OUGD601 - Updated Essay Plan

Chapter 1 – Assessing the Structures of Modernism in Graphic Design

• Introduce the Arrival of Modernism & Postmodernism in Visual Communication
• Evaluate key areas:
• Devices & Visual language – the grid, white space, flat planes, minimal abstraction, geometric forms, universal typefaces, universal signs and formats
• Role of the designer – the hand of the designer should not been seen and the voice not heard in the work – to communicate information clearly, for the form to follow function and the message to be delivered as effortlessly as possible
• Social function – to offer a universal solution to society through functional design
• Authorship – this was a foreign concept to modernist graphic designers
• Context of the work – early part of the 20^th century, visions of abandoning ornamentation and decoration which were popular throughout the 19^th century, new emerging technologies and industrialised communities became the motivation behind the aesthetic and ideologies
• Influence of technology – development of photography had a massive impact
• The success and the downfall – became hugely popular in Europe very quickly, spread to USA – downfall came after the 50’s and 60’s when the world became obsessed with consumer and popular culture, something the modernists fought against – this gave way to postmodern critique of imposing modernist structures

• View it as a critical devise as opposed to a stylistic movement
•  Explore why it became so popular on an international scale
• The presence of a universal language seemed appropriate at the time
• Compare and contrast two different manifestations of modernism:
• DADA – an authentically avant-garde manifestation (a reaction to the absurdity of WW1)
• German & Swiss International Style (inspired by the machine, industrialisation and a utopian view for the future)
• Conclude: Is modernism a critical movement or a purely stylistic, aesthetic one?

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Chapter 2 – Examine Postmodernism in Relation to Graphic Design

• Introduce the arrival of Postmodernism: Key figures to compare and contrast – Derrida’s theory of Deconstruction with Foucault, Jameson’s theories on postmodernism with Baudrillard views on simulacra and simulation, Poyner & Lupton – critique their interpretations of the term and main ideas
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•  Key practitioners & institutions to discuss: Kathrine McCoy, Cranbrook, Emigre, David Carson, Neville Brody, Jonathan Barnbrook
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• Devices & Visual language – pastiche, parody, irony, duplication, abstraction, subversion, burrowing from the past, implosion of meaning, deconstructing values and ideals
• Social function – to expose the flaws in structuralist thought, there are no absolute truths,
• Role of the designer – to aggravate a reaction in the audience/consumer of the work, to communicate emotion in the visual elements rather than pure functionality
•  Social function – to reflect the world as it really is: chaotic, re-introduce ornamentation and decoration, to make the voice of the designer heard, self expression and playfulness 
• Authorship – the voice of the designer is at the forefront of the work, experimental work becomes popular, critical and speculative practice has its roots here
• Context of the work – the world is becoming increasingly interconnected, the mixing of codes becomes inevitable
• Influence of technology – the desktop computer spreads across the world, facilitating easy access to design tools to groups of people who perhaps didn’t have an existing background in design
• The success and the downfall – Swiss punks such as Wolfgang Weingart began experimenting in ‘postmodern’ ways as far back as the 60’s, but never envisioned the experimentation becoming a stylistic movement as it later became. The visual language and general style of authentically anarchist designers such as Jamie Reid and David Carson became styles adopted by large groups of makers internationally – this was perhaps the downfall, as the rebellion became com-modified – when a subculture becomes the mainstream, it becomes more or less redundant
• Conclude: Did postmodernism actually ever have an effect on GD? Or Is post-structuralist the more appropriate, effective term to use to describe this epoch?
• Conclude whether modernity was ever actually left behind? Did it ever really die out, or has everything since the arrival of ‘postmodernism’ been an extension of modernist ideology, a constant reassessment of it? To think about the future is to be modern and a lot of graphic design nowadays seems to think about the present and burrow from the past, which is essentially postmodern.

Chapter 3 – Analyse the Current State of Design Culture (Primary Research Discussion)

• Discuss the evolution of the ‘digital era’ (1984 to present) – evaluating its inappropriateness and inaccuracy as an all-encompassing term
• Discuss the prominence of critical modes of work in contemporary GD culture, originating in the 90's and gathering in pace currently
• Here, a discussion of key pieces of design work will take place, analysing their devices and background
• Analyse the term ‘contemporary’, and whether or not it is relevant to our current condition or even appropriate to label work as being contemporary?