Five thoughts on the design language of authenticity, humanity and soul.
01st August
2. “Hand made” design is the logical output of the computer age.
Design had followed a similar arc of progress – labour intensive illustration and calligraphy was a cheaper commodity a century ago, and this was reflected in packaging, which acted as beautiful examples of artisan craft. Over time, such “human” designs transformed into ever-simpler and ever-slicker “branding” – powerful on-shelf, but not always easy to love.
The Eighties were arguably the high water mark of “slick”. In the designer decade contemporary lifestyle brands came into their own. Designers were portrayed brandishing Filofaxes rather than pencils, and many considered themselves businessmen. Cool, knowing minimalism was in. Modernity and sophistication were more admired than natural or rootsy values. Technology was something to be celebrated, and even before designers actually used Macs, much design predicted the coming computer age. Could you imagine this Ribena or Brooke Bond packaging being launched today?
No Comments
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.