Postmodern
I’ve been reading, seeing and visiting many stuff about designers and artists who deal with what we got used to call postmodernism, post-structuralism and deconstruction theories. A kind of revival has taken off, and the visual clues are well known: deformation, fragmentation, decomposing, vernacular and symbolic imagery, vibrant colors, distortion, quotation, repetition, pastiche, hybridism, collage, satire, exaggeration etc. In attempt to clarify what characteristics attracted me in the images above, I found myself also reading about anarchism, dadaism, surrealism and punk movement, as well their important connections with various school programs from 60s to 80s.
Once (1) I have no patience to make ‘Helvetica-on-a-grid’ projects, and (2) always tend to use my intuition and love for dialogue rather than the spirit of rationalism, these theories make sense to me. I do believe that design is not only about problem solving, and self-expression is relevant. I don’t see a deformed photo or a vernacular typeface as something impure, once they are communicating accurately an idea. Our history proved that anything or any movement who claims to build a ‘pure’ or ‘universal’-something is kind of Nazi. After all, what kind of structure prevails in the age of the conspicuous consumption, the overvaluation of the image, the loss of the meaning, the lack of historic sense? I don’t have answers but feelings about my growing interest in the brutal simplicity of forms created from the most honest expression of the self.