During my time at Seattle Central Creative Academy, I’ve thought a lot about how graphic designers often create content as well as curate/present it. As a graphic designer, I’ve found it helpful to be a mindful viewer and creator of current work in other mediums. I love reading new fiction and poetry, watching movies for their color/cinematography/pacing, and looking at art and fashion magazines. The photography and video industry is fascinating to me in particular because there are so many comparisons to draw between those industries and graphic design.
When AJ Hanneld, an SCCA graphic design alum, spoke last Friday to our cohort, someone asked about the potential threat AI poses for graphic design jobs. In response, Hanneld talked about how so many people thought the film industry would begin to rapidly shift and die down in an age where basically anyone could shoot video on their phones, edit rapidly in iMovie, and post directly to Youtube or social media platforms. Which obviously didn’t happen; the film industry is alive and relatively well. Hanneld, told us not to worry, that AI wouldn’t take away our jobs, and I agree. But it’s interesting to think about how the way we think as professionals in the design and film industries does change, for better or for worse, because many of the technologies we use have become commonplace and automated so that the general public can easily create content.
I think that to stay relevant as a designer or photographer/videographer, one should be as attuned to the aesthetics of personal content such as memes, Instagram photos, TikTok, Youtube blogs as one is to fashion branding or mainstream cinema. In my design history course this quarter, we talked about the social media website BeReal and how we’re at a cultural moment which prizes integrity, casual aesthetics, and diy-ness while distrusting things which are too sleek and corporate.
I’ve always loved and wanted to create work within this gray area between professional and amateur, well crafted and diy. I got interested in graphic design in high school by scrolling through tumblr and other blogs on the internet that blew my mind through their surprising aesthetics, content, and interactivity. Today, I see many personal Instagram accounts (many are artists, djs, musicians) which shock and surprise with their content, captivating me in ways that lots of professional branding or content fails to do.
In both graphic design and photo/video, I feel like it’s beneficial to explore and make work at different points on this spectrum. If I was a photographer, I could see both DSLR product photography and artistic polaroids playing a role in my life, even if one doesn’t really pay the bills. Similarly, as a graphic designer, I want to get good at making both corporate branded websites and collage art, each thing has its own place in my life.