30.04.07
The Korrespondent is back and reporting from a fascinating evening at the SV Associates studio. World Graphics Day takes place every year on 27th April and to celebrate Nick Kapica had invited several Berlin design colleagues – Hermann Hülsenberg, Marc Tamschick, Torsten Mayer Rothbarth (Meta Design), Florian Kette (Meta Design), Jörg Brüggemann, Dirk Waldik, Justus Oehler and Ute Tjaden (Pentagram), Jon Clarke (24/7), Astrid Lange, Jan-Nico Meyer – to attend an evening of informal discussion, drinks and food. The invited guests were asked to bring a piece of work as a discussion point.
Jörg Brüggemann presented his recent photographs about Berlin and thrilled everyone with his photographs taken in Calcutta as part of a group project with Prof. Peter Bialobrzeski. Marc Tamschick tried to convince everyone he was not a graphic designer but then presented a multitude of contemporary moving graphic and sound environments proving he definitely is a graphic designer. Hermann Hülsenberg, unable to attend, sent a book – Hunting Grounds he recently designed for the artist Erik Schmidt – for everyone to enjoy. Dirk Waldik who develops digital information spaces surprised his audience with two pieces of print, a map of Shoredich in East London which made use of his original cartographic profession and a poster advertising his upcoming Takeaway festival in London. Jan-Nico Meyer took the opportunity to present his work in progress, a book about people and the cars they customise, it looked as if he collected some useful advice to ensure his Diploma project will be a great success. Jon Clarke suggested what we could see was actually never there as he took us through multitudes of photoshop layers that built up an image for Sony Playstation advertising.
To finish the evening Nick Kapica explored the difficulties designers apparently encounter when typographically communicating information. The difference between accepting a clients request to make artistic changes to a piece of work illustrated with a chosen crop of an image for a poster and implementing typographic changes that he says were frankly incorrect and hinder the designers intention to provide the end user with clear communication. The debate has only begun and will hopefully continue, Nick announced designers are responsible to help clients understand the difference between a piece of illustrative typography used to attract attention and typography intended to communicate information. He did not receive unanimous support for his opinion and will take the debate up at a second evening planned for the 25th May. The Korrespondent will be there, if you would like to attend drop me an email. k@svberlin.com