The Crystal Goblet, Or Why Printing Should Be Invisible
Beatrice Warde 1930
"The most important thing about printing is that it conveys thought, ideas, images from one mind to other minds"
"If books are printed to be read we must distinguish readability from what the optician would call legibility"
"Type well used is invisible as type, just as the perfect talking voice is the unnoticed vehicle for the transmission of words, ideas"
"That is the first thing he asked of this particular object was not 'How should it look?' but 'What must it do?' and to that extent all good typography is modernist"
Beatrice Warde explained how the difference between form and function can be similar to that of a flagon of wine. If you choose the goblet which is made "of solid gold and contains exquisite patterns"- this metaphor describes that you a lover of form (beauty). If you chose the goblet which is "crystal glass, thin as a bubble and as transparent"-you are a lover of function because it has been "calculated to reveal rather than to hide the beautiful thing that i was meant to contain".
However, even though I somewhat agree with her points of view on type, I don't fully agree with modernism, this is because sometimes type has to be used for a purpose and to be carefully considered. Type shouldn't be used to simply just be invisible it should contain elements of function and form; I agree that typography is how language should be expressed, but the choice of typography that is used is carefully considered by a typographer or graphic designer- their work and thought processes should not be undermined.
On Typography
Herbert Bayer 1971
"The Bauhaus urged the contemporary artist to take part in the issues of his time by solving those problems that only the artist can, that is giving form to our environment, to the spaces we live in, to the goods we use, to communication."
"My purpose to abandon capital letters in all Bauhaus correspondence and printed matter was adopted with great courage by Gropius. It became, however, a case of severe criticism. The Bauhaus was, after all, a school."
Herbert Bayer created this typeface "Universal" which was meant to hold no cultural connotations and be a neutral typeface which could be used by everyone (internationally).
In the beginning of his text Bayer states; "typography is a service art, not a fine art, however pure and elemental the discipline may be". Through reading this turned into a class discussion as to how to define fine art from graphic design, and if there is a difference at all. As a group it was agreed that to define graphic design apart from fine art it was to explore its purpose and target audience. It is considered that graphic design works on a commercial level and is targeted for a wide audience, and is the art form for the masses. Fine art is considered to be for a smaller niche of people and a specific audience of people who are in the general community of fine art. However I find these stereotypes to be a form of myth, fine art due to its origins was made for and by the higher classes, therefore it seems to have kept its wealthy aura.
Myths:
Ambiguity or complexity of meaning (art)
The designer as a wage labour (graphic design)
Cultural Significance (art)
Express & Individuality (art)
Creativity/ Problem Solving (graphic design)
Function (graphic design)
All these mentioned above are myths which surround these art forms, when actually there is no real difference between art and graphic design- these are socially constructed ideas about how they are different. Both artists and graphic designers create work which portray some form of message to a set audience.
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