dear class: follow the instructions I sent via announcement. there's plenty to discuss. this is basically the developments of graphic design during 1980s-1990s.
21 comments:
Anonymous
said...
As I was reading through the posts, the one pertaining to “2000’s maximalism” quickly caught my eye. What first drew me in were the bright colors of all the pictures that were in this post; they all have a “fun” tone to them. Furthermore, the last post regarding a “Going out of business sale” made me realize that advertisements and signage are way different now than it was just a couple of decades ago. However, it’s interesting to compare this with children’s television because that has only gone in the opposite direction. For instance, programs designed specifically for children nowadays try to incorporate bright, flashy colors. The content is also a lot more fast-paced with activity going on every second to make sure the child’s attention is never lost. Despite this, the beginning of children’s programs were designed much more relaxed and less in your face. Advertisements sort of follow this same strategy except in the opposite way since most ads are targeted toward adults rather than children. They started with a lot of bold colors and content in every square inch, as you can see in the post, but are only reducing these distracting elements as time goes on.
I really enjoyed the Flamingo Studio, Tokyo (bad is good design). It kinda reminds me of the MAD Magazine covers and comics, but I feel like this type of art is really important and eye catching because it goes against the norms and what we think successful or good art should look like. And bad art doesn’t always need to invoke a comedic vibe, it can be funny or thought provoking because it is so different from what we expect. I think this art is really awesome and makes it more relatable.
Going through this week’s posts, I gravitated towards Stefan Sagmeister. His name and work are definitely known in the design community because, well, he is an icon. Not everybody finds his work agreeable, but that is the beauty of art as well as design: it evokes all sorts of emotions and reactions. Sagmeister’s typographical work is iconic with how it’s placed in unconventional environments. The way he plays with type and physical, tangible objects and locations is incredible. When most people discuss and think about typography, they typically talk about it with a digital world lens. By “digital world,” I mean creating a typographic treatment on the computer as a flat graphic and then translating that work into printed media. Sagmeister revolutionized how we can play around with typography in the real world, such as making words out of bananas, or even carving words into someone’s body. I find that he–among several other designers– was able to capture design in life.
Many of the posts for this week focus on typeface. I think many of the designers seemed to follow similar themes about the importance of the words in design and challenging the rules for them. The rules are, as Jeffrey Keedy says, made to be broken. Some of the work that stuck out to me was that of Neville Brody. I like how he disregards legibility for some of his fonts. To me, it communicates the idea of "it's not what you say, it's how you say it." This approach of emphasizing typeface above all else has led to his ultra successful design for Coca Cola. Its just pure typeface design, but it is a highly recognizable part of a massive brand. This emphasis on font aligns with George Lois' first rule: the word comes first, then the visual.
From overlooking the posts for last class, the post on the typeface morire caught my attention the most. I was looking at the font online and found it extremely interesting how we went from using sans-serif Helvetica to this new font that is alternating from just outlines to solids with chunks missing. This typeface shows the change in typography within popular culture and modern art. The change towards more ideas that seem outlandish or completely against the accepted understanding of fine art. Taking a more holistic view of this change in fonts, I find it extremely interesting to see how the art culture will shift from minimalistic to maximalist and hit all the ranges in between. I feel that in our current age we are moving from a more minimalistic approach to a maximalist age. I have noticed this mostly in architecture and interior design and within social media.
Something I found interesting among the posts was the artist named David Carson. He is an American graphic designer and the art director of the magazine called Ray gun. He is known for using a typographic and layout approach, using distressed textures and layered backgrounds in the magazine. The layouts are also very distinctive. He is known to have defined the aesthetic known as grunge. This type of art is inspired by rock culture, and it breaks the rules of what is considered traditional graphic design. Carson has said his inspiration and what has helped him achieve his artistic vision is his professional surfing career. He says that it has allowed him to not only identify his audience but relate them as well.
I really enjoyed reading the design manifesto. It begins with the writers discussing how they are the first generation of artist/designers to grow up in a “commercial” society that’s economy is driven off of advertisement. I enjoyed how they discussed how “Commercial work has always paid the bills, but many graphic designers have now let it become, in large measure, what designers do.” Additionally, it discusses how designers are now spending a majority of their creativity focusing on something that is “inessential at best''. Furthermore, the manifesto mentions how there are pursuits more worthy of their problem solving abilities and they propose a reversal of priorities. In my opinion based on what I see from a majority of graphic design today, this manifesto was not successful but I do think that it is logical.
When looking through the newest posts, I was intrigued by Chris Ware's works. His more inventive look at the Sunday comics made me realize a whole other world of art that I rarely think about today anymore; newspaper comics. Newspaper comics are a very unique piece of art, because it needs to grab the attention of the viewer by possibly making them laugh or think. Not only this, but they also only had a certain amount of space to work with, while simultaneously competing with other comic strips for their spot as well as producing a work every week. One specific comic that comes to mind is Peanuts, which even transcended the newspaper. The melancholy humor typical of Peanuts does not seem like something people would gravitate towards, but from 1950 to 2000 this comic strip flourished. Chris Ware’s works also played with themes that are not what you would expect from a newspaper comic strip. I believe this juxtaposition of comically drawn characters to somber themes may be what draws people into comics like these, or maybe they are just looking for something different than the goofy humor most other comics employ.
During this week’s class period, I was most interested by iconoclasm and Stephen Sagmeister and you had described him as an “iconoclast.” I found the idea of iconoclasm to be the most interesting to me as I love ideas that challenge the overall, majority believed thoughts of the world. The main form of iconoclasm I found was mainly religion related as it is the deliberate wrecking of religious idols or statues for mainly political or religious motive. Stephen fits into the iconoclast category of any person who breaks or disdains established dogma or conventions. A great example of this includes Stephen’s work of having an advertised lecture literally etched into his skin to help visualized the pain that comes with most people’s projects they design. His work and the embodiment of iconoclasm can only be described as “convention-shattering and unflinchingly brave.”
An aspect from the images that I found interesting was when Mary Jose Cristerna was mentioned. Her story as a performance artist by expressing herself through her body’s image made me understand that art can be expressed in many different mediums. Her design and mark was made through using her body to utilize her own self expression. Design can be done on any surface whether it’s digital or on someone’s own properties. Cristina’s story is so compelling that she has inspired me to think about utilizing other mediums to express myself.
So, I liked Ed Fella's sort of whimsical designs and I ended up researching a little about him. To try and put on those "Era glasses." He was a commercial artist from 1957-1987. Around the 60s and 70s he wasn't feeling the whole commercial scene and felt like he could do more. So, he ended up getting deeply involved in Detroit's cultural scene. He ended up directing Detroit Focus Quarterly before he ended up quitting the commercial industry in 1985 and going to art school. After graduation he ended up teaching and forged a new generation of graphic designers. Earning him the title the "Graphic Godfather." After reading up on Ed Fella I have a newfound respect for him. Without him I feel like graphic design would be very different today. At the very least a few years behind where it is now.
From all the material we reviewed this week on our own, the designs of Chris Ware stood out the most to me. His approach to his subject material and the way he presented it allowed for him to carve out his own little design niche. Despite his medium being in the form of a comic page strip, his exploration of themes like social isolation, emotional torment and depression and how they play into a character’s identity was an interesting point of his work. Ware’s work also painted the many subtle complexities of society and how its affects rippled into his personal life. Some of his other graphic novels include “Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth” (2000), “Building Stories” (2012) and “Rusty Brown”(2019) and they all had similar themes to his other works and his signature artwork was on full display.
An artists that really caught my eye while losing through the posts was David Carson. Carsons was one of the first graphic designers to use this kind of grunge style and it encompassed dirty and non-main stream photographic techniques. He revolutionized the graphic design scene of the 1990’s with his unconventional style. He geared his work towards the younger audience by using this sort of chaotic and bold look. Because of this companies loved him and he moved on to work at big brands such as: Nike, Pepsi Cola, Ray Bans, Levi Strauss and MTV Global among others. After reading however, what I found most interesting is that many of his first works had to do with surfing . When I think of surfing and grunge I would never pair them together, however it seemed to work for Carson. However, there was actually a personal connection between the two because before his career in graphic design, he was actually named the 9th best surfer in the world. Linking the two together brings two of his passions together and I think you can see this in some of his early works for the magazines.
After reading the required readings for class, I was very intrigued by Jeffery Keedy and his manifesto. After reading his passage and him explaining that those roles were meant to be broken, I went to the next artist in the readings and found David Carson. His design and typography were different than the earliest ones we have done in this class. I thought back to the beginning of typography, and the Gutenberg bible, and compared the two. The spacing, formality, and standardized typography of the Gutenberg bible were the opposite of Carson and his designs. Obviously, throughout hundreds of years, there will be change, but it seems as if those past elements have been lost. Carson was able to create artworks full of unique visuals, heavy usage of typographical elements, and the use of saturated color. His pieces seemed to be busy and loud and attracted the attention of the reader. It’s fascinating to see just how much has changed in the graphic design space since we began this class. I think this comparison is a good way of understanding how innovative and new the past 20-30 years have been for graphic design. The old elements have been “broken” and freedom and informality have become the new norm.
Earlier in the semester, I asked if art was less valid if it's made through electronic medium because it loses the effort and masterful journey that go into painting, drawing, sculpting, woodworking, etc. Looking at Lucas de Groot's Jesus Loves You, it is hard to fight the urge to say "that's not art." Looking at this display of Groot's almost illegible font against spiky objects, the deconstructive, thorny typeface sells for $19.00 on foxyfonts.com along with its sibling fonts Jesus Loves Your Sister and Jesus Loves Your Brother that are less and less legible than the original. Looking at this font, you may logically ask "when would someone use this font?" especially after looking at the price tag. However, Tim Hartford, author of 'Messy: How To be Creative and Resilient in a Tidy-Minded World' found that using "ugly" fonts like Comic Sans or Monotype Corsiva help you concentrate on what you are reading because they attract your attention and are more memorable because you spent longer trying to decipher what it says. The goal of most fonts seems to be looking aesthetically pleasing or even just being legible, so Jesus Loves You's almost opposite intentions help us see it as art.
The images I saw in the tab “Flamingo Studio, Tokyo (bad-is-good design)” were the ones that appealed to me the most. While I was researching further, I stumbled across an order of image value Teruhiko Yumura established.
1. Heta-Uma (Unskilled good) 2. Heta-Heta (Unskilled bad) - this type of art must not be underestimated 3. Uma-Uma (Skilled good) -boring art, professional-looking by a professional 4. Uma-Heta (Skilled bad) - worst illustration, relies on technique, no passion
Heta-Uma is considered the most valuable type of art because it can only be appreciated after a careful look. It’s ugly appearance is more valued than what makes an illustration good.
I really like this way of approaching to art. I mean let’s say you you look at a skilled, good painting. When you Google “the greatest art of all time”, paintings like the Mona Lisa, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Birth of Venus, and Las Meninas pop up. They are the most famous and “best art of all time”. You look at them and they are skillful, beautiful masterpieces. Yes, once you look at them longer, you might decipher the hidden messages behind each painting but but Yumura claims that they aren’t as valuable as paintings considered ugly at first sight because when you look at Ugly Good paintings it takes you some time to appreciate their beauty. When you look at the Mona Lisa, you appreciate it’s beauty at first sight and maybe that’s why appreciating the beauty of a painting that’s ugly at first sight more valuable. Ugly paintings activate the motor region of the brain the most.
Chris Ware is an innovative American comic book artist, best known for his 'Jimmy Corrigan' series and his 'Acme Novelty Library'. Ware draws his inspiration from Herge, Joost Swarte, Mark Smeets, Guido Crepax and other European "clear line" artists as well as the classical American newspaper comics by Winsor McCay, George Herriman, Charles M. Schulz and Frank King. But Ware also has a lot of his own ideas. I found it interesting that he is particularily famous for his 'Miniature Workings', do-it-yourself kits integrated in his comics, like his 'The Acme Novelty Library', in which the reader has to assemble a bookshelf and the books to put in it. 'The Acme Novelty Library’, is considered a significant work in alternative comics, selling over 20,000 copies per issue. Many fans are now addicted to these stylish kits, which he self-publishes. Chris Ware is a master of composition and color and held to be one of the bright hopes of the American comic.
Barnbrook’s designs caught my attention and popped out to me the most while going through last week's post. I enjoyed the way they felt futuristic while also sometimes very dystopian. After going through his site, I learned that although his designs are different, he keeps them simple and eye-catching to reel in the audience. For example, generally, his book covers contain a photograph with type used as a way to create a design. The fonts speak for the context and theme of the book and help paint a picture of what to expect inside the book. The covers seem simple, but they tell you a story before you even open the book. His alternative poster design for the 2012 Olympics also stuck out to me. It is so interesting because it is not like any other Olympic poster design I have ever seen, and it looks like something from the future. His creative fonts also make this design so unique and contribute so much to the overall design.
I was really interested in the post about teruhiko yumura and heta-uma! I’m a Japanese minor and I love Japanese artists, Yoshitomo Nara being my favorite, so I wanted to dive a little deeper into the underground movement. Born out of the postmodernist movement in Japan during the 70s and 80s, it became widely popular due to its stark contrast from popular manga artist’s precise style at the time. Translated most accurately as “unskilled good”, I think what I really love about this movement is the fact that it really makes you look twice. While it would be easy to assume that these artists aren’t well trained based on the artistry, the way the art is composed, the colors, the themes, etc. are all indicative of deep thought and excellent training. Heta-uma forces you to look beneath the surface, and question what makes good art so good in the first place.
I found the style of the eBOY pixel art group to be really interesting. The designs of eBOY remind me of an iSpy book with the complicated cities with hidden designs to be found inside. I think it's crazy that companies would use designs that are this artistic and cartoonish for an advertisement. It's a really unique style of design with bright colors and an overload of graphics that are almost overstimulating to the eye. There is so much going on in every work by them and it looks like they are hand-drawn even though they are pixel art.
21 comments:
As I was reading through the posts, the one pertaining to “2000’s maximalism” quickly caught my eye. What first drew me in were the bright colors of all the pictures that were in this post; they all have a “fun” tone to them. Furthermore, the last post regarding a “Going out of business sale” made me realize that advertisements and signage are way different now than it was just a couple of decades ago. However, it’s interesting to compare this with children’s television because that has only gone in the opposite direction. For instance, programs designed specifically for children nowadays try to incorporate bright, flashy colors. The content is also a lot more fast-paced with activity going on every second to make sure the child’s attention is never lost. Despite this, the beginning of children’s programs were designed much more relaxed and less in your face. Advertisements sort of follow this same strategy except in the opposite way since most ads are targeted toward adults rather than children. They started with a lot of bold colors and content in every square inch, as you can see in the post, but are only reducing these distracting elements as time goes on.
Maggie Nusim
I really enjoyed the Flamingo Studio, Tokyo (bad is good design). It kinda reminds me of the MAD Magazine covers and comics, but I feel like this type of art is really important and eye catching because it goes against the norms and what we think successful or good art should look like. And bad art doesn’t always need to invoke a comedic vibe, it can be funny or thought provoking because it is so different from what we expect. I think this art is really awesome and makes it more relatable.
Mallory Harrington-Fei
Going through this week’s posts, I gravitated towards Stefan Sagmeister. His name and work are definitely known in the design community because, well, he is an icon. Not everybody finds his work agreeable, but that is the beauty of art as well as design: it evokes all sorts of emotions and reactions. Sagmeister’s typographical work is iconic with how it’s placed in unconventional environments. The way he plays with type and physical, tangible objects and locations is incredible. When most people discuss and think about typography, they typically talk about it with a digital world lens. By “digital world,” I mean creating a typographic treatment on the computer as a flat graphic and then translating that work into printed media. Sagmeister revolutionized how we can play around with typography in the real world, such as making words out of bananas, or even carving words into someone’s body. I find that he–among several other designers– was able to capture design in life.
Melody Macias
Many of the posts for this week focus on typeface. I think many of the designers seemed to follow similar themes about the importance of the words in design and challenging the rules for them. The rules are, as Jeffrey Keedy says, made to be broken. Some of the work that stuck out to me was that of Neville Brody. I like how he disregards legibility for some of his fonts. To me, it communicates the idea of "it's not what you say, it's how you say it." This approach of emphasizing typeface above all else has led to his ultra successful design for Coca Cola. Its just pure typeface design, but it is a highly recognizable part of a massive brand. This emphasis on font aligns with George Lois' first rule: the word comes first, then the visual.
Andrew Dubinett
From overlooking the posts for last class, the post on the typeface morire caught my attention the most. I was looking at the font online and found it extremely interesting how we went from using sans-serif Helvetica to this new font that is alternating from just outlines to solids with chunks missing. This typeface shows the change in typography within popular culture and modern art. The change towards more ideas that seem outlandish or completely against the accepted understanding of fine art. Taking a more holistic view of this change in fonts, I find it extremely interesting to see how the art culture will shift from minimalistic to maximalist and hit all the ranges in between. I feel that in our current age we are moving from a more minimalistic approach to a maximalist age. I have noticed this mostly in architecture and interior design and within social media.
Marley Rubin
Something I found interesting among the posts was the artist named David Carson. He is an American graphic designer and the art director of the magazine called Ray gun. He is known for using a typographic and layout approach, using distressed textures and layered backgrounds in the magazine. The layouts are also very distinctive. He is known to have defined the aesthetic known as grunge. This type of art is inspired by rock culture, and it breaks the rules of what is considered traditional graphic design. Carson has said his inspiration and what has helped him achieve his artistic vision is his professional surfing career. He says that it has allowed him to not only identify his audience but relate them as well.
Megan Alexander
I really enjoyed reading the design manifesto. It begins with the writers discussing how they are the first generation of artist/designers to grow up in a “commercial” society that’s economy is driven off of advertisement. I enjoyed how they discussed how “Commercial work has always paid the bills, but many graphic designers have now let it become, in large measure, what designers do.” Additionally, it discusses how designers are now spending a majority of their creativity focusing on something that is “inessential at best''. Furthermore, the manifesto mentions how there are pursuits more worthy of their problem solving abilities and they propose a reversal of priorities. In my opinion based on what I see from a majority of graphic design today, this manifesto was not successful but I do think that it is logical.
-luke shea
When looking through the newest posts, I was intrigued by Chris Ware's works. His more inventive look at the Sunday comics made me realize a whole other world of art that I rarely think about today anymore; newspaper comics. Newspaper comics are a very unique piece of art, because it needs to grab the attention of the viewer by possibly making them laugh or think. Not only this, but they also only had a certain amount of space to work with, while simultaneously competing with other comic strips for their spot as well as producing a work every week. One specific comic that comes to mind is Peanuts, which even transcended the newspaper. The melancholy humor typical of Peanuts does not seem like something people would gravitate towards, but from 1950 to 2000 this comic strip flourished. Chris Ware’s works also played with themes that are not what you would expect from a newspaper comic strip. I believe this juxtaposition of comically drawn characters to somber themes may be what draws people into comics like these, or maybe they are just looking for something different than the goofy humor most other comics employ.
Will Neugebauer
good points. don’t mind me.
During this week’s class period, I was most interested by iconoclasm and Stephen Sagmeister and you had described him as an “iconoclast.” I found the idea of iconoclasm to be the most interesting to me as I love ideas that challenge the overall, majority believed thoughts of the world. The main form of iconoclasm I found was mainly religion related as it is the deliberate wrecking of religious idols or statues for mainly political or religious motive. Stephen fits into the iconoclast category of any person who breaks or disdains established dogma or conventions. A great example of this includes Stephen’s work of having an advertised lecture literally etched into his skin to help visualized the pain that comes with most people’s projects they design. His work and the embodiment of iconoclasm can only be described as “convention-shattering and unflinchingly brave.”
Adeeb Ahmed
An aspect from the images that I found interesting was when Mary Jose Cristerna was mentioned. Her story as a performance artist by expressing herself through her body’s image made me understand that art can be expressed in many different mediums. Her design and mark was made through using her body to utilize her own self expression. Design can be done on any surface whether it’s digital or on someone’s own properties. Cristina’s story is so compelling that she has inspired me to think about utilizing other mediums to express myself.
Melanie Bergunker
So, I liked Ed Fella's sort of whimsical designs and I ended up researching a little about him. To try and put on those "Era glasses." He was a commercial artist from 1957-1987. Around the 60s and 70s he wasn't feeling the whole commercial scene and felt like he could do more. So, he ended up getting deeply involved in Detroit's cultural scene. He ended up directing Detroit Focus Quarterly before he ended up quitting the commercial industry in 1985 and going to art school. After graduation he ended up teaching and forged a new generation of graphic designers. Earning him the title the "Graphic Godfather." After reading up on Ed Fella I have a newfound respect for him. Without him I feel like graphic design would be very different today. At the very least a few years behind where it is now.
Joshua Biggins
From all the material we reviewed this week on our own, the designs of Chris Ware stood out the most to me. His approach to his subject material and the way he presented it allowed for him to carve out his own little design niche. Despite his medium being in the form of a comic page strip, his exploration of themes like social isolation, emotional torment and depression and how they play into a character’s identity was an interesting point of his work. Ware’s work also painted the many subtle complexities of society and how its affects rippled into his personal life. Some of his other graphic novels include “Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth” (2000), “Building Stories” (2012) and “Rusty Brown”(2019) and they all had similar themes to his other works and his signature artwork was on full display.
-Michael Wexler
An artists that really caught my eye while losing through the posts was David Carson. Carsons was one of the first graphic designers to use this kind of grunge style and it encompassed dirty and non-main stream photographic techniques. He revolutionized the graphic design scene of the 1990’s with his unconventional style. He geared his work towards the younger audience by using this sort of chaotic and bold look. Because of this companies loved him and he moved on to work at big brands such as: Nike, Pepsi Cola, Ray Bans, Levi Strauss and MTV Global among others. After reading however, what I found most interesting is that many of his first works had to do with surfing . When I think of surfing and grunge I would never pair them together, however it seemed to work for Carson. However, there was actually a personal connection between the two because before his career in graphic design, he was actually named the 9th best surfer in the world. Linking the two together brings two of his passions together and I think you can see this in some of his early works for the magazines.
- Gianna de Landaburu
After reading the required readings for class, I was very intrigued by Jeffery Keedy and his manifesto. After reading his passage and him explaining that those roles were meant to be broken, I went to the next artist in the readings and found David Carson. His design and typography were different than the earliest ones we have done in this class. I thought back to the beginning of typography, and the Gutenberg bible, and compared the two. The spacing, formality, and standardized typography of the Gutenberg bible were the opposite of Carson and his designs. Obviously, throughout hundreds of years, there will be change, but it seems as if those past elements have been lost. Carson was able to create artworks full of unique visuals, heavy usage of typographical elements, and the use of saturated color. His pieces seemed to be busy and loud and attracted the attention of the reader. It’s fascinating to see just how much has changed in the graphic design space since we began this class. I think this comparison is a good way of understanding how innovative and new the past 20-30 years have been for graphic design. The old elements have been “broken” and freedom and informality have become the new norm.
- John Dudzik
Earlier in the semester, I asked if art was less valid if it's made through electronic medium because it loses the effort and masterful journey that go into painting, drawing, sculpting, woodworking, etc. Looking at Lucas de Groot's Jesus Loves You, it is hard to fight the urge to say "that's not art." Looking at this display of Groot's almost illegible font against spiky objects, the deconstructive, thorny typeface sells for $19.00 on foxyfonts.com along with its sibling fonts Jesus Loves Your Sister and Jesus Loves Your Brother that are less and less legible than the original. Looking at this font, you may logically ask "when would someone use this font?" especially after looking at the price tag. However, Tim Hartford, author of 'Messy: How To be Creative and Resilient in a Tidy-Minded World' found that using "ugly" fonts like Comic Sans or Monotype Corsiva help you concentrate on what you are reading because they attract your attention and are more memorable because you spent longer trying to decipher what it says. The goal of most fonts seems to be looking aesthetically pleasing or even just being legible, so Jesus Loves You's almost opposite intentions help us see it as art.
Julie Erhardt
The images I saw in the tab “Flamingo Studio, Tokyo (bad-is-good design)” were the ones that appealed to me the most. While I was researching further, I stumbled across an order of image value Teruhiko Yumura established.
1. Heta-Uma (Unskilled good)
2. Heta-Heta (Unskilled bad) - this type of art must not be underestimated
3. Uma-Uma (Skilled good) -boring art, professional-looking by a professional
4. Uma-Heta (Skilled bad) - worst illustration, relies on technique, no passion
Heta-Uma is considered the most valuable type of art because it can only be appreciated after a careful look. It’s ugly appearance is more valued than what makes an illustration good.
I really like this way of approaching to art. I mean let’s say you you look at a skilled, good painting. When you Google “the greatest art of all time”, paintings like the Mona Lisa, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Birth of Venus, and Las Meninas pop up. They are the most famous and “best art of all time”. You look at them and they are skillful, beautiful masterpieces. Yes, once you look at them longer, you might decipher the hidden messages behind each painting but but Yumura claims that they aren’t as valuable as paintings considered ugly at first sight because when you look at Ugly Good paintings it takes you some time to appreciate their beauty. When you look at the Mona Lisa, you appreciate it’s beauty at first sight and maybe that’s why appreciating the beauty of a painting that’s ugly at first sight more valuable. Ugly paintings activate the motor region of the brain the most.
Naz Usman
Chris Ware is an innovative American comic book artist, best known for his 'Jimmy Corrigan' series and his 'Acme Novelty Library'. Ware draws his inspiration from Herge, Joost Swarte, Mark Smeets, Guido Crepax and other European "clear line" artists as well as the classical American newspaper comics by Winsor McCay, George Herriman, Charles M. Schulz and Frank King. But Ware also has a lot of his own ideas. I found it interesting that he is particularily famous for his 'Miniature Workings', do-it-yourself kits integrated in his comics, like his 'The Acme Novelty Library', in which the reader has to assemble a bookshelf and the books to put in it. 'The Acme Novelty Library’, is considered a significant work in alternative comics, selling over 20,000 copies per issue. Many fans are now addicted to these stylish kits, which he self-publishes. Chris Ware is a master of composition and color and held to be one of the bright hopes of the American comic.
Jordyn Simon
Barnbrook’s designs caught my attention and popped out to me the most while going through last week's post. I enjoyed the way they felt futuristic while also sometimes very dystopian. After going through his site, I learned that although his designs are different, he keeps them simple and eye-catching to reel in the audience. For example, generally, his book covers contain a photograph with type used as a way to create a design. The fonts speak for the context and theme of the book and help paint a picture of what to expect inside the book. The covers seem simple, but they tell you a story before you even open the book. His alternative poster design for the 2012 Olympics also stuck out to me. It is so interesting because it is not like any other Olympic poster design I have ever seen, and it looks like something from the future. His creative fonts also make this design so unique and contribute so much to the overall design.
Clarke Weddington
I was really interested in the post about teruhiko yumura and heta-uma! I’m a Japanese minor and I love Japanese artists, Yoshitomo Nara being my favorite, so I wanted to dive a little deeper into the underground movement. Born out of the postmodernist movement in Japan during the 70s and 80s, it became widely popular due to its stark contrast from popular manga artist’s precise style at the time. Translated most accurately as “unskilled good”, I think what I really love about this movement is the fact that it really makes you look twice. While it would be easy to assume that these artists aren’t well trained based on the artistry, the way the art is composed, the colors, the themes, etc. are all indicative of deep thought and excellent training. Heta-uma forces you to look beneath the surface, and question what makes good art so good in the first place.
Sophie Amador
I found the style of the eBOY pixel art group to be really interesting. The designs of eBOY remind me of an iSpy book with the complicated cities with hidden designs to be found inside. I think it's crazy that companies would use designs that are this artistic and cartoonish for an advertisement. It's a really unique style of design with bright colors and an overload of graphics that are almost overstimulating to the eye. There is so much going on in every work by them and it looks like they are hand-drawn even though they are pixel art.
- AJ
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