OUGD401 - Study Task 05 - Practical Based Research Workshop

Today in our COP session we began to think about ways of tackling the essay question through practical research and investigation within the realms of Graphic Design. Answering the question through an essay alone won't give me an in depth and comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the topic in question, that is why we must develop a body of practical work surrounding the same question.

In the session we looked at three areas that will help to inform our practical development for context of practice.

The TECHNIQUES: what techniques am I going to use to produce a worthwhile body of practical work? i found through my essay investigation that pastiche and themes of simulacrum are at the heart of postmodern theory and practice. In my practical work I can look to utilise pastiche techniques, recycling, collaging, using found imagery, scanning, layering etc. Pastiche importantly is not parody or mockery so I must remember this when producing my practical responses.

The CONTENT: I want to produce a zine and accompanying posters which act as guides to living in post post modern conditions, or guides on how to create a piece of postmodern work. i want them to be witty and tongue and cheek with elements of seriousness, but ultimately postmodernism isn't supposed to be taken too seriously and I want to convey this through my content. I briefly want to explain the thinking behind a lot of postmodern design and how it came about in the first place.

I will generate my own photography whilst also appropriating a lot of the imagery, running in theme with pastiche. I will create my zine using a multitude of methods mixing analogue techniques with digital approaches. I will also investigate typographic treatments. Ultimately I want to create a survival guide to dealing with the often confusing nature of postmodern art.

The COMMUNICATION: Postmodernism is all about vivid expressionism and emotional communication through design, going against everything the modernist built up and stood for. I need to communicate the fact that postmodernism is a departure from the modern, or in some cases an alteration and question of the modern. This is what I aim to communicate.