OUGD501 Context of Practice 02 Practical Rationale Theory from Practice

In my essay I explore how Jameson's Theory of pastiche is relevant to typographic practice. So, it seems only natural to explore typographic practice in the practical aspect of this module and look at how executing pastiche from the designers perspective can be very positive. One thing discovered instantaneously was how useful it was to learn the practical skills needed to create a pastiche. I focused on the practice of calligraphy  specifically because it came up in the pastiche I examined in my essay by Stranger and Stranger and because it is a very distinctive method of lettering that is fixed solidly to a sense of history (which Jameson said was nullified by pastiche). 

Learning a practice completely, introduces you to its limitations and challenges you in ways digital (and other newer production methods) cannot. The process is also akin to experimental archeology in the fact that it physically places you in a historical context forcing you to understand the historical background of what you are doing. In this sense it fosters a curiosity in a historical awareness on the part of the designer. This is true of any practice emulation, not just limited to calligraphy, parallels can easily be drawn to any process used to construct pastiches, such as letter press and embossing. It would be fair to say that many of the overarching theoretical discoveries of this practical exploration could be applied to theses as well.

One thing that should be highlighted is the parallel that is very easy to draw between the practice of the individual and the general working of the collective consciousness of the creative world. Through my experimentation it became apparent that learning how to construct pastiches fuels innovation and new designs. The same could be said for the creative world- This stage of pastiche saturation could be seen as a stage that leads to greater innovation through the understanding of the past it fosters in the designers that create them (pastiche that is). Could it be said that the long term positives of such a thing out-way the negatives of it in the short term.

Jameson explores the idea that images have an innate value in their abilities of semiotic communication to the masses, so much so that they become a type of currency in our consumerist world. Through my practical experimentation I have explored deeper into this idea in relation to the designer and their practice. I am citing that understanding the creation of pastiche as and image in order to innovate and apply to other areas of visual work, adds substance and value to the work created.