Milton Glaser - Art Is Work Stefan Sagmeister - Things I Have...

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:55:02 -0500

Milton Glaser - Art Is Work
Stefan Sagmeister - Things I Have Learned…
Lawrence Weiner - Bearded Wizard

Some short films by Hillman Curtis from their ‘artist series’. The delicately presented interviews with some of designs leading practitioners were a major influence on our pitch for the publication and provide some fantastic insights and comments on some of the non tangible aspects of contemporary visual communication.

An Introduction to a Manifesto

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:28:41 -0500

“Challenging the bullshit”

Initial research into thematic ideas to explore for a publication led us to a dead end. We produced a large amount of lists and notes detailing largely meaningless things. Any published outcome like this would be 2-dimensional, over-stylised, inoffensive design porn. Made by design students, for design students and end up being entirely self referential and narcissistic. We felt that if we set our sights low like this the publication we would produce would be made by graphic design students, excessively ‘designed’ for no apparent reason, then read by fellow graphic design students and almost instantly forgotten about.

As designers, we have a responsibility. We are given the power to transfer and express ideas to a much wider audience than most people. With these very vague, but somewhat inspiring idea in mind, we set about considering how this could be translated into a publication. Earlier talks with Ben Branagan brought up the notion of ‘the book as a cultural object’, sparking the idea to take this idea literally and produce a publication focusing on cultural awareness and contextualised thinking within design.

We want to investigate and catalogue people’s cultural influences as opposed to their visual inspirations. The project will force its participants to think deeper about what truly motivates their own practice and ethics as designers, moving away from purely visual inspiration so commonly cited as being influential.

We’re proposing to get primary data (writing, interviews, conversation etc) from a variety of sources (our own class, other universities, professionals) and get people’s own views on contextual thinking and cultural awareness within the practice of studying design.

By allowing for a total sense of group authorship, we will be able to compile a catalogue of personal and individual attitudes towards culture & design. These opinions and writing will be able to stand alone as their own pieces of critical analysis but also form part of a much wider narrative when collated together. This collective voice will be able to make informed, varied and thought provoking comments on a large aspect of contemporary graphic design study, producing a piece of work that is intelligent, honest and genuinely resonant.

Julian Shaw & Jack Gladstone

On Influence

Milton Glaser - Art Is Work Stefan Sagmeister - Things I Have...

An Introduction to a Manifesto