David Carson Research Paper
The Relevance of David Carson’s typography work to identity, play, visual language and conceptualism
I will be discussing Post-Modernism with the typography works of American graphic designer David Carson. Using examples of his work, this essay will cover visual language, conceptualism and parody and play. Carson is well known for his grunge typography, seen many times in his work for Ray Gun magazine (Carson, n.d.). In relation to Post-Modernism, his body of typography work is what makes him really stand above the crowd as a graphic designer.
Carson is always looking at his work with a strong sense of self indulgence. His works are always very self-centred as he created, judged his own work and designed for himself - while his sense of …show more content…
While it does not lack purpose (a Modernistic quality) it certainly is very playful (a Post-Modernistic quality). His communicated messages are often meaningful and deep, but along with the serious side comes his unique sense of humour and play. In one of his many talks around the world, he showed a slide with a poster meant to cut down on cigarette smoking in New York. The tagline clearly and cleanly said, “Cigarettes shrink dicks.” (Carson, 2003.) It was crude, and politically incorrect but his poster certainly turned heads. Another example of his playful attitude is the time he set an entire interview in Ray Gun magazine in Dingbat, claiming it to be boring and not very well written (Imagine, 2007). These examples included, he breaks many other conventions – “There’s no grid, there’s no system, there’s nothing to set up in advance.”(Carson, 2003) This is often demonstrated in his work at Ray Gun magazine. His wild typography style is what drew attention to him – it was completely different to normal magazine spreads. Carson is however conservative of the conception of his work. In examples in Ray Gun magazine or his book, The End of Print, there are few places where the body text is actually illegible. (Carson,
I will be discussing Post-Modernism with the typography works of American graphic designer David Carson. Using examples of his work, this essay will cover visual language, conceptualism and parody and play. Carson is well known for his grunge typography, seen many times in his work for Ray Gun magazine (Carson, n.d.). In relation to Post-Modernism, his body of typography work is what makes him really stand above the crowd as a graphic designer.
Carson is always looking at his work with a strong sense of self indulgence. His works are always very self-centred as he created, judged his own work and designed for himself - while his sense of …show more content…
While it does not lack purpose (a Modernistic quality) it certainly is very playful (a Post-Modernistic quality). His communicated messages are often meaningful and deep, but along with the serious side comes his unique sense of humour and play. In one of his many talks around the world, he showed a slide with a poster meant to cut down on cigarette smoking in New York. The tagline clearly and cleanly said, “Cigarettes shrink dicks.” (Carson, 2003.) It was crude, and politically incorrect but his poster certainly turned heads. Another example of his playful attitude is the time he set an entire interview in Ray Gun magazine in Dingbat, claiming it to be boring and not very well written (Imagine, 2007). These examples included, he breaks many other conventions – “There’s no grid, there’s no system, there’s nothing to set up in advance.”(Carson, 2003) This is often demonstrated in his work at Ray Gun magazine. His wild typography style is what drew attention to him – it was completely different to normal magazine spreads. Carson is however conservative of the conception of his work. In examples in Ray Gun magazine or his book, The End of Print, there are few places where the body text is actually illegible. (Carson,