Group Members: Nicole, Kyle, Rahel, Edward, Ebony
TOPIC: After reading “Revisiting the Avant-Garde” and reviewing the videos “History of Graphic Design: 1888-1930,” do you notice similarities between avant-garde movements of the past and the design field (or the world) of today?
Let’s look at a few terms we came across in the first reading. In what ways do today’s designers participate in, facilitate, or reject the following? Provide specific examples if you can (ie: specific designers, social media tools, design trends, advertising campaigns, etc). Check out AIGA’s Eye on Design to find out what contemporary designers are working on.
- Authorship
- Universality
- Social Responsibility
What idea(s) or concerns do you think will drive the Avant-Garde of the near future? Who will lead the charge?
In the comments, add your thoughts about these questions, including links to related material as needed. Ask a follow-up question to generate dialog with your group members. Respond at least 5 times in your discussion group — ideally more. Feel free to jump into other groups, but you must contribute meaningful discussion within your assigned group too. Note: free sharing of ideas helps us learn and it’s also part of your participation grade. 🙂
Please add your comments before by Friday, Sep 10th at 11:59 pm to allow time for replies. Check back often to read and reply to the comments.
Rahel Lehar
Similarities of avant-garde movements and the design field of today include the industrialization of design meaning new machines and manufacturing affected how the products looked like. Products such as teapots were all duplicated so there was no custom or personal design reflecting the designer and they all looked the same except for color. The designs of manufacturers didn’t have intentions of making connections to the artist, the intention was only for the mass public of consumers to buy their products.
Just like the avant-garde movements, industrialization today in the form of computer programs affect our ability to design and what designs will look like.
In what ways do today’s designers participate in, facilitate, or reject the following?
Authorship
Universality
Social Responsibility
The big time graphic designer bosslogic participates in authorship because every one of his designs is connected personally with him and focuses on subjectivity. His designs cannot be copied or manufactured for the public. He does participate in universality because when we look at his designs, we see the subject that relates to us because it’s usually a comic book hero and a lot of other superhero movies. We feel a connection to those designs because we know the characters like his design of bloodsport from suicide squad. He doesn’t participate in social responsibility because his designs are just for fun and not for solving anyone’s issues.
Ah, interesting example. What makes Boss Logic a designer vs an artist vs a producer of fan art? What does it mean to be a designer today? Here is a reading that I was going to share later, but I think it might be useful in this context:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VWAaFuw_4_c3hmrfHiHIz7MJgddYXBHt/view?usp=sharing
What type of techniques does the designer Bosslogic use in his work?
What kind of art does Boss Logic design? What are some examples of his most famous design? If his designs are just for fun, in what ways can the avant-garde still be related to Boss Logic’s design? There has to be something that this graphic designer can relate to avant-garde.
What idea(s) or concerns do you think will drive the Avant-Garde of the near future? Who will lead the charge?
I don’t know what will drive another Avant-Garde in the future. I think technology manufacturers and companies already make society’s designs Avant-Garde because the products are intended for everyone to use and nobody connects them to a singular designer. The designs always focus on objectivity.
Good ideas, Rahel! Can you think of struggles, conflicts, or global emergencies that the world is facing right now that might drive designers, artists, creative thinkers to push the boundaries?
Global warming is a global emergency that the world is facing right now that might drive designers, and artists to push the envelope. People respond to being limited from what they actually want to see or information being pushed in their faces. Whether it’s annoying to them or grabs their attention to take in the information, it gets the word across. Last year when the government decided to stop using plastic bags, a lot of people were upset, because it seemed like an inconvenience. It didn’t become real until you saw posters in all stores notifying customers of the change and you were charged for paper bags. If artists pushed the boundaries more on the importance of taking care of our earth or saw ads that reminded us of the results of our actions constantly, I think more people would be aware of their responsibility to take care of our planet.
I agree, companies like Apple have multiple products and are produced at mass production, but when you think of Apple you think of Steve Jobs. You don’t take the time to think of the designers and the manufacturers behind the engineering of the products. Consumers care about the ending result of the product.
Do you notice similarities between avant-garde movements of the past and the design field (or the world) of today? One of the similarities I’ve noticed between the Avante-Garde movement of the past and the world of today is technology. In order to stay in demand, you must reposition yourself and keep up with technology. With the help of technology, artists are able to create designs in mass production to get their work out in the hands/eyes of consumers. Popular companies like Apple mass produce products every day and just because of their logo consumers want it. It’s not just what they have it’s how it’s marketed and how engaging it is to the audience. Digital technology helps market companies and brands in mass production also. Consumers have the time to learn the current product because they’re already thinking of the future one due to technology (social media ads, digital screen ads in subway/bus, emails, etc).
In what ways do today’s designers participate in, facilitate, or reject the following?
Authorship
Universality
Social Responsibility
The street artist Bansky, political activist, and film director participates in authorship and social responsibility. Bansky’s authorship is a collection of stencil screenprints, murals, films, paintings, and designs that can not be duplicated. His work stands out, like his famous stencil screenprints of black and white silhouettes, which were used as negative and positive space sometimes with color a the background or a focal point. Bansky expresses and communicates his political views and actions taken by world leaders. Bansky rejects universality as he attaches himself to his designs and creates designs that speak to society and unites human culture. Bansky explores his views on capitalism, poverty, war, greed and peace, and individualism. This shows that Bansky is aware of his social responsibility yet designs under a false name you’re still connected to him as a human. He engages society politically and culturally and is at the forefront of political issues with his designs. For example, in his design Bomb Hugger 2001, a stencil screenprint exhibits an antiwar message. His goal was to expose and the portrayal that war is beneficial and necessary to democracy. This is to depict that the innocent warfare of the public isn’t more important than war. The screenprint features a child hugging a missile, symbolizing the affection the public should have towards war, yet also has a contrast between love and war. This particular Bansky’s design is intended to get a reaction of uneasiness, seeing a child hug something as dangerous as a missile.
What idea(s) or concerns do you think will drive the Avant-Garde of the near future? Who will lead the charge?
I think today’s generation will lead the Avant-Garde of the future. Today’s generation is unapologetic and not afraid to use its voice. Last year during the middle of a pandemic, many millennials participated in the BLM protests. I think they will lead us as radicals advocating for social and political issues. This generation has the technology, and history to make a difference in the future. They also are experts in digital technology, having resources such as design programs in high school.
I agree that much of Bansky’s designs lean more towards social responsibility as well as expresses his political views on topics such as capitalism, poverty, and war. Especially his “Girl with Balloon” piece that was put up for auction in 2018, and shredded itself as it was bought for 1.4 million dollars. Which could be seen as a comment on the art market.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/watch-14-million-bansky-painting-shred-itself-soon-it-sold-180970486/
Art director/Web Designer, Beatrice Caciotti, participates in the designer’s social responsibility for their society. Caciotti has designed the typeface Bumpy in response to research that focuses on the relationship between gender stereotypes and typefaces. In today’s society, the use of gender-neutral pronouns is becoming more commonplace as well as the use of both fluid and nonbinary gender identities. Caciotti advocates for change by encouraging others to question the interpretations and effects that their designs might have.
https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/do-gender-neutral-pronouns-need-their-own-glyphs/
Very cool, Kyle. Prior to this in 2018 we saw Sarah Gephart design a unisex glyph that iOS could suggest every time a user began typing a gendered pronoun. Nicholas might be interested in this as it’s related to emojis. More here for a little flashback and to see how much has changed in the last few years with regard to gender and bias: http://mgmtdesign.com/digressions/home/type-and-gender/hypothetical-hack/
https://www.myartbroker.com/artist/banksy/bomb-hugger-bomb-love/
Technology has shaped society and culture so much. First, through authorship. Designers position and repositions themselves in relation to the discourse of society. This helps to clarify the radically changing pattern that we find.
Technology has shaped authorship quite a bit. Today, graphic designers have strengthen in their field by producing their own content. Having this modern technology has facilitated creation, production, ad distribution that would enabled bold artistic values. In the reading, it also mentions that when graphic design just started the designs were based of anonymity meaning boring, impersonality, it lacked individualism. Aside from that, neutrality replaced emotion, in which Josef Muller created a more systematic and rational approach; the reason as to why we use grids today. Majority of designers still follow the neutrality and that’s why their designs main focus is to communicate the clients message. With all these changes, a new collective voice emerged which was more anonymous than individual, that reflects a culture that has a pattern promoting a more open share of ideas.
Technology has also helped redefine universality. This all happened in 1919 when members were in search of a purifying vision. Keep in mind during this time design was influenced by futurism, constructivism, and De Stijil. These styles were more of a depersonalized aesthetic that didn’t correlate, or go along with expressionism. So, in order for deisgners to express the truth they had to detach themselves emotionally from their work to create a more rational and universal approach in their designs. It also helped incorporate this back into graphic design its become a more “remixable” “hybrid” approach. And that crosses boundaries within countries, culture, and individuals, etc. Just like Julia Lupton defines it this new language is mixed in with technology that keeps evolving,
Lastly, its helped with social responsibility. Technology is now inspiring a more sharpened critical voice in design. Now, designer’s work are constantly engaging with the public in political manners and culturally. In fact, this actually helps target social issues such as sustainability and social justice. Although, in the Avant Grade universality and authorship isn’t reinforced it still pushed Rodchenko and other designers to keep trying and shape society.