8vo On the Outside provides an insight into the design processes behind 8vo's seminal work. Rarely does a book on design showcase the workings leading up to the final pieces. Through this way , readers gain a better understanding of why 8vo did what they did an offers a new perspective on graphic design thinking. Showcasing the production process however, is entirely appropriate to 8vo. The driving force behind their design is all about the process and their work is reflective of that. In a short passage by Friedrich Friedl, he succinctly illustrates the recognisable traits of 8vo's work, "The sophisticated grid of the basic layout, the sans serif typeface diversified through the combined use of different point sizes, abstract graphic visualisations, subtle and never superficial nuances of colour."
What was interesting was how 8vo described their form of design. 'Visual engineering' was the phrase that more accurately described their approach and attitudes towards design. They felt during the 1980s that English designers were becoming more about the image rather than the work. Everything had gained the 'designer' tag. 8vo felt that design had been hijacked to create souvenirs for 'design tourists'. To disassociate themselves 8vo described their work not as graphic design but as visual engineering. The term echoed their work approach, the processes in development stages, their design attitude, integrity and seriousness of the work.
Engineering as construction and of process (for example, working with an understanding of print, of treating the proofing process the way an engineer might use prototyping).
They did not want to do anything related to trendy or fashionable design.
8vo also commented how the budget of a project can determine the level of design they put in. When approached to design the catalogue and related print graphics for 'Design in The Public Service, the Dutch PTT 1920-1990' the limited budget restricted the studio. The lower costs meant the studio could not reach Octavo level of production. The restricted budget also meant they had to choose a printer who could maximise their costs, and for this case it was Dutch press Drukkerij Rosebeek. The point is that they had contacts of printers. Having them helped in maximising the briefs production. This is beneficial is better understanding the financial side of design and what can help studios in the industry. As a result, the limited budget became the driving force behind its design. The briefs aim was about getting the most out of the print budget.
This project also made 8vo realise that it is better to work with a tight restriction. If only certain choices are available within the system, one can focus on making he right decisions within a narrowed mindset rather than exploring endless variations of layout and composition in the hope that something will eventually 'work'.
Looking through numerous examples of their work in the book has also given me better understanding of their design attitude. The unconventional layout, block colour and boxed type is reflective of their production process. The act of layering paper on top of each layer as designers used to do, in mock ups before the computer age. Therefore the process has entirely influenced their 'style' of design, which explains why they call their designs an 'approach' rather than a style. Their approach was about an attitude to visual and informational structures and to modulating communication in forms appropriate to a particular set of requirements, based on the brief and it's context. Always on a thorough analysis of the information to be communicated and the intended audience, working from the inside out, building designs that work, instead of plucking them out of thin air. "We wanted the viewer to look at a piece of our work and see how it had been put together: to be to reverse engineer it and get back to the constituent parts; understand the structure of the communication and to see the thinking behind it."
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