Post-Modernism

This was the most interesting lesson of the entire semester. I was intrigued by all of it. I am not quite sure how I feel about what I learned at this point I would like to have time to reflect on it as opposed to merely saying what I can come up with off of the top of my head as before in previous entries. Many of the Designers we learned about intrigued me and I understand much better why certain things are the same.

Brett Lindstrom

I hate Vignelli. I hate him. His ideas are garbage and he represents every senseless and unimaginative designer I have ever met. Modernism is dead and if it isn't I shall surely be amongst those to kill it. The international style is void of any humanity and we are already losing enough humanity in front of our computer screens. So I am in support of any and all who oppose him and his nonsensical principals. He learned graphic design it wasn't in his blood. He learned and took every god**** thing he learned to heart and never questioned it. He is every graphic designer that has destroyed graphic design and I feel of him like I feel of a plague. I apologize for the hostility of my words. However I have been waiting all semester to roast this guy and he is a piece of sh**. If this response is to hinder my grade? Very well then. I stand up for what I believe in, and this is nearly at the center of my moral code as a graphic designer: Don't lose your soul and help those who are in the process at any cost. Thank you for your time.

Design DISCORSE #2

DESIGN DISCORSE #2

Was done during the last discorse it is titled:

Article 2 Design Discourse

completed Wednesday March 3

@ 9:14 AM

Design for the Information Age

In my opinion it is around this period in design history where the most beautiful work begins to appear. I find that especially ironic due to the fact that I believe a designer must be an artist. And the reason for the irony is that self expression was omitted entirely. Engineering and information progression became increasingly important in design this I am not opposed to infact my position is contrary I feel that designers should be actively involved in understanding engineering and technology but an artist is fully capable of doing so. There is no reason for an engineer to be a graphic designer in my opinion. However they should work hand in hand with them. It is that precise equation that move us forward to find solutions to problems that we face.

Helvetica has sugar coated some of the worlds most destructive corporate leaches. That upsets me greatly and it is to say the least, dangerous. I do not like it. I completely agree with Erik Spiekerman.

Escaping the Maelstrom

Technology is projected from everywhere and is also the projector. It surrounds you and their is no way to escape its effects because society always seems to adopt and adapt to the newest forms of technological advancements. I believe this is due to intrigue. When a new piece of technology such as the iphone or ipod hits the market for the first time consumers are seduced by the freshness of the product, the dream it fulfills, its function, and the effect this technology is having on the people within their social networks. Once a product is adopted into the lives of enough people people start to become dependent upon that technology and its use becomes unavoidable. It is in this way and others that technology becomes like an inescapable vortex.

Marshal McLuhan felt that "pattern recognition" was necessary to understand and escape the grasp of the media environment. I feel, however, that he was far to intelligent for the vast majority of the population and was misunderstood by the masses and doubted due to the specialization study that comprised his colleagues, and critics. Though he most certainly had an effect on the way media ecology is studied and understood today. However I feel he would disagree with the way it was taught.

Facebook has permeated every moment of our lives. It has become the ultimate networking site. I would be hesitant to say that it enhances our ability to communicate because of some unintended effects that I will mention later. Facebook is an extension of our mouths and our ability to speek, our ability to talk on the phone, to email, and even text message.

This technology will soon completelty replace our need for telephones. AIM has most definitely been affected. It is beginning to replace the bulletin board and fliers as you can now just send out mass messages via your Facebook account.

Facebook has retrieved the idea of mass communication of information without seeing the sender or reciever. Therefor one might say that it brings back the idea of the telegraph or the person letter.

Earlier I stated that I was hesitant to say that Facebook enhances our ability to talk and this is my reasoning; its unintended effects. The reverse as Marshall McLuhan would put it. Facebook has allowed students to speek to each other in class instead of paying attention to the instructor. The instructor won't even be able to tell. People have become addicted to it and rarely ever log off. The worst unintended effect however is an increasing phobia "talking on the phone". I have met many people who are scared and very uncomfortable with talking on the phone. Facebook is one of the reasons that this is increasing so rapidly. We are forgetting how to actually speek. This is very disturbing to me.

We as designers must choose wisely what products to promote and how to promote them because we are the ones that create the intrigue amongst the consumers initially. We are the ones that sell them the dream. We hold the future in our hands. Let us just hope that what we sell are dreams and not nightmares.

Lecture 6 Response

The works of AM Cassandre have always fascinated me and I did not know until now that he was considered by many to be the best illustrator of this period. His work is truly magnificent. Also while I am sorry to say it, the posters created during during WWII were amazing and precisely why I took this course. I wish that we had a time to go into greater detail about each and every poster and every technique that was utilized created and discovered during this period. I am sorry to see it happen at this point, but the transition in America from illustration to photography begins. As you may be able to tell from previous writings I am a fan of anything that was derived or evolved from the pencil.

Article 2 Design Discourse

-Symbolist

-Synesthesia

-Futurism

-Filippo Tamasso Marinetti

While he is more often remembered as one of the greatest proponents of Futurism, Filippo Tamasso Marinetti, had roots in the Symbolists as well. This gave him a perfect jump-off point to enter the world of Futurism; where as you know, total destruction was encouraged. Since Symbolists harnessed the technique of suggestion through form and the Futurists wished to destroy the current aesthetic in response to the state of the world as they saw it. It would be nieve to presume that they had no future plans for the aftermath of this destruction. So while they began destroying their current aesthetic why not use the suggestive qualities of artists influenced by the suggestive nature of the Symbolists like Marinetti to guide their followers into a system that they condoned. Otherwise as a universal lanquage was being developed it would be hard to influence the way that it would turn out.

The images that are attached are most certainly poetic with the appearance of destruction as well. In certain instances you can see only portions of the letterforms, relating to this idea of suggestion that the Symbolists embodied. The text in the middle is broken up into verse like lines of text and further establishes a Symbolist attachment to Marinetti's work.

How Can One Make Swiss Typography

-Wolfgang Weingart

-Swiss Typography

Every artist whatever their sub-categorical pursuit, and every person for that matter, arrives within themselves a conflict, or several, that is inevitably portrayed in their work. Many times it is helpful when it does not restrict them under the guise of "inspiration". Wolfgang Weingart is no different. In the article "How Can One Make Swiss Typography" he expresses a set of often conflicting belief systems, that perhaps even he was not aware of at the time. It begins with this (his) statement:

"I would like to summarize what you can expect in the next sixty minutes: a confrontation with the legendary concept of 'Swiss Typography,' and a very personal statement of a very personal concept of typography and typography education."

Now with this statement being made, I would like to point out how a conflict within Weingart may have arisen can be derived from this next statement, according to opinion. However, opinion is subjective. Then again everything is subjective when argued well. His statement is as follows.

" One does not throw away that which has functioned so well."

His statement shows the potential for a conflicted feeling on typographic design.

The images attached show what may have been a projection of some of these inner conflicts that Weingart may have felt at the time.

Lecture 5 Response

De Stijl

Bauhaus

Jan Tschichold

Kandinsky

Neue Typography

The bauhaus was truly a unique place and one that

I wish I had been a part of unfortunately it as all

good things must, came to an end. I was upset to hear

that it went in the direction of complete functionality

towards the end. I feel that once that happened it

was pretty much over anyway. The integration of all

forms of art I feel is essential but many designers were

never artists so naturally they do not feel this way.

I was impressed by Jan Tschichold's decision to recant

his beliefs about the Neue Typography it takes a true

man to admit incorrectness. I feel as if the best is behind

us at times and that saddens me but hopefully newer

and greater minds will fill their roles. I look forward to

learning more about graphic design and using it to help

propel this world into a more accepting and understanding

chapter. Though I will probably die without success.

Lecture 4 Response

Suprematism

Constructivism

Malevich

Constructivism

Utopian Society

Rodchenko

El Lessitzky

I found this to be the most interesting section so far primarily due to the political and social responses that the artist were able to achieve. I also found it fascinating that they were able to achieve it with such a limited visual pallete as far as form was concerned aside from the photographic elements of coarse. The photomontages of Rodchenko and the techniques used to transfer imagery to such a large scale were genius. However I wish that young designers would not use them as much because they don't need to. We have the capability to print out at very large sizes now so I feel that there is really no need for a similar idea of tracing to be used at this point. I wish they would just draw their imagery; at least some of the time. I am astonished at the effectiveness of the Constructivist design but more so by the involvement of the people/viewers and there ability to change things as a response the way they did. El Lissitzky is one of my favorite designers and I was happy to hear him referred to as the messiah of graphic design/ Constructivism. His ability to communicate an image as powerful as "beat the whites with the red wedge" using only circles rectangles and 3 colors is definitely revolutionary. Also the way he spread them all over is precisely something I have been searching for a way to do in this digital age. Unfortunately I feel the answer to that lies some where within the field of "hacking" and I do not know nor wish to embark upon such and endeavor.

LECTURE 3 RESPONSE

Plakastil

Luciaen Bernhard

Futurism

DADA

Cubism

Surrealism

While their were many significant advances in philosophies during the periods which we studied during this lecture there was one in particular that has harbored my attention and resentment for some time now and that is the movement DADA. I completely understood the reason behind their rejection and attack on the social and political climate of the time and I agree with 80% of it. but unfortunately they also spurred a side movement of performance art and installation. Since their ideas were founded upon nonsense that idea unfortunately carried through into the present day brandished by a wave of ignorant artists with no background or a warped understanding of the reasons behind these types of ideas. Fine arts now is thought of as nonsense as a consequence. Ignorance in this case is not bliss fore it was ignorance that spawned crappy installations with no regard for craft or careful composition. These pieces somehow entered the lime line and contaminated it leaving behind a trail of nothing short of shit.

Lecture 2 Response

Victorian Graphics

Scrap

Chromolithography

Monotype

Arts and Crafts

Total Design

Art Nouveau

I found it extremely interesting that Chromolithography

was responsible for so many different things. I thought

it was interesting that one of the first things they started

doing was essentially creating a false sense of security

by smoothing over social problems like child labor and

the coal mines with pretty pictures that were all created

by this new technology. I also thought that it was

extremely interesting that Thomas nas was responsible

for the Donkey and the elephant as well as the image

of santa clause. I was interested to find out about the

ramifications of his work and wether he was faced with

any violent opposition due to his radical new form of

visual communication. I find the work of the Art Nouveau

Movement to be absolutely beautiful. I find that the

intertwining of forms allow the designer to have a

functional outlet for true artistic exploration.

Brett Lindstrom

-Chinese development of first printing

-Illuminated manuscripts

-Old Style Roman

-Transitional

-Modern

-Egyptian Slab Serif

What particularly upsets me about typography today is that it has been removed from all humanistic qualities. Emphasis is now placed on legibility and simplicity and I hate it. I find it utterly repulsive. I enjoyed the portion of the lecture that showed examples of loud screaming posters it reminded me that we are artists or at least I am and that we should remember that and quit segmenting ourselves as strictly designers. I abhor the idea of just DESIGN. We evolved from artists so how can we take something founded upon that human stoke and let our stupid and ever evolving technology strip it from us completely. I think that the industrial revolution and the advent of the modern approach to typographic production is responsible. However for a moment in time I noticed that the rebellious response to this allowed for complete and total freedom which I was happy to see. But it didn't last long. I hope to bring it back but I'll be upsetting alot of people when I do that. Oh well.