{"id":16928,"date":"2010-05-23T14:32:40","date_gmt":"2010-05-23T21:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/?p=16928"},"modified":"2011-07-23T17:43:15","modified_gmt":"2011-07-24T00:43:15","slug":"my-take-on-graphic-design-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/archives\/16928","title":{"rendered":"My take: Graphic design history fu"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>
\nMy syllabus, photographed by student Samantha Costanilla<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

So I\u2019ve been teaching my version of \u2018a history of graphic design\u2019 for several years now. Just finished up my 9th session. <\/p>\n

As a text, Philip B. Meggs\u2019 landmark research book \u2013 History of Graphic Design,<\/a><\/em> first released in 1984 \u2013 is the bible on the subject. Even the ‘making of’ has its own edition.<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the most thorough analysis, and one of the best graphic design reference books I own. But as Meggs points out in his introduction, it\u2019s only the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more to discover, find, research and incorporate into one\u2019s own view.<\/p>\n

Finally, there is another book that just hit the market \u2013 The Story of Graphic Design<\/a><\/em> by Patrick Cramsie. It tackles similar ground, but from another angle. A refreshing find. And from what I could tell so far, it syncs with my own classroom take on \u2018The Story\u2019 . . .   <\/p>\n


\nOpening slide from my first lecture, gives one POV of many<\/em><\/p>\n

building drama<\/strong>
\nToday, a History of Graphic Design course is regular curriculum at schools worldwide. And the Meggs book fits the traditional way Art History is taught \u2013 so it is a great book to adapt from. Traditionally.<\/em><\/p>\n

What I\u2019ve found the most difficult in working with Meggs’ book is how academic it is. Which, there\u2019s nothing wrong with this. It has never stated that it is more than a researched volume.<\/p>\n

It is just easy to get lost in the facts and figures contained within – they can be dense at times. Again, not a problem. But in today’s classroom, something else is needed. Something beyond academics.<\/p>\n

The best way to put it: We now live in a post-Ken Burns<\/a> world. History, we’ve discovered is a rich palette of incredible tales, human beings doing crazy human being-like stuff.<\/p>\n

Teaching needs drama. We have so much media to compete with, standing in front of slides and spouting facts doesn\u2019t quite do its job anymore.<\/p>\n


\nSlide from my Russian Avant Garde lecture<\/em><\/p>\n

planning<\/strong>
\nIn college, I had one of the most incredible History of the American West<\/em> classes. I didn\u2019t really care for history, but professor Michael Svanevik<\/a> did all his own research and dammit, it was one of my favorite classes EVAR.<\/em> From it, I became a history junkie. And if I were going to teach a history class, it was going to be like Svanevik. He has a great storytelling style, with Jack Benny-like humor and timing. (Here’s some of his books<\/a>) (and I already had a lead<\/a> on how to do the comedy)<\/p>\n

I took over the course I teach \u2013 artnm305<\/a> at ARC in Sacramento \u2013 from one of my favorite design gurus Bob Dahlquist.<\/a> The switchover was fast – I suddenly found myself launched into this history class, without a net. <\/p>\n

And without slides. Just Bob\u2019s highlighted Meggs book to work with.<\/p>\n

His advice: \u2018Graphic design is about personalities. Take it from that approach and you\u2019ll have something.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Crap. I had two weeks to get up and running, and in reading Meggs for the first time, wasn\u2019t seeing too much about the personalities.<\/p>\n

Throw in that I\u2019d NEVER had a Graphic Design History class, I was running head first into uncharted territory. But I did just that, started with Meggs then started researching any and all things I could find about the people involved. Magazine articles, books, library editions – anything I could get my hands on. There was very little on the web and Wiki didn\u2019t exist yet. <\/p>\n

And discovered a lot of the personalities were a bunch of damn malcontent radicals! Right place at the right time, opinionated, egomaniacs, insecure geniuses, whack jobs, thieves, murderers and more. Within 17 weeks, though, I had written the equivalent of a dozen hastily-scrawled research papers and created over 1,500 slides. <\/p>\n

And next thing you knew, I needed new bookcases.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nA few of my books<\/em><\/p>\n

history is \u00fcber fluid<\/strong>
\nIn doing research outside the Meggs book \u2013 thru articles<\/a> and other smaller tomes<\/a> – some crazy stuff started happening. Contradictions. Major, fudging contradictions, speculations presented as fact. I like to use this quote I\u2019d heard somewhere (think it was a comedian):<\/p>\n

The difference between history and the past? The past happened. History is what was written down. And why does history tend to repeat itself? Because all writers are plagiarists.<\/em><\/p>\n

Something like that.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nThe Great Goudy<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

So that\u2019s how I tell My History of Graphic Design<\/em>: It\u2019s what I\u2019ve found, it\u2019s mostly what\u2019s been written. But it\u2019s also hearsay, gossip, conjecture, opinion, conflicting opinion. Contradictions in one lecture that lead to conflicting theories in another.<\/p>\n

And we just don\u2019t know what\u2019s true and what isn\u2019t. It\u2019s a big story, not one that can necessarily be labeled nonfiction.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Meggs book IS just the tip. Digging deeper, there\u2019s just so much more. And today, I\u2019m still digging. But in all this, I have created my own history. Mostly Meggs (some directly Meggs) and a whole bunch of other stuff.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m not done yet.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nPhoto by Samantha Costanilla<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

challenging meggs<\/strong>
\nThis is a tough proposition. There actually aren\u2019t many books on the subject. Richard Hollis’ Graphic Design: A Concise History<\/a><\/em> does a really cool, simple job. Heller and Ballance’s Graphic Design History<\/a><\/em> is a collection of articles, with typos throughout, that adds flesh, fills in some gaps.<\/p>\n

Eskilson’s Graphic Design: A New History<\/a><\/em> came out a few years ago. It\u2019s a strange take on the field that downplays most of what happened prior to the 20th Century (!?) and contains some of the weirdest, poorly designed chapter graphics I\u2019ve ever seen. It references material in the Meggs book, but doesn\u2019t acknowledge its existence. And it goes to great lengths to get trapped in small trivial matters. I could go on and on \u2013 and others have<\/a> \u2013 but I\u2019ll just sum it up this way:<\/p>\n

I was excited when I saw the title – Graphic Design: A New History. But that excitement went away when I sat down to read.<\/em><\/p>\n

Yes: We DO need more Graphic Design History as part of our discourse. And the publishers of A New History<\/em> cite this for why their book exists. But beyond this, the personalities, the anecdotes are what makes this material rich.<\/p>\n

But – someone\u2019s finally gotten it right. It seems. Just this year:<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nPatrick Cramsie’s The Story of Graphic Design<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

pre-review: the story of graphic design<\/strong>
\nI\u2019d be irresponsible to say I\u2019ve read this book. But I\u2019ve had it in my hands just a few days and I\u2019m already absorbing it slowly. Digesting. <\/p>\n

Patrick Cramsie has discovered what I\u2019ve been on to: History is a mess. And in a narrative style, he tackles this. He tackles critiquing the work from a designers\u2019 point of view. He even tackles critics that say, oh you left this out, you forgot this.<\/em> It\u2019s his book, he\u2019s not trying to recreate Meggs, just tell his version of the story.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s something more important: He goes back to storytelling. He is weaving a story of richness, featuring the same people I\u2019ve been living with for years now. <\/p>\n

I may have a real review of the book later \u2013 you can order your own here<\/a> – or just take my class this fall to see what happens (btw, I\u2019m not abandoning the Meggs book just yet; it does have all the facts and figures)   . . .<\/p>\n

But no matter how I look at it, I\u2019m dying to see where his point of view takes me. And where I\u2019ll end up when I come out the other side.<\/p>\n\r\n\t

\r\n\t\tTweet<\/a>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t