Month: October 2020 (Page 5 of 6)
Assignment #4
Design is always changing from generation to generation, new and fresh ideas of design principles is always being discovered, new methods and even new technology, but what I feel that is lacking in art from the past is the sense of free thinking. We cannot deny the fact that we still use methods from the past in the present day but that means we can also see the flaws in some of the methods as well. Art in past was majority the same and/or strict to their ideas of how art should be. There was a meticulous method on how art should be presented because someone who was wealthy with more available resources said so. If it is not deemed this way, it isn’t art and once it changes it usually become a revolution. Art had a strategic way. The more time past the more art itself becomes freer and more relaxed. The future of art is in good hand because it allows artist to be their selves without having to follow a strict quota. Art is becoming more expressive then the past ever has been, but we must pay homage to the ones that paved this path for artist of the future.
Typography and photography in the present day play such a huge role in design and in the graphic design world. In Today era, type and photo is used to bring an element of communication. When you combine both type and photography its almost like your completing the story, It allows the people the visualize and understand what they are seeing quickly especially when we are constantly on the move, our brains are able to computing faster when both these elements are present in the composition. Not only does it bring a different element of communication, it also opens various stylistic ways you can combine the two. Type is always advancing, and different fonts tells a different story to the composition and photography is unlimited, so a composition of the two also brings an endless amount of ideas, styles, and narratives. When you are an artist creativity comes naturally and learning new or different principles of designs opens elements of one’s artwork to a new level. Education is essential to life and learning how to use certain elements especially the element of communication to the public or industrially. Type, color, photography, and shapes all play different roles when you are learning about the field (graphic design). Psychology and science also play a role in a design you wouldn’t think of just as an artist but when you a designer these roles play heavily in the field of graphic design. How the eye and brain perceive these elements of design.
Throughout reading these articles the authors had a complete understanding on how design is going to change and advance in the future, almost everything they discussed still plays a role in design today. Moholy-Nagy and Herbert Bayer were both spot on about the role typography and photography was going to play in the future, and me living in that future typography and photography plays an essential role in design and it is literally everywhere we go. The use of typography especially today is used in so many different ways to communicate a different message, in commercials, Advertisement poster/billboards, film and once again photography the use of the font in each one of these categories speaks differently. Also, the Bauhaus ideology still plays a role in the curriculum. Being able to learn about the field and still be creative at the same time but one thing that is different from today then back then is the freedom of expression we have on our art. Also being able to learn to aspect of graphic design and regardless what direction the designer goes all element of graphic design will play a role in ones career.
From the reading I found that communication in a form of typophoto is the missing piece in design. In the reading Laslo describe how lifeless some design has been with the advancement of technology , the which is why I believe that Laslo idea of having typophoto idea has became much of a staple fundamental of design in which the text should be more attentive as much as the photo, but also have the photo gives words without putting text. The idea of new technique of typography in the design does add meaning by adding photos and by that logic I believe that it is very important for anyone’s design to reach greatness by having to use images on their type.
The most important context I can take away from Gropius Bauhaus “The Theory and Organization of the Bauhaus” is that design can’t truly be done by just studying the art. Sure it can reinforce some of the technique that it is hard to learn, but design itself should be something “you” the designer have to make yourself as it is your creation from what you learn from teaching , there’s always a new way to learn from doing thing individually and seeing the art of other as inspiration.
While our readings for next class (on WEDNESDAY the 14th!!!) are similar to those of the past couple of weeks, the written portion will be the first of the two longer responses to be completed during the semester.
The readings are as follows:
Beatrice Warde, The Crystal Goblet, or Why Printing Should be Invisible (1930): Warde_CrystalGoblet
A selection from György Kepes’ Language of Vision: Painting, Photography, Advertising-Design (1944): Kepes_Language_of_Vision_exc
Requirements for the written portion are included below. Note that you do not need to address this week’s texts in the paper if they are not directly relevant to your topic, but you must be prepared to discuss them in class on the 14th.
First Paper
Select a design or design object created after 1970 in which the influence of the theories considered thus far can be seen. Begin with a brief description of the object, the designer who created it, and the historical circumstances under which it was made. Considering these factors, examine the ways in which the creator was responding, directly or indirectly, to theories related to linguistics or semiology, avant-garde art movements or Gestalt psychology (ie. any of the ideas that we’ve covered). Discuss the manner in which the design you’ve chosen embodies these theories. Provide direct references to relevant passages from our readings. Locate additional writings using library resources to substantiate your comparisons.
Your goal is ultimately to provide a critical examination, not an account of historical details.
This response will be submitted as a 750-1000 word typewritten paper, double-spaced in 12 pt. Times New Roman, with a bibliography. Include images of the work under consideration and any other relevant illustrations. Cite all materials researched for historical context, any related writings, and image sources. All sources, references and quotations should be cited in MLA format. You’ll upload your paper as a PDF, attached to a new OpenLab Post.
According to these authors, art has lacked in the past by creating schooling for work that can only be done creatively within the individual itself. In the readings  “Walter Gropius “Theory and Organization of Bauhaus” they had talked about “the academy” in which they discussed how artists have been misled, knowing little of the fact that art cannot be mastered by studying. It can only be a work of art depending on the talent of the person who creates it even though the bare minimum that schools can provide is the foundation for the creative effort that is put into the work. But with the development of the academic’s folk art dying, which brought about the talented individuals trained in industry and handicraft in the 21st century.
We must consider the many factors that language along with typography, photography play in art and design. In the design world, we take the notion of language being a universal communicator like how we understand a language, we must know both the vocabulary and grammar. To others, a person who creates a work of art must consist of vocabulary which consists of elements of form and color and their structural laws. As for the creator themselves, they must create the idea which the language or message is conveyed through their work of art.
In “László Moholy-Nagy; Typophoto” the new form of typophoto emerged form the use of typography and photography. With the new combination of the two, we can have illustration in the form of replacing the texts which institute more of a conceptual, visual continuity were it the new visual literature of today. Linear typography communication idea is the link between the content and the communication between the person which typophoto does. In “On Typography” by Herbert Bayer, typography can be very overwhelming if a lot of text is put but more of an informational aid for visuals. As Bayer said “ the more we read, the less we see” for that being said as humans we tend to be drawn into visuals more than text as the saying “ pictures speak a thousand words” can be applied to design.
New art has been emerging with the idea of grouping in short lines to take in the fact as humans get a eyesore after reading heavily text to grab the attention of the view with the visuals doing more communication with the text as an aid to the design. As we know, technology is sweeping the new art world with the replacement of book with microfilms, and having all books converted to e-books. The new art world will possess the new realm of adapting to the new forms of expression and what the nature of things may hold for us.
For this weeks readings they focused on technology and it’s impact on the art world.
The reading on Bayer, “On Typography” starts with the line “typography is a service art not a fine art.” This sets the the theme of the reading in my opinion. In this line and subsequent paragraphs, he is talking about the ideas artists have made regarding typography. It is hard to believe that the Gutenberg press was at the forefront of technology when it was first made, vs now we have all integrated into life with technology as powerful and small to fit in our pockets. This is the norm we have ascribed to and thinking about the beginnings of tech can help us move forward.
Later on in the reading he mentions, “their efforts must be valued as they keep the aesthetic from falling, and because they alone set the pace in taste.” To me this sums up the entire reading, the whole point of having skills like book making, or hand lettering, is to have refined end product that is both pleasing to look at and also reviewed for being unique or uncommon. Going back to the basics and understanding the process is a great lesson and I can’t think of another substitute. For example traditional book making from creating pages to binding the finished book have lost its novelty through things like the press and publishing companies. As an artist I appreciate the basics and the way things were made. And as a consumer, I appreciate the choice I have when I go into a Strand store. I feel it is important to know where we came from whether it be culturally or historically so we can make even better ideas.
The artists of the Bauhaus believed that the goal of the artists should be to achieve equilibrium, unity of design, a oneness, abandoning the old, tired notion of man vs the universe.
Gropius admonishes the academy for commodifying art and enticing artists with the Icarian notion of genius and fame instead of opening their minds. The matter of creating art requires something more. Something that cannot be learned in a classroom, seated at a desk, burying one’s face into the spine of a book. More than steadfast observation and application of fundamentals and theory. The goal should be to produce art that has meaning. And that’s still a relevant challenge for artists today. The fear of creating vacuous, transactional art bereft of meaning. Like a machine.
The objective pf the artist is to communicate their feelings. Language is another form of communication. It allows us to share our thoughts with the world. Adopting the proper vocabulary will help facilitate the expression of one’s ideas to others. Words such as perspective, tonality, and depth are important to a fine artist.
According to Walter Gropius and his The Theory and Organization of the Bauhaus, the thing that art lacked in the past was that it isolated itself from the world and environment around it. Different kinds of arts and practices were isolated from each other as if they had nothing to do with each other. According to Gropius, this form of teaching and development resulted in “useless social drones” that were ultimately fruitless in the productive life. Being removed from the rest of life does not make a good artist, according to Gropius.
In László Moholy-Nagy’s Typophoto, he makes a similar statement and says that typeface and typesetting “ignored the new dimensions of life” by which he meant the modern life of his time. He encourages the joining of methods and embracing techniques from other disciplines like photography, instead of pretending that the two mediums are two completely different things that must be kept separate. In doing this, typophoto would allow for new relationships between the content being read and visual experience. Both stances are simple: integration of mediums and mindsets of different mediums allow for a stronger, more wholistic artistic application.
I tend to consider many of the teachings of the Bauhaus movement boring. I find the “universal language” to be an interesting practice in the context of its time but ultimately a slightly outdated principle in art. However, I wholeheartedly agree with the statements made in Gropius’ text. The first one being that “academies” should allow an artist to discover where their strengths and weaknesses lie and and recognize that ones “elementary expression” can vary from person to person. It is said variation that makes the collaborative process that much more powerful. The second being that in pulling from various artistic mediums and being aware and in touch with the “life” around you makes you a stronger artist. Believing that one form of art solely exists in a vacuum on its own ultimately hinders the artist.
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One of the most interesting and scarily spot on points I saw in the readings was not only that the methods of communication would change drastically but specifically how the methods would change would be how we store knowledge. Herbert Bayer’s On Typography specifically states that the ability to store information in micro fashion will change the design of libraries and how we store knowledge, and that we will “have any and all desired information available and ready when needed… unburdening our brains from memory ballast… the book may be limited altogether…” How interesting it is that that is almost exactly what has happened. While the book might have not completely disappeared from existence, print is becoming less and less necessary as we rely more on the “micro-storage” available to us at a moments notice. I’ve grown up mostly in a generation where we can learn about anything and everything with a few simple keystrokes into our phones and not all of that information has to be memorized in order for me to use it.
Language should play an important role in art and design because to have great designs you have to be able to communicate your ideas to the client through art. Moholy-Nagy believed that typography and photography should help improve art today. According to Bayer typography is not a fine art, therefore it is a discipline. Gropius was the founder and director of the Bauhaus. Gropius and Bayer spoke about Bauhaus as a fundamental part of art. As Gropius expressed his passion for the arts, he said there has to be a balance in everything. He also said that any work that is produced by the drive with oneself will have spiritual meaning. Some areas of art can be done mechanically but there also has to be hands-on creative work as he believed the outcome of the product depends on the creativity and talent of the artist. Which cannot be taught. However, knowledge on how to do certain minor skills manually can be taught which would in return allow the artist to be prepared for a profession.
Many academies teach arts of different forms, such as art theory and art practical. However, natural talent continues to be a driving force in the art and design industry. Artists are taught to be creative human beings. Knowledge of theory must also be taught in visual arts. It allows more creativity in the art industry. A combination of both theory and practical need to be updated to be able to adjust to the changing world.
According to Bayer mechanical techniques were lacking in the past. Although the authors believed that mechanical techniques were not creative, these techniques allow artists to cater to larger clienteles. New strategies or ideas that will lead to future of new art are typography and photography. Which when combined will make art more dynamic. Although the combination will be a good strategy, typographers and photographers will have to adapt to the new art aspects.
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