02 Research Essay
Discuss the statement ‘How has typography been used as a voice of change in design’.
It can be argued that typography itself is not a primary source of change, rather it’s used as a platform and tool to express change. From the radical era of Punk Rock to the digital age of computers, typography can be seen as the shadow and reflection of change.
It’s important to analyse history as this is the best way to explore patterns and understand the reasons why certain certain things have happened. For example, Constructivism saw the dismissal of "pure" art in favour of art used as an instrument for social purposes, namely, the construction of the socialist system. A typographer who followed this notion and movement is El Litssitzky who donated his entire career to the belief that the artist could be an agent for change, and therefore his artwork whether it be graphic design, art, or typography had the potential of being the visual mouth piece for change. Other movements inspired by social turmoil also followed this pattern, Futurism, Dada and Bauhaus, all of which saw a new abstract expression and with this, the entire domain of typography and its function changed forever.
A modern day example would be the developments in computer technology, this progression has resulted in a vast change in how typography is created to be suited in a new digital context. The pixel has come a long way since its invention and opened up a huge platform for experimentation in terms of typography. The screen brought about many issues that typographers had to work with however developed digital softwares mean there are very few. A modern day example would be Charles Williams’s work which is characterised by a a surreal three-dimensional aesthetic. His work has the ability to be defined in such a way and typography has continued to reach new heights through moving image, animation and manipulating digital softwares, therefore eliciting changes in the typography domain.
Alternatively, is can be considered that current typography styles are not due to an expression of change. In recent times, old ways of type setting and printing have been coming back into fashion. The letter press for one and hand drawn type also. Perhaps we are in an age where we’ve had enough of digital typefaces and long for something more authentic with personal character and elegance. The old printing technique of the letterpress has been around for centuries yet recently, regardless of our digital technologies, has been coming back into design. Alan Kitching is a perfect example of this having recently just had his exhibition and book published entitled ‘A Life in Letterpress’. No social eruption has instigated this changing trend, simply an appreciation and a respectable nod towards hand made design in the age of computers.
In conclusion, it can said that typography can be a reflection of cultural aesthetics of its time, however this is not always the case. Furthermore, typography will continue to be a mouth piece of the change that go on as our world shifts and changes.
Kitching. A. A Life in Letterpress. Exhibition. 2016.