Tuesday, 20 February 2018

OUGD401 - Study Task 5 - Essay Peer Review

OUGD401 - Essay Peer Review

Peer Feedback:

  • Title - yes
  • Bibliography in Harvard format - yes
  • Images - no
  • In-text citations - yes

  • Linear/Historical Structure - yes
  • Discussions of the key developments of the topic/discipline? - yes
  • An adequate definition of what the topic is? - yes
  • References to reading (referring to authors, references, quotes)? - yes

Though my essay does technically tick most of these boxes, some of these factors can still be improved in the development of my essay. Firstly it might be a good idea to add images in; although this is an analytical body off text, if I am describing or analysing anything visual, a picture would facilitate more ease in the reading of this essay. 


Secondly, although it must be linear/historical and flow chronologically, you can’t fit every single notable work or event related to editorial design in one essay. I need to review the points I touch upon and research if there are any points of m ore relevance. 

OUGD401 - Draft Essay 1

OUGD401 - Draft Essay 1
Editorial Design: Where Has it Been and Where is it Going?
Editorial design is a graphic design discipline focused on the creation and production of books, magazines, newspapers and any other publication. As a discipline, the core elements of design that it focuses on are layout, composition and the relationship between typography and imagery. 
While the earliest examples of editorial design can be traced all the way back to medieval illuminated manuscripts, one of the most significant events of editorial design was in 1450, when Johannes Gutenberg introduced the moveable type printing press to the world. Cramsie (2010) highlights how although Gutenberg did not invent printing nor moveable type, by employing the use of previously unrelated technologies, he refined printing type as a system and this increase in efficiency proved historic in the development of visual communication - 'With Gutenberg's inaugural pull of the press, newly printed texts cut right across this literacy hierarchy. The quantity and variety of newly printed material soon allowed readers to choose their own reading matter and then interpret it as they wished.'
Over time these technologies were refined and as graphic design developed as a profession, it was only until the late 19th century and the start of the 20th century that the next notable breakthroughs can be seen in editorial design.
Designers, artists, architects and creatives alike started visually pushing the boundaries of the pre-existing social and academic normalities seen in publication design. Art movements such as constructivism, futurism and de stijl started heavily influencing design, for example, Russian designer El Lissitzky's 'masterpiece of modern technology' - Mayakovsky's 'Dlya Golosa' in 1923 - responds to these movements by utilizing asymmetry, simple geometric shapes, negative space and a limited red colour palette. This seminal publication by the two Russian creatives exemplifies the idea that the visual expression of the poetry should appropriately represent but also enhance the reading experience, a sentiment shared by Meggs (2016) 'The title spread for each poem is constructed into a dynamic visual composition, with geometric elements having symbolic meaning.'
As the 20th century progressed, editorial design very much contextually reflected social, political and cultural events such as both of the world wars. However, heavily influential design trends and movements did emerge, one of the most important being the Swiss Design movement. This ordered and rational approach to design, led by designers such as Josef Müller-Brockman originated in Switzerland and employed the use of grids, sans serif typography and asymmetrical layouts. Herbert Matter was one designer in this movement who applied these processes to editorial design with great success; combining photomontage, typography and photography to create dynamic and stylish posters and magazine spreads. Examples of this can be seen in his work for the Swiss Tourist Board.
Editorial design become increasingly more experimental post war from the 1950's in western culture. American designers such as Bradbury Thompson pushed the boundaries of typography and layout. In his art, design and architecture publication - 'Westvaco Inspirations' - Thompson utilizes typographical letterforms as a key component in layouts, printing bold sans serif letterforms in vibrant 'CMYK' colours. 
In the latter half of the 20th century, cultural influences such as music, fashion and art had a big impact on editorial design, creating niche styles to directly appeal to specific target audiences and to visually communicate different styles and genres of music. This can be seen in the psychedelic era of the 60's through designers such as Victor Moscoso and Milton Glaser. Tafoya, R C (2012) effectively analyses and summarises this visual style - 'The visual motifs of psychedelic art include Art Nouveau-inspired curvilinear shapes, illegible hand-drawn type, and intense optical colour vibration inspired by the pop art movement.' In the 70's, the punk scene in the UK is a perfect example of a creative subculture adapting its own style of design. This D.I.Y aesthetic was created by cheap means such as cut up newspaper headlines and stencils. Posters, magazines and album covers all adopted this style because it was so easy and affordable to replicate, and as a response to this popularity, Graphic Designers started creating bespoke versions of this style, British designer Jamie Reid did just this when designing posters, logotypes and album covers for the Sex Pistols. 
In the mid 1990's, digital software become more advanced than ever and practical handicraft processes were substituted for graphics programs from companies like Apple and Adobe. This opened up an enormous range of possibilities for design and editorial design in relation to layout, typefaces and layering images. A lot of graphic designers experimented thoroughly with this new technology but the most noteworthy of them was David Carson. Directing publications such as 'Raygun' and 'Surfer', Carson created his signature 'grunge' design style; using typography and imagery in random and unpredictable layouts, bordering on abstraction, he created dynamic and incredibly expressive magazines and publications. While the illegibility and chaos of this style was questioned at first, it soon became incredibly sought after and admired, making Carson one of the biggest designers in the world, as he touches upon in his interview with Layers Magazine (2007) - 'It was [a] bit funny, maybe, that at Ray Gun some of the writers complained early that their articles were hard to read. But then by the 30th issue, the same writers would complain if they thought their articles were too easy to read!'
A number of authors have considered the transition of editorial design between printed and digital media. Foges, (1999), Randle, (2001) and Franchi & Rocca, (2016) have all commented upon the fact that editorial design is becoming increasingly more digital, however that doesn't make the production of printed media obsolete. For example; Foges imparts his opinion on this digital transition by saying - 'While it is true that the web is a unique medium, presenting problems that cannot be tackled in the same way as either print magazines or television, it is also demonstrably true that many of the lessons learnt in design for print, can, and should, make the transition to the digital interface'. Foges presents an insightful view on the topic here where he acknowledges the benefits of digital based media and fully accepts its increasing importance, however also states that everything up until that point in editorial design shouldn't be disregarded, more so applied to this new format. I think this is an important principle, because although the information is being presented on a screen and not paper, the same rules of design still apply.
Now, in the 21st century the digital age is in full force, design software becomes more refined by the day and the possibilities are practically limitless. While printing physical publications has not become obsolete, more and more publications are being presented in digital formats and applications. Magazines such as 'Dazed' and 'I-D' utilize digital software to create clean and sophisticated editorial work. In 2015, when young designer, Jamie Reid, assumed the role of Art Director at Dazed, he took the magazine in a completely new direction, with more focus on the printed publication, as he tells It's Nice That (2015) - 'Because Dazed has such a strong digital platform the structure of the mag had to change... You have to be clever now with print, and make sure what you’re producing is worth producing.' 


Bibliography
Cramsie, P (2010). The Story of Graphic Design. London: The British Library. p70-77.
Meggs, Philip B.. (2016). Graphic Design. Available: https://www.britannica.com/art/graphic-design. Last accessed 4th December 2017
Tafoya, R. (2012). Graphic Design History: Psychedelic 60's. Available: https://visualartsdepartment.wordpress.com/psychedelic-60s/. Last accessed 5th December 2017.
Gosling, E. (2015). “Everything has changed”: new Dazed art director Jamie Reid talks us through the mag’s redesign. Available: https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/dazed-magazine-redesign-jamie-reid. Last accessed 5th December 2017.
Westgate, A. (2007). An Interview with David Carson. Available: https://layersmagazine.com/an-interview-with-david-carson.html. Last accessed 5th December 2017.
Randle, Q. (2001). A Historical Overview of the Effects of New Mass Media Introductions on Magazine Publishing in the 20th Century. First Monday. 6
Foges, C (1999). Magazine Design. Sussex: Rotovision.
Franchi, F & Rocca, C (2016). Intelligent Lifestyle Magazine: smart editorial design, ideas and journalism. Berlin: Gestalten.





OUGD401 - Study Task 4 - Visual Analysis

A two-page spread from Dlya golosa (For the Voice) designed by El Lissiztky
  • Lissitzky uses a limited colour palette of red and black.
  • Simple sans serif fonts are used with the addition of a few serif characters and basic geometric shapes forming type on one occasion.
  • The layout is a response to the De Stijl, Suprematism and Construvism movements of the era and utilizes asymmetry, simple geometric shapes and negative space.
  • In this book, Lissitzky designed title spreads for each poem to visually express the meaning or content of those poem. In this case, the large red circle represents the sun.
  • This book was published in Russia in 1923 during a period of modernism and experimentation, the constructivism movement started was present in Russia at this time and was heavily influential in art and design.
  • Lissitzky and Mayakovsky's collaboration was meant to communicate the idea that the visual expression of the words of the poems should appropriately represent but also enhance the reading experience.


Design for Swiss Tourist Board by Herbert Matter

  • Matter employs a cool and refined colour palette of light blue in combination with greyscale which suitably represents the icy mountains of Switzerland. Key words are emphasized in red, evocative of the Swiss flag.
  • The purpose of the type on this page is simply to inform, there are no larger headlines, therefore an easily readable sans serif font is used in paragraphs. 
  • This page is taken from promotional material for the Swiss Tourist Board which Matter designed for between 1932 and 1936. The purpose of this design is to inform and subsequently promote skiing in Switzerland, therefore its aimed at anyone who would be interested in skiing.
  • Matter uses a combination of  photo-montage, photography and typography to create a dynamic and appealing design.


A Spread from the Magazine 'Westvaco Inspirations' by Bradbury Thompson

  • This magazine spread by American designer Bradbury Thompson, utilizes typography as an essential part of the layout; printed in bold 'CMYK' colours Thompson effectively uses the letter R as a grid here, placing images within the counters and between the stems with smaller R's printed in each corner. The vibrant colours show examples of overprinting when overlapping. The layout is the same on each page except for having a 180˚ difference.
  • As part of an art, design and architecture publication in the mid 1950's, this design is meant to not only inform but also visually impress.




Poster for the Band 'Buzzcocks' by Linder Sterling and Malcolm Garrett - 4 November 1977

  • This poster by Linder Sterling and Malcolm Garrett is a classic example of the graphic design that the 70's punk scene inspired. Bright eye-catching yellows and blues clash melodically while the iron headed figure of the poster, designed by Sterling, is a stylish and bespoke version of the photomontage that appeared in the 'D.I.Y' punk design of the period. Garrett brings together image and type efficiently and stylishly in this layout with the name of the single - 'Orgasm Addict' - fitted between stripes in right angled shapes, in a light sans serif font, its unusual structure possibly eluding to the fundamental disorder of the punk genre. 


Cover of Raygun Issue #50 by David Carson - October 1997


  • This cover of Raygun Issue #50 featuring Oasis exemplifies Carson’s instantly recognisable ‘Grunge’ typography style. Minimal sans serif type is used with effect; standard grid systems, spacing and arrangements are discarded for a more expressive approach to typography. The cover effectively communicates the style of the magazine by appearing distressed, worn and handmade; smudges of ink, scrawled handwriting and patchy printing all show how Carson successfully embraces imperfections in his work. When it comes to colour and imagery, the subtle yellow and black colour palette is applied deceivingly precisely and the worn mirrored images of the Gallaghers appear like a grungy hand printed playing card - perfectly in keeping with the tone of the publication. 


COP Presentation - Feedback

In general, the feedback for my cop proposal was positive. My essay question makes sense and does not need to be altered and the research a...