Towards Pluralism in Graphic Design: Quantitative and Qualitative Critical Analysis

Transcription

1 Towards Pluralism in Graphic Design: Quantitative and Qualitative Critical Analysis A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graphic Design Department in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts Savannah College of Art and Design By Edward Tyree Jacobson Savannah, Georgia May 2008

2 This thesis is dedicated to those who demand significance from visual forms. Contextually rich meaning is to be sought after. Be open to criticism. Good debate validates opinion and vice versa.

3 Special thanks to my committee: Christoph Kluetsch, Zoran Belic, and Rhonda Arntsen. Your patience and inspiration have taken both me and my work to places that I never thought possible. I could not have developed this thesis without your guidance. Thank you for answering my questions with questions. Additionally, I would like to thank my friends, family and the wonderful faculty of the Savannah College of Art and Design for their support in my endeavor to earn the title of Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Design.

4 When Galileo remarked that the language of nature is written in mathematics, he meant it only as a metaphor. Nature itself does not speak. Neither do our minds or our bodies... our bodies politic. Our conversations about nature and about ourselves are conducted in whatever languages we find it possible and convenient to employ. We do not see nature or intelligence or human motivation or ideology as it is but only as our languages are. And our languages are our media. Our media are our metaphors. Our metaphors create the content of our culture. Neil Postman The simulacrum is never what hides the truth it is truth that hides the fact that there is none. The simulacrum is true. Eclesiastes The flying pickle or the great pile, influence measures criticism. Ed Fella

5 Contents: 6 Thesis Statement Introduction 7 I. The History of Graphic Design as Practice 9 II. The Idea of Art Versus the Idea of Graphic Design. 11 III. Modes of Analysis and Obstacles of Language. 13 IV. Conclusion 14 Works Cited 15 Bibliography 18 Visual Component: Ekphrasis

6 Jacobson 6 Thesis Statement: The term graphic design to describe the role of contemporary visual communicators is incomplete and antiquated. The inappropriate definition of the field results in critical analysis that is singular in nature. The perception and critical analysis of graphic design must be plural and should contextually consider both quantitative and qualitative aspects of the discipline equally valid. The dismissal of one or the other results in an incomplete analysis. Introduction: Current professional discourse surrounding the role of aesthetic values in graphic design has raised the issue of the vision of the critic of visual communication. This issue is not without several problematic areas; historical independence in relation to fine arts for theoretical parameters, the implication of ideological dogmas, and the translation of visual components into verbal description. Ultimately, these areas of inquiry direct attention towards the unstable definition of graphic design. Only when this definition is demystified can the proper grounds for critical perspective occur in graphic design.

7 Jacobson 7 I. The History of Graphic Design as Practice The term graphic design was coined by William A. Dwiggins following the industrial revolution. This term was used to describe the practices and implementations of visual forms towards communication. By today s standards, a single definition for graphic design is elusive. Increased technological capabilities and the need for cross-media and cross cultural communication have resulted in a broad range of expertise in what is called graphic design. A graphic designer may spend a lifetime perfecting his/her understanding of typography, print-based, web application, motion graphics, interfaces, prepress production, illustration, information design, etc. in the same way that a fine artist can do so with oil painting, clay, metal sculpture, etc. As in art, graphic design is a discipline that cannot delineate itself as a single discipline it is a culmination of creative practices. Technical and formal aspects resulting from graphic design activities may be quantitatively evaluated; eliciting a discourse specific to the practice. Within this context there is a tendency towards the dominion of specialization in graphic design dominion in the sense that a practice s context may take precedence over the function which is encouraged by the singular nature of critical dialogue. Typeface design for example has its own history, doctrines, and context as a specialization. In discussing these formalities, the critic must consider the final purpose of graphic design. Just as art is not simply the act and physical crafting of a painting or sculpture, typesetting and image manipulation do not represent the idea of graphic design.

8 Jacobson 8 The study of graphic design as an academic discipline began in the late 20th century, yet is still elusive in terms of examination and definition: Design not only suffers from a general unwillingness of the culture to grant it the status of an activity worth studying and defining an unwillingness shared by design practitioners who want design defined merely in terms of what designers do but also from a fundamental ambiguity that the concept of design possesses. 1 The quantitative history of the practices and styles in graphic design serve as the primary reference point for critical analysis. Secondarily, graphic design is defined by its technology. The definition of technology has a context which, as a result of the industrial revolution, has changed what the word is meant to imply not a product but a discipline of systematic thinking. 2 As long as we consider graphic designers to be merely trade specialists, we cannot fully attain a clear understanding of the implications and impact of graphic design on the audiences we seek to address. Additionally, under this mentality, the history of graphic design will remain nothing more than a discourse on practices and styles rather than a living chronology of ideas about communication. 1. Clive Dilnot, The State of Design History, part II: Problems and Possibilities, in Design Discourse: History, Theory, Criticism, ed. Victor Margolin. (Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1984), Richard Buchanan, Wicked Problems in Design Thinking, in The Idea of Design, ed. Victor Margolin and Richard Buchanan. (Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1995), 18

9 Jacobson 9 II. The Idea of Art Versus the Idea of Graphic Design. For a critical discourse specific to graphic design to be established, graphic design must be contextually disassociated from art. The line of demarcation between these creative practices is neither invisible nor clear, but complex. It is not a delineation which can be accessed upon formal qualities alone, as both may assume similar forms or means of construction and employ audiences. Art is a series of creative practices which may function independently of meaning and without the necessity of collective vision. Communication is NOT typically (or universally) the intended purpose of the artist or art object. The interpretation of the content is open to a viewers personal response, not a specific interpretation of a set of predetermined signs. Graphic Design, on the other hand, is dependent upon it s function. It is a tool for communication and elicits an identified audience utilizing signs which are intended to be understood by that audience. The two creative practices are then separated not by quantitative disciplines, but qualitative intentions. The proximity of the archetypes of design to the archetypes of art contribute to the notion of a discourse which has been borrowed from the art world. As Ed Fella put it best, design precedes art, 3 art discourse was first to become selfaware. Design inhabits the world, art creates its own. The history of graphic design is a one-dimensional view of technique and innovation rather the history of the correlation between innovation and communication. As a prime example, Philip 3. Ed Fella,

10 Jacobson 10 Megg s History of Graphic Design is bracketed by the of The Invention of Writing to The Digital Revolution ; with 20 chapters in between addressing technology and style and only two highlighting ideas and communication (figure 1).

11 Jacobson 11 III. Modes of Analysis and Obstacles of Language. The problematic nature of devising critical models does not lie in the aspiration to create theoretically sound infrastructures to enlighten a critic to deeper understanding of an artifact as a visual/aesthetic object. This in fact reduces and confines the artifact to a limited set of criteria creating paradigmatic dogma. Criticism with a single ideological viewpoint (both visual and formal) functions the same way in the disregard of the language of graphic design. A limiting contextual entity is inserted (into the critical analysis,) which is assumed to be incontrovertibly factual. Any analysis generated in such fashion is biased. Richard Buchanon asserts that design must be more concerned with placements than categories, as placements allow for contextually shifting meanings of forms to be considered. 4 If the spirit of critical discourse is to reveal the nature of the artifact and then pass judgement, it must exhaust the possibilities of contextual interpretation addressing many viewpoints and the technologies involved. If we view graphic design as communication, we must also view it as a language. With written and verbal languages there is a structure from which we spring board, not just to asses the formal qualities of the language, but also the intended meaning of thoughts in literal, metaphorical and emotional translation. It is important to understand that language does not accurately replicate an object, a concept that both the structuralists and post-structuralists observed. In the 1916 book, Course in General Linguistics, Ferdinand Saussure wrote, A linguistic sign is not a 4. Buchanan, The Idea of Design, 22

12 Jacobson 12 link between a thing and a name, but between a concept and a sound pattern. The sound pattern is not actually a sound; for a sound is something physical. A sound pattern is the hearer s psychological impression of a sound, as given to him by the evidence of his senses. 5 Despite any language s inability to recreate the object it refers to, it is employed as the necessary means to achieve descriptive representation. Languages are systems of signifiers and signified whose shifting meanings are dependent upon our sociopolitical and historical position. In other words, they are already biased or contextualized. In McLuhan-esque fashion, we can observe that language is only able to reveal the more complete nature of an object when it addresses both the context surrounding the practice as well as the impact it imparts. And just as the contexts surrounding an object or practice shift meaning, so must the language we use to describe it be flexible. Inflexibility is the essential mark of ideological positioning. Design criticism is at a distinct advantage from art criticism in terms of invoking a more direct conversation with the work. As the quality of graphic design is measured by the changes it produces in the audience, a recognized criteria for all graphic designs is established. 6 This is not to say that graphic design work should not seek to challenge an audience s level of visual literacy; but that there is a criteria in place. This device assures that design criticism as it should be is exempt from ideological dogma. 5. Ferdinand Saussure, Course in General Linguistics, ed. Charles & Sechehaye, Albert Bally. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966), Jorge Frascara, Graphic Design: Fine Art of Social Science, in The Idea of Design, ed. Victor Margolin and Richard Buchanan. (Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1995), 46

13 Jacobson 13 IV. Conclusion. As stated in opening sentence to this paper, the term graphic design to describe the role of contemporary visual communicators is incomplete and antiquated. However, the purpose of this paper is not to provide a singular unifying term which may take place of the original term, graphic design. This would be impossible (and audacious) and contradictory to the theme of this paper; plurality. The idea about what design aspires to accomplish has changed dramatically since William Dwiggins first uttered the words graphic design. Despite these changes, our critical dialogue surrounding design practices has remained relatively unchallenged. The purpose of this paper is to evoke a conversation not about the practices and formalities of graphic design, but a conversation about how graphic design criticism must function in order to be relevant. Graphic design must be more broadly defined to delineate itself from art. Once this occurs, the criticism of graphic design will be enabled to offer precedence to the communicative qualities of an artifact over personal expression, while simultaneously recognizing that aesthetic values have a direct impact on the effectiveness of the artifact. Only when the language utilized in critical analysis considers the context, form, and aesthetic impact can valid critical structures devoid of ideological restrictions be employed.

14 Jacobson 14 Works Cited: Baudrillard, Jean. Simulacra and Simulation. Translated by Sheila Faria Glaser. Michigan: The University of Michigan Press, 2006 Buchanan, Richard. Wicked Problems in Design Thinking. In The Idea of Design. Edited by Victor Margolin and Richard Buchanan. Massachusetts: The MIT Press, Dilnot, Clive. The State of Design History, part II: Problems and Possibilities. In Design Discourse: History, Theory, Criticism. Edited by Victor Margolin. Massachusetts: The MIT Press, Fella, Ed. (accessed May 10, 2008) Frascara, Jorge. Graphic Design: Fine Art or Social Science. In The Idea of Design. Edited by Victor Margolin and Richard Buchanan. Massachusetts: The MIT Press, Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. New York: Penguin Group, 1985 Saussure, Ferdinand. Course in General Linguistics. Edited by Charles & Sechehaye, Albert Bally. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966

15 Jacobson 15 Bibliography: Baudrillard, Jean. Simulacra and Simulation. Translated by Sheila Faria Glaser. Michigan: The University of Michigan Press, 2006 Bennet, Audrey, ed. Design Studies: Theory and Research in Graphic Design. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2006 Bolter, David Jay and Diane Gromala. Windows and Mirrors: Interaction Design, Digital Art, and the Myth of Transparency. Massachusetts: The MIT Press, Buchanan, Richard. Wicked Problems in Design Thinking. In The Idea of Design. Edited by Victor Margolin and Richard Buchanan. Massachusetts: The MIT Press, Clark, Michael. Verbalising the Visual: Translating Art and Design Into Words. Switzerland: AVA Publishing SA, Dilnot, Clive. The State of Design History, part II: Problems and Possibilities. In Design Discourse: History, Theory, Criticism. Edited by Victor Margolin. Massachusetts: The MIT Press, Drucker, Johanna and Emily McVarish. Graphic Design History: A Critical Guide. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, Fella, Ed. (accessed May 10, 2008) Frascara, Jorge. Graphic Design: Fine Art or Social Science. In The Idea of Design. Edited by Victor Margolin and Richard Buchanan. Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1995.

16 Jacobson 16 Levinson, Paul. The Soft Edge: A Natural History and Future of the Information Revolution. New York: Routledge, Lupton, Ellen and J. Abbott Miller. Design Writing Research: Writing on Graphic Design. New York: Phaidon Press Inc., 1996 McLuhan, Marshall. The Medium is the Massage. California: Gingko Press, Noble, Ian and Russell Bestley. Visual Research: An Introduction to Research Methodologies in Graphic Design. Switzerland: AVA Publishing SA, 2005 Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. New York: Penguin Group, 1985 Saussure, Ferdinand. Course in General Linguistics. Edited by Charles & Sechehaye, Albert Bally. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966 Wittgenstein, Ludwig. The Blue and Brown Books. New York: Harper & Row, 1959.

17 Jacobson 17 Figure 1: Meggs, Philip. The History of Graphic Design. Scanned Table of Contents. Highlighted areas indicate section topics devoted to ideas about design as communication.

18 Jacobson 18 Visual Component: Ekphrasis The focal point of this installation is to engage the viewer to acknowledge their presence and/or dogmas within their critical perspectives. Mirrored mylar achieves this desired intimacy for it s delicate and semi-reflective qualities. It is important that the mirror itself is the object of inquiry. These mylars metaphorically represent a mirror as an entity which is able to both reveal and conceal the nature of something. To convey the concept of a paradigm, the phrases stenciled into the mylar are intentionally styled in a fashion which mocks tradition typographic standards and grids, though tastefully. The proportions of the pieces draw from human proportions but they are raised a foot from the ground, with the phrases ominously looming just above the average eye level. The phrases intimately narrate a viewer s relationship with all of the contexts that are involved in critical analysis. These five mylars are placed within close proximity of one another, separate, yet connected as if conversing. The title, Ekphrasis, which means poetry or poetic writing regarding the visual arts, seeks to remind the viewer that all of the practice specific contexts which may form this sort of mirror-like entity are entirely valid as grounds for critical analysis, however, incomplete in the consideration of the greater goals of graphic design.

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24 Jacobson 24 EKPHRASIS Poetry or poetic writing concerning itself with the visual arts Can describe that which we see in our imagination Graphic, dramatic description of a visual work of art; greek translation, "out" "speak" CRITICISM OF EKPHRASIS Does criticism reveal or conceal? Language delimits its usefulness. "I'm not feeling that." Expect ambivalence. Criticism measures the critic. The paradigm is slanted and on a grid. Eye vs. Mouth. Can the two trust one another? You are the vehicle of discernment. Builder, idea, and construct: Simultaneously. Consider nothing independent. Flexibility nourishes creativity. Let s agree to disagree. This objective is subjective. Ideologies: Self-importance is apparent. Language constructs itself. Rhetoric is scary. Authoritative discourses. Confrontation should happen. You are always in your work. The one-sheet for the exibition of Ekphrasis.