Armstrong, Helen. Graphic Design Theory: Readings From the Field, Princeton Architectural Press, 2009. Navigate to pages 19-31.
- What political events were happening during the time and place that these manifestos were written? How did those events influence the authors’ beliefs?
- Consider if and how these manifestos addressed the concepts of authorship/ownership, universal systems of communication, and social/political engagement.
- 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 technology?
After reading this week’s reading assignment, I could not help but identify in the first paragraph of the chapter, the Avant-Garde and who pushed several movements, and how it mirrors movements of today. The youth today have their movement pushing for respect, freedom of speech, and expression of their ideas and life choices. The majority don’t hold to traditional ideas their parents were taught, as they feel it stops their ability to raise their voices on certain issues and concerns be they political, social, or emotional. Like the constructivists.
After reading through the manifestos, events such as WWI and the Soviet revolution were taking place. During the revolution young designers of that time wanted to raise their voices to be heard and did so in their designs. These events influenced and changed the way designers would approach their work. They believed in the industrial revolution and thought design should be “sleek functional, efficient, and powerful.” They felt the traditional way of design using illustrations and decorative design features was personal, not a sense of universality.
It’s interesting how political events influenced graphic design. At the dawn of WWI, the countries involved in the war had to recruit soldiers and promote that the war was needed. With new printing technology in place, posters were mass-produced with traditional images of family and patriotism. Influencing families that it’s the man’s place in society to protect his country to go out and fight and the women and children should be supportive.
Even the channels of communication have changed where once upon a time, to send a message you would have to make a phone call before you leave home or write a letter and wait about a week for a response. Giving a moment of suspense before there was a reaction. Today, in a matter of minutes to hours, one message or event can reach millions electronically, creating a conversation or trend in society. As El Lissitzky states, “but what precisely characterizes the present time is dematerialization”.
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Excellent response, Joseth! You’ve made some really interesting points here. I added an inline comment via Hypothesis in our group. Enable the extension to view. I noticed you published this privately. If you feel comfortable, consider making your post public to share with your colleagues. Please also take a look at the example post and the guide for Using Hypothesis – add your annotations to the group and links to the end of your post once you’ve set that up. Let me know if you have questions!