Philosophical Positions & Movements, Intellectual Movements, Renaissance & Modern Philosophy, Graphic Arts & Book Design - History

No More Rules: Graphic Design and Postmodernism

Name: No More Rules: Graphic Design and Postmodernism
Author: Rick Poynor
ISBN: 9781780671031

by Rick Poynor

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Overview

The last thirty-five years have seen profound upheavals in the field of graphic communication. One by one, the old certainties about the techniques and purposes of graphic design have been questioned and torn apart. Jettisoning rules that no longer seemed relevant in the postmodern era, designers and typographers have reassessed their roles and forged experimental new approaches. No More Rules is the first wide-ranging critical survey to attempt to make sense of these international developments.
Each of the book's key themes—origins, deconstruction, appropriation, technology, authorship, and opposition—is illuminated by stunning examples of work that has changed the way in which designers and their audiences think about graphic communication.

Synopsis

The last thirty-five years have seen profound upheavals in the field of graphic communication. One by one, the old certainties about the techniques and purposes of graphic design have been questioned and torn apart. Jettisoning rules that no longer seemed relevant in the postmodern era, designers and typographers have reassessed their roles and forged experimental new approaches. No More Rules is the first wide-ranging critical survey to attempt to make sense of these international developments.
Each of the book's key themes—origins, deconstruction, appropriation, technology, authorship, and opposition—is illuminated by stunning examples of work that has changed the way in which designers and their audiences think about graphic communication.

About the Author, Rick Poynor

Rick Poynor founded Eye magazine in 1990, edited it for seven years and is now its resident columnist. He writes about design, media, and visual culture for Blueprint, Frieze, Adbusters, The Guardian, and many other publications. His other books published by Laurence King include Typographica and Communicate.

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Editorials

Library Journal

As the prevailing style of modernism unraveled and the fundamental tenets of graphic design were questioned, graphic communications experienced a radical transformation. Poynor, editor of Yale's "Monographics" series and the founder of Eye, an international review of design, documents the developments of the last 20 years and provides a context for evaluating contemporary work. Bypassing the awkward (and ultimately futile) task of defining postmodernism, Poynor uses terms and themes such as deconstruction, appropriation, technology, and authorship to categorize his examples and trace the development of the profession. Picking up where R. Roger Remington's American Modernism: Graphic Design, 1920 to 1960 leaves off, this well-written volume is a logical companion piece. In fact, the contrast between the two books is instructional in itself. While several of the 300 color illustrations will be familiar to the graphic design audience, this book is unique in providing much-deserved historical context. Anyone interested in a critical analysis of contemporary communications would benefit accordingly.-Phil Hamlett, Turner & Assocs., San Francisco Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.