Paul Hardman

I’m 9 days into my MA Visual Arts (Graphic Design) course at Camberwell college of arts and this blog is going to a place for me to collect and share some of the thoughts, work, and distractions that contribute to my projects. THis is the the 500 word draft version of my proposal (as of Monday the 14th Sept, 2009).

Paul Hardman
MA Visual Arts (Graphic Design)
Project Proposal

Research Question

One uses the following faculties when drawing: instinct; imagination; visualisation; and sense of line, three dimensional shape, and space. In what ways can I apply these to making typography? A process is interesting when the final result is not known beforehand, how can unpredictability be used in creating graphic art?

I propose to search for ways to make typography and images that are unpredictable, visceral, intuitive and direct. I will explore ways of working that allow me to physically engage with the process of making and which do not allow me to know how the outcome of the work will look.

Context

The idea for this proposal came from a comparison of the process of doing a drawing with designing a page of text. I’d like to develop some different methodologies for approaching my professional work, so that I can free myself from just using logic and ‘taste’ to design. In other words, to find ways to bring real life back into the work.

Precedents include artists and designers have experimented with type as a physical object manipulated in direct ways. Rosalie Gascoigne has used found vernacular type on road signs which she used as a raw material. Marion Deuchars is an important reference because of her hand drawn, mark driven typography. Jenny Griggs has experimented with using old woodblock type to make book cover designs in such a way that the characters become illustrative. Stefan Sagmeister has made words out of objects as varied as sausages, flowers, cacti, his own body. Vaughan Oliver has used found letter forms to construct three dimensional collages.

My project is going to focus on lettering and typography, and there are various fine artists who I find relevant due to their work in this area; Bruce Nauman because he has used words and language as a starting point for his pieces and has explored word play and double meanings in his work (Flour Arrangements, Raw War, Eating My Words, 100 Live and Die etc). Sol Le Witt for his wall drawings, which can sometimes be generated with quite short instructions. The idea of carrying out a long hand made process has the potential to be a useful method in this project. John Cage and John Baldessari, and other artists who have explored used chance in their work.

Methodology

I intent to explore making letter forms by hand, through experimenting with analog printing techniques. I would also like to try making three dimensional letter forms and use found letter forms and text.

In terms of subject matter I intend to explore language and may use collections of similar words, or words that mean more than one thing, as starting points for pieces. I will also actively look for found letter forms that I can use in the project and what these may spell or say could lead the work in a particular direction. I think that using words and language as the content for the work will allow humour and meaning into the project and is a way of preventing images from becoming completely abstract.*

*This proposal may change.

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