Pick one of these broad starting points that is most likely to connect to your Year 2: Personal Investigation.

In the Personal Investigation you write your own design brief. You can see examples in the exhibition section of the site. You must pick the starting point that is most likely to connect to your own work. These essay starting points are deliberately broad and can connect to most projects.

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Branding: Paula Scher

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Paula Scher is known for her iconic branding of The Public Theatre. For over 30 years, Scher has created imagery for one of New York’s most important theatre spaces. She wanted to create something that appealed to a contemporary and distinctly New York audience.

In your Personal Study you could discuss the importance of a brand identity in order to attract a certain target audience. You could also research how Scher and The Public have created such an iconic brand.

 

Reading List:

Books:

Paula Scher: Twenty-Five Years at the Public, A Love Story

Paula Scher: Works

 

Films/Video:

Abstract: The Art Of Design - Paula Scher https://holycross.planetestream.com/View.aspx?id=10334~58~PtuJhpd4yb

 

 

Architecture: Zaha Hadid or Daniel Libeskind

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Form follows function is a design principle that suggests that should the design of a building should relate to its intended function or purpose. Two architects who celebrate this idea are Daniel Libeskind and Zaha Hadid. 

Libeskind designed the Imperial War Museum in Salford Quays based on a shattered globe. Hadid’s aquatic centre in London is inspired by the idea of water in motion.

You could discuss the challenges architects have when designing using this principal. You could also look at how architects such as Hadid and Libeskind have created structures that give character to our cities.

 

Reading List:

Books:

Zaha Hadid: Complete Works 1979 –Today

Daniel Libeskind: The Space of Encounter

 

Film Posters: Saul Bass / Mondo

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Saul Bass is widely considered the pioneer of illustrative film posters. He used illustrations in his film posters to hint at the narrative of the film, through simple, iconic, and symbolic imagery that captures the film's essence. 

Mondo produce limited edition illustrated film posters retrospectively. A wide range of illustrators created posters that are targeted at fans of particular films, rather than to advertise the release of a movie.

You could discuss how a poster might differ depending on whether it is made to ‘sell’ the films release, rather than celebrate a classic movie. Alternatively, you could explore the use of illustration in film posters as an alternative to a conventional photographic image, which includes the stars of the film.

 

Reading List:

Books:

Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design

The Art Of Mondo

 

Films/Video:

24x36: A Movie About Movie Posters https://holycross.planetestream.com/View.aspx?id=11927~5h~zBbDwY8QBB

 

 

Music: The Designers Republic / Gatecrasher or Factory Records

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Music and graphic design have always had a close relationship. Iconic album sleeves can provide imagery that adds to the experience of listening to music and help people to connect to the lyrical messages and concepts. Relevant branding can also help a record label, venue or festival to promote themselves to their target audience, building communities around their particular subculture.

The Designers Republic created the designs for the iconic Gatecrasher nightclub in Sheffield helping to create the visual identity of the 90s house and trance scene. Closer to home, Peter Saville designed album sleeves and posters for Factory Records, visually defining the 1980’s ‘Madchester’ scene. 

You could choose to explore how the design work associated with these scenes connected so perfectly with the music, or perhaps how a particular visual identity can help to make music become iconic.

 

Reading List:

Books:

AZ of The Designers Republic

Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album

Peter Saville: Estate by Steven Gontarski

 

Films/Video:

24 Hour Party People

 

 

Type: Modernism vs. Postmodernism - Jan Tschichold / Josef Müller-Brockmann / David Carson / Chris Ashworth

 

Throughout the history of design, there has been constant debate about the importance of rules and principles in creativity. Designers, such as Jan Tschichold and Josef Müller-Brockmann celebrate modernist principles, favoring clean and legible typography and order in the design through the use of grid systems.  

Grunge designers such as David Carson and Chris Ashworth reject such a rule based approach as boring and design with a more emotional, subjective and rebellious approach. 

David Carson once said “Don't confuse legibility with communication”. Whereas modernist, Massimo Vignelli said “I can write the word dog with any typeface and it doesn't have to look like a dog, but there are people that when they write dog it should bark”. You could discuss the design implications of these quotes. Or perhaps consider the classic debate of Modernism vs. Postmodernism.

 

Reading List:

 

Books:

Ray Gun: The Bible of Music and Style

Josef Muller-Brockmann Pioneer of Swiss Graphic Design

Jan Tschichold: Die neue Typographie

 

Films/Video:

Helvetica: https://holycross.planetestream.com/View.aspx?id=10182~59~q4KlSyovWa

 

 

Publishing: ID

 

ID is a fashion magazine that began life in 1980 as a stapled, limited edition DIY zine. It has evolved into a highly polished glossy magazine. ID was founded in 1980 by former Vogue art director Terry Jones to document authentic street style, which he felt mainstream fashion magazines were ignoring. Its aim is to celebrate individual, ‘real' fashion over polished, high-fashion, which is targeted at a large audience.

You could research the impact of fashion publications such as ID on contemporary fashion. Alternatively you could explore how closely ID has stuck to their original ethos, perhaps making comparisons with more mainstream focussed publications such as Vogue.

 

Reading List:

Books:  i-D WINK AND SMILE: The First Forty Years

Films/Video:

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Terry Jones on Starting i-D 'I empowered people to capitalise on their talents' - In Fashion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKqGl4ppJ9E

Full episode podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/in-fashion/id1828171048

https://open.spotify.com/show/52vjM15G4HPaV4Sxw5bium?si=1a2b2e8506464473

 

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Illustration: Julian Opie

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Julian Opie is a contemporary British artist known for a minimalist, pop-art style that reduces human figures, portraits, and landscapes to essential, clean black lines and flat color fields. He often reduces human forms to essential, graphic elements (such as circles for heads or silhouettes) to explore motion, identity, and the perception of everyday life. 

His use of a computer to create art works raises questions about the impact of mass production in fine art, challenging boundaries of what might be perceived as fine art or graphic design. For example, his portraits of the band Blur, appear on both a mass-produced album cover and as stand alone images in The National Portrait Gallery. 

You could discuss the impact of digital technology in the art world in relation to Opie’s work.

 

Reading List:

Books:

Julian Opie: Modern Artists Series

Films/Video:

An introduction to Julian Opie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOXP3mx6_Qs

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