Portfolio Task Five (Deconstruction)

Deconstruction

Deconstruction is a concept that is difficult to understand clearly,  in this short summary of typography and the role of the typographer in the creation of meaning, I will attempt to explain these such roles. The concept of deconstruction was first developed by French post modernist philosopher Jacques Derrida. Derrida introduces the concept of deconstruction in his book on grammatology. 'When deconstructing a text or a speech, it is to draw out conflicting logics of sense and implication, with the object of showing that the text never exactly means what it says what it means.'

Deconstructive design challenges, in essence, universal beauty and design structures fitting the stereotyped popular view. Deconstruction within typography follows essentially the same mantra, using the type to illustrate the page creating the atmosphere and mood of the piece, this is helped forward by the introduction and integration of image and type together as an overlapping theme.

In typography, “text” is defined as an ongoing sequence of words. Type is considered in a consistent way helping the reader navigate a passage or paragraph to encourage the readability of the words on the page. Typography has made it possible for the reader to avoid reading. Shortcutting to important information helping the reader to quickly process the written word to extract the information required.

This is the oposite of what deconstruction tried to implement, text shouldn't be set or restrained by margins,paragraphs and sentences, but it should run free across the page devoid of tone of voice.

Deconstructionism accentuates reorganisation by means of illogical and disordered processes. The words no longer have the same meaning as what the author originally intended, but once the typographer had been applied to the text it would have a new meaning open for the interpretation of the words.

 

Davis Carson, and american graphic designer and typographer, famous works of his include several inventive and experimental magazine designs while art director at ray gun magazine. Carson's deconstructionist typography combined with image to produce a chaotic almost illegible pice of typographic image breaking the general conventions of type and image, within a magazine layout removing a grid system destroying the structure and conventionally laid out pice of work.