For week 8 we were put into groups and tasked with making a ten minute presentation to later present to Pauline and Kyle.

The title we decided on was “Pioneers of Postmodern Design” and we all worked together in the design of our powerpoint. We all came up with some designers who we deemed to be a few of the “pioneers” of postmodern design and researched one each. We then took turns presenting what we came up with to Pauline and Kyle. We worked out that we would have just over two minutes each to speak about our individual pioneers.

I presented our introduction, and the first pioneer (who was Jamie Reid).

I chose to research and speak about Jamie Reid as his work has always appealed to me. I am a huge punk rock fan, and love the issues that Reid tackles within his designs. I also appreciate the slight chaos and disorder that he displays within his work – mimicking his feelings about the government and society.

 

Here is the link to our presentation on Google Slides:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1prF_a0H1rcVlTW8hzpnwabQcsWfjuCftN6KqZSzDUik/edit?usp=sharing

and here is our quick plan outline on Google Docs:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-xTET_e4Noqb2YLBI8qeAX6jiMhyqa-gkCv0qwyaqyM/edit?usp=sharing

 

My personal notes/script are below as well:

Postmodern design began in the late 1960s, but became more prevalent in the 1970s as more artists and designers started to break the international style that was developed since the Bauhaus.
Postmodern graphic design can be distinguished by its use of collage, bright colours, broken up text and unique compositions. It could be described as a form of “neo-dadaism” as it would share many features with this movement.
Postmodern graphic design is used to question society and make bold political statements. Due to this fact, it is commonly seen within the “punk” music scene in the UK.
The first designer and pioneer of postmodern graphic design that we will speak about is Jamie Reid, who is most well known for his work with Sex Pistols.

Jamie Reid was born in the UK in 1947 and is an artist, designer and “anarchist”. He was brought up in a very politically active family, and was raised with socialist views. In 1970 he founded the “Suburban Press” which later became a political magazine that exposed local corruption. It was around this time that he also designed the first Sex Pistols cover for “Anarchy in the UK”.

Reid’s designs feature collages and letter cutouts that he arranged in a style reminiscent of a ransom note. Punk had changed Graphic Design forever, and the Sex Pistols’ music genre was perfectly represented by Jamie Reid’s distinctive style. His work would become the most well-known image of “punk” in the UK, due to these designs for the Sex Pistols albums and singles.
Reid is the perfect example of how postmodern graphic designers used their work to question society and make a political statement, as seen in his “God Save the Queen” piece which I have included in this presentation. His work often made a statement, and he used it to display his feelings on the government and “the system”, showing his anarchist values. The broken up collaged text, and strange imagery create a chaotic feeling that leaves everyone thinking about the points that he is making.