Cop 3 Tutorial - 29/11/13 - Feedback

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The tutorial on Friday was very productive, I took the opportunity to design my essay plan, and a portion of primary research just to practice and have the research in itself be an experiment with this international style, combined with my own visual sensibility.


Below is the pdf's of material shown along with notes, and action plan moving forward. The aim is to have at least the introduction and first chapter written by early this following week, allowing me to work on Chapter 2 on the weekend fingers crossed.

Essay Plan - Pending Alterations

In Dialogue with Experimental Jetset

(Primary Research)

Notes

I'm going to work on finetuning the structure of the writing, it needs a bit of fine-tuning and the main feedback was there are a lot of issues to discuss. Simon said it's better to have more to talk about off the bat, than less. So I'm hoping to work through all discussions, but making some of the bullet points simply examples and theories to back up a point I want to make.

I also need to make the chapter advancement more chronological, so there's less jumping back and forth as I have a few paragraphs and sections on Bauhaus and the effect of War on it's ambitions and the development of this idealistic, modern take on design and it's influence on the Swiss style of design. Simon said Chapter 1 can be a very short intro to Swiss design, and then a jump back to it's early foundations and influences and then with the foundations set - I can really jump into cultural influences and developments of the International Style of Design.

Some of the points I want to make are simply the chapter titles themselves, and all bullet points most of the time are actually points, quotes and opinions to back it up. It would work better to think this way.

The last chapter about 'globalisation' and identity of countries and cities is probably the chapter which needs most work and further improvement of knowledge, as I've spent time looking into and reading about globalisation, and late capitalism than I have reading about the Swiss International Style of design and modernism mid 20th century.

The term Post-Modernist International Style is also a risky one, as Post-Modernism is a term and concept in itself and what I'm speculating on isn't post-modernism, it's basically after modernism and after post-modernism, in todays globalised, late capitalist and culturally diffused world. So I need to think of some eloquent way of describing this diffused and universal design style.

Experimental Jetsets responses to my questions which you can see above have been really interesting as they mention they mention  they despise the notion of an international style of a country as it's perhaps too generalistic, but infact cities have their own culture and own scene of design, and allude to Paris still till recently having a very unique and distinct environment which affected their work output. Which led me to think how the still developing cities, still trying to force their way through the shadow of the west and global industry, cities like Singapore who perhaps are much more influenced and fascinated with cities like Paris, than vice versa.




Amended Essay Plan


Preliminaries

• Title
• Acknowledgements
• Contents
• List of Illustrations

Introduction

• Underlying project, primary theme of project
• The Abstract - aims and key themes
• Rationale for project broken down methodically without going too deep into it.
• Outlining each chapter

Chapter 1 - Modernism and the early foundations of the International Swiss Style

• Introduction to Swiss style. When it was developed, key proponents and influences
• Modernism as a concept, not design style. Modernity. Technological Revolution. Paris Expo
• Aims of modernism, points which are still relatable today?
• Bauhaus, it's ideals and focus on applying modern principles to all design. Focus on typography and photography. Concerns with mass-production
• Study of Bauhaus typography, and drive towards objectivity - with quotes and theory
• Outbreak of war, it's affect on design - primarily Bauhaus
• Bauhaus schools disbanded and influence dispersed across europe, particularly Switzerland
• Bauhaus influence on Tschichold - New Typography

Chapter 2 - Development of the Swiss International Style and the extent of cultural influence on design

• Decade in which Swiss style was developed and it's ambitions
• Social responsibility of the designer post-war "Curing Visual Disease"
• Swiss Design Schools - Zurich + Basel
• Max Bill + Otl Aicher = Ulm School of Design = Influence of Bauhaus
• Cultural factors affecting design such as language diversity, emigration, war and fascism, - links which are perhaps even more so amplified in todays world
• Visual characteristics and quotes on Swiss style
• Cross-analysis of Swiss design, compared against proponents but not technically "Swiss" 
• "Same language, but different accent"
• Focus on typography, and objectivity - development of Helvetica to be the universal "standard" typeface
• Neue Grafik, Influence in the US
• Affect on American design and advertising - 'The International Style' - designing against decoration
• "Glass of Icy Cold Water" - Michael Bierut

Chapter 3 - Globalisation/Multi-culturalism and it's impact on design style and influence.

• Globalisation and it's definition, focusing on technology, communication and multi-culturalism
• Various facets of Globalisation and close links to capitalism - e.g. Americanisation, Coca-Colanisation etc
• Communication and Influence - then and now - diffusion of style
• Ease of collaboration - diffusion of style
• Technological revolution - Booms of air travel, internet, tourism etc and effects on culture.
• The world being closer together than ever before, underlying question of everywhere looking the same, also designing the same?
• Marshall McLuhan "Global Village" theory and relevance today
• Adorno + Horkheimer "Culture Industry"
• Above being future predictions, current views and facts of Globalisation - Phillipe Legrain
• Languages around the world and English slowly becoming the "dominant" language of the world - effects on design style, links to Swiss design culture
• Emerging first-world and hotspots of design around the world
• Late-Capitalism - Frederic Jameson

Chapter 4 - Contemporary Design Practice in a globalised world

• Criticisms of International Style of Design and typography "dehumanising" etc.
• New-Wave typography + Post-modernity 
• Criticisms of todays design process such as social nature of design, trend following, subjective design and confusion of clarity - quotes and criticisms craig oldham etc
• Kate Moross - "daily challenge maintaining own style"
• Question of opportunity for a New International Style of design, in literal sense, or evidence of it already being here. Comparing situations from then to now. Design in cycles. Arguments ...
• Languages around the world and English slowly becoming the "dominant" language of the world - effects on design style, links to Swiss design culture and language being a core driving point of objective, holistic design.
• Opportunities for multi-lingual typefaces, and design. A progression of the International Style - Peter Saville quote.
• Influx of external and interesting culture within environments, for example post-war immigration in Europe and development of Swiss style and German influx, todays mass immigration. Where does most immigration take place though?
• Post-modernity and design in cycles, similarity in current situations of design - International Style battling decorative, inefficient design, todays design world has emerging trends of anti-design aesthetics.
• Applying Tschichold's theories of "bad design" and "good design" to emerging aesthetics of design
• Todays emerging anti-design aesthetics, disregarding technology and 'rules' as a choice, and a progression of  simply not knowing any better like in late 19th century design, an opportunity for a progressive International Style of Design, to cater for a global culture. Rather than create a global style as in the 50s?

Conclusion -

• Is there a need, or opportunity for a New International Style of design to cater for a  rapidly changing and multi-cultural society.
• Will native regional particularities in design remain in the face of mass globalisation and multi-culturalism
• With an emerging first world - will design become mass-produced in the Far East, as goods and products are?
• If there ever will be a New International Style movement, what will it's characteristics be?

This is the working plan for now as I really just need to get on with it and make small amendments and add cohesion as I go.


I feel much more comfortable writing about the development of the Swiss style and multiculturalism etc than I do about Globalisation in the sense of capitalism, late-capitalism, post-modernity and things like that so I feel I need to increase my knowledge in certain areas. I've outlined a few key themes and theories to look into :


Theories + Concepts to look into

The Enlightenment Project - Adorno + Horkheimer

Post-modernism and Late-Capitalism - Frederic Jameson

Defining post-modernity today

Established and emerging metropolises