• The use of hand made and ‘traditional’ process within digitally dominated design. Benjamin Rider I.T.C. Report Proposal
Rationale
I feel my future lies with a
successfull, unique and engaging integration between the ‘analogue’ and the digital. I want to explore and analyse successful, interesting uand nique approaches to design and image making. On a surface level; The appeal of hand-made process does have an eye catching aesthetic. The energy and individuality of the work is captured, and could be argued to give a greater sence of ‘worth’ with each piece being slightly different through the manual nature of its production. The One-off Uniqueness, of chance adds depth to the visual and is is an extra ‘layer’ to enhance the communication of the message. These views are reflected in ‘Wabi-Sabi’ views on creativity and objects in that which is used/hand crafted has more beauty than that which is perfect and/or manufactured. What makes me want to just go and make something are those that take a wellploughed process and do something new, exciting and experimental with it. I intend to investigate work that utilises this to understand how and why it can be successful approach to enhance communication, aesthetic and value to me and other image-makers and designers. This is of great personal interest to me and offers a really solid ground to build on my personal approach, awareness of wider practices and a greater practice of established “do’s and dont’s.”
Literature
review
Through the just basic interest
of this subject matter I can discuss far more about what I have seen that what I have read on this matter of contemporary designers and illustrators introducing an element of the hand made, and importantly, of being experimental. But there is still a lot out there to absorb. A good example is Anthony Burril’s ‘Oil & Water Don’t Mix’ screenprint. Conversely he had someone else screenprint it, but the process is there and the process is excellent.. actually going out and using oil ridden sand to act as ink and catalyst for the message really communicating and enhancing his intended message. Each image, although clean and solid, is still slightly rough, faded or imperfect, which adds an element of authenticity and uniqueness to each print. Klanten supports my view in the book “Impressive: letterpress, printmaking and design’ and feels there is a popularity in the design world engaging with old process in a contemporary approach and is a valid field to explore: “Working from and with their chosen medium’s given quirks and limitations , many make a beeline to the not-so-distant past...and translate the characteristics of limitations f letterpress, screen-printing, woodcuts, or linotype to the latest contemporary illustrations.” Either artist, designer or illustrator a unique approach to using process intrigues me. I want to focus this with an eye to integrate with digital process and software for a more
Action Plan.
I intend to gather, analyse and
categorise this area of design that I want to investigate. I will gather information on Designers, Illustrators and artists who
JULY - SEPTEMBER
Reading, gathering, collecting, discovering.
engage with process in a unique way, and those who utilise/combine this with a digital outcome.
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER Identifying, interviewing, analysing, experimenting.
I will analyse their process and, and based on what Is most successful, relevant and employable will use as a basis to conduct a series of my own design process experiments. I would have them reveiwed by my peers, the public, and industry figures I look up to in order to guage their relevance, aesthetic and potential employability. It is also of interest to me to reveiw and understand classic graphic design process, and digital image making tools, to better inform my descisions with analogue and combining them both effectively. I would intent to discuss my interest and its relevance with industry practitioners with a hand in analogue/printmaking/experimental. Particuly figures like Anthony Burrill and ‘Otto the illustrator’ who, I’m told, works with the earliest version of illustrator and a bank of photocopiers to create his work. -Brilliant.
OCTOBER - NOVEMBER experimenting, reviewing effectiveness of results.
DECEMBER Reveiw of work, First draft, Amendments.
JANUARY Final Outcome.
Action Plan.
Bibliography
Klanten, R. [2010] Impressive: Printmaking, Letterpress and Graphic Design. Berlin: Gestalten. Jury, D. [2006] Letterpress: New Applications for Traditional skills. Switzerland: RotoVision SA Harvey, W [2008] 1000 TYPE TREATMENTS. Rockport Publishing, Massachusetts, USA. Smith, K [2011] This Is Not A Book. Penguin Publishing, USA Smith, K [2007] Guerilla Art kit. Princeton Architectural Press. New York Shaughnessy,A [2009] Graphic Design; A User’s Manual. Laurence King, London Lupton, E [2008] Graphic Design The New Basics. Priceton Architectual Press, New York. http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/october/new-anthony-burrill-print-oil-water-dont-mix