PPP Presentation

The PPP presentation this year will focus on mainly about the designers and graphic design I have been reading up on throughout the year. This is a significant aspect in my time on the course as I've grown interest in understanding the formal aspects of design, e.g grids, typography, relation between type and image, composing elements on the page, etc.

The presentation will go through a number of designers who've had the largest impact on my learning and understanding the role of graphic design.

Wolfgang Weingart showed how the importance of understanding the fundamentals of design prior to breaking it, "the only way to break typographic rules was to know them." Weingart's swiss punk style uncovered the layering process that was hidden away in Modernism. Exposed grids, halftones and manipulation of type become an identifier for his approach.

Reading up on Weingart led me to reading up on design studio 8vo, who Hamish Muir studied under. 8vo were a studio that focused on the formal aspects of typography, aesthetic, compositions and more importantly called their approach to design visual engineering. At that time, products were given 'designer tags' which rose some designer to rock star fame in the field. 8vo never intended to become rock stars, their work was about allowing the reader to construct the information fro themselves, about the production process and to shy away from creating trendy or fashionable design. Their book 8vo: On the Outside has become quite an influence on my thoughts on design. So much so that the presentation in their 'style' to reflect what I've taken onboard. And fortunately enough to contact Muir for an interview.

Looking at modernism was key in understanding how to properly set type and understanding the use of grids. Josef Müller-Brockmann was a pioneer in swiss design and his poster designs being his most recognised.
Learning about these designers and theses schools of design, helped me understand how and why I'm designing.

In terms of contemporary studios, SPIN were an example that demonstrated their learnings and interest in Modernism. Their solutions were efficient, clear and boiled down the idea to its simplest form. Knowing about them came about meeting Tony Brook at the magCulture launch of Impact 1.0 & 2.0. Going to talks with industry professionals are always beneficial. OFFSET was the first proper design conference I went to and I was great to be at a venue where so many industry professionals come down to speak about their work.

Looking ahead, I plan on continuing my research on design and probably base my dissertation on the area of aesthetics. Level 6 will also be when I'll definitely start to get my name out there as well which is something thats lacking this year. The summer break in between would be a good opportunity to do a placement or internship back in Singapore.