Sep 26, 2009
Thesis Exercise 2: Voice
THIRD
It doesn’t matter if graphic designers are working on film titles or business cards. Designers are telling visual stories with every problem they solve. Everything from the typeface, to the color, to the form is part of the whole story they are telling. Designers should be studying masterful works of narrative in all their different forms.
SECOND
You should seek out books, movies, radio programs, plays and even dance productions to inform your sense of narrative, how it relates to your work and the visual voice you give your own graphic design stories. You have the responsibility to understand the story you are telling. You should have a sense of the historical and cultural impact of the forms and type you choose. You should study semiotics and world history. Any knowledge you gain can be used to be a better storyteller, a better designer.
FIRST
I am surprised it has taken me so long to realize that as a graphic designer I am a storyteller. It’s so obvious. I am equally scared and excited to tackle the story of Harry Clawson, to find my own visual language to tell his story as it intertwines with mine. I will try to examine the meaning of every visual choice I make. I hope my voice is equal to the task of telling this story to a new generation.
