After listening to the discussion between Susanna and Maziar, I did a lot of research. As both are goldmines of design knowledge I had to know what and who they were talking about. I found their discussion about how graphic design has gone from an almost defined black and white role in the early 80’s to a multi-faceted production role very interesting. Whereas in the past, designers usual handed over to typesetters or specialists, they now have to have a wider ability set like the ability to code or use paper stocks. I find I struggle with all of the skills I’m trying to embed within myself in this digital age. I want to be amazing at everything, print, web, motion, UI/UX but spreading myself thinner is keeping me from improving in any one area.
Maziar argues that history is fundamental to great design. I’m not always thinking about the history or context of a design I’m taking on. This is especially apparent when working on rush freelance jobs for small local companies. They don’t have the time or budget to allow me the pleasure of rigorous research, just wanting a quick job that looks nice. I definitely do more research now than in the past but I’m nowhere near where I should be. It’s so easy to search for things on the internet these days and there’s so much information available to us that I think we miss a lot of it. There’s no way we can read everything. It’s daunting, off-putting even.
Maziar goes on to discuss ‘Micro Utopias’. Information online is so prevalent that we get bombarded with a wealth of information. It’s easy to find and discover the big companies out there that are doing great work. It’s hard to find the ‘little guys’, chugging along in their micro utopia with bold, expressive ideas and amazing work. I love the fact that these ‘little guys’ are banding together, relying on one another and prospering.
It’s become apparent in the last 10 years that there has been a huge resurgence in ‘do it yourself’ culture. Youtube is a prime example. The amount of YouTubers that have quit their day jobs to create content full time is amazing. This micro utopia isn’t micro anymore. These small creators are on a worldwide stage. Similarly, portfolio sites like Behance and Instagram to an extent, are seeing more work than ever before. More people are doing things for themselves, whether that’s designing personal projects or just sitting at home streaming video games all day. There is less of a stigma about getting a classic 9-5 job because it’s the only option.
A man named Mark Perry, in 1976 he was one of the first people in the UK to create a fanzine, Sniffin’ Glue. He saw that the current political climate wasn’t very open to punk or rock and roll. Using newspaper clippings, a pen and a photocopier, he started his own ‘fanzine’ which went on to amass a cult following and was popular for many years. Truly a ‘do it yourself’ kind of guy. He popularised the technique in the UK, more and more fanzines started cropping up in the country. An amazing part of design history that I wouldn’t have known about at all if not for Susanna and Maziar.
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