My original working title and abstract are below.
Working title;
Despite advances within technology in creating design for digital means is there still value in using more physical and traditional mediums?
Despite advances within technology in creating design for digital means is there still value in using more physical and traditional mediums?
Abstract;
More and more in recent years handmade and 3D solutions have become increasingly popular within the design industry and in universities up and down the country. With studios such as Snask and Pixelgarten leading the way it’s time to question why should we be constrained by digital? From advertising to typography, a variety of medias across the board have undergone a handmade makeover, utilising photography as one of the only digital processes involved. Closer to home, with the rise of Pinterest and its community of makers, is handmade increasing in popularity through how inclusive it is? Is this a question of handmade vs digital, or merely an insight into the two processes working together in harmony and what that could hold for the future of design?
More and more in recent years handmade and 3D solutions have become increasingly popular within the design industry and in universities up and down the country. With studios such as Snask and Pixelgarten leading the way it’s time to question why should we be constrained by digital? From advertising to typography, a variety of medias across the board have undergone a handmade makeover, utilising photography as one of the only digital processes involved. Closer to home, with the rise of Pinterest and its community of makers, is handmade increasing in popularity through how inclusive it is? Is this a question of handmade vs digital, or merely an insight into the two processes working together in harmony and what that could hold for the future of design?
Key aims of research:
1) Question why the ‘back to basics’ approach
2) Highlight the importance of handmade and 3D design within the industry
1) Question why the ‘back to basics’ approach
2) Highlight the importance of handmade and 3D design within the industry
3) Has digital been overused?
4) Question why people are working in what are considered traditional means when digital
has been the prominent forerunner for a few decades
4) Question why people are working in what are considered traditional means when digital
has been the prominent forerunner for a few decades
So now to answer the obviously burning question, why handmade/3D graphics? You're a graphic designer, surely you should be rooting for digital?
Actually, no. Traditional methods within graphic design/the industry as a whole is something that has interested me since college and is something I've experimented in frequently, unfortunately not to the level that I desire as of yet but I'm aiming to change that in 3rd year, alongside this essay. It's with the rise of Pinterest that I have been exposed to so much more handmade/traditional graphic design - how ironic, digital has exposed me to more traditional. As an avid book hoarder I have a good amount of design books on both handmade and digital but I find the handmade much more engaging - and I think this feeling continues through to the actual work being put out there. Do the audience, be they designers themselves or non-designers, feel that there is much more value to a piece of design that has been crafted by hand? That is not to say that there has not been some digital processes involved - here is part of my discussion - that they can work so well together to create something much more interactive.
I feel that one of the only issues here with handmade is that it can often bring up one of the designer/artist's favourite things to hear from someone not in this line of work - 'Oh I could do that/anyone can do that' etc etc. I've heard it many many times, mostly when I used to make and sell jewellery - if you could do it, then why don't you? Simple.
I feel that one of the only issues here with handmade is that it can often bring up one of the designer/artist's favourite things to hear from someone not in this line of work - 'Oh I could do that/anyone can do that' etc etc. I've heard it many many times, mostly when I used to make and sell jewellery - if you could do it, then why don't you? Simple.
I feel that I may be getting slightly off track here. My point is, handmade has made a triumphant return over the past few years even with all the new digital processes available to us as designers. It personally gives me more of a feeling of accomplishment if I've barely used the Mac and done a lot by hand. There's also much more material available on the subject; Amazon and Waterstones have a fairly good selection of books, Creative Bloq has covered the subject, as well as arts magazines such as Frankie and Computer Arts. With the rise of platforms such as Pinterest, Etsy and Tumblr unknown/smaller artists can be discovered and recognised for their talents. Craft is back and bigger than ever.
It's probably time for me to stop talking on this post (I told you it would be a lot of rambling). So to sum up:
- return of handmade/is it valued more
- handmade vs digital or handmade and digital
- return of handmade/is it valued more
- handmade vs digital or handmade and digital
- something else
If you've made it this far down, I salute you. Bye!
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