History 2013: Semester 1 Summaries : Chapters 23 and 24.

Chapter 23: Postmodern Design:

Intro:

·         1970’s: many believed modern era was drawing to a close, in art, design, politics + literature.

·         Cultural norms of Western society were scrutinized + authority of traditional institutions were questioned.

·         Pluralism emerged. People began to dispute underlying tenets, modernism.

·         Continuing quest, equality by women + minorities contributed to growing climate of cultural diversity, immigration, international travel + global communications.

·         Accepted viewpoints challenged by those who sought remedy bias
+ distortion in historical record.

·         Social, economic + environmental awareness or period caused many to believe modern aesthetic was no longer relevant in emerging post industrial society.

·         People in many fields embraced term POSTMODERNISM to express: A CLIMATE OF CULTURAL CHANGE.

·         Included: architects, economists, feminists, theologians.

·         Maddeningly vague + overused, postmodernism became byword, last quarter of 20^th century.

·         In design- postmodernism designated work of architects + designers, broke with international style so prevalent, since Bauhaus.

·         Postmodernism sent shock waves through design establishment. Challenged ORDER + CLARITY of modern design, particularly CORPORATE DESIGN.

·         Some observers reject term “postmodern” arguing = merely continuation off modern movement.

·         Late modernism + mannerism= alternate terms, late 20^th century design.

·         Design forms + terminology have political + social meaning, expressing attitudes + values of their time.

·         Postmodernism gained strong foothold among generation of designers.1970’s.

·         International style = so thoroughly refined, explored + accepted that backlash was inevitable.

·         Historical references: Decoration + vernacular were disdained by modernists. Postmodern designers drew upon these resources, expand range, design possibilities.

·         Late 1960’s: social activism, gave way, more self-absorbed, personal involvement: 1970’s.

·         Media pundits, “ME GENERTAION”. =Spirit of decade.

·         Intuitive +playful aspects, postmodern design reflect personal involvement.

·         Postmodern designers place form in space because “it feels right rather than to fulfill rational communicative need”.

·         Radically different as psychedelic poster + visual identity manually might be, both = COPORATE DESIGN, for/relating to unified body people with common values.

·         POSTMODERNIST DESIGN:

Often subjective

Even eccentric

Designer becomes artist performing before audience with bravura of street musician + audience either responds / passes on.

·         Postmodernism = UMBRELLA TERM= doesn’t tell whole story because while architecture may fit neatly into historical categories. VICTORIAN, ART NOUVEAU, MODERN + POSTMODERN. Graphic design = far too pluralistic + diverse to fit such simplistic system.

·         3 examples of graphic design expressions having  no parallel in Architecture:

WW1 posters

Work of Push pin group +

Psychedelic poster.

·         Graphic design rapidly changing + ephemeral. was never dominated by International Style, the way Architecture was.

 

 

Precursors to Postmodern Design:

·         1960’s supermannerism + supergraphics -

Early Swiss Postmodern Design:

New-Wave Typography:

The Memphis and San Francisco Schools:

Retro and Vernacular Design:

Chapter 24: The Digital Revolution And Beyond:

Intro:

·         Last quarter, 20^th century- electronic + computer technology advanced at extraordinary pace, transforming many areas of human activity.

·         Digital computer hardware + software + explosive growth of internet. Graphic design was changed irrevocably by this.

·          Industrial Revolution fragmented process of creating + printing graphic communications into series of specialized steps.

·         Phototype became prevalent - 1960’s.

·         Skilled specialists: Graphic designers= created page layouts.

Typesetters= operated text + display typesetting equipment.

Production artists= pasted all elements into position on boards.

Camera operators= made photographic negatives of paste-ups, art + photographs.

Strippers= assembled negatives together.

Platemakers= prepared printing plates

Press operators= ran printing presses.

·         1990’s – digital technology enabled 1 person operating desktop computer to control most / even all functions.

·         New photo optical printing machines used controlled lasers to photosensitize printing drums, making short-run + even individualized full-color press sheets possible.

·         Computer users were empowered, greater control over design + production process.

·         Digital technology + advanced software expanded creative potential of graphic design, possible an unprecedented manipulation of color, form, space and imagery.

·         Growth of cable + satellite expanded broadcast channels, inspired creative + technical advances in broadcast + motion graphics + paved way for consumers to embrace power + flexibility of Internet + World Wide Web. = 1990’s.

·         This transformed way people communicate + access info.

·         Generated revolution surpassing even Gutenberg.

·         Early 21^st century : people were dependent on internet for access to info + entertainment. Affected all aspects of society + culture.

·         Computer graphics experimentation churned through modern and post-modern design ideas, retro revivals, eccentric work + explored electronic techniques to create pluralism + diversity in design.

Other important apsects:

The Origins of Computer-Aided Graphic Design.

Pioneers of Digital Graphic Design.

Revitalizing Magazine Design.

The Digital Type Foundry.

Digital Imaging.

Interactive Media, The Internet and The World Wide Web.

The Conceptual Poster.

The Conceptual Book Cover.

A Voice from Africa.

A New Generation of Film Titles.

The Digital Vanguard.

Recent British Graphic Design.

New Typographic Expression.

A Mexican Vanguard.