AGIDEAS

Trends and Designers

A design trend that was featured heavily throughout the design conference was that of tactile design. This theme can be interpreted as a rebellion against computer generated design. Many designers were stepping back from the computer to design using hand made materials. Freedom and looseness is often present, and the texture/surface of the materials used adds a whole other dimension to the design, giving the viewer a more personal and tangible experience. 

An example of designers who follow this trend is the Dutch company, Autobahn. They take an experimental approach to typography, creating what they describe as 'comfortable confusion.' They use real life objects and methods to create visually intriguing and outstanding experimental typography.  Some of their experiments include using household products to recreate the Helvetica typeface by tracing a stencil with toothpaste and tomato sauce.
An online portfolio of their work can be viewed here.

Concept Evaluation

Another example of a designer who follows this trend is Jenny Grigg. Her book cover designs stand out on the shelf for their simplicity, beauty and the methods used to create the artwork. She created a series of designs for a collection of Peter Carey's novels. The first series of designs were created using old wooden blocks of type. They were purely type based but focused on a single letter from the title of the book. The designs were effective due to the translation of the imperfections in the wood cuts.

The second series that she designed were created using hand cut tissue paper that was moulded, folded and arranged into simple yet effective symbolic illustrations. These were photographs as they were. The texture and overlap of colours creates visually pleasing and intriguing designs which reflect the story that lies within. The use of visually tactile cover designs is especially important for book cover design as it supports the hand held object, enhancing the reader's experience. An attractive cover design holds something that computer generation cannot obtain. The desire to hold, touch and possess this piece of artwork and the novel that lies within is something that is lost on the internet.

Examples of these works can be viewed at her website.

Bibliography

jennygrigg.com