As the modernising Irish state sought to project a positive image of post-war Ireland, a paradox emerged: how could the symbolism of national distinctiveness (heretofore synonymous with the past) be reconciled with modernity? This thesis outlines the role which graphic design played in attempts to resolve tensions between the national and the modern. The thesis examines how design was mobilised as a symbol and agent of modernisation in Ireland in the run-up to and immediate aftermath of the 1958 ‘Programme for Economic Expansion’, widely considered to be the manifestation of an explicit state-led programme of modernisation. It examines the gradual replacement of the outward symbols of Republican Nationalism with a pervasive symbolism of modern efficiency, suggesting that this was a visual manifestation of the drive towards ‘organisation’ and rational management that gripped the civil service. It examines the paradoxical situation whereby designers in Ireland sought to present themselves and the nation as modern and professional, while the Irish Trade Board (charged with both design and export promotion) looked to professional designers abroad to present Ireland and her exports as traditional. Central to this discussion is the critique by designers (particularly those associated with Ireland’s first professional body, the Institute of Creative Advertising and Design) of so-called ‘Stage Irish’ versions of national image-making. An examination of their work and writings provides evidence for a series of alternative visual strategies for being Irish and modern —often quoting Celtic and early-Christian artefacts in otherwise modernist settings— which I have termed ‘Celtic modernism.’ From the early 1950s onwards, debates over ‘tradition’ and ‘modernisation’ were given visible form in the contentious issue of which letterform to use for the Irish language: ‘roman’ or ‘Gaelic’. This culminated in 1965 in the decommissioning of the Irish alphabet – at which point typography, that most everyday and habitually overlooked of visual material, became briefly visible and highly charged. The final section of the thesis focuses on the relationship between language, typography and identity. It argues that the debates about language reform in the mid twentieth- century led to a reconsideration of the variety of ways of ‘being Irish’ typographically and that the ‘Celtic’ associations of the uncial letter in particular offered potential for the negotiation of tradition and modernity. The thesis concludes that design in Ireland was presented as a means and a metaphor of modernisation. It attempts through an examination of a range of design examples, to follow Roland Barthes’s injunction to ‘track down in the decorative display of what- goes-without-saying’ the ideological constructions hidden in plain sight.

Machines of Curation is an attempt to confront the ever-growing landscape of technology I observe and live inside of daily. This work is specifically concerned with my interest in how we interact with and alter our surrounding environments through technology. The constant tether we have to our devices is becoming more reminiscent of a parasite and host, rather than of a device and user. It informs how we are to look at things, speak with those we love, pay for things, and receive news; just to name a few. I seek to co-opt these methods to urge the viewer to ask their own questions and make their own decisions on how they feel technology is shaping them in ways they may be unaware of. Graphic design holds a unique vernacular to our digital universe as one of the primary mediums that helps organize and create it. The overall goal of this work is that a consistent irony can be established through the work that helps the viewer experiencing it question their views of technology.

Beginning with an understanding of the aesthetic and idealism of modern design, this thesis discusses the interrelationship between culture, technology and graphic design since mid-century. A review of the rise of postmodern critique, particularly as expressed through digital technologies, demonstrates how cultural shifts and developing communications technologies work in tandem to influence the emergence of visual systems. By revealing several underlying premises of modernity, it is shown that the linearity of modern design is a biased and limited theory of vision. This argument is reinforced by contrasting the modern conception of direct communication with alternative design practices that encourage readers to play a more active role in the interpretation of a message. However, the thesis ultimately returns to the fundamental principles of modernism to suggest that certain tenets of modernist thought should not be jettisoned so quickly, simply because digitization encourages open-ended viewing experiences.

Exegesis (BA--Art and Design) -- AUT University, 2008. / Disk contains images of artwork. Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print (xvi, 19 leaves : ill. ; 25 cm + 1 CD-ROM (4/3/4 in.)) in City Campus Theses Collection (T 686.224 MEN)

This practice-led research is the result of an interest in graphic design as a specific critical activity. Existing in the context of the 2008 financial and subsequent political crisis, both this thesis and my work are situated in an expaded field of graphic design. This research examines the emergence of the terms critical design and critical practice,and aims to develop methods that use criticism during the design process from a practitioner’s perspective. Central aims of this research are to address a gap in design discourse in relation to this terminology and impact designers operating under the banner of such terms, as well as challenging practitioners to develop a more critical design practice. The central argument of this thesis is that in order to develop a critical practice, a designer must approach design as criticism. Adopting a mixed methods approach to research, this thesis draws on 'action research'(Schön, 1983) and is aligned with the proposition of ‘problem setting’ instead of the established ‘problem solving’ approach to design, using the following methods: 1)workshops at the Royal College of Art, Sandberg Institute, University of Westminster and London College of Communication; 2) selection of projects from professional practice; 3) self-initiated research projects; 4) critical writing, including essays, reviews,interviews and in particular the publication 'Modes of Criticism'. Following the theorisation of the terms critical design and critical practice, historical survey of criticism, politics and ideology in relation to graphic design, and reflection on the workshops and methods detailed above, this thesis proposes a critical method consisting of three dimensions: visual criticality, critical reflexivity and design fiction. It argues that criticism as design method offers a fundamental opportunity to develop a reflected and critical approach to design, and more importantly, society. This method creates opportunities to develop a critical practice; one that shapes a continuous agency and interest in wicked, systemic and infrastructural problems with a constant ability to critically adapt and research their multi-layered nature. That will on the one hand help the designer to become a substantial agent of change and on the other, in particularly difficult circumstances of conflicted personal, private, disciplinary and public interest such as commercial practice, to find opportunities for criticality.

Graphic design holds a marginal position in the Italian design historiography in relation to industrial design. Often written by and for graphic designers, histories have tended to concentrate on changes in graphic styles as exemplified in works by prominent designers or the visual communication strategies of major companies. By contrast, this thesis addresses the organisation of the graphic design profession in Milan, from the interwar period to the mid-1960s. Key aspects explored include: graphic design’s mutable meanings and practices; formal and informal educational practices; graphic designers’self-identification with a new profession; and the structures they created to organise and make their practice visible. A focus on dialogue and negotiation between different interest groups stresses the relational and contingent nature of design professions. The thesis asks whether Milan’s graphic practitioners capitalised on modernist ideas such as standardisation, universalism, objectivity and functionalism to distance themselves from graphic arts and advertising, and enable re-categorisation within design. Thus, it problematises the relationship between professionalisation and international modernism, within the specific context of industrial structures in Milan and the hierarchy of design practice in twentieth-century Italy more broadly. The thesis provides an original retelling of stories often taken for granted, and looks behind individual designers and big companies to uncover overlooked narratives. Five chapters addressing the Scuola del Libro and the Cooperativa Rinascita in Milan, the ISIA in Monza, the Milan Triennale, the Studio Boggeri and the associations AIAP and ADI draw attention to educational issues, design practice, professional organisations, networks and mediating channels that have defined, legitimised, represented, advanced, contrasted, and articulated the graphic design profession in Milan. The argument is built on close scrutiny of archival material and other primary sources, including extensive visual material and oral interviews. Methodologies derive principally from history of design and visual culture, and place great emphasis on visual analysis. Visual artefacts are approached both as visual expressions of design methodologies and aesthetic principles and, drawing on actor-network-theory, as three-dimensional actors that interact with people and other artefacts. Despite focusing on the local, the thesis draws on global design history as a methodology by taking into account the dynamic and multi-directional movement of people, ideas, and artefacts within transnational circuits. Building on sociological stances, it approaches professions as socially constructed concepts and argues that professional identities are constantly in formation and require continual adaptation to shifting environments, agendas and design discourses. The thesis aims to offer neither a comprehensive history of Italian graphic design nor a final assessment of its professionalisation. Rather, it prioritises the process of professionalisation, by stressing tensions and contradictions, and by following practitioners’ struggle to articulate what graphic design is. The originality and potential impact of the thesis lie in its endeavour to present a closely-articulated history of the graphic design profession in Milan that draws attention to economic, industrial, political, social and technological contexts, and to propose this as a template for the writing of graphic design history. Furthermore, it provides a historically-integrated, archive-based, outward-looking model for graphic design history as an integral part of the history of design.

As a reaction to the demand for women’s suffrage and equal rights in the late-1800s, American antifeminism emerged. In the article by Janet Saltzman Chafetz and Anthony Gary Dworkin, “In the Face of Threat: Organized Antifeminism in Comparative Perspective,” the authors concluded that the growth of a countermovement is contingent upon the success and size of the movement it opposes.1 This conclusion is applied to the actions, counter-actions and subsequent growth of both antifeminism and feminism. However, as feminism succeeds with small advancements in equality, antifeminism escalates its oppositional strength by creating accusations against women, using labels based on gender stereotypes and initiatives that incite divisive discourse in the pursuit of equal rights for all human beings. Graphic design is a catalyst for both antifeminism and feminism visual language. To find inspiration for my exhibition, I examined one-hundred years of design used by both movements. Based by my research, the exhibition, “5th Wave: The Fault of Women,” navigates through the growth and history of antifeminism and visually examines antifeminist labels and initiatives and the culmination of these techniques used during the fifth wave of antifeminism. The exhibition, “5th Wave: The Fault of Women,” exposes and challenges the efforts of the fifth wave of antifeminism in an effort to evoke an understanding of the importance of feminism’s fight for equality and the betterment of all human beings. Using research and design to expose antifeminism’s growing labels and initiative, feminism can combat the techniques used to punish those who challenge patriarchy and heteronormativity. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Helpless is a creative thesis featuring a series of illustrations that metaphorically represent instances of abuse and trauma through the use of mythological and supernatural creatures.

A comprehensive study in the processes of animation in various forms, from concept to simple layout animation to complex overlapping action and splining, and even lighting and texturing, I will be using a popular podcast musical as a basis to study the pipeline that’s used to create an industry animation.

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