Graphic Means- Briar Levit

I really enjoyed this film, it was really nice to have an insight on how graphic design was produced 30 years ago, without computers such as the Apple Mac. The film features interviews with a host of influential names in the graphic design industry, including Steven Heller, Ellen Lupton, Ken Garland, Malcolm Garrett, Cece Cutsforth, Adrian Shaughnessy, Ian Swift, Frank Romano, Lucille Tenazas, Tobias Frere-Jones and Art Chantry. I am particularly interested in the work of Steven Heller, as his designs are innovative and typographical, it’s refreshing to see a designer still using his hands rather than a computer to make his work. Throughout the film, the audience were introduced to a range of notable figures, such as linotype, phototypesetting and letraset. Letraset made a huge impact on the type industry for over a century, continuously producing high-quality, world-renowned fonts. The library, which is also home to legendary fonts Frutiger and Univers, offers typefaces with universal appeal and exceptional quality whose styles span the typographic spectrum. With some of today’s best sellers like the Avenir, Helvetica Neue, Trade Gothic and DIN Next typefaces in its collection, it’s no wonder that Linotype’s library has enjoyed an almost unparalleled longevity and revere in the type industry.

The linotype was a print setting machine by which characters are cast in type metal as a complete line rather than as individual characters as on the Monotype typesetting machine. The linotype process allowed the quick and easy printing in bulk of products such as newspapers, magazines and books. This method of printing was used until the 1960s and 1970 until offset lithography and early computerised methods replaced this printing process.

Another method used which was quicker and replaced lino typing, was phototypesetting. Phototypesetting is a machine in which the letters and symbols of a text are photographically reproduced on light sensitive paper or film. The positives and negatives produced are used to prepare printing plates. Phototypesetting machines are used for composing both simple and complicated tasks, and are capable of photographing at a rate of 100 characters per second.

It was also very interesting to see how women worked in the workplace in those days, and it highlighted issues such as inequality of pay and sexism. All in all, a very interesting and factual film.

Made You Look

Contrasting to the first film, Made You Look focused on design in the digital age and includes contributions from a top British creatives, publishers and agency owners including Anthony Burrill, Pete Fowler, Kate Moross, Fred Deakin of Airside, Jon Burgerman and Hattie Stewart. This film is very relevant to today’s society as designers seem to be turning back to analogue methods even though we live in a digital world. It is important that designers are innovative and different, and this is difficult when every one is doing the same thing. I really like Kate Moross’ style of work as her designs are very intricate and delicate, the audience can tell she spends a lot of time and care when producing her work. Anthony Peters, who directed the film, said: “The film isn’t just about the creative brilliance of people who have informed the way our world looks. It’s also a story that sympathises with the way many people feel in the modern age: overwhelmed and bombarded with information 24 hours a day, longing for some time away from the multitude of screens through which we work, consume, create and record the world around us.” The film also talks about the Apple Mac, which was a huge game changer in the world of design, as it meant the introduction of Photoshop and Illustrator.

The Happy Film- Stefan Sagmeister

This film was all about the world renown designer Stefan Sagmeister on a mission to find happiness. It showed times where he was at his worst, for example when he broke up with his long term girlfriend, and showed times of happiness when he found a new relationship. The audience were also able to see glimpses of Sagmeister’s design work.  The planned 18-month project ballooned into a 7-year odyssey, attracting every possible catastrophe imaginable. “It wasn’t easy to live through, but we think it makes for an interesting movie. And here we are today…”