How or why?

After a meeting with Mike, my masters tutor, it became apparent that I have been focusing on more methods of graphic design rather than theories. I’ve been concentrating on how we compose elements in design, how we order type and how we choose colour. I have been asking more ‘how’ questions, instead of ‘why’.

This forced me to go back to an earlier blog post about my understanding of theory. It reminded me that a theory doesn’t have to be fact based or an instruction of how to carry out our practice. It is an idea that may provide reasoning of why we do something or carry out a certain task, a theory is proposed to try to help us understand our practice, form new ideas and expand our knowledge.

Theories don’t have to be evidence based, but when when there is more evidence to back it up the theory is strengthened and becomes more respected in practice. Also, it’s important to remember that theories can complement one another or conflict, which is healthy and encourages critical analysis.

I looked back at the diagram I included from the book Graphic Design Methodologies and Processes, that suggests that design is understood when you encompass theory and methodologies. When I look back at this now it becomes so much clearer and I can see how the two cross over and the lines become blurred.

Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the field 
In an effort to distinguish graphic design theories from methods I purchased the book Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the field. It is a collection of extracts from various theorists and heroes of graphic design from the beginning of modernism through to the noughties.

When reading the foreword, by Ellen Lupton, there was so much that really rung true with me, particularly the following extract:

“The process of becoming a designer is focused largely on ‘how’: how to use software, how to solve problems, how to organise information, how to get clients, how to work printers, and so on. With so much to do, stopping to think about why we pursue these endeavors requires a momentary halt in the frenetic flight plan of professional development.”

Ellen had explained perfectly the dilemma I’m having! I’ve been in the professional design world for several years, and so often forget to stop and think about why I do what I do and why that is important. Reading this gave me a real sense of reassurance, that I’m not the only one facing this problem.

Ellen goes on to say:

“Why theory? Designers read about design to stimulate growth and change in their work. Critical writing also inspires new lines of questioning and opens up new theoretical directions. Such ideas draw people together around common questions.”

Researching this question has really reminded me how vital it is to understand the historic theories of our practice and I want to take the time to read this book in full to refresh my memory. But by starting to do so, it is also apparent that there are so many theories in visual communication and graphic design to cover, and I certainly don’t have time to look at them all.

It’s made me realise that I need to select a few that I feel influence my practice the most and discover those further to analyse how they inform me. The most obvious place for to start is Josef Muller-Brockmann, the legend of the grid system, which is a method I use every day as a designer for print.


REFERENCE
Armstrong, H. (2009). Graphic design theory: Readings from the field. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press.