Prof. Jenna Spevack | COMD3504_D061 | SPRING 2023

Reading Response 3 –CC

Madeleine Morley; Master László Moholy-Nagy Saw Photoshop Coming, 90 Years Ahead of Time (2019), AIGA Eye on Design, László Moholy-Nagy; Typophoto (1925): Graphic Design Theory: Readings From the Field by Helen Armstrong on pages 32-34, Jan Tschichold, “The Principles of the New Typography” 1928: 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?

According to these authors the aesthetic approach is an asymmetry approach. Asymmetry l is better than traditional design/typography of the past because it gives us more structure and an organized way of conveying our message. Switching from symmetry to asymmetry (New typographic/design) allows the authors to have more room and flow within their layouts. Giving the audience an effective and functional flow in direction.  In the old typography, the arrangement of elements was arranged on a fixed central axis not giving the designer much flexibility.  Everything was designed based on random choice or personal preference with no hierarchy insight.  With the new typography/design it shows that the authors had clearly thought-out their approaches to each task delivering a logical sequence in context putting an emphasis on communication.

The role that typography, photography, and other media should have in shaping a new kind of design is making it easier to conceptually communicate with the audience.  Being able to push boundaries in the attempts to modernize the way we communicate with design.

The technological advances influenced aesthetic forms and theories in the early 20th century by setting a standard that fit across multiple platforms giving the ability to express and convey a message in a more aesthetically pleasing structure.  Making Way for a more effective and less wasteful way to produce print.  The technology brought in an evolution on how we changed from using capitalization for every letter, to identifying that only the first letter of a sentence needs to be capitalized.  Making it easier to read and inexpensive for printing, the new form of overlapping images with type.

Overall, the new technology changed the way we present, treat, and prioritize the elements of design

1 Comment

  1. Jenna Spevack

    Good work, Chantel! I’ve added a couple of comments in Hypothesis that came up for me when reading your response. Also noted are places where additional clarification/explanation would be helpful. Let me know if you have questions.

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