Rick Poyner Lecture

"I'll be your mirror: 

A critical look at the design monographs"

Rick Poyner

Rick Poyner is a reader of design monographs. Rick Poyner produces books for people, but Rick said Monographs, and book on a whole are getting harder to sell. Rick thinks this is due to the Internet.

Monographs are about some who's work is considered to be important. Reaching a certain level of fame, being a significant graphic designers.

 Rick has three areas in Monographs:

• Interested in design monographs.
• Reviews them, writes summary about them in certain magazines, such as CR, Eye.
• Sometimes gets asked to produce them.
  

The Art Monograph as a Model

Design Editorial can not be seperated in any book, could be a book but only to produce a piece of work.

The Monograph as a Self-Interpretation

Carson, The end of Print, was possibly the best selling monograph of all time said Rick Poyner. Rick Poyner also said the book was done in the graphic style of David Carson. Rick also said more than likely Carson had a say in how the book was going to be styled. But as a monograph its very hard to disentangle his work from one and other, as a document it fails. Remixing work to make a new piece of work, their is a conflict of graphic originality and content of a book. I feel designers think that showing their original piece of work would be boring and disappointing to other designers. Rick Poyner thinks monographs boost designers egos, as they are a homage to themselves. 

The monograph as a Self-Documentation

Rick Poyner said a good example is to read Neville Brody: The Graphic Design Language of Neville Brody. I have use this book in my personal research myself. Its a really enjoyable read.

Rick Poyner feels that monographs are getting produced less and less, because they are getting harder to sell. Rick feels this is due to the Internet as you can see most designers work on the Internet.