We will be looking at:
- origins of Graphic Design
- Graphic Design relations to - fine art
- advertising
- Graphic Design as a - tool of capitalism
- political tool
- Graphic Design and postmodernism
- Graphic Design and social conscience
Visual communication started over 15 000 years ago documenting the world around.
John Everett Millais - Bubbles
- advertisement?
1922 was the first time the phrase Graphic Design was used by William Addison Dwiggins.
"In the matter of layout forget art at the start and use horse-sense. The printing-designer's whole duty is to make a clear presentation of the message - to get the important statements forward and the minor parts placed so that they will not be overlooked. This calls for an exercise of common sense and a faculty for analysis rather than for art".
There are different ways of calling Graphic Design.
- Herbert Spencer - 'merchanized art'
- Max Bill and Josef Muller-Brockman - 'visual communication'
- Richard Hollis - 'Graphic Design is the business of making or
choosing marks and arranging them on a surface'
Stephen Heller quote 1995.
"Although Graphic Design as we know it originated in the late nineteenth century as a took of advertising, any association today with marketing, advertising, or capitalism deeply undermines the Graphic Designer's self-image. Graphic Design history is an integral part of advertising history, yet in most accounts of Graphic Design's origins advertising is visually denied, or hidden behind more benign words such as 'publicity' and 'promotion'. This omission not only limits the discourse, but also misrepresents the facts. It is time for Graphic Design historians, and designers generally, to remove the elitist prejudices that have perpetuated a biased history."
- this is making a point that Graphic Designers are breaking away from advertising.
Early Graphic Design
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Aristide Bruant (1893), poster.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - La Goulue (1890), poster.
Alphonse Mucha - Job (1898), poster for cigarette papers.
- how much is that actually Graphic Design?
- how much is this actually fine art?
Charles Rennie Mackintosh - Scottish Musical Review (1896), poster.
Peter Behrens - AEG (1910)
War Posters.
Alfred Leete = Britons [Kitchener] wants you! (1914), poster.
James Montgomery Flagg - I want you for U.S. army, (1917), poster.
Germany
Julius Gipkens - Trophies of the Air War (1917), poster.
Bauhaus
Wassily Kandinsky - Composition VIII (1923)
El Lissitzky - Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge (1919), poster.
- this was highly influenced from Kandinsky's work he was doing at the time.
London Underground Map
F.H. Stingemore - London Underground Map (1931-2)
- this is how the London Underground map used to look.
Henry C. (Harry) Beck - London Underground Map (1933)
- it was updated by Harry Beck, making it more simple. Not necessarily realistic to how it actually looks, but gives a simple enough version for people to see and understand it.
After Harry Beck - London Underground Map
- a few changes have been made to it to make it work better. It is none representative and not actual. This is the version of the map that is used today.
Simon Patterson - The Great Bear (1992), lithograph on paper.
- he has taken the London Underground map (which is Graphic Design) and made it into something else (which now makes it fine art).
The Bauhaus changed Graphic Design post world war.
Herbert Bayer - Kandinsky 60th Birthday exhibition (1926), poster.
- this poster breaks the rules of grids and uses angles.
Swiss Graphic Design
Herbert Matter - Swiss Tourist Board (1932-34), posters.
France Graphic Design
A.M. Cassandre - L'Intransigeant (1925), newspaper poster.
A.M. Cassandre - Etoile du Nord (1927), poster.
Britain Graphic Design
Tom Purvis - LNER (1937), poster,
British Graphic Design at this time was still very conservative theme
- take fine art and put text on
- not as advanced as the rest of the world.
German Graphic Design
Ludwig Vierthaler - Degenerate Art (1936), exhibition poster.
- after Hitler shut down the Bauhaus.
- what Hitler chose as bad art to show off how bad it is.
- use poster that is 'modern' to again try make the whole thing look bad.
Hans Schleger - Eat Greens for Health (1942), poster.
- Schleger was a German working in the UK.
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Rene Catala i Pic - Let's Squash Fascism (1936)
- do we need any type on this? (no)
Post Second World War
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Abram Games - catalogue for 'Exhibition of Science', Festival of Britain (1951)
- still conservative and not pushing boundaries.
- more British and really influencial.
Paul Rand - advertisement for Jacqueline Cochran (1946)
- is this Graphic Design or advertising?
- promote people buying to lift economy.
Ken Garland - First things first manifesto (1964)
"We have been bombarded with publications devoted to this brief, applauding the work of those who have flogged their skill and imagination to sell such things as: cat food, stomache powders, detergent, hair restorer, striped toothpaste, aftershave lotion, beforeshave lotion, slimming diets, fattening diets, deodorants, fizzy water, cigarettes, roll-ons, pull-ons and slip-ons...
"There are other things more orth using our skill and experience on. There are signs for streets and buildings, books and periodicals, catalogues, instructional manuals, industrial photography, educational aids, films, television features, scientific and industrial publications, and all the other media through which we promote our trade, our education, our culture and our greater awareness of the world."
- saying there's more to life than buying and selling products.
F.H.K Henrion - Stop Nuclear Suicide (1960), poster.
Art Workers Coalition - Q. And Babies? A. And Babies. (1970)
- does it need the text?
- is it Graphic Design or photography?
Punk
Jamie Reid - Sex Pistols, Never Mind The Bollocks (1977), sleeve design.
Post Punk
Peter Saville - FAC 001, The Factory Club Night, poster.
- misses the point.
- not traditional Graphic Design.
Peter Saville - New Order, Blue Monday (1983), sleeve design.
- best selling 12" single ever made.
- moving into post modernism
- is the packaging most important?
Britain 1980's
Neville Brody - The Face magazine covers (1980's)
America
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David Carson - Ray Gun, double page spread.
- arrive of grunge movement?
- art for art sake.
- is it becoming Graphic Design for Graphic Design sake?
David Carson - Don't Mistake Legibility for Communication
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Designers Republic - Pop Will Eat Itself, Ich bin ein auslander (1994). sleeve design.
Julian House - Primal Scream, Xtrmntr (2000), sleeve design.
- digital revolution of cut and paste.
Does Graphic Design become as much the product that is collectable?
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Mark Farrow - Spiritualized, Ladies and Gentlemen we are floating in space (1997). limited edition DC packaging.
- is it useful?
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The Coup - Party Music (2001), withdrawn CD cover.
- was designed before the 9/11 attacks.
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Time Magazine - Cover (September 14th 2001)
- the similarity is almost the same. Raised a lot of questions for The Coup.
Naomi Klein - Truth in Advertising (2000), (in Looking Closer 4, page 64)
"Quite understandably, the people behind these campaigns have come to think of themselves as cultural philosophers, spiritual guides, artists, even political leaders. For instance, Benetton, rather than using it's ads to extol the virtues of its clothing, opted instead to communicate what Olivero Toscani believed to be fundamental truths about the injustice of capitol punishment. According to the company's communication policy, 'Benetton believes that it is iportant for companies to take a stance in the real world instead of using their advertising budget to perpetuate the myth that they can make consumers happy through the mere purchase of their product'."
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Oliviero Toscani - Benetton adverts (1992)
- italian company.
- uniting nations.
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Barbara Kruger - I shop therefore I am (1987)
- Selfridges now use this as their advertising campaign.
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This is Barbara Kruger's work being used in Selfridges.
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