Carson Legend or Bullshit?
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- Hypo
Is david carson a legend in graphic design, or was he just a lazy suf bum who got lucky with some lazy ass cut and paste work that he couldnt be bothered laying out in a grid?
- ********0
Carson's work is great, though trendy.
He is an occasionally well-spoken designer, definitely note-worthy.
However I have always felt that he never grew as a designer. He has a style, one style, and thats what he does. In a sense, using the word designer may be too generous, as his works does not cater to the content but rather applies a style he developed.
- paulrand0
it seems like analogs of the "Carson look", ridiculed on these boards as recently as 6 months ago as "so 90's", are on the ascendency again
- unknown0
Carson was perfect for what was needed at that time, so maybe he got lucky being in the right place at the right time but why not.
I think he made people rethink what a magazine was all about and broke a few rules so all is good, though personally I dont think he's a great designer.. he's just good at his kinda thing and theres nothing wrong with that.
- unknown0
I dunno, im a pretty good designer and he's better than me
- ********0
how so kezza?
- unknown0
agree with most of you.... im not sure if carson should be considered as a designer since everything he makes looks like the same.
on the other side i think a designer shouldnt have any style. every project depends on the needs of the client.... blabla...(we all know)btw, rasko, are you sure about those two links!?
seem that carson is pretty dead.
and funny that "so 90!". right now this style is going up and up.... i have a terrible fear of trends and lack of personality.
- unknown0
I quite like the way he doesnt seem to give a crap
- unknown0
i like the way he compares his "intuitive" way of work with platon philosophy. even the surfers know who was platon
:D
- Hypo0
His work all looks the same... erh I dont agree with that at all. He has his own style.. Its the Carson trademark that everyone wants. great designers have their own indentity, its sets them apart from the rest. carson, brody, Oliver Vaughen..... designers republic : some may argue that they see the TDR everywhere, but they were the first.. I think its one of the problems the internet has caused for designers.. It gives us almost an exhuasting ammount of inspiration from all the 4 corners.. Its not giving us the ability any more to think for ourselves and try and develop independant styles. .. TDR Loves you.. Ive see that before.....and ive also seen Newstoday Loves you.. etc etc
- wendell0
i think that the carson thing was not good for design schools at all because all of people wanted very much to be making his designs because they looked like to copy him. i like when he made design for american money and whisky bottles, corporate things as a old man cannot make magazine for all the young people. for long time. he is not good at web design and that is good because you would be getting lots and lots of websites being the look of carson.
- unknown0
at last everyone agree. TDR were the first with all those new trends... we can see them everywhere. but they risk. and create new trends the whole time.
- Bluejam0
It's difficult to assess the impact/influence of a designer without looking at what was going on in the rest of the design world...ie was Carson's work a reaction to the popular design practices and/or theory at the time? or was it a natural progression of what was done before? If it was a break from 'tradition' then as a designer, Carson probably did some good.
The fact that every college designer (including me) at the time was trying to emulate his work probably indicates that he does deserve a place in design history, irrespective of whether you like him or not.What's important to know is that it's very limiting to try a pin a design 'style' on one solitary designer/design group. It's a big world out there, and more often than not it's been done before.
In the case of Carson, Herbert Spencer was, in the 1950's, through his own publication 'Typographica' doing what Carson was doing in the 90's...yet not many seem to see the resemblance or name check Spencer as pushing the boundries of typography.
I found out thanks to Rick Poyner and Steve Heller...two names worth checking out, they write some very good design related material.
- Hypo0
There are elements of Carsons work that date back to the DaDa movement. As far back as the 2nd world war. Dada was Anti design.. and what Carson was doing could be seen in the same light. rebelling away from the rest, breaking all the rules under his feet and stomping and spitting.
beachculture had somthing only like 6 issue's but it was within those issue's carson was noticed.
I guess thats just luck he was noticed.