Friday 15 March 2019

'Issue' Related Design Research

As I am now beginning to think about how I can move forward with my research in order to communicate my message through design and experimentation, I have started to gather some more further research into previous 'issue' related contemporary Graphic Design. Some examples that I found interesting were the 'In Loving Memory Of Work' project by Craig Oldham and the Me and EU project.

Me & EU is a collection of postcards written and designed by a large number of UK-based creatives, the postcards were sent across Europe as a means to reconnect the United Kingdom with the EU in the wake of Brexit. The project was created by Nathan Smith and Sam T Smith.

The aim of the Me and EU postcards was to provide and intimate medium for individuals wishing to remain in touch to express their feelings and message visually, many are quiet, personal and heartfelt whereas others are dissenting and defiant 'Collectively, they're a visual narrative of a country in transition'

I think adding humour into an issue that isn't humorous that effects people on a higher personal level is extremely effective and interesting as it creates a strong contrast which also works better to catch the publics eye- more successfully than if the design followed a more serious (maybe more appropriate?) approach.





The project 'In Loving Memory of Work' is a described as a 'spectacularly well-designed, excitingly and refreshingly well-informed book' by Craig Oldham which documents the UK miners’ strike between 1984 and 1985. 

The design is powerful, shameless, bold, strong and unapologetic, which works to successfully communicate how big of an issue it was and how much it means to Craig. Each page contains a story even more well-written and intriguing than the last. With Craig openly having very personal connections to the strikes, this book of his is nothing short of a labour of love.  

“In Loving Memory of Work is about the collective creativity of working class people, people who dealt with their experiences and struggle creatively as a means of expression, and that’s a vital part of this particular period of history, and of humanity.”- Craig Oldham




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