Thoughts on Contemporary Graphic Design

Thoughts on

Contemporary Graphic Design

Rebecca Masiker

Thoughts on

Contemporary Graphic Design

Thank you to all those who made this project complete.

Your support is inspirational.

To my responders.

Thank you for answering the questionnaire. Without your communication and willingness to answer a student’s email, this book would not have been possible.

To Professor Dilworth.

Thank you for supporting this project from week one and critiquing my work the entire semester. Your continual reassurance and assessment of each part of my book left me with greater knowledge on book design.

To Professor Urban.

Thank you for being an educator that I can trust and talk to for advice, both in and outside of the classroom. You have left me with a stronger foundation in my life, both personal and professional.

To Professor Bernatz.

Thank you for your continual edits on my writing and support during my time at Fredonia. Your encouraging courses inspired my love for art history and writing.

Undoubtedly, this left a lasting mark on my artwork.

To my classmates.

Thank you for months of critique and support, and thank you to Alexander Glazier for helping me come up with questions.

To my fiancĂŠ, family, and friends.

Thank you for your continual support of my dreams, no matter how far they may reach. I appreciate and love you all more than you know.

Thoughts on Contemporary Graphic Design Responses were received from each individual either through email correspondence or Google Form submission Typefaces obtained through Adobe Typekit and Adobe Systems Edited and authored by Rebecca Masiker Designed by Rebecca Masiker

Š Rebecca Masiker 2016

Contents Introduction

8

Editor’s Response

10

Student Responses

18

Professional Responses

36

From 1907 through Present Day: How the International Typographic Style Reigns

64

Analysis

83

This project is a compilation of a semester’s worth of email correspondence, editing, designing, and critiquing.

The original goal was to create a publication that analyzed how student and industry designers evaluate themselves and their role in graphic design, which ended up to continuously morph in form and concept.

The book contains responses from myself and both groups, a reflection on the answers, and an analysis on contemporary design influences that I wrote in Spring ‘16 for Professor Bernatz’s course, Writing about Art.

Editor’s Response

Rebecca Masiker Resources

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

rebeccamasiker.com LinkedIn: Rebecca Masiker Facebook: becky.masiker Instagram: @rmasiker Twitter: @beckymasiker

The State University of New York at Jamestown Community College and the State University of New York at Fredonia transformed my approach to design.

Through several courses that highlight art historical theories and processes, to the focus on the design process itself, how I begin to where I finalize my product has tremendously changed from my beginning in high school.

Prior to my college career, I would jump into the sketching of my idea onto the canvas without taking into account the composition, any art historical influences, and lacked an actual process. I focused too much on technique and making my image look aesthetically pleasing, rather than the entirety of the piece.

My methodology grew through the several projects I did each year during my design education. I now focus more on the beginning stages, which then makes the implementation and revision stages much quicker.

My process is now based on research, sketch, implementation, revision, and communication with the client until the product is completed.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

My career has just begun. During my education, I have completed an internship at the Creative Design office at Fredonia, learned through an independent study at Antefact Graphic Design, was the assistant graphics editor for The Leader, and now currently the graphics editor for the same publication.

My practice has grown tremendously through these experiences. Currently, I am leading a team of staff illustrators each week, creating several graphics for The Leader, and working closely with the layout team in order to improve the publication to the best of our abilities. Without my education and prior positions, I’m not sure I could handle these duties!

How do you define a designer?

To be completely honest, I did not understand what art vs. design is.

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And I still don’t.

In my first art history class at JCC, my professor asked the question: what is art. Everyone had different responses: “It is something someone creates!”

Well, some didn’t create their found objects and put them on a pedestal. So that doesn’t count.

“Something someone produced!” What about ideas? Does art have to have a physical end product, or can it be just the idea?

To me, art and design are the same thing. Design is an art, just like sculpture, ceramics, painting, drawing, animation, illustration, etc. Artists design, and design is art.

For example, graphic designer’s use general artistic principles when creating designers: rhythm, balance, emphasis, etc. Designers also focus on the elements as well: line, space, form, etc. Fredonia has students take Foundations in Art courses prior to their concentration levels in order for students to learn the relationships between elements and principles prior to continuing on.

A graphic designer is an artist who both creates imagery and tackles visual problems, dissecting them until the task at hand is completed. During their investigation, they take into consideration different perspectives their image and text will be viewed.

Why are you a designer?

I enjoy my practice.

I did not choose this field to earn money in the arts.

I fully understand how competitive it is.

I enjoy working on a diverse team.

Art has been a major positive influence on my life, and I would like it to be for my client.

What is your inspiration?

To me, inspiration and encouragement go hand in hand. What keeps me going is what supports me. I am inspired by those who have made it out of tragic backgrounds and built their lives from the bottom up. I take into account my surroundings and attempt to find positivity. In the tragic world we live in, it is

important to find a glimpse of hope. Truly, hope is my inspiration.

However, I do have a more formal and traditional answer. My minor in art history has given a backbone to several of my projects. From Art Deco to the Vignelli’s Subway Map, I am interested in different ways designers attend to design “problems.”

I am driven by my ambition to not only problem solve, but to also find the roots of them buried beneath the surface. I do not believe graphic design is just a means to address the hierarchy of information, while that is still incredibly vital. Design changes the perspective and understanding of all subjects. Part of the designer’s role is to be aware of this and communicate with the brand, and even their audience, to know the entirety of the challenge.

Who do you surround yourself with?

People who both support and challenge my views.

What are your future plans?

Through education and experience, I strive to locate the key information within each design challenge to create a compelling visual statement. It is my ambition to continue building my portfolio and experience through graphic design positions, while referencing my passion for art history.

It is my hope to begin working at a marketing/ design firm that focuses on client-based projects.

My background has pushed me into the desire of helping others receive the best service, and it is my hope to continue always creating visual aid to others throughout my career.

I desire to eventually work up to being an art director for a similar company. I am interested in web-design and layout/catalogue.

Coming from a small town, I’m constantly asked what graphic design is, how I got into the major, and where I will find a future position. Growing up near a farm in the country, I was encouraged by my surroundings to appreciate and focus on the small details of life. This has resonated in me through my focus in the arts.

Starting at a very young age, I created illustrations of the outdoors, animals, people, and more. Fortunately, I always kept a pencil and paper on hand in case of inspiration.

Unfortunately for my teachers, this would include sketches in the margins of notes.

Cassadaga Valley Central School is where my interest in art blossomed. The art teacher and band director there had a greater influence on me than any other educator at the school. (Should I go into more depth as to how this happened?) They supported my decision to pursue an art career through understanding of my passion and ambition to succeed in the field. Half of my daily schedule included art and music classes for this reason.

It should be mentioned that graphic design was not the only field I explored.

I also considered art education, art therapy, and drawing and painting. After doing a great deal of research and seeking the advice of my art teacher, I set my heart on graphic design. I went as far as doing my eleventh grade career project on the topic to fully grasp what I was getting into.

I had no idea.

Although I was accepted into Fredonia while still a senior at Cassadaga, I chose to attend Jamestown Community College (JCC) for my freshman year before transferring for the remainder of my college career. I spent my freshman year at JCC to grasp the foundations in art and transition from high school to college education.

With the foundation courses under my belt, I thought I had a grasp on what graphic design was. However, it wasn’t until I entered the Visual Arts and New Media (VANM) Design Program at Fredonia that I really began to understand. At Fredonia, each of the graphic design courses I’ve taken have asked the same two questions: “What is graphic design?” and, “Why are you in this field?” To me, a graphic designer is an artist who both creates imagery and tackles visual problems, dissecting them until the task at hand is completed. During their investigation, multiple perspectives are taken into consideration based on how their imagery and typography will be viewed. Designers do not just solve the problem. They evaluate the entirety of the subject and analyze each component, discovering that there is not just one simple problem, but several elements to focus on.

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As to why I chose graphic design, I enjoy constantly learning and being challenged. I did not choose this field to “earn money in the arts,” as I fully understand how competitive it is. My passion includes working in design with a diverse team to create a cohesive end product. Art has been a positive influence in my life, and I would like it to be the same for my clientele.

The VANM education and faculty at Fredonia have pushed me beyond my perceived limitations. Now, as a senior graphic design BFA major at Fredonia, I better understand the design process and its meaning. I always ask questions, evaluate the subject thoroughly and go through the design process in its entirety.

There is no such thing as an average work day in this field. This year, I can usually be found in my cubicle at The Leader office using Adobe products to create advertisements for clients, spending the night creating designs for my Graphic Design V and Typography III courses, and even coding through my Web Programming I course to increase my skill set for when I graduate in May. The daily routine of a graphic designer isn’t stagnant. Our position and agenda encompass a broad range of tasks focusing on design creation and decisions. I enjoy the flexibility and different paths within this field.

I am confident, secure and happy with the degree choice I made. The idea that always pushed me when I doubted myself was the famous Confucius statement, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Whether it is designing for a client, working with a great team to explore new ideas or even reading an art historical analysis, I am where I’m supposed to be.

Designers do not just solve the problem. They evaluate the entirety of the subject and analyze each component, discovering that there is not just one simple problem, but several elements to focus on.

Current students at the State University of New York at Fredonia reflect on each presented question.

Student Responses

Marissa Doing Biography

My name is Marissa, and I was born on May 17th, 1995. I live in Sherburne, NY with my mom Terri, my dad Allan and my younger twin brother and sister Mitchell and Vanessa. We have a chihuahua named Hercules. I went to Sherburne-Earlville High School, and I am now attending Fredonia State as a BFA Graphic Design major.

I plan to get a minor in either Public Relations or Communications. My interests are art, music, sports, and I love chicken wings and America with a passion.

Biography supplied through email correspondence.

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

I think that my time here so far at Fredonia has been very beneficial to my design methodology. I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do in the Visual Arts and New Media program until I took Graphic Design I. I’m so glad I took that course because it helped lead me to where I would like to go in my future.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

I think that my design methodology and practice alphas grown tremendously since my first day of GD I, especially in Typography. I feel like my final products are not even comparable from the beginning to now.

I have learned so much about the Adobe programs, which I knew almost nothing coming into the program.

I feel more confident in my work and I’m excited about everything I do.

How do you define a designer?

I think a designer is someone who can take an idea and expand to it to help showcase it in either a better way or a different way to the viewer. I think they’re also someone who creates compositions that are nice on the eyes and simple to understand.

Why are you a designer?

I decided to become a designer because I love using all of the Adobe programs, and starting with just an idea and creating something beautiful in the end. I also really enjoy using the computer. I like to do other studio work as well, but I feel like my strongest work is done in Graphic Design.

What is your inspiration?

I believe I get my inspiration from things that are around me, whether it’s a person, song, poem, image, typography, colors. I don’t think there is one specific thing I could say is my inspiration because it varys with the project.

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Who do you surround yourself with?

I try to associate myself with other Graphic Designers because then we can feed off each other for ideas and we can help each other out when we’re stuck on something or maybe they knew something that you didn’t and you can learn something new.

What are your future plans?

I’m not exactly sure what direction I would like to go yet with my degree. But I would like to be apart of either a publishing company for book covers, or magazines. I would also like to be a part of advertising.

1. Marissa Doing, e-mail message to author, August 31, 2016.

John Weaver Biography

Senior BFA Graphic Design Major with interests in Illustration.

John Weaver (known to friends as Jack), aspires to be a graphic novelist after college. For the moment he is supplementing his design and drawing skills with several creative writing courses, which he believes will help aid him in developing the stories he wants to tell. A lover of movies big and small, Jack has been said to have a very cinematic way of creating compositions, and uses that to his advantage in his illustration work. He is currently working on combining his typographic work with his illustrative work, a feat new to him as an artist and designer.

Biography supplied through email correspondence.

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

Design education has improved the way that I problem solve. I’ve found that there are many different solutions to a single problem.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

My methodology and practice have grown, though I have a long way to go until I feel wonderful about anything I’ve created. That’s more of a discipline issue than anything.

How do you define a designer?

A designer is someone who solves problems. That’s the way I see it.

Why are you a designer?

I’m a designer because I like to help people.

What is your inspiration?

My inspiration is to create stories that change peoples lives and inspire people to live and read and write the stories that mean something to them.

Who do you surround yourself with?

I surround myself with people who are smarter than me, it helps me learn more, while still keeping things fun.

What are your future plans?

I’d love to be an illustrator or a screen play writer after college. Comic books are my thing.

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“Design education has improved the way that I problem solve. I’ve found that there are many different solutions to a single problem.”

- Jack Weaver

2. John Weaver, e-mail message to author, September 1, 2016.

James Scamacca Biography

Jimmy Scamacca is a Senior BFA Graphic Design major who is expected to graduate in May 2017. They enjoy solitary trips in nature, Chinese food, and doing splits.

Biography supplied through email correspondence.

Resources

How has your design education affected your design methodology? i think my design methodology is entirely about process. more specifically, the work lies within the research and sketching. Refinement and finalization are able to be completed with a thorough foundation of knowledge and visualization.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

I’m working on it lol How do you define a designer?

jcscamacca.tumblr.com https://www.instagram.com/jcscamacca/

someone who wants to see the world as a better place. someone who wants to make a contribution towards a positive society.

Why are you a designer? see the above answer What is your inspiration? other people who are passionate about knowlege and the pursuit of personal growth.

Who do you surround yourself with? other people who are passionate about knowlege and the pursuit of personal growth.

What are your future plans?

I want to be happy. I want others to be happy. I want to go to outer space.

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“someone who wants to see the world as a better place. someone who wants to make a contribution towards a positive society.�

- James Scamacca

3. James Scamacca, e-mail message to author, September 1, 2016.

Matthew Wierbinski Biography

My name is Matt Wierbinski. I am in my senior year of college studying Graphic Design at the State University of New York at Fredonia.

Syracuse, NY is my hometown.

Watching the Syracuse men’s basketball team play every season is one of the best times of the year.

I’m also a fan of the Chicago Bulls. One of my role models growing up was Michael Jordan because I admired how hard he played and his ability to learn each day. I try to incorporate those same qualities to the way I live my life.

Besides Graphic Design, I enjoy barbering. I look at it as a form of art; a variation of sculpture since I am “sculpting” the head to how the client wants it to look.

Barbering is something I want to improve my skills upon, and if a barber shop is looking for someone to hire...who knows, I might just take it.

Above all, I strive to continually improve on myself just a little more each and every day.

Whether that means to read a book, practice hand-lettering, pray, hit the gym, or help my mom, I have a desire to become all that I can. To quote Michael Jordan, “Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.”

Biography supplied through email correspondence.

Resources http://www.instagram.com/MattWierbinski

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How has your design education affected your design methodology?

I am much more knowledgable on different techniques and refinements of my design process.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

I do more research before I start a project than I ever have before. I have also gotten more comfortable with Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop.

How do you define a designer?

A designer is someone who makes things visually clear.

Why are you a designer?

I am a designer because I don’t think this world could operate correctly without all the clarity design brings forth.

What is your inspiration?

My inspirations include my classmates, Brendan Prince, simplicity, and clarity.

Who do you surround yourself with?

I surround myself with people who have strict work ethics.

What are your future plans?

I would like to be an employed graphic designer, creating material such as annual reports, logos, brochures, posters, advertisements, etc. I would also like to own my own design business one day.

“I am a designer because I don’t think this world could operate correctly without all the clarity design brings forth.�

- Matthew Wierbinski

4. Matthew Wierbinski, e-mail message to author, September 1, 2016.

Richard McKaba Biography

I am a BFA graphic design student and upcoming designer who is mainly focused on branding and advertising. I am originally from New City, NY in Rockland County. In my work, I go for bold and outspoken messages to attract the viewer, while leaving subtler gestures to keep the idea, project, or product in mind. I am inspired by the greats; Massimo Vignelli, Peter Berhens, Lucian Bernhard, and Paul Rand.

Biography supplied through email correspondence.

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

I feel that coming into Fredonia, I was much more in the mind set of whatever you can get done is good enough, and that it was not truly about good design but just design in its most raw form, whether good or bad.

But since coming to Fred, and really having an indepth experience and classes that cover what good and great design is and how it can change peoples view, ideas, and worlds; I feel that I have started to not allow myself to put out any work and to push myself to be a better designer to not only gain a job but to make the world around me a much better looking place.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

Resources

Well since my career has really just begun so, at this exact moment, I would prefer not to try and talk about growth that I feel has yet to start.

richardmckaba.com

How do you define a designer?

A designer is someone who can take the complexity and chaos of the world, and make something complete and clean visual representation. A designer is an artist who want to make other peoples lives better.

Why are you a designer?

When I was in high school, I was focused and working towards becoming a cartoon artist, and or an illustrator.

While on this track, I was introduced to very very basic and primal design through my high school’s design program. I feel that the combination of my vivid imagination and these clean and crisp visual forms was really when I turned my attention to design instead of illustration. So in a boiled down form, I became a designer because I wanted to give chaos order, and make order chaotic.

What is your inspiration?

I find my inspiration in the history of design, From William Morris to Aaron Draplin

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Who do you surround yourself with?

I prefer to be completely alone.

What are your future plans?

Try and make it as a designer.

5. Richard McKaba, e-mail message to author, September 1, 2016.

Elizabeth Levengood Biography

Graphic Design Major Art History Minor AIGA at Fredonia Social Chair

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

I think it has made my methodology more sophisticated. I have more opportunities in class to take a prompt and do whatever I want with it as opposed to diving head first into the professional design world.

Biography supplied through email correspondence.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

Resources

I feel like I put more work into my designs now because I know how bad they can look if I don’t spend the proper time perfecting everything.

elizabethlevengood.com

How do you define a designer?

Someone who puts thought into their design work and mean for the design to aesthetically be something more than just what the purpose of the design was in the first place.

Why are you a designer?

I make it my business to study design and spend time on my own design. I consider it an art form and a trade of sorts. I know more about design in general and how to create it from experience, which is different from putting together a design just because you need one.

What is your inspiration?

Being able to create designs I genuinely like and would want to keep for myself.

Who do you surround yourself with?

People who I can joke around with and share ideas with.

What are your future plans?

I don’t know yet. I do know I want to always be a part of a creative and supportive community.

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“I make it my business to study design and spend time on my own design. I consider it an art form and a trade of sorts. I know more about design in general and how to create it from experience, which is different from putting together a design just because you need one.�

- Elizabeth Levengood

6. Elizabeth Levengood, Google Form submission, September 22, 2016.

Katelyn Killoran Biography

Katelyn Killoran grew up in Syracuse, New York and is currently a student at Fredonia.

Katelyn plans to graduate in 2018, and pursue a career in graphic design. Along with design her interests include drawing, painting, cooking, and running.

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

It has made me much more aware of the different types of design that are out there, and that the line between good and bad design isn’t necessarily blatantly obvious. It has also made me realize that creating a well designed piece requires much more consideration than I had previously understood.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

Resources

I have realized that design can be powerful and make a difference, it is not just creating advertisements and posters. If applied properly a designer can promote important change.

katelynkilloran.wixsite.com/artworks

How do you define a designer?

Biography supplied through email correspondence.

A designer is someone who can find a solution to a problem in an unexpected way.

Why are you a designer?

I am a designer because I love creating things and the rewarding feeling that comes with creating a successful piece.

What is your inspiration?

I am inspired by other designers and art movements of the past. I also love the beauty that can be found in nature.

Who do you surround yourself with?

I surround myself with people who support me and my goals. When I need inspiration or want to work creatively I try and be around people who are creative themselves, even if they don’t have the same style.

What are your future plans?

I hope to find a career where I can put all of my education to use. The most important part for me would be having it be a job that I enjoy, where I can apply my creativity.

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“It has made me much more aware of the different types of design that are out there, and that the line between good and bad design isn’t necessarily blatantly obvious.”

-Katelyn Killoran

7. Katelyn Killoran, Google Form submission, September 22, 2016.

Anonymous

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

My design education has made me adopt the methodology of “less is more�. I think my designs have definitely become better following what I’ve been taught.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

When I was in high school my designs had a bunch of unnecessary additives to them. Just too much going on and very illegible text. And now I only add what is needed and sometimes even less then. I really like minimalist design, I think my minimal designs coming out of college have been.

How do you define a designer?

I think a designer is more then people make them out to be. There are designers out there starting movements and revolutions. Making advertisements that change the way we look at the world. So I think a designer is a one of a kind individual with an artistic ability beyond the normal spectrum, because as designers we can create things that can change more then just a piece of paper.

Why are you a designer?

I fell in love with it my senior year of high school, I originally did photography. I fell in love with how much more you could do in design and how interpretive it was.

What is your inspiration?

I find a lot of inspiration in going outside and sitting on the lake. It really clears my head.

Who do you surround yourself with?

I read a lot, I tend to surround myself with books and magazines.

What are your future plans?

Im gonna move to the south in a city and hopefully further my career there.

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“I think a designer is more then people make them out to be. There are designers out there starting movements and revolutions.�

- Anonymous

8. Google Form submission, September 22, 2016.

Industry designers, stretching from the United States to the United Kingdom, responded to the same questionnaire that Fredonia students answered.

Professional Responses

Marc O’Brien Biography

Marc O’Brien is the co-founder of The Determined, a design-led collective that partners with people working on gnarly social and environmental problems to take their moonshot idea and make it happen.

He is a design strategist and creative facilitator focused on social innovation, human-centered design, and purpose-driven initiatives that create positive change in the world.

He loves finding opportunities for organizations to make huge, meaningful impact in unexpected ways. Working with others who are working towards creating positive change, he uses design as his tool to help them do this in a better way.

In a playful workshop environment, Marc helps Fortune 500 companies to startups, non-profits to universities, come up with fun, achievable, and innovative solutions to challenges. His preferred method is making. With a background in both web and graphic design, he brings ideas to life so others can see what’s possible.

Marc lives in San Francisco where is also teaches at California College of the Arts.

Biography supplied through email correspondence.

Resources marcobrien.net

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How has your design education affected your design methodology?

It didn’t. Design education affected my view on what design could be used for. It wasn’t until I was practicing design as a young professional when I was exposed to various methodologies.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

I think of methodologies and creative practices as a muscle. You need to constantly exercise it to improve your output. Stick to the same methods, your output (design in this case) will get weak. It’ll start to look the same, become stale, expected, and boring.

How do you define a designer?

Anyone who is able to turn an idea into something, which can be anything. It can be visual (ie, graphic design), external (ie, fashion), environmental (ie, landscape design or architecture), political (ie, policy makers/politicians), audible (ie, musicians), and many more. I think we are all designers in some degree all equipped with different tools in our toolbox to help turn those ideas into something.

Why are you a designer?

At some point in my life I witnessed the impact of what type and image can do. The power that design emcompasses that can change minds, perspectives, and culture. Designers have an amazing gift to turn ideas into reality. We can work with someone to “translate” their thoughts into a visual representation for the rest of the world to see and take action. That’s pretty cool, right?

What is your inspiration?

My inspiration comes from a lot of things… things like bike rides, bike rides during rush hour in San Francisco, bike rides on back roads near Half Moon Bay, CA, sports documentaries (even though I’m not into sports), city running, trail running, hiking, backpacking, camping, travel, conversations with strangers, conversations with friends, conversations with students, rapid prototyping, side projects, teaching, consulting, facilitation, getting lost, punk shows, mosh pits, burritos, thinking wrong, thinking wrong about the creative process.

Who do you surround yourself with?

People smarter than me. People not like me. People with open minds. People that can teach me something and in return, I can teach them something. Basically anyone who isn’t an asshole.

What are your future plans?

To try and continue to live the life that I want. To try and continue to do what I love.

To try and continue to work with amazing people. To try and continue to work on creating a better world for all. To try and continue to use design to achieve the things mentioned above.

1. Marc O’Brien, e-mail message to author, September 3, 2016.

Bizhan Khodabandeh Biography

Bizhan Khodabandeh is a visual communicator who moves freely across the professional boundaries as designer,illustrator, artist and activist. His works vary from small graphic art projects to major public campaigns.

Khodabandeh is particularly fascinated by how art and design can be a catalyst for social change.

Biography found on the resources website.

Resources

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

My education defined my methods more than affected them since I had next to no prior experience or understanding of design.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

I’ve gotten a lot faster and have a broader range of tools, but the problem solving remains to resemble what Rob Carter taught me about the design process and seen in his Typographic Design book. Almost every person I’ve met in a wide array of fields pretty much use the same process when solving a new problem. Doesn’t matter if they are a designer or a carpenter, the process remains relatively the same.

How do you define a designer?

mendedarrow.com/site/bio-2/

That’s a pretty broad term. It could be anything. In this context, given your current major, I’m defining it as a graphic designer.

Why are you a designer?

I enjoy solving visual problems.

What is your inspiration?

I know it’s cliche, but I find inspiration in everything.

Our greatest asset is to capitalize on patterns we notice in the built and natural environment.

Who do you surround yourself with?

Mostly my family and folks in various creative fields.

What are your future plans?

Nothing major comes to mind. Just keep at it and keep trying to better myself at my various skill sets.

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“I’ve gotten a lot faster and have a broader range of tools, but the problem solving remains to resemble what Rob Carter taught me about the design process and seen in his Typographic Design book.

Almost every person I’ve met in a wide array of fields pretty much use the same process when solving a new problem. Doesn’t matter if they are a designer or a carpenter, the process remains relatively the same.”

- Bizhan Khodabandeh

2. Bizhan Khodabandeh, e-mail message to author, August 30, 2016.

Steven Heller Biography

Steven Heller wears many hats (in addition to the New York Yankees): For 33 years he was an art director at the New York Times, originally on the OpEd Page and for almost 30 of those years with the New York Times Book Review. Currently, he is co-chair of the MFA Designer as Author Department, Special Consultant to the President of SVA for New Programs, and writes the Visuals column for the New York Times Book Review.

Biography found on the resources website.

Resources hellerbooks.com/docs/about.html

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

I was not educated as a designer. I worked for decades as an art director while I also wrote. Writing and editing became my metier.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

It has atrophied. I was self-taught and went as far as I could go. Then stopped.

How do you define a designer?

A designer is one who manipulates to make messages out of words, pictures and other visual and textual stimuli.

Why are you a designer?

Its what I was able to do when I left high school. It became a passion.

What is your inspiration?

I’ve written 170 books about my inspirations. I’ve read many more. Everything inspires.

Who do you surround yourself with?

People I love and respect. And students.

What are your future plans?

Stay alive and be healthy. Learn something new everyday.

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“I’ve written 170 books about my inspirations.

I’ve read many more. Everything inspires.”

- Steven Heller

3. Steven Heller, e-mail message to author, August 30, 2016.

Timothy Goodman Biography

Timothy Goodman is a designer, illustrator & art director based in New York City.

His clients include Airbnb, Google, Ford, J.Crew, Target, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. Previously, Timothy worked in-house at Apple Inc. and with the experiential design firm Collins.

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

What you’re taught in school can be the great enemy later on. You need rules so you know where to cross lines, but you also learn with time that these rules will brainwash you if you’re not careful.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

I’ve learned with time to approach design as a practice and not as a profession.

He has received awards from most major design and illustration publications including the ADC Young Guns, GDUSA’s “People To Watch” and Print’s “New Visual Artist.”

How do you define a designer?

Timothy began his career as a book jacket designer at Simon & Schuster, and he graduated from the School of Visual Arts in NYC, where he now teaches.

Why are you a designer?

Timothy co-created the blog and book, 40 Days of Dating, with Jessica Walsh, that has received 15 million unique visitors and whose film rights were optioned to Warner Bros. His Instagram writing series, Memories of a Girl I Never Knew, exhibited at Colette in Paris, France.

His second book, Sharpie Art Workshop, is out now.

Biography found on the resources website.

Resources tgoodman.com/about

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I don’t. This is one of my big pet peeves. Design is inherently a service business, but it’s also whatever we want it to be. Design can be a gateway drug to many other things.

To connect to other humans. To make work that starts conversations. To make work that is meaningful to me or others.

What is your inspiration?

Jazz, hip hop, falling in love, getting your heart broken, traveling, NBA basketball, making mistakes, not making mistakes.

Who do you surround yourself with?

People who also like Kanye.

What are your future plans?

To just keep making work that stimulates me. If you love making stuff & then you make some great stuff, the next stuff you make won’t be great, but keep making because you love making stuff

“What you’re taught in school can be the great enemy later on. You need rules so you know where to cross lines, but you also learn with time that these rules will brainwash you if you’re not careful.”

- Timothy Goodman

4. Timothy Goodman, e-mail message to author, September 2, 2016.

Andrew Martis Biography

Most recently I was a designer at The Martin Group and before that I was the lead graphic designer at Holstee. Feel free to get in touch as I’m always looking for new and exciting freelance opportunities.

While mainly focused on print design I have sufficient HTML and CSS knowledge for a competent level of web design and I’m always learning new things.

I wear a lot of hats (seriously) but most importantly I’m a thinker, cyclist, coffee lover, workhorse, beer enthusiast, pioneer, builder and friend. I’d love to work together sometime! And if you happen to have one of my dream projects in mind (beer packaging/ label design, bicycle graphics, coffee company branding) be sure to contact me!

Biography found on the resources website.

Resources andrewmartis.com/About-1

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

I believe my design education was what finally allowed me to put a face with the name for my design methodology. I knew I had always had a way of going about things when it comes to design but I didn’t necessarily have it in a neat and sequential order. That’s not to say it always follows this order but it’s always a consistent place to start and end with the middle changing and adapting depending on the project and the needs of whomever I’m working with.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

As I’ve continued my career I believe my process has grown with me and become more defined. It’s important for me to clearly define these steps before I begin any work so if I’m ever feeling stuck I know what step is next and it allows me to keep going.

How do you define a designer?

I define a designer as a visual problem solver and storyteller, though I hate the overabundance of people being storytellers these days. It’s about connecting seemingly disconnected dots in a way that inspires and provokes thought in those that come into contact with the work.

Why are you a designer?

I’m a designer because I enjoy solving problems and connecting with people. It’s important to spend time with your clients and those you work with to gather as much information as possible. I often find that having casual conversation or an in-depth questionnaire really helps to get to the root of who I’m working with and provides much more insight into who they are.

What is your inspiration?

I draw inspiration from the people I work with, sharing my knowledge with others and the desire to always challenge myself, whether that’s learning something new or taking on jobs that I’m not the most comfortable with. I frequently find that almost everyone has a unique and interesting story and it’s inspiring to learn how those things have gotten them to where they are today.

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Who do you surround yourself with?

I surround myself with those who have something to say and maybe not a way to say it. That usually aligns me in a good spot with them to visually tell their story. I also try to surround myself with opportunity because I’m never sure where the next one will be so if I can get myself into a position where I’m open to opportunity I know everything will work out. It never hurts to reach out to others in your community who you think are doing cool/interesting things that you want to take part in because you never know who they know or what opportunities they may lead you to.

What are your future plans?

My future plans are simple really; keep doing what I enjoy doing for as long as I can.

5. Andrew Martis, e-mail message to author, September 2, 2016.

Richard McMasters Biography

I was raised in a small town in Western New York, which has allowed me to develop a love for the simple things in life. I am an avid reader of fantasy literature, including the great J.R.R. Tolkien, among others, and I have been playing guitar for almost twelve years. I enjoy spending quality time with my close friends and fianceÊ, hiking and observing nature, long boarding, and indulging in the occasional competitive video game. I have three siblings; a younger sister, an older brother, and an older sister who’s wedding I had the privilege of being a witness to this past winter.

My interest in graphic design started early in my high school career, when I was introduced to the work of Paul Rand by my art teacher. Since then I have always loved working with the creation of logos, branding, and identity systems. Recently, I have also discovered a great interest in film photography. I find the long process to be meditative, and creating photographs reminds me that sometimes in this fastpaced world, it is better to slow down for a minute or two and take the time to enjoy the things that are happening around us.

Biography found on the resources website.

Resources richardmcmasters.com/about/

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How has your design education affected your design methodology?

Throughout my design education, I found that my process only seemed to become more and more complicated. Adding steps here and there like visual research, physically writing out all of my ideas, creating initial compositions and then completely scrapping the ideas to start all over again. It was frustrating at first because the perfectionist in me always wanted those ideas to work out. I came to understand, though, that those extra steps started to become easier every time I did them, and I was able to streamline the process and come up with multiple possible solutions in short amounts of time. From there, it was just a matter figuring out which ideas to further develop, and which to keep stored away for another occasion.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

I think the biggest influence on my methodology, having only been working in a design field for just over a year, has to be the interaction between myself, my creative director, and the clients we work with. Working with clients, there are more variables and opinions to consider. This usually results in more variations of my designs; typically the ones that my creative director and I want to use, and the ones the clients want to use. This has definitely made my work better, though, because I strive to show the clients other options that could potentially better suit their needs.

How do you define a designer?

I define a designer as anyone who practices the art of developing solutions to problems or ideas where the final result culminates in an experience that contains visual and/or textual content.

Why are you a designer?

I am a designer because I am in love with the idea of visual communication. I have never been a great public speaker; in fact the idea of speaking to large audiences vocally induces quite a bit of anxiety in me.

But I have learned, through design, to communicate to larger audiences in a way that I feel can sometimes be more impactful and more easily understood. Vocal communication can be limited by factors like language barriers, but design and visual communication can be almost universally understood by many groups of people.

What is your inspiration?

I find inspiration from a lot of different sources, though not all inspiration is reflected in my design work. I am a creative person in more than one aspect and I find inspiration in books, music, and from other designers and artists.

Who do you surround yourself with?

I tend to be a very positive person, so I like to be surrounded by other positive people.

I have a close-knit group of friends that I enjoy spending time with, but I also love to meet new people who I can have meaningful conversations with and potentially learn something new from. Any time I can talk to someone from a creative field, I try to learn something about their experiences in the industry.

What are your future plans?

Currently I am working in catalog design, but eventually I would love to work more with branding and identity. I am also interested in learning more about designing for web and email applications.

6. Richard McMasters, e-mail message to author, September 1, 2016.

Brittany Theophilus Biography

Originally from Upstate NY, I received my BFA in Graphic Design. Over the years I have specialized in branding, while maintaining a focus in fashion. My passion for fashion branding and design developed over two years designing for leading headwear company New Era. My style is bold, clean, modern, and always maintaining a hint of humor.

Biography found on the resources website.

Resources http://brittanytheodesign.com/aboutflatiron/

How has your design education affected your design methodology? & How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

My education through the BFA program has had a major impact on the way I approach tasks and ideate for my designs. A great deal of the way I approach business opportunities are more personal. However, the technical skills I learned, schedule I maintained while in school, and collaborations I had, have played an important role in my professional career. Although I might not have truly valued the fundamentals while in school, they are extremely important and have served as a great foundation. Typography especially is a tool that is highly valued in the professional design world, so going through the typography classes and learning the basic skills of hierarchy is implemented into everything I do on a day to day basis. Being able to manage multiple projects at once just like you do with taking multiple studio classes, while tedious has prepared me for the fast pace movement of changing tasks and timelines. Lastly the program really pushed me to be a better designer, I was more of a late bloomer in the design field and I was someone who needed to be pushed in this area. The program was great for that and once I developed a confidence in my work, I stopped looking at design as my major and more as my passion.

How do you define a designer?

I believe a designer (well a good designer) is someone who is:

A communicator They take information and transform it to some thing that is quickly understood in the best and easiest way possible, whether that be visually, iconic or completely typographic.

Someone who makes a connection from the creative world to the business or “regular� world.

Your someone who elevates all visuals

and information to make it more appealing

and understood to the masses or the group

your trying to target.

Someone who works at the hand of their targeted market.

Understanding your audience and who your

creating content for is something found in

all great designers.

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Why are you a designer?

I originally became a Graphic Designer because I was someone who has always loved art and loved the business world.

Where that still remains true I would say that now I’m a designer because it is truly my passion. It is something I strive to improve upon everyday because I get enjoyment out of it.

What is your inspiration?

My inspiration comes from a ton of different places. I currently work as a designer for Conde Nast so a lot of their brands and magazines gives me a lot of inspiration with the quality of their work. I find inspiration everywhere though, living in New York there is an endless amount of design everywhere.

Packaging has always served as a place I look to for functional design inspiration, but everything from fashion, to an Instagram account, constitutes as inspiration for me.

Who do you surround yourself with?

I surround myself with all different kinds of people. Outside of work most of the people I hang out with are not creative, they are more business oriented. I think it gives me a good balance and perspective on things from a different point of view.

What are your future plans?

My future plans are to just keep working my way up in the design world, I have had some great opportunities and what I really love about the design field is it lets you work in so many different facets. I’ve worked in fashion, marketing, small, and big companies and I’m currently working in editorial and social media. So my plan is to just keep getting as much experience as possible and have the ability to work abroad in the future.

7. Brittany Theophilus, e-mail message to author, September 1, 2016.

Doug Bartow Biography

Doug Bartow is an art director and designer with over 25 years experience working with a variety of national and international clients. As Director of Design at MASS MoCA for 8+ years, Doug helped put the country’s largest arts center on the world’s cultural map by designing the museum’s identity system, exhibition and wayfinding signage, print collateral, catalogs and web presence (with only the help of an occasional summer intern.)

Doug left MASS MoCA in 2003 to co-found id29 in Troy, NY. Since opening its doors, id29 has collaborated to build powerful brands, campaigns and marketing strategies for clients such as: Cobra PUMA Golf, Pitney Bowes, Firefly Bicycles, The Steve Case Foundation, Union College, The Travel Channel and Revolution Money, and was the agency behind Scholastic’s national campaign for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” in 2007.

Doug earned a BFA in graphic design from the State University of NY at New Paltz and a MFA in 2D design from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where studied with Muneera Umedaly Spence and Katherine McCoy respectively. Doug is the President of AIGA Upstate NY, and has helped program events since 2007.

Biography found on the resources website.

Resources https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougbartow

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How has your design education affected your design methodology?

I learned how to design in undergrad, but I learned why to design in grad school. These are important delineations in my career.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

I learned how to think like a designer before the onset of pervasive technology in design. I consider this an asset. When the power goes out, I can continue working.

How do you define a designer?

For me, design is almost always text + image communicating.

Why are you a designer?

I failed out of engineering school.

What is your inspiration?

Weird typography, nature, data, craft beer, music, black and white.

Who do you surround yourself with?

Positive influences and hot sauce.

What are your future plans?

Pay for 3 kids’ college education, retire, continue working.

“I learned how to design in undergrad, but I learned why to design in grad school. These are important delineations in my career.�

- Doug Bartow

8. Doug Bartow, e-mail message to author, September 1, 2016.

James Todd Biography

Over the course of the past two decades, I’ve made clothes, type, identities, music, musical instruments, albums, websites, car parts, furniture, and (re) built cars. I spent several years apprenticing as a bespoke tailor. After which I ran an auto upholstery shop. In 2009, I became actively involved in both graphic and type design.

I graduated with honors from The State University of New York Fredonia with a BFA in Graphic Design.

Biography found on the resources website.

Resources http://jtdtype.com/about.php

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

It reminds me to keep questioning and pushing myself. In my work it’s easy to do “just enough” to get by; the processes we worked through in school is something that pushes me to continue to explore.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

I’ve learned I can’t do everything myself. It takes a long time to learn your own strengths and weaknesses—especially when you have to sell a product. In school it‘s easy to attempt everything but in my own practice I’ve learned how important it is to have a team of people whose strengths match your own weaknesses. I’ve also learned that giving up some control can often lead to a better outcome.

How do you define a designer?

Anyone who mindfully creates something purposeful.

Why are you a designer?

Because I love to create things.

What is your inspiration?

For design? I’m really inspired by Japanese design.

I think Western design (particularly NYC and Swiss/ Dutch/Scandinavian design) is too self-referential and haughty. I’m also inspired by music, travelling, mechanical processes, and the outdoors.

Who do you surround yourself with?

I try to surround myself with people smarter than me. I really enjoy learning from people who aren’t designers.

What are your future plans?

To continue running my type foundry.

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“I’ve learned I can’t do everything myself. It takes a long time to learn your own strengths and weaknesses—especially when you have to sell a product.”

- James Todd

9. James Todd, e-mail message to author, September 4, 2016.

Annie Leue Biography

Annie Leue is a first-year MFA student in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Visual Communication Design program.

Her practice primarily involves bookmaking and print design with a focus on interactivity and humor. You can find her listening to Africa by Toto on repeat anywhere at any time.

Biography supplied through email correspondence.

Resources https://www.behance.net/annieleue

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

My design education has informed the majority of my current methodology. One of the strengths of the BFA graphic design program at Fredonia is its focus on process and personal practice. Though I’m in grad school now and am exploring different methodologies and ways of working, when I was working professionally in Buffalo, Jason and Megan’s teaching still very much applied. I followed similar steps to the process taught in undergrad, and made any needed adjustments for the sake of time or the nature of the project.

If anything, my design education provided me with a methodological framework from which to grow from and make changes or additions to based on personal preference or necessity.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

Since leaving school, I’d say that my process has become a lot more streamlined and perhaps a bit quicker overall. Certain steps of my process have gained more relevance and significance, while others have become more supportive and cursory. For example, the nature of my most recent job necessitated that the concept development stage take much less time, making it generally less crucial (much of our design was based on brand standards and predetermined functionality) than the iteration stage, which determined the success or failure of our product along with user testing.

How do you define a designer?

A designer is someone who takes concepts and ideas and turns them into something that is visually or experientially consumable by a group or groups of people.

A designer is a translator and a storyteller.

Why are you a designer?

I became a designer for a few reasons. First, before I knew much about the methodology and theories behind design — or even what design was — I was always attracted to visual things, particularly packaging. Once in school, the projects and ideas just began to click and I knew for sure that this was what I wanted to do. Design is so flexible, without one particular

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media or approach, and that openness and flexibility really attracted me to the field.

While the possibilities and paths one can take for a project can be overwhelming at times, I think being able to work within many different media and topics is an enviable strength that great designers possess.

What is your inspiration?

I find inspiration in others’ hard work; in the actions of people around me. Maybe it’s my competitive nature, or maybe it’s just inspiration, but seeing other designers and artists achieve such success because of hard work and perseverance inspires me to try to do the same. I think hearing about other designers’ processes and how they work is also inspirational. To know that there is no one right way of working is really important to keep in mind at any stage of being a designer. Question everything.

Who do you surround yourself with?

I generally surround myself with people who are genuine, funny, and smart. I love being around people with stories and experiences that, just by virtue of my upbringing and confluence of life decisions, would have never experienced. I don’t exclusively surround myself with designers as that can create a strange vacuum whereby you are only influenced by a few sets of opinions and mindsets (designers tend to view the world in similar ways). Intellectual diversity is crucial to being able to approach a topic from many different angles, rather than simply the lens of your own life experiences.

What are your future plans?

THAT is a great question…right now I’m working towards my MFA in Visual Communication Design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with vague plans to perhaps teach or go into writing or book design. It’s a bit of a grey area right now, but hopefully that will become clearer over the next two years.

10. Annie Leue, e-mail message to author, September 5, 2016.

Anne Jordan

Biography

I design book covers and other graphic objects. My work explores the intersection of typography and materials. Many of the pieces shown here are collaborations with my husband Mitch Goldstein. We are based in Rochester, New York, USA. Biography found on the resources website.

Resources annatype.com/about.html

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

My formal education is from Rhode Island School of Design (BFA) and Virginia Commonwealth University (MFA). RISD completely shaped my methodology, and my personal life as well. I met my husband Mitch Goldstein on the first day of school in Typography class, and we have been working together ever since.

In the early 2000s when we were at RISD, there was an emphasis on hand skills as well as digital tools, and that combination is at the core of my work. I use lots of real materials and physical constructions that I then photograph or scan to create reproducible images.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

It has expanded to include more tools and ideas.

At the same time it has become more specialized, too – I’ve been focusing on book covers for the past few years. Within this seemingly narrow format is an infinite number of possibilities. The book cover is a portal to explore everything.

How do you define a designer?

A graphic designer? Someone who gives visual shape to conceptual ideas.

Why are you a designer?

Because I can’t imagine being anything else.

What is your inspiration?

Everything around me.

Who do you surround yourself with?

My husband (and design partner), my family, good friends. Many of them are designers too. We just got a new puppy who is my studio buddy.

What are your future plans?

We are in the process of renovating a house that we recently purchased. We are building our dream studio space – ceramic studio, darkroom, design studio.

I hope that in the future we can make this house a creative oasis that lets us explore all sorts of different art forms and their intersections.

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“It has expanded to include more tools and ideas. At the same time it has become more specialized, too – I’ve been focusing on book covers for the past few years. Within this seemingly narrow format is an infinite number of possibilities. The book cover is a portal to explore everything.”

- Anne Jordan

11. Anne Jordan, e-mail message to author, September 6, 2016.

Gavin Ambrose Biography

Studio245 works with clients on diverse and engaging social, cultural and environmental projects. We believe that the more interesting and socially engaging the proposal, the greater freedom one can have with deriving and developing ideas. We have worked with a range of clients, who along with us, believe in the importance of maintaining and promoting a narrative that connects us culturally to our past and future.

Biography found on the resources website.

Resources http://www.studio245.co.uk/about/

How has your design education affected your design methodology? & How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

I believe, as a designer and now design educator, that an education can only take you so far. As Lou Reed and John Cale sang about Drella (Andy Warhol)… ‘I think sometimes it hurts you when you stay too long in school… I t’hink sometimes it hurts you when you’re afraid to be called a fool’. A design methodology as you refer to it implies possibly that there is a right and wrong a black and white? and I’m not sure there is. I enjoyed my Bachelors course, and learnt a lot, but the best thing I got out of it was coming second in a small, totally insignificant competition, to design a christmas card. The judge was Brian Webb (then of Trickett and Webb), and one of a seriously small band of designers that changed the landscape of UK design. In all honesty, our respective works are very different, but he had time to talk, time for a coffee etc, and I continued to communicate with him on a regular basis. He is a star of the design world in my view, and I ended up doing work for a friend of his, the late Alan Fletcher. Fletcher again had a approach, an insight, a humour, a conviction that was infectious. I also had the privilege of working for Morag Myerscough, arguably one of the greatest designers of our time.

She transcends what I thought was possible in a designers approach. What I guess i’m hinting at is that it is the people you meet that will influence you far more than an education. And I accept that as a design educator, my students have contact with people like George Hardie and Ken Garland, some of the greatest designers, and they have a habit of instilling a sense of self belief in students beyond what I can do. So design methodology? Don’t over think it, and don’t be afraid to be called a fool!

Doing my Masters gave me an opportunity to discard some of the things I thought were right and start again. I might try this again some time.

And to be honest, still not sure I have a methodology or want one, I just love problems and looking at things.

Perhaps the nearer you get to identifying it, the less interesting it gets?

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How do you define a designer?

Two things. A thinker, and a story teller.

We are no different to the cave man that recorded hunts on a wall, we just have books and I-pads.

Why are you a designer?

Because I was bad at science. But seriously, to think and tell stories. As a child I was always fascinated by ‘graphics’, perhaps in a very surface way, but was always aware of them.

What is your inspiration?

Everything other than design. Music, nature, growing vegetables, building hi-fi, collecting pottery, bad action films. Get out of design to inform design.

Who do you surround yourself with?

Students. The main reason I ended up at a University was I liked it the first time around as a student. And many days I still feel like a student. I don’t know any more than them, in fact I know less. They know the landscape of contemporary design, I’m the wrong side of 40 to know that. They are curious and I like that. Surround yourself with people and things you like. I like people that have some abandon, they aren’t conditioned by doctrines and dogmas. Someone tells you not to do something do it. Not in a fuck the system angst, but in a considered appreciation of there are multiple ways to approach problems and design.

What are your future plans?

I’m doing them now. I have no other plans.

Don’t make plans, be more John Lennon.

12. Gavin Ambrose, e-mail message to author, September 6, 2016.

Timothy Samara Biography Timothy Samara is a graphic designer and educator based in New York City, where he divides his time between consulting, writing, and teaching at the School of Visual Arts, Parsons School of Design, NYU, and Purchase College. He is the author of several books for Rockport Publishers, including Making and Breaking the Grid, Typography Workbook, Publication Design Workbook, Type Style Finder and Design Elements.

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

Biography found on the resources website.

My methodology has changed very little over time.

It follows a kind of phase structure that I was taught, and which was also supported by work experience— research, ideation, distillation, refinement, implementation. It seems very linear as a process, but each phase is remarkably nonlinear, and sometimes I circle back to an earlier phase to reinvestigate. It’s always about questioning the decisions I make at each step to ensure that they’re authentically derived and meet the criteria defined by the project. Formally, my work has steadily become simpler and more direct overall, but I try to not to preconceive or impose a personal viewpoint on the formal or stylistic direction; so, if the messaging of a project seems best delivered through very complex or ornate visual language, this is what directs how I think about it.

Resources

How do you define a designer?

timothysamara.com

For me, design is a fundamentally human endeavor whose cultural import transcends mere commercial application that forms so much of the discipline’s focus. The graphic designer is a maker of messages, a translator of ideas into visual form that connects people and places through sensory experience—a new version of the shaman or storyteller of old who binds the members of a culture together in a shared language of signs and symbols.

https://www.amazon.com/Design-Elements-Graphic-Style-Manual/dp/1592532616

Why are you a designer?

While I considered pursuing a career in painting (or, the fine arts in general), I determined that the focus was too self-indulgent and not outwardly purposeful.

My goal is to actively help shape culture in a way that will hopefully manifest itself in an improved experience for society at large. As it turns out, whatever influence I might have in this regard is likely coming from my work as an educator, rather than as a practitioner.

What is your inspiration?

I am constantly in awe of the learning process and marvel at each student’s progress through a course of study. To share previously unconsidered ideas and methodologies with students for the first time... to

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watch them confront the challenges these ideas propose, struggle with understanding, and eventually demonstrate mastery is a thrilling and deeply fulfilling experience.

Being able to help a student see, in all senses of the word, and achieve richness and clarity in the communications he or she makes is a great reward.

As a designer, my particular expertise focuses on typography and visual identity.

The issues relevant to these areas of my work give rise to overarching pedagogical concerns that inform all my curricula and define an agenda of skills to be developed through classwork: • Clarity and refinement of form and compositional space • Invention of original visual language, rather than appropriation • The universality and communicative power of abstraction • Creation of clear visual and verbal hierarchy • The use of structural approaches for organization and problem-solving • Holistic and system-based thinking • Detailed crafting of typographic presentation • Unification of typography and image

In music, for instance: David Bowie, Joy Division, Kraftwerk, Robert Fripp (and King Crimson), Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Joni Mitchell, Maurice Ravel, JS Bach. In architecture: Philip Webb, Henri van de Velde, Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott-Brown, Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid.

It’s not a comprehensive list… I’m drawn, in these various cases, to the sense of being beyond what is, and envisioning something deeper or as yet not understood.

Who do you surround yourself with?

I work alone. I don’t consider designing to be a collaborative endeavor. Or, I’m just too much of a control freak. However, surrounding myself with young people (meaning students) is an important part of my environment.

What are your future plans?

That’s an excellent question for which I honestly have no answer. I try to keep my options open.

By imparting awareness of these aspects of graphic design and nurturing each student’s individual aesthetic and working process in the context of these concerns, my goal is to help contribute to the future depth and resonance of the profession’s output and foster the growth of a widely varied, formally attuned, and compellingly original set of unique voices in the cultural landscape. Rather than looking, for the most part, at the work of other designers (which I do, of course), I try to translate the open-ended thinking aspect of the educational process into a means of invigorating how I approach projects.

Beyond that, I’m deeply fascinated by groundbreaking or visionary leaps made in different disciplines, in particular music and architecture (as well as graphic design).

13. Timothy Samara, e-mail message to author, September 15, 2016.

Essay and Analysis

From 1908 through Present Day How the International Typographic Style Reigns

The International Typographic Style, also referred to as the “Swiss Style,� was a driving force in graphic design beginning in 1920. The movement focused on typography as a major design element, inspired a pragmatic approach, relied heavily on gridded layouts, and utilized a hierarchical arrangement for essential information. A comparison of International Typographic Style and contemporary design theories reveals evidence that graphic artists from the 1980s through today are relying on the approaches and philosophies of the Swiss Style. While Swiss design artists, such as Otto Baumberger and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, were strict with the original philosophies, contemporary designers like Neville Brody take their own stance on the manipulation of typography and graphics while utilizing the underlying ideology.

When war or a critical turning point in society occurs, artists band together to create a statement. In 1907, the Deutscher Werkbund, a disgruntled group of artists upset with design during World War I, analyzed the relationship between art and society.1 This group slowly evolved into what is now known as the Bauhaus, which proposed several new philosophies behind design in its entirety. Over a few decades rules became set, designs were innovative, and the artists responded to one another within their own manifestos. These powerful artists of the Bauhaus era include Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Ernst Mumenthaler, Otto Baumberger, and Theo Ballmer. Comparatively, contemporary design has quickly evolved since the 1980s with new philosophies that focus on how visual communication is implemented with Bauhaus design methods. Internationally, graphic designers such as Stefan Sagmeister, Michael Bierut, Peter Saville, and Neville Brody are upset about where design is currently, where it is heading, and how education is being instituted. Their responses in art forms, manifestos, and interviews not only detail how dismal they feel design is in its current state, but where they are gaining their inspiration from: Swiss Design. Although Swiss Design, also referred to as the International Typographic Style, evolved into other art movements such as Deconstuctivism, the underlying ideology and motivation that drove the style remain relevant and productive for designers, even in 2016. The International Typographic Style was taught in the famous school of art, the Bauhaus. The Bauhaus was initiated in 1919 in Germany, and the goal of the school was “…to reimagine the material world to reflect the unity of all the arts.”2 International Typographic Style is still a predominant force in both the methodology and philosophy of contemporary graphic designers, and these designers believe that art education should reflect how the Bauhaus artists taught and collaborated with their students.

There is a great deal of research based on the the evolution of Swiss Design.

The focus on the history is vital for this argument, as it draws a bold resemblance when analyzed with contemporary design. Richard Hollis’s text, Swiss Graphic Design: The Origins and Growth of an International Style, supplies an elaborate explanation of Swiss Design. It delves into how designers of this period felt contempt towards World War I and the placement of art within society, drawing inspiration of movements such as Dadaism. This new reform is detailed in other sources such as Roxane Jubert’s article, “The Bauhaus Context: Typography and Graphic Design in France.” Jubert analyzes the geographical and political focus that the Bauhaus school incorporated. 3 Revealed 1. Richard Hollis, Swiss Graphic Design: The Origins and Growth of an International Style, 1928-1965 (New Haven, Conneticut: Yale University Press, 2006), 17. .

2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “The Bauhaus, 1919-1933.” Last modified August 2007. Accessed May 11, 2016. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bauh/hd_bauh.htm.

3. Roxane Jubert, “The Bauhaus Context: Typography and Graphic Design in France,” Design Issues, 22 (2006), accessed May 11, 2016, EBSCOhost.

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in this research is evidence that there were heated debates, manifestos, and artworks that declared how exactly utopia in graphic design should be visualized.4 This is also explained in the documentary Helvetica, a 2007 film directed by Gary Hustwit, in which designers of the period explain their own perspectives on how the ideology of Swiss Design was approached, implemented, and discussed.

Contemporarily speaking, meaning from the 1980s until the present day,

graphic designers once again argue about what utopian design is. Both Swiss Design and contemporary artist manifestos and interviews prove artists, such as Neville Brody and Peter Saville, are disgusted with what design has become. More than once contemporary design is said to be meaningless, unthoughtful, and even greed-driven. Through analysis of these statements, it is arguable that contemporary graphic designers feel the same discontentment towards art and society that the Deutscher Werkbund felt.

Not only is the drive towards perfection and innovation similar between

the two periods, the design principles are consistent. The basic elements behind typography, layout and composition, overprinting, and more are still used in presentday graphic design. Designers like Mitch Goldstein utilize techniques proposed by the Bauhaus, specifically typophoto instituted by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and transform the compositions using software developments like the Adobe products. Educational texts, including Ellen Lupton’s Graphic Design: The New Basics and Rob Carter’s Typographic Design: Form and Communication, reveal that design philosophies taught by the Bauhaus artists are still an inspiration to current design students.

With contemporary designers dispirited with art and society and constantly

referring back to the philosophies that the Bauhaus proposed, it is important for contemporary art students to understand how this history relates to present-day design. Not enough research has been done on how graphic designers, from the 1980s to present, relate to Swiss Design. This essay acknowledges the importance of the International Typographic Style’s impact on graphic design since the 1980s. It is beneficial to know how successful designers view where design has been, what they value, and to where they hope to see it evolve, because each artist that takes part in the contemporary movement has the ability to transform it, as did the Deutscher Werkbund.

4. Jubert, 66-80.

THE INTERNATIONAL TYPOGRAPHIC STYLE It is vital to understand the origins of the International Typographic Style.

Discussions that brought reform to all types of design began in early twentieth century with a German design group, the Deutscher Werkbund. Author Richard Hollis of Swiss Graphic Design: The Origins and Growth of an International Style explains, Van de Velde was not alone in wanting reform. In 1907 a group of German industrialists, architects and designers had formed the Deutscher Werkbund, an association aimed at bringing together art and industry. Van de Velde had been one of the founding members. Called to Germany at the turn of the century as the Grand Duchy of Saxony-Weimar’s artistic adviser for industry, his job was “to raise the level of arts and crafts production.” This, and the hope of increasing the appeal of German goods in an international market, was also the stated aim of the Werkbund.5 The establishment of the Deutscher Werkbund expanded into other European locations, including Switzerland. The Swiss Werkbund, established in 1913, explored the intertwining of numerous design disciplines in exhibits and discussions.6 Swiss graphic designers investigated experimental techniques and methods of creating compositions.

For example, Ernst Mumenthaler’s Poster for ‘Typenmobel’ (Figure 1) is explained

by Hollis to reveal that “…the message of rational rather than decorative design is emphasized by presenting the wardrobe in a severe axonometric drawing rather than in a pictorial illustration.”7 It was through these demonstrations that design ideology progressed. This quickly evolved into the Bauhaus.

The Bauhaus was given strength by Walter Gropius, an architect at the time.

The relationship between Gropius and the Bauhaus is explained by Hollis: Gropius, a long-time member of the Werkbund, extended the Arts and Crafts aims at the school. The Bauhaus would provide “a thorough, practical, manual training in workshops actively engaged in production, coupled with sound theoretical instruction in the laws of design.” And, “Teaching of a craft is meant to prepare for designing for mass production.” In August 1923, when the Bauhaus held its first public exhibition to show what it had achieved after nearly four years, Gropius inscribed its aims in the slogan: “Art and technology, a new unity[.]”8

.

5. Hollis, 17 6. Ibid., 18.

7. Ibid., 18.

8. Ibid., 20.

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Gropius drove the Arts and Crafts movement through the Bauhaus, which influenced the collaborating designers’ approach. The Bauhaus encompassed a mixture of Swiss and German Werkbund ideology until the school ended in 1933.9 The Bauhaus manifested originality in typography and graphic design with experimentation. The designers were affected by Constructivism, Futurism, and Dadaism art, as it was during this timeframe that World War I was raging in Europe.10 While the Bauhaus progressed and new pieces were published by inspired designers such as Piet Zwart and Paul Schuitema, rules began to be set on what the proposed new style encapsulated. Hollis states, With few exceptions, the designs are not symmetrical; the type is sanserif; the illustrations are photographs, not drawings. There are fewer of the bands, lines and dots typical of early Bauhaus work, and printer’s rules are used for a purpose, especially in tabular lists, to separate one category from another. These were the features that survived into Swiss design. Technical innovations were later refined; the crude collage of photographs, for example, was transformed into the type of montage where one image dissolved into another. The most common stylistic feature to reappear in Basel and Zurich was the diagonal. Inspired by Van Doesburg, it was a device frequently employed by the Dutch designers Paul Schuitema and Piet Zwart.11 Design ideas noted in this statement are displayed in Otto Baumberger’s Poster for Sale of Carpet Remnants (Figure 2). It is stated that Baumberger’s poster is “…an echo of Van Doesburg’s paintings of the same time and a precursor of the most minimal ‘Swiss’ style of 30 years later.”12 The poster utilized a sanserif font identical to what the Bauhaus suggested, relied on an asymmetric alignment, and focused on a simplified but thoughtful use of color.

The revolution of art founded by the Bauhaus school led to typographers

creating new philosophies behind their discipline. Kurt Schwitters, in his Theses on Typography, proposed, “…countless laws can be made for typography. The most important is: Don’t do it like anyone has before.”13 This philosophy is true in several instances of the time period, as revealed in the numerous statements published. El Lissitzky’s Topography of Typography is explained as “…a series of declamatory assertions of first principles, beginning, ‘In communicating, the printer word is seen, not heard.’”14 Laslo Moholy-Nagy, a professor at the Bauhaus, experimented with typophoto. Moholy-Nagy’s idea is stated to be, “…the idea of the photograph not only 9. Ibid., 20.

10. Ibid., 24.

11. Ibid., 30.

12. Ibid., 35.

13. Ibid., 40.

14. Ibid., 40

as illustration but, alternatively, as ‘phototext’, ‘replacing words, as an unambiguous form of representation, which in its objectivity…leaves no room for personal-accidental interpretation.’”15 Out of all of the declarations of the time period, one is arguably most influential of them all: Jan Tschichold’s Elementare Typographie. Tschichold’s writings led to exhibitions based on his ideology. The elements of his style are analyzed

by Hollis: Many of the principles set out by Tschichold in “Elementare Typographie”’ are less easy to follow than the lessons of the illustrations. But he defines elemental typography in any design as, “the creation of the logical and visual relationship between the given letters, words and text.” He excludes any typographical ornament but admits, “to increase the sense of urgency,” the use of printer’s rules (lines) vertically and diagonally as well as the essentially elemental forms (squares, circles, triangles), which were also standard printer’s items.16 Tschichold’s philosophies had a drastic effect on those who followed him. As stated, exhibitions were displayed and “…visitors to the exhibition were able to form a more complete picture of the radical tendencies and the ideas behind them later the same year….”17 From the proposals of graphic designers and typographers involved in this transitional era came new typefaces that include Grotesk, Futura, and Antiqua.18

Arguably, each of the geographic locations of the International Typographic

Style had its own theory on the Bauhaus principles. It is notable that European countries suffered from the effects of World War I. Author Roxane Jubert explains, A comparative survey of the principal figures of graphic design and typography in France and in Germany between the two world wars shows a strong disproportion and marked divergences. Graphic artists, designers, poster makers, typographers, or those in the fine arts followed very different trajectories in the two countries. At the Bauhaus, three figures distinguished themselves by their teaching as much by their practice: Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Herbert Bayer, and Joost Schmidt. Let us mention in passing some of the numerous figures then active in Germany: Jan Tschichold, Kurt Schwitters, the Dadaist Raoul Hausmann, El Lissitzky, Paul Renner,... Most of them were multifaceted artist-designers who were not trained in typography––the works of Moholy-Nagy and of Schwitters are emblematic of that singular 15. Ibid., 40.

16. Ibid., 40.

17. Ibid., 41.

18. Ibid., 45.

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richness inherent in the age. Moholy-Nagy and Joost Schmidt, who were very involved with the Bauhaus visual communication, also directed the metal and sculpture studios.19 While France and Germany may have diverged in design approaches, their design ideology aligned. With the emotions of the world being dismal at this time due to the war, it can be argued that Bauhaus designers and artists attempted to bring innovation to the art world in order to protest the situation. As explained by Jubert, “The typography and graphic arts of the Bauhaus embodied the ideals and the utopias of its members through their significant form and beyond their role in the industrial era: to create better conditions, to make relations more fluid, to invent new spaces for life, and to dream of human language which is completely other.”20 This theme of desire for progression is evident in the comparison of the early twentieth century with now, one hundred years later.

CONTEMPORARY DESIGN

Contemporary design has taken a different route than what the Bauhaus

focused on. While the Bauhaus group concentrated on creating original and unique designs in an educational setting, it is evident that graphic design has begun to center on advertising. This contemporary approach has interlocked with theories such as Semiotics, researched and proposed by Charles Peirce, which includes explanations of visual communication. The progression of technology has created a major turning point for designers because new programs are available to create product. Innovative approaches have been applied by graphic designers since the 1980s.

The focus on theories of visual communication has been a leading theme of

graphic design for decades, as shown in the International Typographic Style. Michael Bierut and Neville Brody, two contemporary graphic designers who are influenced by Swiss design, discuss the topic in Visual Communication: From Theory to Practice.

Brody was, “…born in London in 1957, and studied graphic design at the London College of Printing, graduating in 1979. Brody has been at the forefront of graphic design for over two decades. His work has encompassed almost every area of graphic design, from designing record covers to magazines.”21 It is explained that Brody was greatly impacted by the principles of Dadaism and Constructivism, two periods that inspired Bauhaus designers. While he does not agree with keeping objectivity within 19. Ibid., 67.

20. Jubert, 80.

21. Jonathon Baldwin and Lucienne Roberts, Visual Communication: From Theory to Practice (London, UK: Fairchild Books, 2014), 46.

the design or sticking to specific rules, Brody was still educated by modernists who were themselves influenced by the Bauhaus. Hollis describes Brody’s objectivity to design: Brody was taught by practitioners who advocated the designer taking a position of neutrality in communication.... This is a modernist position. It is about transparency, increased access, clarity of purpose revealed through limited means. This may have resulted in a minimalist aesthetic but it was never merely a ‘style’. This was an approach to life, to politics, to society.

Brody embraced some aspects of modernism, as demonstrated by his interest in developing systematic solutions and belief in design for public service, but he considered objectivity impossible to achieve. “I believed that design and advertising were manipulative,” Brody explains. “I wanted to understand the core rules in order to turn them on in their head and reveal this manipulative process. The philosophy of my work is always to reveal, not conceal.”22 The International Typographic Style is referenced in contemporary design theories like semiotics. Because the two focus on communication and the application of typography to graphics, and it is the designer’s role to declare whether the emotional relationship to the piece should be strong or not, each artist’s position is unique. However, the underlying drive of the Swiss style is shown in each case.

Michael Bierut was “…born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, in 1957, and studied

graphic design at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. Prior to joining Pentagram in 1990 as a partner in the firm’s New York office, he worked for ten years at Vignelli Associates, ultimately as vice-president of graphic design.”23 Bierut was questioned the same way as Brody and took an opposing position towards Brody’s statements: Graphic design is essentially about communication. The message generally originates with someone else. Designers have to decide if this is a message they want to support. “Much, if not most, graphic design is about communicating messages, and many of those messages are intended to persuade,” [Bierut] says. “This places its practice clearly in the realm of politics, broadly defined, even when the message is not about ‘political’ issues. About three years ago I decided not to participate in the design of message that I didn’t agree with. I never liked doing it, and no matter how much it paid, it was never enough.”24 22. Baldwin and Roberts, 48.

23. Baldwin and Roberts, 58.

24. Ibid., 60.

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How semiotics fits into contemporary design is constantly debated. It fuels the continuation of projects and experimentation for client work similar to how the Bauhaus was driven by Gropius’s passion for the Arts and Crafts movement. Bierut is also noted to be concerned about the idea that contemporary design education has not reached the level the Bauhaus had during its reign: Although he writes about design and is extremely knowledgeable about the theory that underpins much of the practice, Bierut remains skeptical about how it is used. “Because there is so little formal education in design theory, most successful designers seem to ‘make it up as they go along’, and indeed this often means applying it to rationalize solutions after the fact, if at all.” 25 While textbooks such as Graphic Design: The New Basics are used in college classrooms to spark discussion on what design is and the different elements it consists of, Bierut states that most well-known contemporary designers are not truly applying the theories that are meant to be taught. Does this imply that contemporary designers are not inspired by the current education system?

Not quite. For example, graphic designer April Greiman was a pioneer in

the early 1990s for the use of technology in art. Graduating from the Basel School of Design in Switzerland, she brought to America a new version of design: New Wave Post Modernism.26 This movement “…challenged the notion of modernist ordering systems and asked designers to experiment with the artistic possibilities that lay beyond the grid.”27 She credits her education for her approach to design: I see everything as an object in space and have always been interested, since the Basel school days, in creating visual and spatial hierarchies. So for me when web design came into the realm of possibilities, I loved it because I didn’t look at it as a page. I was already looking at it as spatial media that you would journey through space to access information from. What a great thing.28 While her media has transitioned overtime with the evolution of technology, Greiman’s design philosophy has remained the same.29 Not all contemporary designers are thrilled with the route graphic design is taking. Graphic designer Peter Saville in his manifesto Be Careful What You Wish For writes, 25. Ibid., 62.

26. Josh Smith. “Idsgn (a Design Blog).” Design Discussions: April Greiman on Technology:. 10 Sept. 2009. Web. Accessed April 17, 2016. http://idsgn.org/posts/design-discussions-april-greiman-on-technology/.”

27. Smith.

28. Ibid.

29. Ibid.

Being a designer used to be like being on a crusade – we were fighters, evangelists. But in the last ten years, since the recession of the early Nineties, the situation has changed. Our establishment has suddenly “got it” and they want “creatives.” Creativity has become part of the business of social manipulation. The problem is that everybody got what they wanted.30 With technology quickly evolving and manifesting itself into society, visual communication has been recently debated. Saville discusses his idea that design has become meaningless, and has been influenced by contemporary society that he refers to as dystopian.31 This feeling is not just unique to Saville. Stefan Sagmeister, a graphic designer noted for his work with AIGA, states, Advertising agencies have sometimes been able to avoid this, but there is not a single large design company out there that I respect…. there is problem with this: Very large clients want to work with large design consultancies, it gives them a level of service and security that smaller places like mine have more difficulties to convey. This leads to the sad fact that many of the most talented designers work for smallish projects in the cultural realm, while the work that really influences the look of this world, the gigantic branding programs for the multinationals are conceived by marketing people who could not care less. This is as much the fault of clients (who find the pseudo-scientific reasoning of the consultancies comforting), as it is of designers (who are not willing to deal with the far more complex approval and implementation process). I have the highest admiration for the person who can pull off a large project in good quality.32 This dismal view towards graphic design can be compared to the emotions of the Swiss style designers during World War I. Contemporary designers are beginning to find fault in how design is being approached, similar to how the Bauhaus began.

THE INTERNATIONAL TYPOGRAPHIC STYLE REIGNS It is evident that the International Typographic Style is still a predominant force in contemporary design. This is displayed through comparisons of artwork, design philosophies and approaches, and reasoning of why artists design. For example, in her educational textbook Graphic Design: The New Basics, author Ellen Lupton details the influence that Swiss Design has on graphic artists: 30. “Manifesto #01, Peter Saville.” Iconeye. Web. Accessed April 19, 2016. http://www.iconeye.com/404/ item/3019-manifesto.

31. Ibid.

32.“Answers.” Sagmeister & Walsh. Last modified 2016.

Accessed March 24, 2016. http://www.sagmeisterwalsh.com/answers/.

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Today, software designers have realized the Bauhaus goal of describing (but not interpreting) the language of vision in a universal way. Software organizes visual material into menus of properties, parameters, filters, and so on, creating tools that are universal in their social ubiquity, crossdisciplinarily and descriptive power…. Photoshop, for example, is a systematic study of the features of an image (its contrast, size, color model, and so on). InDesign and Quarkxpress are structural explorations of typography: they are software machines for controlling leading, alignment, spacing, and column structures as well as image placement and page layout.33 The goals of the Bauhaus are still prevalent in contemporary ways of thinking on how to design. As Lupton explains, software designers keep in mind the ways visual communication occurs as well as key notions of design: leading, alignment, spacing, etc. Each of these elements focused on in the philosophies of the Swiss style. Rob Carter, in his text Typographic Design: Form and Communication, writes, “designers most often rely upon an innate sense of proportion. But it is helpful also to consider models that have been handed down over centuries. The most familiar of these is the golden section, which is a law of proportionality found frequently in nature, the human body, and used throughout centuries in art, architecture, design, and music.”34 Graphic designers often rely on models that have already been proposed. The Bauhaus was similar in the thought of the golden section, focusing on and working towards perfection within typography and graphics.

Sagmeister, when asked if contemporary design education benefits art

students, replies, “I do think that many elite art schools around the world focus too little on crafts, - [sic] digital or analog. When I was in school I always felt it was my own duty to learn how to think, and I wanted my schooling to concentrate to teach me how to make things.”35 Sagmeister implies that the Bauhaus is the ideal type of education students should be learning from.

Jessica Walsh, Stefan Sagmeister’s design partner in their company

Sagmeister & Walsh, executes compositions that align with Swiss Design ideology.

In 2011, Walsh was directed by Joe Gulliver to rebrand Computer Arts. Figure 3 is the introductory cover design for the publication. Although this piece takes on a contemporary design focus, a company’s brand identity, the cover has the formal 33. Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Phillips, Graphic Design: The New Basics (New York City: Princeton Artchitectural Press, 2008), 9.

34. Rob Carter, Ben Day and Phillip Meggs, Typographic Design: Form and Communication (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2012), 94.

35. Sagmeister & Walsh.

aesthetic that the International Typographic Style proposed. For example, it is similar to Mumenthaler’s Typenmobel poster in several ways: (1) overprinting is visible with basic geometric shapes layered on top of one another, (2) while more than one color is presented, it stays within the same color palette, and (3) a sanserif typeface is utilized to clearly represent the hierarchy within the text. Walsh’s cover design is a visual collage of overlapping graphic elements that utilize a distinct grid. The design utilizes simplified elements and shapes to reference ideas without overloading on detail: rectangles create the centered computer, circles are used to separate ideas, and the replication of layered squares draws the viewer to concentrate on the middle of the composition.

Walsh, along with Timothy Goodman, also a contemporary graphic designer

working in New York City, designed a book that is not about a topic of art but is visually experimental. Each page of the publication is unique; no two pages are identical to one another in all formal elements. However, there is an underlying grid structure that guides the composition. In Figure Four, one can see how while a distinct grid breaks up the photographs to bring attention to each individual, the corresponding page includes a manuscript grid. The page in Figure 5, created by Walsh and Goodman, employs a modular grid that gives hierarchy to each part of the text and separates the columns to make each interview clearly represented. This method of constructing the design was introduced by the Bauhaus school.

Clearly, contemporary designers such as Bierut, Greiman, Brody, Sagmeister,

and Walsh are influenced by Swiss Design. This similarity is revealed through the comparison of each figure in the formal aesthetics: (1) choice of typeface, (2) the asymmetrical layout, (3) simplified use of color, and (4) the reliance of overprinting and layered graphic elements. It is arguable to say that internationally, and from the 1920s until today, graphic designers have experimented with new ideas and approaches, but even now, in 2016, graphic artists stick to the Swiss Design ideology. For example, Mitch Goldstein, currently an Assistant Professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, tests the limitations of typophoto in his book covers and designs, in a similar manner Laszlo Moholy-Nagy did. Each contemporary designer focused on in this analysis, no matter their individual geographic location or design education, refers back to the Swiss Style in some way.

Contemporarily speaking, graphic designers, such as Peter Saville, are

searching for the sense of utopia in design by trying to recapture the mood and outlook of the former Bauhaus movement. With organizations like the American Institute for

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Graphic Artists (AIGA) promoting artists and holding design conferences that critically challenge societal views on art and design, did the ideology of the 1907 Deutscher Werkbund cease to exist or does it continue to reign in the present day? Designers still question and analyze the relationship between art, society, and education just as the Deutscher Werkbund did. With designers from the 1980s until now still relying on the principles taught during the Swiss Design revolution, it is clearly accurate to state that the International Typographic Style remains a powerful force in our contemporary age, a force that is visible in the methodology, education, and philosophy of today’s graphic designers.

Figure 1 Ernst Mumenthaler. Poster for ‘Typenmobel’. 1929. Source: Victoria and Albert Museum, http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O113311/typenmobel-poster-mumenthalerernst/. Accessed May 11, 2016.

Figure 2 Otto Baumberger. Poster for Sale of Carpet Remnants. 1928. Source: Applied Aesthetics, http://www.appliedaesthetics.org/art132a/07/typographic_posters.pdf, page 6. Accessed May 11, 2016.

Figure 3 Jessica Walsh. Computer Arts Cover. 2011. Source: Behance, https://www.behance.net/ gallery/2664853/Computer-Arts-Cover. Accessed May 01, 2016.

Figure 4 Jessica Walsh and Timothy Goodman. 40 Days of Dating: An Experiment. 2015.

Source: Canva, https://designschool.canva.com/blog/graphic-design-inspiration-50designers-you-should-know/. Accessed May 01, 2016.

Figure 5 Jessica Walsh and Timothy Goodman. 40 Days of Dating: An Experiment. 2015.

Source: Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Days-Dating-Experiment-Jessica-Walsh/ dp/1419713841. Accessed May 01, 2016.

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1

3

5

2

4

Bibliography Baldwin, Jonathon, and Lucienne Roberts. Visual Communication: From Theory to Practice. London, UK: Fairchild Books, 2014.

Carter, Rob, Ben Day, and Philip Meggs. Typographic Design: Form and Communication. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2012.

Hollis, Richard. Swiss Graphic Design: The Origins and Growth of an International Style, 1920-1965. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2006.

Hustwit, Gary. Helvetica. Film. Gary Hustwit. 2007. USA: Plexifilm, 2007. DVD. Iconeye. “Manifesto #01, Peter Saville.” Web. Accessed April 19, 2016. http://www.iconeye.com/404/item/3019-manifesto.

Lupton, Ellen, and Jennifer Cole Phillips. Graphic Design: The New Basics. New York City: Princeton Architectural Press, 2008.

Jubert, Roxane. “The Bauhaus Context: Typography and Graphic Design in France.”

Design Issues, 22, no. 4 (October 2006): 66-80. Accessed May 11, 2016.

EBSCOhost.

Sagmeister & Walsh. “Answers.” Sagmeister & Walsh Answers. Last modified 2016.

Accessed March 24, 2016. http://www.sagmeisterwalsh.com/answers/ Smith, Josh. “Idsgn (a Design Blog).” Design Discussions: April Greiman on Technology:. 10 Sept. 2009. Web. Accessed April 17, 2016. http://idsgn.org/ posts/design-discussions-april-greiman-on-technology/.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “The Bauhaus, 1919-1933.” Last modified August 2007. Accessed May 11, 2016. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bauh/

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Response Analysis

Students

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

Have a better knowledge

Improved

Cannot discuss it quite yet

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

Progressively grew

Gained knowledge

Solidified their career plan

Grew in confidence

Eight students.

Responded with this answer.

Did not respond with this answer.

Thirteen professionals.

Responded with this answer.

Did not respond with this answer.

84

How do you define a designer?

Mentioned use of concept

Mentioned problem solving

Mentioned the audience

Mentioned creation

Why are you a designer?

Enjoy the use of Adobe programs

Interested in the field

Love the process

Want to make a change in the world

State the world needs designers

Want to “give chaos order, and make order chaotic.�

What is your inspiration?

Varies

Mentioned their surroundings

Mentioned other people

Creation

Art history

Drive to improve

Driven to inspire others

86

Who do you surround yourself with?

Other creative people

Publications

People with strict work ethics

Other graphic designers

Smarter people

Prefer to be alone

Passionate people

What are your future plans?

Work in publishing

Work in advertising

Create comic books

Be an employed graphic designer

Unsure

Desire to move

Be happy

88

Professional

How has your design education affected your design methodology?

Felt it had no effect

Mentioned improvement

People influenced them more rather than education

Transformed their methodology and life

Learned how to design

Said to stay wary of the rules

How has your design methodology and practice grown throughout your career?

Constantly exercise their practice

Process remained the same

Learned lessons about the field

Mentioned very little growth

Use a broader toolset

Learned how to think as a designer

Learned how to approach design

90

How do you define a designer?

Could be anything

Anyone who is able to turn an idea into something

Interaction with an audience

Someone who creates and designs visuals and text

Don’t

A connection between the creative and business fields

A communicator

Why are you a designer?

To help change the world

Enjoy solving visual problems

Love to create.

Grew to be a passion

Enjoy working with people

Failed out of previous major

Love graphic design

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What is your inspiration?

Broad range of resources

Everything

Communication

Anything other than design

Design

Who do you surround yourself with?

Work alone

Students

Different Perspectives

Broad Range of People

Hot Sauce

Opportunity

Smarter Individuals

Positive Influences

People who like Kanye

Family

What are your future plans?

Continue doing what they enjoy

To continue working

Unsure

Happiness

Explore new areas of design

Building a broad studio space

No plans

To continue learning

To better themselves

To keep creating

Graduate school

Students often have similar and fewer responses, while the professionals have a broad range of answers that vary to these questions.

There are a few instances of consistencies between the two groups, but usually they are vastly different.

Thank you to all those who made this project complete.

Without communication with my responders, months of support, combined with crucial critique, this would not have been made possible.

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