What is a graphic designer in this day and age? Talking to a colleague today (him in his mid 40s), we both realised we have witnessed the height of the www. We recalled a whole range of fun times with a Flash built clothes matching site thingy, hopping around as a cartoon character on an open plain, bumping into random users and was able to chat with them, algorithms that imitated a buncha floating sand that scattered as your cursor ran across the screen… and that was 15 years ago! “No one goes on websites anymore!” commented my colleague, “they got their phones now and everything’s in the App Store.”. He was right, those time flew us by, and the skills required to build all those fancy bells and whistles back in the day could now be done by a 12 year old.
Then what good are we?
First let’s dial back 15 years and talk about GLOBALISATION. Boy was that a big word back in media 101, we were talking about long distant calls, flight paths opening up and ticket prices dropping, email and file sharing increase in speed. Look at us now, we have “globalisation” in our pockets with a simple swipe. There are obviously those who fear it, and the debate is that it’s turning our youth into neck bent, mouth drooling zombies.
The full force of globalisation was ignited with the emergence of the smartphone realm, it has levelled the playground in to a hot pile of…mess?information?opportunities? It really depends on how we look at it. We having been born before the 90s all had our share in creating the smartphone boom as it is and it’s understood that with it spinning out of control: the world seem isolating and cold, everyone knows it all, nothing seem to surprise anymore and we might be stalked by our government etc.
Let me suggest some ways around the issues above. Put down that darn phone yourselves. Personally I find it super rude to be tapping away at the dinner table, and that I don’t hold long conversations on the phone; it’s a phone, as friends we will meet up at a bar and talk over a couple pints. Once we lift our faces up, try and chat a lil’ with a stranger or a colleague from a different department, humor always works for me! Oh and yay, I don’t post on Facebook or Instagram (a lot), specially with what’s going on in Hong Kong now, I specially do not comment; do not leave my mark. I have friends here, overseas and all that are starting fights on the comments section…and why are we friends in the first place? Why can’t tolerate friends with different opinions in a few aspects of their lives? That’s for them to decide. But not leaving my mark on social media helps me see a bigger picture, keep my friends and feel a lot safer. (see what I did, I still haven’t given off my political views on this issue).
As a graphic designer, my advantage is how I perceive my surroundings, calm my mind and stay in tune with my feelings and observe with my eyes and ears. I listen to my music (the new Tool album is freakin’ awesome btw), but will not make a habit of it, I utilise the internet when I need my information and there are a few times a day I would scroll through Facebook to get updated on news and probably have an hour on Bus Simulator(thats’ what i’m in to lately, the radio in it is pretty cool!). I’ll check up on my friends with the phone when i’m too busy to see ’em all. Then the whole “globalisation” doesn’t seem so bad after all!
Ignore how others’ act and start the change with yourself. I’ve came to realise all this around 8 years ago I think, and i’m definitely a whole lot happier; and some of my friends actually acknowledge how different I act from the “norm”but can appreciate how I cut the crap and meet up for dinner if we have to talk. So keep doing what you’re good at, use what you have and not the other way around, go call up some friends and have a beer.
Graphic Design & I
Here are some of the categories that I could somehow relate to on D&AD awards:
Animation – Art Direction – Branding – Direct – Editing – Graphic Design – Illustration – Packaging Design – Product Design – Production Design – Sound Design and Use of Music – Spacial Design – Typography
It’s crazy now, having graduated from my degree about 8 years ago and that many of the above used to be totally different disciplines of their own, and now here I am just drawing every knife I have in my pockets from project to project and buying a book from Amazon wanting to learn 3D modelling.
I’m proud and have fun with what I do, but in this big mixture of IT, media, visuals and the fear of Artificial Intelligence being able to replace our jobs, I find the one true thing that has kept me “artist block” free since I was 15, 16 years old, and that I can still have confidence and enjoy what I do is how I remain “me”.
- Playing in a band definitely helps, having another dimension of creative output of making demos with instruments and software, arranging songs with my bandmates, writing lyrics English and Chinese and flipping the whole process around once in a while, over time has triggered some part of my brain and that connection could be put back in to design.
- I’m just born sick of smartphones, I don’t have a high tolerance for them
- My passion to walk long distances, and that is sort of a meditation kind of state of mind for me. Lots of my thinking and self-reflection is done by taking long walks.
What i’m trying to get at is: I just be myself
Embracing of The Mix
But first, calming the mind from the hooks of the “norm” is a must, what good is a designer that buys in to the stuff that everybody believes in? Then comes the awesome blessing of the mighty pencil. I know what I like spending my own money on: Sneakers (Nikes to be specific), toys, movies, cartoons, cloths, music, instruments, others include: Animals, cars, weird products, packaging, bottles and cans, singing bowls and other buddhist trinkets. Once I have identified what I love, I go and create my own, and so far i’ve made progress with cloths, music, animals (I have a turtle and is looking to have a dog), toys: I draw characters and I sculpt (and is pursuing Zbrush) and I understand animation but not great at it, then I sketch sneakers with my free time, have had chances to draw storyboards and I bet I can come up with an interesting story when I do have the time.
SO that makes me me, and I bring all that to the mix. “The mix” is actually a very interesting happening to me, it caught me un-aware at first, but then after it having led me to think and look at how things work from a different angle everything just kind of seems possible.
So to reflect on my days of being confused by “the mix”, the letting go of the age of still, plain’o graphics was something hard for me at first, but after embracing the design part and the ability to generate graphics then falls right back in to place.
Finally after all that mumble-jumble my conclusion is to practice the basics, broaden aesthetics, keep a clean open mind and self-reflect, and keep in mind there are times when we can try and learn something, and there are times when we have to leave it to the pros.
Now For Something Special
One of my heros growing up has always been Banksy. There is still no trace of him (or is it a him?9_9) buying in to the whole multi-media, interactive pile of riches, but his messages and the big “F U” to capitalism, politics and society is as strong as ever.
His recent work in his response is something his manager advised him to do due to a law suite brought upon him by a greetings card company in pursuit of the name Banksy, and his way around this and to keep his good name is to: sell products. Unlike his theme-park project a couple years back, this time I feel the “dang it I really don’t want to do this at all”, but every body in the design and art world is going nuts!
Humble beginnings of stencil art on bricks and walls in corners of streets have now been recognised and has lifted his status to an art auction stature. Call him an artist if you may, but his graphic work mixed with dark humour and satire has achieved a strong impact we call visual communication, therefor I personally recognise him as a graphic designer.
As I mentioned above, there are no touch-screens attached to this “piece”, but he once again made his protest out loud with stuffed animal heads, an old helmet, wood, couple orders from local factories (UK made products was emphasised), in it I am able to identify:
Art Direction – Branding – Direct – Graphic Design – Illustration – Packaging Design – Product Design – Production Design – Sound Design and Use of Music (maybe there’s cheesy music playing?) – Spacial Design – Typography
This is the kind of expressiveness I strive for, and that I really enjoy the laughs, deep thoughts and reflection of society one still, single piece is able to bring to a viewer. A true reminder for me to just keep things basic. All the other mediums have been included in to “the mix” for us as an option, but I don’t believe it is necessary to include them in order to excite others, solve problems and to get a message through.
The Name Game
Now, if I am to give this sort of practice a name, ill first have to break it down:
Satire, Old School, Message, Graphic
Graphic Satura, Imaging & Satire Communications, Graphiques à la Satire (french sounds pretty fancy haha), Im-musing, Graphic Musing.
I think I can’t beat Graphic Satura. Referencing the Latin origins of the word Satire has taken care of the “old school” part and then the rest speaks for itself + the fact that it sounds like a font is totally freakin’ awesome!
ANDY was here
ANDY was here 🤓 