ART 5360: Topics in Art and Art History research paper

It was a relief to finish writing my research paper for my last art history class. The topic I chose to write about relates closely to the design work that I’m researching and currently experimenting with–cross-cultural design. The topic of my paper: “The development of cross-cultural graphic design in China from the 1980s to 2000.” I researched further into cross-cultural designs such as pioneer Chinese graphic designer Bingnan Yu; termed ‘Father of Hong Kong Design’ Henry Steiner; and well-known Chinese graphic designer Xu Wang. I cross-referenced about 30 references of design work for the paper, worked out to be about 20 pages of content with 10 pages of design work images.

turning in the research paper for review

ART 5360: researching cross-cultural graphic designers

Continued researching a variety of cross-cultural graphic designers in China. For my research paper, I’m analyzing the design works of pioneer Chinese designer Bingnan Yu, ‘Father of Hong Kong’ design Henry Steiner, and Xu Wang–a well-known graphic designer whose works show influences from the East and West. Working bibliography:

Anderson, Chris. “Wang Xu: graphic design’s evangelist in China.” Graphis 316 (1998): 22-31.

Arntson, Amy E. Graphic Design Basics, Third Edition. Orlando: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998.

Cushing, Lincoln. “Revolutionary Chinese Posters and Their Impact Abroad,” 7-23.

Cushing, Lincoln, and Ann Tompkins. Chinese posters: Art from the great proletarian cultural revolution. San Francisco: Chronicle Books LLC, 2007.

Hongxing, Zhang and Lauren Parker, eds. China Design Now. South Kensington: V&A Publishing, 2008.

Lupton, Ellen. Thinking with type: a critical guide for designers, writers, editors, & students (second, revised and expanded edition). New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2010.

Meggs, Philip B. and Alston W. Purvis. Meggs’ History of Graphic Design, 4^th edition. Hoboken[city]: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2005.

Meggs, Philip B. and Alston W. Purvis. Meggs’ History of Graphic Design, 5^th edition. Hoboken[city]: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2011.

Minick, Scott, and Jiao Ping. Chinese Graphic Design in the Twentieth Century. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1990.

Page One Publishing. Inspirations from the East: Modern Chinese Design. Page One Publishing Private, 2010.

Resnick, Elizabeth. Design for communication: conceptual graphic design basics. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2003.

Steiner, Henry, and Ken Haas. Cross-Cultural Design: Communicating in the Global Marketplace. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc., 1995.

Wang, Min, and Xiao Hong Shen. “After Mao: Chinese Graphic Design Today,” Print 48 (1994): 64-71.

Welch, Patricia Bjaaland. Chinese art: a guide to motifs and visual imagery. Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2008.

Henry Steiner & Co. Branding

Other resources of interest:

Losing In Translation 2: Graphic Design in Hong Kong and the Peoples Republic of China, by Catherine Jo Ishino

More on Professor Yu Bingnan, Design China

Posters by Xu Wang, The International Poster Collection, Colorado State University

Biography on Xu Wang on Beijing International Design Triennial

Surface Asia Magazine

Bauhaus: Ninety Years of Inspiration by Sharon Ross on smashingmagazine.com

More resources to update as the research paper progresses.

ART 5360 Research topic: Contemporary graphic design in China after the 1980s

After researching various sources, I’ve submitted a topic for my research paper in ART 5360: Topics in Art and Art History. My research topic a few semesters past was on the development of Chinese graphic design in the 1920s and 1930s–researching ‘western’ influence on Chinese design. I think looking at more current times integrates well with my current visual work and research–my proposed topic is:

The development of contemporary graphic design in China after the 1980s: A fusion of traditional and modern aesthetics

There have been leading graphic designers in China since the early twentieth century that have influenced the development of design to the present. During the 1920s and 1930s, European art movements and styles influenced the design scene in China, particularly in Shanghai. Some of the foreign influences still remain after the 1980s, as the numbers of graphic design studios expand across the country. Some of the design media developing in China that seem to integrate eastern and western aesthetics include posters, advertisements, packaging, and book art.

This research paper will examine the foreign influence on the development of graphic design in China from the 1980s, particularly design related to posters, advertisements, packaging, and book design. The developmental history and growth of graphic design in China from the 1980s and examples of cross-cultural design works will be discussed. A rough outline of topics to be explored in this research paper include:

outline may changes as research progresses…

outline may changes as research progresses…

Some resources for the paper will include:

Doordan, Dennis P. (ed.)  Design History: An Anthology.  Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1995. This book contains two articles that discuss the development of modern design in China, as well as the development of graphic design areas such as packaging, book design and advertisements. The two articles are: Turner, Matthew. “Early Modern Design in Hong Kong” and Wang, Shou Zhi. “Chinese Modern Design: A Retrospective.”

Dopress Studio.  Inspirations from the East: Modern Chinese Design.  Singapore: Page One Publishing Pte Ltd, 2009. This resource features the design works of designers from China that have incorporated modern design aesthetics, experimentations, and an integration of traditional Chinese elements with Western design techniques and styles.

Hongxing, Zhang and Lauren Parker, eds.  China Design Now.  V&A Publishing, 2008. This source discusses example works of modern Chinese designers and artists. It also reviews the techniques, design processes and influences of the artists mentioned. This resource is important in my research because it exhibits examples of work that integrate western and eastern design elements, and the historical development of modern design in China. It also discusses how Chinese designers have been influenced by western ideas or if they have chosen to design only with their own cultural styles.

Minick, Scott and Jiao Ping.  Chinese Graphic Design in the Twentieth Century.  New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1990. This source provides details into the development of different styles, movements, and designs throughout China in the 20^th century. It discusses the foreign influences that have inspired the Shanghai Style.

Steiner, Henry and Ken Haas.  Cross-Cultural Design: Communicating in the Global Marketplace.  New York: Thames and Hudson Inc., 1995. This source provides inspiring examples of cultural design projects. Henry Steiner mentions that cross-cultural design requires an image to be “transformed” and “redefined”; taking cultural imagery and icons and transforming them to be something personal. Cross-cultural designers from different countries are featured. This resource is important in my research because it discusses projects related to integrating and understanding different cultures. It provides a more in-depth analysis of the work of cross-cultural design leader Henry Steiner, and investigates his clever interplay of imagery, typography, and ideas of eastern and western cultures.

Wong, Wendy S.  “Design Identity of Hong Kong: Colonization, de-colonization, and re-colonization.”  York University. The 6th International Conference of the European Academy of Design Conference Proceedings (CD-Rom). Bremen: University of the Arts. 2005. This source discusses the historical development of design in Hong Kong under British rule and how its design identity is defined when Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. It discusses designers that have incorporated western and eastern styles in their works. This resource is important in my research because it reviews the origins of graphic design development in China, providing examples of Chinese modern design of the 1920s and 1930s, known as the Shanghai style. The cross-cultural works of Henry Steiner are analyzed, along with other influential graphic designers. It discusses the changes in Hong Kong design identity under British and Chinese ordinance.

Wong, Wendy S.  “Detachment and Unification: A Chinese Graphic Design History in Greater China Since 1979.”  Design Issues: Vol. 17 (4), 2001, 51-71. This paper discusses the development of graphic design in the Greater China region before and after 1979. It also provides examples and examines the works of cross-cultural designers such as Henry Steiner, Kan Tai-keung, and Alan Chan.

Other resources of interest:

York Centre for Asian Research, Principle Investigator: Wendy S Wong

DOES MODERNIZING MEAN WESTERNIZING? Western views of New China’s Graphic Design 1998-2008 by Catherine Ishino

Chinese art and design resources

This fall I’m enrolled as an independent study in ART 5360: Topics in Art and Art History. The first few weeks I’ve been researching various sources to narrow down to a thesis topic. My faculty supervisor has been understanding and gave me some more time to research various sources to find areas to write about. Below are some resources I’ve looked at and potentially use for my thesis research topic.

reviewed some of these books on Chinese symbolism–a potential research area

Chinese Symbolism and Art Motifs by C.A.S. Williams

Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art by Terese Tse Bartholomew

Symbols and Rebuses in Chinese Art by Fang Jing Pei and Jing Pei Fang

Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery by Patricia Bjaaland Welch

Firecrackers: The Art and History by Warren Dotz, Jack Mingo, George Moyer

This book had extensive examples on the artwork on firecracker labels in time periods before 1950s to present day. Since firecrackers were also exported globally, examples had shown ‘western’ icons integrated with Chinese iconography [for example, the American Eagle with a Dragon (p. 40) and a ‘Santa Claus’ brand that featured Santa Claus in front of a bright background with snow and mistletoe (p. 41)]. Some of the labels also show the influence of the geometric shapes and lines from the Art Deco movement and the Shanghai style women during the 1920s and 1930s (p. 70). Resource: Firecrackers: The Art and History by Warren Dotz, Jack Mingo, and George Moyer.

Chinese Label Art: 1900-1976 by Andrew S. Cahan

This resource also had an extensive amount of examples that illustrated the influence of the Art Deco style and global influence on Chinese label art and advertising.

The Cult of Happiness: Nianhua, Art, and History in Rural North China by James A. Flath

I also began looking at the area of nianhua–New Year woodblock prints, and researching their development, importance and history. The Cult of Happiness: Nianhua, Art, and History in Rural North China by James A. Flath is a significant resource to understanding and learning about nianhua.