Avant-garde graphics from around the globe
Introduction to the book 'Graphic Design for the 21st Century', by Charlotte and Peter Fiell
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By the early 1990s, post-modernism had escaped from the confines of design institutions and the music and art scenes and became widely embraced by corporate marketeers desperately searching for the elusive elixir of cool - the very life blood of branding. At long last the gulf between progressive educational theory and mainstream professional practice appeared to have been bridged. There was, however, a growing realisation among a new generation of Late Modern designers - many of whom are included in this survey - that style and content are equally important in the creation of Good Design solutions. Today's New Pluralism in graphic design must be seen on the one hand as a response to the greater multiculturalism of today's global society, and on the other as being prompted by the strong desire of designers to develop their own unique style, which enables them to stand out from the crowd. Many designers are challenging traditional notions of beauty with provocative work that expresses radical ideas. The majority of imagemakers working today have been strongly inspired by developments in art and film and have incorporated aspects of these disciplines into their work, which has in turn led to a broader interpretation of what actually constitutes graphic design.
Designers such as M/M (Paris), Mevis & van Deursen and Jonathan Barnbrook have developed close associations with the art world; however, their work in most cases remains constrained by the client's brief and as such can never match the complete creative freedom of art unless it is undertaken by themselves, for themselves. Increasingly designers are therefore subsidizing self-initiated exploratory and experimental work that allows them to express their own creative individuality and personal ideas with revenues from wellpaid commercial work (Jonathan Barnbrook for instance). Many have realised that uncertain meaning can evoke a sense of mystery, which can help to capture and hold the viewer's attention. This phenomenon has led graphic design to be used not as a means to solve a communication problem, but as a way of posing the viewer with a communicative riddle. There are also, however, a growing number of designers who are producing more text-based work, which has a single, powerfully direct message that is not open to a multitude of interpretations. Often the directness of messages comes about because the communicator stands for an ideal and wants to promote his/her cause with the utmost clarity. Since the early 1990s, "Subvertising" with its jamming of corporate messages has displayed a strong communicative directness in ist attempt to help spearhead an antiglobalisation revolution. Certainly there is now a growing realisation that simplification is often the best way to filter information from an endless ocean of trivia, and that in the future the onus will be on graphic designers to become "information architects" so that they can create tools that help the user to better navigate the complex seas of the digital age.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
By the early 1990s, post-modernism had escaped from the confines of design institutions and the music and art scenes and became widely embraced by corporate marketeers desperately searching for the elusive elixir of cool - the very life blood of branding. At long last the gulf between progressive educational theory and mainstream professional practice appeared to have been bridged. There was, however, a growing realisation among a new generation of Late Modern designers - many of whom are included in this survey - that style and content are equally important in the creation of Good Design solutions. Today's New Pluralism in graphic design must be seen on the one hand as a response to the greater multiculturalism of today's global society, and on the other as being prompted by the strong desire of designers to develop their own unique style, which enables them to stand out from the crowd. Many designers are challenging traditional notions of beauty with provocative work that expresses radical ideas. The majority of imagemakers working today have been strongly inspired by developments in art and film and have incorporated aspects of these disciplines into their work, which has in turn led to a broader interpretation of what actually constitutes graphic design.
Designers such as M/M (Paris), Mevis & van Deursen and Jonathan Barnbrook have developed close associations with the art world; however, their work in most cases remains constrained by the client's brief and as such can never match the complete creative freedom of art unless it is undertaken by themselves, for themselves. Increasingly designers are therefore subsidizing self-initiated exploratory and experimental work that allows them to express their own creative individuality and personal ideas with revenues from wellpaid commercial work (Jonathan Barnbrook for instance). Many have realised that uncertain meaning can evoke a sense of mystery, which can help to capture and hold the viewer's attention. This phenomenon has led graphic design to be used not as a means to solve a communication problem, but as a way of posing the viewer with a communicative riddle. There are also, however, a growing number of designers who are producing more text-based work, which has a single, powerfully direct message that is not open to a multitude of interpretations. Often the directness of messages comes about because the communicator stands for an ideal and wants to promote his/her cause with the utmost clarity. Since the early 1990s, "Subvertising" with its jamming of corporate messages has displayed a strong communicative directness in ist attempt to help spearhead an antiglobalisation revolution. Certainly there is now a growing realisation that simplification is often the best way to filter information from an endless ocean of trivia, and that in the future the onus will be on graphic designers to become "information architects" so that they can create tools that help the user to better navigate the complex seas of the digital age.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
Graphic Design for the 21st Century
Flexicover, 19.6 x 24.9 cm (7.7 x 9.8 in.), 640 pages
$ 39.99
$ 39.99
Avant-garde graphics from around the globe
Eye magazine. UNA (London) designers, illustration Jasper Goodall, 2001