DECONSTRUCTIVISMINDESIGNINGMAGAZINES KYLE1NGO
ABSTRACT P7 P9-12 LISTOFILLUS M AETNHDOTDHOEPLO1 2
STRATIONSLO1O4-R18GEFINYTRTIACRMAOLEDWU3OCTRKIOPN20-33
DESIGN PRACTIC P 45-4 8 IMPLIC FUTURE DIREC 4 BIBLIO
CE P35-44CATIONSANDCTIONP50-51 CONCLUSIONOGRAPHY5 P53-58
ABSTRACT 6
Layout designs organize visual elements, such as typography,graphics and images within a page. Skilful graphic designers areusually equipped with a substantial familiarity of layout practicesand knowledge, the methods on deciding what “good” or “bad” layoutshould be. However, these abilities do not guarantee perceptivity tothe subtlety or the changeability of visual communication. The paradigm of my critical journal addressed research intomodernist qualitative typographic practices widely used todayin magazine designs, and to examine how deconstructing theseconventional practices can influence the creative process. For thepurpose of the journal, I would categorise all forms of conventionalpractices under the field of Modernism, and all future designmovements or design as a form of critique under the field ofPostmodernism. This critical journal opens with the topic of my interest and theintention of a postmodernist graphic designer. I would be selectingfrom existing literature, comparing elements within modernistmagazine designs to understand the field of layout practices, andanalysing old and new precedent studies of magazines and otherbody of work alongside with ideas from Deconstruction theory. Theanalysis will help me identify a set of unconventional layout approach,bridging both modernist and postmodernist thinking, aesthetics andpractices for a magazine design that will be applied in my studioproject later. Design outcomes presented from the studio practice willseek to motivate present-day graphic designers breaking away fromconventional and rigid design practices, but also highlights how new 7
ILULSISTTRAOTFION 8
Figure 1: AccorHotels, Membership Checklist, Wunderfauks, Author’swork, 2017.Figure 2: Cover design of the first issue of the The Gentleman’sMagazine, Sylvanus Urban, 1731. Cosmopolites. <https://cosmopolites.wikispaces.com/1735+-+The+Gentleman%27s+Magazine> [Accessed18 October 2017]Figure 3: October Issue of Wired Magazine UK, 2017. Wired Magazine.<http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/October-2017> [Accessed 18October 2017]Figure 4: May Issue of Gentlemen’s Quarterly UK, 2017. Gentlemen’sQuarterly. <http://www.gq- magazine.co.uk/article/may-casey-affleck-hollywood> [Accessed 18 October 2017]Figure 5: November Issue of Vogue UK, Vogue, 2017. Vogue. <http://www.vogue.co.uk/magazine> [Accessed 19 October 2017]Figure 6(a): Simple typographic grids, Ellen Lupton, 2009. ThinkingWith Type. <http://thinkingwithtype.com/grid/> [Accessed 19October 2017]Figure 6(b): Modular grids, Ellen Lupton, 2009. Thinking With Type.<http://thinkingwithtype.com/grid/> [Accessed 19 October 2017]Figure 6(c): Baseline grids, Ellen Lupton, 2009. Thinking With Type.<http://thinkingwithtype.com/grid/> [Accessed 19 October 2017]Figure 7: Cover for Depero futurista by Fortunato Depro, 1927. Philip B.Meggs and Alston W. Purvis, Meggs’ History of Graphic Design (UnitedKingdom: Wiley, 2011), p. 264. 9
Figure 8: Pages from Merz Issue 11 by Kurt Schwitters, 1924. Philip B.Meggs and Alston W. Purvis, Meggs’ History of Graphic Design (UnitedKingdom: Wiley, 2011), p. 267.Figure 9: Cover of Typographische Mitteilungen, SonderheftElementare Typographie by Jan Tschichold, 1925. Philip B. Meggs andAlston W. Purvis, Meggs’ History ofGraphic Design (United Kingdom:Wiley, 2011), p. 336.Figure 10: Cover for i10 by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, 1929. Philip B. Meggsand Alston W. Purvis, Meggs’ History of Graphic Design (UnitedKingdom: Wiley, 2011), p. 340.Figure 11(a): Hard Werken no 1, magazine cover, April 1979. RickRoynor, No More Rules: Graphic Design and Postmodernism (LaurenceKing Publishing Ltd, 2003), p. 42.Figure 11(b): Hard Werken no 3, magazine spread, July 1979. RickRoynor, No More Rules: Graphic Design and Postmodernism (LaurenceKing Publishing Ltd, 2003), p. 43.Figure 12: The Graduate Program in Design poster by KatherineMcCoy, 1989. Rick Roynor, No More Rules: Graphic Design andPostmodernism (Laurence King Publishing Ltd, 2003), p. 50.Figure 13: Exhibition poster of Detroit Focus Gallery by Edward Fella,1987. Rick Roynor, No More Rules: Graphic Design and Postmodernism(Laurence King Publishing Ltd, 2003), p. 55.Figure 14: Event programme for Los Angeles ContemporaryExhibitions by Jeffery Keedy, 1988. Rick Roynor, No More Rules:Graphic Design and Postmodernism (Laurence King Publishing Ltd,2003), p. 57. 10
Figure 15(a): Emigre no. 37, magazine spread, 1996. Rudy VanderLans,Emigre #37 Joint Venture (Cal Central, 1996), p. 57-58.Figure 15(b): Emigre no. 38, magazine front and back cover, 1996. RudyVanderLans, Emigre #38 Joint Venture (Cal Central, 1996), p. 1.Figure 16: Keedy, Keedy Sans Specimen, 1989. Ben Duvall, NewModernism(s) (Conveyor Arts, 2014), p. 15.Figure 17(a): Beach Culture, magazine spread, David Carsons,1993. California State University Northridge.<http://www .csun.edu/~pjd77408/DrD/Art461/LecturesAll/Lectures/PublicationDesign/DigitalTimes/David-Carson.html> [Accessed 14 November 2017]Figure 17(b): Ray Gun #3, front and back cover, David Carsons,1993. California State University Northridge.<http://www .csun.edu/~pjd77408/DrD/Art461/LecturesAll/Lectures/PublicationDesign/DigitalTimes/David-Carson.html> [Accessed 14 November 2017]Figure 18(a): Print design for Digital Campfire by Design DisplacementGroup, 2015. Design Displacement Group Tumblr. <http://designdisplacementgroup.tumblr.com/> [Accessed 14 November 2017]Figure 18(b): Print design for ManifestFest by Design DisplacementGroup, 2014. Design Displacement Group Tumblr. <http://designdisplacementgroup.tumblr.com/> [Accessed 14 November 2017]Figure 18(c): Solo exhibition for NO EXIT by Design DisplacementGroup, 2016. Design Displacement Group Tumblr. <http://designdisplacementgroup.tumblr.com/> [Accessed 14 November 2017]Figure 19: Still images from The Sprawl by Metahaven, 2015. Sprawl.<http://sprawl.space/> [Accessed 14 November 2017] 11
Figure 20: A diagram inspired from The Effect of Gossip on SocialNetworks, Author’s Work, 2017.Figure 21: A chronological timeline of tensions between the UnitedStates of America and North Korea from January to August 2017,Author’s Work, 2017.Figure 22: A diagram of deconstructing the direct connection betweena sign and a signifier with the word “North Korea”, Author’s Work, 2017.Figure 23: Sketches of the typographic structure of magazine spreadsin deconstructed form, Author’s Work, 2017.Figure 24: Full spread for the gossip news article “North Korea toUnited States: Game On”, Author’s Work, 2017.Figure 25: WILD magazine, Author’s Work, 2017.Figure 26(a): Digiland for United Micro Kingdoms, 2013. Dunne & Raby.<http://www.dunneandraby.co.uk/content/projects/666/0> [Accessed19 November 2017]Figure 26(b): Users experiencing with the physical exhibition, UnitedMicro Kingdoms, 2013. Dunne & Raby. <http://www.dunneandraby.co.uk/content/projects/666/0> [Accessed 19 November 2017]Figure 27: Interactive typographic installation that pushes thelimitations of visual communication through the exhibition, Type/Dynamics, 2014. Lust. <https://lust.nl/#projects-5525> [Accessed 19November 2017] 12
INTRODUCTION 13
During my time as a freelance graphic designer at a local digitalagency, my fascination for interesting layout designs increased.Although I was working with qualified graphic designers and digitaldesigners, I was disturbed by the lack of attention in experimentaltypography and graphics. We adhere to strict brand guidelines,client’s demands and overly used typographic style, which resulted inmonotonous layout design outcomes (Figure 1). It occurred to me howlittle do we as designers know about typography and graphics, whatconstitutes to qualitative layout designs, and how are we able to breakaway from this rigid design phenomenon. This critical journal aims to addresses research into modernistqualitative layout practices widely used today, particularly intypographic and graphical designs for print magazines. A personalstudy of my five-week studio project that examines and question therole of a postmodernist graphic designer and unconventional layoutpractices, specifically in designing magazines. For the sake of thiscritical journal, I will not dive into the linguistics, communication andgraphic design theories, but I will focus on deconstructing the content,aesthetics and imagery from the perspective of a graphic designerwith Barthe’s semiotics study of signs and Jacques Derrida’s theoryon Deconstruction that can be measured with physical examples,recorded information and guided systems. The research paradigm of my critical journal introduces theliterature review of the epistemological understanding of typography,typefaces and grid systems that influence magazine design. I woulddraw upon case studies of precedent magazines and other body ofworks influenced by the theory of Deconstruction from 1970s to 1990sin the Westernized culture under the field of ‘Old Deconstructivism.’I would also look into present-day body of works that explores thefuture of design and influenced by postmodernist aesthetics, thinkingand practices under the study of ‘New Deconstructivism.’ Thesefindings would help me to establish unconventional layout insightsto be applied into my studio project. The tangible research outcomes 14
of my studio projects may adopt the form of print and/or digitalmagazine. I have chosen to work on gossip as the main genre tocreate a new magazine design for my studio project, as the nature oftabloid magazines are driven by linguistic and imagery rather thanaesthetics, form and factual information. Thus, this would allow mefor more creative freedom in experimenting with new methods ofDeconstructivism and possible directions for the future of magazinedesign. In addition, the short term research goal seeks to discovernew methods of deconstructivism in designing magazines, while thelong term research question will hypothesize if we as designers couldpotentially shift ourselves from creating conventional designs, whichare determined by aesthetics, production, functionality and value,towards critiquing design as a form of new knowledge? Typography construct shapes into discernible symbols, knownas alphabets; and assemble them into a syntactic manner that urge areader to interpret its verbal information. However, they are also linesof texture inside a structure that form tonality of rectangles on thepage, and the locus of these rectangles is pivotal to the understandingof system and harmony within a layout. Typography and images arethe representation of signs, whereas the space arranges these signs informs of layout to create communication for the receiver. These layouts act as the basic models for any form of designoutcomes, particularly magazine design, which dates back to the veryfirst periodical published in 1731. Before magazines were printedin colour with adverts everywhere, the core design emphasis ofThe Gentleman’s Magazine (Figure 2) was its visual structure oftypography on text legibility and production requirements. A 36-page weekly magazine that not only outlines the summary of otherperiodicals and journals, notably Craftsman, Grubstreet and DailyCourant, but also included contents of births, domestic occurrences,laws of courtship and books published. 15
Today, the magazine covers we see on newsstands are generallyprinted in colour on a heavier paper than its inner pages; with acontents page. a masthead, advertisements, photographic, graphical andother reading materials. Most of these commercial magazines (Figure3-5) are commonly formatted based on a page size slightly bigger thanA4, and could be assembled in several ways; ranging from perfect boundto stapled binding. In reality, the format of a magazine is a constant fluxwith a multitude of influences, such as technology, manufacturing costs,the practicalities of sales and/or interference of writers and designers. The format of a magazine is generally dissected into diversecolumns or modular grid units. Graphic designers adopt a grid system toconstruct text and image relative to the proportions of the page, whichnot only provide order, structure and clarity, but also establish hierarchy,precision and identity to a magazine. The types of grid system (Figure6) commonly used in magazines are simple typographic grids, modulargrids and baseline grids. Simple typographic grids are multiple verticalcolumns with gutters and margins, while modular grids are constructedby positioning vertical and horizontal lines to form cells. Baseline gridsprovide the designer with an additional control within the typographicdesign by setting the line space in accordance to the leading and thesize of the chosen typeface. Frequently, the rules of a grid system arebroken or mechanically altered to accommodate the design. Thus, thestudy of Structuralism and Deconstruction is critical to break away frommonotonous design outcomes. 16
Figure 1: AccorHotels, Membership Checklist, Wunderfauks, Author’s Work, 2017 Figure 2: Cover design of the first issue of the The Gentleman’s Magazine, Sylvanus Urban, 1731.17
Top: Bottom:Figure 3: A list of commercial Figure 6: The types of gridmagazines with the similar system, from left to right:format of typographic elements (a) Simple typographic grids,and same final trim size 8 inch Ellen Lupton, 2009;x 10 ! inch, October Issue of (b) Modular grids, EllenWired Magazine UK, 2017. Lupton, 2009; (c) Baseline grids, EllenFigure 4: May Issue of Lupton, 2009.Gentlemen’s Quarterly UK,2017.Figure 5: November Issue of 18Vogue UK, 2017.
MTFEHRTEAHOMOREDEWOTOLICORAKGLY 19
The following literature review begins with the epistemologicalunderstanding of layout methods in the history of magazine design.Thereafter, it will review case studies of modernist precedent worksinfluenced by the theory of Deconstruction, particularly magazinesand graphic design works with typographic and visual approachfrom 1970s to 1990s in the Western culture. Lastly, it analyses post-modernist layout designs and body of works influenced with criticaldesign, deconstructive approach and anti-aesthetics in the digital era. 20
History of Magazines Standardized format in magazine design was first introducedin the 1920s when graphic designers would organize the text basedon absolutely structured columns, and borders occupying whicheverspace the type could provide. It was only until the late 1920s didthe new freedom in form began its revolution influencing fromCubism, Futurism (Figure 7), and Dadaism (Figure 8), de Stijl andconstructivism, which Jan Tschichold (Figure 9) and Bauhaus (Figure10) would later break the limitations of the printed page. This trendconceived a new flexibility in organizing visual elements withina page and recognized a magazine as modern with bleed images,unconventional artworks, vast white spaces and expressive typography.The grid eventually rose in Switzerland during the 1950s as a‘programmatic system of mathematical precision.’ In the 1960s, magazine emerged in emphasizing on thesignificance of typography. As a result, this excessive visual dominanceshifted layouts away from free-form designs into a fresh approach oforder and system. Formerly adopted on technical and architecturalperiodicals, grids found its path into a much broader range ofdesign publications. Typographic methods were reintroduced ineditorial layouts to underscore the composition of the pages. Amidthe remaining part of the twentieth century, the typographic gridgained global acceptance as a visual organization system and actas the fundamental framework for modelling and documentinghuman knowledge, communication and experiences. It is importantto note typographic grids are not the sole structure to the aestheticsof a magazine. In fact, the study of texts within the content of themagazine contributes to the aesthetics of the design. 21
Figure 7: Cover for Depero futurista by Fortunato Depro, 1927. Figure 8: Pages from Merz Issue 11 by Kurt Schwitters, 1924. Figure 9: Cover of Typographische Mitteilungen, Sonderheft Elementare Typographie, Jan Tschichold, 1925. Figure 10: Cover for i10 by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, 1929.22
Old Deconstructivism It was Jacques Derrida who first introduced the concept ofdeconstruction in 1976 when he discover the connotation of literary workby examining the process its form and content interact with necessaryhumanistic information. Christopher Norris in What is Deconstruction?argues deconstruction is a process of rhetorical critical analysis of a textthat capture those moments while philosophy tries and notably fails toobliterate all understanding of this figural movement. In addition, heclarifies deconstruction is a challenging method directed to condemndoctrines and cancel standards. Norris explains how to deconstruct a textby removing contradictory logics of perception and associations with theobject displaying that the text never accurately imply what is suggestor suggest what it connotes. It is complex and confusing to explain theconnection between any philosophical state of flux and the reality ofa particular artist practice, specifically if the direction of descriptionis philosophical. However, the understanding of what constitutes todeconstruction is problematic as it cannot be easily defined based on thecontributed or given status . Hard Werken (Figure 11) was one of the earliest magazines to beginexperimenting the theory of Deconstruction within graphic design.They intentionally forsaken the functionalist tradition, breaking therules with ‘anti-typographical’ approach. Their unrestrained typographicelements and erratically framed areas of texture created obscure,provisional arrangements within the space that implied impermanenceand continuous movement of figurative relationship. However, HardWerken were only concerned with the overall look and feel instead ofits functionality and legibility of the text.According to Jacques Derrida,deconstruction is not defined as ‘one thing’, which associates a rejectionto adopt and continue with the tradition that influences the history ofphilosophy. Derrida argues deconstruction as a tradition of philosophicalpresence; the understanding of philosophy that is distinguished withmetaphysics. Deconstruction is neither a method of critique nor theory ofmeaning. It challenges the body of sources and inferences that establish 23
the text. The actuality of deconstruction theory suggested that thebasic significance to a text do not exist while defined by the contrastof disparity. When the hidden essence of text defies the assumed form,deconstruction is formed. Unlike Structuralism, Deconstruction set outby carefully dismantling the unity of the assumed writing within mind,connotation and methods. One could assume without Structuralism,Deconstruction is nonexistence. Without the study of signs, signifiedand signifiers, there are no body of work to be deconstructed. In the mid-1980s, Katherine McCoy (Figure 12) presented herdeconstructionist approach with intended performance within adeliberately whimsical design, where the reader would go through theexperience and discovery of the indiscernible complexities of language.Her designs flourished with extraordinary and remarkably uniquemodel of deconstructive strategies in action, founded upon semioticsyet refusing the belief in the scientifically anticipated communication ofmeaning, which began to influence her students’ work, notably JefferyKeedy and Edward Fella. Influenced by the writings of Roland Barthes,Keedy and Fella saw design as a cultural practice, rejected the conceptof modernism and turn down the temptations of regularity and clarity.Keedy (Figure 14) stressed on the significance of ambiguity for viewerswho were completely able to decipher these complexities, whichFella insisted deconstruction as a method of uncovering the hiddencomplexities that supports Western culture and space as the way ofconstructing typography. Fella (Figure 13) rejected the consistency andregularity in space within letters, words and sentences, within types oftypographic elements, and within the text and the border. Many printdesigners saw his designs as uneducated of principles determining‘good’ typography, however, his floating metamorphose aesthetic wascompletely suitable for the open space of digital world. Fella imageryis masked with symbols and typographic elements, black and whitetreatment, a minimal outline of a human’s head, sentences displayedin wavy and upper caps that are difficult to read at first glance, yetdisplayed like the shape of sound waves, transmitting words like audio 24
in a visual form. The reading of signifiers only spells out the name ofartists, the location and details of the exhibit, while the signified impliesa bold, mechanical touch of humanity. Little information was givenabout what the poster or the exhibition represents. However, there isa disturbance of these signs, the disruption of the thoughts and ideasleaving the analysis to the viewer. With the emergence of digital revolution, Emigre (Figure 15) wasthe most revolutionary digitally designed magazines that had no culturalor political rebellion in a speculative sense. Emigre established anunconventional style of typography initially with basic bitmapped, defaulttypefaces found from the new Macintosh. It then went on from refiningits typographic fundamentals to presenting the popular designers anddesign examples of anti-modernist typography. Emigre was a momentousabnormality in graphic design as it stirred up both aggressive hostilityand slavish adoration, breeding violent controversy and unbendingloyalty. Rudy VanderLans, co-founder of Emigre, refused to practicecommon editorial rules over the content, as any form of conventionalmodification could jeopardize the principles of the magazine. Should wethen as designers focus on rules or aesthetics? Jeffery Keedy went on to challenge conventions directly with theirrationality of the typeface design, Keedy Sans (Figure 16), criticizingthe dehumanisation of language through the imperfect form andcontent. Introducing errors and irregularities to the letter, Keedy fusedDeconstruction theory with semiotic loopholes. Glitches, pixels and digitalerrors were main influences behind many of the Emigre’s typeface design,targeting them at specific deconstructionists. If the physicality of thesymbols are signifiers, and the cognitive reading behaviour of alphabetsare the signifieds, then adding to or subtracting from the physicality ofsymbols would disrupt the meaning and pre-existing knowledge of thealphabet, therefore, would deconstruction theory create new possibleinsights of how we should view a typeface? 25
In the early 1990s, David Carson became the most prominentgraphic designer in popularizing deconstructionist approach indesigning magazines. Punk and deconstruction were significant toCarson’s body of work in breaking the rules of typography. Carsonrejected rules of ‘good’ design and editorial practice started at BeachCulture (Figure 17a) magazine in 1991, which he first discarded pagenumbers. Typographic elements within Ray Gun (Figure 17b) magazineswere designed with a much more abstract and emotive level of freedom.Viewing his works from a different angle, Carson was a master ofdeconstruction. He did not understand the rules of basic typography ormagazine design, in other words, he had no pre-existing understandingof how ‘good’ design should be. Widows, widely spaced letters,typographic distortion and absolute disruption of reading syntax wereencouraged in his works. Carson invented his new way of design withno formal knowledge on conventional or unconventional aesthetics.Could new deconstruction be the Aristotelian saying of ‘the more youknow, the more you know you don’t know?’ By the late 1990s, deconstruction began to be accepted inmainstream graphic design. In Design Writing Research, Modernistdesigners Ellen Lupton and J. Abbot Miller comment deconstruction’sstress on the understanding of meaning has led many designersinto a self-expressive fascinating theory. Without material forms ofsignification, designers and audiences create meaning based on theirspontaneity. Analysis becomes exclusive and subjective, spawned fromthe different responsiveness of creators and readers. Lupton and Millersaw typography and design as an ongoing modes of representations.They propose the studying of typography and writing familiarizedwith deconstruction could discover the dramatic interference of visualstructures into verbal content with graphic markings, opportunitiesand disparities. The reorganization and relocation of standardizingstructures of graphic elements could help to uncover and alter theprocedures of representation. 26
Katherine McCoy also notes how deconstruction was reduced toa purely style-based design method by people who knows little aboutthe theory. She argues deconstruction is about the dismantling ofgraphic language, and the relationship between writing and visualsby understanding the dynamics and purpose of communication.By exploring the development of studying new methods to invitethe involvement of viewers and rediscover the ‘deeper’ meaning,viewers would be participated in the construction and analysis.In Deconstruction: A Student Guide, Jorge Glusberg agreesdeconstruction could not contribute any form of analysis, systemsor methods that would employ in a valid approach as they originatefrom either within a precedent body of work, external aspects ofthe work, or they target at generalization. In fact, Derrida clarifiesdeconstruction could never establish individually as a method ormodel of functioning concepts as it continues jointly bound to thetexts it examines. By acknowledging deconstruction as a concept ofstructure introduces writing as an individual, entitled place builtbased on a mirage of hierarchical ideas. One should never treatdeconstruction as a convenient organizing tool and neglects itsdisturbing ramifications. Deconstructivism does not disintegrate or annihilate thestructure of a form by tackling it from the exterior. Such methodmay create a new and provocative result of fancy aesthetics, yetit is meaningless deceiving and vague. What Deconstruction istrying to do, however, is dismantling and re- establishing culturalconstructions by altering their structure to function in a differentmanner. Norris further explains the deconstructivism attempts todestroy a chronic arrangements of priorities and the actual system ofbinary opposition within it. It integrates a turmoil within the internalstructure with disruption, dislocation and deviation. It is necessaryto note that the deconstructionist approach should not be confusedwith dismantlement of the combined whole, or destruction of thefundamental arrangement that integrates a graphic design closely, 27
as it diminishes deconstruction to sole dismantlement of visual anddisregards the disrupting and deviating impression arising out of thetypographic structure. One should never assume that the audiencesare incapable of deciphering complicated information with a body ofwork as deconstruction seeks to uncover these hidden complexities.Thus, the studying of ‘old’ deconstructivism have only gotten us so far,and could we then introduce new ways of deconstruction into today’spostmodernist aesthetics by studying both the old and new? 28
Figure 11: Clockwise from top left (a): Hard Werken no. 1, magazine cover, April 1979; (b): Hard Werken no. 3, magazine spread, July 1979.29 Figure 12: The Graduate Program in Design poster, Katherine McCoy, 1989. Figure 13: Exhibition poster of Detroit Focus Gallery, Edward Fella, 1987. Figure 14: Event programme for Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Jeffery Keedy, 1988.
Figure 15:(a): Émigré no. 37, magazine spread, 1996;(b): Émigré no. 38, magazine cover, 1996.Figure 16: Keedy, Keedy Sans Specimen, 1989.Figure 17 (a): Beach Culture, magazine spread, 1991.Figure 17 (b): Ray Gun, magazine front and back cover, 1993. 30
New Deconstructivism With the emergence of postmodernism, designers introducedthe semiotic sign in a hysterically distinct way. They began to betransparent with visual style exhibiting the loopholes of meaning.Influenced by unindustrialized places without the dehumanization ofaesthetics, the expressive disintegration of postmodernism discarded thetotalistic grid system and minimal typographic options being an analysisof the society modernism had bestowed. The design outcome thenbecame the visual representation of the Text without reducibility. Astechnology advances, magazine design has since become computerizedand stretches the limitations of what we previously would deemimpossible for print. However, a magazine designer tends to only workwith a two-dimensional space to construct any form of typographicdesign. Building upon on what Edward Fella mentions previously onspace constructing typography, and how an observable space is three-dimensional, I begin my analysis with graphic design and art in today’sdigital age, particularly niche body of work that draws experientialdeconstruction in both print and digital format. Are we able to explorethe future of design with new ways of deconstructivism in present-day? Design Displacement Group (DDG) is one of such collectivethat discard themselves into a future time, challenging the limits ofcritical thinking and conventional design today. A movement thatdelve into the future of design by exploiting time, space and placesto express within the practices of graphic design. DDG (Figure 18)clearly understood the theory of structuralism and deconstruction indismantling and rearranging imagery, typographic material and theuse of visual metaphors with a two- dimensional space. The subtleresemblance of pre and postmodernist influences creates a complexvisual language with the audience. The manipulation of text and imagesnot only created a new aesthetics, but also creates a cognitive andemotive impression. Creating a third space from merging print designand digital installation, DDG bridges the conventional deconstructionistapproach and contemporary technology. 31
Computer-aided graphic design allows designers to identifytypography alterations instantaneously without any traditional inkingprocess. Graphic and typographic manipulation within video-based workhas become possible with the aid of new software and technologies.These new found aesthetics introduced within a video along with hiddencomplexities can influence how the audience read, feel and think aboutdesign. The body of work by Metahaven, a Dutch design collectivecleverly creates fragmentary convergence into diverse art forms varyingfrom video-based installation work to self- initiated publication design. The Sprawl (Figure 19) is a multi-channel feature film thatdeconstructs truths and lies within the digital world. The film influencesby the hidden complexities of YouTube, acknowledges to numeroustruths applicable in present-day media language, questions the fabricatedglobal social media from the internet movements to activism, forinstance Wikileaks and Occupy Wall Street along with the censorship ofmedia channels by Russia and Ukraine. Visual memes, color gradients,bevelled and exaggerated typography were the core aesthetics of the film.Typography introduced were deliberately overblown and broken rulesof ‘good’ typographic practices could be see throughout the film, postersand website. The film ingeniously manipulates space within a two-dimensional screen along with sequences of text and imagery overlappingone another to add confusion of reality and imagination. However, unlikea film, a print magazine does not work in a chronological time order,thus the illusion of space manipulation within a printable layout wouldbe challenging and difficult. It raises questions, such as could the digitalspace be the third dimension that would compensates the shortcoming ofa print magazine? 32
Figure 18: From left to right (a): Print design for Digital Campfire by Design Displacement Group, 2015; (b): Print design for ManifestFest by Design Displacement Group, 2014; (c): Solo exhibition for NO EXIT by Design Displacement Group, 2016. Figure 19: Still images from The Sprawl by Metahaven, 2015.33
DESIGN 34
I have created a few visuals that could be adopted as a foundationfor art direction of a magazine. As opposed to celebrity tabloids, Ihave chosen to work on gossips in within politics and cultural aspectsbecause they would allow me to have a larger room of creativefreedom for Deconstruction. A related point to consider is all theaesthetics of a gossip magazine is dependent on the text and visual,thus, the design outcome of a gossip news should not be created withforced aesthetics. It is important to note that the authenticity andaccuracy of the gossip should not be pivotal to the design outcome, butthe visual interpretation of the texts. Precedent Before beginning collecting any gossip news, I studied the gossipschematic relationship (Figure 20) to understand the social dynamicsof causes and effects of a gossip episode. For a basic gossip episode tooccur, the basic foundation requires three individuals; an originator(O) who disseminate gossip of a victim (V) to a gossiper (G). Theoriginator and the gossiper would then have a stronger relationshipas compared to their relationships with the victim. Certainly, thereare much complicated social dynamics when an gossip episode takesplace, however, I would adopt this framework with the designer (D)as the originator, the news (N) as the victim and the reader (R) as thegossiper for the magazine. Selecting Gossips I have chosen to collect the news from the social media platformsas the source of my gossip. This source of information is up-to-date,infused with social, political, cultural and personal views of anindividual or an organization. The blurred lines of what constituteto a real and fake gossip is present on social media, which will addto the benefit of my magazine. I selected Facebook as my network ofplatform as it provides a faster receiver of global and local news ascompared to other platforms. I have selected the most talked aboutnews circling in the month of October 2017 as my main features of 35
the magazine, namely the nuclear threats between North Korea andthe United States of America, the feud among the Singapore’s Leefamily, and the scandal revolving around Harvey Weinstein. The textis straightforward and do not have any precedent magazine spreadsdone specifically targeting them, thus, they are suitable for visualdeconstruction. They are either culturally or politically influenced,which can give new opportunities for applying Deconstruction theoryinto postmodernist design. For the clarity of this critical journal, I willonly go onto explain, deconstruct, reconstruct and visualize one pieceof gossip; the nuke threats among North Korea and the United Statesof America. I have constructed a visual timeline (Figure 21) based on adetailed news article from The Hill to demonstrate how the eventsunfold between two countries. This would help me in visualizing anddeconstructing my magazine spreads by studying the Structuralism. Deconstructing Gossips In Structuralism, a signifier (the word “North Korea”) points to aphysical object of signified (Flag) in language, while Deconstructionattempts to dismantle the direct connection between sign andsignifier. For instance, the word “North Korea” may not signify onlyone thing, but the signifiers that could contextualize and construct themeaning, such as land, nukes, power, colors and language. In this way,new meaning (Figure 22) is conceived through new relationships ofDeconstruction. I continue to adopt this approach to deconstruct theremaining pages of my magazine. Designing Gossips After deconstructing the signified into multiple signifiers, Ibegin working on the typographic layout of the news cover. Insteadof treating the layout for information, I wanted to explore andmanipulate the space, typography and graphics, and how it could beconstructed with emotive and visceral approach. I proceeded to create 36
multiple sketches (Figure 23) of wireframes that could potentiallyhighlight the representation of tension between North Korea and theUnited States of America. With the analysis of postmodernist precedent works in mind, Icreated each design element (Figure 24) in graphical form that aresuggestive, aesthetical and imaginative. I included the common colorsthat represents both of the countries’ flags, blue and red, to drawfamiliar connections between reality and imagination for the readers. Idesigned the English text “Game On” in North Korea’s naive language“게임에서” and created nuclear bomb that would signify the hollowthreat of nukes between both nations. Design Outcome Deriving from the same approach, “WILD” (Figure 25), apolitical and cultural gossip magazine was created to collect, analyseand present fictitious stories about the current world. Bridgingpostmodernist thinking and aesthetics with present-day information,“WILD” blurs the confines of the real and imaginative news, breaks upconventional design phenomenon and seeks to redefine the aestheticsof cultural and political gossips with witty visual detritus within thesociety. Not only would the readers get more in-depth news aboutcurrent gossips, they would also be able to enjoy a tasteful, frantic andtrendy reading material. 37
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Figure 20: A diagram inspired from The Effect of Gossip on Social Networks, Author’s Work, 2017. Figure 21: A chronological timeline of tensions between the United States of America and North Korea from January to August 2017, Author’s Work, 2017.39
Figure 22: A diagram ofdeconstructing the directconnection between a sign anda signifier with the word “NorthKorea”, Author’s Work, 2017.Figure 23: Sketches of thetypographic structure of magazinespreads in deconstructed form,Author’s work, 2017.Figure 24: Full spread for thegossip news article “North Koreato United States: Game On”,Author’s work, 2017. 40
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Figure 25: WILD magazine,Author’s work, 2017. 42
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IMPFLUICTAUTRIEONS 44
My body of work differs from preceding magazines as a new wayof deconstructing information and introducing postmodernist thinkingand aesthetics. Apart from tabloid magazines, most magazines todayare structural and modernist, with many keeping rigid, monotonousgrid systems for reading syntax. Breaking away from the modernistapproach, my work was able to explore an unconventional typographicapproach in designing new magazines with not only functional, butspurs critiques of society, politics and culture. Throughout the practice,I learnt that understanding the fundamentals of Deconstructionis crucial. It is not about deconstructing the visuals to create arevolutionary style of aesthetics, but rather the understanding ofbreaking the conventional ways of structuring magazines and theability to spur new debates arising from design and society. One of themajor difficulties emerged from this new approach was to incorporatethe theory of Deconstruction into a post-modernist design. With nomethodologies or technical aid, Deconstruction relies on Structuralism.This was problematic for me to figure out how should I deconstructthe language and reconstruct these ideas into graphical forms. The2-dimensional space of a magazine also became a restriction fordesign. These are inevitable limitations that unable to transform theinteractive and emotive experience to the readers. However, thisproject has enabled me to discover many other potential possibilitiesfor designing future magazines in tomorrow’s world. The research goal of this critical journal was to investigate ifDeconstruction can be applied as a post-modernist approach for printmagazines, and how could we as designers break away from thismonotonous design phenomenon by shifting our approach of designas a form of critique and new knowledge. However, a print magazinecan only go this far in today’s tech-savvy world. As we begin progressto the future, imaginative and emerging technologies will also help topush the design agenda forward. If modernist design is about solvingcreative problems, postmodernism would be about bringing up issues,questioning our society, culture, politics and ethics with tomorrow’s 45
design. Could we as creative thinkers transform today’s two-dimensional, purely informative, aesthetical and functional magazinedesigns into three or possibly four-dimensional postmodernist debatesof our tomorrow’s world? Could design not only affect physicalchanges yet spur creative conversations for the future of our lives? In fact, Dunne&Raby, a design studio based in London introducecritical design to encourage conversations and arguments withindesigners, industry and the society concerning with social, cultural andethical connections to the current and developing technologies. One oftheir exhibitions titled “United Micro Kingdoms” (Figure 26) introducesperspectives with a fictitious future of the United Kingdom byspeculating four divided and independent districts, all with absolutefreedom to govern, prosper and live. The experiential exhibitionallows users to experience and understand how new technologiesaffects the way we live. This project made me question the relevancyand simplicity of functional designs for the future, and how text, in theform of information, could be transformed into an imaginative reality.Another possibility with this direction might involve going beyondintroducing a culture for a magazine, and creating a fictitious world orentity between readers, experience and designers for a new project. On the other hand, approaching WILD magazine on a muchfeasible ground in the digital world, four-dimensional technologies,interactive installations and virtual reality could potentially be thenew platforms for experiential magazines. Drawing spatial ideas fromthe Thirdspace theory by Edward W. Soja, it invites readers to thinkin a different way concerning the definitions and understanding ofspace, an attempt by representing the continual shifts and changesof environment, occurrence, design and meaning. An example wouldbe Type/Dynamics (Figure 27), an interactive typographic installationthat detects overview perspectives from Google Street View, extractingthem into structures and replacing it with new information. Users areencircled with text instead of images, and the installation reacts to the 46
movement of the user. Such an installation could potentially be a newframework for a magazine layout, where user could interact and movealong with the digital content of the magazine in a three-dimensionalspace. The aesthetics and limitations of a print magazine could alsobe stretched out with the physicality of a real space and virtual world.Information could then be deconstructed and reconstructed based onthe interaction and controls of the user. By applying Deconstructivism with Thirdspace theory not onlypushes the boundaries of a print magazine, it also proposes newmethods of designing a magazine. It breaks away conventional, rigiddesign process and outcome into fresh ideas and emerging knowledge.This could potentially be a new project brief that involves drawingdigital connections between information and users within a physicalworld, stressing the monotony of the design industry in Singaporeand raising critiques about the future of graphic design, particularlymagazine. 47
Figure 26: From left to right Figure 27: Interactive(a): Digiland for United Micro typographic installation thatKingdoms, 2013; pushes the limitations of visual(b): Users experiencing with the communication through thephysical exhibition, United Micro exhibition, Type/Dynamics, 2014.Kingdoms, 2013. 48
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The objective of this critical journal was to discover new layoutapproach in designing magazine, and new knowledge for future of designthat would challenge present-day graphic designers to break away frommonotonous design phenomenon and influence the creative process.With this intent, I studied and analysed both literature, old and newpreceding magazine designs and other body of work. Barthes’ semioticsstudy of signs and Jacques’ Deconstruction contributed new frameworkto spawn a diverse number of unconventional layout approaches indesigning magazines, creating new meaning and relationship betweenaesthetics and language. These findings also formulated methodologiesto deconstruct and reconstruct visual and typographic elements withina print magazine, and allowed me to identify future possibilities ofadopting print magazines into a three-dimensional space, speculativedesign and digital interaction with ideas from both Modernism andPostmodernism. As we progress towards the future, problem-solving designs arereplaced with new and convenient technologies. If present-day designersdo not break away from modernism, functional thinking and practices,soon we would be replaced with other digital means of design. Similarly,many preceding methods of art and design, such as letterpress andtraditional penmanship has been replaced with digital typeface andprinting. The ability of going beyond generating functional designoutcomes and creating new meaning and dialogues through designwould greatly benefit the future of design and designers. 50
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