April 19th

The argument between Modernism and Postmodernism is an ongoing struggle in which designers are torn as to which to identify with. Postmodernism is used to describe the break away from Modernism. We see it in Art, Design, Literature, and Architecture. Ther is an emphasis on feeling rather than rationale. Emphasis on surface, texture and materials. Self-conciousness or self-referencing. Mixes of highs and lows. Historical references, and vernacular.

Manifestations of postmodernism arrive in the 1960s.

Wolfgang Weingart starts EVERYTHING. he begins to push the styles of modern design, except without a computer; he uses the letterpress. In 1969, he works with lead type and open systems in a playful way. He is important because of the experiments he does. He opens up the doors for us designers today. His characteristics include: changing letter spacing on sans serif type. Stair stepping rules (lines) diagonal type, reversing type out of bars.

Vaughn Oliver and Peter Saville create new design that looks like the way we work now.

When the macintosh is introduced, things go crazy. It revolutionizes design and morphs it into the way we design today.

Sagmeister and Carson... Very... interesting styes that I am not a fan of.

Chip Kid is a book designerm creating competent design. Clean work for great clients.

Paula Scher creates equally clean design, working at Pentagram.

In my opinion, the work of Sagmeister and Cason, even though helping along the way design is developing recently,, is not the kind of design we should be moving towards. There are plenty of people who like this design, but from things that i have seen, design should not be random, it should not be composed on a page according to "feeling" it should have an underlying structure.