Issue under discussion
===Graphic design:Styles and appropriate design ======
Today's graphics are very much dictated by styles. To
produce good design work is to have the ability to produce
a concept and use the style as a vehicle to convey the idea.
What seems to be the problem in the design world is that
most design works only reflect popular trends. As an author
puts it, the typographical style that is popular today may be
gone tomorrow. It has obscure the primary purpose of what
graphic design is really all about. There are comments like
design is subjective, therefore one really can't judge what is
a good design and what is not. Design is not bound by rules,
for there is not one absolute formula for good design. The
judgement of good design, of what I have learned, is
relying upon the factors of appropriateness and creativeness
in response to a design problem. To what level then is
design objective and how much is subjective? Is there
tangible sides to design,or are most of it is intangible?
I am currently involve in the studies of multimedia design,
and through my studies, several of these questions have
made me think about the issues of styles in computer
graphics. Graphic design in the multimedia application is
still very young and presents opportunity for creative
exploration and input. Besides of the iconic, solid and
metalic looks in the interfaces of multimedia design, there
has been "publication-design looks" that begin to exist. The
way of presenting information in printed design has been
applied to interface design.
The styles of screen graphics begin to resemble printed
graphics. Through my learnings, styles are like visual
languages that communicate to different group of people.
The younger generation have their own visual language,
for example. They are very attracted to dynamic, bright
and loud graphics.
If there are certain type of visual languages that will speak
to a particular group of audiences, how is visual language
formed? Graphic designers are working in many ways
within the confinement of the visual languages that the
audiences understand. If so, who is responsible for creating
these visual languages? Does it start from a designer who
pioneered a style? If so, how would a style comes into
acceptance? How is design style defined by culture and
lifestyle?
Assuming that most factors of design are intangible,
how will a designer discern the depth of his/her design
work, if not just to be dictated by trends? Must the designer
rationalise for every existence of design elements that is
created in his or her work for justification?
I realised that the thought process of this issue may be too
analytical and the questions are in many ways general. As a
fourth year design student, I still have a long journey ahead
to learn what design is all about. I believe that a designer
should have the strong conviction for his/her work and the
consequences of that the work will not just serve as a
commercial ends.It must be something meaningful and
worthy of commitment. And it's only through learning the
right principles about design that will prevent from
producing shallow design works.
I hope that this opening discussion will create interesting
and thoughtful responses. Any comments and criticisms
concerning the issues discussed are very much welcomed.
Lastly, thank-you for reading and future participation in the
discussion.
Cheers to all :),
Robin Teo
Multimedia design
Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia.
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