Conclusion

At the outset it was apparent that there was barely any critical commentary on this niche subject matter. There didn’t even appear to be an identifiable name for the genre. The closest approximation is the wholly unsuitable epithet of ‘grunge’. This moniker has too many overtones of the stripped-back, self-pitying, Seattle based, alternative rock genre of the 1980’s and the subsequent disheveled fashion statement. Grunge describes a grimy, polluted aesthetic, which is only true of a narrow spectrum of work that falls under this unfortunate title.

By analysing Carson’s ground-breaking brand of typographic deconstructionism, as evidenced in The End of Print, it was possible to make links to contemporaries who’s graphic output also proposes a subverted or imperfect aesthetic. These practitioners include Neville Brody, Jonathan Barnbrook, and Ian Anderson. Although, aware of these designers, this mode of association was a gratifying discovery.

The promotional proclamations and resultant critical debate surrounding the Anti Design Festival featured many of the tenets of this investigation. The wringing of hands that greeted its inception was certainly more enlightening than the event itself. Visiting the festival was mildly disappointing experience. The chaotic jumble of concepts, redundant office ephemera do-it-yourself displays and faux Situationist diatribe was far too obvious. This type of anti-curating devalues the viewing experience to the point that the only message that can be extracted is ‘anything goes’ – but we already knew that?

The search for more current themes of digital imperfection took this research into unfamiliar territories. This investigation extended from new digital sparseness of an 8 bit pixel aesthetic to Glitch Art. Investigations into digital manipulation and ‘Databending’, have been as initially foreign as they have been technically satisfying.

The process is largely devoid of artistic merit. However, what does have potential creative significance is the application of theoretical reasoning, which can imbue this digital frippery with deeper contextual meaning. Without this intellectual justification, data corruption is merely an exercise in self-parody, an empty vessel, with no greater import than a pair of ripped jeans.

The most intellectually edifying aspect of this investigation has been digesting the Derridean concept of Deconstructionism. This linguistic hypothesis dismantles pre-conceived notions that inspire the visual representation of concepts. This radical approach to creative thinking may provide the philosophical reasoning that can inspire an innovative and challenging final honors project.

“ Deconstruction requires taking the integrated whole apart, or destroying the underlying order that holds a graphic design together”. – Meggs [1]

Is this ‘deliberately damaged’ design aesthetic, an interesting and relevant response to ‘slick graphics’ & the slow strangulation of design by ‘branding’?
Or is it simply the graphic design equivalent of manufacturing distressed jeans?

The subtext of this deliberately provocative proposition hints at notions as disparate as corruption, aesthetics, consumerism, and ethics. This exploration into intentional imperfections in design has led me to reflect on each of them.

Reflections on Imperfection
By its nature human existence is flawed, we inhabit an imperfect world where disappointment and ‘wrong turns’ litter our personal histories. ‘Mistakes maketh the man’. Failure is the necessary by-product of experimentation. Experimental design allows creativity the latitude to evolve. Without experimentation, expected outcomes are limited by existing knowledge. It could be argued that a fractured and malfunctioning aesthetic should be the default language of creativity and that ‘slick’ error free design should be considered an anathema.

By applying Deconstructionist theories to rationalise deliberate flaws in design, you must reassess the linguistic associations of ‘Function & Form’ or ‘Perfect & Imperfect’ in order to dismantle accepted values of clarity and communication. Databending inadvertently employs this very process. Binary coding exists passively behind the scenes of all digital material. The process of creating a ‘glitch’ manifests itself in the disruption of this fragile language. The resultant glitch is a unique entity, distinct from its undamaged format. The binary code has been brought to the surface. In Deconstructionist terms, the internal construct is also external appearance.

st.Allio! - “Glitch Art is a dance on the edge of a failing system”. [2]

Using inappropriate applications to reconfigure digital material has a satisfyingly subversive appeal. It is also removes the ‘self’ from the creative process. This randomness and unpredictability liberates the creator from the responsibilities of aesthetic authorship.

“Irrespective of whether glitch still is, or ever was, cool and interesting, I personally still very much like art with straight lines, blocks of colour and repeating patterns.” - Ant Scott [3]

Reflections on Truth
As previously discussed, ‘to err is to be human’. Design employing elements that allude to fault and error can appear to be more humanistic. This work can legitimately claim to be more ‘honest’ that work that is spotless and error free. However, the very process of deliberately corrupting data in order to achieve this apparent man-made aesthetic is as disingenuous as the pair of distressed jeans.

“A distressed typeface reflects more truly the imperfect language of an imperfect world inhabited by imperfect beings” – Barry Deck [4]

The accidental or forced nature of the ‘glitch’ also raises questions of deceit. Is the planned accident still an accident? When does an error become a mistake?

Reflections on Beauty
Deconstructionism in communication design encourages deviations to modernist design principals and vertical / horizontal grids. The viewer or reader must adopt unfamiliar and disorienting reading patterns in order to navigate the non-linear pathways. Post-modernist theory can be used to justify what to the untutored eye might seem ugly.

Design is only ugly when devoid of aesthetic or conceptual forethought [5]

Commercial graphic design is unable or unwilling to take too many risks with questionable aesthetics. Such highly experimental work usually finds a home in academic or art house settings. Ed Fella was forced to reject professional practice and enrol in the Cranbrook Academy of Art at the age of 48 in order to realise his jarringly disharmonious theories of deconstruction,

Every invention inevitably spawns its nemesis. The computer virus only exists because of the computer. Post-modernism only exists because of the modernism. ‘Deliberately damaged’ design is the obvious counter-point to ‘slick design’, it exists purely as the antidote to bland perfectionism.

Statement of intent:
Pleasingly, there are no definitive answers to any of the questions this investigation may have raised. To date, my experimentations have offered only fleeting glimpses of a distant truth. It is my belief that this research could be the first tentative steps of a more protracted creative examination. This personal journey of discovery has been both technically and theoretically enriching. The research data gathered here, offers significant scope for extended creative synthesis.

In terms of resultant creative outcomes that could lead to a related final honors project, I intend to pursue these investigations in a highly experimental and challenging way. Any attempt to misappropriate corrupted imagery and place it in an approximated commercial environment would be an anathema and a contradiction to many of the principals this document has proposed. Personally, it would also represent a wasted opportunity. Having spent the last 20 years considering the commercial consequences of virtually every design decision I make, this time the gloves are off.

The visual language of data corruption is as startlingly beautiful as it is conceptually derelict. I plan to use these vibrant and often exhilarating patterns of chaos as a vehicle to communicate deconstructivist methodologies. By incorporating layers of theoretical significance to this imagery I hope to realize a series of innovative and ground-breaking concepts. Data corruption affords a glimpse into the point at which the hidden digital infrastructure begins to break down. This event can be imbued with far deeper hypothetical significance. Using Databending techniques I hope to ‘bend’ the relationships of traditionally opposing concepts such as; internal – external, form – meaning, hidden – exposed, reality – representation, mythology – technology, perfect – imperfection. Crossing the streams of understanding and shifting recognised perceptions.

The visualization of this process of dismantlement will form the basis of my final honors project.

References:
[1] Poynor, R (2003) No More Rules: Graphic Design & Postmodernism, London, Laurence King Publishing
[2] Berg. B (2011) Please Do not Adjust Your Magazine. Wired Magazine (UK) 02.11 pp65
Robertson, A (Spring 2010) ‘Famous for Fifteen Megabytes’. Eye 75. VOL 19. pp90
[4] Gerber, A. (2004) All Messed Up, London, Laurence King Publishing
[5] Heller, S (Summer 1993) Cult of the Ugly. Eye 9, [online]Available at:http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature.php?id=40&fid=351 (accessed 11th October 2010)
Lupton , E (1999) Deconstruction and Graphic Design Lupton, E et al, A Writing on Graphic Design. New York. Phaidon Press
Heller, S (Summer 1993) Cult of the Ugly. Eye 9, [online]Available at:http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature.php?id=40&fid=351 (accessed 11th October 2010)