Theory at Work | 137

EllEn lupton Spread from

Design Writing Research: Writing

on Graphic Design (New York: Kiosk,

1996). Written and designed by

Lupton and J. Abbott Miller, this

influential book presents an early

example of the contemporary

move toward graphic designers

as authors.

EllEn lupton Spread from

Graphic Design: The New Basics

(New York: Princeton Architectural

Press, 2008), written and designed

by Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole

Phillips. Through this book Lupton

explores emerging universals within

the practice of graphic design,

including newly relevant concepts

like transparency and layering.

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138 | Graphic Design Theory

KEnya Hara Paper and Design,

2000. Book project for an exhibition

to commemorate the centennial

of the Takeo Paper Company. This

project exemplifies Hara’s reframing

of books as “information sculpture.”

As he notes in Designing Design,

“If electronic media is reckoned

a practical tool for information

conveyance, books are information

sculpture; from now on, books will

probably be judged according to

how well they awaken that material-

ity, because the decision to create

a book will be based on a definite

choice of paper as the medium.”

Kenya Hara, Designing Design, trans. Maggie Kinser Hohle and Yukiko Naito (Baden: Lars Müller, 2007), 201.

Theory aT Work

Contemporary Design

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Theory at Work | 139

KEnya Hara MUJI advertise-

ments, 2003 (above) and 2004

(below). As creative director and

advisory board member of MUJI,

Hara does not advocate a philosophy

of business and design meant to

stir up individual desire. Instead, he

embraces what he terms, “‘global

rational value,’ a philosophy that

advocates the use of resources and

objects according to an exceedingly

rational perspective.” MUJI advertising

images suggest “moderation” and

“detached reason,” speaking not to the

egotistical mind but the rational one.

Kenya Hara, Designing Design, trans. Maggie Kinser Hohle and Yukiko Naito (Baden: Lars Müller, 2007), 240.

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140 | Graphic Design Theory

Jan van toorn Spreads

from the visual essay “Panorama

of Habits—Ten Everyday Land-

scapes” in van Thorn’s book,

Design’s Delight (Rotterdam: 010,

2006). Each spread is meant to

be closely read and interpreted

by the reader. Through such work

van Toorn suggests that designs

are never neutral. The designer

should expose the manipulation

of the message inherent in the

work and encourage readers to

do the same.

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Theory at Work | 141

Dmitri SiEgEl Design for

Nicholas Herman et al., Russian

Art in Translation, 2007. This book

is a catalog of emerging and

established artists whose practice

engages Russian identity and its

complex legacy as a (failed) radical

utopian state. Siegel produced this

book through his publishing venture

Ante Projects, which he founded

with Herman in 2002 while they

were students at the Yale University

School of Art.

CHECK rES CHECK rES

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142 | Graphic Design Theory

miCHaEl roCK Identity for

the Brooklyn Museum, 2004. Rock’s

Brooklyn identity, designed by his

firm 2x4, is an early example of

flexible logo systems that have

since become popular. Such vari-

able systems take full advantage

of the multiple digital media now

at play. Although some core visual

remains consistent in such systems,

the identity itself includes variable

elements. The sharp contrast

between the static controlled logos

of twentieth-century designers

like Paul Rand and new dynamic

identities reflect the changing

aesthetic emphasized by media

theorist Lev Manovich.

Dmitri SiEgEl Urban Outfitters

Blog, 2008. The UO blog is the

first horizontal scrolling blog in the

history of the internet. It compiles

brand inspiration from around the

world that can be easily filtered by

city or keyword. Siegel designed the

site to emphasize the uniqueness of

authentic local “scenes,” attempt-

ing to subvert the homogenizing

tendency of many digital social

networking sites. Blog formats like

this illustrate what Siegel terms

“postsumerism—the simultaneous

production and consumption

of content.”

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Theory at Work | 143

miCHaEl roCK Poster from

Waist Down, a traveling exhibit

originally sited in the Prada Tokyo

Epicenter, 2004. Rock’s firm, 2x4,

worked with exhibition designers

at OMA-AMO to develop the exhibit

and all collateral materials. Simul-

taneously working in Rotterdam,

Milan, New York, and Tokyo, 2x4

took full advantage of the current

global working climate. Such work

demonstrates the kind of collabora-

tion for which Rock is known.

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144 | Graphic Design Theory

top. JESSiCa HElfanD,

William DrEnttEl, anD gEoff

HalbEr. Spread from Below the Fold,

Danger Issue, fall 2005, published

by the Winterhouse Institute. This

self-initiated journal exemplifies

the shift toward design authorship

taking place within the graphic

design industry, as well as within

larger society. Each issue critically

investigates a single topic through

word and image.

right.JESSiCa HElfanD,

William DrEnttEl, anD bEtSy

varDEll. The New Yorker website

(redesign), 2007.

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