THE
DEMOCRATIC
LECTURE
-
BY
CRAIG OLDHAM
[United Theory of Everything, Manchester, 2012]
The Democratic Lecture is a great book - especially when it comes to issues raised by and involving contemporary graphic design students in todays world - this was interesting to me personally.
Not only that but it really helped me to find interesting lines of enquiry and it definitely planted seeds which helped me triangulate specific issues and come up with what is hopefully a focused and productive research topic.
For every book I read I plan on typing up all notes, quotes and page numbers so it gives me a good archive of references for when it comes to discussing points. I took down these quotes before I fell upon my research topic but I feel they're mostly relevant and still fall upon the contemporary design world - which is a line of enquiry when it comes to my topic of globalisation and graphic design.
Key
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= Quote
= Analysis _ Comment
Notes
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"design exists to improve and to inform, and to be effective it has to be understood" - p53
"If you live and create in isolation, more than likely you're going to create thing that have no place within a real environment, and so they will fail, because they have no context other than inside your head." - p56
Effect of society on design, representing and influencing society?
Copy/Steal and idea of influence/looking back
"A lot of students, even designers in the industry, feel that if they admit that they've been influenced that it somehow reduces their originality that somehow it's not their idea, and theyve just copied someone... to merely copy is to take an existing interpretation and simply re-skin it. To steal an idea is to take something of value and make it yours, make it relevant to your practice and the problem you're trying to solve. To make an artistic element yours, you have to interpret it your way with your own approach." - p53
Outside influence -
"You work with exists, the ideas around you and the opportunities you combine them with, within your own way of working to create something different." -p53
Taking + Manipulating + Juxtaposition + Progressive graphic design
"How do you make a dog drink? Put it in the blender.
You take the existing and manipulate it into something new, unexpected and this is where great ideas come from, and how great things are made." - p53
"It is fatal to assume that graphic design is a medium for self-expression." - p51Objectivity x Subjectivity within graphic design.
Agree? Artist definitely not as important in Graphic Design when compared to specialisms such as Fine Art, but if everyone plays by these 'rules' then there wouldn't be such as thing as a recognisable style and recognising a certain designers work is a sign of successful and iconic work - if they played by a set number of rules to solve a problem - these individual characteristics wouldn't be there?
Clinical graphic design in past / compared to now. More self-expression and 'trend' orientated design culture now compared to before computer and maybe a more global culture?
"Over the past two decades, designers seem less and less interested in solely solving the problems of their clients. No they're far too interesting for that." - p60
Look into designers attitudes and intentions now, compared to before the computer and globalised culture of past two decades. How and why?
The argument of solving problems yet these same designers have a 'signature' style where they probably stepped out of these objective guidelines in order to create something iconic - slightly contradictory. You still know certain pieces of work without seeing their name so there's definitely an element of style and self-expression.
For example, Wim Crouwel grids, Massimo Vignelli helvetica. Possibly subconsciously applying expression and their own unique problem solving techniques which are typical of them
MODERNISM + FUNCTIONALITY
"You can trace back the origins of that Swiss/modernist, highly typographic, highly clear, with an emphasis on function and content."How did these styles come about, especially the Swiss style of design which symbolises modernist and minimal graphic designs, was there a change in economy, culture and society which pushes designers to be more objective and functional in design?
Swiss modernism affecting advertising and a more consumerist society.
Design > influencing > Society
Design < influencing < Society
Michael Beirut "Like a glass of ice cold water" - referring to moving to Helvetica from decorative fonts in advertising.
BIBLIOTHEQUE - Posters exhibitions for Dieter Rams, 50 years of business for vitscoe. Ten principles of good design.
* 'Britishness' and it's influence on shaping British design and recognisable visual sensibilities
"Britain has a world famous, and world envied creative industry every nation wishes it was theirs... Although negativity is a bad thing for the mass-majority, like everything there's a flip-side and if used correctly, negativity can yield positive results. Knowing when to look through a slightly negative eye can be a really useful thing to a designer." - p46
"The real thing that negativity gives you is a critical stance. An obstacle which your creativity has to be able to overcome to prove its worth, and a problem which it has to solve in order to succeed." - p46
"A critical mind sets higher standard, and higher standards lead to better work. The Brits have this critical stance engraved our DNA, but we use this negativity in a positive way." - p46
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ANALOGUE x DIGITAL
"Even in an age where digital could be seen to the popular choice, it'd be hard to deny that it was the poster that elected the first black President of the United States of America." - p27
"But that's only because Shepard Fairey understood what confused so many, just like Martin Luther did. They employed the right technology to best communicate their ideas." - p27
Branding influence on Consumerism + Society
"I think that brands always have shaped society, even before we knew they were brands. Just as when a person becomes known for being the best at a skill, the demand for his skill increases.
Others may be able to perform the skills but it is he who he is in demand. Is that not a facet of branding? Are people not brands themselves?" - p55
Self-expression + Style
"Style is yearning for recognition from the peer group." - p56So graphic designers shouldn't have a style, or a unique approach to solving a problem not yet been employed before? Or style as in what's currently in trend - this could possible indeed be yearning for recognition and approval from peer group.
Is graphic design more 'style' than substance in todays global culture than before? Constantly seeking approval in person and through online on blogs, online portfolios etc by following trends and high likelihood of acceptance on visual merit not content.
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Big/Small studios
"In every industry, your success is measured against two things (i) The size, bigger the better, and (ii) it's financial value. The more money you make the better you are. Except design is a bit of a weird industry. In design if you're big then you're deemed a sell-out or of no creative worth." - p58
Environment + design
Book _ 'A Technique for producing ideas' - by James Webb Young
"Your environment will inspire you. You will draw information from every aspect of life and fine the solution to a problem in a totally different place. Wood for the trees so to speak." - p60
"Have a life outside of design and let your life have an influence on your design." - p60
If environment inspires you then different environments, culture and society create different work, as environment plays a huge part in your work. Then in todays global culture what actually is the environment which inspires you, has this environment remained culturally distinct or is the environment in todays world merging into one - in turn creating one design language?
"You are always thinking about the problem, whether you know it or not, and as ideas are just new combinations of the same individual bits of information, all it takes is for the subconscious to trigger off something. and the idea just pops out of thin air." - p60
Ambiguous art
"Mr Wilde once wrote that form and colour tell us form and colour that is all" - p60
"There are two basic elements in communication - form and content - and it is their relationship that creates a piece of graphic design."
"Graphic design is simply a method of communication, and without something to communicate it's redundant. Content is key." - p63Ambiguouty and prioritising style and trend, visual clutter over the communication which is key. More so now, than in the past?
Rejection of technology? Rejection of communication - 'glitch art'
"Sure it's possible to do graphic design about graphic design but designers always struggle without a brief to define their content, resorting to the ever-repeating Pantone skits, novelty typefaces, and empty graphic 'styles'. In which you're not really a graphic designer." p63
Importance + success of enjoying research
"The great thing about it is that it's almost always about something else. Football, cake, world peace. The Wizard of Oz. Music. Art. David Ginola. And if you can't get excited about whatever that something else is then you will have trouble making that job a good piece of Graphic Design."
"When you dig deeper, you will rise higher." - p63
"It's better to be interested, than uninteresting" - Alan Fletcher - p63
Importance of looking to the past for forward-thinking work. Issues of more looking back now than ever before? With rejection of clutter, too muchtechnology and a more analogue life - more analogue design.
"My course placed particular emphasis on the importance of past-design and how it can influence and inspire what is to come. These lectures affected me profoundly as a designer." - p66
Art is timeless, can inspire anyone, anywhere, anytime. Todays designer, especially me, looking to the past more than todays world - just as inspiring as it would have been to someone ten years from now, or ten years in the past.
"A good example of this is in music where influences, experimentation and creative application happen at various times in a linear chronology, but a user can experience them at any time after that fact. You can, for example be as affected by the music of Dylan or The Beatles at any point in time." p66
Exactly the same with design work
"History provides the riches and most valuable source of reference a tool on which to produce better, more considered work which allows the transference of thinking from period to another. But so many of the new blood entering the industry lack this reference tool."
Past influencing now
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