Context of Practice Seminar Notes Form Versus Function OUGD401

The beginning of the seminar was centered around remembering the main points of the context of practice lecture last week. 

This included: the mass production of technology and resultant dissemination of knowledge,the structures of language, the classification of type such as humanist, traditional, modern, swiss modern and contemporary. Each with examples, Goudy, Baskerville, bodoni, helvetica ect. 

An extract was then read and discussed from 'The Crystal Goblet' by Beatrice Warde (1930). The main concept behind this was the modernist view that the best typographic design is merely the vessel for the meaning provided by the words. It should go completely unnoticed. However, I argue that the eye of the reader will only ignore or not notice type because they are forms that they are used to, no matter how legible and readable the type face is, if it is very different from what the person is used to then it will be noticed. So, this modernist theory rather promotes the stagnation of typographic design.

Another essay by Herbert Bayer, 'On Typography' was also given and to be read outside the seminar so as to compliment the task we were set this session.

The discussion then developed into the understanding of the difference between fine art and graphic design. As groups we agreed that it was the purpose that graphic design has that separates it from fine art. Graphic design is created with a large and commercial audience in mind where as fine art is more personal and often aimed at a small niche market. Because of class based social prejudices fine art has been seen as at the top of all artistic disciplines even in art schools.

-Fine art is pure.
-Illustration is the beginning of selling out.
-Graphic design is a commercial art.
-Advertising is selling.

This hierarchy is based on a number of false assumptions. Such as the idea that the ambiguity of meaning found in fine art makes the audience struggle for understanding and in so doing improve themselves. Art is seen as more culturally significant, mostly because art was saved because it was the pursuit of the rich, And the impermanence of some graphic design makes it somehow lesser, even though it may reach a much wider audience. The functionality and application seems to have made it a lesser creative pursuit than fine art, seeing at as somehow unsure.