Design Practitioner - Week 8

This Monday is public holiday so have no live lecturer this week. However, we are asked to do an assignment as a replacement class. Our lecturer gives us two links which are about design practitioner/artist. We need to choose a design practitioner, study their work and identify their philosophies. The artist who I am interested with is Paula Scher. Her typography design design sparked my interest.

Background

Paula Scher was born on October 6, 1948, in Washington, D.C. She a graphic designer, illustrator, painter and art educator. She graduated from the Tyler School of Art. She moved to New York City after she complete her education. (Artnet, n.d) She became a partner of Pentagram since 1991. (Pentagram, n.d)

Design philosophy/beliefs/values/manifesto

One of the design philosophies of Paula Scher is practice makes prefect. She believes that we actually can grow through mistakes. We have to get bad in order to get good. She also mentioned that, "it took me a few seconds to draw it, but it took me 34 years to learn how to draw it in a few seconds.” Her approach of design and typography continues influencing designs today. She believes that all that matters is how the user perceives the design. Whether the design takes seconds or months to come to fruition, all that is important is that the design is a success. (Matt, 2014)

Her works

a. Citibank Logo

This logo was designed in 2002 to replaced the previous logo which had been used since 1978. (Gareth, 2017).Scher took her team to meet the Citibank officials before they started the progress. They talked with the Citibank officials in order to know about what they wanted from the new logo. As I mention before, Scher think that it is important how the user perceives the design. Then, she started to draw some sketches while they spoke. After five minutes, she showed them the sketches and it become the new logo for Citibank. (Dawson, 2017)

b. Window 8 logo

Scher work with Microsoft in 2012, and she designed a new logo for Window 8 operating system. Before she started to design, she asked the Microsoft officials, "Your name is Windows. Why are you a flag?” . As we all know, the previous logo for the operating system had featured out the window and evolved into waving flag. Therefore, Scher decided to brought the logo back to basics. She used modern geometric shape to represent the window, and the new logo was done. (Tom & Jim, 2019)

c. Maps

Paula Scher started painting colourful typographic maps of the world in the 1990s. The paintings are collected for the first time in Paula Scher: Maps. There are 39 paintings, drawings, prints and environmental installations are presented in MAPS. Many of Scher’s original paintings are huge. and the book reproduces the works in full and in life-size details. The book’s jacket folds out into a 3’ by 2’ poster of a portion of World Trade, a painting from 2010. The book start with an essay by Scher which about the influence of her father. Her father is a photogrammetic engineer and he taught her that maps were never totally accurate. The tittle of the essays is "All Maps Lie.” (Pentagram, n.d)

My reflection

After doing research about Paula Scher and her works, I think there are some similarities between me and her. I agree with her philosophy which is "practice make perfect". I believe that practice can help someone to become profession. I am not a person who is good in drawing and creative, but I will become better if I have put effort into it.

Besides, I agree with all that matters is how the user perceives the design. I think it is important to know what our customer want when we are doing design. Scher will talk with her customer before she start the progress. This is what I need to learn from her. I should do more interviews and surveys before I start doing my project.

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Reference list

Ann, B. (2016, February 24). A la carte: Paula Scher’s American maps chart more than just territory. Wallpaper. Retrieved from https://www.wallpaper.com/art/paula-schers-american-maps-chart-more-than-just-territory

Artnet. (n.d). Paula Scher. Retrieved from http://www.artnet.com/artists/paula-scher/biography

Dawson. (Oct 11, 2017). 5 Famous Logos that Started as Napkin Sketches. Looka. Retrieved from https://looka.com/blog/5-famous-logos-that-were-sketched-on-napkins/

Gareth David Studio. (Mar 15, 2017). Citibank Logo - Paula Scher | Logo design & Designer review. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fXppx-JyPE

Matt, C. (April 15, 2014). How Paula Scher Helped Shape Graphic Design. Creative Titans. Retrieved from http://www.worksdesigngroup.com/paula-scher-graphic-design-and-typography/

Pentagram. (n.d).‘Paula Scher: MAPS’. Retrieved from https://www.pentagram.com/news/paula-scher-maps

Tom,M & Jim, M. (2019, October 15). 7 logos by famous designers and why they work. Creative blog. Retrieved from https://www.creativebloq.com/features/5-logos-by-famous-designers-and-why-they-work