Reading Response 3 – AB

• Madeleine Morley; Master László Moholy-Nagy Saw Photoshop Coming, 90 Years Ahead of Time (2019), AIGA Eye on Design
• László Moholy-Nagy; Typophoto (1925): found in our main text Graphic Design Theory: Readings From the Field by Helen Armstrong on pages 32-34.
• Jan Tschichold, “The Principles of the New Typography” 1928: found in our main text Graphic Design Theory: Readings From the Field by Helen Armstrong on pages 35-38.
• According to these authors, what is their aesthetic approach, and why is it better than the traditional design/typography of the past?
• What role should typography, photography, and other media play in shaping a new kind of design? 
• How did technological advances influence aesthetic forms and theories in early 20th Century design?

The aesthetic approach of these authors is visual clarity. It is better than the visual designs of the past because it is both efficient and easy to read. Visual type and design of the past was made with decor in mind. Design of the past was much more about the art than the function. Designers of the more modern era are prioritizing function over aesthetic, as that is what makes them designers. Design is something made with the intent of signaling some sort of message or meaning, so unnecessary decoration only serves to hinder that goal. If a design is to be more decorative, the decorativeness should serve some sort of purpose.

Media in design should be there to better display whatever message the author is trying to convey. Generally, there is no reason to use a more decorative type over a simpler typeface like sans serif. However, for branding, advertising, and even just establishing a kind of aesthetic, that is a form of designing. There is a place for sans serif and script types, it’s all about how it is utilized and for what reason. These can establish a message still, and if anything establish a stronger one, even if it’s through a very subtle way.

With technology advancing and new ways of printing becoming a lot more efficient, a lot of design became more “robotic” in a sense. Design became much less about the artistic value and much more about giving the message through the simplest and most efficient means. Why waste time drawing out fancy type or script, or making a detailed painting for a design when you can achieve the same goal, if not more effectively, through much more simplified lettering and imagery?