Design Influences Context of Practice OUGD401 Task 1

AS part of our introductory lecture for the 'Context of Practice' area of our Graphic Design degree we were asked to produce a list of five pieces of design which have influenced us as designers. Although each of these pieces affected me greatly, not only in my design practice but in my decision to go into design, the way they affected me and the result of this varies greatly. It is because of this that I cannot place them in any particular order. They combine to create the major external forces that shaped me as a person and as you can imagine that is very difficult to quantify.

This is probably the first piece of design I was ever aware of; it was on our table cloth at home for the majority of my childhood. At first it was just something in the background, something that held my attention only until food was placed on top of it. However, as I started to learn about William Morris and the arts and crafts movement It began to interest me. It shocked me that something so incessantly beautiful had sat under my nose for so long without me noticing it. The way the folds and lines of the leaves created the depth and movement of the subject with no apparent struggle, the interlocking shapes so closely set yet ingeniously intertwined so that the space between the pattern was as much a work of art as the pattern its self. 

Because of my rural upbringing I was constantly surrounded by plants of all kinds, but after appreciating the beauty to be found in a plant's mere representation, my eyes were opened to the rich swathes of inspiration that grew in acres around me. Ever since, plants; the way they look and how the work, has formed a large part of many of my designs and inspirations.

This design and by extension the other works of William Morris also introduced me to the history of design, its context and its cast iron connection to society and the beliefs of those who created it. The way that the ideals of the arts and crafts movement were a revolt against the ever growing industrialisation on Britain fascinated me. The why and how of design in its social climate and its connection to other designs and designers all the way back to medieval monks and illuminated manuscripts and all the way forward to Tolkien and our modern idea of fantasy writing. The awareness of the context of design has become intrinsic in my design process, knowing as much as possible about the cultural, social and creative influences that brought a design to be, is an interesting and important source of inspiration for me. 

I am also an avid reader of fantasy novels, including Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and Tolkien. I fell in love with the films because of the way it utilised design to communicate so much about each society in middle earth. My favourite example of this would have to be the set design for the great hall of Rohan in Edoras, shown above. The celtic and anglo-saxon shapes that adorn the walls and columns convey so much about the society of Rohan by making use of designs that are already thick with associations and codes carried by the audience. When watching these films I first started to become aware of the audience in relation to a piece of design and the carful manipulation of codes and semiotics which are required to truly convey a meaning or idea. this is something that has played an increasingly crucial role in my design process. Even if a design conveys and idea clearly and easily to me, the associations and links other people make can be completely different. This idea is perfectly summarised by Barthes theory of plurality of meanings, in which he compares the reading of a text to a ball of threads, with no discernible beginning or end. Anyone reading the text reaches in a pulls out a thread, each thread represents a way of reading or looking at the text. In short the variations in the way people see signs varies greatly; what you have attempted to convey is not necessarily what has been conveyed.

Awareness of this has caused me to absorb other peoples opinions of my work more readily, especially if they are not well versed in design. After all the majority of those targeted by design aren't hugely aware of it.

Above are some images from a promotional drive for an eastern department store by the Design company Sagmiester and Walsh. They have utilised widely held signs and codes to produce beautiful and direct adds. The existing branding for the department store was their orange box packaging, they have taken this and simply conveyed desirability and value. The wit and intelligence of these designs shines through and there is something incredibly satisfying about them.

These deigns made me realise that the most simple ideas are sometimes the best, the most important thing it to fulfill the brief and communicate what you set out to. It is all very well to say that anyone can do that, but the point is that they didn't.

This is a piece of landscape art commonly known as the chalk horse near Uffington. I was first introduced to it through a book I was reading by Terry Pratchett. More than anything I find it is a glimpse into the past and testament to the fact that just because people lived a long time ago doesn't mean that they were stupid. Terry Pratchett describes it perfectly, saying that "it's not what a horse looks like, but what a horse is." To these people the horse was its movement, its speed and vitality and through its movement it provided life to those who owned it, ploughing fields and carrying weights. The way that they have managed to capture somethings essence whilst skipping the obvious aspect of how something looks really inspires me. It has become a usual part of my design process to attempt to capture the essence of the concept I am working on without the distraction of its usual visual 

aspects. 

The image above is from a book called "Earth, Fire, Water and Air" illustrated by Jane Ray.  I was introduced to her work at quite a young age and was always awed by how beautifully detailed it was. I could look at one picture for half and hour and still notice new things. 

After early childhood I seldom looked at her illustrations and so the books became quite distant to me. But during my A level I got a chance to do a project on illustration, Jane Ray instantly sprung to mind and I set about experimenting with water colours, collages and oils paints, in many different combinations. Although I never got close to anything as wonderful as this attempting to understand the processes she had gone through really opened my eyes to what different physical media could do when wielded with skill and care. I discovered a joy in drawing and painting, even if I wasn't that good at it.