Seeing bits of shows like Top Design (fashion) [Edit: I meant Project Runway. Notice how I don't know which show is which, because I don't watch any of them.] and The Shot (photography) I wonder if there will ever be a reality competition for graphic design. I guess the existing shows are really about the consumerism version of “high art” or something, where the visual aesthetics is so emphasized and the criteria to judge the pieces against are so abstract, whereas in graphic design, communication is more important than the visual, so there’s less of that subjective abstraction to twist around and dramatize for the viewers at home. And no one really wants to see people hover over the computer for most of the show anyway. Plus, the audience probably doesn’t really want to think about typography and Pantone colors anyway.
And of course, pretty much “anyone” can do graphic design, so it’s not that big of a deal. It would still be nice to have a show like that, though, so that graphic design will be somewhat de-mythed and drive away some of the people who only wanted to get into graphic design to design “pretty” and “cute” pieces. (I’m not completely against cute and pretty; there’s just too much of that out there today.)
I knew better to stay away from shows like Top Design Project Runway and The Shot, but like Helvetica, the first widespread movie made about graphic design, I can’t help but see what it’s all about.
Flush.
This entry was posted on Thursday, December 13th, 2007 at 15:36 and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Well, I suppose Cut&Paste; is a step towards exposing graphic design to people in an interesting, communicative, dramatic manner. i don’t think it would be impossible. Are you going to Pechak Chaon Tuesday?
First comment since the “Soft Opening”! Nah, I’m not going cuz I didn’t hear about it soon enough. I WOULD like to go to one at least, maybe when I have a job and have expendable money to go, haha.