"A Designer's Art", Paul Rand

(pg4) “The Designer’s Problem”

“To believe that a good layout is produced merely by making a pleasing arrangement of some visual miscellany (photos, type, illustrations) is an erroneous conception of the graphic designer’s function. What is implied is that a problem can be solved simply be pushing things around until something happens. This obviously involves the time-consuming uncertainties of trial and error.”

“The designer is confronted, primarily, with three classes of material: a) the given – produce, copy, slogan, logotype, format, media, production process; b) the formal – space, contrast, proportion, harmony, rhythm, repetition, line, mass, shape, colour, weight, volume, value, texture; c) the psychological – visual perception and optical illusion problems, the spectator’s instincts, intuitions, and emotions as well as the designer’s own needs.”

Pg(239)

“Graphic design which fufills aesthetic needs, complies with the laws of form and the exigencies of two dimensional space; which speak in semiotics, sans-serifs, and geometrics; which abstracts, transforms translates, rotates, dilates, repeats, mirrors, groups and regroups is not good design if it is irrelevant.

Graphic design which evokes the symmetria of Vitruvius, the dynamic symmetry of Hambidge, asymmetry of Mondrian; which is good gestalt, generated by intuition or by computer, by invention of by a system of coordinates is not good design if it does not communicate.”

By the argument of Paul Rand if a piece of design does not effectively communicate, or solve the presented problem – even if it is aesthetically appealing – as a commercial service it does meet the needs of the consumer or client and therefore is not good design.

The psychological theories of Arnheim and Ross pose an understanding of aesthetics within design, however do not provide a finite way of processing, translating and effectively communicating subject matter. Therefore their importance to contemporary design practice, as according to Rand, is in fact limited as they do not provide all the necessary elements of a design work. 

Rand, P. (1985) A Designer's Art. New Haven & London : Yale University Press

Experimenting with Collage: "Rules"

• Selecting the best combination of forms through thumb-nailing, I have been making a series of collages derived out of my written manifesto on compositional balance, as according to Arnheim. 
• I am finding it sometimes hard to apply Arnheim's theories to the making of my images. It takes a lot of thought to generate a collection of forms that both look visually appealing and in some way apply to these rules. 
• I think in many aspects my own creative intuition does play a part in the making of these images. 
• So far, within the collages, I have been experimenting with my combination of media - using gouache, mono-printed textures, coloured card and coloured pencil.
• The coloured card, in itself, is good to use physically as it allows me to move elements around and therefore play with layout - but the texture of it doesn't give a very nice finish. 
• I started using gouache and coloured pencil together - but felt that it not provide enough differentiation, so have resolved on using the mono-printed textures and gouache paint. 

Peer Review

Positive Feedback:

• Good synthesis between practical work and theoretical study
• Liked the writing of a manifesto - clearly outlines and states my intentions within the practical. 

Things to do: 

• Produce a zine/publication including manifesto and series of images - like this idea, feel that it could be really good way of drawing the project together at the end.
• Look into asymmetry of Mondrian? (although a bit cliché)
• Experiment with different media - gouache, use textured mono-prints to make collages.

Manifesto of Compositional Balance (1st Draft)

After my one-to-one tutorial at the beginning of this week I decided to purely focus on Arnheim's chapter on Balance to write my manifesto of rules. In terms of my research, this is the approach to composition that I have found most interesting and informative. I think the manifesto does not necessarily produce step-by-step rules, but a number of mechanisms or principles to generate balance. 

Considering using the principles of gestalt psychology or the golden ratio, Denman Ross or Rudolph Arnheim in the writing of my rules has caused me to spend a lot of time thinking about how to construct this manifesto, rather then just making the images themselves. Now that I've focused on this specific compositional principle and theorist I feel as though I can move forward with the project and actually start making the final two categories of images. 

Mono-printed Textures

I would like to start making a series of images outside my sketchbook, as I think this will give new dimension to the practical project. Also using coloured pencil is too labour intensive as a method of production. I think collage would be an effective way of making these images - as having each form as a separate element will allow me to move things around and play with layout. In response to this I have made a series of mono-printed textures, to then collage with plain coloured card. The combination of the two, will help me to create balanced compositions because the forms containing textures will naturally act as a focal point that will then dictate the rest of the frame. 

William Luz interview answers

On your website I was really drawn to your paintings and the sketchbook drawings. I was hoping you could explain a little bit about what drives or influences this kind of work ... 

"My sketchbook work is very much about practice, in the more literal sense. It is what I turn to when I have little specifically to do. It's way to keep thinking about colour and composition within a quick, easy and constrained format. I've built up about 3 or 4 of these sketchbooks now and I don't feel that precious about them so I almost make decisions about the compositions without thinking. Sometimes sketches made in smaller notepads form the basis of the drawings. I often draw whilst watching films, pausing on interesting frames or drawing from books or the internet. A lot of my work is about redrawing and reworking earlier things and often the source is from some reference material. Through this drawing and redrawing I aim to separate the resulting image from it's starting point so it becomes something new but there is still this trace to something in the real world, that maybe only I am aware of. The paintings I have been making over the last year or two often reference these small sketchbook compositions directly or partly, in that I may like a colour combination or collection of forms. I have learned to try and take away as much chance for conscious decision making in my work as possible. By mixing colour in my sketchbook using coloured pencils I can simply put a colour down, react to that one in the next colour I put down, then put something on top of that to make a colour, so it's very reactive, I don't really sit and think about a palette beforehand. It is the same with painting, using slightly transparent acrylics from a fixed but varied colour choice in the first place I can react as the image develops, rather trying to plan it out. I try and be as unconscious and intuitive as possible. I don't necessarily use chance operations or things systems to help me make decisions but try to keep decision making to a minimum."

There is a real sense of balance and sometimes symmetry in the way the forms interact with each other - is this something you have consciously refined or is it more intuitive? Also, what are you trying to achieve as a practitioner or communicate to the viewer with these images? 

"I like to make the distinction between creating a picture and creating an image. I am not aiming to make a picture. To me a picture is something that directly refers you to something else, it speaks to a specific thing, feeling or experience of the world. An image for me isn't bound by these responsibilities. What is lost by not being directly representational, is gained by its ambiguity. An image is itself and refers to itself only. A picture might reference another moment, but an image exists in that moment only. An image therefore should aim towards some kind of perfect balance between texture, form and colour and also between abstraction and figuration. My work does reference external sources but I aim to shroud these in abstraction to the point that they are only identifiable to myself. By titling works I can either uncover these allusions or further obscure them. A picture is a novel or piece of non fiction, an image is like a poem. In this way I don't seek to communicate anything specific to an audience, simply that there is a joy to be had with images, with seeing and noticing, and thinking. I like to leave a sufficient amount of space in the images so that the viewer can bring their own reading, ideas and thoughts to it, that will be influenced by their own history up that point. Everyone reads things in different ways based on everything they have seen or thought up to that point. This is the joy of images."

Individual Progress Tutorial

Key points: 

• Split chapter 2 into discussion of the use of composition for function and beauty in design.
• Is discussing creative problem solving as well too much? 
• Possible question: How relevant are the theories of Ross and Arnheim to design practice? 
• Ross and Arnheim provide the deconstruction of 'beauty', look at the expression/description of 'beauty' by writers and poets. 
• Conclusion - are order and balance the same thing as beauty? this is influenced by taste and individual experience. 
• In practical focus on one of the principles discussed in essay e.g. balance, rhythm, harmony, order. Construct a set of rules on how to achieve this principle in image-making then make a set following them and breaking them. 

601 Draft Submission Feedback

Positives :

• Good Triangulation 
• Good use of texts

Things to rework:

• Introduction: outline what you are doing, and why are you doing it. What are you trying to achieve? 
• Outline key principles and rules of composition 
• Mention contemporary design practices and texts that are being triangulated with Arnheim and Ross to prove their relevance to design practice. 
• Make the focus of your essay clear, and structure Chapter II according to key rules/principles used in practical. 

Focus : 

Contemporary composition - NOT linear perspective etc. 

Key principles: unity, order, balance, rhythm, harmony, simplicity and beauty. 

This is then set against artistic individuality and subjective taste. 

What to do:

• Write a clear manifesto/set of rules on composition based on Arnheim, Ross and Gestalt Psychology. 
• Re-structure chapter 2. 
• Re-write introduction.
• Write 2nd and 3rd case study. 
• Write conclusion.