Graphic Design: Structure and Experiment Book proposal Ellen Lupton Director, Graphic Design MFA Program Maryland

Institute College o Art !anuary ", #$$%

Manifesto for a new formalism The literary theorist Stanley Fish recently published an Op Ed piece in the &e' (ork )imes last spring describing his freshman composition course, in which students have to invent a new language, complete with vocabulary and grammar. Fishs course focuses on how language functions, not what it means. Students are forced to analyze the mechanics and architecture of language, while ignoring its topical content. !!!!!! Steven "ohnsons controversial *ook E+erything Bad is Good or (ou #$%%&' as(s readers to ignore the banal content of video games and loo( instead at the comple) tas(s and nested thin(ing these games as( us to carry out. *omparing television dramas of the +,%s with those of the ++%s, "ohnson attends not to their content but to their structure- T. has become more comple), with multiple simultaneous plots and elaborately wired character systems.$ !!!!!! Consider this, e+ery'here you look, orm is coming *ack- E+ery'here, that is, *ut the ield o graphic design, 'here rom the academy to the street, Pop art appropriations ha+e *ecome standard practice- .hether it is called +isual scratch mi/ing, stylistic appropriation, cultural re erencing, or 0the +ernacular,1 Pop is the esta*lished design ideology o our time- Pop has *ecome an e/ample o 'hat Antonio Gramsci called 0hegemony1, a normati+e idea that is accepted and e+en en orced *y those 'ho li+e 'ithin its grip/raphic 0esign- Structure and E)periment 'ill ocus on the study o orm 'ithin the conte/t o *asic design studies- )he intellectual mo+ements o post2modern historicism and multiculturalism sidelined the study o orm in the 344$s, 'hile at the same time, the digital re+olution 'as generating a ne' and rapidly e/panding *ody o re5uired technical kno'ledge- Classic te/t*ooks such as Armin 6o mann7s /raphic 0esign 1anual or Donis ADondis7s 2rimer of .isual 3iteracy 'ere struck do'n *y the dou*le *lo' o culture and technology- &o *ook o su icient stature, authority, and originality has emerged in their 'ake- Fe' o the current *ooks on *asic design takes an e/perimental and critical +ie' o the medium8 instead, the current literature emphasi9es practical applications-

Stanley Fish, Devoid of Content, The New York Times, May 31, 2005. Steven Johnson. Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter. New York: Penguin. 2005.
1 2

/raphic 0esign- Structure and E)periment 'ill distinguish itsel rom the pack in the ollo'ing 'ays, : *y taking a strong position in a period go+erned *y relati+ism8 : *y promoting intellectual thought in an era go+erned *y populism8 : *y creating a *ridge *et'een old and ne' media8 : *y em*racing ormal e/periment in an era o*sessed 'ith content and the applications o kno'ledge)he idea to create a *ook on *asic design arose 'hen a aculty mem*er rom another school asked me to recommend an introductory design *ook;not a*out typography or applied communication pro*lems <logos and so orth=, *ut a*out *asic t'o2dimensional design- I could not, honestly, ind any such *ook to endorse- Around the same time I 'as looking at MICA student 'ork <graduate and undergraduate= and 'as struck *y the need to e/pose my students <and mysel = to a more e/perimental, systematic, open2ended e/ploration o the design language- Although 'e had ac5uired a solid understanding o design rom a cultural point o +ie', I 'as seeing a lack o in+ention and con idence regarding design as a*stract structure, a phenomenon that is occurring not >ust at MICA *ut across the design ield today)ogether 'ith some colleagues at MICA, I ha+e *een de+ising orm2*ased design pro*lems or use in courses at MICA and else'here- At *oth the graduate and undergraduate le+els, 'e are implementing pro*lems that are de ined in terms o such structural ideas as transparency, pattern, and raming- ?ther aculty at MICA 'ho ha+e *een in+ited to participate include Bernard Canni e, &adra @e*aili, A**ott Miller, !enni er Cole Phillips, and Mike .eikert- In addition, 'e may in+ite a e' colleagues rom other schools to contri*ute pro*lems and student 'ork in speci ic areas- A team o graduate students at MICA 'ill design and produce the *ook/raphic 0esign- Structure and E)periment 'ill thus ill a +oid in the current literature- Design students and educators need a *ook that discusses the +isual language o graphic design in a critical, rigorous 'ay, in ormed *y contemporary media, theory, and so t'are systems- )hey need a *ook that allo's the relationship *et'een design and production, theory and so t'are, thinking and making, to illuminate one another, rather than holding them apart as opposing agendas or irreconcila*le pedagogical areas- /raphic 0esign- Structure and E)periment aims to reintegrate our understanding o digital so t'are 'ith physical tools, materials, and processes, and to look at the ormal +oca*ulary o design rom the changed perspecti+e o the t'enty2 irst2century 'orldA systematic +ie' o *asic design is more +alua*le than e+er in an age de ined *y code, net'orked communities, time2*ased arts, and trans2media pu*lishing- In an age 'hen it has *ecome second nature to mi/ and match imagery and to endlessly 5uote and recycle popular media, young artists and designers should *e e/posed to +isually intensi+e, orm2*ased thinking in a

manner in tune 'ith contemporary art, li e, and technology.hat A*asicsA 'ould pro+ide an appropriate oundation or artists and designers in the glo*al, net'orked +isual 'orld o the t'enty2 irst centuryB .hat situations 'ould encourage students to acti+ely and critically e/plore the ormal, cultural, and technical aspects o +isual communicationB .hat readings and discussion topics 'ould help students understand the conte/t and meaning o *asic designB /raphic 0esign- Structure and E)periment 'ill ans'er those 5uestions in a color ul, compact, clearly 'ritten +olume illustrated 'ith inspiring e/amples o student 'orkMy pre+ious *ook, Thin(ing with Type- 4 *ritical /uide for 0esigners, 5riters, Editors, and Students, addressed a similar +oid in the area o *asic typography, pro+iding a theoretical and practical o+er+ie' o this undamental design discipline- Pu*lished in ?cto*er, #$$C, Thin(ing with Type has *een met enthusiastically *y educators and designers around the 'orld- /raphic 0esign- Structure and E)periment 'ill ser+e as a companion and complement to Thin(ing with TypeThe S word )he digital trans ormation o design processes helped seal the dominance o the Pop ideology *y acilitating the endless circulation o e/isting material)he digital re+olution also orced educators to spend energy teaching so t'are, a act that is o ten met 'ith resentment8 so t'are is seen as a necessary e+il along the path to achie+ing a pro essional education, *ut it appears to ro* time rom the more high2minded goals o design education; to study the meaning, content, and social rele+ance o communication(et during the 344$s, 'hen educators 'ere turning a'ay rom ormal analysis to'ards a more culturally *ased, re erential approach to design pedagogy, the creators o so t'are programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, and Final Cut 'ere systematically organi9ing image2processing and image2making into menus o properties, parameters, ilters, and so on, con+erting the Bauhaus theory o +isual language;once a distant ideal;into comprehensi+e +isual tools)hese tools ha+e cast a net around our ield o practice, iltering our daily production o typography, sym*ols, images, page layouts, and in ormation systems- )o 'hat degree do 'e understand the ormal constraints and possi*ilities implied *y these toolsB &o theory or pedagogical practice has appeared to address the role o digital technologies in shaping and descri*ing the ormal language o designBasic background

.hat is *asic designB Dtrategies or approaching design as an a*stract language ha+e *een around since the Bauhaus, 'hen the creators o the Eorkurs or Basic Course approached t'o2dimensional orm as a 0language o +ision1 'hose +oca*ulary and synta/ could *e descri*ed in geometrical, perceptual, and technological terms- ArtistFteachers including !ohannes Itten, Paul @lee, .assily @andinsky, and Las9lo Moholy2&agy *elie+ed that this language o +ision transcended culture through the uni+ersal unctionality o the eye- )hey analy9ed +isual orm according to a set o ormal parameters, rom point, line, and plane to color, te/ture, pattern, scale, and contrast)his po'er ul approach, 'hich looked at t'o2dimensional design as a uni+ersal, perceptually *ased Alanguage o +ision,A had a lasting impact on design education around the 'orld- Dince the 34"$s, numerous educators ha+e re ined and e/panded on this systematic approach, rom Las9lo Moholy2 &agy at the &e' Bauhaus to Gui Bonsieppe at the Glm Dchool- In post2'ar D'it9erland, designers including Emil Huder, Armin 6o mann, and !oseph MIller2Brockman created a total design methodology *ased on ideas o modularity, grid systems, and minimal, rigorously de ined typographic hierarchiesIn the late 34%$s, .ol gang .eingart, a student o Armin 6o mann, re*elled against the uni ormity and anonymity o the D'iss style 'hile em*racing its a*stract +oca*ulary- .eingart turned the D'iss methodology inside out, creating a typographic re+olution that inspired designers around the 'orld in the 34J$s and K$s- Generations o American designers 'ent to graduate school in D'it9erland and returned to the G-D- to *ecome prominent educators- At Cran*rook Academy o Art, @atherine McCoy led a contro+ersial MFA program in the 34J$s, K$s, and early 4$s that encouraged students to di+ert the modernist design +oca*ulary a'ay rom pro*lem2sol+ing and neutrality to'ards sel 2e/pression and ormal e/perimentArt schools today continue to implement oundation programs that claim to de ine a common ground across a range o disciplines- (et there is no longer a consensus as to 'hat a oundation in t'o2dimensional design should *eFor some educators, a relati+i9ed A+isual studiesA approach has replaced ormal analysis and construction- E/ercises in parody, appropriation, and readings o popular culture are taking the place o the seemingly outmoded approaches inherited rom the Bauhaus, 'hile a ocus on the needs, interests, and a*ilities o particular audiences has supplanted the ideal o uni+ersal orms-

Intellectual goals L )o analy9e the language o graphic design in light o the cultural and technological trans ormations that ha+e taken place since 34KC, the point at 'hich modernist pedagogies *egan to disintegrate and digital technologies *egan rede ining design practiceL )o acti+ely e/plore the le/icon o +isualFtechnical AoperationsA that are *uilt into the tools that 'e useL )o per orm ormal operations on cultural materials, i-e- to shape the meaning o an image, te/t, or *ody o in ormation *y implementing precisely descri*ed de+icesFstrategiesFtechni5uesL )o e/plore the interconnected languages o print, typography, ilm, animation, interaction design, and architectureL )o articulate a set o conceptual tools- Although our students are *ecoming adept at understanding Aconceptual thinkingA rom a cultural point o +ie', they o ten do not understand ho' to *uild a concept a*stractly, or e/ample, ho' to manipulate scale, contrast, timingFse5uence, editing <in *oth the ilmic and literary senses=, hierarchy, grids, systems, and so onL )o *etter understand ho' so t'are *oth ena*les and limits 'hat 'e do )o identi y <and produce= rele+ant theoretical te/ts to in orm contemporary design practiceLogistics Maryland Institute College o Art <MICA= seeks to co2pu*lish the *ook 'ith Princeton Architectural Press- .e seek a partnership analogous to 'hat 'e de+eloped or the title 0.6.7.- 0esign 6t 7ourself8 ho'e+er, 'e 'ould like to ormali9e the school7s role *y listing MICA as co2pu*lisher 'ith PAP on the title page and *ack co+erMICA 'ill *e responsi*le or de+eloping all content and designing and producing the *ook8 PAP 'ill *e responsi*le or editing pages in layout orm8 and producing, distri*uting, and promoting the *ookAll ees and royalties 'ill *e paid to MICA, to support programs and opportunities or our graduate students)he *ook 'ill *e authored *y Ellen Lupton, 'ith contri*utions *y aculty and students rom MICA and other schools-

Table of contents #C% pages " color throughout J / K-C inches Foreword, 5hy this boo( now8 )he *ook *egins 'ith a one2page statement de ining its goals and intended audiencesIntroduction, 9istorical overview )he opening essay 'ill talk a*out the structural tradition in graphic design, rom the Bauhaus to the present situationEssay, Theories of visual language A second essay 'ill present theoretical ideas rele+ant to the contemporary practice, dra'n rom theories o deconstruction, ne' media, architecture, and ilm Principles and Problems *onstraints Detting the limits o a design pro*lem 2oint, 3ine, 2lane )he meaning o marks8 the structure o sur aces Figure:ground Positi+e and negati+e space Scale Making meaning *y changing si9e8 scala*ility and distortion *ropping and framing Borders and edges8 'indo's and *o/es *olor Di erent systems and ho' to use them 9ierarchy Dystems o di erence 3ayering )he physical metaphor *ehind digital space

Transparency )he phenomenal metaphor *ehind digital space /rids ?rgani9ing space and time 2attern geometries )he grammar o ornament 2an, tilt, trac(, ;ump Camera mo+es and the graphic image 4rtificial life Designing systems that design themsel+es 2utting it all together Ad+anced pro*lems in *asic design

The Basic

esign literature

)he ollo'ing te/ts make up the conte/t in 'hich /raphic 0esign- Structure and E)periment 'ill *e pu*lished!ompeting works Carter, Ho* and Ben Day and Phillip Meggs- Typographic 0esign- Form and *ommunication.iley, #$$#- First pu*lished 34KC- )his te/t*ook o design <emphasi9ing typography= is presented rom a modernist point o +ie'- It is a classic 'ork 'ith continued rele+ance- It includes a compilation o design pro*lems gathered rom educators around the 'orld, 'ith e/amples o student 'ork8 included are 0*asic theoretical e/ercises1 and applied pro*lemsAma9on ranking on !uly M3, #$$C, C3,"J4Graham, Lisa- <asics of 0esign- 3ayout and Typography for <eginners - )homson Delmar Learning, #$$3- Aimed at *eginners and amateurs, this *ook does not aim to lay a critical or theoretical oundation8 the emphasis is on applying design principles to practical situations such as *usiness cards and a/ co+er sheets- Ama9on ranking on !uly M3, #$$C, 3K,#4$@oren, Leonard and H- .ippo Meckler- The /raphic 0esign *oo(boo(- 1i) and 1atch =ecipes for Faster, <etter 3ayouts- Dan Francisco, Chronicle Books, 34K4, #$$3- )his *ook ser+es as a +isual guide <'ith +ery little te/t= to prototypical or schematic layouts, sho'n not leshed out 'ith actual content *ut as 'ire rame diagrams- According to its authors, the *oo(boo( 0o ers and stimulating and economical route through hundreds o archetypal graphic design de+ices, thinking styles, and spatial solutions-1 )he *oo(boo( 'as greeted as a ne' kind o design *ook 'hen it 'as irst issued in 34K4- Ama9on ranking on !uly M3, #$$C, 334,""%@rause, !im- 3ayout 6nde)- &orthlight Books, #$$3- Like @oren and Meckler7s /raphic 0esign *oo(boo(, this *ook o ers a primarily +isual o+er+ie' to hundreds o schematic layouts- It is rom a popular series o small2scale hand*ooks <%/C inches= 'ith distincti+e plastic co+ers)he ethos o the *ook is all a*out practicality and 5uick solutions- Ama9on ranking on !uly M3, #$$C, 3",#$"Landa, Ho*in- /raphic 0esign Solutions, $E- ?n.ord Press, #$$$- )his general introduction, concei+ed as a step2*y2step ho'2to *ook- ocuses on applied communication- Ama9on ranking on !uly M3, #$$C, %M,$$JHesnick, Eli9a*eth- 0esign for *ommunication- *onceptual /raphic 0esign <asics - .iley, #$$M- )his *ook is a compilation o graphic design assignments contri*uted rom design educators around the G-D- )he *ook is attracti+e *ecause it o ers a +ariety o points o +ie' rather than a single philosophy8 this strength may also *e one o the *ook7s 'eaknesses, in that it re5uires a teacher or student to pick and choose among methodologies- )he *ook is illustrated 'ith many e/amples o student 'ork, primarily in *lack and 'hite- Ama9on ranking on !uly M3, #$$C, #K,%K3.hite, Ale/- The Elements of /raphic 0esign- Space, >nity, 2age 4rchitecture, and Type All'orth Press, #$$#- )his *ook is handy in si9e and packed 'ith in ormation and anecdote6is principle argument concerns the use o 'hite space on the printed page8 emphasis is on practical application o graphic design- )he *ook itsel is a rather unlo+ely e/ample o graphic design- Ama9on ranking on !uly M3, #$$C, 3,K#$.ilde, Hichard and !udith- .isual 3iteracy- 4 *onceptual 4pproach to /raphic 2roblem?Solving .atson2Guptill, #$$C- )his *ook is *ased on the authors7 o'n teaching, 'ith e/amples o student 'ork- .ritten in the tradition o 0*ig idea1 design, the emphasis is on de+eloping content2*ased concepts or applied communication as opposed to *asic ormal principles or analysis- Ama9on ranking on !uly M3, #$$C, J,""C-

.illiams, Ho*in- The @on?0esigners 0esign <oo(- Peachpit Press, #$$M- )his *ook alls into the 0design or dummies1 category, speaking to its audience in a chatty, condescending 'ayBook is geared e/clusi+ely to'ards applied pro*lems rather than e/perimental thinking- Dhe presents our 0*asic principles,1 contrast, repetition, alignment, and pro/imity- A nice thing techni5ue in the *ook is to sho' poorly and e ecti+ely organi9ed e/amples o the same in ormation, un ortunately, the 0good1 e/amples are almost as *ad as the *ad ones- Although this *ook is +ery success ul, it is not a high25uality 'ork- Ama9on ranking on !uly M3, #$$C, 3,M3J-

"istoric works Arnheim, Hudol - 4rt and .isual 2erception- Berkeley, Gni+ersity o Cali ornia Press, 34C"8 re+ised 34J"- )his is the classic 'ork applying principles o Gestalt psychology to art and design, arguing or the uni+ersal perceptual *asis *ehind +isual communicationBooth2Cli**orn, Ed'ard and Daniele Baroni- The 3anguage of /raphics- &e' (ork, 6arry &A*rams, 34J4- )his lush compendium uses inspiring e/amples o commercial graphic design to illustrate design principles- )he ocus is culturalFconceptual rather than ormal8 the *ook is not a modernist mani esto *ut a post2modernist anthology that dra's on 'ildly eclectic sources)he *ook ocuses on messages rather than mediaDondis, Donis- 4 2rimer of .isual 3iteracy- Cam*ridge, MI) Press, 34JM- )his *ook uses principles rom Gestalt psychology as 'ell as the Bauhaus idea o geometric analysis <point and line to plane= to promote the idea o 0+isual literacy,1 or the understanding o a*stract ormal principles *ehind the construction o imagesD'iggins, .- A- 3ayout in 4dvertising- &e' (ork, 6arper and Brothers, 34#K- )his American guide to modern ad+ertising 'as pu*lished the same year as !an )schichold7s amour mani esto, The @ew Typography- D'iggins 'as America7s master typographer, 'hose 'ork 'as in ormed *y tradition and pragmatics rather than *y ideology or progressi+ism- )he *ook is not arranged according to a theory o +isual language, *ut according to practical design genresGarland, @en- /raphics 9andboo(- &e' (ork, Heinhold, 34%%- )his *rilliant *ook 'as 'ritten *y a British designer kno'n as one o the critical thinkers o his day, a modernist 'ho 'as +ery much committed to the social li e o design- Dections on 0Concept and use o net'orks1 anticipates the 'ork o Christopher Ale/ander <0A City Is &ot a )ree1=, and 'ould *e use ul to e/plore in our proposed *ook- Also use ul are the sections on photography and typographic constraintsFranciscono, Marcel- 5alter /ropius and the *reation of the <auhaus- Gr*ana, Gni+ersity o Illinois Press, 34J3- )his is the most comprehensi+e historical account in English o Bauhaus pedagogy6o mann, Armin- /raphic 0esign 1anual- 2rinciples and 2ractice - &e' (ork, Heinhold, 34%%6o mann is one o the great D'iss design educators, 'ho in luenced generations o designers and design teachers- )his *ook documents his pedagogical method, 'hich stems or an analysis o the *asic elements o design <point, line, plane, te/ture, and so on=, and claims that +isual orms ha+e an innate a*ility to trigger an emotional response6url*urt, Allen- 3ayout- The 0esign of the 2rinted 2age- &e' (ork, .atson2Guptill, 34JJ6url*urt 'as an American maga9ine and ne'spaper designer, 'ho applied rational design systems 'ithin the pragmatic en+ironment o American media- )his intelligent *ook is no mere guide to layout, *ut a rich o+er+ie' o *asic design, illustrated throughout 'ith e/amples o pu*lished <not student= 'ork- Co+ers o*+ious areas such as *alance, contrast, and symmetryFasymmetry, as 'ell as grids and Gestalt psychology-

@andinsky, .assily- 2oint and 3ine to 2lane- &e' (ork, Do+er, 34J4- )his classic 'ork, irst pu*lished *y the Bauhaus in 34#%, descri*es the construction o an image rom point to line to plane- 6is *ook descri*ed the graphical +oca*ulary o pictures as the *asis o a uni+ersal script, not *ound to the con+entions o language and con+ention *ut communicating directly to the eye@epes, Gyorgy- 3anguage of .ision- Chicago, Paul )heo*old, 34"", 34"J- @epes taught at the &e' Bauhaus in Chicago and later at MI)- )his classic 'ork applies ideas rom Gestalt psychology to the construction o images, arguing or the *asis o a uni+ersal 0language o +ision-1 Gerstner, @arl- 0esigining 2rogrammes- Nurich, ABC Eerlag, 34%M- )his classic mani esto o D'iss modernism argues that a set o rules can unction or a designer as a decision2making machine that su*mits a +ast series o choices to the designer7s inal act o >udgment;the process is rational, *ut only until this decisi+e moment o personal intuition@lee, Paul- 2edagogical S(etchboo(- London, Fa*er and Fa*er, 34CM- )his classic 'ork *y the Bauhaus instructor and great modern painter is a poetic +isual guide to the 0language o +ision-1 @lee taught Basic Form at the Bauhaus a ter 34#"- )his 'ork, together 'ith @andinksy7s 2oint and 3ine to 2lane, in luenced all su*se5uent te/t*ooks that analy9e graphic orm as a progression o geometric elements- )he *ook 'as originally pu*lished *y the Bauhaus in 34#CMoholy2&agy, Las9lo- .ision in 1otion- Chicago, Paul )heo*old, 34"J, 34%4- Moholy2&agy taught at the Bauhaus *eginning in 34#M, and ounded the &e' Bauhaus in Chicago in 34MJ)his *ook presents ideas he de+eloped at the &e' Bauhaus, 'here Gestalt psychology 'as applied to image2making and the relationship *et'een ne' technologies and the a*stract image 'ere acti+ely e/ploredHuder, Emil- Typography- &e' (ork, 6astings 6ouse, 34J3- )his classic mani esto o D'iss design and typography promotes the systematic analysis o orm and presents classic typographic pro*lems that issue rom settting constraints on a pro*lem.eingart, .ol gang- 06o' Can ?ne Make D'iss )ypographyB1 Octavo KJ-" <34KJ=- .eingart *egan teaching at the Basel Dchool o Design <'ith his ormer pro essor Armin 6o mann= in 34%K- 6e turned the rational systems o D'iss typography to'ards e/pressi+e and e/perimental means-