EMERGENCE - YOUNG GRAPHIC DESIGN IN FRANCE

What, in the last decade, has changed the approach of graphic design and moved the contemporary creation so much that research on the topic grew to such a scale ?
Remarkable changes have taken place,
concerning the practice of graphic design, as well as its position
within the communication systems and even its recognition by the other
visual disciplines and cultural institutions.
Emergence is thus a
panorama meant to be representative of the trends and processes, the
intervention methods and the specializations, the ways and lives of
designers, even their financial and geographical positions.
A Singular Space
Many
graphic designers, some of whom severely criticize advertising agency
methods, don't mean to stay in an ivory tower: it is rather time to
open up. Under these conditions, the field of graphic design is viewed
more and more as another approach to communication. Besides, some
agencies have seized the opportunity and are calling more and more for
independent designers.
"Designers experiment and communication or advertising agencies recycle Research and industry in a way." Sylvia Tournerie
Authored
design develops essentially in the sociocultural field, in fashion and
music publishing, where links between designers and other creators are
often built on authentic collaborations. Unlike their predecessors, the
designers don't want to confine themselves to these fields. First,
because through fashion and music publishing, they appreciate the vices
and virtues of the private sector. Also, their access to optimal
visibility - "today, nothing circulates more than music and its image:
the disc sleeve is a very powerful media." Laurent Fetis - naturally
carries them to other fields of intervention.
It is
fanciful to believe that authentic creation is only possible in the
sociocultural field - linked more or less to a political commitment.
Even if commitment means something to certain people, the question is
no longer to view it through the criteria of the seventies which had
dominated the position of the practice in France until now : graphic
design is not a political act in itself. The main issue is the quality
of the images.
Independence
Independence
is a choice, sometimes decided through a lack of other solutions. It is
a way to perpetuate tradition. It implies control of a project and
liberty of experimentation. Independence seems to guarantee the
building of its own language, at the expense of early emancipation -
right from school. It is a dynamic for creation, but not a refuge: it
carries great difficulties and permanent insecurity, but what prevails
is the sense of freedom.
"I chose independence because no
studio, no agency would work as I desired. If I had found one, maybe I
would have tried to get hired by a structure." Genevieve Gauckler
"The
teachers from the Esag (College of Arts and Design) painted an enticing
picture of the independent design universe. All the designers whose
work we appreciated were independent." Martin Verdet
"To choose independence is to be able to develop a research work. Philippe Lakits
"I
decided to become an independent designer quickly. I wanted to manage
everything myself, from the beginning to the end." Muriel Paris
"An
independent designer also has an independent mind. He's not expected to
offer standard solutions. The most interesting works are issued by
individuals, rarely by companies with two hundred employees." Laurent F
tis
Very few of the designers concerned consider creating
the kind of studios that existed in the eighties, that is to say
structures of ten or so people centered round a dominant personality.
The young designers get to know these studios through training periods
or jobs and seem not to want to hear about them anymore. It also seems
obvious to most of them that these design companies are economically
obsolete, for they need to accumulate orders, and they can t challenge
the communication agencies on this field.
Collective
studios don't seem to be an ideal solution either, even if some give it
a chance, like Labomatic or Trafik. A new kind of link is growing,
based on free association of independent designers and collective work
from time to time, comparable to the film industry. This feature tends
to develop, as independent designers turn more and more to the
multimedia and the audiovisual fields.
Authored design
defines itself as a solitary practice depending more and more on
networks and links with other jobs. In everyone's eyes, it is
increasingly necessary and interesting to work with professionals of
graphic production lines or the new jobs linked to the digital world.
New Medias
A
minority of designers have elected multimedia as their favourite field,
however practically all the others have also created websites or CD
Roms. Several designers have taken part in clips, and many of them have
already produced animations and credit titles. Although within the
multimedia sphere practices and functions diversify and specialize,
many generalists manage without major difficulties, even if they have
problems integrating into a team, where they generally don't understand
the technical issues. While the demand on both sides is large - graphic
designers wishing to enter the multimedia, orders implying a multimedia
aspect, multimedia design agencies constantly looking for creators,
etc., the intermixing is intensifying.
Because of the
difficulties related to the management of interface and interactivity,
the growing complexity of the interventions makes the graphic designers
collaborate more and more with other specialists - scriptwriters,
developers, animators, etc. - whose prerogatives are at least as
significant as their own. These necessary and enriching relationships
are not always easy to bind, all the more so that the influence of each
one is not as clearly defined as in the audiovisual field, even if it
tends to get better. This is actually the reason for the creation of
new collective studios such as Trafik, composed of "pure" graphic
designers associated with webdesigners and developers, representing a
nerve center in the creation process.
"Computers don't
decipher the Internet. Technicians will always restrict my choices, in
the same way as printers will do" Pif.
"It is hard to
define where to place the graphic intervention, even if it obviously
comes after the creation of information and/or narration systems."
Yacine A. Kaci
The issue of a "new language" specific to
new medias must first and foremost be considered according to the
ability of the graphic designers to accommodate the singular natures of
these supports. The graphic designer plans the presentation, the
arborescence and the animation, and if its ergonomics are part of the
prerogatives, the task division should not deprive him of the desire or
the opportunity to participate in the creation of interactivity and
navigation, for these two functions are the keys to the language of the
multimedia.
"Multimedia may quickly become meaningless
when void of interactivity. We try to build projects drawing their
originality from new "interactive principles" without it being a mix of
different medias." Trafik
When they made their first
interventions in the multimedia field, many graphic designers simply
transposed the markers of printed graphics - a way to steady themselves
before trying to move into the medium. Besides, lots of websites,
particularly the catalog-directory sites, simply complete and decline a
perfectly well structured printed system.There isn't much difference
between saying and thinking that the issues and the competences are no
different, simply adapted to other medias, and some do think so. Others
are persuaded that multimedia graphics is a true discipline and not
just the printed result, that it is a field where everything has still
to be invented.
"We try to develop a specific screen
language, still embryonic. It is a new field, even if it is still
influenced by the several grafts which gave birth to it." Labomatic
The
situation is still full of contradictions, and opinions about the
durability of the approaches and the quality of the productions still
differ. Several graphic designers think that as far as graphics and the
manageability are concerned, video games keep teaching a thing or two
to cultural CD Roms. As for the Internet, its creative possibilities
are not unanimously approved. The only thing we can apparently be sure
of, is that the expansion of the Internet will benefit even more the
professional graphic designers, who will be better recognized this way,
being in the heart of the creation systems.
"Entertainment,
research and experimentation possibilities are numerous on the
internet. There ar already many innovative sites in all fields." Trafik
"I'm not impressed by websites: they often shoot a line, and are rarely innovating or interesting." Jeanne Verdoux
Vices and Virtues of the New Technologies
Nobody
denies the fact that technologies have made the graphic designer's work
easier, especially concerning typography, that they have freed his
hand, allowing him to better master his work, and that the
diversification and improvement of the tools and possibilities are
really attractive. As a matter of fact, criticism bursts forth about
the development of tools and functions. Graphic designers know by
experience that new tools are not always reliable. Time saving is often
deceptive, but on the other hand, the speeding-up of everything can
become infernal. Enthusiasm is really counterbalanced by scepticism.
"I
am rather the one who tries to convince the most reluctant ones that
new technologies represent a fantastic adventure." Yacine A. Kaci
"New technologies tend to affect me as much as the Eurovision Song Contest results." Laurent Seroussi
"I
am interested in new technologies because they allow me to make
progress, but I find them depressing because their progress is too
quick." Jeffrey Blunden
As for the aesthetics particular
to new technologies, the fantastic possibilities offered to the letter
drawing and the layout don t mesmerize people anymore. On the other
hand, there is a general acknowledgement that technology can produce
ugly things when used too excessively.
Money
Most
of the young graphic designers introduced here have many calls upon
them and have lots of work. They all avoid money-spinners - which are
not signed and not shown - for to them money-spinners represent a
depreciation of their status. They are earning their livings pretty
well, but although hard to measure, differences are important. Indeed,
only a few of them use set fees; what is more, orders are very
different and budgets often include all or most of the fabrication -
not to mention the investments in equipment which vary from one graphic
designer to another.
The fact that certain graphic
designers sometimes or often work on important projects for the account
of renowned patrons, while others only accept orders in the
sociocultural field, which traditionally pays less, obviously explains
the differences in income.
Many of them tend to think that
pushing the budgeting scopes of an order is part of the job. But it
does happen that to keep a patron, some graphic designers run through
the money they get only in making of aids for a selective operation. It
is also true that sometimes novice graphic designers almost work for
free for a patron with whom they think they may advance. Finally,
interventions for associations such as Act Up are always free, the
satisfaction to create widely broadcast "emergency images" representing
the best reward.
Graphic design is one of the rare
creative jobs where public recognition and production efficiency can
not be measured in terms of money or economic effects. As such, it
means a lot - especially to the young graphic designers - to be paid
well: it is a way to pledge the patron's trust, to be recognized for
the value of the job, and gain better consideration than a service
provider would
The money issue gives complete expression
to many evolutions. Until now, the graphic designer was more or less
considered as a craftsman or a technician. Many young graphic designers
now aim at being considered in the same way as an architect or an
interior decorator, all the more so that wages in the multimedia field
tend to pull the whole profession. This "raising" of the status goes
together with the raising of the function and the acknowledgment.
Most
of the young graphic designers introduced here know how to defend their
interests, they are convinced that their intervention plays an
important part, and that it can allow their patron to earn money. But
this self-confidence is counterbalanced by the acknowledgment that bad
habits are continued within the profession: too many young graphic
designers don't know how to defend their interests and in particular
don t know a thing about copy rights, and don t even imagine they can
claim them. It is also necessary to ackowledge that patrons, playing
with the fact that there isn't much money in the cultural field, that
the graphic designers can express themselves on exciting topics and
meet authentic creators, are playing an easy game with graphic
designers who besides don't always think it natural to be well-paid.
"I'm
getting copy rights on certain works. It isn't very frequent, but it is
part of the law and it wouldn't be surprising if it was applied
regularly." Philippe Millot.
About this article
The above article by Michel Wlassikov originally appeared in Emergence published by Etapes Graphiques and appears here with permission.
Emergence is published by Etapes graphiques which is a french
professional publication intented for professionals in the field of
visual communication.
Emergence-Young graphic design in France is the first special issue of Etapes graphiques.