Teal Triggs pamphlet

interview withTeal Triggs is a Professor of Graphic Design and Associate Dean at the School of Communication of the Royal College of Art, London. As a graphic design historian, TEAL TRIGGScritic and educator she has lectured and broadcast widely and her writings on de- sign pedagogy, self-publishing, and feminism have appeared in numerous edited on fanzines, youth and politicsbooks and international design publications. She is a Fellow of the International Society of Typographic Designers and the Royal Society of Arts. [1] I interviewed By Guilhermeher before her address at the Lisbon Design Meetings in November 2016. Sousa Pamphelt by Emily Harris 1

Teal Triggs on fanzines, youth and politics You’ve been researching fanzines for some time now, and in fact they are still a much loved format by graphic designers, especially young ones. What do you feel is the role of this sort of low-cost independent publishing in today’s society? In terms of the current policy climate, socially and culturally, the world is going through a great deal of change as we are seeing all sorts of interesting phenomena taking place. The role of independent publishing has become incredibly crucial in this new context and are increasingly bubbling up to the surface. As a result, people in the mainstream are a little more aware of alternative views. Normally zines and Indy mags are very much a part of an underground scene and it’s only the people ‘in the know’ who tend to have access to or interest in looking at such publications. We had a period of time where technology and the age of the computer boom and desktop publishing came into play. This sparked off a sense of horror, particularly in graphic design, with designers including David Carson saying “print is dead”. This stirred stirred up the debate; however, today this has completely calmed down now. I think we have generations of designers who’ve come through using technology and now I think they’ve got a fascination for things that are printed, so the fanzine has come up again coinciding with the current political climate and all this change that I mentioned before taking place. So the role of zines and Indy magazines is incredibly significant. These publications allow voices to be heard that wouldn’t otherwise be heard and it evidences that there’s a great deal of thought, care and attention being given to the current challenges that we’re facing. Zines provide a really an important and effective way of dissemination; they suggestion another kind of communication is taking placing. So yes, [independent publishing is] absolutely important. You were talking about “print is dead” and all that And what has changed in these communities with stuff… How much did social media change this kind the digital age? of means of communication? One could argue that if I have a message it would be easier to just write it I think communities have grown through on Facebook or Twitter. Do you feel that this increased digital channels; perhaps as has created some sort of identity crisis for a result of being able to reach self-publishing and possibly made it other parts of the world that outdated? individuals may not have No, I just think it’s another platform. I think social been able to do so media has one kind of function — as you said easily before. The there’s an immediacy to getting a message out same thing happened to your readership, your followers — but I when the internet don’t think it’s diminished the need for fanzine came into play, all producers to make something that has of the sudden materiality to it. The message contained zines were going within that has some sort of validity because up onthe net. And you can touch it, feel it, engage with it. And that’s more of a it is about the zine community handing over distribution zines to like minded [people]. There’s an mechanism, so it’s ecosystem, and it’s about community still not losing that building. And yes, you can do that on Twitter, opportunity to there are definitely communities on engage face to Facebook and all these other platforms, but face but it’s giving there’s something about the need, the other people a way desire and the enthusiasm for having a into reading a conversation handing over your fanzine to fanzine, either someone physically and say “hey, what do through a PDF you think about it?” or “I want to write about download or saying a particular issue, let’s have have a “Here I am, send me your conversation and let’s get together”. There’s 50 pence and, in return, a whole infrastructure around this as well, with you’ll get a zine”. As a means of the zine fairs and and other kinds of events that distribution I think digital platforms intentionally bring people together which we work very really well, as another don’t necessarily get in the same kind form of communication which of way [on social media]. It’s different enhances the print version. Twitter and I think they work very well and Facebook means zine together. producers can get the message out there and then the rest of the process is about conveying the real content, substance and resulting interaction. 2

“The role of independent Teal Triggs on fanzines, youth and politics publishing has become incredibly crucial in this new context and are increasingly bubbling up to the surface.” Another aspect I find really interesting about self-publishing, especially after the democratization of the personal computer, is that it has allowed non-designers to make graphic design. I wonder if you consider this exposure to new ways of working and thinking to be important for graphic designers and do you think it still happens nowadays? I think in terms of the recent paradigm shift in computing technology, yes it has allowed a greater democratization of availability to means of production for those who are non-designers. I would also say that’s always been there in the fanzine community and that’s been the beauty of zines, because anyone one can do it. And you go back to the whole punk period, anyone can pickup a guitar and be in a band, if the will is there you’ll find the means of production. And even further back historically, with community newsletters that were created by individuals who might be considered as non-designers or ‘amateurs’. So I think that the democratization has always been present. What I see more recently from designers, and we’re seeing this with students at the Royal College of Art, for example — is that fascination for the tactility found within the process of zine making, and because of an inherent zine DIY ethos, these publications are produced quickly. The risograph is the new photocopier, it’s allowing other ways of thinking in what designers or non-designers want to communicate, which can be done cheaply or inexpensively and quickly, and you gain maximum feedback at that point of production. I think the process of zine making helps designers reflect upon and better understand what they want to achieve and to communicate to others. It allows for an experimental space to focus specifically on what and how they are communicating and, to whom. 3

Teal Triggs on fanzines, youth and politics It is also important, when we talk about fanzines, to note that designers are somewhat forced to not just be Back to politics. We cannot talk about fanzines without designers — you have to be able to craft a message and talking about a political attitude in self-publishing. We are have a message in the first place. In line with what you were living interesting times, to put it mildly, and politics is saying I think we are seeing designers thinking of themselves making its way into many aspects of our culture. We see more as citizens than just designers, do you agree with that? it in art, we see it in writing, we see it cinema… My question to you is how do you think that graphic Absolutely. And it goes back to what Jan van Toorn talks about designers are embracing social causes in their work? in terms of the citizen designer. I think also that the obsession with That’s a really good question. I think there’s been an an aesthetic that we have seen over the years in terms of everything increase in awareness amongst a younger generation of having to be absolutely perfect from a design perspective — often an graphic designers that I haven’t necessarily seen in the same kind of way before. We have to be quite careful, obsession with perfect kerning and detailing — but now I think these are huge generalizations, because we can go back to designers are using a design lens to work through these bigger the 1960’s where collectives such as the French experimental group — Grapus, were bringing a social challenges or problems to be able to understand their own conscience to design, and actually making very strong, positioning. And it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s about the final powerful, political statements. But what I’m seeing seems to outcome but it’s about the process. And, so you’re quite right, it’s that be a real desire to communicate to audiences outside of the engagement with the content which is the driver now rather than the engagement with the final form. Again, this is a complete generalization; this is not to say that the final form doesn’t reflect its content, rather what we are witnessing is a shift of emphasis where the designer’s role comes into play at the beginning of design community and one way to do that is to engage through the project and not necessarily just being there at the end of a greater awareness of the political, cultural and social contexts the process. Designers can still make something look ‘nice’, in which designers are working. Designers seem to have a passion but now there’s a real change in thinking about the ways in which designers are fully integrated into the and a commitment for wanting to get across particular ideas, but also communication as a way of generating debate and discussion. So you get examples process. such as the Occupied Times [of London], designed by graduates of the London College of Communication, engaging actively with the graphic language of protest. One of our American students who is on our MRes (Master in Research) program at the RCA, returned to New York for the presidential election and has been actively engaged in the street protests. Like many other young designers, she has been very committed to making a difference by using her skills and passion for taking positive action. I’ve got the utmost respect for this next generation that are trying to grapple with all these big issues — yet, at the same time are really using their skills as communicators to contribute change and by doing so, achieving something really effective and meaningful. Posters in street protests have never looked better! What are the greatest challenges for this new generation of designers and are you optimistic? I’m always optimistic, I’ll come back to that in a moment. In terms of the challenges, I really feel for students who are coming out of education now. I mean, in the UK you’re now having to pay fees, you’re in debt, you’re struggling within an economic context which isn’t stable so there’s much more uncertainty in terms of careers and career progression. However, As an educator, what do you I think designers are very adept at being able to expect from a design school that’s aiming to educate a future generation able to tackle maneuver through those complexities, so these issues? What do I expect from a design school…? What do I expect if we’re doing our job properly and the from where I work! I think it is absolutely important that art students are really taking full advantage of their time and education they should be and design schools maintain a free space in which students can be on a good pathway. So from that experimental, where they can push their ideas, where they can raise standpoint I’m very optimistic that we’ve questions and issues that perhaps aren’t so easily done if you’re in a got new generations coming through design practice or working in the industry. That is an opportunity to think that are able to cope in a way that back and reflect on what it is that you want to do but also what your perhaps previous educational contexts position in the bigger question might actually be. And I think we need have not allowed students to do. I’m to be facilitating as educators, not dictating. I think the days of a dogmatic approach to education doesn’t necessarily match the current hopeful from this standpoint. conditions that we’re living in or in how we are designing for this context. Today it should be about helping students understand what it is to However, I really do feel for students be more agile and flexible in their thinking and less about being now who are facing what will be a very reactive. Instead, designers should be leading in finding solutions difficult future. If students continue to persevere, not only will they reap the to these new challenges and using their design skills and critical thinking rewards and the benefits capabilities to do so. I’m a firm believer in the art school and what they will have as professionals (in kind of ‘lived’ experience it can actually provide, not only for feeding the whatever aspect of design that they want creative industries but also in terms of the impact designers can to engage with), but their impact on make on the bigger picture. Design is absolutely key to the future will be significant. 4 everything that’s going on at the moment.