I like the Painting, but I’ll take the t-shirt.Utilizing art as a tool for expanding methods in design
I like the Painting, but I’ll take the t-shirt.Utilizing art as a tool for expanding methods in design
By Derek Ercolano
PROPOSAL
Subject and Motivation
The borderlines of design and art:
Many essays have been written to give
clarity to their definitions, to separate
them, to unite them and to discredit
them. One of my favorite of such
arguments so far comes from furniture
maker and author Norman Potter, whose
essay “Is a designer an artist?” was a
well articulated and executed argument
on the subject. Potter claimed “
A designer works through and for the
people” and that “An artist’s first
responsibility was to the truth of his own
vision”. As great a service as these
arguments do in defining these
disciplines in their purest form, It is
my belief that the role of the designer
evolves in each cultural context and
it governed by the beliefs of the time.
Rick Poyner summed it up very well in
his article “Arts Little Brother” when
he wrote “There are more passionate,
less detached designers just as there
are highly cerebral artists. Simply put,
these definitions are most times too
straightforward to describe fields whose
diversity is so vast.
I was personally attracted to design early
on because I felt it lacked some of the
pretentious ideals and liberated me from
the weight of art history which alienated
me during the begining of my studies at
art school. It’s functionality and
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omnipresence meant that It would get more use then a painting on a wall. However,
later on in my career I have found myself frustrated with limiting the horizons of my
thinking to the confines of a project. For the last two years before starting my masters
I spent my day’s working as an art director, addressing my clients problems in a
pragmatic process oriented manner. By night I worked on my personal endeavors,
which consisted of drawing’s that had no practical functionality but strived to tell
stories in an abstract way, and to influence peoples feelings and imaginations. During
my time working hard and shifting between these two disciplines I began to notice
that an organic dialogue had been starting to form between these two different bodies
of work. I took methods and processes that I learned in these separate practices and
exchanged them between the two disciplines. This act lead me to questions such
as: Why should I keep them (art and design) separate? I believe that a critical look at
this dialogue can reveal more about my intentions, broaden my vocabulary as a visual
thinker and help me to identify my own unique way of solving problems. The work I
want to explore is greatly informed by the design process but strives to include the
intentions and wider scope of my personal artistic vision.
Over the next two years I want to explore the differences in how art and design are
concepted and contextualized. Is it possible for me to use art as a tool in the design
process and visca versa? Specifically,I want to use storytelling as a way to set up
a discourse between design and art. I believe that all differences aside, the most
successful examples of these two fields manage to communicate a story in some way
shape or form. For me this can be a good brand story, sequential narrative or a well
thought out statement behind an artists show.I believe the act of storytelling will
allow me to flexibly permeate these two disciplines with ease. Contemporaries such
as Donald Judd, Andy Warhol, and Jorge Pardo have approached this conversation by
making work as artists that crosses over in design. I wish to approach the argument
on the other side; making design that crosses over and makes dialogue with art. I find
it interesting and practical to approach the project from this point of view because it
is in design where my expertise and experience lie. It is also my point of view that art
only remains as such during the the conceptual and ideation process. Once an artist
has decided on a goal he or she wants to pursue thier process ends up looking quite
similar to that of the design’s.
My motivation for this project is strongly rooted in me wanting to explore blurring the
lines between my art and design practices in order to try to develop a method of
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working that challenges my intentions for working between myself and problem
solving for others. I believe that all kinds of opportunities will open up if I can only
enlarge my notion of what design practice might be if it was to embrace hybrid
methods of thinking, researching and executing.With this in mind I am referencing
careers of artists such as Geoff Mcfetrige, Jean Julien, Gary Panter and KAWS who
have all collaborated with commercial clients and produced bodies of work that are
in dialogue with each other. These artists listed also have a distinct visual language
which is consistently apparent in their work, an aspect that I would very much like to
develop in my own work over the next two years.
Limitations
One of the things I would not like to suggest with this project is that I am redefining
the boundaries of the discipline for all designers. I think the scope of the profession
allows for many types of “careers” based on personal interest. To clarify this a little
more, i think it is completely possible to hold true to the purest motives of the design
profession if that is your where your passion lies, to work from 9-5, to only adhere to
brand standards, to be better at selling ideas then actually designing them.
The inherent beauty and bane of this profession is that it can cater to many types of
people who want to be different types of designers. In this thesis I only wish to explore
how far I can push the envelope and have it be an example to other designers who
have the passion to do so.
Presentation and Form
In terms of presentation and form of this project I have gathered some preliminary
thoughts on how to proceed. I have split my presentation into two categories: Visual
Experimentation and Written Analysis. I believe that these categories make sense for
me personally because I love to work as much visually as I do with crafting my words.
My written analysis can be broken in up into two types: Critical text analysis and First
hand Research. Critical text analysis will include research that aims to challenge the
genre by analyzing the arguments and breakthroughs achieved by the discussions of
it’s greatest figureheads. I have already discovered an unending collection of essays
written throughout the last 30 or 40 years, it will be my job to analyze these
arguments and shed some insight on the possibilities of working between these two
visual worlds. Secondly, first hand research will allow me to step away from the books
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and reach out to “designerartists” who are working between these two fields in order
to gain insight into the methods and processes utilized by these creatives.
The visual experimentation category will also be broken up into two types: weekly
visual experiments and semester mini projects. Weekly visual experiments will I
ensure that I am able to work visually as much as possible as this is very important
to me. Therefore I will work on a weekly basis generating small thoughts, concepts
and ideas into smaller scale pieces that will explore my identity and relationship
through the lens of these two fields. These experiments though small may be able
to “tip me off” or be a catalyst for discoveries that can push my project forward.
Secondly, For each semester I would like to undertake one longer form project that
explores different ways art can be a tool in my design process and visca versa. I want
to attempt to bring my own voice through a number of creative endeavors in order to
identify and develop my own methods for working in between these two fields. One
way of accomplish this might be to use these mini projects to explore how these two
fields converge in terms of the themes of communication, provocation, commentary
and collaboration. An example of one of these projects could be a collaboration with a
someone in the art field, working with them to create work together as two specialists
in our respective fields. This work could shed light on methods that I could incorporate
into my process and give me a clearly informed idea of the differences and similarities
between the way I work and the way an artist works.
Resources and Conclusion
The resources I will be need will really be determined at the beginnings of my
research but to scratch the surface I think that I will need to make contact with the
professionals I am going to interview for my first hand research. As these contacts
are integral to really getting the most up to date insights on how people are working
between these worlds. I also think it would be a great source of information as well
as experience to actually work as an assistant to one of these people during the my
summer break next year. Spending time assisting could give me key insights on the
sorts of methods these people have as well as how the put themselves out there in a
digestible form in order appeal to both commercial endeavors and to galleries.
Following these plans with my key question as a guide at the end of these two years I
will in theory have some drawn out visual pieces and first hand experience to reflect
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on as well as some good critical analysis through texts and interviews. From there I
could go on to reveal my findings not as boundaries written in stone but rather general
statements that are suggestive of how one might work between these two worlds to
expand the scope of their practice in a meaningful manner.
References
Rick Poyner. ‘Art’s Little Brother’,Icon, no. 23 (London, May 2005)
Kees Dorst. ‘But, Is it Art?’, Understanding Design: 150 reflections on Being a designer (
Amsterdam BIS Publishing,2003)
Norman Potter, What is a Designer? (London: Studio Vista/New York: Van Nostrand
Reinhold, 1969); revised, extended edition ( London: Hyphen Press, 1989/2003) 15-20
Joe Scanlan (with Neal Jackson), ‘Please, Eat the Daisies’, Art Issues ( Los Angeles,
January/Februrary 2001) 26-9.
Discussion with M/M convened by David Blamey for students at the Royal College of
Art, in the Department of Communication, Art and Design, 17 Februrary 2006; guest
participant: Alex Coles. Abridged version edited by David Blamey, November 2006.
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TIMELINE
TIMELINE
Rough Timeline
Semester 2 | Jan-May 2013
* Foundation Research (jan-mar)
* First Hand Research (feb-may
* Weekly Visual Experiments (jan-may)
* Semester Mini Project (jan-may)
* Written Analysis/ Thesis Structuring (jan-may)
* First Draft of thesis (mar-may)
Summer | Jun- Aug 2013
* Writing and Structuring of Argument and thesis
* Second Draft of Thesisv (prefably finished here)
* Design and layout of thesis book
* Weekly Visual Experiments
Semester 3 | Aug-Dec 2013
* Refining of Research and Conclusion of Writing
* Weekly Visual Experiments (aug-dec)
* Semester Mini Project (aug-dec)
* Development of Manifesto for Designer/Artist based on written and visual research.
Semester 4 | Jan-May 2014
* Begin Planning and sketching for exhibition (jan-may)
* Weekly Visual Experiments (jan-may)
* Semester Mini Project (Jan-march)
* Analysis and Structuring of visual work for final presentation (march)
* Finalize all materials for exhibition (april-may)
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