When considering the importance of typographic conventions and traditions it is necessary to look at a wide range of examples of designers who follow these rules and those who break them. I believe that both types of designers are important, when it comes to publication design we need rule breakers to continue the development and evolution of design but we also need those who respect and signify the need for certain conventions and techniques.
An example of a rule
breaker is American designer David Carson. Through his publication Ray Gun,
Carson explored experimental magazine typographic design. The magazine pushed
the limits of visual design, typography and layout essentially breaking all
traditional conventions and re-assembling them. This publication had a chaotic
and abstract style that at times was impossible to read, but had a distinct
look and a lasting impression. Ray Gun’s look was very influential on the
design industry at the time and still is today.
There are many
different opinions on the eccentricity of Ray Gun’s design. Andrew Losowsky
wrote an article for Eye Magazine in which he described Carson’s design as ‘more
out of control than the artists it featured, ignoring their style or look, and
instead adapting them to its own’, he says that ‘Ray Gun’s over-excitement got
a little tiring in the end, but it remains an important artefact from an era’.
An example of a
publication that relies on typographic conventions and traditions is the Sydney
Morning Herald website. This online publication demonstrates the need for
grids, layouts, margins and scale. When looking at so much information the
viewer needs to be directed to certain points depending on their importance.
For example major news stories are at the top of the page in a larger font
size. Photographs are used to divide the information while providing interest
for the viewer. The layout of this website highlights the need for certain
publications to stick to conventional rules of typography and design. If this
publication had a design as radical as that of Ray Gun it would be too hard for
the audience to gain access to the information.
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