(Ray)
(Fogra 29_WF)Job:08-28858 Title:RP-Writing & Research for Graphic Designers
#175 Dtp:225 Page:70
056-091_28858.indd 70 8/30/12 4:44 PM
(Ray)
(Fogra 29_WF)Job:08-28858 Title:RP-Writing & Research for Graphic Designers
#175 Dtp:225 Page:71
056-091_28858.indd 71 8/30/12 4:44 PM
Writing & research for graphic designers
(Text)
70
1946 that he decided to resume publication of Typography.
However, both Harling and Shand considered the original
title too limiting for the diverse range of visual material
they had regularly featured in this quarterly. The new title
of Alphabet and Image was deemed more fitting of a publication
that would often include between the same covers an essay on
the work of a celebrated illustrator, an article on fat typefaces,
and analysis of the newspaper printing industry. As both
editor and publisher remarked in the first issue:
‘We sometimes thought Typography a limiting title, and,
almost in defianceof that label, published several contributions
not strictly typographical...
Alphabet and Image will, from its earliest days avoid any
hint of such limitation. Under its simple but flexible title it is
hoped that an appraisal of an eighteenth-century draughtsman
or a contemporary photographer may be included as naturally
and logically as a review of a recent typeface or reproductions
of antique penmanship.’
With this broadening of its editorial focus, Harling and
Shand wished to make it clear that Alphabet and Image (A &
I) would not relinquish its aim of covering all that was best
in typography and the graphic arts. ‘Every endeavour’, they
continued, ‘will be made to keep their magazine from slip-
ping into one of the two fates which seem inevitably to await
almost every current English magazine: (a) trying to be the
English Fortune; (b) becoming a literary publication.’ Both
editors concluded their opening introduction recounting that
‘many in this country and abroad, particularly the United
States, were kind in comment concerning their earlier venture.
Others were critical. It is thought that the characteristics
which provoked these comments are likely to be found in a
more emphatic degree in Alphabet and Image. Brickbats and
bouquets are solicited.’
Published by Shand’s Shenval Press, A & I measured 19.5
cm x 24.5 cm and continued to use the distinctive plasticol
binding employed in Typography. The first issue has a cover
design by Harling that employs a two-colour letterpress. The
‘T’ of Alphabet creatively bisects the ‘A’ of And, with the issue
number ‘1’ overlapping the ‘E’ of Image. As with Typography,
the striking cover designs of A & I encapsulated the diversity
of influences sought by Harling. Throughout all his designs,
a mixture of the ornate and modern in both type and number
were playfully married with an imaginative use of colour. This
contrast set the tone for the content, which opened with an
analysis upon the numbering of newspapers by Stanley Morison
and a feature on the illustrations of Mervyn Peake. We then
have an early article by Ruari McLean on Egyptian typefaces,
which is accompanied by an essay on the type designer Edward
Johnston and notes on a centenary event for the children’s book
illustrator Kate Greenaway. The ‘Notes’ section towards the
rear kept the reader up-to-date with events, publications and
latest news from the graphic arts world. This format of five to
seven articles, with an addendum, remained the same throughout
all issues of A & I.
Harling’s decision to re-launch Typography as A & I in
1946 was, as we have seen, partially determined by the need
to address the lack of communication across the printing and
design professions. The absence of consultation and a shared
knowledge base was frustrating the development of an indus-
try at a time of expansion. By situating articles on illustrators
alongside those examining print history and type design,
Harling clearly perceived A & I as having an important
pedagogic role to play in enabling a culture of debate and
cross fertilisation. Unfortunately, by 1948 this experiment had
seemingly failed. The printing industry appeared unwilling to
enter into any discussion regarding the creative possibilities
of working closely with designers and illustrators. The eighth
issue of A & I was the last (all eight issues of the quarterly
were lately anthologised and re-published by Harling in 1975).
In Harling’s final editorial he noted that ‘with this issue. . .
this magazine ends its days. Alphabet will live again, subtitled
An Annual of Typography, and the first volume will be published
in autumn 1949. The first number of Image, subtitled A
Quarterly of the Arts, will be published in spring 1949. . . .’
Harling continues:
‘The study of typography is an increasingly popular subject,
but it remains a specialized division of design and the number
of potential readers of a publication concerned with the subject
is limited. We are persuaded, therefore, that we can employ our-
selves more usefully by dealing in a more specialized manner with
(Ray)
(Fogra 29_WF)Job:08-28858 Title:RP-Writing & Research for Graphic Designers
09-C67944 #175 Dtp:225 Page:70
056-091_C67944.indd 70 9/22/12 11:25 AM
section 2
surveying the diciplines
(Text)
71
the typographical subjects and by deal-
ing with the arts which have become
more popular in recent years on a much
broader basis than we have in Alphabet
and Image.
In its exceptional range and quality
of work, A & I embodied Harling’s
belief ‘that the chief value of anything
designed was the pleasure it gave to
the designer.’ The publication also
existed as an example of his claim
that good writing, whether commercial
copy or historical analysis, was an
essential component of the design
process. Through this mixture of
skillful design and intelligent writing,
Harling attempted to meet the needs
of a new reader: the graphic designer.
In its anticipation of this new role
A & I was ahead of its time. Yet, this
was also to be the source of its demise.
At the beginning of this new era, the
graphic designer remained a rare
commodity, one unable to offer a
sizable enough audience to sustain
this important quarterly magazine.
Even so, in both text and image,
Harling’s experiment endures as a
formative work in the development
of post-war English design.
You have written for a scholarly and academic audience. What are the characteristics that
separate academic from mainstream writing about design?
That’s a really interesting question. I suppose the main difference with writing for an academic
audience is that you assume your audience will have some prior knowledge of your themes or frames
of reference. This allows you to deepen the arguments more quickly and to expand on why something
has happened in a particular way, at a particular time, and what can be learned from that experience.
You are, in effect, writing for an audience, which have done a little more “homework” than most
other people.
Do you believe that academic or historical writing about design must be filled with jargon?
The challenge, as I see it, is more about the appropriate use of language and clarity of expression.
There are certain words or phrases that are typical of academic writing which may not have common
currency, but which are useful in nuancing and clarifying certain arguments. I think you can use less
well-known terminology, if it’s appropriate to making your point, without losing your audience.
One of the most wonderful qualities of the English language is that there are so many words that are
slight variations on each other in terms of meaning; this allows authors to be very exact in what they
want to say. Coincidently, I’m currently rereading A Clockwork Orange after first having read it
thirty years ago. Part of the joy of reading this book is trying to decipher the language Anthony
Burgess invented—Nadsat—without having to resort to a glossary for explanation. I know this is an
extreme example of how language is manipulated, but the use of this subcultural language is totally
appropriate in the context of the book and enhances the narrative even if you don’t understand every
word. That said, I do get irritated when writers consciously overcomplicate their writing for the sake
of appearing more scholarly, particularly when the idea is very simple to begin with!
As a scholar do you tend to write for other scholars?
When I’m researching and writing I assume that the main audiences for my work are students,
scholars, and designers interested in where design and cultural history intersect. My primary
motivation is as a teacher, and so I’m constantly trying to provide “useful” sources for students in
thinking about designed objects and visual culture. However, I’m always conscious, and constantly
reminded, that my primary area of research—the design strategies of Aer Lingus, the former Irish
national airline—is of interest to a much broader audience. The story of Aer Lingus is so integral to
Irish history and cultural identity that my work is often discovered by people outside of the worlds
of design and academia, and I find that very rewarding. Aer Lingus has a Forest Gump-like quality in
that its planes and staff are visibly present in the photographs and film footage of many key historical
moments in Irish history, including the visits of JFK in 1963, Che Guevara in 1964, Muhammad
Ali in 1972, and Pope John Paul II in 1979. The patronage of Aer Lingus was also key in promoting
many areas of Irish design, including graphic, industrial, fashion, and textile design. I really enjoy
researching a subject that many people can relate to on a variety of different levels.
What is your favorite sentence?
Hand on heart I am never happy with anything I write. When I was working as a graphic designer
I was never happy with anything I designed either! But the [endeavor] for perfection—which of
course is unobtainable—makes you try harder each time.
Linda King Talks about Scholarly Writing
Linda King is a lecturer in design history, theory, and visual communication at the
Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Dublin, Ireland.
PART FOUR : ACADEMIC
(Ray)
(Fogra 29_WF)Job:08-28858 Title:RP-Writing & Research for Graphic Designers
09-C67944 #175 Dtp:225 Page:71
056-091_C67944.indd 71 9/22/12 11:25 AM
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.