Read the full article here, written by Rick Poyner for the 2004 ATypeI Conference in Prague.
IN CENTRAL EUROPE, DESIGN IS AT CROSSROADS. IT IS 15 YEARS SINCE THE COLLAPSE OF COMMUNISM AND THE ARRIVAL OF DEMOCRACY AND THE FREE MARKET. A GREAT DEAL HAS HAPPENED IN THE DESIGN COMMUNITIES OF COUNTRIES SUCH AS THE CZECH REPUBLIC, CROATIA, SLOVENIA, POLAND AND HUNGARY. Design is at different stages of development, reflecting national economic conditions and the relationship of designers with their own local traditions of design, but certain factors are shared. It is these opportunities and dilemmas that I want to explore. There is a chance not to simply produce a local imitation of Western design, but to develop goals and ways of working, which would have their basis in the visual histories and cultural concerns of the region. Without clear thinking and careful planning, it is possible that things will go wrong and that design in this part of the world could find itself overtaken and corrupted by the worst aspects of design and advertising — the two are becoming inseparable — in the West.
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