OBJECTIVE:
To understand creative practices in art & design in historical and contemporary contexts.
1. Cas Holman
Cas Holman is a toy designer and maker. She creates toys that encourages children to use their imaginations. Cas set up her company ‘Heroes Will Rise’ 18 years ago. Her main inspiration is watching children play. She recognizes the importance of connection between play and identity.
Historical and Contemporary Toy Comparison
DIFFERENCES
Historical toys are mainly made out of simpler material like wood & fleece. Contemporary toys tend to be more advanced and electronic
Historical toys was made to help children become more of an active learner, meanwhile modern toys are normally more fun to play with and stimulates their motoric skills
SIMILARITIES
They both influence the overall development as a child.
2. Dan Mather
Dan is a screen printer/graphic artist. He first discovered screen printing 10 years ago.
Dan’s experience as a cyclist influences his work greatly. You can see the resemblance of a bicycle in many of his work which is often paired with bold neon colors.
Digital Printing in Comparison to Screen Printing
DIFFERENCES
Screen printing involves a stencil and paint (manual work) meanwhile digital printing is created on a computer then printed.
Screen printing requires more effort however has a more vibrant result than digital printing
Digital printing is more efficient for designs that requires more details, manually printing it is quite inefficient as it is also harder to achieve clean small details
SIMILARITIES
Both methods have the same goal, to print out a design on a certain media
(T-Shirts, Posters, etc..)
3. Christoph Niemann
Chistoph is an illustrator/graphic designer who is known for writing and illustration the New York Times Blog. He combines 2D with 3D art. Christoph describes his work as stylistically unpredictable.
“The idea of taking the 3D world into 2D and describing with very few lines a very complex situation or object is the greatest power of drawing.” -Christoph Niemann
Process of Historical to Contemporary Abstract Art
Back in the late 19th century, when people started to appreciate art movements outside of realism, abstract art was born. Abstract directly means ‘to drag’ or ‘draw’ something away. Impressionism pathed a way for abstract art to be welcome. Artists like Wassily Kadinsky was one of the first to create illustration of non literal objects. Something we humans won’t ever find in the real world.
“The more abstract is form, the more clear and direct it’s appeal.” -Wassily Kadinsky
Ever since then abstract has grown more movements such as: futurism, cubism, surrealism, and so on. As WW2 occurred, many surrealism artist moved to New York City and learned their styles or art. Every since then, it’s history.
Similarities of Abstract Art Over The Years
By its essence, abstract art is still abstract art. The creation with no rules, it is loud and messy in it’s own way. Rather than giving a message, it asks the viewer what message does it speak to them.
If anything abstract art has progressively become even more flexible. Having barely or even no literal object illustrated on the piece of canvas.
4. Chip Kidd
Known for his artwork for the Jurassic Park, Chip Kidd is a contemporary graphic designer who designs book covers for well known cartoons (e.g. DC comics). His love for comic books inspired him to become who he is today.
Historical and Contemporary Aspect of Book Covers
HISTORICAL
Way back in the 16th century, book covers were made solely to protect scriptures. It’s design is normally hand engraved or have gems stuck on it. It was only until the 19th century where the world was introduced to images & illustrations on a book cover. During the Art Nouveau and Crafts movement, book cover designing started to be explored and become an occupation.
Due to the limitations of resources, historical book covers were usually more desaturated and simple. They were just introduced to the idea of creating designs which represents it’s content
CONTEMPORARY
In the 1935, Penguin invented paperback, a cheap alternative to book covers. Then during the early 20th century, a cover design by Aubrey Beardsley is considered to be one of the first influential cover art design. As time goes on, competition in the book industry rose bringing us to now, the digital era. Book sales online are heavily affected by it’s cover design. Covers now have to be unique and stand out whilst still following the genre of the book.
Similarities:
Book covers still holds it’s values since the world was introduced to imagery on cover art, whereas a book should represent what content it delivers.
5. Bjarke Ingels
Bjarke is an architect. He first studied architecture in 1993. He is known for the having the most advanced studio back in 2005. He has an interest in innovative theories about contemporary living. Bjarke’s main focus on his design is to create something ethical and eco-friendly.
Historical and Contemporary Architecture
HISTORICAL
Old architectures use to use stones & wood as the main base of their building. Back then, people focus more on spirituality which is why gardens are often seen with medieval buildings. In England, the designs are often inspired by the Roman Empire. Building structures often consist of curves walls, great cathedral, vaults and wooden floors
CONTEMPORARY
Modern architecture on the other hand, has a more minimalistic approach. Buildings now use cement and bricks. Buildings are more sturdy and doesn’t take as much time to build. People also often pair their homes with a backyard or even playground.
Similarities:
Both medieval and modern architect prioritizes designs that are eco-friendly, cost effective and low maintenance.
PERSONAL SPECIALISM
My personal specialism is Photography. The first photograph was taken in 1826 by Joseph Nicépce. Back in the early age, cameras took a long time to even develop a single image. Now you can take multiple shots at once and already have it digitally developed.
Aside from that, I notice how photographies now are more experimental. People don’t only capture images for memories anymore, it is considered as another creative outlet. Mostly revolving around fashion, editorial photographies are very much in trend. People may even create images that challenges the imagination.
However, there are things that still stays the same. People use cameras to keep memories from their life to one day look back on for nostalgia.
HARDVARD REFERENCING
Udaipurtimes.com. 2013. Traditional Toys vs. Modern Toys. [online] Available at: <https://udaipurtimes.com/blog/traditional-toys-vs-modern-toys/c74416-w2859-cid102237-s10701.htm> [Accessed 18 March 2021].
Merritt, I., 2021. Screen Printing vs Digital Printing: Which print method is best?. [online] RushOrderTees. Available at: <https://www.rushordertees.com/blog/screen-printing-vs-digital-printing/> [Accessed 18 March 2021].
Niemann, C., 2021. Christoph Niemann. [online] Christophniemann.com. Available at: <https://www.christophniemann.com/> [Accessed 18 March 2021].
Famous Graphic Designers. 2017. Chip Kidd | Biography, Designs and Facts. [online] Available at: <https://www.famousgraphicdesigners.org/chip> [Accessed 18 March 2021].
Khan, S., 2021. Abstract Art: History of Abstract Art. [online] USEUM. Available at: <https://useum.org/abstract-art/history-of-abstract-art#:~:text=Originating%20in%20Europe%20in%20the,garde%20artists%20of%20the%20period.&text=Accordingly%2C%20he%20created%20his%20first%20abstract%20art%20work%20in%201911.> [Accessed 18 March 2021].
Coroi, P., 2016. Comparison of old & new book cover designs of classic novels. [online] Flipsnack Blog. Available at: <https://blog.flipsnack.com/the-evolution-of-book-cover-design/> [Accessed 18 March 2021].
Cesarato, A., 2020. A Brief History of Book Covers | Blog | Domestika. [online] Domestika. Available at: <https://www.domestika.org/en/blog/5484-a-brief-history-of-book-covers> [Accessed 18 March 2021].
Gray, M., 2018. Modern vs. Medieval Architecture: A Comparison - julianraxworthy. [online] julianraxworthy. Available at: <https://julianraxworthy.org/modern-vs-medieval-architecture-comparison/> [Accessed 18 March 2021].
Kordic, A., 2015. Contemporary Photography - The Evolution and Exciting Discoveries | Widewalls. [online] Widewalls.ch. Available at: <https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/the-evolution-of-contemporary-photography> [Accessed 18 March 2021].
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