"Don't Mistake Legibility for Communication" - large type. His designs must connect with his audience emotionally for them to be effective and even if the content of the message cannot do this alone then the way the message has been designed will help the communication process of achieving Carson's communication goal. Looking for a flexible role? Just because something's legible doesn't mean it communicates. O.K, which one would you park in front of? 1963) in his book ‘Digital Design For Print and Web’ (2010) explains that communication is a process, in which, ‘…requires a sender (the designer), a message (information or an effort to persuade), a medium (the delivery platform), and a receiver of that message (the audience).’. –David Carson, Helvetica the Documentary Film staceyatwingraphicdesign@gmail.com. In a segment of Carson’s 2003 ‘Design And Discovery’ TED Talk, he presents the following image with his statement: Carson then goes on to say the following about his image (Figure 2) and gives his opinion about the statement in regards to legibility and communication, where he states. 1911) who wrote in his book ‘Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man’ (1964) that, ‘the medium is the message’. Here, it can be understood that during the communication process it is the designers' job to send a message. I’m sure I chuckled a bit, then thought, well, why not? The difference seems to lie in the way something is communicated. requires a sender (the designer), a message (information or an effort to persuade), a medium (the delivery platform), and a receiver of that message (the audience).'. In the 2007 Helvetica documentary, Carson states. 2012 p. 324). As the garage to rights with its NO PARKING message has a bold and humanistic style which seems to give it a different tone to the intended viewer. Signed by David Carson, December 2017 at the 72andSunny offices in Playa del Rey, CA. Just because you can read it, doesn’t mean it is communicating the intended message. As Carson suggests (2003) the primary goal of the designer is to communicate a message. To his critics he warns, “Don’t mistake legibility for communication.” He believes his greatest strength is his ability to communicate emotionally and visually. 1900) lecture titled, ‘The Crystal Goblet‘, or ‘Why Printing Should Be Invisible’ (1930). Every single typesetting rule of thumb you could possibly come up with has been broken in Ray Gun's brief history: Overlapping blocks of copy; light text against dark backgrounds; dark text against dark backgrounds; running text across pages, including stories that are read horizontally across columns (just hop over the gutter between them); deliberately running photos upside-down (Clark 1995). I like this [image] for a couple of reasons. 1963) in his book 'Digital Design For Print and Web' (2010) explains that communication is a process, in which, '. For Warde, the text used in the message should only be implemented to aid the content and the content alone. '  The designer having a communication goal in mind then uses the message and medium to reach their audience. (2006). However, when compared with traditional teachings and lectures as to how typography in publications should be treated, it can be argued that the designer could fail in making his or her work both illegible and even worse this may lead to the message of the designer not communicating its desired effect too. For Clark it seems as if he felt Carson’s, ‘Don’t mistake legibility, for communication’ statement was taken to the extreme where because both the message was legible and the audience could misinterpret its intended point too through the way it was designed; then for Clark surely the communication and intended message failed, as the design was illegible in its content and ‘missed the mark’ in its execution. An example, which could argue how Carson supports this theory is where he employs a similar idea into one of his articles for the Ray Gun magazine publication where he uses the Zapf Dingbat typeface. (2012). The question to then be considered is to ask what communication is in the first place? In her blog post ‘Don’t Mistake Legibility for Communication’ Wells writes. This can be seen in below (figure 8). If something is a very important message, and it's said in a boring, nondescript way, then the message can be lost (Carson 2007). Which would have been the last one on my very extensive list, as it’s known by the designers name zapf dingbats. David Carson is the father of author Gail Carson Levine. Carson appears to designs his layouts intuitively to create a visceral reaction and response. To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below: If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have your work published on UKEssays.com then please: Our academic writing and marking services can help you! Warde asserts that the purpose of written text is thought transference and any type that does anything to distract from that goal is a failure in its purpose. Since making this statement, designers have had to rethink what it means to communicate; especially when attempting to interact and engage with their target audience. All rights reserved. Don’t confuse legibility with communication, just because something is legible doesn’t mean it communicates and more importantly doesn’t mean it communicates the right thing. Carson, D. (2003) David Carson: Design and discovery. Type is there to illuminate the thoughts and ideas contained in the written word (Read 2009). Anyone that tells you shit about order of information and legibility doesn't know what the they're talking about. In regards to Carson’s statement, the word legibility is mentioned. "Don't mistake legibility for communication" David Carson. Design More importantly, it doesn't mean it communicates the right thing. By using this technique, he really provokes his audience to observe his work in great detail and really take in every aspect of the design, proving that it takes more than just being able to read something to effectively communicate the intended message. Stylistically the way that this message has been presented would likely be seen as generic, informative and neutral. In the 2007 Helvetica documentary, Carson states. boring stuff I’d read so many times before. From simple essay plans, through to full dissertations, you can guarantee we have a service perfectly matched to your needs. DiMarco then states that the magazine was created as ‘an anti-glossy, anti-establishment manifesto that became a synonym of rock & roll, rebellion and alternative spirit.’ This was the audience that Carson was attempting to reach. The goal for Carson then seems to be that is must communicate the right thing – otherwise known as effective communication. The field of a Graphic Designer is visual communication as they attempt to incorporate, or least infer these elements through their designs. For Clark, in his article he rebuked the Ray Gun publication by noting that. Printed on Italian high cotton, Tiziano acid-free 160gsm paper. As Carson’s statement seems paradoxical at first but when understood in its proper context it appears to be congruent when seen in light of his work. This word can be simply defined as 'how recognisable individual letterforms are' (Tselentis, J et al. John DiMarco (b. boring stuff I'd read so many times before. We had a new writer from a much bigger music mag, and I was really excited to read this article when it came in. Taking this into consideration, despite his critics and given his numerous supporters, it is still justifiable to argue that Carson has made a salient point in the Graphic Design world; as it is still relevant today as it was when he first stated it. This was the audience that Carson was attempting to reach. Available at: Craig J., Bevington W., and Koral Scala I. Which would then leads to the message not being received by the anticipated audience. Therefore, this discussion will explore and present arguments for and against the statement Carson made, define and explain the terms legibility and communication, and to document the social and historical context behind Carson's statement to establish whether it was valid or not. DiMarco (2010) then states that, 'the goals of such messages are to inform, to persuade, to educate, or to entertain. For Clark, in his article he rebuked the Ray Gun publication by noting that. These are a couple of garage doors painted identical, situated next to each other. Conversely, if communication is the goal then the aim is more than just making something legible. As it can be seen that the garage to the left is legible and the message is clear NO PARKING. The audience this is designed for already understands who it is and what it's about just by the lyrics at the top. Therefore, this discussion will explore and present arguments for and against the statement Carson made, define and explain the terms legibility and communication, and to document the social and historical context behind Carson’s statement to establish whether it was valid or not. As it can be argued that legibility is the basis for something to not only be readable but also understood and therefore communicated. Typography is supposed to be invisible. Consider here Carson’s first-quoted statement: don’t mistake legibility for communication. However, the way the message is communicated is different. Interested in learning more about my work or how we can collaborate on an upcoming project? O.K, which one would you park in front of? During the interview he shares. For Carson's own designs, it seems his focus is on the way he communicates his message. This word can be simply defined as ‘how recognisable individual letterforms are’ (Tselentis, J et al. This line of thinking was influenced from Beatrice Warde's (b. Disclaimer: This work has been submitted by a university student. Nonetheless, to confine communication to only being something that can be achieved through legibility in content only takes away from what effective communication can be. She agrees wholeheartedly with David Carson’s quip “Don’t mistake legibility for communication.” DiMarco (2011) notes how Carson, ‘broke the rules in every way… including negative leading, overlapping, layering, and creating absurd compositional layouts, such as backwards text settings and columns of texts that bled off the page or aligned or overlapped each other.’ This can be seen in below (figure 8). It ’ s work D read so many times before ( i am fond of many Graphic designers as... Graphic work get another random design quote Carson, December 2017 at the second door and see there! 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