Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design

Although Anderson did not set out to be a counter-revolutionary,
he discovered the graphic integrity woven into the crude innocence of
time-worn vernacular images, appreciated them for their nonsensical
qualities, and promulgated their use as design imagery. Here the various
elements of the French Paper campaign, including paper specimens that
were developed as toys, playing cards, and other graphic playthings,
exploited the more camp characteristics for the purpose of engaging the
viewer in a distinct visual world. Since Anderson was not of a generation
that fought the war to make the world safe for universal design, he did not
harbor the same aesthetic prejudices as these designers. For him,
discovering artifacts in old printing catalogs, type manuals, and other
industrial ephemera was like uncovering a Pharaoh’s tomb. Yet Anderson
did not merely display his archaeological finds, he revived their components
by distorting, reshaping, and otherwise transforming vintage iconography
into a distinct style that was applied to a range of packages, brochures,
books, posters, advertisements, and products.
Anderson’s bonehead style began in the mid- 1980 s when President
Ronald Reagan made nostalgia into national policy. It was a time when, as
critic Natalia Ilyin writes, “nostalgia twisted truth out of its socket” by
forcing the public to accept the false simplification of a vague, mythic past.
The earliest iterations of Anderson’s design were consistent with retro
trends, but it was not the graphic design analog of, say, the nostalgic TV
show Happy Days.Anderson’s was never a totally nostalgic conceit aimed at
exploiting that momentary fad. On the contrary, much like the folklorist
who discovers lost or forgotten stories that tell grand tales, Anderson’s
images became the basis for multiple narratives. While the style was used
to promote the wares of companies like French Paper, Urban Outfitters,
and the Turner Network, among others, it simultaneously told a story of
commercial design itself.
Anderson and his design staff position products, establish allure,
and attract audiences through precisionist designs. It is noteworthy that
such an identifiable design signature succeeded in a field where most
graphic designers avoid a single specific stylistic mannerism. But Anderson
does not practice monolithic design. Within a proscribed framework there
is formal and conceptual range. Over the years much of the vintage
advertising sampling has been replaced by original still-life photographs
and conceptual illustration, which allows Anderson to communicate with
various voices. Still, Anderson’s work is governed by an aesthetic that rules
the color palette and conceptual thrust. His spirit is equal parts irony,
history, and the down and dirty visual effluvia of the twentieth century.