|
Design
History
It
was the early 1980s that the first national conference on
Design History was held at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Interest in Design History as an integral part of curriculum
was strongly reinforced by the fact that the most notable
graphic designers of the past have been well versed in art
and design history. Some institutions such as The Museum of
Modern Art and Walker Art Center had significant collections,
curators and publications devoted to design. There have been
few with sufficient interest to educate themselves in the
history of design, and for the most part, these individuals
were studio instructors or practicing designers. The history
of type and printing was well documented with many persons
being extremely knowledgeable about the origins and evolution
of type, printing and related subjects. There can be little
question but what interest in graphic design history sprang
directly or indirectly from involvement with type and printing
history. However, within the educational context of graphic
design, there was a vacuum insofar as design and type history
were concerned. At the time, most programs were in advertising
design where there was more concern for lettering than for
typography and printing production. Alvin Eisenman at Yale
during the early 1950s was responsible for the most significant
introduction of type and printing history into graphic design
curriculum. Graduates from Yale who entered teaching took
the historical orientation with them. They incorporated it
into their courses, and from there, it spread to other graphic
design programs.
With the publication of Philip Meggs’ book, The History
of Graphic Design, and following that first conference
on design history, numerous books on the subject have now
been published about designers, design periods or styles.
Many educational programs currently include Design History
in some form or another. Sometimes it is a lecture course,
other times it is annual lectures or historical research as
part of class work. Some teachers show slides in conjunction
with studio work.
Students enrolling in graphic design programs are woefully
ignorant of the history of type, printing, design, art and
contemporary designers. This has been true for as long as
I have been teaching. Particularly at universities, administration
has been remiss in recognizing the need for Design History,
establishing courses or creating faculty lines to instruct
in Design History. Recently, my concern has been regarding
what form Design History might take in the future. I would
not like to see it relate to design as Art History now relates
to the fine arts. At most institutions, Art History is totally
separate from studio courses with little or no interaction
between the two. In some instances, Art History has been removed
from the college or school of art and put into the humanities.
There are strong indications that a number of design historians
and journals are currently following patterns set by art historians.
This is happening to some extent because a few art historians
have converted from art to design, and they have brought their
values and practices with them to the new discipline. The
influence of art historians is strongly reflected in the new
design journals through emphasis on research, theory or sociological
issues rather than on professional practice. Many articles
border on the esoteric and have little to contribute to the
betterment of graphic design as a profession. For these reasons,
there should be a distinction between design history and design
orientation.
History
vs. Orientation
Design History deals with the evolution of design, the chronological
progression of design, designers and their works, theory,
philosophies of design, historical context for design within
periods and places, relationships between graphic design and
the other art or design fields, cultural impact of design,
etc. Graphic design history should be taught as separate lecture
classes, and there should be an initial overall survey class
with several additional specialized courses. The survey course
might include other design fields such as industrial, interior,
environmental, etc.
Graphic design orientation should be viewed as an integral
part of the studio program. Design History deals with evolution,
context, influences, personages, etc. While Design Orientation
includes some of the same information, it deals more specifically
with critical analysis of design work. My experience has been
that the introduction of type and design history is most effective
when related to or taught in conjunction with studio work.
When history is related to studio activities, students have
more vested interests in the information, they are more attentive
and seem to better retain the information.
I see three principal areas where Design Orientation would
greatly enrich the educational experience. The first being
at the introductory level when students are working with abstract
theoretical exercises. The majority of students working on
design exercises do not understand why or what they are doing.
The lack of understanding affects their commitment and productivity.
The introduction of slides showing practical work by designers,
photographers, painters or architects that illustrate the
theoretical principles students are exploring is an immense
boost to student understanding. With comprehension comes the
interest, commitment and productivity.
For
instructors to make the best use of resources in the slide
libraries will require librarians to adopt somewhat different
attitudes and practices than have been traditionally associated
with use of visual resources. To encourage faculty to make
more use of slides, they should be assisted, even subsidized,
to make copies from the library that they keep in their own
offices. Most slide librarians want teachers to check out
and return slides and this is enough of a hindrance in itself
to reduce use of visual information in the studio. The making
of slides from materials selected by teachers needs to be
facilitated as much as possible in terms of cost, time, and
availability. The role of slide librarians and the use of
slide libraries needs to be re-examined.
|
