Luísa Brito

FBAUL ▷ Design de Comunicação2 0 1 2

MIXING MESSAGES

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Heller, Steven “The Cult Of The Ugly” Eye Magazine 1993-Lupton, Ellen “Deconstruction Meets Graphic Design” Eye Magazine 2004-Lupton, Ellen “The Academy of Deconstructed Design” Eye Magazine 1991-Miller, J. Abbott + Lupton, Ellen “Deconstruction and Graphic Design” 1994-VanderLans, Rudy “Radical Commodities” Emigre 34 / 1995-Seligmann, Márcio “Beleza do feio, sublimidade do mal” 2006-Keedy, Jeffery “Graphic designer probably won’t read this” Emigre: Graphic Design into digital realm-VanderLans, Rudy + Licko Zuzana “Ambition/Fear” Emigre 11 / 1989-Blauvelt, Andrew “Difressions and Transgressions” Emigre book 1995-Drucker, Johanna + McVarish, Emily “Graphic Design History: A critical guide”-Poynor, Rick “No More Rules-Graphic Design and Postmodernism”, London-Carchia, Gianni “Dicionário de Estética” Edições 70 / 2009

Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.

▷

TOLD YOU,IT GOES RIGHT TO THE BONE!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1_PAUL GOLDBERGER “THE CRANBROOK VISION” 1984http://www.nytimes.com/1984/04/08/magazine/the-cranbrook-vision.html

2_Eve Griffin “The Art Of Story”http://www.theartstory.org/artist-duchamp-marcel.htm

3_Steven Heller “Eye Magazine” issue 9http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/cult-of-the-ugly

4_Guy Julien “DAvid CArson: A Critique” 2004http://www.nytimes.com/1984/04/08/magazine/the-cranbrook-vision.html

5_Diccionário de Estética, Edições 70 “Feio”

6_ Jonh Cage “Silence: Lectures and Wrintings” 1961

7_Aristóteles “Poética” Edições Gulbenkian

8_Ferdinand Saussurre “Semiotics” Edições Cultrix 1999

9_Ralph Waldo Emerson

10_Ed FElla / AIGAhttp://www.aiga.org/medalist-edfella/

NOTAS

11_ Charles Bukowski “The Laughing Heart”

your life is your life

don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.

be on the watch.

there are ways out.

there is a light somewhere.

it may not be much light but

it beats the darkness.

be on the watch.

the gods will offer you chances.

know them.

take them.

you can’t beat death but

you can beat death in life, sometimes.

and the more often you learn to do it,

the more light there will be.

your life is your life.

know it while you have it.

you are marvelous

the gods wait to delight

in you.

Vaugah Oliver para David Lynch 2011

“Ask a toad what is beauty…He

will answer that it is a female with

two great round eyes coming out

of her little head, a large flat mouth,

a yellow belly and a brown back.”

(Voltaire, Philosophical Dictionary,

1794). Ask Paul Rand what is

beauty and he will answer that “the

separation of form and function, of

concept and execution, is not likely

to produce objects of aesthetic

value”. (Paul Rand: A Designer’s Art,

1985). Then ask the same question

of the Cranbrook Academy of Art

students who created the ad hoc

desktop publication Output (1992),

and to judge by the evidence

they might answer that beauty is

chaos born of found letters layered

on top of random patterns and

shapes. Those who value functional

simplicity would argue that the

Cranbrook students’ publication,

like a toad’s warts, is ugly. The

difference is that unlike the toad,

the Cranbrook students have

deliberately given themselves the

warts.

X

1993- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

CULT OF THE UGLY

Steven Heller

this end note: “Upcoming Issues From:

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

[and] University of Texas”) leaves the

reader confused as to its purpose or

meaning, though its form leads one to

presume that it is intended as a design

manifesto, another “experiment” in the

current plethora of aesthetically ques-

tionable graphic output. Given the in-

crease in graduate school programmes

which provide both a laboratory setting

and freedom from professional respon-

sibility, the word experiment has come

to justify a multitude of sins. The value

of design experiments should not of

course be measured only by what suc-

ceeds, since failures are often steps

towards new discoveries. Experimen-

tation is the engine of progress, its fuel

a mixture of instinct, intelligence and

discipline. But the engine floods when

too much instinct and not enough in-

telligence or discipline is injected into

the mix. This is the case with certain

of the graphic design experiments that

have emanated from graduate schools

in the US and Europe in recent years –

work driven by instinct and obscured

by theory, with ugliness its foremost

by-product.

▷

“Ask a toad what is beauty…He will an-

swer that it is a female with two great

round eyes coming out of her little

head, a large flat mouth, a yellow belly

and a brown back.” (Voltaire, Philo-

sophical Dictionary, 1794). Ask Paul

Rand what is beauty and he will answer

that “the separation of form and func-

tion, of concept and execution, is not

likely to produce objects of aesthetic

value”. (Paul Rand: A Designer’s Art,

1985). Then ask the same question of

the Cranbrook Academy of Art stu-

dents who created the ad hoc desktop

publication Output (1992), and to judge

by the evidence they might answer

that beauty is chaos born of found let-

ters layered on top of random patterns

and shapes. Those who value func-

tional simplicity would argue that the

Cranbrook students’ publication, like

a toad’s warts, is ugly. The difference

is that unlike the toad, the Cranbrook

students have deliberately given them-

selves the warts. Output is eight un-

bound pages of blips, type fragments,

random words and other graphic minu-

tiae purposefully given the serendipi-

tous look of a printer’s make-ready. The

lack of any explanatory précis (and only

2012- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Luísa Brito

MIXING MESSAGES

É com uma questão semelhante que

Steven Heller introduz o ensaio de

1993 para a Eye Magazine “Cult Of

The Ugly”, passando imediatamente

ao leitor a ideia de que a definição

de Belo ou Feio depende em grande

parte do individuo, ou seja, é subjec-

tiva. Para os alunos da Cranbrook

Academy, o belo era o caos nascido

de uma tipografia dissonante e de

padrões abstractos. Utilizando a ex-

perimentação como uma ferramenta

que permite questionar e, apoiados

em conceitos como o desconstrutiv-

ismo e pós-estruturalismo, foi o que

permitiu a estes alunos avançarem

tanto a nível formal assim como ide-

ológico em relação ao modernismo,

contudo Heller salienta, e bem, que

o valor da experimentação no cam-

po do design não pode ser medido

apenas pelo sucesso de tais experi-

mentações, mas também pode e

dever ser medido pelo fracasso das

mesmas, tendo em conta – o autor

justifica- que os ditos fracassos em

muito contribuem para novas desc-

obertas e paradigmas formais. A ex-

perimentação é assim – segundo S.

Heller- o motor do progresso, sen-

do o seu combustível uma mistura

equilibrada de instinto, inteligência

e disciplina; mas o dito motor falha

quando demasiado instinto e pouca

inteligência ou disciplina são adicio-

nados à mistura combustível, caso

que ocorreu com algumas experi-

mentações académicas decorridas

no final dos anos 80 e inícios dos

anos 90 em algumas academias

artísticas dos EUA: o problema com

o “culto do feio” no design gráfico

da maioria das academias e dos

seus alunos é que depressa se tor-

nou um estilo quase que vernacular,

que apela – a qualquer pessoa sem

bases teóricas ou conceptuais – a

uma cópia formal dos conteúdos;

enquanto que os “pioneiros” do feio

no design, estão a seguir as suas

“musas inspiradoras”, os seus se-

guidores simplesmente assimilaram

as características formais das suas

obras, criando consequentemente

trabalhos sem substância, caindo

assim o “design” no ridículo.

O feio como ferramenta, arma ou

até código é válido quando a forma

segue uma função especifica e jus-

tificada, mas o feio pelo feio nada

cria e tudo torna ridículo.

x

Experimentation is the engine of progress, its fuel a mixture of instinct, intelligence and discipline.

The value of design experiments should

not of course be measured only by

what succeeds, since failures are

often steps towards new discoveries.

U G L Y ?

The Cranbrook Academy of

Art, one of the nation's

leading graduate schools of

architecture, art and design,

was founded by the Booths in

1932. By 1984, the New York

Times would say that "the

effect of Cranbrook and its

graduates and faculty on the

physical environment of this

country has been profound ...

Cranbrook, surely more than

any other institution, has a

right to think of itself as

synonymous with contemporary

American design."1

Página da Revista “Output” 1992, pelos alunos da Cranbrook Academy

For the moment, let us say that ugly de-

cision, as opposed to classical design

(where adherence to the golden mean

and a preference for balance and har-

mony serve as the foundation for even

the most unconventional compositions)

is the layering of unharmonious graphic

forms in a way that results in confusing

messages. By this definition, Output

could be considered a prime example

of ugliness in the service of fashionable

experimentation. Though not intended

to function in the commercial world, it

was distributed to thousands of practis-

ing designers on the American Institute

of Graphic Arts and American Center

for Design mailing lists, so rather than

remain cloistered and protected from

criticism as on-campus “research”, it is

a fair subject for scrutiny. It can legiti-

mately be described as representing the

current cult of ugliness.

The layered images, vernacular hybrids,

How is ugly to be defined in the current

post-modern design climate where ex-

isting systems are up for re-evaluation,

order is under attack and thea forced

collision of disparate forms is the rule?

For the moment, let us say that

ugly decision, as opposed to clas-

sical design (where adherence to

the golden mean and a preference

for balance and harmony serve as

the foundation for even the most

unconventional compositions) is the

layering of unharmonious graphic

forms in a way that results in con-

fusing messages. By this definition,

Output could be considered a prime

example of ugliness in the service

of fashionable experimentation.

Though not intended to function in

the commercial world, it was dis-

tributed to thousands of practising

designers on the American Institute

of Graphic Arts and American Cent-

er for Design mailing lists, so rather

than remain cloistered and protect-

ed from criticism as on-campus “re-

search”, it is a fair subject for scru-

tiny. It can legitimately be described

1993- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

CULT OF THE UGLY

Steven Heller

[ continuação ]

as representing the current cult

of ugliness. The layered images,

vernacular hybrids, low-resolution

reproductions and cacophonous

blends of different types and letters

at once challenge prevailing aes-

thetic beliefs and propose alterna-

tive paradigms. Like the output of

communications rebels of the past

(whether 1920s Futurists or 1960s

psychedelic artists), this work de-

mands that the viewer or reader ac-

cept non-traditional formats which

at best guide the eye for a specific

purpose through a range of non-

linear “pathways”, and at worst re-

sult in confusion. But the reasons

behind this wave are dubious.

▷

~

beauty

“Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art.” 9

O conceito de “feio” sempre foi uma

questão polémica no que diz respeito

a aceita-lo, não como uma oposição ao

belo, mas sim como parte integrante do

conceito de beleza, fazendo o “feio” as-

sim parte da criação artística, enquanto

possibilitador de experiencia estética.

Foi com polémica que em 1992 foi visto

o trabalho “Output” – amplamente dis-

cutido através da revista Emigre (nrº10

e 13)- dos estudantes de Cranbrook,

principalmente por parte dos ávidos de-

fensores do Modernismo, que acredita-

vam numa primeira instância, que com

a “universalidade” conceptual e gráfica

proposta pelo movimento, a procura for-

mal relativamente ao design não estava

estagnada, mas sim finalizada – como

nos refere Ellen Lupton no ensaio “The

Academy of Deconstructed Design”.

“After three decades as a successful commercial artist, Fella, at age 47, entered the MFA program at Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1985, opening the door for him to be recognized as a pioneer of postmodern graphic design. From his subsequent position as a professor at California Institute of the Arts, where he has profoundly impacted the design program for the past 20 years, Fella has since presided as vanguard master to a new generation of graphic designers.” 10

xED FELLA, Flyer para a Detroit Focus GAllery 1986

O

conceito

d

e “feio

” sem

pre

foi

uma

questão

po

lémica no

que d

iz respeito

a aceita-lo, não

com

o um

a op

osição

ao

belo

, mas sim

com

o p

arte integrante d

o

conceito

de b

eleza, fazendo

o “feio

” as-

sim p

arte da criação

artística, enquanto

po

ssibilitad

or

de

experiencia

estética.

Fo

i com

po

lémica q

ue em 1992 fo

i visto

o trab

alho “O

utput” – am

plam

ente dis-

cutido

através da revista E

mig

re (nrº10

e 13)-

do

s estud

antes d

e C

ranbro

ok,

princip

almente p

or p

arte do

s ávido

s de-

fensores d

o M

od

ernismo

, que acred

ita-

vam num

a prim

eira instância, que co

m

a “universalidad

e” concep

tual e gráfica

pro

po

sta pelo

mo

vimento

, a pro

cura for-

mal relativam

ente ao d

esign não

estava

estagnad

a, mas sim

finalizada – co

mo

nos refere E

llen Lupto

n no ensaio

“The

Acad

emy o

f Deco

nstructed D

esign”.

O conceito de “feio” sempre foi uma

questão polémica no que diz respeito

a aceita-lo, não como uma oposição ao

belo, mas sim como parte integrante do

conceito de beleza, fazendo o “feio” as-

sim parte da criação artística, enquanto

possibilitador de experiencia estética.

Foi com polémica que em 1992 foi visto

o trabalho “Output” – amplamente dis-

cutido através da revista Emigre (nrº10

e 13)- dos estudantes de Cranbrook,

principalmente por parte dos ávidos de-

fensores do Modernismo, que acredita-

vam numa primeira instância, que com

a “universalidade” conceptual e gráfica

proposta pelo movimento, a procura for-

mal relativamente ao design não estava

estagnada, mas sim finalizada – como

nos refere Ellen Lupton no ensaio “The

Academy of Deconstructed Design”.

beauty

2012- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Luísa Brito

MIXING MESSAGES

O conceito de “feio” sempre foi uma

questão polémica no que diz respeito

a aceita-lo, não como uma oposição

ao belo, mas sim como parte integran-

te do conceito de beleza, fazendo o

“feio” assim parte da criação artística,

enquanto possibilitador de experien-

cia estética. Foi com polémica que

em 1992 foi visto o trabalho “Output”

– amplamente discutido através da

revista Emigre (nrº10 e 13)- dos estu-

dantes de Cranbrook, principalmente

por parte dos ávidos defensores do

Modernismo, que acreditavam numa

primeira instância, que com a “uni-

versalidade” conceptual e gráfica

proposta pelo movimento, a procura

formal relativamente ao design não

estava estagnada, mas sim finalizada

– como nos refere Ellen Lupton no en-

saio “The Academy of Deconstructed

Design”. Se perguntar a uma série de

pessoas, de variadas nacionalidades

e idades (ou seja com as mais varia-

das culturas) o que é o “belo” – e re-

firo-me a belo numa dicotomia directa

ao feio- , obterei certamente as mais

variadas respostas, não chegando

assim a uma conclusão homogénea

do que é realmente o belo, tendo em

conta que cada pessoa tem uma defi-

nição própria de belo.

∆

x

How is ugly to be defined in the current post-modern design climate where existing systems are up for re-evaluation, order is under attack and thea forced collision of disparate forms is the rule?

For the moment, let us say that ugly de-

cision, as opposed to classical design

(where adherence to the golden mean

and a preference for balance and har-

mony serve as the foundation for even

the most unconventional compositions)

is the layering of unharmonious graphic

forms in a way that results in confusing

messages. By this definition, Output

could be considered a prime example

of ugliness in the service of fashionable

experimentation. Though not intended

to function in the commercial world, it

was distributed to thousands of practis-

ing designers on the American Institute

of Graphic Arts and American Center

for Design mailing lists, so rather than

remain cloistered and protected from

criticism as on-campus “research”, it is

a fair subject for scrutiny. It can legiti-

mately be described as representing the

current cult of ugliness. The layered im-

ages, vernacular hybrids,

Fo

r th

e m

om

ent,

let

us s

ay t

hat

ugly

de-

cisi

on,

as

op

po

sed

to

cla

ssic

al d

esig

n

(whe

re a

dhe

renc

e to

the

go

lden

mea

n

and

a p

refe

renc

e fo

r b

alan

ce a

nd h

ar-

mo

ny s

erve

as

the

foun

dat

ion

for

even

the

mo

st u

nco

nven

tio

nal

com

po

siti

ons

)

is t

he l

ayer

ing

of

unha

rmo

nio

us g

rap

hic

form

s in

a w

ay t

hat

resu

lts

in c

onf

usin

g

mes

sag

es.

By

this

d

efin

itio

n,

Out

put

coul

d b

e co

nsid

ered

a p

rim

e ex

amp

le

of

uglin

ess

in t

he s

ervi

ce o

f fa

shio

nab

le

exp

erim

enta

tio

n.

Tho

ugh

not

inte

nded

to f

unct

ion

in t

he c

om

mer

cial

wo

rld

, it

was

dis

trib

uted

to

tho

usan

ds

of

pra

ctis

-

ing

des

igne

rs o

n th

e A

mer

ican

Ins

titu

te

of

Gra

phi

c A

rts

and

A

mer

ican

C

ente

r

for

Des

ign

mai

ling

lis

ts,

so r

athe

r th

an

rem

ain

clo

iste

red

an

d

pro

tect

ed

fro

m

crit

icis

m a

s o

n-ca

mp

us “

rese

arch

”, i

t is

a fa

ir s

ubje

ct f

or

scru

tiny

. It

can

leg

iti-

mat

ely

be

des

crib

ed a

s re

pre

sent

ing

the

curr

ent

cult

of

uglin

ess.

The

laye

red

im-

ages

, ve

rnac

ular

hyb

rid

s,

ugly is the new beauty?

[ R. Mutt “Fountain” 1917 ]≈

Are You Serious ?

~

“Duchamp rejected purely

visual or what he dubbed

"retinal pleasure," deeming

it to be facile, in favor of

more intellectual, concept-

driven approaches to art-

making and, for that matter,

viewing. He remained commit-

ted, however, to the study

of perspective and optics

which underpins his experi-

ments with kinetic devices,

reflecting an ongoing con-

cern with the representation

of motion and machines com-

mon to Futurist and Surreal-

ist artists at the time.”2

Does

th

e cu

rren

t so

cial

an

d cu

ltur

al

cond

itio

n in

volv

e th

e ki

nd

of

uphe

aval

to

wh

ich

crit

ical

ug

line

ss

is a

time

-hon

oure

d co

mpan

ion?

Or

in

the

wake

of

ea

rlie

r, mo

re se

riou

s

expe

rime

ntat

ion,

ha

s ug

line

ss si

mply

been

ass

imil

ated

int

o po

pula

r cu

ltur

e

and

beco

me a

sty

lish

con

ceit

?

The current wave began in the mid-

1970s with the English punk scene,

a raw expression of youth frustration

manifested through shocking dress,

music and art. Punk’s naïve graphic

language – an aggressive rejection of

rational typography that echoes Dada

and Futurist work- influenced design-

ers during the late 1970s who seriously

tested the limits imposed by Modernist

formalism. Punk’s violent demeanour

surfaced in Swiss, American, Dutch and

French design and spread to the main-

stream in the form of a “new wave”, or

what American punk artist Gary Panter

has called “sanitised punk”. A key anti-

canonical approach later called Swiss

Punk – which in comparison with the

gridlocked Swiss International Style was

menacingly chaotic, though rooted in its

own logic – was born in the mecca of

rationalism, Basel during the late 1970s.

For the elders who were threatened (and

offended) by the onslaught to criticise

Swiss Punk as ugly was avoiding the

1993- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

CULT OF THE UGLY

Steven Heller

[ continuação ]

▷

“Chantry’s clever manipulations of found “art” into accessible, though uncoanventional, compositions prove that using ostensibly ugly forms can result in good design.”3

[ Arthur Chantry para a Oakley ]

X

“Semiotics is often employed in the

analysis of texts (although it is far more

than just a mode of textual analysis).

Here it should perhaps be noted that

a 'text' can exist in any medium and

may be verbal, non-verbal, or both,

despite the logocentric bias of this

distinction. The term text usually refers

to a message which has been recorded

in some way (e.g. writing, audio- and

video-recording) so that it is physically

independent of its sender or receiver. A

text is an assemblage of signs (such as

words, images, sounds and gestures)

constructed (and interpreted) with

reference to the conventions associated

with a genre and in a particular medium

of communication.” 8

Saussurre

▷

2012- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Luísa Brito

MIXING MESSAGES

O pós-modernismo, que começou

a ganhar força no final dos anos

70, marca o eclipse do Estilo In-

ternacional juntamente com todas

as suas assunções: neutralidade,

universalidade, racionalismo assim

como, também anuncia a ruptura

com a vibrante onda Pop dos anos

60. O Pós-modernismo caracte-

riza-se não só por uma mudança

imagética de estilo, assim como

por uma nova maneira de ques-

tionar e interpretar o mundo e as

suas concepções, sendo a base

deste estilo o conhecimento his-

tórico e filosófico - fundamental à

arte de criar- , que possibilita um

entendimento “revolucionário” do

presente e uma nova visão, quase

que profética, do futuro. O pós-

-modernismo tem como base con-

ceptual maior o desconstrutivismo,

este que pertence a um campo

mais alargado de estudos, o pós-

-estruturalismo. A desconstrução

“não é um estilo nem uma atitude”

– como referem Ellen Lupton e Ab-

bott Miller no ensaio “Deconstruc-

tion and Graphic Design” 1994 –

mas sim um modo de questionar os

paradigmas existentes, e de fundar

novas metáforas de representação,

ou seja: “deconstruction is critical

form-making”, como é referido ain-

da no mesmo ensaio de 94.

A inquisidora desconstrução rejeita

a crítica “universal” do modernis-

mo e propõe revelar o significado

de um determinado – inicialmente

eram apenas analisadas obras lite-

rárias- através do estudo de como

a forma e conteúdo, sem simbiose,

comunicam, uma característica que

vem directamente do estudo de

Fredinand Saussure “Semiotics”.

Quando falamos de desconstrução

aplicada ao design gráfico, temos

de referir o trabalho de J. Derrida.

No seu trabalho “Of Gramatology”,

o autor questiona o quanto a repre-

sentação (das coisas ou conceitos)

habita na realidade. Numa primeira

fase, Derrida quebra com o para-

digma tipicamente ocidental das

dicotomias, – dentro/fora; realida-

de/representação; belo/feio; (...) –

e é nesta quebra que o descons-

trutivismo vai actuar, desmontando

tais oposições, mostrando que os

conceitos não têm necessariamen-

te de ser oposições mas sim parte

de um todo universal.

▷

The current wave began in the mid-

1970s with the English punk scene,

a raw expression of youth frustration

manifested through shocking dress,

music and art. Punk’s naïve graphic

language – an aggressive rejection

of rational typography that echoes

Dada and Futurist work- influenced

designers during the late 1970s who

seriously tested the limits imposed

by Modernist formalism. Punk’s vio-

lent demeanour surfaced in Swiss,

American, Dutch and French design

and spread to the mainstream in

the form of a “new wave”, or what

American punk artist Gary Panter

has called “sanitised punk”. A key

anti-canonical approach later called

Swiss Punk – which in comparison

with the gridlocked Swiss Interna-

tional Style was menacingly chaotic,

though rooted in its own logic – was

born in the mecca of rationalism,

Basel during the late 1970s. For the

elders who were threatened (and of-

fended) by the onslaught to criticise

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

- -

Swiss Punk as ugly was avoiding the

issue. Swiss Punk was attacked not

so much because of its appearance

as because it symbolised the demise

of Modernist hegemony. Ugly design

can be a conscious attempt to cre-

ate and define alternative standards.

Like warpaint, the dissonant styles

which many contemporary design-

ers have applied to their visual com-

munications are meant to shock an

enemy – complacency – as well as

to encourage new reading and view-

ing patterns. The work of American

designer Art Chantry combines the

shock-and-educate approach with

a concern for appropriateness. For

over a decade Chantry has been

creating eye-catching, low-budg-

et graphics for the Seattle punk

scene by using found commercial

artefacts from industrial merchan-

dise catalogues as key elements in

his posters and flyers. While these

“unsophisticated” graphics may be

horrifying to designers who prefer

Shaker functionalism to punk ver-

nacularism, Chantry’s design is de-

cidedly functional.

1993- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

CULT OF THE UGLY

Steven Heller

[ continuação ]

Post-modernism inspired a debate

in graphic design in the mid-

1970s by revealing that many

perceptions of art and culture were

one-dimensional. Post-modernism

urgently questioned certainties laid

down by Modernism and rebelled

against grand Eurocentric narratives

in favour of multiplicity.

The result in graphic design was to

strip Modernist formality of both its

infrastructure and outer covering.

The grid was demolished, while

neo-classical and contemporary

ornaments, such as dots, blips

and arrows, replaced the tidiness

of the canonical approach. As

in most artistic revolutions, the

previous generation was attacked,

while the generations before were

curiously rehabilitated. The visual

hallmarks of this rebellion, however,

were inevitably reduced to stylistic

mannerisms which forced even more

radical experimentation. Extremism

gave rise to fashionable ugliness as

a form of nihilistic expression.

In “Ode on a Grecian Urn” (1819),

the Romantic poet John Keats

wrote the famous lines: “Beauty is

truth, truth beauty, - that is all/ Ye

know on earth, and all ye need to

know.” Yet in today’s environment,

one standard of beauty is no more

the truth than is one standard of ug-

liness. It is possible that the most

convention-busting graphic design

by students and alumni of Cran-

brook, CalArts and Rhode Island

School of Design, among other

hothouses where theoretical con-

structs are used to justify what the

untutored eye might deem ugly,

could become the foundation for

new standards based on contem-

porary sensibilities. Certainly, these

approaches have attracted many

followers throughout the design

world.

▷▷

Tod

avia

é u

ma

exp

eriê

ncia

fre

que

nte

a d

e o

bra

s

cria

tiva

s/d

e ar

te p

od

erem

ap

rese

ntar

-no

s nã

o

só c

ont

eúd

os

ou

situ

açõ

es a

gra

dáv

eis/

apra

zí-

veis

, co

mo

tam

bém

co

nteú

do

s d

esag

rad

ávei

s,

dis

sona

ntes

, ag

ress

ivo

s: f

eio

s.

O r

eco

nhec

imen

to d

o e

spaç

o q

ue o

fei

o o

cup

a

na c

riaç

ão a

rtís

tica

é,

no q

ue r

esp

eita

à t

eori

a,

um fa

cto

sub

stan

cial

men

te m

od

erno

que

co

me-

ça a

man

ifest

ar-s

e p

or

volt

a d

o s

écul

o X

VIII

e

que

ass

ume

uma

imp

ort

ânci

a ca

da

vez

mai

or

nos

sécu

los

XIX

e X

X, e

m p

aral

elo

co

m o

s fe

nó-

men

os

de

“rej

eiçã

o d

o b

elo

” e

da

“pro

cura

do

feio

” co

mo

val

or

esté

tico

ass

umid

o,

cria

ndo

-se

assi

m,

nest

a ép

oca

, um

a no

va c

ons

ciên

cia

en-

tre

o q

ue d

efin

imo

s p

or

“fei

o”

enq

uant

o p

riva

do

de

valo

r es

téti

co –

um

det

erm

inad

o o

bje

cto

ou

exp

eriê

ncia

po

ssue

m v

alo

r es

téti

co q

uand

o o

s

pre

feri

mo

s em

rel

ação

a o

utro

s, p

elo

pra

zer

que

susc

itam

em

nó

s- e

o q

ue,

emb

ora

qua

lific

ável

com

o f

eio

é n

o e

ntan

to c

apaz

de

pro

duz

ir u

ma

exp

erie

ncia

est

étic

a si

gni

ficat

iva.

O conceito de “feio” sempre foi uma questão p o l é m i c a no que diz respeito a a c e i t a - l o , não como uma oposição ao belo, mas sim como parte i n t e g r a n t e do conceito de beleza, f a z e n d o o “feio” assim parte da criação a r t í s t i c a , e n q u a n t o

“Anybody can become angry

- that is easy, but to

be angry with the right

person and to the right

degree and at the right

time and for the right

purpose, and in the right

way - that is not within

everybody's power and is

not easy.” 7

Stanley Kubrick “Full Metal Jacket” (1987)

2012- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Luísa Brito

Na linguagem comum o termo “feio” indica desvalor estético, o “desagradável

que causa horror”, o desonesto: em suma, indica uma falha na criação

humana, “porque o que é divino é sempre belo, o homem é que não tem

entendimento suficiente para perceber parte da beleza da criação”6

- como diz Aristóteles.

Todavia é uma experiência frequente

a de obras criativas/de arte poderem

apresentar-nos não só conteúdos ou

situações agradáveis/aprazíveis, como

também conteúdos desagradáveis,

dissonantes, agressivos: feios.

O reconhecimento do espaço que o feio

ocupa na criação artística é, no que respeita

à teoria, um facto substancialmente

moderno que começa a manifestar-se por

volta do século XVIII e que assume uma

importância cada vez maior nos séculos

XIX e XX, em paralelo com os fenómenos

de “rejeição do belo” e da “procura do feio”

como valor estético assumido, criando-se

assim, nesta época, uma nova consciência

entre o que definimos por “feio” enquanto

privado de valor estético – um determinado

objecto ou experiência possuem valor

estético quando os preferimos em relação

a outros, pelo prazer que suscitam em

nós- e o que, embora qualificável como

feio é no entanto capaz de produzir uma

experiencia estética significativa.

MIXING MESSAGES

Po

st-m

od

erni

sm

insp

ired

a

deb

ate

in

gra

phi

c d

esig

n in

th

e m

id-1

970s

b

y

reve

alin

g

that

m

any

per

cep

tions

o

f

art

and

cu

lture

w

ere

one

-dim

ensi

ona

l.

Po

st-m

od

erni

sm

urg

ently

q

uest

ione

d

cert

aint

ies

laid

d

ow

n b

y M

od

erni

sm

and

reb

elle

d a

gai

nst

gra

nd E

uro

cent

ric

narr

ativ

es in

fav

our

of

mul

tiplic

ity.

The

re

sult

in

gra

phi

c d

esig

n w

as

to

stri

p

Mo

der

nist

fo

rmal

ity

of

bo

th

its

infr

astr

uctu

re a

nd o

uter

co

veri

ng.

The

g

rid

w

as

dem

olis

hed

, w

hile

ne

o-

clas

sica

l an

d c

ont

emp

ora

ry o

rnam

ents

,

such

as

do

ts,

blip

s an

d a

rro

ws,

rep

lace

d

the

tidin

ess

of

the

cano

nica

l ap

pro

ach.

As

in

mo

st

artis

tic

revo

lutio

ns,

the

pre

vio

us g

ener

atio

n w

as a

ttac

ked

, w

hile

the

gen

erat

ions

b

efo

re

wer

e cu

rio

usly

reha

bili

tate

d.

The

vi

sual

ha

llmar

ks

of

this

reb

ellio

n, h

ow

ever

, w

ere

inev

itab

ly

red

uced

to

st

ylis

tic

man

neri

sms

whi

ch

forc

ed

even

m

ore

ra

dic

al

exp

erim

enta

tion.

E

xtre

mis

m g

ave

rise

to

fash

iona

ble

ug

lines

s as

a

form

o

f

nihi

listic

exp

ress

ion.

Post-modernism inspired a debate in

graphic design in the mid-1970s by

revealing that many perceptions of

art and culture were one-dimensional.

Post-modernism urgently questioned

certainties laid down by Modernism

and rebelled against grand Eurocentric

narratives in favour of multiplicity.

The result in graphic design was to

strip Modernist formality of both its

infrastructure and outer covering.

The grid was demolished, while neo-

classical and contemporary ornaments,

such as dots, blips and arrows, replaced

the tidiness of the canonical approach.

As in most artistic revolutions, the

previous generation was attacked, while

the generations before were curiously

rehabilitated. The visual hallmarks of

this rebellion, however, were inevitably

reduced to stylistic mannerisms

which forced even more radical

experimentation. Extremism gave rise

to fashionable ugliness as a form of

nihilistic expression.

X

Post-modernism urgently questioned

certainties laid down by Modernism and

rebelled against grand Eurocentric

narratives in favour of multiplicity.

“His layouts featured distortions or mixes of 'vernacular' typefaces and fractured imagery, rendering them almost illegible. Indeed, his maxim of the 'end of print' questioned the role of type in the emergent age of digital design, following on from California New Wave and coinciding with experiments at the Cranbrook Academy of Art.”4

[ David CArson (2011) capa da “Little Lies” Magazine ]

So in order to stretch the perimeters of

art and design to any serious extent it

becomes necessary to suspend popular

notions of beauty so that alternative aes-

thetic standards can be explored. This

concept is essential to an analysis of a

recent work by the Chicago company

Segura, who designed the programme/

announcement for the 1993 How maga-

zine “Creative Vision” conference and

whose work represents the professional

wing of the hothouse sensibility. Com-

pared to the artless Output, Segura’s

seemingly anarchic booklet is an artfully

engineered attempt to direct the reader

through a maze of mundane informa-

tion. Yet while the work might purport

to confront complacency, it often merely

obstructs comprehension.

A compilation of variegated visuals, the

How piece is a veritable primer of cultish

extremes at once compelling for its

So

in ord

er to stretch the p

erimeters o

f

art and d

esign to

any serious extent it

beco

mes necessary to

suspend

po

pular

notio

ns of b

eauty so that alternative aes-

thetic standard

s can be exp

lored

. This

concep

t is essential to an analysis o

f a

recent wo

rk by the C

hicago

com

pany

Seg

ura, who

desig

ned the p

rog

ramm

e/

announcem

ent for the 1993 H

ow

mag

a -

zine “C

reative V

ision”

conference

and

who

se wo

rk represents the p

rofessio

nal

wing

of the ho

thouse sensib

ility. Co

m-

pared

to

the

artless O

utput,

Seg

ura’s

seeming

ly anarchic bo

oklet is an artfully

engineered

attemp

t to d

irect the reader

throug

h a

maze

of

mund

ane info

rma -

tion. Yet w

hile the wo

rk mig

ht purp

ort

to co

nfront co

mp

lacency, it often m

erely

ob

structs com

prehensio

n.

A co

mp

ilation o

f variegated

visuals, the

Ho

w p

iece is a veritable p

rimer o

f cultish

extremes at o

nce com

pelling

for its

1993- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

CULT OF THE UGLY

Steven Heller

[ continuação ]

So in order to stretch the perimeters

of art and design to any serious

extent it becomes necessary

to suspend popular notions of

beauty so that alternative aesthetic

standards can be explored. This

concept is essential to an analysis

of a recent work by the Chicago

company Segura, who designed

the programme/announcement for

the 1993 How magazine “Creative

Vision” conference and whose work

represents the professional wing of

the hothouse sensibility. Compared

to the artless Output, Segura’s

seemingly anarchic booklet is

an artfully engineered attempt to

direct the reader through a maze

of mundane information. Yet while

the work might purport to confront

complacency, it often merely

obstructs comprehension.

“Where does beauty begin and where does it end? Where it ends is where the artist begins.” 5

A compilation of variegated visuals,

the How piece is a veritable primer of

cultish extremes at once compelling

for its ingenuity yet undermined by its

superficiality. Like a glutton, Segura

has stuffed itself with all the latest

conceits (including some of its own

concoction) and has regurgitated

them on to the pages. At first the

juxtapositions of discordant visual

material appear organic, but in fact

little is left to chance. The result is

a catalogue of disharmony in the

service of contemporaneity, an

artefact that is already ossifying into

a 1990s design style. It is a style

that presumes that more is hipper

than less, confusion is better than

simplicity, fragmentation is smarter

than continuity, and that ugliness is

its own reward.

▷

So in order to stretch the perimeters of

art and design to any serious extent it

becomes necessary to suspend popular

notions of beauty so that alternative aes-

thetic standards can be explored. This

concept is essential to an analysis of a

recent work by the Chicago company

Segura, who designed the programme/

announcement for the 1993 How maga-

zine “Creative Vision” conference and

whose work represents the professional

wing of the hothouse sensibility. Com-

pared to the artless Output, Segura’s

seemingly anarchic booklet is an artfully

engineered attempt to direct the reader

through a maze of mundane informa-

tion. Yet while the work might purport

to confront complacency, it often merely

obstructs comprehension.

A compilation of variegated visuals, the

How piece is a veritable primer of cultish

extremes at once compelling for its

But is it possible that the surface might blind one to the inner beauty (i.e. intelligence) of

this work?

Ralph Waldo Emerson in The Conduct of

Life (1860) wrote: “The secret of ugliness

consists not in irregularity, but in being

uninteresting.” Given Emerson’s measure,

it could be argued that design is only ugly

when devoid of aesthetic or conceptual

forethought – for example, generic restau-

rant menus, store signs and packages.

Perhaps, then, the How booklet, which is

drowning in forethought, should be “read”

on a variety of levels wherein beauty and

ugliness are mitigated by context and pur-

pose. Perhaps – but given the excesses in

this work, the result can only be described

as a catalogue of pretence.

So in order to stretch the perimeters of

art and design to any serious extent it

becomes necessary to suspend popular

notions of beauty so that alternative aes-

thetic standards can be explored. This

concept is essential to an analysis of a

recent work by the Chicago company

Segura, who designed the programme/

announcement for the 1993 How maga-

zine “Creative Vision” conference and

whose work represents the professional

wing of the hothouse sensibility. Com-

pared to the artless Output, Segura’s

seemingly anarchic booklet is an artfully

engineered attempt to direct the reader

through a maze of mundane informa-

tion. Yet while the work might purport

to confront complacency, it often merely

obstructs comprehension.

A compilation of variegated visuals, the

How piece is a veritable primer of cultish

extremes at once compelling for its

Beauty is whatever I want▷