Has Desktop Publishing Eliminated Period Design?

April 28, 2008 10:54am

Think of the 1980’s, the 1970’s, even those distant-but-still-fondly-remembered 1960’s. If graphic design styles happen to come to mind — whether via ads, posters or old LP covers — you can probably envision each eras distinct visual style. The 60’s favored brightly colored bubble letters that tried to shoot off the page with outlines while the 80’s is all about neon and zig zag patterns and trying to join every letter of a word together as one.

I can’t necessarily think of what the 90’s style was, though…or even what today’s style is. Some things are obvious, like the iPod inspired silhouettes that everything seem to take to, but I wonder if the plethora of amateur designers using high tech programs like Microsoft Word or, even better, Paint, are producing en such mass that all we’ll remember of these times is a mottle of blah?

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Discussion

Ms. Wakame 28 Apr 2008

Haha! That’s scarily accurate. I remember around 1991 having a similar discussion with my mom as I was excited to find out when the 90’s design style would really kick in and she predicted the 90’s would probably never have its own distinct style to be remembered by. It’s already 2008 and still nothing defining. Our kids wont care about wearing our outfits to fancy dress parties.

I sometimes wonder whether its because the world has gotten smaller since the advent of the Internet. There are so many designers and artists and musicians doing absolutely brilliant stuff, there is such mindblowing creativity happening all the time, but its all getting lost in a grey mulch of overwhelming competition for attention on the international scene… and we’re losing the ability or even desire to focus for long enough to notice anymore. We’re just spoilt for choice.

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