Reading and Understanding a Text

Looking through the critical texts for each of these various questions I have looked through a number of them including, Grid Systems in Graphic Design by Muller-Brockmann, The New Typography by Jan Tschichold, Graphic Agitation 2 by L. McQuiston and The design of dissent by Glaser, m. and Iliic, m. I think the general tone of voice throughout all the texts is clear and not very complicated this is done to be accessible to a wider audience and not limit who can read them. 

Looking at key points highlighted from these texts I think for the Grid Systems in Graphic Design by Muller-Brockmann it is looking at educating younger designers on the use of grid systems and how this can in power there working, It looks at type and again how using consistent grid systems will always lend itself for better and more precise typefaces.

The New Typography by Jan Tschichold highlights the importance of this more san serif based type system and why it is important, the essence of this being clarity and the need for a more consistence and easy to read typeface within the ever changing world. I think it has a lot of emphasis on the future and how 'new' typography can be a part of this.

Graphic Agitation 2 by L. McQuiston is much more picture heavy compared to the other two texts, looking at example of social and political satire from various places, It feel like more a celebration of this kind of art work and thinking about the impact it has on the world around us. the tone of voice feels much more informal and less educational compared to 'The New Typography' and 'Grid Systems In Graphic Design' due to the overload of pictures and the short statements on each of the images.

The design of dissent by Glaser, m. and Iliic, m. is much more analytical and descriptive on the power of political activist art and design and how it has the power to per swayed change and inspire. The tone of voice is more formal and speaks more about the wide concepts of political art. In terms of a good starting point in terms of the question this texts offers much more say than Graphic Agitation 2. Looking at these texts has greatly informed my ideas for each question and helped me understand where it is my essay could go related to these texts.

Looking at the various essay questions I wanted to think which relate best to my own practice and the kind of graphic design that interests me. This is key as the question will being to formulate my research, ideas and then my actual essay. As essay writing is something I find fairly challenging I felt picking a question that stands out as being open to interpretation and can be answered in many different ways is something very important.

The three questions that stood out to me initially were – 

• “To what extent have Modernist design principles influenced contemporary Graphic Design?”

• "To what extent does advertising construct our ideas of gender?"

• “Discuss the role that Graphic Design can play during periods of political and/or social upheaval."

I chose these three as they all clearly have underlining obvious themes, Modernism, Gender and Political and Social upheaval. All that can be explored in very different ways the gender question I feel has a lot to it and their is such a wide range of research too look into like magazines, adverting campaigns tv programs all relating to this idea of an unequal community. Modernism is a subject I personally am very interested in, the work of Mies Van De Rohe and Le Corbusier for example has always greatly inspired me but I have only recently on foundation done a project on modernism and I think setting myself more of a challenge would bode for me interesting outcomes. Due to this I have decided to look at the question exploring Political and Social upheaval, politics in art and design is something with a lot of history and has had a lot of impact on modern culture and politics. I personally am more interested in more activist art and design in response to this upheaval.