Wednesday last, we discussed design and "intention." What do we mean by "intention"? Is intention in play at every stage of our process? What about accident? Detours?
That conversation was much informed by Steve Baker's brief essay on intention.
We also looked at, and evaluated, designs selected by the Design Museum (in London) for their quality. See Guardian article here, and the gallery of 15 designs here. With the exception of brutally graphic cigarette packaging from Australia, none of the designs were "graphic."
We also gave some thought to Jonathan Gibbs's "design Blog" essay on the design of Ruth Ozeki's novel A Tale for the Time Being, "published by Canongate in four simultaneous editions: hardback (price £20), paperback (£7.99), ebook (£7.99) and audio (£7.95 on iTunes).". Gibbs refers to design co-director Gerard Saint's explanation that "the exposed stitching at once references Japanese binding techniques, and emulates the fragility at the heart of the novel. The thing even comes wrapped in plastic, with a red sticker warning the reader ‘This special edition is fragile.’ Everything about it makes you want to treat it with the same care that Ruth, in the novel, treats Nao’s diary."
Gibbs writes: " While this is a perfectly apt response to the book, it does make me wonder about the future... All dilemmas that we may face more and more, as books come in bundles like this. The worst of all possible worlds, it occurs to me: the physical book becomes untouchable objet d’art, a sumptuous avatar of the text, an Alton Towers bumper sticker for the intelligentsia..."
For Monday, read Cramsie Chapter 15, "Commercial Modernism."
No comments:
Post a Comment