Prof. Jenna Spevack | COMD3504_D061 | SPRING 2023

Reading Response 1 – MM

Introduction: “Revisiting the Avant-Garde” Graphic Design Theory: Readings From the Field, Princeton Architectural Press, 2009. Pages 9-15.

There are a few similarities between Avant-Garde movements of the past such as modernism and the design field today. Modernism rejected traditional values and techniques and emphasized the importance of individual experience just as today’s designers want authorship of the work they create, wanting credit and recognition for their work instead of being anonymous. Today’s designers also have some sort of social responsibility on them considering that art can be really influential and effective. A lot of real-world issues such as social justice and women’s rights have been communicated to a massive audience through artwork on different social media platforms, which brings in the idea of universality. Universality is the quality of involving or shared by all people or things in the world. Even if an artist today does not speak a particular language, they can communicate to the rest of the world through a visual, which is truly amazing and impactful. Social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok play a huge role in spreading the messages these designers want to communicate making them universal. 

The idea that will drive the Avant-Garde of the near future is probably breaking out of the minimal aesthetic limitation that has been so popular over the last few years. Design is now headed in a lot of directions and every kind of aesthetic seems to find its place somewhere in the world.

1 Comment

  1. Jenna Spevack

    Great, Mahreen! I added an inline comment or two via Hypothesis in our group. Enable the extension to view. For post formatting, check out Example Post and the Guidelines. Let me know if you have questions!

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