Triangulation and Referencing Essay

“What I find very interesting is the movement of people who are savvy in digital design but are genuinely interested in analog techniques. It is now more than a passing trend; there must be a deeper motive why we are newly interested in the hand-made and haptic, material and three-dimensional aspects of type and design” – Erik Spiekermann.

Analog techniques within design have remained existent, regardless of all the technological advances we have been introduced to within the past few decades. The development of technology throughout the years has enabled us to access thousands of different tools right at our fingertips, and has dramatically reduced the time it takes to create these designs; so why are people still interested in the more hands-on techniques?

After researching into this topic and discovering all the different methods of ‘Hand-made Graphics’ it is clear that these old techniques will remain in the design industry for some time. The Print Project’s, Nick Loaring said that he is ‘utterly convinced you have to be completely insane to want to do it (Letterpress) well, considering what you can do with a computer nowadays’ (Strain, 2016). The Print Project is a company who specialize in Letterpress, they use equipment that is over 500 years old and produce high-quality prints. After being asked why it is so important to keep the more traditional techniques alive, he responded by relating the life of the methods to vinyl and film photography, and how these ‘dead technologies appeal to a great number of people who may not have even been born when the technologies were at their peak’ (Strain, 2016).  

     Regardless of how easy it is to create designs on the computer using programmes such as Photoshop and Illustrator, they can often lack personal essence. There is not as much excitement with digital design than using physical tools; ‘everyone has the ability to connect to the inventiveness, danger and downright fun of directly applied experimentation’ (Lichtenstein and Studinka, 2005). Not knowing what goes with what, and how things work together is part of the exciting experience of hand made design. Whilst these (what seems) ancient techniques and materials are fascinating, ‘more information about why and how individual poster designs came about have yielded more interesting insights’ (Lichtenstein and Studinka, 2005).

     ‘Most of us lead lives that are incredibly busy and we have very little time to spend sitting down to read a newspaper anymore. Our work hours are spent glued to computer completing tasks and even commutes and breaks have now been filled with smartphones’ (Zesty, 2010). The battle between modern technology and traditional methods within design seems to be never-ending. Whilst we are being provided with newer, faster, devices every year, how hard is this impacting the traditional techniques? This Simply Zesty article was written in 2010, stating that traditional media and the print industry were dying, 7 years on, the print industry is still holding on, so is the industry really dying? The Fashion industry are allowed to go back and forth with their unique trends, so what is stopping technology from doing the same; linking back to what Nick Loaring said, our current day is filled with returning crazes. Polaroid-style cameras are back in the limelight and vinyl has overturned digital sales – ‘Vinyl sales hit £2.4m last week compared with the £2.1m made from digital music purchases, further proof that record shopping has gone mainstream.’ (Ellis-Petersen, 2016).

     Another reason why analog techniques within design are still alive is due to the existing companies who specialize in traditional methods, offering workshops. These workshops ‘enable people of all ages to connect to and learn about the process’ (the Print Project, 2015). The opportunity to experience the more traditional techniques in a professional environment gives people an insight to these industries, giving them a higher chance of survival.

     There are many advantages that come along with using digital technology within design, the main one being the speed in which work can be processed. You can easily edit and change work made on a screen, whether that be testing colours, shapes and typefaces within a design in just a few clicks; this is extremely useful for client-based work so you can offer a variety of designs, and they can decide which is most appropriate for their product or service. Another advantage of using digital techniques is that you know that the outcome is going to look exactly how you want it to look; with few errors in digital printing and production, you can guarantee a perfect outcome at the end of the process. However, this is where hand-made graphics has proven to be both amazing and incredibly frustrating at the same time. It is a lot more common in analog techniques for errors to occur and for things to go wrong, however Graphic artist, Anthony Burrill said “I like that aspect of it – that I’m not completely in control.”(Burrill, 2013). Mistakes can sometimes be revolutionary, especially in design, it makes us see things which we may not have noticed other wise, and also introduces us to think in a completely new way, inspiring our creative minds. Most graphic designers who have spoken about analog techniques have said that it’s the mistakes within the design process, which makes using traditional methods so special. “Provenance, heritage and sustainability are now virtually mandatory aspects of brand development – qualities abundant in the craftsmanship associated with handmade design.”(Staff, 2013).

     One thing designers who specialize in these older techniques have stressed, is that ‘despite using time-honoured techniques, tools or equipment, there remains a desire to make end products that are very much centred in the present day.’(Staff, 2013). Using these methods doesn’t mean that the work being produced has to look old, in fact that is “something I’m very conscious of, just because I’m making something using old techniques – I still want it to feel contemporary”(Burrill, 2013).

     From my research it has been shown that Analog techniques within design is no dying trend and that designers actually prefer to produce work using their hands to have a more interactive experience with their work. Modern technology is likely to override the more traditional techniques, but so long as designers continue to interpret these methods within their work, it is unlikely that they will be forgotten for a while.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Strain, L. (2016) The print project on letterpress design. Available at: http://www.theskinny.co.uk/art/features/in-design-the-print-project (Accessed: 11 January 2017).

Lichtenstein, C. and Studinka, F. (2005) Handmade graphics refuse to go quietly. Available at: http://www.eyemagazine.com/review/article/handmade-graphics-refuse-to-go-quietly (Accessed: 11 January 2017).

Zesty, S. (2010) ‘Blog’, 19 January. Available at: https://www.simplyzesty.com/blog/article/january-2010/why-traditional-media-and-print-industry-are-dying-and-5-things-that-could-save-them (Accessed: 11 January 2017).

Ellis-Petersen, H. (2016) Tables turned as vinyl sales overtake digital sales for first time in UK. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/dec/06/tables-turned-as-vinyl-records-outsell-digital-in-uk-for-first-time (Accessed: 11 January 2017).

Burrill. Staff, C.B. (2013) The future of handmade design. Available at: http://www.creativebloq.com/future-handmade-design-5132895 (Accessed: 20 January 2017).