Graham Oldham
I found Craig Oldham's presentation really interesting. The bit that initially struck me as a new opinion is when Craig said that Designers do not have to like what they do, it just has to work. I've always been under the opinion that you have to love what you do to to do it well. I guess this can apply to the act of designing rather than the actual work you produce, although I have never made this distinction before so this was very thought provoking for me. It made me wonder whether I want to be more of a graphic designer or a graphic author. Throughout the last module I explored the idea of making statements with the things you design - to always take a stance and comment on society or whatever it is you care about. This says to me that maybe authorship is something I need to explore more in my own work. The idea of being able to design something you truly believe in and curate and write yourself excites me far more than designing for a client and in a way having someone else have the creative control.
Craig also made me think about the idea of originality in design. He seemed to take quite a situationist approach that nothing is actually new, instead it is old and instead curated in a new way. He said that everything is derivative and this is something I have thought about before - everything is inspired by something else so does this not mean that nothing is ever totally unique? I can't tell whether this is a progressive approach (especially considering everything is available at your fingertips now) or incredibly frustrating and slightly depressing - what is there to reach for if nothing is ever new? I think this is an issue designers grapple with and have to try and resolve in their own work.
I also found Craig's case study of his book based on the movie 'They Live' really intriguing. It was such a good example of someone finding a niche they are interested in and exploring it though their design authorship. I haven't seen the movie but I think I might have to find it on Netflix now - I wish I had heard of it in the last module as it would have been great research for my final week workshop challenge where I explored the idea of a world without design. The book was such an inventive way to both create a replica of the original prop and also explore the key themes within the movie through the eyes of a variety of different people linked to the film. It has definitely encouraged me to explore Craigs work further and keep an eye out for future Epiphany Editions.
Anthony Burrill: Make It Now
I enjoyed Anthony's talk [1] [2] - especially about where he came from and how he ended up essentially being an author of his own work rather than working for someone else. It was interesting that Anthony started by making exactly what he wanted to make before his wife pointed out other people would also be interested. This is interesting to me and the idea of being a graphic author because Anthony didn't have an idea he thought would be commercial, he just had an idea of what he wanted to say.
This brought up the question for me of what is the difference between an artist and a design author? If the whole idea is that you make images that you believe in and want to sell to other people, but it starts with your personal idea, is there any difference between a graphic author selling prints and an artist selling paintings at a gallery show? I'm interesting in researching this more.
Artist or Graphic Author?
Following on from watching Anthony Burrill's talk I decided to think more about the difference between a Graphic Author and an Artist - At the heart of it, design is more commercial than art, it is designed with the idea of commercial success whereas art is produced because the artist has something to say. This is obvious, however I am keen to explore the gap in the middle where these disciplines and definitions collide. If an artist wants to paint in order to be famous and make money, does that push them into the graphic author end of the spectrum or is it not intention that counts, it is in fact something else?
Could it be the interpretation of the pieces that makes it art or graphic authorship? For example, art is successful when it has many different interpretations - people have been discussing the meaning behind the Mona Lisa's smile for centuries and it is one of the most successful paintings in the world. However, if design has multiple interpretations, it is considered a failure. Good art is getting across many meanings to one person, good design is getting across one meaning to many people.
I think this is a really interesting debate however I don't think the definition is strictly needed - as long as wonderful things are being created, you shouldn't have to put yourself in a box and stick to that - people like Anthony Burrill are proving this point by straddling both art and design. I think great design is rooted in excellent art and design is an understanding of how to use the art to communicate with people.
George Hardie - It's Nice That
I enjoyed reading the interview with George. I think he seems like a really good example of someone who found a style- successful for both him and commercially - and stuck to it even though technology advanced around him. I think an element of design authorship involves having your own vision and being able to get that across to the audience, after all that is a main difference between a designer and author. George has clearly maintained his own voice throughout his work and it has really worked for him.
I love the idea of being able to author your own projects rather than constantly stick to a brief and it seems like George has mastered the art of both - conducting his own practice the way he wants to do it as well as being a commercially successful designer.
The Designer as Author
the person who originates or gives existence to anything [4]
I found this article an extremely thought provoking read. Looking at all of the different definitions of author over the years got me thinking more about what that means today. I started discussing it with my partner who is a writer studying for his Masters in Creative Writing. He brought up the fact that stories from different perspectives have only really been common since the early 20th century. Charles Dickens, for example, wrote in the third person so everyone assumed this was his voice, whereas after the turn of the century it became more popular to write in first person and give different perspectives on the story other than the authors. This linked in well to The Intention Fallacy [5]- the idea that even though you are reading an author's work you still don't know truly who they are. This got me thinking about this idea in relation to design - does design tell you anything about the designer or are they essentially curating the ideas of others? This is definitely something to think about going into the workshop challenge this week - is a design author telling you something about themselves or are they telling a story that may or may not be related to them at all?
Auteur theory was fascinating to me - the idea that in order to be worthy of the hall of auteurs the directors essentially had to raise the lower art of entertainment to the level of fine art. [6] Earlier in my blog I was discussing what the difference is between art and design and I think this may be the explanation I was looking for - in order to become a design author you have to first become a fine artist then possess the communication skills to convey the story you want to tell successfully and commercially. Does this mean design authorship is therefore one step further than fine art? It challenges the accepted norms and further comments on the world.
This article gave me so many things to think about, the idea of designers as authors is riddled with questions, what does it mean? How can you cross the boundary? etc. But it has certainly made me think about it more and also given me some inspiration for this weeks challenge.
Workshop Challenge
Author and Maker
Find two examples of designers who demonstrate authorial / making expertise in the delivery of a component of their practice. Is it their sole output, are they passion projects or are they opportunities where they saw a gap in the market?
Upload onto the Ideas Wall and discuss.
Think about a series of outputs you could make as an author.
Generate 10 ideas for discussion, upload to the Ideas Wall and elaborate further on the blog. Please note, this is the first step of you considering one idea that will be researched and potentially launched as an authorised artefact through the last part of this module.
Part 1 - Research
Marie Boulanger
Marie Boulanger is a type designer based in London. She wrote XX, XY: Sex, letters and stereotypes a book about the how typography can be used as a tool to reinforce gender stereotypes and bias. [7] In the book, Marie discusses how ornamental delicate lettering is associated with female form whereas bolder and more confident lettering is more associated with male form. This is an issue because it leads to marketing being directed in a binary way and therefore reinforcing the gender stereotypes already out in place by society. The book not only looks into where these assumptions came from but also how we can improve this bias going forward.
I thought this was a really interesting self initiated project that was clearly a passion project from the beginning and the start of this formed part of Marie's MA thesis. Rather than noticing a gap in the market, it seems like Marie took something she was interested in, realised no one else was really talking about it and decided to research it and create this beautiful book. It was only after the fact that it started to become a commercial success. Initially Marie designed the book for educational purposes and commented "Education has always been the main driving force behind this project, I hope students use this book to realise that we can all shape what's next. We can find better ways of designing and speaking about our design work." [8]
Marie's other projects also involve an element of improving the world around her too. She has also designed a typeface for Never Too Young bowel cancer campaign and periods for periods. Marie is just at the start of her career and I am looking forward to seeing what other projects she is involved in, whether they are for clients or authored by Marie herself.
I think Marie's project was done with the main goal being to change the way we look at and use typefaces through education. This kind of self-initiated project I think is pretty inspirational, and the fact that it is becoming a commercial success is another positive to come out of the project. This showed me that commercial success doesn't have to be planned out from the beginning, if you make something interesting, well made and well thought out enough people will want it.
Viktor Hertz
Viktor Hertz is a Swedish designer who started as a hobby in 2009. Since then his self initiated artwork has taken off and he has been featured in galleries all over the world as well as in books and magazines. His work is influenced mainly by pop-culture, satire and humour, often using visual metaphors. On his website he describes himself as combining commission work with personal projects. [9]
I've followed Viktor on instagram for a couple of years and I've always liked his satirical looks at the world, taking something recognisable, for example the Instagram logo, and commenting on the insecurity felt by the people who use it. I particularly liked Viktor's series on album covers, such as the top right image of Daft Punk. Viktor believes that Graphic Design needs to be less serious and include more humour. This is an interesting perspective that I kind of agree with, design is taken so seriously all of the time it's so nice to see someone have a lighter take on it.
I think Viktor is a really good example of a designer as author - his most successful pieces have been self initiated passion projects that started as a hobby and developed into the successful career he has today. Looking into Viktor has made me realise that design doesn't have to always be so serious and to maybe take a lighter look at the world sometimes - I have the tendency to be a bit serious with the subjects I am interested in in relation to design. This has definitely made me think that when considering my own self initiated projects I should look outside of my comfort zone and at least have some ideas that are more light hearted.
Part 2 - Ideas
So now is the time for the fun part - coming up with my own ideas for design authorship.
My initial step was to think about what effect I want my project to have on the audience then came up with ideas from there.
So, after many mind maps, here are my top 10 ideas for this week:
Famous last words Description: An illustrated collection of famous last words said throughout history. Some are funny, some are poignant, some are a little crazy. The main point would be so people can explore the idea of death but in a more light hearted way. Format: exhibition/book/postcard/print
If this was the end of the world what would you want to say? Description: An interactive exhibition exploring what people would want their last words to be and what they would want to tell someone. The idea is that even though the subject of the end of the world is grim, the answers wouldn't be, they would instead be full of love. Format: exhibition/book/postcard/print
Artist Map Description: A website to celebrate diversity in the art world, the art will be displayed in a map format and allow you to explore by area, like google maps but filled with art. Format: Website
First lines from books Description: A print series dedicated to the first lines from books, bespoke typography designs and illustrations. It is often said the first line is the most important and there are a lot of recognisable lines out there. Format: exhibition/book/postcard/print
Positivity Posters Description: Posters to put up around a city with positive messages on them, breaking through the grey of the UK and adding brightness and positivity to people's daily grind. Format: exhibition//postcard/print
Portraits of Mental Health Description: An exploration of the effect mental health has on art and design. It would be an person doing self portraits during a time in their lives they feel good and a portrait during a time they are suffering with poor mental health, whatever form that takes. Format: exhibition/book
Umba the Space Whale Description: A children's book I have had the idea for since I was a child. An adventure about a whale with the whole universe inside of her. It will be used to show kids that it's okay to be different and what's inside them is special. Format: book
The History of Apollo Description: An illustrated and infographic guide to the history of Apollo space missions told in an accessible way for adults and older children. Format: exhibition/book
From Earth to Mars Description: An illustrated and infographic guide to the history of space travel from the start to now. It will include blank pages at the back to continue the story and will be told in an accessible way for adults and older children. Format: exhibition/book
Pro Immigration Posters Description: A poster series detailing the positive side of immigration to be displayed all over cities. They can be tailored to whichever city you are in and will be used to show people immigration is a good thing and borders are irrelevant. Format: exhibition/book/postcard/print
Summary
I found this week one of the most interesting weeks so far in this module. I loved reading about all of the designers who had become design authors by conducting self initiated projects. Graham Oldham had some really interesting points about the difference between designer and author but the thing I sound most interesting was the designer as author article from The Eye - I had no idea there could be so many different definitions of an author. This research opened my mind to thinking of new ideas for something I would like to author - it certainly made me think about it in a different way.
The research I conducted about existing design authors was really interesting to, Marie Boulanger in particular inspired me to think about gaps in the market/research that could lead to an exciting project, this is where I initially came up with the idea for the Apollo and Mars books. I also liked the light hearted touch Viktor Hertz had with graphic design and the idea that it didn't always have to be so serious - I used this as inspiration when I was thinking about the idea of positivity posters - something nice, needed and most importantly fun!
I am pleased with my 10 ideas and there is actually quite a few of them I would love to take forward and make. This is going to make the decision next week even harder because I think a few of them do have legs and would be particularly interesting. Overall this week was brilliant and it really made me think about my future in design and the idea that I can author projects and have the ideas to back up this dream. I can't wait to continue some of these ideas in the future.
References
[1] Creative Mornings, Anthony Burrill(2017) Make it Now [online]. Available at: Anthony Burrill : Make It Now.[Accessed 5/8/21]
[2] Burrill, A. (2021). About. Available: https://anthonyburrill.com/. Last accessed 5/8/21.
[3] It's Nice That, George Hardie, 2016 George Hardie on five decades of illustration [online]. [Accessed 5/8/21]
[4] Rock, M.(1996) ‘The designer as author’ [online], Eye Magazine, Spring. Available at: http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/the-designer-as-author. [Accessed 11 June 2019]
[5] WK Wimsatt and Monroe C. Beardsley, ‘The Intentional Fallacy’ in Critical Theory since Plato, ed. Hazard Adams, New York: HBJ, 1971
[6] Andrew Serris, ‘Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962’ in Film Culture reader, ed. P. Adams Sitney, New York, Praeger Publishers, 1970, p133
[7] Boulanger, M. (2019). XX, XY: Sex, letters and stereotypes. Available: http://marie-boulanger.com/xx-xy-1. Last accessed 5/8/21.
[8] Englefield, J. (2021). Marie Boulanger explores how typography perpetuates gender stereotypes. Available: https://www.dezeen.com/2021/08/05/xx-xy-book-marie-boulanger-gender-typography/. Last accessed 5/8/21.
[9] Hertz, V. (2021). About. Available: http://viktorhertz.com/about/. Last accessed 5/8/21.
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