01 Visual Design for Print & Screen: Manifesto
Process
Before writing my own Design Manifesto, I read through The Typography Manifesto by Helen Armstrong. In The Typography Manifesto, the Italian futurism, Soviet constructivism, and typo-photo manifestos were laid out. Reading through the manifestos of these differing times and places allowed me to understand the driving forces that were behind each art form.
The needs of the artist and of the society at large resulted in each of the distinct styles. Futurist artists used their rough, fast looking style of art to break free from the gentle, feminine art style that they felt had defined their culture for too long. Constructivists changed traditional art by incorporating the graphic, architectural elements that were becoming so prevalent in their city scapes. Typophoto combined subjective imagery with objective text to create a truth telling art form that would help individuals know and feel a part of the greater whole.
In each of these art styles, I was able to identify truths that I felt applied to how I view society today — truths that could motivate my art. For example, I identify with the need that typophoto had to remove ambiguity and interpretation from art, and to tell the truth about humanity. I realized that unlike futurists, I have an interest in celebrating the feminine, and collecting the scraps of history instead of wiping them away. I can understand the constructivist perspective that technology is the mortal enemy of art, but I’m not sure if I agree entirely (this is something I’m interested in exploring in my own practice).
The next reading I engaged with before creating my manifesto was Jessica Helfand’s Dematerialization of Screen Space. In this piece, Helfand seems to relate to the constructivist point of view that technology is limiting artful expression. She calls for artists to “think beyond the practicalities” of technological forms. Her question: “what domestic truths are mirrored in the space of a screen?” really resonated with me as an aspiring UX designer. How do you make technology feel familiar, homely, within the constraints of a small screen?
With these new understandings and calls to action, I began building my manifesto.