Thursday 21 April 2011

Do Good Design, David B. Berman

I’ve just finished reading this and have to say I found it very interesting. As it is written by a graphic designer, his and my ideas of what design is are somewhat different; his interpretation of a designer is as a communicator of ideas, which in day to day situations are probably not your own. Consequently, a lot of what he focuses on is advertising. The thought which this book has left drifting around in my mind is about images which lie. There are strict rules governing what advertising can and cannot claim about a product, if it is claimed explicitly. Most advertising, however, appeals to the subconscious and of course doesn’t need to claim anything explicitly in order to make you believe that your life can be made better with that product. Why is it legal to lie with images but not with words?

Sunday 3 April 2011

Lucienne Day

Listening to Women's Hour on Radio 4 a wee while ago (yes, I know that must age me significantly, but it's so informative! And has kept me company while I have worked along) they featured an exhibition of Lucienne and Robin Day on at the Pallant House Gallery. I really like Lucienne Day's prints, even so many decades later they look fresh and smart. At my internship I had been doing a little bit of research into futuristic imagery, in a somewhat naive style, with structural lines and imagery like this:

Miette


Crystalline structure

I think that there is a clear linke between 'futuristic' imagery like this, and the sharp lines and block colours that Lucienne Day uses.
Dandelion Clocks, Lucienne Day

Rigs, Lucienne Day

I've been writing this post for a little while now, and the more I think about the style that Lucienne Day started and was part of, and I'm beginning to see her colours and lines everywhere, and to love it! You can even buy Converse trainers in Lucienne Day prints! Here
While looking for imagery I found some lovely blogs, particularly Printspace, an Australian design studio who use the burnt oranges and mustard yellows found in Lucienne Day's designs, with a sweet and cheerful style. Enjoy!