Dave Carson overrated?
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- motherworm0
I was a huge fan of Carson, Brody, Thirst, Segura, Margo Chase, Edward Fella, April Greiman, Pirtle, Emigre, Skolos and the like in while attending college in the 90s. At the same time I had an extraordinary design history course that allowed me to balance their work against the powerhouses of El Lissitzky, Man Ray, Rodchenko, The Bauhaus, Maholy-Nagy, Josef Albers, Herbert Bayer, Jan Tschichold, Muriel Cooper, Paul Rand, Saul Bass, Massimo Vignelli, Wolfgang Weingart etc etc (I had to spell all of them out because their names are never mentioned enough). As long is there is a balance, and definitely a sense of appreciation for any body of design work you can't be wrong. To shuck off a designer who has contributed to design and the design community as a whole is plainly a form of ignorance. I'm not saying you can't be a good designer without knowing some design history, but by knowing the roots of our craft your appreciation for design, and your skill sets as a designer will only be that much more enlightened.
- lunaluxx0
Graphic Design = Visual Communication
whatever the style
DC and the other designers of the late 80's and early nineties we looking for a new way to visually communicate and are definitely a product of the youth attitude of the time combined with a (gasp) new design tool: the computer. (which is weird because in a sense that style has a lot to do with self expression ...which is kinda anti-technology...another discussion)
Context is important and at that time, that style was the most influential. It felt new and innovative and rock n roll and was exploiting a tool that every designer now uses every day. The bad thing was that other designers/students of design co-opted the style inappropriately.
I think that whether you like the style or dislike it is unimportant. What is important is to recognize that it did change the face of design and turned it to a new direction. The effects are still felt. I think it was good thing, whether you like the style or not...it made a lot of designers start thinking about things in a different way, whether as a reaction for or against...there's a lot of interesting things happening now because those new doors were opened.
- BonSeff0
his work looks played because it is. everyone gravytrained in through the late 90's. Thank god alien skin came out with all those nifty eyecandy filters to completely destroy typography back in 99-00
- BonSeff0
save - you are wrong/
and a euro design snob
- jpolk0
save should stick to trolling...
- Mimio0
I think Carson's typography is more considered than about 95% of the "experimental" or "bleeding edge" stuff I see now. At least he did more with it than treat it like a fucking texture all the time, and render it above 8pt.
- AMFA0
man. all the haters out there.
David Carson did great work(in his style) and gave immense visibilty to graphic design.
Whether or not you like his work is secondary. There are great artists and designer that I hate their work. But they still were great.
In the last decade, the number of graphic designers has increased 10x. If DC was so 90s. then he was part of that movement.
I think DC is graphic design's Bill Gates. Love him or hate him, he did great things for the industry.
- jpolk0
true - it's really important to compare DCs work to what was going on with type in the early "computer days"
- ross0
einstein's work looks old and dated...
and de Vinci too, his stuff is really dated...
everyone is entitled to his/her opinion but to say "his typography has always been awful" is a little bold, non?
- soda0
i actually agree with Save's comments, from my own point of view I never thought a great deal about Carson or Brody but the point is they made big waves in their time that still ripple on to us now. We are enjoying the fruits of what these 'pioneers' achieved.
If you like what they did or not is irrevlevent. If you think it's good or not is even less important. The fact is they (and many others) opened doors to new directions and new ways of thinking.
You have to respect that.
- mattyd0
whoever said he was a dick is definitely wrong about that. i did a project on him in college and he was very helpful. he promptly returned my emails and took a few calls from me to help me out.
i think his work was definitely an inspiration for a lot of people and his influence shouldnt be understated.
something i am not a fan of, though, are designers ripping on other designers. we're in this together, folks.
- Bullitt0
Dont get me wrong here, Iam not knocking D.Carson. I do think the stuff he did in the 90's was sort of a breakthrough. I dont think he has progressed though since say about 97/98.
- liquid0
ok maybe I am an idiot..... new ways of thinking...
I look at design.... hot or not?
is this like something you learn with a BFA degree or something....???!?!!?
- Scottizzle0
Its always funny to see a bunch of people no ones heard of knocking one of the most influencial designers of our time.
Neswstoday Rules! lol.
- Mimio0
It doesn't make someone's criticism any less true because they're not famous.
- uncle_helv0
Ha ha ha It's funny to hear the word pioneer and Carson in the same thread, Carson was purely 'visual wank' have you ever tried reading RayGun!!. I loved it at college, really dramatic use of type and image, free from structure and visually quite powerful, but now as a working designer, I realise that Carson didn't communicate, he didn't master content, nor did he f*ckin try, illegible, no structure, his fame was through sensation, his designs for RayGun and Beach Culture admittedly re-assed what a magazine could be! which as a creative I admire, but as a designer I must say Carson is no champion, or pioneer if you look a little bit further back Wolfgang Weingart , April Greiman are far better examples of how design could be pushed to the boundaries, and remain memorable, without being thrown around the page trying to read type on negative baselines etc...
In short Carson is shite.
- Bullitt0
His approach you could say was a form taken from the crazy freaked out art culture of DADA.
- uncle_helv0
Yes I would agree Bullitt as DADA was anti art you could say Carson was ANti Design
:D
- josimarX0
I reckon all these pussy-ass little noob designers wouldn't be doing there crisp-and-clear-no brainer-helvetica-neue-concept-f... if it wasn't for Carson exhausting everything but comic sans back in the day.
How 'bout that?
- Bullitt0
Carson got famous because he broke the rules.. First in a string of designers to start presenting Type at 90 degree whatever angles.. but then again check out DADA and they were doing that shit 50 years earllier.