The research and communications module this semester has given me a newfound appreciation of the influences behind contemporary art movements. Learning about the development of art and design from the Avantgarde movement to Postmodernism has been fascinating. It has forced me to explore areas and styles that I have not researched before – for example I discovered I now love the style of 60s psychedelic underground culture, where garish, clashing colours were effective in engaging the viewer while having typography that was a statement against clear communication.

Learning about the transition of movements and understanding the reasons why change occurred has also helped me recognise the importance of design. Counter cultures I researched were interesting because of their various styles; they went against convention whether it was Shepard Fairey’s politically charged graffiti or jazz album covers by Reid Miles – they were made in retaliation of mainstream style. This is important because mainstream design and ideas should evolve and improve. In the future I want to look into more depth of these styles in order to develop my own style.

The connection between theory and practice is vital, knowledge of history in both its successes and failures educates us for the present. On reflection the lecture on postmodernism has aided me in discovering a major influence on my future graphical practice. Swiss Style had always appealed to me but I could never address what the style was. I am now conscious of the”less is more” approach in my future work and I now recognise why the appeal of work from Wolfgang Weingart and Armin Hofmann has stood the test of time; researching their experimental practice in regards to manipulating typography and image through layering and photography while observing what I like about their work has encouraged me to take inspiration and experiment to create my own style. This has been beneficial to my graphic design rotation where in studio based work I have struggled to manipulate typography; now I have a basis of knowledge to aid my decisions by comparing with the work I like and use the processes I’ve learned are behind it, this also gives an idea of the impact certain design can produce in order to improve my own.

This module has also exposed me to different ways of thinking making me more mindful of the factors that are influencing how art has changed and how it is changing. The quote “technology is the mortal enemy of art” from Rodechencko’s 1922 constructivism manifesto was an interesting concept that has made me reflect on how technology has had an effect on not only how I experience art but also how I make it. This has influenced my opinion on finding inspiration for my studio based work; I now think I should go to more galleries try and look for inspiration everywhere rather than rely on the internet to find something that relates to my research, if I’m struggling with designing on a screen i should try designing off screen.

Tim McDonagh is a freelance illustrator that I connected with after attending a presentation by him in my foundation art course. My interest started with his ink pen and digital techniques that produced an amazing colourful style.

“Greedo” Pen ink on paper,2015. Illustrator: Tim McDonagh[6]

“Greedo” is a unique piece of work; rather than for a client this illustration was made out of his own interests – the story being his love of Star Wars. It was from this image that he was noticed by Egmont uk to create illustrated STAR WARS: GALACTIC MAPS. His advice to aspiring illustrators was to “be sure to create work that you love and that you enjoy working on.” The work and clients will come later on” as an aspiring illustrator I connected with this because there is usually such heavy focus on tailoring style and design to a brief(or client) where developing my style should also have more emphasis.[2]

“Witchcraft in Liberia”, Animation, 2016. Illustrator: David Folvari.[3]

David Foldvari is another illustrator I find relevant to my interest in illustration and in developing my own style; this image was from an editorial for the Telegraph on child witches in Liberia that was about the unfortunate story of a child accused of witchcraft.[5] Foldvari’s saturated black ink on a white background is an example of how style can influence the feeling of the subject; his style can cover darkly political subjects with its dark appearance. I also connect with his concern “that we’re going to go back to the ’80s and people are going to think illustration is nicey-nicey and not saying much”[4] I think its important that illustrations say something in order to help educate and communicate, Foldvari does this though editorial illustration that articulates news articles, issues and viewpoints from just an image, otherwise why have an illustration?

“Stadt Theater Basel” offset lithograph,1963. Designer: Armin Hofmann[1]

I am interested in the manipulation of photography with typography and one of my favourite graphic designers Armin Hofmann does just this. This poster shows how condensing simple visual elements (in very much Swiss design style) can be incredibly effective for communication. For me it gives the feeling of movement and performance like shadow puppets which is fitting for message of Basel theatre. It is also a good example of how effective photography can be without the clearest resolution. “Sensible and meaningful form of advertising can be achieved by simplification of the formal language and by restraint in the treatment of the verbal message” I connect with this because in a world bombarded with colour, imagery and information it is important to remember sometimes simplification is most effective to communicate graphically.

References

[1] AIGA | the professional association for design. (2011). 2011 AIGA Medal: Armin Hofmann. [online] Available at: https://www.aiga.org/medalist-arminhofmann [Accessed 3 Dec. 2017].

[2] Floyd, J. and Floyd, J. (2017). Star Wars: Galactic Maps Illustrator Tim McDonagh Interview | StarWars.com. [online] StarWars.com. Available at: http://www.starwars.com/news/charting-the-galaxy-an-interview-with-star-wars-galactic-maps-illustrator-tim-mcdonagh [Accessed 2 Dec. 2017].

[3] Foldvari, D. (2016). Witchcraft in Liberia. [Blog] davidfolvari. Available at: http://davidfoldvari.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/witchcraft-in-liberia.html [Accessed 3 Dec. 2017].

[4] Ideastap.com. (2016). David Foldvari: Illustrator. [online] Available at: http://www.ideastap.com/ideasmag/the-knowledge/david-foldvari-interview [Accessed 3 Dec. 2017].

[5] Rowley, T. (2016). The child witches of Liberia. [online] S.telegraph.co.uk. Available at: http://s.telegraph.co.uk/graphics/projects/child-abuse-witches/index.html [Accessed 3 Dec. 2017].

[6] TIM MCDONAGH. (2017). PORTFOLIO. [online] Available at: https://www.mcdonaghillustration.com/#/greedo/ [Accessed 2 Dec. 2017].

“If you don’t put it down on paper nobody knows” Sheldon Nadelman who between the years of 1972 and 1982 was the manager of Terminal Bar in 8th Avenue New York. Nadelman documented the life of the bar by photographing the people who passed through its doors for 10 years; this included the faces of actors, cooks, pimps and drug addicts. His collection now acts as a record of a bar with many stories. In 2002 his son Stefan Nadelman created a film dedicated to the forgotten story of the life in and around Terminal Bar.

The soundtrack was a fundamental part of editing, starting with street noise that paired with the rolling photographs of New York City transitioned like the rolling out of old film. What follows is the chronological appearance of black and white photographs of many rugged faces holding the gaze with the viewer; this shows a closeness with Terminal Bar, these people are its identity- all of which fade back to black as a metaphor of them disappearing from the streets. A panning in and out of news articles of the narrative dialogue gave the effect that what’s going on in Terminal Bar is the newest and most exciting scene.

The beat of the film adapts like the bar does to its customers, staying true to his father’s still photographs panning and zooming in on details to match the point of narration gives them movement. The photos further come to life with his fathers accounts of certain characters grouped together in relationships, any focus of a character darts into another, with period of photos flashing and moving to a slow or high tempo beat mimicking the movement of people in and out of the bar.