The underlying principle of new design is that "Form follows function".
The main function of typography is to convey a message to the reader with the greatest speed and ease. Nowadays there is so much printed matter trying to get the attention readers who lead busy, fast paced lifestyles. This means that good typography has become even more important and must be as direct and vivid as possible.
- Symmetrical Layout is not Effective
The most rational positioning of type is flush to the left, where the eye automatically returns to after reading the previous line. Line length is also not as disruptive in left hand arrangements than in centre arrangements, maintaining an attractive and readable layout.
- Ornamentation in excluded in Modern typography
Ornamentation makes the layout attractive, however the key aim of modern typography is to get the message conveyed as clearly as possible.
An exception to this rule is if the layout promotes comprehension of the copy, without becoming an object of interest itself.
- Typefaces should not detract from the copy
Typefaces should not attract attention to themselves or detract from the meaning or message of the copy.
Any more daily drop caps? What else can be designed and published with this kind of turnaround? A full stop? Comma? Question mark??
ReplyDeleteCan you critique or analyse McMurtrie's ideas here? The idea that we're living in a world of fast-moving information makes typography work that bit harder doesn't it? So how could / should typography 'work' to get our attention? By being louder? Or, as Modernism might argue, strip away anything that's unnecessary to the message being communicated and present a focused and very clear communication?
Where does this leave the designer?
Paul
Postmodernism is commonly characterized by the artist's personal vernacular, which more often than not requires some serious interpretation. While designs produced with a postmodern approach can be quite impactful, they are not always the best route for communicating.
ReplyDeleteCommunication is not only a strong point of modernism, it is the main point, the focus, the goal. Hugo Ball said, "The word and the image are one." Through careful consideration, modernist standards can be applied to composition in a way that is both impactful and incredibly simple to decipher; therefore, being a much more effective avenue for design in many areas (such as the book, which is an area admittedly best left to modernist theories).
As a designer, you must find the best route to solve the problem at hand. Feeling as though typography and graphic design was stuck in a pit of rules set by modernism is what set postmodernism into motion in the first place. So, it is the designer's responsibility to know the rules and become a master of the rules. Then, it is up to the designer to know what rules to break and when to break them.