As I first looked at the book I felt this sense of relief
that made me know that Ellen Lupton’s, “Graphic Design” was actually going to
be fun to read. I felt welcomed with a new aspect of graphic design. No longer
are we only supposed to look at the subject content required, we are supposed
to begin to think for real world applications of design. Lupton goes on to
speak of “Mind mapping” and “Brain storming”, two completely separate ways of
obtaining the same goal in beginning a project. They are new tools to use
outside of our digital workstations to help compile an effective and incredible
design. Not to say that as a society we haven’t been so-called “brain storming”
practically since most of us were in kindergarten. But it’s a new way at
looking at an old technique to be applied elsewhere. Lupton uses colors and
photography to create a visually stimulating book, which pulls your eye all
over the page, with a sort of hierarchy. After a basic outline of topic
activities to further a design process such as, a focus group, Radiant thinking,
Interviewing, Brand mapping, and visual research, Lupton gives steps to
complete, and employ these methods effectively. These are the activities that I
have used for years to gather data for school, but applying it to a design is
totally refreshing and almost new to me. I have never really sought out most of
my design plans. I have just created my pieces with drafting, and brainstorming
mostly. So to read from this book
step by step on how to apply these techniques to a design process was far less
dry and much more appealing to me. Design is such a large part of society and
consumerism, knowing that a logotype alone can have an effect on a worldly
market, is nothing but incredible to me.
I agree with how refreshing this book seems to be. I thought it was interesting that Lupton outlines all of these ways to come up with ideas when designing. They are simple strategies that everyone probably already uses, but the way in which she outlined the steps and effective ways to brainstorm was something I haven't seen before in a graphic design book. This book is definitely leading students to think about work environments.
ReplyDeleteI find your point on Lupton's "totally refreshing and almost new" approach to the design process to be completely valid. Her approach to presenting design projects & the processes involved introduce the world of design through a lens unclouded by context, rather open to interpretation. Lupton's book encourages designers to approach their projects with an open mind, establishes the necessity to think about the end product & ultimately the affect it will make on its target audience.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the brainstorming methods applied to design is insightful, because before I used some of the methods to gather data, such as the focus groups. Previously, it would not have occured to me to use focus groups to test out the effectiveness of designs. I also find this book more appealing through the case studiens and visual examples.
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more to the points made above and in your writing Grant. Lupton offers a refreshing outlook on the process of design, while giving wonderful insight into real world examples. I also think with the presented methods Lupton makes a unique point from most graphic design books, in that she promotes a greater sense of collaboration among designers. As a design book, I absolutely agree that this a great primer for real world applications, but it's also a fantastic introduction into the process of effective collaboration.
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