El Lissitzky

El Lissitzky

Futurist Portfolios
Reframing Society: Russian Constructivist Photography

Initial thoughts of mine are ones that link to Cubism but in a more graphic sense. But I don't know how i feel about it as design. Is it design or is it art, or has someone actually bridged the gap between the two, meeting both of their requirements? I look at his pieces and see art but I see it used in a way to expand the limits of typography and design, a way that breaks the rules and layed the frame work of more experimentation in the future. The collection of what seem to be random shapes, lines and colors are obviously visually intriguing but I personally see these pieces as visually confusing as well, which makes me ask the question, is this then really design? Design has to work, it has to communicate a subject matter clearly, and when I look at these pieces, I do not see a clear communication or what they are trying to express. THat doesn't mean that I don't appreciate them, or find them as ugly design, it just raises that question that others such as the Modernists ask, does it communicate clearly?

See the thing is, I often find myself stuck somewhere in between Modernism and Post-Modernism. I have a great appreciation for the rules and guides that are set out for typography but sometimes, and often times find helvetica on a white page to be boring and not very eye catching. I want my work to abide by the rules, but I also what it to be visually pleasing, and in some aspects confusing initially to invite the viewer into the piece to investigate it further. I fill like that is a quality middle ground and something that appeases both sides in the so called "war" between Modernists and Post-Modernists.

"His next book was a visual retelling of the traditional Jewish Passover song Had gadya (One Goat), in which Lissitzky showcased a typographic device that he would often return to in later designs. In the book, Lissitzky integrated letters with images through a system of color coding that matched the color of the characters in the story with the word referring to them. In the designs for the final page (pictured right), Lissitzky depicts the mighty "hand of God" slaying the angel of death, who wears the tsar's crown. This representation links the redemption of the Jews with the victory of the Bolsheviks in the Russian Revolution. Visual representations of the hand of God would recur in numerous pieces throughout his entire career, most notably with his 1925 photomontage self-portrait The Constructor, which prominently featured the hand."

I found this explanation online at http://www.arttattler.com/kansaslawrence.html and suddenly I can see it's legitimacy in terms of it being communicative design. The integration of letters and and images through a system of color coding that matches the color of the characters in the story shows a large amount of planning and design, with a lot of thought and planning, something that is necessary in design. And now the fact initially it was visually confusing but at the same time visually pleasing, it makes the piece much more intriguing to investigate the imagery more.
What is GD? Graphic Design draws you in and makes you want to investigate the piece more. It screams, read me and learn more.
What is TYPE? Typography is after the attention has been grabbed, the typography clearly explains what is trying to be communicated.
RESPONSIBILTIES? To find the balance between confusing and intriguing. Confusing keeps you confused but intriguing draws you in and then keeps you there.
More VALUABLE? To take this time to learn the difference between confusing and intriguing and to apply that to my work. Draw them in and keep them in.