Serra Semi
December 8, 2006
History and Theory of Media
Final Paper
Will Vector Kill the Ornament?
In the past couple of years a trend of using vector art has developed in
relation to a trend of ornamentation. Simple curve and line based illustrations
and solid colors dominate magazine spreads, online animations and gallery
spaces. As ornamentation and pattern become mainstream, a tendency to find
simpler forms and colors appealing has formed, reducing the noise in the
compositions. Ryan McGinness uses vector graphics to create his compositions.
Joshua Davis uses computer scripting to create random assemblies of vectorbased components. Richard Linklater has directed two feature length animation
films in vector-based graphics. A similar proliferation of simpler things manifests
itself in fashion, and is strong enough to build a successful brand. American
Apparel satisfie a desire for simpler forms by reintroducing a trend of layered
basics such as a variety of color t-shirts and tank tops.
People’s everyday lives are congested with excess. Hip hop trends favor
extreme jewelry, iPods, PDAs and cellphones often crowded in one’s pockets.
Even computer desktops overflow with widgets. Everywhere we turn there is an
overload of things from tools to components; and design displays this in an
inclination to use decorations and ornaments.
1
Media recognizes of this trend towards decoration. The Winter 2005 issue
of eye, the international review of graphic design, devoted nearly twenty pages to
a discussion of this trend with a collection of articles, the first of which is entitled
“The Decriminalization of Ornament.” At Art Center College of Design, a class
called “Maximilism: The Re-emergence of Decorative in Design” is offered from
the Environmental Design department. Denise Gonzales Crisp noticed the
emergence of trend and wrote “Toward a Definition of the Decorational” referring
to the past of an anti-decoration approach. The movement toward decoration
and complex forms corresponds to a trend in an appeal for basic forms and color
blocks. In other words, vector art, has a place in more complex compositions as
a result of a desire for simpler visual elements.
By definition vector art employs graphics determined by “the use of
geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves and polygons, which are all
based upon mathematical equations” 1 and is a reductive design form. These
defining elements give vector forms a shape-intensive rather than a detailintensive look. In a time of visual and informational complexity, vector art
provides much needed of simplicity.
Responding to need for simplicity Ryan McGinness uses many layers of
simple outlines and basic colors in many layers. His recent work, at first glance,
responds to the before mentioned trend of decoration, with flourishes and
1
Wikipedia contributors, "Vector graphics," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vector_graphics&oldid=92396518 (accessed
December 7, 2006).
2
intricate details. However, the building blocks of this complexity are basic forms
and solid colors. In an interview he said “Flat shapes, iconography, and
geometric forms is a very personal aesthetic for me that has been evolving for
almost two decades.”2 He refers to his tendency to use basic icons as “has to do
with simplifying the world around me to bare essentials. I don’t like having extra
things around.”3 He is talking about a desire for simplicity that he builds up in his
prints.
Joshua David has amazed many users on the Internet with his complex
animations and innovative tricks. He uses computer scripting in Flash, a vectorbased program, as his main tool to create his compositions. He writes a
“program with a certain set of boundaries, and then, perhaps, let the user, or the
program itself, create a result that is unique every time it loads.”4 The random
execution and the unpredictability of the outcome is the main attraction. He uses
flat shapes and colors and lets the programming come forward with complex
arrangements. Despite the simplicity of the starting point, these arrangements
produce a sense of depth and higher level of complexity in his compositions.
Another instance of vector art in media is present in film. Richard
Linklater’s films “Waking Life” in 2001 and “A Scanner Darkly” in 2006 are both
graphic animations created with vector-based graphics, a technique called
“rotoscoping”. “To create this effect, Linklater shot and edited both movies into a
2
Prinze, Eva ed. Installationview Ryan McGinness. New York, NY: Rizzoli International
Publications, Inc, 2005.
3 Prinze, Eva ed. Installationview Ryan McGinness. New York, NY: Rizzoli International
Publications, Inc, 2005.
4 Davis, Joshua. Flash to the Core. United States of America: New Riders Publishing, 2002.
3
completed live-action state, then employed a team of artists to 'trace over'
individual frames.”5 The tracing reduces the photographic nature of film into
shapes of flat color and basic outlines but still maintains the detailed nature of
characters and complexity of backgrounds. For a reductive graphic
representation, vector graphics carry an intense amount of information in “A
Scanner Darkly” that is essential in maintaining a cohesive representation in a
feature length film. In addition to representing the power of vector forms,
Linklater’s films carry vector art into yet another medium.
Example of using simpler forms can also be seen in American Apparel
(AA) clothing. In addition to the company’s anti-sweat shop policies, AA is a
unique brand because it supplies the basics of dressing up for the fashion world.
From t-shirts to tank tops, from shorts to hooded sweatshirts, AA carries a variety
of basic clothing products in a rich range of colors. Finding a niche in response to
overly accessorized, designed and planned celebrity looks that influence the
fashion styles, American Apparel dresses people for everyday, and for people
who “keep it simple”6, making the basics a mainstream style. Eviana Hartman
defines this trend for Nylon, a trendy fashion and lifestyle magazine, for their
October 2006 issue with an article featuring the brand: “We want life-and looking
and feeling good- to be as easy as possible.”7 The article references luxury
brands such as Marc Jacobs and Missoni for also showcasing layers of basics on
5
Wikipedia contributors, "A Scanner Darkly," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Scanner_Darkly_%28film%29
(accessed December 7, 2006).
6
7
Hartman, Eviana. “Mania: Jersey City.” Nylon, October (2006): 68-71.
Hartman, Eviana. “Mania: Jersey City.” Nylon, October (2006): 68-71.
4
their runway shows. As in previous examples, the simple forms of tank tops are
only a part of the whole: in the current trend girls wear them in layers, and not
just alone.
The popularity of overcrowding and excess of “things” in life reflects on
design as a movement towards ornamentation and “Maximilism.” The graphics
are layered, and decorated to catch up to this hype, which seems like it is about
to burst. As Eviana Hartman ends her article in Nylon, she says: “In an era
when cars give talking directions and apple slices come in packaged plastic, not
only do we not want to look like we’re trying too hard, we really don’t want to try
too hard.”8 There is a fatigue from the complex and it takes the form of
enthusiasm for simplicity. Austerity is in the form and color; and it hides under
layers of excess. Ryan McGinness’ intricately created prints consist of elements
that are basic forms of lines and flat colors, as Joshua Davis’ random animations.
Its abstract qualities abandon vector art in narratives of films like “A Scanner
Darkly” as it becomes the building blocks of the movie’s aesthetic. In the system
of a brand simple shapes create a trend of basic outfits. The complex forms of
today are also built upon simpler forms, but they are excessively used. There is a
trend favoring ostentatious elements in design; and it is getting saturated.
Therefore, there is value recognizing the presence and appeal of vector based
graphics across a variety of mediums. It is inevitable that these forms will lend to
a more simplistic style. Just as in the early 1900’s ornamentation fell out of style
after becoming widely available due to technical advancements of the machine
8
Hartman, Eviana. “Mania: Jersey City.” Nylon, October (2006): 68-71.
5
age9, ornamentation will move towards being a disfavored design element.
Currently, the aesthetic popularized by artists such as McGinness are being
imitated and the resources for vector elements are available to anyone interested
in paying a minimal price from design offices such as “Youworkforthem.com.”
With such parallel to ornament’s previous history of stardom, one can’t help but
wonder how long its popularity will last this time before it’s building blocks of
basic forms come forward and dominate a simpler design trend.
9
Twemlow, Alice. “The Decriminalization of Ornament.” Eye, Issue 58, Vol.15 (Winter 2005)
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hartman, Eviana. "Mania: Jersey City." Nylon, October (2006): 68-71.
Twemlow, Alice. “The Decriminalization of Ornament.” Eye, Issue 58. Vol.15
(Winter 2005)
Gonzales, Denise Crisp. 2003. Toward a Definition of the Decorational. In
Design Research: Methods and Perspectives, ed. Brenda Laurel, 94-100.
Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Prinze, Eva ed. Installationview Ryan McGinness. New York, NY: Rizzoli
International Publications, Inc, 2005.
Davis, Joshua. Flash to the Core. United States of America: New
Riders Publishing, 2002.
Wikipedia contributors, "Richard Linklater," Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Linklater
(accessed December 7, 2006).
Wikipedia contributors, "A Scanner Darkly," Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Scanner_Darkly_%28film%29
(accessed December 7, 2006).
Wikipedia contributors, "Vector graphics," Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vector_graphics&oldid=9239651
8 (accessed December 7, 2006).
7