OUGD501 / Context Of Practice / COP3 Proposal

Digital Copy of  Proposal Form Name:

Kieran Walsh

E-mail:

Kw101567@students.leeds-art.ac.uk

SUBJECTS OF CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH ALREADY UNDERTAKEN

Level 4:

Modernism – Dieter Rams’ 10 principles Of Good Design

Level 5:

Contemporary Graphic Design – Modernisms influence on…

AIM AND/OR OBJECTIVE OF YOUR PROPOSED C.O.P.3 PROJECT

To explore Contemporary Graphic Design within editorial design, focusing on the arts / culture / fashion sector of publications.

1.     What research needs to be undertaken into the general and specific contexts of your practice?

/ Contemporary editorial design and it’s future – Digital and/or print future? / Detailed history of Editorial design – understand changes in the industry / Discover commercial considerations – advertising and funding. / Discussions with contemporary Art directors / Innovation within the industry – history of progression.

2.     What approach(es) will you take and what processes, methods, materials and  tools  are to be involved in research into your practice? Discussion with contemporary and previous Art directors about the industry previously and now.  Discovering contextual influence within the field; how social, political and ethical manners have affected editorial in the past and present. A detailed investigation into archives of editorial design will allow me to gain a critical, informed opinion.

3.     What preparation or investigations do you need to undertake for your creative practice to take place?  Defining a magazine to focus on will benefit my practice, both narrowing down research and allowing me to work with the magazine’s ethos in the practical element of re-designing.

4.     What research do you need to undertake regarding who your creativity is for?

The target audience would stay the same after my re-design (unsure) therefore the existing client base is stable to work upon. The exploration of innovation in a digital sense may create new possibilities in relation to a target audience. My placement at the magazine Dazed and Confused in June will allow me to meet potential interviewees, after defining a strong enough selection of questions I could interview these people who work in the contemporary market. Primary research indeed.

Primary Sources of Information
1.         Description	Contemporary designers and industry professionals
Location	Dazed and Confused, Old St, London
2.         Description	Archive of the chosen publication
Location	British Library
3.         Description	?
Location

Secondary Sources of Information
1.	Online archives ( selected publication) of content.
2.	Interviews with selected industry professionals.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Perceived problems or difficulties:

/ Defining the right questions to gain primary research. / Accessing detailed archives of a selected publication. / Defining the right points to make in dissertation writing. / Copyright issues of re-designing.

OUGD501 / Context Of Practice / Evaluation

This practice has been enlightening, because of my research, essay and response I have become aware of the oppression due to Modernism principles. This practice has inspired me to disregard my pre conceived idea of ‘Good design’, although I am aware this may result in my struggle in a commercial environment, as a designer, I regard my morals to be more important than a commercial consideration.

I believe my design decisions have been justified and are more than simply a thoughtless practice in satire / illustration of the essay. I do understand this project can be interpreted both literally and laterally, it is this direction I have attempted to define as precisely as possible. I believe the synthesis between my writing and practice is strong, both elements compliment each other, visually and conceptually.

My exploration of the topic has been an enjoyable experience, questioning the once sturdy realms of ‘Good design’ has made me aware of the saturation within the commercial environment, an disregard has developed that has grown ever rebellious. Without the constraints dictated by Modernist principles I believe the amount of innovative, interesting and questioning work will increase, in turn, benefiting social, political and ethical issues. It is a strong thought of my own that the underground blog culture that nurtured this contemporary Graphic Design has to find its place within the commercial environment.

My justifications of format, typography, imagery and the overall tone of voice have been developed critically, as Contemporary Graphic Design is a field I have been investigating and practicing over other modules on the course, it has been a natural intrigue that has lead me to the work, I think this interest and intrigue is apparent within the work. A satirical, critical and enjoyable manifestation of my own approach and thoughts towards design.

OUGD501 / Context Of Practice / Development

Inspired by the original introduction page of the book, I have appropriated this and embraced technology using RGB Blue.

Screenshot of the process of the contemporary designer, exaggerating technologies use. 

Using a loud pink for both title and highlighted copy.
I wanted to imitate these highlights by representing a highlighter pen (orange/pink/green were possibilities)

The type has been stretched by 200%, In the Modernist period, this process would have only been made possible by the creation of a new set of a characters!

An eclectic mix or arrangements, left and aligned and centred feature here,
creating an erratic and energetic sense (portraying emotion through a page, as the PostModernist would)

A satirical 'Hi' features next to the highlighted quote: 'The creator disappears completely behind his work. People of today regard the arrogant thrusting forward of the man before his work as aesthetically embarrassing.'

The centred arrangement begins to imitate a script, a format of the pre-Modernist period as well as contradicting
Jan Tschichold's dismissal of the centred layout;
'Centred layout using lightweight sanserif has no visual effectiveness and reaches a
"typographic low" for today' pG 68 

'

This ease of manipulating type has become incredibly easy with the development of editing software,
apparent in its rise in use withing Contemporary Graphic Design; as seen below;

One of the few pages not derived from The New Technology, this layout and stectched imagery were derived from Steve Slocombe's interview with Patrick Burgoyne on the topic 'The New Ugly'.

Set in ALOT Gutenberg 'The Old Typography' sit next to an erratic layer with the stereotypical Drop cap found
in the old style.

Inspired by the Work of the infamous Post Modernist Jefferey Keedy (Who I have quoted within the essay)
The page represents rebellion, dismissal of the opressive 'Good Design'

The exaggeration of this quote sets a satirical tone of voice, mocking Jan Tschichold's oppressive views. 

Embracing the same design process as Steve Slocombe in SUPER SUPER;
'There is no predefined grid: Slocombe starts with the images (which may or may not be in focus) and arranges them so as to maximise the space, just as he and Tillmans would on the gallery wall.'

Using a 200% stretched Helvetica to subtly play with contempoary technologies influence on the distinctly Modernist.
Ignorant of borders, this full page layout 'shouts'.   

Emphasis on 'New!' ironically set in Fraktur.

This illustration of the Golden ratio page, popular in Modernism as it creates a asymmetric page layout.

'The New Art'.
As discussed in my essay, digital platforms such as Tumblr are the new art galleries, art is viewed primarily
through a screen.
I wanted to emphasise this with the framing of all images in the frame found upon all posts on Tumblr.
The blue outer glow is inspired by the blue brand aesthetic of the platform.

A statement.
Malevich's Black Square seen in the digital realm, objectively it does have very little impact.

Two images taken by myself at 'Adventures Of The Black Square'.
The notes on the page are paraphrased from my essay.

Embracing the limits of technology alongside the satirical editing of the book.

Both Windings and Keedy sans are used here;

Inspired by Carson's use of Zapf Dingbats in Ray Gun, which was in rebellion to the content of the article, portraying a point / statement is similar to my intention with this publication.

David Carson’s infamous Zapf Dingbats spread, featured in a 1994 issue of Ray Gun.

Keedy Sans:
Published by one of the frontiers of Post Modern practice; Emigre Fonts.
The quote here emphasises Keedy's PostMo practice, I used the typeface as an agreement with the designers approach.

'In type design, I have never been very interested in pushing the limits of legibility for its own sake. Absolute clarity, or extreme distortion, is too simplistic a goal because it is ground that has already been well covered. I prefer to explore the complex possibilities that lie somewhere between and attempt to do something original, or at the very least, unique.'

Emojis; The New Language.
Emoji's have been embraced in Western Culture, seen as more than illustrations, these symbols have been promoted in our Language system. This appropriation of symbols both represents modern communication and the PostMo practice
of appropriation.

Presenting a page through a screenshot of a page.
Adding this layer deconstructs the page, showing my process, which would normally be invisible; evident.

Unplanned. This notice appeared when finalising the document, more than a simple warning,
This represented the limitations and restriction we currently face in the contemporary design world,
with new technology come new problems.
In hope of a world without these restriction and limitations, I thought this to be a ironic tone of voice to finish with.

OUGD501 / Context Of Practice / Development

Initially I planned on using FetteFraktur, the font scorned in The New Typography;

'Fraktur, like gothic and Schwabacher, has so little to do with us that it must be totally excluded as

a basic type for contemporary work.'

In my research, I came across Pixur:

'A little experiment that the "Fette Fraktur" 19th translated into the 21st century'

The appropriation as a Post Modernist practice alongside a juxtaposition of the old (Fraktur) and the new (Pixelation, therefore technology) was conceptually ideal for the project. 

Embracing the scorned centred layout and 'Trend' of hyphenation, as well as the screen only RGB Blue creates a strong conceptually initial page.

OUGD501 / Context Of Practice / Technologies influence on Contemporary Graphic Design

How has new media influenced art?

‘The digital world is not static and is continuing to experience very rapid development. At the moment, attention is focused on the impact of social media which allow for the creation and exchange of user-generated content and provide a structure for people to get organized, exchange and collaborate.’

The rise of social media platforms has created an opportunity for the common man to distribute work and gain acknowledgement, unlike the past when only a select few could create and distribute. Tumblr is a prime example of such a platform that celebrates user-generated work. Acceptance and acknowledgement is noted through re-blogs, comments and notes, creating the question, what is the purpose of these self-generated works? Is it expression or a craving for acknowledgement?

Referencing the work of McCall and Simmons’ Theory of Identity, these user-generated works are created to achieve one of three types of rewards;

‘They begin by classifying three basic types of rewards: First, there are extrinsic rewards, such as money or other reinforcers, that are visible to all.

Second, there are intrinsic rewards that provide less visible means of rein-

forcement for the individual—rewards such as satisfaction, pride, and comfort. And third, and most important, there is support for an identity, which

McCall and Simmons believe is the most valuable of all rewards. Individuals are motivated to seek a profit—rewards less the costs in securing them—in all their interactions. Moreover, there are separate types of calculi for each of these three categories of reward, and there are rules of the marketplace:

Rewards received by each party to an exchange should be roughly comparable in their type (whether extrinsic, intrinsic, or identity support), and rewards should be received in proportion to the investments individuals incur in receiving them (a principle of distributive justice).’

‘Artistic disciplines and practices have different dimensions in their relationship to digital technology. There are art forms that exist because of technology (digital arts practices and film, video) and art forms that are influenced by technology (new distribution means for music, e-books in publishing, live performing arts).’

New media created a new context for contemporary art, art can now be derived from comments and interpretations on this new media. A recent example is the sale of a screenshot of the phrase by an unknown ‘artist’:

‘Art used to be something to cherish

Now literally could be art

This post is art’

New media influencing art can just be seen as a series of new opportunities, formats, methods and platforms for an artist to do, in my interpretation, whatever they want to do, not merely create something aesthetically pleasing.

The introduction of this media enhances the blur between art and design, creating discussion about the function of design and expression of art, the rules of design against the void of rules with art. Just as Marchel Duchamp did with the readymade, skeumorphism and the digital interpretation of a readymade ( such as the screenshot artwork by anon )

Personally, I welcome this blur of art and design that has been enhanced by the introduction of new media. New media creates a great number of opportunities to express as well as a culture that welcomes a rebellion and questioning of ‘good design’, usually associated with minimal modernist attributes. I believe this introduction of questioning and several aspects of art which is affecting design ( as well as vice versa) is broadening the definition of both designers and artists.

The broadening of the definition of designer is ever growing, I believe an ode to this introduction of new media;

http://i-d.vice.com/en_gb/read/think-pieces/5365/the-rise-of-the-multi-talented-multi-tasker?utm_source=idtwitter

A recent article on I-D written by Courtney Iseman documents the rise of multi disciplinary professionals who refuse to specialize but instead adapt to the introduction of the ‘everything’ designer. Would this type of designer exist if it wasn’t to the rise of new media? Probably not, the introduction of new media, although a wide range of platforms, it seems to be a unity. The boundary of one platforms merges into another, A website turns into a responsive website, then fit for a mobile platform, then to an app. The blurring has encouraged this, with welcome, surely a creative mind struggles with the possibility of ideas not growing?