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tsaP eht ni erutuF ehT The Future in the Past Conference Proceedings Book
Oriol Moret (ed.)
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.8
1.9
1.10
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
3 Singularitats Collection
0 Opening Pages
© Edicions de la Universitat gracmon icdhs 10th + 1
de Barcelona Grup de Recerca en Història de l’Art Conference Proceedings Book
Adolf Florensa, s/n i del Disseny Contemporanis Back to the Future…
08028 Barcelona
Tel.: 934 035 430 Director General Editor
Fax: 934 035 531 Teresa-M. Sala Oriol Moret
comercial.edicions@ub.edu
www.publicacions.ub.edu Editorial Board (Scientific Editors) Concept & Supervision
Mireia Freixa Oriol Moret
Director Universitat de Barcelona Borja Vilaplana
Meritxell Anton Cristina Rodríguez Samaniego
Universitat de Barcelona Art Direction
Chief Editor Carlos Reyero Borja Vilaplana
Mireia Sopena Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Tomas Macsotay Layout / Typesetting
Editor Universitat Pompeu Fabra Marta Castán
Laia Fidalgo Fátima Pombo Èlia Gil
Universidade de Aveiro Anna Juvé
isbn Oriol Moret
978-84-9168-171-7 Ester Rafael
Jonathan Sánchez
Borja Vilaplana
Translation / Proofreading
(Book 0 and Strand introductions)
Serveis Lingüístics de la
Universitat de Barcelona
Barnaby Noone (coord.)
Lucille Banham
Joe Graham
Susie Keddie
1.1 Territories in the Scene of Globalised Design: 2.1 Design Aesthetics: Beyond the Pragmatic
Localisms and Cosmopolitanisms Experience and Phenomenology
Anders V. Munch Syddansk Universitet Fátima Pombo Universidade de Aveiro
Jilly Traganou Parsons School of Design, Augusto Solórzano Universidad Nacional
New York de Colombia, Medellín
1.2 Designing the Histories of Southern Designs 2.2 Public Policies on Design and Design-driven
Priscila L. Farias Universidade de São Paulo Innovation
Tingyi S. Lin National Taiwan University Javier Gimeno-Martínez Vrije Universiteit,
of Science and Technology, Taipei Amsterdam
Wendy S. Wong York University, Toronto Pekka Korvenmaa Aalto-yliopisto, Helsinki
1.3 Mediterranean-ness: An Inquiry into Design 2.3 Digital Humanities: How Does Design
and Design History in Today’s Digital Realm Respond
Tevfik Balcıoglu Design Consultant, London to What We Need?
Marinella Ferrara Politecnico di Milano Paul Atkinson Sheffield Hallam University
Tomas Macsotay Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Tingyi S. Lin National Taiwan University
Barcelona of Science and Technology, Taipei
1.4 From Ideology to Methodology: Design 2.4 Design Studies: Design Methods and
Histories and Current Developments Methodology, the Cognitive Approach
in Post-Socialist Countries Alain Findeli Université de Nîmes / Université
Jelena Prokopljevic Universitat Internacional de Montréal
de Catalunya / Barcelona Architecture Center Pau Solà-Morales Universitat Rovira i Virgili,
Fedja Vukic Sveuciliste u Zagrebu Tarragona
0 opening pages
Introduction
Anna Calvera / icdhs 10th + 1 Scientific Committee. icdhs 2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Oriol Moret. Foreword forwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Tribute
icdhs Board. Anna Calvera (1954–2018) and the icdhs Legacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Keynote Lectures
#1—Mireia Freixa. Industrial Arts vs Arts and Crafts: Parallels and Contrasts Between Catalonia and Great Britain in the 19th
and 20th Centuries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
#2—Alain Findeli and Nesrine Ellouze. A Tentative Archeology of Social Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
#3—Pilar Vélez. The Museu del Disseny de Barcelona: Heritage, a Resource at the Service of Knowledge, Debate and Social Challenges . 41
#4—Fedja Vukic. A Theory Good Enough for Design Practice? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
1.4 From Ideology to Methodology: Design Histories and Current Developments in Post-Socialist Countries
Anna Calvera, icdhs 10th + 1 Scientific Committee / Jelena Prokopljevic, Fedja Vukic. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Anna Ulahelová. From Their Values to Our Own: Development of Graphic Design Education in Slovakia after 1989 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Iva Kostesic. From Ulm to Zagreb – Tracing the Influence of the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Socialism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Rita Paz Torres. Visual Work and Methods of the ute Graphic Workshop (1968–1973) in the Period of the University Reform in Chile . 269
Gian Nicola Ricci. The Role of Socialist Architectural Heritage and Design for the Construction of Contemporary Identities:
Modernism in Warsaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
1.5 [100th Anniversary of the Bauhaus Foundation]: Tracing the Map of the Diaspora of its Students
Anna Calvera, icdhs 10th + 1 Scientific Committee / Oscar Salinas-Flores, Haruhiko Fujita. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Toshino Iguchi. Design for Militarization in Wartime: Bauhäusler Immigrants in the US . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Hideo Tomita. Examining the Methodology of Arieh Sharon’s Kibbutz Planning (1938–50): A Perspective Based on his Architectural
Education at the Bauhaus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Chiara Barbieri and Davide Fornari. The Lost Typefaces of Xanti Schawinsky: From the Bauhaus to Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Oscar Salinas-Flores. Beyond the Bauhaus, The Fertile Creation of the Alberses in Mexico. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
1.6 Design History: Gatekeeper of the Past and Passport to a Meaningful Future?
Anna Calvera, icdhs 10th + 1 Scientific Committee / Jonathan M. Woodham, Helena Barbosa, Pekka Korvenmaa. Introduction . . 310
Li Zhang. Navigating in the Gap: Designing Historical Fiction and Speculating the Present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Niki Sioki. The Primacy of the Physical Artefact – Some Thoughts on the History of Book Design and its Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Jenny Grigg. How Paper Figures in the History of Design Ideation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Helena Barbosa. From Theory to Practice: The History of Portuguese Design as a Tool for Understanding Design Practice . . . . . . . . . 323
Emanuela Bonini Lessing and Fiorella Bulegato. Living Archives: Merging Design History and the Design Studio
in an Educational Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Kaisu Savola. ‘With whom do you feel your solidarity’ – Developing a Socially Conscious Design Practice in 1960s Finland . . . . . . . . . 333
Giuliano Simonelli and Vanessa Monna. The Landscape of Coworking Spaces: An Exploration Between Past and Future . . . . . . . . . 338
Noemí Clavería. Design for All. The Past that Provides a Future. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Luciana Gunetti. Albe Steiner’s Research for a Graphic Design History’s Active Learning and Teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Rita Cruz and Fátima Pombo. Daciano da Costa: Protagonist of Portuguese Furniture Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
Jonathan Woodham. Design and Design History in Post Brexit Britain: Looking Backwards, Looking Forwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
Noel David Waite. Adding Value Through and To Design: Lessons from New Zealand Design Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Ana F. Curralo and Helena Barbosa. Exhibition Structures: Displaying Portugal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
Mariana Almeida and Helena Barbosa. Hermeneutics of the Port Wine Poster: From Past to Present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
1.9 Design Museums Network: Strengthening Design by Making it Part of Cultural Legacy
Anna Calvera, icdhs 10th + 1 Scientific Committee / Pilar Vélez. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
Fiorella Bulegato, Emanuela Bonini Lessing, Alberto Bassi and Eleonora Charans. The Museum of the Ski Boot
and Sports Shoe and its Cultural Legacy in the Industrial Cluster of Montebelluna (Treviso) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Paul Atkinson. The Role of Design History in the Museology of Computing Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
Francesco E. Guida. Micro-histories of Italian Graphic Design as a Concept Tool for a Museum / Archive. aiap’s Graphic Design
Documentation Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
1.10 Types and Histories: Past and Present Issues of Type and Book Design
Anna Calvera, icdhs 10th + 1 Scientific Committee / Oriol Moret, Begoña Jorda-Albiñana, José M. Cerezo. Introduction . . . . . . . . 482
Isabella R. Aragão. The Brazilian Modern Letterpress Printing Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483
Igor Ramos and Helena Barbosa. The History of Opening Titles in Portuguese Cinema: First Contributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
Priscila L. Farias, Daniela K. Hanns, Isabella R. Aragão and Catherine Dixon. Designing the Early History of Typography
in Brazil, Starting from Printing in São Paulo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493
Chiara Barbieri. The Scuola del Libro in Milan at the Center of a Typographic Quarrel Between Risorgimento Grafico
and Campo Grafico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499
Mila Waldeck. Statements and Fluxshoe Add End A: The Artist’s Book versus the Crystal Goblet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
Nereida Tarazona-Belenguer, Olga Ampuero-Canellas, Jimena Gonzalez-Del Rio and Begoña Jorda-Albiñana. Textual-type
or Visual-type? Historical Approach to the Hybrid Nature of Typographical Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508
Fátima Finizola, Solange G. Coutinho and Damião Santana. Sign Painters of Pernambuco: A Brief History of the Origins,
Aesthetics and Techniques of their Practice in the Northeast of Brazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513
Emre Yıldız and Metehan Özcan. Apartment Nameplates as the Carrier of Typographic Heritage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Marcos Dopico and Natalia Crecente. The “Other” Typographic Models. The Case of Galician Typography as Identity Assertion . . . . 522
Oriol Moret and Enric Tormo. Babbling Type Bodies (Barcelona, 1507–1529) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526
2 design studies
2.3 Digital Humanities: How Does Design in Today’s Digital Realm Respond to What We Need?
Anna Calvera, icdhs 10th+1 Scientific Committee / Tingyi S. Lin, Nuria Rodríguez Ortega, Paul Atkinson, Wendy Wong. Introduction . 650
Toke Riis Ebbesen. The Mediatization of Design on Social Network Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651
Albert Díaz Mota and María José Balcells Alegre. Linked Objects: Relational Memory of Design at Barcelona Design Museum . . . . . 656
Stina Teilmann-Lock and Nanna Bonde Thylstrup. Snippets: Designs for Digital Transformations in the Age of Google Books . . . . . 661
Patrícia Martins, Didiana Prata and Ana Paula Pontes. Parameters for Documentation and Digital Strategies of Communication
for Temporary Art Exhibitions in Brazilian Museums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 666
2.4 Design Studies: Design Methods and Methodology, the Cognitive Approach
Anna Calvera, icdhs 10th+1 Scientific Committee / Pau Solà-Morales, Alain Findeli. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678
Violeta Clemente, Katja Tschimmel and Rui Vieira. A Metaphoric Thinking Styles Taxonomy to Promote Students’ Metacognitive
Self-reflection in Design Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 679
Silvia Escursell and Holly Blondin. Communicating in the 21st Century: New Materials as Creative Boosters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 684
Neus Moyano and Gillermo Zuaznabar. The Ulm School and the Teaching of Design in Barcelona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 689
Violeta Clemente, Katja Tschimmel and Fátima Pombo. Methodologies in Doctoral Research in Design: The Role of Research
Paradigms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 694
Alejandra Poblete. DRS Conferences: Barometer and Mirror of Theoretical Reflection on the Design Discipline. First Discussions . . . . 699
Ricardo Mendes Correia, Alexandra Paio and Filipe Brandão. Transdisciplinarity in Architecture as a Digital Change:
706
Back to the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Daniela Brisolara. The Teaching of Semiotics for Design: How Do We Do Today? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 711
Leslie Atzmon. Intelligible Design: The Origin and Visualization of Species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 715
(1) Anna Calvera, icdhs 10th + 1 Scientific Committee / Priscila L. Farias, M. Àngels Fortea, Isabel Campi, Begoña Jorda-Albiñana.
746
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paula Camargo and Zoy Anastassakis. Linear and Spheric Time: Past, Present and Future at Centro Carioca de Design,
747
Rio de Janeiro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rafael Efrem, Bárbara Falqueto and Thuany Alves. Counting and Interviewing Women: Female Graphic Designers
in adg Brasil Biennial Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 752
Isabel Campi. Design History Foundation: Topics in the Past, Present and Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 758
Peter Vetter. No Style. Ernst Keller (1891–1968)—Teacher and Pioneer of the So-called Swiss Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 763
Constance Delamadeleine. The Business Face of Swiss Graphic Design: The Case of Studio Hollenstein (1957–1974) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 768
Jonas Berthod. Casting the Net: Early Career Projects and Network Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 773
Edrei Ibarra Martínez. The Act of Care in Participatory Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 778
Erika Cortés and Aura Cruz. Generative Design as Tool for Social Innovation: A Methodological Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 782
Silvina Félix, Nuno Dias and Violeta Clemente. Additive Manufacturing Artefacts: An Evaluation Matrix Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . 787
(2) Carla Fernanda Fontana. Standards and Variations: Livraria José Olympio’s Book Covers in the 1930s and the 1940s . . . . . . . . . . . . . 798
Alfonso Ruiz Rallo and Noa Real García. The Criteria of Good Design in the Promotional Posters of Traditional Festivals . . . . . . . . . 804
Pedro Álvarez. Post Poster: The Loss of Aura and the Devaluation of the Chilean Poster in the Digital Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 809
Chiara Barbieri and Davide Fornari. Uncovering and Questioning Unidesign: Archival Research and Oral History at Work . . . . . . . 814
Mi-Hye Kim and Min-Soo Kim. Brassard Design: The History of Symbolic Power in Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 820
Anders V. Munch. Nordic Lighting? Poul Henningsen and the Myths of Scandinavian Twilight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 825
Sofia Diniz. From Laboratories to Libraries—Furniture for Public Services in Portugal (1940–1970) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 829
Laura Scherling. Design Utopia or Design Fiction? Reassessing Labor and Work Models in Communication Design:
From Industrialization to the Present Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 834
Tevfik Balcıoglu. Rebirth of an Old Ottoman Primary School: Urla Design Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 839
Kristina Hansen Hadberg. Publishing Distorted History. Investigating the Constructions of Design History within Contemporary
Danish Interior Design Magazines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844
Edrei Ibarra Martínez. The Visible Future Dichotomy of Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 849
726
introduction
2.5 Vehicles of Design Criticism
Although from a historical perspective design criticism has a lot in common with ar-
chitectural criticism and art criticism, in the 20th century it developed into a genre in
its own right. Critical reflections and observations on new design products, exhibitions
and other related events appeared in professional journals, popular magazines and
newspapers, and later on also in television programmes, blogs and social media. This
strand invites contributions that focus on vehicles of design criticism. What were or are
the key media of this genre of criticism in a particular geographical area or time
frame? How did or do they mediate critical thought? Which public did or do they
address and what was or is their geographical scope? The aim is to map out the diver-
sity of design critical media and to discuss how they contribute to the (transnational)
circulation of ideas and the continuous shaping of the discipline of design criticism.
scientific coordinators The sessions on ‘Vehicles of Design Criticism’ tackle the subject in two ways.
One set of papers critically reflects on the discipline of industrial design, on the
Fredie Floré
standards that have been employed over the years and on the agency of users in
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
expressing criticism. They remind us that we have a responsibility to act as
Pau Solà-Morales critics of our disciplinary fields and be aware of the temporality of the criteria
Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona we use for assessing design products and of the rich potential of participatory
Josep M. Fort processes. A second set of papers sheds light on the potential of graphic design
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, and drawing as a critical practice. How can knowledge be produced through
Barcelona artistic production? How does research through drawing contribute to design
criticism? One way of addressing these questions is by focussing on the work of
key personalities or protagonists in the field. What can we learn from their
graphic production?
Fredie Floré
735
Drawing is also research. As a contribution to de- etic manifestation and factor of identity. Using the opportunity for this presentation and in the quality
sign criticism, this paper aims to exemplify design main theoretical contributions of Calvera, Flusser, of the work (awarded and published by the interna-
practice as a laboratory of innovation (production Morris, Deleuze, Eco, Providência and Damásio and tional elite) the relevance of its dissemination. This
of knowledge). We based the analysis of the work adopting semiotics to support the analysis of João approach confirms the argument of innovation by
of the graphic designer João Machado (Portugal, Machado’s work, was an exercise that we recognized design that, by the persistence of the shapes (ideas),
1942) on design ontology, bringing to this reflection as a methodological opportunity for design criticism. confirms the knowable style of João Machado. A style
questions about the nature of design research and We find in the general ignorance of João Machado’s of aesthetic pertinence that evokes beauty in each
of the production of knowledge in design as a po- work (who deliberately avoids social exposure) the poster and sign, a difference that was born by alterity.
Introduction acter of this effort. We conclude this reflection with the levels of
The presentation and reflection about the work of the Portu- response of feelings, emotions and sensations proposed by Antó-
guese graphic designer João Machado in this 10th + 1 edition nio Damásio for the work of the designer João Machado, since we
of icdhs International Conferences on Design History and find in this graphic work, constructed from emotive drawing, the
Studies is a double opportunity, for international dissemina- possible application of the neuroscientist’s ideas about culture
tion of Portuguese design and the approximation of design re- and humanization of rational behavior by the emotions.
search developed in academia to the professional practice of
design. We find in the theme of this edition “Back to the Fu- João Machado, designer
ture: The Future in the Past” a happy coincidence in the sense João Machado is a Portuguese graphic designer, born in 1942
that we recognize in the work of this designer, especially at the in Coimbra and who graduated from the School of Fine Arts in
beginning of his graphic production (previous to the vectorial Oporto, where he also lectured. He established a studio in 1982
paradigm), an anticipation of technology and in that sense, a in the city of Oporto specializing in poster design and illustra-
manifestation of the future in the past. Aligned with the objec- tion. The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Graphic Design and
tives of the research group to which we belong, we intend to Designers (2012) characterizes the posters by the use of joyous
reconcile theory with practice in this contribution, in a critical colours, a playful arrangement of sharply defined geometric
expression that expands the knowledge of the discipline. elements and bold contrasts between flat surfaces and textured
The reading that we propose in this document first presents patterns. It also acknowledges the importance of João Macha-
the subject of the analysis, based on a short biographical note that do’s contribution to the development of Graphic Design in Por-
gives evidence of the international impact of the graphic work he tugal and, by way of example, cites his participation in poster
produced over the last four decades. It follows with a clarification biennales including Warsaw, Lahti, Brno and Colorado, as well
and position on the ontological proposal of Design as a cultural as his work in the dissemination of memorable images used as
mediator and its manifestation from the aesthetic (author), func- posters to advertise a diverse range of social, cultural and polit-
tionalist (program) and technological (technology) dimensions, ical events, such as the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and the 1998
recognizing Design as a generator of knowledge. In continuity, World Expo in Lisbon. It also notes the participation in the in-
the theme of identity (repetition and difference / style and poet- dividual exhibition patented in Dansk Plakatmuseum in Den-
ics) is called upon and particular characteristics of research un- mark in 2002 and more recently we can add the invitation of
veiled (production of knowledge legitimized by design practice) the DDD Gallery to exhibit the posters of João Machado. He has
and knowledge in Design (heuristic and abductive). The method- seen his work published in magazines such as Graphis (award-
ology of a semiotic basis is the proposal for the analysis of one of ed several times with the Graphis Award in the categories Gold,
the first posters of the author, followed by an interpretation of the Silver and Platinum and elected to the restricted group of Gra-
evolution of his graphic work, organized chronologically and phis Masters),1 Novum and Design Journal and collected nation-
showing points of similarity with the production of other move- al and international awards such as the 1985 National Design
ments and designers, internationally recognized. The limitations Award and the 1999 Icograda Award of Excellence. Machado was
of space for this contribution do not allow for great detail in the mentioned in 2015 by the International Poster Festival of Shen-
analysis of the extensive work, so we assume the exploratory char- zen (China) as one of the 100 best designers in the world.
Despite the systematic work of João Machado and the national and interna- It follows from the difficulty of affirmation
tional dissemination and publication of his work, he has always opted for a and valorization of Design as a scientific area,
low-profile posture, avoiding social exposure, which seems to result in a gener- the fact that, as Calvera (2003) reminds us,
al lack of knowledge among students and designers in Portugal. It is, therefore, Design manifests itself mainly by the impera-
in this absence of knowledge that we find the opportunity to contribute to the tive of functional discourse, in solving the
registration of designer João Machado in the authorial reference of students and small things of everyday life. Flusser (2010)
designers and, with some ambitious audacity on our part, with the general pub- calls for the approach of art in everyday life
lic. For the academic community, we think we have found the pertinence of this when it recognizes that functional objects cre-
reflection in the proposal of analysis of the work, questioning, from the ontology ate functionary societies. In João Machado, we
of Design and the careful observation of signs, using the three levels of knowl- witnessed the mythification of small things,
edge that semiotics presents as a possibility (Pragmatic or functional, Syntactic configuring the cultural mediation operated
or rhetorical, Semantic or meaning). by Design, which constitutes an ontological
hypothesis of the discipline.
Design practice as a laboratory of innovation (production of knowledge) We argue in this essay, the potentiality of
When we say drawing is also research, we recognize in the capacity of drawing, design research deriving from the reflection
the anticipation of the reality and imagination (desire), resolution of problems on Design practice as production of knowl-
(drawing) and conditioning of the future (design). As a proposal for an ontolog- edge and not by the transference of theoretical
ical framework of the discipline, Providência (2012) presented Design as a cul- knowledge to practice. In this sense, we fit this
tural mediator (through artifacts, devices and services) between the past and the scientific effort into Research from Design.
future, between companies and people, between people and others, or even be- By approach to the philosophical interpreta-
tween things. tion of heuristic thinking (automatic and un-
This process of mediation may privilege Technology (recognizing greater conscious and therefore subject to error – here
empathy with engineering) by focusing on optimizing production and reducing regarded as virtue by creative possibility) organ-
resistance between human and machine; it may privilege the Program (empath- ized sequentially by three moments –search, stop
ically approaching sociology), recognizing the importance of the consumer, or and decision – we propose as a methodological
society, thus proving to be closer to management and marketing; and may priv- possibility of the project in design and its reflec-
ilege individual or collective Authorship, which is the same as saying the culture tion, in analogy to the photographic process,
of origin (approaching art) and in this sense recognizing greater value in meta- the sequence: developer, stop and fixer.
phor as a poetic instrument and, consequently, in the aesthetic dimension of
Design (Providência, 2012).
In general, Design lives over these three dimensions: technological, func-
tional and aesthetic, but it is perhaps the aesthetic dimension of Design, direct-
ed to the production of meanings through the understanding of its symbolic
function (metaphorical) that has had less impact on research and the production
of knowledge in Design, which is an opportunity for reflection on the work of
João Machado that we open here.
This work is characterized by the balanced proposal between novelty and
repetition, easily recognizable by the systematic way that the designer creates
new shapes and reinvents the use of the shapes already discovered. About this
point Deleuze (in his PhD thesis, first published in 1968) speaks of difference
and repetition as essential points for a discussion about identity or sameness. If,
by repetition, he avoids the confrontation with change, it is also by insisting in
a dominant chromatic range, used consciously by himself, that we can recog-
nize the João Machado style. It is in their relationship with the other (designers,
culture, time) that he inaugurates a difference that is born by alterity. In a dou-
ble sense, the construction of difference and the understanding of difference are
founders of the poetics of Design whose value emerges when the value of prac-
tice (functional) is naturalized and can be manifested by the innovation of
shapes/ideas (creation of new meanings, anticipating time); aesthetically moti-
vated subjective construction (autobiographical and that humanizes the world
through the construction of beauty), or by metaphor (attribution of a second
destiny to things) (Providência, 2015).
Recalling Umberto Eco, who reflects on how to make a thesis, we can say
that the great challenge presented in research, not specifically in Design, is the
balance of respect for science (repetition) and the production of innovation
(difference).
2.5 Vehicles of Design Criticism 737
The work of João Machado to the periphery. The design shows chro- the speculative identification of peer in-
The poster is the visual communication matic shades in variations from magenta fluences.
medium from which the graphic work of to red, passing through yellows. The chro- Francisco Providência (2016), invited
João Machado achieved the greatest pro- matic choice consisting of six similar flat to interpret the work of João Machado,
jection over his more than 40 years of tones (magenta, pink, red, yellow, pale describes, in the international context of
profession. It is also important to leave a black and deep black), produces a harmon- graphic production, three great phases
note on the stamp design that has also ic effect of consonance. On the whole, the organized chronologically. In the 1980s
taken place in a systematic way and that poster presents a simple and solid gram- (Fig. 2) he observes a convergence of in-
has earned him during this period sev- mar, of classic composition centered in an terest in Pop Art, recognizing in the
eral national and international awards. allegorical style, resorting to an organic chromatic exaltation of saturated col-
There is evidence of work in the domain drawing that explores baroque phytomor- ours, preference for solid-coloured sur-
of corporate identity and editorial de- phic evocation. faces, juxtaposed by border lines, in
sign, albeit with much less expression Reflecting on Semantics (analysis of
and, by inheriting the initial formation meaning structures), or on the message
in sculpture, the author has created conveyed, the image, allusive to the
some three-dimensional artifacts that commemoration of the International
normally mark the individual exhibi- Year of the Child (1979), recurs to fanci-
tions. For a digital immersion in the ful representation, integrating rep-
work of João Machado we suggest a visit resentation of a juvenile human (baby)
to the site https://joaomachado.com.2 in a floral crown, as well invoking meta-
For the analysis of the work, we posi- phorically the child as the center of life,
tion ourselves by the descriptive critical beauty and human joy. The composition
approach based on the personal experi- (iconographic, symbolic and chromatic)
ence of design practice and scientific produces an empathic feeling of admira-
knowledge of the research team (a junior tion and loving protection. The poster
designer and researcher and a designer seems to aim to sensitize society to the
and senior researcher) and not by a col- importance of children, producing in
lection and interpretation of data by sta- the viewer a feeling of goodness.
tistical treatment. Finally, through the contribution of
We used the Semiotic theory of the Pragmatics (analysis of structures of sig-
American philosopher Charles Morris nification), or of the means used, it is
(1901–1979) for the classification of possible to visualize the representation
signs and his proposal of division into of juxtaposed coloured and flat spots (as
Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics as a if they were elements cut by a scalpel).
tool for the interpretation of the poster Its technical production starts from a
designed for the commemoration of the manual contour drawing (closed irregu- Fig. 1 Poster for International Year of Child (1979), Secretaria
International Year of the Child in 1979 lar polygons) that serves as a matrix for de Estado da Cultura, Portugal (© João Machado).
We are therefore faced with work of the world, which surprises by the coherence of
graphic grammars, where the mastery of the use of colour (referred to unanimously
by the national and international peers) thrills and stands out as a factor of identity.
It surprises because it maintains a minimalist aesthetic that overcomes the oscillat-
ing tendencies of the last 40 years of graphic production. It surprises because it re-
mains critical but presents an optimistic design of understanding of the world. It
surprises because it favours the recognition of the style João Machado even contem-
plating very different influences. If by contamination of the Anglo-Saxon Pop move-
ment, we witness a constant party that brings us to a state of excitement at the begin-
ning of this graphic production, and in the latter years makes us travel in love with
the East and by the nostalgia evoked, we are invited to remain in state of meditation.
References
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Gustavo Gili Editores.
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e Debates – Círculo de Leitores.
Flusser, V. (2010). Uma filosofia do Design: a forma das coisas. Lisboa: Relógio d’Água Editores.
Livingston, A.; Livingston, I. (2012). Dictionary of Graphic Design and Designers. London: Thames & Hud-
son (3rd ed.).
Providência, F. (2012). Poeta ou aquele que faz: a poética como inovação em Design. Aveiro: Universidade de
Aveiro (PhD thesis).
— (2015). Inovação: contributos do Design para o desenvolvimento económico e social. Aveiro: Universidade de
Aveiro.
— (2016). “João Machado: comunicar com o mundo”. In: Bártolo, José (coord.). João Machado: Colecção de-
signers portugueses. Matosinhos: Cardume Editores.
Acknowledgement
This research is financed by national funds through fct – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P., under
the grant SFRH/BD/107738/2015.
Marlene Ribeiro is a student of the Doctoral Program in Francisco Providência is Director of the Doctoral Pro-
Design of the University of Aveiro and member of the ID + gram in Design of the University of Aveiro and member of
Research Institute of Design, Media and Culture. Her re- the ID + Research Institute of Design, Media and Culture.
search interests are Visual Communication; Critical De- His research interests are Projects of Design; Museogra-
sign; Semiotics; Design for the Territories. ORCID number phy; Ontology of Design; Poiesis. ORCID Number 0000-
0000-0003-0055-9851. 0002-6411-5267.
marlenefribeiro@ua.pt He has his own studio since 1985 in the city of Oporto.
www.fprovidencia.com.
fprovidencia@ua.pt