Laws & Language + Fiore & McLuhan

Laws of the Letter & Language of Vision

This chapter takes us through the evolution of typography as different theories started to emerge and fade.  One of the biggest leaps that started this evolution was the disconnection between language and representation of ideas. Ferdinand de Saussure, the man behind structuralism, questioned this assumption that language had to represent ideas. A word written doesn’t necessarily carry characteristics of what it describes. Therefore, typography became known as a “set of signs for representing signs” (55). Soon came the illustration of typefaces, such as Bodoni and Didot, as well as the variations each typeface could conjure: oblique, bold, condensed, etc. Post-structuralism also emerged and revised the work of Saussure. The field of typography shifted to include digital technology, as the world also had. It was a necessary step.

Graphic design is a fairly new institution that was created out of a modern art movement in the twentieth century. A number of theories have influenced the history of graphic design. One in particular is gestalt theory that suggests that in the case of graphic design, the visuals are more important to focus upon than the contextual meaning of the visuals. Therefore, the focus shifted from a literary meaning of words to the architecture and intentional placement of each letter. Design also played upon the idea of abstraction. Art moved into a time where no longer was a sensible picture the main focus, but the composition, emotion, and reaction to a piece of artwork was the highlight. Design followed and still follows this same idea. Perception was also a key idea. One could understand design as something that he/she was reminded of; therefore, language wasn’t necessary to understand meaning. In fact, design becomes the means of communication in place of language; thus, design can also be named a  “visual language”. 

I chose this image because of the abstract element of the typeface used. I believe it’s appropriate considering when the Walkman was still used, it was one of the first music playing devices out there. The type resonates the robotic, technological type that the Walkman represented. Also the image above the type remains abstract; however, when paired with the type, it appears to be a “W”. With the pairing of these two elements, one can easily decipher what this image or ad is for.

The Medium is the Massage

            This section was really interesting. It talked of the history and thought process behind the book “The Medium is the Massage” produced by McLuhan and Fiore. This book was revolutionary for its time. Each page in the book was filled with an image. Each image was created with a statement about the economic, political, and social structure of society in its time. The book was published under a tight budget and short deadline; however, it was McLuhan’s best-selling book. Fiore catapulted his career into graphic design with this book and is known for his collaboration on this book with McLuhan. This book is still later famous for its successful use of graphic design as a means of communication. Design was the medium in which people could interpret these images and that was a stepping-stone for graphic design.

This page layout stood out to me from The Medium is the Massage. It’s a very simple image and layout. However, it points out the reader’s clear involvement in the book. I believe it was noting that although this book may be “fictional” or “just a book”, it also connects the reader to the book’s content like it’s reality. Being more aware of the reader’s involvement makes the reader more aware of the realistic elements and messages that the book is sending. I thought it was a really clever idea.

-BeccaKang