Research & analysis
Some thoughts on the lectures: Simon Manchipp said his clients are changing his mindset, and considering the projects he mentioned, billion dollar project in Mumbai, worlds leading law firm, top healthcare brand etc. I understand that changes a persons mindset. I can’t bring myself to be impressed hearing about that sort of work despite their magnitude, mainly because it lies so far from who I am and what I want this world to be. Healthcare BRAND. Why are there even brands in healthcare. I know why, I am just conflicted. I also have a hard time understanding the lack of questioning existing norms and structures, but acknowledging them and working within them, despite sometimes even being able to define them as harmful? Not having a choice and doing things for survival is one thing, but that is not what I am talking about here. For example, a less capitalistic driven discussion but on the same path was when Adrian Talbot said: “I think we spend, you know, as middle-aged men who are full of cynicism, we spend most of the time sitting over there opposite each other complaining about everything, the world around us, our clients, our work, our daily routine but I think, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it as a way of making a living. I’d recommend it to others” Recommend it to others? Sounds like a very unhealthy working situation, why would someone who has the power to change, spend years sitting like that, driven by cynism and complaint. I am obviously exaggerating, but take the time complaining and use to do something for someone else? This week I am definitely more aligned with Sam Winston as he said “I don’t think I could ever leave the cultural sector and if someone said you have to, then I would probably go and be a hermit and live in the woods and just watch trees grow. It would be great.” That is actually what I did? And it is great.
I try really hard to navigate through my existing skills, and what I want to gain in relation to that. I know that for the main vein in my work I want to combine history+theories in anthropology. Those are my main areas of interest and with graphic design they can be quite forceful. I just have to find a way to implement that in my visualizations with stringency. All the best of luck to me with that.
Skills
- Creating connections
I think this is one of my primary skills? They can definitely be of varying quality but I think my frame of reference is quite big and I spend a lot of time expanding it. - Exploring graphic design discourse via social anthropology theories, design discourse, history etc
This is part of expanding my connections, but also deepen them. As I try to find a more meaningful approach to design the path I have laid out for me is involving these dimensions. - Conceptualise
I want to think this is a skill, or it used to be when I was still working at a studio. Giving things context and creating scalable concepts. - Searching with an open-mind
My favorite skill, as this actually involves a lot of joyful activities. This is basically about finding inspiration, but not just visual ones. For ideas, concepts, an approach, a limitation etc. - Practical: basic composition and typography
Useful skills that I rely a lot on are the basic knowledge of composition and typography. I can work with a paragraph and arrange it. Most of the times.
Skills/ways of working/thinking/area of knowledge wish to develop
- Paleography for full typographic timeline
I want to extend my timeline for typography further. Handwriting is the obvious way to go. Having read some on handwriting and its historical context has provided me with much insight on typography today. - Stronger personal visual expression
I feel like I don’t have an identity as a graphic designer. I want to find a visual direction from my more theoretical foundation. - Writing on graphic design/typography
I want to write on graphic design and typography, a dream would be to write with a historical perspective including theories on social anthropology. But I also feel extremely embarrassed about this dream, since it requires a lot of knowledge, good writing skills etc. A lot of things I simply don’t possess. Whenever I verbalize this desire I feel like such a looser and am embarrassed that anyone will think that I think I am actually good at this? I don’t, it is just something I dream of. - Understanding and contributing to contemporary and future graphic design discourse
I guess this is correlating to the above. Through exploring I hope I will one day also be able to contribute to the discourse on graphic design. - Explorative and more modern typography and composition
I wish I could evolve my practical work.
Design development
Took a moment to review some approaches on the ideas wall and Shiina as well as Abbis sketches got me thinking about old images of the moons phases.
Finishing that first computer sketch left me feeling unsatisfied. I did not think it was that good to be honest. So I went back to look for inspiration and thought perhaps working with a dark mode could help the expression. Found this lovely book cover that is a Vietnamese translation of Daniel Boorstin’s “The Discoverers”.
I took the design I had done and converted into this expression, turned out better than before, but definitely one of my weaker outcomes so far.
Final outcome
Reflections
When I first reflected on this week I thought about the German Netflix-series: “Dark” when they say “Der anfang ist das Ende, und das Ende ist der Anfang.” Everything inflicts on everything in the process, even if I don not hold all of these knowledges represented in this image (yet), they still inflict on how I approach my work. So my possible future affects the choices I make now. Wanting to understand and contribute to discourse for example, drives me to learn more, read and discuss areas where I don’t have solid ground, but with the ambition to build exactly that.
The final visualization of the process could have been developed with more detail, as well in the response on the feedback, both Wes and Keith were leaning towards considering different materials. I agree, if this was to be produced it would be nice to investigating the different material possibilities. What if it could be enhanced by light, underlining the idea of it. Or working with tactile aspects, carving out the dark sides of the moons. Or, this is a problem translating for me, but I think it is similar to Keiths suggestion. Embossing?
My outcome differed a bit from the rest of the class, in what kind of skills I have/want to evolve, which, again, made me uncertain of my interpretation of the challenge. This course has made me question a lot on who I am as a graphic designer, but also who I can become? I often feel it is too late for me and that I should just resort to my below mediocre and stop thinking I have anything to contribute with at all. At the same time. Seeing for example Dori Tunstall (below) ignites a spark in me, Design anthropologist? Could that be me?
Calindy posted an interesting comment from the group crit that I wanted to know more about. Someone had raised the question on her work/project being culturally appropriating. I have no idea about that, since I have not seen her work/project so the following reflection is not on Calindy’s work, but rather on cultural appropriation in general and me trying to find some ground on that subject. I saw an opportunity for discussion and growth as this is something I find very hard navigating. I am myself recklessly deconstructing Catholic bibles, but would never dare to touch material from a cultural minority for example. I don’t feel like my own background and analysis entitle me to do that. I was looking for some input from other perspectives and thought Keith gave some really good thoughts on the matter. He even recommended a book I immediately tried to find and buy but with no luck.
I shared a video from a speech by Dr. Elizabeth “Dori” Tunstall who is an incredibly valuable person for this discourse. In this part where this film starts she discuss some of the problematic aspects of appropriation. For example using sacred design and symbols in other contexts. She also problematizes it further with saying “In the way it continues in some ways to treat indigenous people as if they have been successfully exterminated”. This is part of our responsibility as graphic designers, to make sure what we communicate is not harmful. These discussions can be a good start for us as a group to establish how to act within this framework.