Title Design as criticism: methods for a critical graphic design p r a c tic e Type The sis URL https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/12027/ Dat e 2 0 1 7 Citation Laranjo, Francisco Miguel (2017) Design as criticism: methods for a critical graphic design practice. PhD thesis, University of the Arts London. Cr e a to rs Laranjo, Francisco Miguel Usage Guidelines Please refer to usage guidelines at http://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/policies.html or alternatively contact [email protected] . License: Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives Unless otherwise stated, copyright owned by the author Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) University of the Arts London – London College of Communication February 2017 First submission: October 2015 2 Abstract This practice-led research is the result of an interest in graphic design as a specific critical activity. Existing in the context of the 2008 financial and subsequent political crisis, both this thesis and my work are situated in an expanded field of graphic design. This research examines the emergence of the terms critical design and critical practice, and aims to develop methods that use criticism during the design process from a practitioner’s perspective. Central aims of this research are to address a gap in design discourse in relation to this terminology and impact designers operating under the banner of such terms, as well as challenging practitioners to develop a more critical design practice. The central argument of this thesis is that in order to develop a critical practice, a designer must approach design as criticism. Adopting a mixed methods approach to research, this thesis draws on action research (Schön, 1983) and is aligned with the proposition of ‘problem setting’ instead of the established ‘problem solving’ approach to design, using the following methods: 1) workshops at the Royal College of Art, Sandberg Institute, University of Westminster and London College of Communication; 2) selection of projects from professional practice; 3) self-initiated research projects; 4) critical writing, including essays, reviews, interviews and in particular the publication Modes of Criticism. Following the theorisation of the terms critical design and critical practice, historical survey of criticism, politics and ideology in relation to graphic design, and reflection on the workshops and methods detailed above, this thesis proposes a critical method consisting of three dimensions: visual criticality, critical reflexivity and design fiction. It argues that criticism as design method offers a fundamental opportunity to develop a reflected and critical approach to design, and more importantly, society. This method creates opportunities to develop a critical practice; one that shapes a continuous agency and interest in wicked, systemic and infrastructural problems with a constant ability to critically adapt and research their multi-layered nature. That will on the one hand help the designer to become a substantial agent of change and on the other, in particularly difficult circumstances of conflicted personal, private, disciplinary and public interest such as commercial practice, to find opportunities for criticality. 3 Design as criticism. Francisco Laranjo, lcc, 2017 4 Acknowledgements This research was only possible due to the generosity, encouragement and support from different people. First, I am thankful to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal), which generously funded the proposal submitted in 2010. Second, this research benefited greatly from the many conversations, discussions, advice, suggestions and interviews conducted during five years, as well as from people who kindly facilitated workshops, talks, and projects to become possible. These include Jan van Toorn, Els Kuijpers, Rick Poynor, Anthony Dunne, John L. Walters, Maddalena dalla Mura, Michèle Champagne, David Cabianca, Jona Piehl, Matthew Malpass, Noel Waite, Annelys de Vet, Katie Hayes, Margarida Correia, Kevin Dowd and Tzortzis Rallis. I would like to thank all the workshop participants for their openness, enthusiasm and honest feedback, suggestions and criticism. The contributors of the publication Modes of Criticism were important to the development and conclusion of this research, for which I am also very grateful: Ian Lynam, Randy Nakamura, Bianca Elzenbaumer, Fabio Franz, Luiza Prado, Pedro Oliveira, Cameron Tonkinwise, Kenneth Fitzgerald, James Langdon, Ahmed Ansari, Matthew Kiem, Anne Bush, Peter Buwert and Silvio Lorusso. For the continuous support, encouragement, critical debate and for providing a tremendously enriching learning experience, I am extremely grateful for the supervision of Professor Teal Triggs and Dr Ian Horton. Finally, this journey would be impossible without the help of my parents Francisco and Maria João Laranjo and especially the insistence and loving patience of my best friend and life partner Karen Lacroix and the contagious, motivating joy of our daughter Olivia. To them, my infinite gratitude for their unconditional support. 5 Design as criticism. Francisco Laranjo, lcc, 2017 6 Contents Abstract 3 Acknowledgements 5 Chapter 1 – Introduction 13 Methods 14 Context 17 Structure 23 Chapter 2 – Defining critical design and critical practice 25 Rise of critical design to popularity 27 Forms of Inquiry 32 Foi: Typographics 35 Foi: Modes of Production 39 Foi: Methodologies 44 Designer as author and producer 49 Utopia and pioneers of criticality 53 Critical design and critical practice 56 Critical practice in design education 62 Rejection of (critical) labels 65 The post-critical 68 Conclusions 72 Chapter 3 – Idealism, ideology and design as criticism 79 Ideology and idealism in graphic design practice 81 Idealism, a philosophical definition 91 Epistemological idealism 92 Politico-philosophical 94 Politicoaesthetic 95 State of design criticism 97 Criticism and criticality 99 7 Design as criticism. Francisco Laranjo, lcc, 2017 Critical theory: a theory of criticism 102 Design as criticism 107 Strategies for criticality 111 Conclusions 116 Chapter 4 — Research methods 119 Workshops 123 Workshop 1 – Ideology and politics 123 Workshop 2 – Political compass 128 Workshop 3 – Exercises in democracy 136 Workshop 4 – Politicisation of the argument 154 Workshop 5 – Political compass (2) 157 Workshop 6 – Defamiliarisation and design fiction 158 Practice for professional contexts 160 New World Parkville 160 Occupied Times 24 – The Politics of Madness 166 Designing for Exhibitions 174 Self-initiated research 181 The Architecture of Gambling 181 Golden Times 186 Critical writing 190 Modes of Criticism 190 Future issues 199 Conclusions 201 Chapter 5 — Conclusions: critical method 205 Visual criticality 206 Critical reflexivity 208 Design fiction 209 Working model 212 Summary of findings, further research and conclusions 214 Bibliography 227 8 Appendices A – Trendy Anarchy, Or Why Just Being ‘Anti’ Is Not Enough (London Design 237 Festival, 2010) B – The Whitney Identity: Responding to W(hat)? (Design Observer, 2013) 239 C – Almanaque: a Feast of Portuguese Magazines (Pli Magazine, 2014) 241 D – Critical Graphic Design: Critical of What? (Design Observer, 2014) 243 E – Five Strategies Tabled in Eindhoven (Eye Magazine, 2014) 246 F – Nostalgia for the Carnation Revolution (Eye Magazine, 2014) 248 G – Modes of Criticism 1 – Critical, Uncritical, Post-critical (MoC, 2015) 250 G1 The Architecture of Gambling 250 G2 Avoiding the Post-critical 254 G3 Weddings, Ian Lynam 258 G4 Curation, Cataloging and Negative Capability, Randy Nakamura 262 G5 Precarity Pilot – Making Space for Socially- and Politically-engaged 266 Design, Brave New Alps G6 Futuristic Gizmos, Conservative Ideals: On Speculative Anachronistic 270 Design, Luiza Prado & Pedro Oliveira G7 Design Fictions About Critical Design, Cameron Tonkinwise 274 G8 A School for Design Fiction: Interview with James Langdon 278 G9 Fuck All, Kenneth FitzGerald 282 H – Critical Everything (Grafik Magazine, 2015) 286 I – Modes of Criticism 2 – Critique of Method (Modes of Criticism, 2016) 290 I1 Double Vision: Graphic Design Criticism and the Question of Authority, 291 Anne Bush I2 Defamiliarisation, Brecht and Criticality in Graphic Design, Peter Buwert 299 I3 Operationalising the Means: Communication Design as Critical 306 Practice, Jan van Toorn I4 Learning Design Histories for Design Futures: Speculative Histories 310 and Reflective Practice, Noel Waite I5 Politics & Method, Ahmed Ansari 315 I6 The Imperial Code, Or, What If I Told You It’s the Colonial Matrix 327 of Power?, Matthew Kiem J – Ghosts of Designbots Yet to Come (Eye Magazine, 2016) 331 9 Design as criticism. Francisco Laranjo, lcc, 2017 List of Figures Diagram 1. Thesis structure. Figure 12. Ground Zero Zero. James Goggin, 2007. Diagram 2. Structure and planned structure of the [online image]. Available at <http://formsofinquiry. workshops. com/> [Accessed 12 August 2015] Diagram 3. The critical method works in a Figure 13. Students from the BA Graphic Commu- spiral until developing a continuous overlap of nication Design sorting the covers chronologically. its three dimensions. Figure 14. Detail of two daily newspapers displayed side by side. Figure 1. The direction of graphic design (and society) Figure 15. One week of the London Evening Standard at the beginning of the 21st century. Screenprint, covers overlaid with text only versus image only. 70 x 100 cm, 2008. Figure 16.