the documentary that was shown in today's class, it illuminated to the face the Post Modernism began as an architectural movement, that rejected the essentialist and foundational concepts. It examines the various cultural codes that govern our understanding of ourselves and our places, belongings, values, and anything else dear to us. It focused on knowledge and using language as a means to get to and achieve knowledge. Though it began with architecture it has managed to transcend through the other art mediums. The part of this lecture that grasped me the most, and which i thought directly related to me as a designer, which i could learn to implement, was new wave typography. It was established by Wolfgang Weingart, who experimented with different arrangements of types, and fragmenting the rules. Basically deconstructing typography. He completely strayed away from the traditional Swiss typography by mixing a multitude of typefaces and weights or reversing type. I feel that is was a great moment in typography because one has to try all alternatives of experimentation before they can create something great. Another notable new wave typographer was Willi Zuntz, who kept some aspects of swiss type. He kept more control of his type, staying tectonic and modular. 

Blog Nine 13th April 2009

Today's lecture encompassed the subject of American corporate design. The forerunner of this, who defined a new American graphic design that turned away from European sources, was Paul Rand. He invented form for both symbolic and communicative forms, also bringing branding to a new level. I found it fascinating that this branding of corporations such as IBM, VW and UPS where able to with stand time and its basic essence has remained untouched. Another occurrence during this period is creating a branding promise. Meaning, branding now carried more meaning than just identifying a company, its was the utmost important visual feature that helped to shaping the company or corporations reputation. Other mentionable names of the time were Brabury Thompson, Chermayeff and Geisman, Vigneli Associates and Saul Bass. Of these names, Saul Bass stood out the most for me, this is because he is one of the great pinoneers of motion graphics. He introduced the use of basic cutout elements to created phonomanal pieces for his time as well as employing the use of kinetic typography. i feel that it is very important to study his work because he was the one who first began expirementing with all the design elements in motion, creating key pieces of his time. To create great art one needs to understand the greats and be able to learn , appreciate and effectively take elements from these pieces and then be able to implement it in your own unique way.

Blog Eight 6th April 2008

The stress on having a universal language form began to emerge in the early constructivist movements. As a result the Isotope movement arose, and created the set of conventions to formalize the use of a pictorial language. The development of this universal visual language was one of the most important innovations in informational design of the 20th century. I feel like this was one of the most important developments of that time because graphic design is based on effectively communicating to your audiences through the use of of understood visual language. Without having a set standardized universal icons, we would not be able to have globalized ad campaigns and agencies. Communications would stop inside a country and creative exchanges might not be the same. Other topics and movements that were addressed in this lecture were international style of typography, modernism and the Swiss and NY schools of design. Another interesting topic of the lecture was the discussion of Swiss design and seeing Brockman works.

Blog Seven 23rd March 2009

Post Cubism and Art Deco was the topics that were addressed today. In these periods we saw both graphic design movements from the period coming together. During the mid 1930s the arts were suppressed by the supremacist and fascists and mechanized war was devastating central Europe. As a result faith in the machine was at an all time high and pieces were reverting to geometric forms. I found it interesting that this was the time that futura was created and used abundantly in all poster works. The intentional spacing between the letters perfectly complemented the style of the time, as well as helping with the overall movement of the works. One of the greats of this era was AM Cassandre, who is also considered one of the great illustrators in history. Illustrator as well as designers look to him for emulation. What i found most intriguing was the concept of emulation and the question of what is original. Americans in particular mimicked i high volume of European design and made it appear as their own. What i found ironic was that the pieces that they mimicked mostly came from their enemies, Germany and Russia. Branding was another big factor of this period, it was readdressed and more importance was placed on it. It was Cassandre that brought about this attention, one of his prime examples is the Dubonnet rebrand, where he created a character as the brand.

Blog Six 16th March 2009

Tonight's lecture was a basic continuation of last weeks discussion on pure form. It addressed the influences pure form had on design and the involvement it had on the future movements. The majority of the lecture discussed the De Stijl and Bauhaus movements. These periods were profound stages in time, regarding the history of graphic design, because it was the basis of modern graphic design and in establishing it as a school. The De Stijl movement addressed the idea of functionality as well as pure form; Architecture was also a big sector in this movement. A notable artist of this time was Mondrian, whose grid and geometric structures profoundly influenced design. He brought about the birth of analytical systems of layout, which was widely influenced the world of typography. Although De Stijl is a widely hated art movement amongst designers, due the the rejection of images, i feel that this was a fascinating movement. It simplifies object down into its most simple geometric forms and use visually pleasing grids. This especially important because type classes evolve around grids. The other topic that was addressed in much detail in tonight's class was the Bauhaus. This is also an altering time in history, because a set of guidelines and rules were formulated for art schools of the 20Th century. Two notable figures where Nagy and Bayer. What really intrigued me was the discussion Tschichold and Dutch design in regards to the 'new typography'. This is probably because of techniques such as uses of diagonals in a composition that created unity within the whole piece. This simple techique brings a whole different feel and movement to a piece but is still orderly and atracttive. I find dutch design phonominal because the order and structre that appears in there work cant be compared to as well as having the abilty to create different, fun, and unique compositions while still maintaining a grid in their design.

Blog Five - 2nd March 2008

The topic of today's class consisted around pure form and its features. We began the discussion with Kashmir Malevich and Suprematism. This was an essential factor in history because it established a vocabulary of geometric structure and form and was the way that pictorial representation began to occur. This discussion focused around Russia, where ther Russian Revolution of 1717 casued high influence and brought the emergence of the constructive movement. This movement was different than what futurism and dada had spurned becasue it was united with the nation in strong opposition to art as an individual expression. Rather it centered on helping the nation and on a utopian lifestyle. Proganda art spiraled out of this period, i subject which i find intensely fascinating becasue of the wide variety of tactics the government managed to use to enforce the influence and control. I feel like studying propaganda art and gaining such knowledge in that topic is an essential part in my graphic design education. This is because these forms were so widely successful and actually where able to create influenece amoungst the public. As futures designers it is important to learn from these tactics so that we can effectively convey messages in our own works of art. Some major and important artists of that time where people such as Rodchenko and El Lissitzky, who is thought to be one of the greatest graphic designers of all time.

Discourse One

Grid and Design Philosophy
By Josef Muller-Brockmann

• Using the grid as an ordering system is an expression of a certain mental attitude.
• Work with grid systems means submitting to laws of universal validity.
• Every visual, creative work is a manifestation of the character of the designer. It is a reflection of his knowledge ability and mentality.
• The grid is used for solving visual problems in two and three dimensions.
• For graphic designers and typographers it is used for things such as press advertisement, books, catalogs, etc.
• By arranging the surfaces and spaces in the form of a grid the designer can place his design elements in the space with objective and functional criteria, allowing the information to be presented logically and clearly.
• The grid divides a 3d plane into smaller fields or a 3d space into smaller compartments, these can be either the same or of different sizes. The fields are separated by an intermediate space known as a margin so
• That pictures and text don’t touch each other, so that legibility is preserved. The grid determines the constant dimensions of space and there is virtually no limit to the number of grid divisions.
• “The smaller differences in the size of the illustrations the quieter the impression created by the design.”
• Economic reasons for using a grid: a problem can be solved in less time at a lower cost.
• Rational reasons for using the grid: simple and complex problems can be solved in a uniform and characteristic style.
• 
  

When searching for pieces to complement and support this article, i thought it be best to browse the works of the author , Josef Muller-Brockmann. All of these pieces are works by this artist. Thee first two are a series of posters. Good design is demonstrated in these series through simple use of the grid and hierarchical arrangement of the type. The first appears to be a 5 column grid with left-alignment and ragged right. It utilizes the grid excellently by either using one column for the basic text and then stretching out the more important information across two columns. The most emphasis is brought to the title, which is the only type that is white and stretched across all the 5 columns. The same can be said for the 9 column grid that is one the adjacent poster.




This piece is also by Brockmann. In this work more visual interest is spurred, because the type is on a diagonal grid. This is a great example showing that a grid does not have to look repetitious and can still remain orderly and legible.




The grid brings visual unity and structure to all of these pieces, making them legible and orderly. By just simply placing text and illustrative material on a grid, ones work immediately appears visually pleasing. These examples show the range of grids that can be used, from two-grids systems to nine-grid systems. It allows for spacing and grouping without making the composition awkward or claustrophobic

Blog Four 23th Feb

In today's class we addressed a variety of subject matter, all that lead back to the main theme of addressing the elements and movements that brought about twentieth century graphic design. We began by addressing the Plakastil movement, whose founder was Lucian Bernhard. I found it interesting that he was a self taught graphic artist whose techniques where outrageously experimental for his time. It shows that to progress in design and innovation one has to do a variety of unique experiments whether acceptable by society or not. Bernhard single handily set out the strategy for posters of the 20th century as well as having a understanding for the essence of the 20th century communication. Graphic Design was no longer limited to one medium of work and played and important role in national identity, through the use of propaganda posters. Another aspect of this lecture that i found interesting was the difference in elements of poster design in World War One. The Allies and Central Powers design aesthetics were greatly different. The Allies were into mythological figures and confronted individuals with patriotic emotion such as the iconic Uncle Sam posters, where as the Central Powers used symbolic images to convey the essence of the events as well as continuing the traditions of abstraction laid down by Bernhard. Another important topic that was discussed was dealing with typographic materiality and answering the question of where the typographic impluse came from. The emergance of this awareness arose from Futurism and Dadaism. It amazed me how many of our typographic fundamentals came from these periods such as the dna of how we make messages or using type expressively.

Blog Three 9th Feb 2009

Today's lecture encompassed the art movement, Art Nouveau. The period only lasted around twenty years however in was considered a vital movement because it was the initial art movement that transitioned into the twentieth century. Unlike in the early industrial revolution period, which brought the deterioration of the book in quality and in design in favor for mass production. The Art Nouveau period brought back the concern and need for design, focusing on quality and craft rather than design. It was considered the first international art movement because it did not just occur in one location or country, instead it grew from its creators in Britian. The movement brought back concern and focused on three key points: inventing their own forms instead of retaking from history, ornamental design blends into the structure instead of being added as a decorative after form, and designers becme involved in symbolic and philiosophic art concerns. There were many influences for Art Nouveau, ranging from Japanese design and Ukiyo-e to Pre- Raphaelite paintings and Illuminated maunscripts. However what i found most intriguing was the changed that occured through this period. The design went from more organic forms into geometric forms. Also new perspectives were discovered and flatness brought into forms. A great example of this is illustrated in the newer posters that became the first modern poster. Flatness was brought into the caberat girl icons that became the symbols for beauty. All these details that we learnt today are essential to mordern design because it lay down the fundementals such as basic geometric both in design and typography.

Blog Two 2nd Feb 2009

As we learned from the previous lecture type was evolving through the periods. Where we had left off was at the end of the transitional period and entering the modern style of the Rocco period that focused on the contrast on thick and thin strokes. However, from todays lecture we learned that it was the Industrial Revolution that radically changed and altered printing and type. It was in this period where many of the 'firsts' were created and invented. An example of the is the creation of paper making machines, however the most significant was the invention on mass communication. It is this invention that starts the ball rolling for the other evolutions in type and printing. It was mass production of products and the rise of the middle class that first brought around the need for mass communication. Companies were competing in the streets for advertisement of there companies, each making bigger posters to gain more attention. As a result larger and a variety of type was needed to distinguish each company from another. Books were also able to be mass produced, however there quality was less then low and the design wasnt taken into consideration. I found it interesting that type and illustration went hand in hand during this period. An illustrator needed to be a good type drafter to make it in the industry because it wasnt until the 20th century that photography was introduced into newspapers. Also editorial design emerged and the forefathers of such editorial publications are still around today, such as the Harper brothers' Bazaar. I find it fascinating how designers of that time had to be skilled in so many areas, however i feel that this was slightly detrimental becasue they werent able to focus on one component of design and produce quality rather than quanitiy. A good example of this is the mass production of book, as i had mentioned earlier. Being a designer today and knowing the history of were advertisng and design originated is very important becasue one can see all the basic fundamentals that were laid down and how successful they were that they are still in use today.

Blog One

The last two types of writing styles by the Egyptians influenced and led to a common alphabet. Hieratic and demotic became a model for other cultures such as the Sumerians and their adopted letter forms Asia also contributed greatly to type, but in more of a technical way. They established the first relief printing, a system for movaype although it wasn't succesfully impletmented ) and the invention of paper. So the credit goes to the chinese to developing the technologies for Gutenburg to create movable type. It was actually the greeks that began to look at alaphabet ina pure form. they brought structure and order through geometry. Being able to break the alaphabet down into simple forms so that it is readable is essential in the design world. As presented later on in the lecture designer went back to the basic greek geometric forms and eradicated the ornate calligraphic style. I feel the universally this would be visually pleasing to a mulitude of cultures.