Context of Practice: April 2015

Thursday 30 April 2015

OUGD401 - Practical Work Rationale

Through the research conducted for the essay, I found many things out about postmodernist culture and postmodernist influence within the sphere of Graphic Design that I was not completely clued up on. One thing that really stood out in my mind was how misunderstood postmodernism is, or rather, how vague the term is. Even designers and artists at the time couldn’t really define their work as being postmodern. Some people refuse to believe that it ever existed, other acknowledge it but would like to argue that it had very little, if any impact on graphic design practice. I concluded in my essay that I believe postmodernism definitely impact graphic design and visual communication. I believe that it is fair to say we are living in a post-post modernist society and it is inaccurate to say that postmodernism is not relevant or significant in any way.

So my research inspired me to create a range of graphic works which aim to educate and enlighten people about themes that run within postmodern graphic design. I wanted to do this in a very witty way. So I thought, why not create a booklet which acts like a survival guide, a survival guide to the postmodern condition, style, mind set and general aesthetic. I also found through research that many argue that postmodernism is ‘dead’, so I wanted the survival guide to act as a recap of the style and subtly hint at a style which is starting to become widespread across the internet, which is the VaporWave Aesthetic. The survival guide would actually work best in the 1980s, so when I was generating the ideas, I was really designing for an audience from the past.

OUGD401 - Practical Work Inspiration for Aesthetic

From 1981-1987, the Milan-based design and architecture group Memphis burst onto the scene proclaiming a new aesthetic of unruly colors, wild shapes, and the triumph of form over function. The design world would never be the same. Founding member Nathalie Du Pasquier created surfaces - textiles, carpets, plastic laminates, and some objects - that were at once shocking and iconic. Her work, joyfully irreverent and proudly postmodern, helped to define the group. During this period in her life, she also drew constantly. Like her patterns, which have since gone on to be featured in a new line by American Apparel, Du Pasquier's drawings reveal entire hidden worlds of her imagination - from very small items like jewelry to entire cities. They also show a surprisingly personal side of Du Pasquier's work.

Don't Take These Drawings Seriously is the first and definitive compilation of all the unpublished drawings from those years, which had been sitting in the drawers of Nathalie's studio for over three decades. Organized by the smallest objects to the biggest and divided into chapters, each with a text by Nathalie, it has been carefully edited and designed by Apartamento's co-founder Omar Sosa together with Du Pasquier.