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∂Wow!—But How? An Anthology of the Intersection of Magic and Graphic Design Lola Marella Ritter Schläft ein Lied in allen Dingen, Die da träumen fort und fort, Und die Welt hebt an zu singen, T r i f s t d u n u r d a s Z a u b e r w o r t . ∂ J o s e p h v o n E i c h e n d o r f , W ü n s c h e l r u t e ( 1 8 3 5 ) IV ∂CONTENTS Introduction ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂VIII 1µINSIDE OUTSIDE ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂XII Sigils, Aesthetic, Magic ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂ XIV Substantiating Magic ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂XVIII Designing Bon Iver’s 22, a Million : An Interview with Eric Timothy Carlson Emmet Byrne ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂XXIX 2µVALUE AND MEANING ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂L Legible Matter Morgane Vantorre ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂LIV Magic and Happiness Giorgio Agamben ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂LIX The True Name ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂ LXV 3µTECHNIQUES AND TOOLS ∂∂∂∂∂LXXXVI Why Game Designers Should Study Magic Sebastian Deterding, Gustav Kuhn, Shringi Kumari ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂XCI The Apparatus Vilem Flusser ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂CXI Six Sacred Principles of Design ∂∂∂∂∂∂CXXVI V Magic Moments Pellegrino Ritter ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂CXXXII 4µPERFORMER AND PERFORMANCE ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂CXXXVIII Magic is Afoot: Interview with Alan Moore Jay Babcock ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂ ∂ CXLIII The Alchemy of Creativity: A Rollercoaster Ride Through the Alchemist Operations with Greetings from C.G. Jung Madeline Ritter ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂CLXXXI Image Credits ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂CXCII Imprint ∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂∂ CXCIV VI µINTRODUCTION Children have a very natural connection to magic, they seem to live in a world that purely consists of magic. Magic is real and reality is magical, there is no separation between these two concepts. One of my earliest remembered encounters with magic is my father’s ability to make smurfs appear from nowhere. He would show his empty hand to my sister and me (and occasionally some of our friends, who we had to convince of his powers), a hocus-pocus, abracadabra and some flowing, buoyant hand movements later, a little plastic smurf, no bigger than his thumb, appeared in the palm of his hand. There was not even the slightest idea of searching for another explanation, seeing this with our own eyes it was quite obvious—he was a magician, specialised in conjuring smurfs. Consequently, my sister and I would tell the other children: “...yeah, so? Our dad is a magician, he makes smurfs appear out of NOTHING!” Growing up, we somehow lose this blind trust. Just seeing something does not necessarily make us believe in it too. We do not trust our own eyes, if that, what is seen, contrasts our concept of what is possible. We need to find an explana- tion that coincides with what we have learned. However, at the same time we’re able to see the invisible, only by believing in it. There is a thin line between scepticism and the desire to believe. It seems like we are mesmerised by seeing some- thing new, something that surprises us, something that we can not make sense of right away. Yet our next reaction is the urge to immediately question it and find a way that explains the impossible. To put this notion in a very short sentence: WOW!—BUT HOW? Witnessing a magician pulling a big flufy rabbit out of a— just seconds before as empty adjudged—black top hat. Having someone pick exactly that black seven of spades from a card deck, that you mentally chose without telling anyone. The wow-but-how kind of reaction is not solely evoked by classic magic tricks, which we know from circuses, movies, VII or simply our much amused (smurf-magician) father. As a graphic designer, this comparison of my practice and magic is something I came across, too. Furthermore, it seems like people are always looking for something magical in the objects that surround them and design may be a way to bring out that magic. “There is something magical about design that can make it genuinely moving. Or rather, something magical about things, since the term “design” has long demystified objects. Design is synonymous with trendy, expensive and out of the ordinary. Beauty, stillness and contemplation feel anomalous to design and yet it is precisely these qualities that immortalise a thing: turn it into a changeless object that is conferred with a mystical allure—without it needing to be ennobled on canvas” This statement by the art historian Hilde Bouchez emphasises the idea that design carries something magical inside. There is more to the concept of design than merely presenting a beauti- ful surface or serving a solution-oriented function. Design con- veys meaning, which may resonate deeply within its viewers. The described magic, which design carries according to Bouchez, is of course quite subjective. The “mystical allure” or magic to be found in design may be perceived in very diferent manners—always depending on the observer. Doing my research into magical and graphic design con- cepts, I tried exploring their common grounds. Ultimately, I boiled my research down to four hypotheses, that touch upon different aspects of magic and graphic design that seem to intersect. This anthology is organised by these hypotheses: each chapter represents one of them and contains a curation of works by different authors and creators that in one way or another support the hypothesis. Another catalyst for this project was my interest in the aesthetics of magic, and its ubiquity in contemporary graphic designs. Magic seems to be trending, not only are magical rituals very present in popular culture—think about astrology, VIII tarot cards and witchcraft—the visuals of the practice have an increasing omnipresence too. Within the layout of the book, I considered and imple- mented magic visuals, some quite obvious, some more hidden, referencing elements of tarot cards, sigil magic and other ways of magical communication. I hope that this book—as a physical, designed object but also with the information it carries—is able to create some kind of magic and resonance within its viewer. ∂ 1 Bouchez, H. (2017). A Wild Thing, Art Paper Editions, p. 4. IX X Magic 1is about taking concepts from the abstract and moving them into reality. Both graphic design and magic can be used to move things from the outside to the inside and vicevice versa.versa. ∂Ω XI Graphic design and magic are means by which abstract concepts can be made comprehensible and tangible. The artist Greg Fong once said: “Magic means that you can give yourself an opportunity to stop analysing things”.1 It is a natural human desire to always want to make sense out of things and it can be unsettling when failing in the attempt. Instead of trying to find an explanation for a process that is difcult to understand, it is convenient and easy to justify this lack of understanding by the existence of magic. Magic is also not always tangibly changing the world around us, sometimes it is about changing “our concepts in relation to the world.”2 It can alter how we feel inside and it can alter how we perceive the outside. Just as magic, graphic design, too, can be used to unravel an abstract concept through the process of making complex information ingestible for a specific audience. Simultaneously, it can manifest an inward feeling and make it visible for the outside. The following chapter explores the grounds of what is real and can be seen and what is invisible and can be felt. Things can be true and feel fake. They can be fake but feel real. Graphic design can be used to create a feeling inside, or it can be used to express a feeling to the outside. 1 Fong, G. (2015). K-Hole #5 A report on doubt, p. 31. 2 Flusser, V. (1983). Towards a Philosophy of Photo- graphy, p. 17. 1 XII ∂ INSIDE OUTSIDE Graphic design and magic can be used to move things from the outside to the inside to the outside from things move design and magic can be used to Graphic INSIDE OUTSIDE “Symbols act as portal to greater knowledge and understanding of the world.”1 These words by Hilde Bouchez describe something that is deeply connected to magic: the use of symbols. Practitioners of magic SIGILS, use symbols as a language, to cast spells, to protect themselves, or to express intentions. There are AESTHETIC, alchemical symbols, which desig- nate elements. There are religious MAGIC symbols and symbols that are used by other groups of ideologi- cal and philosophical beliefs. Some symbols can be universally understood, like the Hexagram, which, in a magical context, is used to call spiritual creatures. An introduction into the Other symbols are specially created practice of sigil magic for individual needs and desires, as seen with regards to sigils. I NSD EOU The creator of the sigil formulates Sigils were used in medieval times T N S D T to summon demons or angels, an intention, a positive statement, who each had their personal seal, that shall influence their way of life. a sigil. Nowadays, sigils are less In a creative process the written about summoning external beings, statement will be condensed but rather summoning something so that only a glyph-like visual that is already inside of oneself. remains. Sigil magic is symbolism mixed Visually, sigils have a resem- with psychology. It is the idea blance with monographs, that symbols can be charged with signatures, technical drawings meaning, an intention, or a desire. or diagrams. The chaos magician Through various techniques, Grant Morrison claims that sigils are used to bypass the modern corporate logos act in consciousness and enter the sub- many ways similar to sigils: consciousness. While there seems to be no right or wrong technique, “Corporate sigils are super- many practitioners agree to the fact breeders.

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