Job No:01077 Title:The fundamentals og Graphic Design
1ST
Proof Page:86
HelveticaGaramond
072-107 01077.qxd 8/4/08 11:02 AM Page 86
Job No:01077 Title:The fundamentals og Graphic Design
1ST
Proof Page:86
86 The Fundamentals of Graphic Design The graphic design process
Wit is often considered as a graphic way of
expressing ideas. Wit and ideas can and do overlap
when the subjective conditions are right as an idea
may not be witty in and of itself, but only when the
context in which it is presented makes it so. The idea
of making a tall promotional brochure is not witty, but
when the client is a clothing company for tall people
it could be witty to use such a format.
Wit is usually expressed through the aid of
other graphic devices, such as those listed on the
opposite page.
Wit in graphic design
Wit is a sub-category of humour, something that is
intended to spark a merry reaction, lighten our state
of mind and ease our emotions. Humour is often
presented in graphic design as the visual portrayal or
equivalent of language, a phrase or expression. As in
real life, there are people who handle wit in design
with ease and panache, and those who misfire or use
it inappropriately. Jack Somerford’s Southwestern
Typographics t-shirt design uses wit by setting the
word Helvetica in the Garamond font. It is a visual
joke that not everyone will understand as it is aimed
at designers who will appreciate the irony it presents.
Wit and humour are relative – in order to understand
the joke, you have to understand the elements and
circumstances that form it.
Wit and humour
Graphic design has enormous scope to present
and exploit wit graphically as it seeks to communicate
ideas to viewers. Humour is often very memorable and
aids retention of the message. However, it is not
something that always goes hand in hand with graphic
design. As a discipline, design can take itself too
seriously and can come across as self-referential,
formal and overbearing.
072-107 01077.qxd 8/4/08 11:02 AM Page 86
Job No:01077 Title:The fundamentals og Graphic Design
1ST
Proof Page:87
072-107 01077.qxd 8/4/08 11:02 AM Page 87
Job No:01077 Title:The fundamentals og Graphic Design
1ST
Proof Page:87
Two-in-one
This occurs when two messages are given in a single
communication, such as by combining two items that
would not normally belong together. This double
meaning, or double entendre, is often used to add
humour to a design.
Homage
Homage may be used wittily by copying the essence
of something well-established and recognised in
popular culture and then giving it a humorous twist.
This could be a classic work of art, a corporate logo
or a well-publicised incident involving famous people.
Rebus
This is a visual puzzle in which the participant has to
decode a message that is presented as a series of
pictures representing different words, numbers
and/or syllables.
Creative thinking < Wit and humour > Layers of meaning 87
Restaurant Design
The cover for Bethan Ryder’s book,
Restaurant Design, was designed by
Blast. It incorporates a witty trompe l’oeil
that uses an image of a plate on the front
and back. The publisher’s logo appears
at the foot of the spine but also where
we would expect to see the brand mark
of the plate manufacturer – amusing
yet understated.
Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition puts together related or dissimilar
objects in such a way that a relationship is
established between them. This may be due to the
fact that they have certain qualities in common, or are
very different and have clashing qualities.
Transformation
A designer can show transformation by presenting a
perception of altered time, placement, scale or other
action. For example, juxtaposing images such as a
caterpillar and a butterfly can present commonly
understood metaphors and transformations in a
humorous way.
Pun
This is a phrase that intentionally exploits the
similarity between words that sound similar, or
different meanings of the same word, as a type of
word play.
Trompe l’oeil
Literally meaning ‘trick of the eye’, this is an image
technique that fools the eye into seeing something
that is not really there.
072-107 01077.qxd 8/4/08 11:02 AM Page 87
Job No:01077 Title:The fundamentals og Graphic Design
2ND
Proof Page:88
Guinness poster (left)
This Guinness poster by Abram Games
combines the initial G of the brand name
with the product use, in this case, having
a drink. In this example, the G is a gift as
its characteristics are also used to form
a face and a pint of beer.
Wigan Little Theatre (below)
This identity was created by Mark Studio,
Manchester for Wigan Little Theatre and
uses a small format to create a
distinctive and charming brand identity
for the amateur theatre company that
self-mockingly refers to its diminutive
size and name.
88 The Fundamentals of Graphic Design The graphic design process
072-107 01077_C1.qxd 8/20/08 3:02 PM Page 88
Job No:01077 Title:The fundamentals og Graphic Design
2ND
Proof Page:89
Creative thinking < Wit and humour > Layers of meaning 89
Manchester Comedy Festival (above)
Pictured are posters created by Studio Mark for the Manchester
Comedy Festival that feature portrait photographs of people
looking unhappy, the opposite of what you would expect for
such an event. Here, the creative thinking veils the seemingly
incongruous images with humour, in that the people are funny
because they look so miserable.
Same but different (below)
Webb & Webb’s brochure for Coventry University features still
images taken from video and then printed on transparent stock.
The stills have die-cut edges that create both a facsimile of film
and match the material cut away for the wiro binding.
072-107 01077_C1.qxd 8/20/08 10:29 AM Page 89
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.