Is it possible to be a great art director and not use a computer? Or, is it possible to be a great art director if you use a computer?
Dear Students,
These two ads ran on the back cover of CA in the middle 1990's.
Steve Luker was the art director.
I think they're still good.
Some of the writing is ok, but, for me, their appeal is mostly that they don't look like anything else.
I typed the words on a Mac Quadra and printed them on a black & white printer.
That's the only contribution a computer made.
Mr. Luker cut the pieces with an exacto and glued them to a board in the arrangement you see here.
The decisions he made he made in real time with his hands.
(click on image to enlarge)
I applaud the work you've done mastering art direction on a computer at VCU.
I suggest you do not neglect to master the two tools that dangle at the end of your arms as well.
Only they can produce work no one has seen before.
If all art directors use computers,
and all computers are created by software geeks,
and computers can only do what they've been programmed to do,
does that mean all art direction in advertising is being done by software geeks?
(please, I wish to use software geek as a term of respect, thank you)
These two ads ran on the back cover of CA in the middle 1990's.
Steve Luker was the art director.
I think they're still good.
Some of the writing is ok, but, for me, their appeal is mostly that they don't look like anything else.
I typed the words on a Mac Quadra and printed them on a black & white printer.
That's the only contribution a computer made.
Mr. Luker cut the pieces with an exacto and glued them to a board in the arrangement you see here.
The decisions he made he made in real time with his hands.
(click on image to enlarge)
I applaud the work you've done mastering art direction on a computer at VCU.
I suggest you do not neglect to master the two tools that dangle at the end of your arms as well.
Only they can produce work no one has seen before.
If all art directors use computers,
and all computers are created by software geeks,
and computers can only do what they've been programmed to do,
does that mean all art direction in advertising is being done by software geeks?
(please, I wish to use software geek as a term of respect, thank you)
12 Comments:
By choosing to not work on a computer it's as if you're saying "I'm a rebel, watch me bust some badass art shit." With that comes the pressure to deliver. At this point, it's up to the art director's skill and confidence. It seems that many art directors second guess the craftiness of their hands. You can witness this by how they caveat their drawing skills when presenting marker concepts, or how they avoid this step altogether and jump right on the computer.
This brings up an even bigger issue. What is the standard to compare your handiwork to, to assess if you are good enough to work by hand? What is art? What is good art, because not all art is good? Why are so many art directors incapable if creating art?
Why am I a pixel pushing wannabe artist and not a real visual magician?
come back, niner. i'm burning out.
we look at what was made a decade ago and say, "now that's craft."
now how about when two decades from now the next big method breaks and hardly anyone uses a computer. will the mouse be seen as the revered craftsman's tool?
probably not.
good point.
FUCK COMPUTERS
I know a well-known CD who told his art directors their responsibility in the new "integrated business model" was to deliver slick comps for meetings. Is this what it's come to? ADs as fancy comp artists whose value is based on how quickly they spit out meeting materials?
Not to sound too old-school, but give me back the day when layouts were done in black marker on layout pads. When layouts actually evolved into something better.
Art is inspired by the mind. Experiences. Feelings. Emotions.
It can be created at any time. Anywhere.
It CAN'T be created a series of zero's and one's.
-----
pixel pusher, I suggest you read this article. It may change the way you look at your "craft."
http://www.commarts.com/CA/colad/halc_158.html
Art is inspired by the mind. Experiences. Feelings. Emotions.
It can be created at any time. Anywhere.
It CAN'T be created a series of zero's and one's.
It's really adorable the way you put on the air of being so open minded, then slam the door shut with your last line.
I'd love for you to sit in front of a panel of CGI artists, painters, interactive specialists and other people who work and express their interpretation of the world in the digital medium and make that statement.
You're a hack. Not because of skills you may or may not possess, but because of your mindset.
A pencil. A computer. A language, a hammer and nail, a can of spray paint and the hood of your car.
They're all just tools.
I see where you're headed, Mark -- it's good to master as many tools as possible. But if you start with a good idea, should it matter which tool you choose? Think of it this way: I feel a certain way when I hear Neil Young play Cortez the Killer -- and it ain't because of the guy who built the guitar.
I have every issue of CA with the ads that you and Steve Luker created for Bret Froomer. Well, actually, I only have the back covers as I tore them off and recycled the corpse of magazines when I moved overseas.
The progression through the series' narrative is interesting. From the landscape series to the typography with portrait series and on to the graphic series that followed. My favorite series is the one from which you show the samples.
Yes, they're ads. With such a strong idea as a creative launch pad, I could care less how they were created. I love them not because they are cut and paste in the traditional sense, I love them because they are beautiful. And they still inspire me.
My issue isn't with the tool, it's with the sudden leap to finish taken by so many computer-first ADs. Too often, they get lost in the polishing of surface details, bypassing any real time spent designing the skeleton that goes underneath.
Start with a pencil and a pad and you'll inevitably sketch out a dozen or two (or a hundred) thumbnail layouts.
Start with a computer, and it's doubtful you'll explore anywhere near that many possibilities. At least, that's what I've seen.
I refuse to let a team show me a computer printout until I've seen their thumbnail sketches.
I don't know why any CD, AD or designer would want to limit the realization of an idea with any one means of execution. Sometimes an organic, hand drawn, painted, cutout or ripped up visual is the best way to express a concept. But a flat, obviously computer generated rendering done in Illustrator could be exactly what is called for to communicate the right message. Or maybe a combination of both.
You just want options and no limitations. First and foremost, my tool is my brain. I want to spend as much time thinking as possible. Sketching or doodling rough visual thoughts is important I think, to be able to tap into your subconscious and quickly get ideas worked out.
I think the computer is more dangerous for what is expected by others. CD's and clients want to see more and more tight comps for presentation. Which seriously cuts into time that could be spent concepting or exploration on an execution. And suddenly, you are locked into an idea or a look that could have been taken so much further.
I am a firm believer in marker comps for idea presentation, and when the idea is given the green light, pull out all resources for the best execution.
Oh, and "craft" is just as relevant with computer generated work as with hand done work. Lack of attention to detail shows no matter what medium you use.
The worst thing about the computer is that it seems to inspire laziness. The computer seemed to usher in the era of the "conceptual art director".
There is nothing more worthless than a lazy art director. I'd even take a dead mule. You might be able to make a cool jacket out of it.
I agree with the sentiment here..
After having only been in the business since computers dominatated I cannot imaging how any deadlines were ever met doing things the old way, however...
Actually cutting, drawing, pasting and stuffing around with any idea is conducive and is part of the creative product. On the other hand using the computer puts a structure on what you can do, before you start.
The computer is a modern way of representing creative ideas. It should NOT be seen that modern ideas can be created using computer technology.
Solve it with your hands and brain first.
Post a Comment
<< Home