BA Graphic Arts programme leader, Derek Yates’ book ‘Communication Design: Insights from the Creative industries’ has recently been translated into Spanish by Barcelona based publishers, Promopress and on the 18th April he was invited to give a talk at Elisava, the Barcelona School of Design and Engineering. Derek also ran a two day workshop with students from MUDIC (Master Universitario en Diseno y Comunicacion) which examined the power of ‘vernacular ecentricities’.
Here is the introduction to the brief – it encapsulates many of the values we aim to promote on the BA Graphic Arts course:
“We believe that design should be about honesty – not about creating a veneer… Things matter more when they are constructed correctly and with meaning.”
Mason Wells, Bibliothéque.
The Globalisation of our field has, at times, led to the stripping away of geographic eccentricities in favour of generic languages that conform to an internationally approved design standard. This process prioritises cool logos and slick typefaces over vernacular ideosyncracy. Today we ask you to subvert this logic. To understand what is particular to your local area and celebrate this through design. Enhance what exists already, rather than replace it with perfectly kerned Helvetica. Connect with a business in your local area and use what you learn to identify opportunities to enhance this business through design. Design from the inside out rather than from the outside in!’
