anti design
Out of context: Reply #43
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- lukus_W0
Yeah, but I think there's still a sense of 'getting it'; especially when dissonance is created, and the aesthetic that the audience expects is markedly different to the aesthetic that's supplied. I think the notion of 'anti-design' suggests that dissonance will be a noticeable feature.
If the audience is already exposed to the aesthetic in everyday life, maybe they're going to be even more confused when it's used in a very different context - and therefore less likely to understand it.
I see what you're saying about 'Akzidenz Grotesk'. It's the shock of the new - I guess it took a while for the whole of society to grow accustomed (or 'to get') the typeface.
The same can probably be said for the 'ugliness' of skinny jeans. For a long while their appearance seemed a bit odd and jarring outside of a rock band. Then, much later still, even my dad started wearing them. (though, the ugliness didn't really fade in that particular case..)
I'm really thinking about the idea of 'anti-design' as a highbrow concept, where the primary motivation isn't just straightforward communication. I suppose, in this case, usual rules of good design still apply - but .. by changing the cast and props, the task of telling the story is made challenging in a non-usual way.
I like your idea of embracing lowbrow and highbrow and using them interchangeably - and I think this is the approach that all designers would hopefully choose to take. I think it's more difficult for clients to think like this though.
If this line of thinking is accepted, sooner or later it's probably worth asking "why work according to anti-design principles?". Cynically, I think, once again, it's down to the shock of the new. I think trends are unavoidable. People will always flock like sheep.
But maybe it would be more realistic to start viewing 'anti-design' as just another range of techniques - a set of techniques to create contrast against traditional good design, rather than a fad.
I reckon 'anti-design' can also refer to a straightforward embracing, of the trashy design associated with disposable culture. I understand your fondness for the aesthetic .. and I think there's a lot of merit in using it to create design and art - maybe because it's interesting to create reflections of society as it actually stands. I think nastynets.com is good.