F.T. Marinetti, “Manifesto of Futurism”; Aleksandr Rodchenko, “Who We Are: Manifesto of the Constructivist Group”; and El Lissitzky, “Our Book” are found in our main text Graphic Design Theory: Readings From the Field by Helen Armstrong on pages 19-31. 

Questions / Prompts

  • Consider if and how these manifestos addressed the concepts of authorship/ownership, universal systems of communication, and social/political engagement.
  • What common views do these artists/designers share, and where might they disagree?
  • Which elements of these texts remain relevant for the present, and which elements are problematic? 
  • How has the communication process changed since the early 20th Century, specifically with regard to “feedback” and “noise”?

The way the manifestos addressed in the aspects of the universal systems of communication were through having some change in the world through the designs. The views that were shown in the designs were how they looked at it. They knew through their designs they could make an impact in the world through their designs. Designs can have big impacts on audience members especially if it’s for specific things going on within the world people can often relate. The common views in which these designers had was that they destroyed the idea of what someone can be as a designer. It was generalized about what a designer is or should be, so with what they began doing shifted everything and started making a change. The elements of the text that still remain relevant in present times is that inventions in art are always single in time because there is no real evolution. As well as although there isn’t no real evolution from it, there are always different versions of the same thing, but it’ll never be the same because there’s always a slight difference in each piece/design. The way the process has changed since then is that the introduction of technology and what it brings into the design world. The noise and feedback aspect has changed because with regards to the noise of what the designer is trying to convey and the feedback is if the audience can see or understand what’s really going on.