Author: Aracely Calle (Page 2 of 2)

After reading the three short texts, it is clear that in the past, artists were always trying to experiment with different techniques and to come up with new design ideas. This, in fact, is something that has not changed over the years. Designers are constantly looking for ways to innovate and improve the way we communicate ideas.

In Walter Gropius; The Theory and Organization of the Bauhaus, we can appreciate  how design was taught. First of all “the academy” believed that talent was very important when it comes to study design “a work of art depends on the talent of the individual who creates it. This quality can not be taught and cannot be learned.” I kind of agree with this statement because sometimes you can see how smart an knowledgeable a person is, they can learn in school; however, talent is something natural that cannot be taught. 

Gropius also talks about language, one of the things he said about it is that for us to speak a language, we have to know both vocabulary and grammar. It also applies to design because we, designers have not only to know theory, but how to apply it. 

Herbert Bayer; On Typography talks about the evolution of typography and its usage in design. With the development of science and technology, artists and designers have been exposed to adapt themselves to change. He introduces us to the idea of square span, this, at the time was a new way to display sentences by grouping words, changing the colors, and so on. Basically, breaking the rules. In the section New Slaves, Bayer talks about the  evolution of communication. He is right on everything he says because that is what happened since the invention of science and technology. Computers have substituted books, I was reading these texts on my iPad and it’s here where I’m typing this assignment. “This suggests that we will write and read less and less”, he says, and he is absolutely right with that. 

Typofoto, by László Moholy-Nagy talks about the integration of type and typography and the machine as one of the best allies to the future. His ideas of how technology would innovate and change the way we communicate were right “tomorrow we shall be able to look into the heart of our fellow man, be everywhere and yet be alone”, he was right. We are living in a world where technology is ruling our everyday lives, we do not need to travel to visit our loved ones, but nowadays, the increase  of anxiety and depression is higher. 

The 20th century was meaningful for the art and design industry. Artist such as Marinetti, Rodchenko and El Lissitzky wrote what they thought about technology and the evolution of design. In “Our Book”, El Lissitzky stated that language is vulnerable to change and with that the visual aspect of the book changes. According to him, the only thing that will not change are hieroglyphics because they are the same in every country, it is an international language. 

Technology has been ruling our lives since its invention. As Marinetti said in his Manifesto, “the world has been enriched by a new beauty: the beauty of speed.” I totally agree with that because with the introduction of technology, everything speeds up. 

On the other hand, Aleksander Rodchenko talks about technology and mass production, he states that graphic design has the power and ability to influence society. “We didn’t create technology. We didn’t create man. but we, Artists yesterday constructors today”, he says. This is one of my favorite passages from the readings because in one way or another this is true. We, artists and designers, have the power to influence people. 

Most of what they said at the time is true. Technology has changed our lives, design can influence how people think and interact work each other and speed, speed is something that is always present. 

What is language? And how is it different from communication in general?

According to Ferdinand De Saussure, “language is the most complex and universal of all systems of expression”. There are a lot of reasons why this is different from any other form of communication. First of all, it was inherited to us from past generations. Language is something that evolves and is constantly changing with the passage of time. And lastly, language cannot exist apart from the social fact.

What role does language play in design?

Language plays a huge role in the design industry. For us, designers, is impossible to design without language. We use it to communicate our ideas to the world… The client will send us a brief, we have to read that in order to understand what the project is about, after that we will start sketching our ideas and depending on the project we will create the final design. Language and design cannot be separated.

How are symbols or iconography related to language?  

Symbols and icons are forms of writing communication, they help us to communicate ideas with our peers. Over the years they have developed a meaning that most of us understand. For that reason I would say that symbols and icons are closely related to language. 

How are signs, signifiers, and the signified employed in general communication? Or in graphic communication? 

 According to the reading, the linguistic sign is the psychological entity formed by concept and sound-image. Signs, signifiers, and signified are the most complex and universal systems of expressions. These are constantly employed in general and graphic communication, a sign is something that cannot be changed because it was inherited from past generations, for that reason we have to adapt ourselves to this rules of communication. 

What facts or details from these texts provoke ideas for developing new design strategies?

The thing that stood out to me the most was the fact that not everyone will understand certain things the same way as us, therefore we have to be very careful when selecting symbols, icons, or words. I would say that a good strategy should include researching the meaning of our words properly so that people don’t get confuse.

What can archaic numbering systems or rudimentary signage show us about language or the design process?

Archaic numbering systems and rudimentary signage is something that has been with us for decades. All of them took the form of a word, we can say that the visual imagery is attached associated with a word, therefore it is very important to consider that as part of the design process. We can say that in some cases, there is no need to write; we can just use imagery to depict our ideas. The design speaks for itself.

The readings of this week were very informative and interesting. Both of them talked about the role of the designer in the world. Armstrong focuses on the designer during the 20th century, he states that even though design is everywhere, designers passed unnoticed and unacknowledged. On the other hand, Munari states that the role of the designer in this world is to remove the bias and prejudice of people around us.

According to the readings, the designer is constantly adapting his or her techniques to the emerging styles. The difference between design and other creative occupations lies in the fact that a designer is able to help people without having preconceptions and adapting himself to the needs of the client; there are different types of designer works and they all are adapted to human activity. Technology is evolving and the designer has to adapt himself to these new technologies, he has to be prepared for the change. 

What both readings are trying to teach us, is that the past is a key for the future. We are the future, therefore, we have to be prepared for what is coming next in terms of technology and human-centered design.