Reflections on seminar - moving towards manifesto

The session yesterday evening not only gave me an opportunity to review my "Balance" poster but also helped me to further consider a statement leading to my manifesto. I clearly want to reflect on the organisation of space in print through "Balance and Juxtaposition" of elements. Additionally I want to investigate, explore and take influences from periods and trends. 

I have been interested and influenced for some time by graphic design emerging in the 1950's - in particular the "paste up" typography and photography work of Reid Miles for the Blue Note Jazz record label through the 50's and into the early 60's. 

I am equally intrigued by the trend of the last few years of the move to developing design work for print from hand rendered and hand assembled starting points for graphic outcomes. This has gradually moved into the mainstream and now regularly appears in design work for major corporate companies. I feel that development of this work is in some part due to a reflection and in some ways a rejection by artists/designers of the dominance of the computer over design outcomes and seeks to return to some sense of reflection and acknowledge that design and creativity exists/existed before the computer.

I would like to start from the work of the 50's, which will clearly shows the influences of modernism and swiss graphics as a starting point and investigate creating work which relates to periods/trends from the that period to the present day and to try to draw comparisons between the hand rendered/paste up work of  the 50's,60's 70's through the digital transition of the late 1980's to the current trend of hand rendered starting points for some of today's design. 

I am keen to take on the notion of "being in practice" as discussed in yesterday's session; the idea that you continue to "practice" outside of the client brief and the pressure of "linear" design constraints and deadlines.  I am also inspired by the idea of being my own "audience" in developing a body of work through my creative investigations. I hope to use the next module - "Design Methods" to dig deeper into research of my own subject and practice to further this.

In terms of a statement for manifesto, something around "Balance, Juxtaposition and space is influenced by period, trend and process" might be getting close to it and something that I would wish to discuss and get some further critical feedback on.