Christopher Haines

Another graphic designer who i have recently been interested in is a young Australian named Christopher Haines, i came across his work on the internet and was taken by his mastery of digital design and ability to create completely surreal yet lifelike illustrations using a range of graphic techniques including photo montage/manipulation and 3D design. His self proclaimed ‘melting pot’(1) of a style is effective in engaging, most of his work depicts human form made up of different components, for example the portrait of Thom York(2) that consists of many small colourful abstract shapes created digitally; the face is instantly recognisable and remarkably lifelike which makes for an aesthetically pleasing, innovative outcome and i think that this piece embodies his technique and talent for original solutions. I personally enjoy using Adobe Photoshop and similar programs when designing as I have used it for a few years and feel comfortable with the tools and techniques, so it is intriguing to see the ways in which Haines uses digital software and photo manipulation to get the effects that he does and this pushes me to find new methods and original styles.

(1) Canabarro, Paulo, (14/7/09) http://abduzeedo.com/christopher-haines-interview Paragraph 5

(2) Photo: (1)

Emerica: Stay Gold

A highly anticipated and critically acclaimed product of the skate shoe company Emerica, ‘Stay Gold’ is a skate video that incorporated creative and innovative movie making with artistic direction and crisp skateboarding footage, it was released in 2010 and follows the basic guidelines of a skate company promo video, divided into sections dedicated to the individual team riders. The running style and theme through the video is shaky interludes and bridges, with scribbled hand written typography for the titles and a green tint to the actual footage, using mainly gold, green and similar shades. It is a free flowing piece of film and is easy on the eye, the individual clips are woven together with a soundtrack that accompanies the immersive feel(1) of the video, the use of footage of road trips, travelling and various lifestyle shots give character and represent the journey of the team through the filming process and give an insight into what the skaters personalities are like and what they actually do while skating. I would say that this is my favourite skate film that i have seen, as you get a real feel of the actual touring and what goes on behind the scenes, along with the attractive filming locations and free flowing style of the cinematography makes it easier watching than many other skate films.

(1) 'Chris' Unknmown Date http://www.trashfilter.com/emerica-stay-gold-dvd-review Paragraph 4

Drive

I recently watched the 2011 Nicholas Winding Refn directed  film 'Drive' again after originally seeing it when it was first released, the crime drama is an outstanding watch due its cinematography and style, the slow moving nature of the story crossed with the pastel colour visuals create a throwback feel to the film and it has drawn many comparisons to 80s pulp classics. There is an eerie mystery behind the main character played by Ryan Gosling, who is never actually called by name and keeps a calm cool with a tooth pick in his mouth almost for the entire duration, the themes of the film; cars, love interest and crime are typical of the genre and the way in which these topics intertwine while the visuals hold a calm stillness gives a certain surreal feel. As the sometimes shocking events of the movie unfold the backdrop of smooth 80s inspired soundtrack adds to the intensity, even during some of the longer drawn out uneventful sequences there is a tension and excitement as some of the acts of violence are unexpected and vividly brutal in contrast with the soft nature of the exchanges between the driver and his neighbor who he develops feelings.

Bob Gill

I have had the book ‘Bob Gill, so far’ for the duration of the year, it contains the extensive work to date of well known American designer Bob Gill, his conceptual design is eye catching and inventive, he uses a range of different graphic techniques to put his point across and is often clever with comical or satirical value and puts across a lot of character in his illustrations. The book is designed solely to display his work and this is consistent with its composition, showing his designs in the middle each blank page with a brief description underneath, reflecting his to the point style and his ‘deceptively simple approach to creative thinking’(1). Gill blends illustration, typography and digital image to produce his graphic outcome and this adds depth and diversity, he is also witty and intelligent so in some of his work the main objective is humour. His children’s books are timeless as his distinctive illustration style anchors the youthful feel which is crucial to its success, the contents of the book are well structured as the works are grouped in different styles and types of brief, the flow of the book demonstrates Gill’s comfort in adapting to different projects and choosing the most effective methods.

Gill, Bob, 2011, 'Bob Gill, so far' London

(1) Lucas, Gavin (5/4/13) http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2013/april/bob-gill-a-life-less-ordinary Paragraph 8

Edgar Mueller

I recently came across the works of a German artist by the name of Edgar Mueller, he creates large scale street art that depicts all sorts of surreal scenes and are brought to life when viewed from a certain perspective, the illusion art that he makes is colourful, exciting and a spectacle to look at because as is the attention to detail in his illustrations the landscapes look completely authentic. Muellers technique and ability to turn a regular ground surface into a vivid fictional scene is something that is exciting to see, it is a completely different kind of design when out for the general public to see and the appeal of his work is enough to draw spectators from far around. I am personally a big fan of his working after discovering it and think that the ability to make the spectator see something that is 2D in a completely different way and using original techniques and experimental methods. 

Irma Boom

Irma boom is a Dutch graphic designer who’s forte is book production, she is widely credited with making some of the most beautiful books of modern time, her eye for visually engaging and remarkable composition means that ‘Reading one of her books is like embarking on a visual adventure’ and the book becomes a piece of timeless art in itself. She devoted 5 years work to the creation of a book celebrating the Dutch conglomerate(1) SHV’s 10 year anniversary, it contained 2,136 page, doesn't contain page numbers or an index and is all full bleed and full colour, having managed to view a good amount of the pages it is intriguing to see how she handled the design of such a task, every single page is completely different which adds endless engagement and each composition works perfectly in its own way. Irma Boom is an important designer to me as she showed me the possibility of turning regular graphic outcomes into actual attractive pieces of visual design and to consider every aspect of the actual output when designing and i can learn a lot from her compositions and techniques as she creates perfectly balanced spreads.

(1) Design Museum, Unknown Date http://designmuseum.org/design/irma-boom Paragraph 5

Photo: SHV book

Jonathan Ive

Sir Jonathan Ive has rightly been acclaimed as one of the most influential people in the world due to the fact that he is senior president of industrial design at Apple Inc, one of the biggest companies in the world. Apple is known for its sleek, suave and crisp design for its products to keep up with the surging technology that their devices increasingly hold and Ive has been a mastermind behind the success of the company, his design of the Ipod was a revolutionary step in design and technology and I think that he definitely took inspiration for the design from modernist styles and design approaches. The style that he has sustained through the Apple catalogue is of a sharp, simple aesthetic using a blend of shiny metal finish and matte along with white and grey; this has become distinguishable as the companies house style and is commercially successful due to the plain nature of the design and simplicity that gives the products the Apple feel, in a way he managed to capture the essence of the whole company and channel it into the look of the product, which is exactly what was needed.  

Bono, (18/4/13) http://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/jonathan-ive/

Banksy

Banksy has been a myth in England since his emergence after the turn of the millennium, his pieces started to appear on walls around England, mostly satirical prods at popular culture or government actions, the style of graffiti stencil reflecting the rebellious nature of the actual art. His stencil design technique had become distinctive and instantly recognisable, his designs are mostly black and white with touches of colour that add effect where necessary, for example the red in the piece with the girl and the heart shaped balloon ads a sense of human feel. He has also created a swirling growth of debate and speculation, as he has never actually revealed his true identity and he works under the cover of night and with no trace, this adds to the enigma and rebellious activist nature of his work which creates a depth to his legacy that makes his art a special breed, as young people who may share the same political outlook as Banksy who are presumably his demographic, are engaged and support his art. My favorite piece of his was the one depicting a small child sat at a machine making British flag bunting that is hung up on the wall, the blend of stencil art and the actual flags make the piece seem eerily real and the message is direct and put across in a beautifully simple way.

Ellsworth-Jones, Will, (Feb 2013) http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/The-Story-Behind-Banksy-187953941.html

Author Unknown, Date Unknown http://banksygogo.jimdo.com/the-short-story-of-banksy/ 

Photo: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/banksy-has-new-child-sweatshop-worker-834265

Josef Muller Brockmann

Josef Muller Brockmann was a key figure and pioneer in the emergence of Swiss design style in the mid 19^th century and a personal favourite designer of mine, his style embodies everything that i find crucial to successful design; shape, type, line and negative space. His style and approach was a catalyst for much of design today, incorporating constructivism, Bauhaus, De Stijl and suprematism(1) into his work and creating a blend of these original styles to produce simple, visually engaging design. He published many works relating to design including ‘Grid systems in graphic design’ in 1962, which questioned the conventional page layout at the time and instead imposed that grid structures be the guideline for graphics, this is to this day a very important book as the grid is a staple of art and design today. A piece of his work that is interesting to me is one of his commissions for Zurich town hall, this design displays the style that Muller Brockmann pioneered, the simple, clean typography and subtle use of colour make the poster aesthetically pleasing while wholly efficient.

(1) William Purcell, Kelly, Date Unknown http://www.designishistory.com/1940/joseph-mueller-brockmann/

Photo: (1)

Identity

The subject of identity is often the cause of a lot of controversy and debate inside the art and design world, mostly owing the freedom to express views and opinions, the fact that a designer could within reason depict whoever however they want to and in many cases influence public culture with their connotations. The lines between what is acceptable regarding representation of identity in design have often been blurred and bent as the times change and social norms come and go, a subject that has seen a big change through time is gender, with modern times our perception of women in society has changed so therefore so has their presence and representation. As women gained rights during the 19^th century, the art and design world which ‘is a victim of institutional sexism’(1) had to change its approach to female representation and incorporation as the persistent use of males to display dominance and power in design was increasingly questioned and rejected in favour of a more equal representation.

(1) Unknown Author, Unknown date http://plaza.ufl.edu/erinconnelly/erinconnelly/AL%2052.html

Modernism

The period of modernism in art and design came from the focus more on breaking down the bare essentials of what makes things aesthetically pleasing and using these as the main focus. One of my personal favourite artists was Piet Mondrian who was among the founding figures of the De Stijl movement in the early 19^th century who created work that used only vertical and horizontal line, and primary colour which they stated expressed ultimate simplicity and abstraction. The Bauhaus school of art in Germany during the modernist period and was a crucial factor in how art is taught in the modern world, enlisting a range of designers and artists that were successful and relevant at the time the school created a program of education that many art courses today still loosely follow and pushed the simplistic way of thinking that embodied the modernist style. Modernism is present in all aspects of visual arts today from architecture and film to graphic design and fine art, the styles core elements are what make this visually attractive in the first place so it is always guaranteed to produce successful design.

'Ms Troung' (6/11/11) http://www.artsmia.org/modernism/nintro.html

Piet mondrian's work: (photo: http://mstruongartclass.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/pietmondrian/)

Semiotics

The use of semiotics is a crucial part of graphic design, essentially every piece of design has an intended purpose and therefore will have certain aspects that put whatever the point is across using the language of signs and signifiers, even in the subtlest ways. Roland Barthes was a pioneer in semiotics and devised many theories that form the base for our understanding of signs and signifiers as a means of language, stating that objects can have connotations as well as denotations, highlighting the concept of the use of visuals for more than one meaning and this in itself is a huge part of design on the whole. For example if a promotion for a bottled water company uses imagery of a spring, then the denotation is the obvious use of water, and the subsequent connotations of this image are the fact that spring water is known to be naturally clean and pure, so this represents the content of the water company, this technique can be interpreted into many different styles of design, from the use of colour to express feeling to using language to incur meaning. As a designer I find playing around with different possible interpretations of my work as essentially the way in which it is received is the crucial part of designs being, and finding different techniques and methods of inducing connotation is an integral part of every design process.