Menu Mode of Criticim ([Link]
org/)
Critical Graphic Deign: Critical of What?
Francico Laranjo ([Link]
criticim/) — Article ([Link]
2014
Critical graphic deign i a vague and ujective term. The meaning of the word
“critical” in relation to graphic deign remain unclear, reulting in an overue and
miue in deign magazine, ook and weite. The term wa popularized the
much-cited traveling exhiition Form of Inquir: The Architecture of Critical Graphic
Deign ([Link]
tudio Metahaven ([Link]
criteria ued the Form of Inquir curator to upport the term, and deigner’
truggle to match the amition of their political, ocial and cultural reearch with
it viual output, indicate a continuing need for critical dicuion of critical
graphic deign.
In recent ear, however, there ha een dienchantment and even kepticim
toward graphic deign work that i laeled a critical. If we look for critical graphic
deign online, the firt earch reult i an open-umiion Critical Graphic Deign
tumlr ([Link]
humorou repone to deign work, deigner, pulication and intitution
generall aociated with the term. Here, we can liten to the deigner Michael
Owell’ atirical electro track, “The Critical Graphic Deign ong
(http://[Link]/owellm/the-critical-graphic-deign),” aurdl repeating
the name of deigner Zak Ke ([Link]
Inquir) and Radim Peško ([Link]
often ue in hi work. Alo mentioned i the popular log Mantuff
([Link]
a critical, though it pre-releae tle of preentation i inherentl celerator
and uncritical. The tendenc to gather and repeat familiar name hape an
echoing elf referential canon that i a tomaticall elf alidated
echoing, elf-referential canon that i automaticall elf-validated.
Menu Mode of Criticim ([Link]
An updated pot-financial crii cover
([Link]
haughne’ ook How To e a Graphic Deigner Without Loing Your oul ugget
that criticalit i a luxur in the current condition under which graphic deign i
produced. Other work include parod photo of Metahaven’ three-dimenional
repreentation of ealand, ([Link]
the viual tle of ome of the mot celerated critical deigner and academic
intitution — Yale ([Link]
reference eem to have three different goal: (1) to provoke the “critical graphic
deign” clique exemplified the participant in Form of Inquir and the recent
exhiition All Poile Future ([Link]
diappointment toward traditional forum for pulic deate and legitimation:
ea, lecture erie, pulication and academia; and (3) to challenge the hallow
and predictale tlitic approache ued deigner to addre critical iue. A
the nonenical critique, literal illutration and animated GIF appear on the
creen, the raie ome pertinent quetion aout critical graphic deign: What
doe thi poter or image add to the iue at take? Where i the critique? How
doe it contriute to written mode of reearch? What are the criteria and who
make thee deciion?
Thi i not revealed on the Critical Graphic Deign tumlr, nor doe there eem to e
an intention with mot of thee repone to contruct a coherent argument.
Depite their popularit online, thee critique of criticalit alo remain largel
unquetioned. Are thee hack reall contriuting to a etter undertanding and
quetioning of thee undeated trend? Or are the merel tickling the clique the
intend to provoke? Are LOLz enough? Can joke ring down (uppoedl) critical
deign project? Mot of the umiion online reveal an ironic upicion toward
critical deign and thi attitude will preumal e reflected in the critic’ own
practice, a the tr to avoid doing what the criticize. A clarification of what i
meant “critical” ma provide ome anwer.
In the ook The Reader ([Link]
pre.com/[Link]%3FpageId%3D1261%26ookId%3D156%26l%3Den) (2009), the
deign reearcher Ramia Mazé ([Link]
poile form of criticalit in deign. The firt ha to do with a critical attitude
toward a deigner’ own practice. The deigner make an effort to e elf-aware or
reflexive aout what he or he doe and wh. Mazé argue that thi can e
undertood a a kind of internal quetioning and a wa of deigner poitioning
themelve within their practice. The econd form i the “uilding of a meta-level or
diciplinar dicoure.” Thi involve what Mazé call, “criticalit within a
communit of practice or dicipline,” and tring to challenge or change tradition
and paradigm. Deigner are critical of their dicipline while activel and
concioul working toward it expanion and evolution. In the third kind of
criticalit, deigner addre preing iue in ociet. The critique i not targeted
at a deigner’ own dicipline, practice or even at deign in general, ut at ocial
and political phenomena. In practice, the three mode of criticalit often overlap,
interect and influence each other.
Mazé’ categorization i not new. A direct connection can e made with the Dutch
deigner Jan van Toorn’ view on deign pedagog. A a deign educator, Van Toorn
tried to raie awarene of the tenion etween private and pulic interet. In
Uer-centred Graphic Deign (1997), he argue that the “tudent mut learn to make
choice and to act without attempting to avoid the tenion etween individual
freedom diciplinar dicoure and pulic interet ” Thi aertion of the peronal
freedom, diciplinar dicoure and pulic interet. Thi aertion of the peronal,
Menu diciplinar and pulic level that a deigner hould alwa conider anticipate
Mode of Criticim ([Link]
Mazé’ three form of criticalit.
Two influential uropean deign chool focu on the development of critical deign
practice. The Werkplaat Tpographie ([Link]
founded in 1998 the Dutch deigner Karel Marten and Wigger ierma, ae it
educational model on a modernit form of reflexive practice, following the idea of
the “workhop” developed the nglih tpographer Anthon Frohaug and
deigner Norman Potter. The WT normall concentrate on tpograph a a point of
departure in aignment et either the chool, external client, or the tudent;
thee uuall take the form of pulication. The WT’ tpe of criticalit fall
etween the firt and econd definition put forward Mazé.
The other Dutch deign chool with a trong critical orientation i the anderg
Intitute ([Link]
the third tpe of criticalit. It deign department preent itelf a a “Think Tank
for Viual trategie,” with tudent eeking critical reflection and engagement
through work that explore deign’ role and potential in relation to pulic and
political iue and pulic dicoure. ome example of thi are Femke Herregraven’
Taxodu, ([Link]
([Link]
Traged, ([Link]
Moon ([Link]
Niquille’ Realface Glamouflage. ([Link]
Depite the rejection of the lael “critical graphic deign,” mot notal the
deigner tuart aile (in Dot Dot Dot ([Link]
id=65) no. 20 ([Link]
Goggin ([Link]
i till relevant. It emerged at a time when the dicipline wa in a generall
uncritical tate, providing a necear ditinction from routine practice and
awarding a kind of merit adge to deigner or tudio who deviated from the
norm. For deigner who corn the lael, criticalit in it man form i intrinic to
graphic deign and therefore a pecial term i unnecear and redundant.
The term alo highlight an important tranition in graphic deign practice and
education: from the deigner a author to the deigner a reearcher. Thi i not
onl a conequence of the maturation of the dicipline, eeking legitimac to e
ued a an invetigative tool, ut alo the reult of an increaed importance of the
ocial cience, humanitie and their multiple reearch method eing applied,
changed and appropriated deign education and deigner. On the one hand,
graphic deign aim to ue it own procee and production method to contriute
new knowledge to the area it work in. On the other, the aorption of ethnograph
and data collection method how an increaing reliance on other dicipline’
methodologie. The widepread preence of “deign reearch” in deign’ lexicon i a
ign of thee development, depite recurrent confuion a to what contitute
reearch in graphic deign.
In the age of ehance ([Link]
and appreciation, when one of the mot ued word in the ite’ feedack circle i
“aweome” and like and follower are eail ought,
([Link]
reexamine it apparentl incurale allerg to criticim. Within interaction deign,
peculative and critical deign i now eing openl quetioned and the critical
deign project’ political accountailit and relevance to ociet deated
deign project political accountailit and relevance to ociet deated
([Link]
Menu Mode of Criticim ([Link]
michiko-nitta/).
A a term, critical graphic deign will proal e replaced in the permanent ruh to
coin the next oundite ([Link]
a-failed-experiment-o-what-next). Criticalit in graphic deign will urel
continue to e a topic for dicuion, ut a deign work i not intantl critical jut
ecaue of the intention of the deigner, or the preing iue eing reearched. A
talk, ong, carf, flag, we meme, weite, intallation or pulication ma all e
valid wa to poe a critique. However, it’ time to pulicl dicu the mean,
effect and epeciall the qualit of the critical deign project, not jut to
celerate and retweet them. If that doen’t happen, critical graphic deign run the
rik of not eing a utantial and meaningful a it could e. Or wore, it will
ecome irrelevant to ociet. For a dicipline that aim to contriute to pulic
deate — let alone ocial and political change — that would e a diatroul
wated opportunit.
Tag: Critical graphic deign ([Link]
deign/), Criticalit ([Link]
([Link]
([Link]
([Link]
([Link]
([Link]
([Link]
Related:
2 Comment
Pingack: O deign como profião. O deigner como indivíduo (e maa) | Álvaro
Traanco (http://tra[Link].com/2015/10/06/firt-log-pot/)
Pingack: l dieño como tarea función ocial colectiva frente al individualimo |
Álvaro Traanco (http://tra[Link].com/2015/10/12/el-dieno-como-tarea-
-funcion-ocial-colectiva-frente-al-individualimo/)
Click to Comment