Graphic Design Theory: Our Book
The third essay in Karen Armstrong’s Graphic Design Theory is El Lissitzky‘s Our Book. El Lissitzky was a Russian deeply invested in the Soviet cause. He served as an ambassador for the Russian avant-garde in Germany in the 20s, sending Constructivism’s geometric abstraction throughout Europe. In his essay he discusses book arts in depth and the dissolution of thought-communication forms.
Graphic Design Theory: Initial Manifestos
Karen Armstrong’s Graphic Design Theory starts off with an analysis of the Avant-Garde movements at the beginning of the twentieth century that set the course that graphic design would follow. The initial entries are manifestos that spoke to the changing influences in the modern world and redefined an artist’s place in it, Manifesto of Futurism by F.T. Marinetti (1909)¹ and Who We Are: Manifesto of the Constructivist Group by Aleksandr Rodchenko, Varvara Stepanova, & Aleksei Gan (1922)². They are both written in verse form, which is harder to understand than a regular prose essay in some ways while easier in others.
Graphic Design Theory: A Class of One
I love design. I also love history. Luckily there’s this thing called design history. Throughout the progression of design different theories have surfaced, sometimes reinforcing one another and sometimes in direct opposition to established ideas. It’s always good to review the different movements and ideas in a the field so I decided to through myself a refresher course. I will be reading a collection of essays in Helen Armstrong’s Graphic Design Theory. After reading each essay I will be posting my thoughts about it here on the blog. So stay tuned.
Convergence: Tools of Multimedia
Randall Packer and Ken Jordan’s volume of essays detailing the history of multimedia Multimedia: From Wagner to Virtual Reality draws a clear relationship between the development of technology and multimedia art/design. The pioneers in motion design and interactivity relied on advancing technology and were often involved in its development. This process continues today in the camera market.