Karla Burns

I have just competed the second year of my degree, hence why the blog has been so quiet of recent. This Semester I undertook 3 modules: Advertising, Animation and Research & Writing.  So I shall put up selections of this work over the next week or so, let me know what you think.  I am currently sourcing the possibility of a placement for the next year.

The first project I want to share with you is the outcome of my Research and Writing module.  It is a pre-run to the third year dissertation. For this module we had to chose the topic we are going to write about in our dissertation and we had to write a 3,000 word essay on our chosen topic, which also had to designed and handed in via hard copy.

Previously I have written two essays, one on design icon Paul Rand and the other on the effects of technology on the future of design. I wanted to delve further into the design industry with this essay, and choose a topic I knew very little about. I also wanted my subject choice to be controversial to keep my interest and draw me into its depths. After reading through many journals and crossing out many dissertation topics I happened to come across an article on the Design Observer Website by Michael Bierut called the‘The Graphic Glass Ceiling’. This article highlighted the lack of female influence within the design industry and how few female designers have not managed to get high ranking positions in firms worldwide. It delves into this dark gender gap highlighting that discussion panels world wide are male dominated. Reading it made me quite angry, and once I digested it I realised the honesty and openness within the article. When I list my favourite designers they are male, when I began to think of design icons, males lead the count.

I instantly chose this as my topic as I wanted to delve further and understand the industry I had wanted to enter for 10 years. Was there a future for me? Should I just throw in the towel now? After writing the essay I am still confused. Milton Glaser has been my design icon since I can remember and I was horrified to read his thoughts on the issue, when asked at a conference, although his thoughts are just honest and truthful. He said:

“women get pregnant, have children, go home and take care of their children. And those essential years that men are building their careers and becoming visible are basically denied to women who choose to be at home… Unless something very dramatic happens to the nature of the human experience then it’s never going to change.” About day care and nannies, he said, “None of them are good solutions.”

Once I explored this topic further I discovered that the gender gap was predominant back as far as the opening of the Bauhaus in Germany. Female students were slowly withdrawn from all arts and placed into textiles as the tutors and masters feared that if they were to succeed in the other arts such as architecture, metal work, painting that they would take jobs in the industry that they felt should be taken by males. After reading both sides of the argument, I feel that it is up to female designers as individuals to strive to be the best they can be and shed this stereotype and make the issue nothing more than a myth.

I felt that my essay was a strong argument in itself that I decided to go for an extremely simple layout, of three columns. I also chose a small format for the size; A5 landscape and I wrote it for women about women and I wanted a size that could fit comfortably into a woman’s purse. Just to assert the talents of the female I printed the entire booklet myself, binding it by hand too. I chose three different stocks matt, silk and a canvas. Let me know what you think.

I would love to hear everyones thoughts on the subject.