Paul Rand “Good Design Is Good Will” 1987 from Graphic Design Theory: Readings From the Field page 64-69 and Steven Heller “Underground Mainstream” in Design Observer 2008.
Questions
- What is your opinion of Paul Rand’s view of the designer/client relationship?
- Is there a difference between “underground” and “mainstream” today?
- Provide a visual example and description of early avant-garde culture jamming.
- Provide a visual example and description of culture jamming today.
Response
Paul Rand originally preferring to communicate mainly with his boss conveyed he originally viewed the designer/client relationship as less important than the work and how it was viewed by his superiors. An opinion would be that his original view on this relationship was reasonable but likely a result of the time period and his focus on expanding his role in the company through his productivity as opposed to the task of maintaining relationships with clients or peers. Rand sees design as the base for interactions between consumers and brands. This means the relationship the client has with the designer may need to reflect a mutual understanding of each role. The example of Michelangelo being threatened to finish his piece quicker related to how clients may want something complex for designers to make in a time that is unrealistic or constrained by industry standards. Considering the time period, it was surprising that someone of his ability would be rushed yet this is sometimes the reality that may have caused Rand to prioritize the work over the relationships. This view is supported by the idea of, “Good Design, 1940” (1987 P.R) which would be used to contrast from design that would be considered less than what is considered, good. This would mean that mainstream art could be become the standard, making it increasingly difficult for underground art to flourish. Unlike before, mainstream art today varies depending on heavily on popularity which means that underground art can, many times, become mainstream while being less limited by how good it is. This could be a result of underground art sometimes influencing mainstream art with little to no credit.
The image below is an example early avant-garde culture jamming in how it may be considered, “leeching” due to the what could be considered less creative than needed to confirm this as transformative. What makes this viable is that is titled and described as a replica .
This can be considered modern culture jamming due to it being a humor based representation of already, “established” ideas and works. Heller, S –
Annotations
Annotation 2: Relationships – Rand, P
Annotation 3: Time Constraints Rand, P
Annotation 4: Commercial Culture – Heller, S
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