Jan van Toorn - D&AD President’s Lectures series 2009
Jan van Toorn - D&AD President’s Lectures series 2009
Thursday 19th March, Mermaid Theatre, Puddle Dock, London EC4V 3DB
For this D&AD President’s Lecture, influential Dutch graphic designer Jan van Toorn reviewed his career, an overview spanning from the 1960s through to his current activities and ideas.
Jan van Toorn has been a graphic and exhibition designer since 1957.
The emotional charge of van Toorn’s designs stems from his interest in investigating visual meaning and the social role of graphic design rather than purely practical requirements. The slides shown included projects such as his posters and catalogues for the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, and his long-running series of calendars for the printing firm Mart.Spruijt. All powerful demonstrations of graphic design with a message, used as a means of commentary and mass communication. His highly original, actively engaged and often controversial body of work poses a challenge to visual communication that is just as relevant today.
The tone of the talk was informal, and due to the nature of the work, academic rather than commercial. No soundbites here, but a measured and meandering stroll through the slides and graphic design practice in general. Expecting the usual punchy, pitch-like presentations associated with today’s designers, I have to admit to struggling with the pace and breadth of van Toorn’s discussion. Areas covered included the influence of the Dutch landscape, as well as the politics of social democratic traditions and the 1960s.
This was more about graphic design as visual communication than as a promotional tool. Jan van Toorn’s clients have largely been cultural - Stedelijk van Abbemuseum Eindhoven, the Dutch Ministries of Culture and Public works, Ptt - as well as printers & publishers. So he has been lucky enough - and/or created the space - to explore the deeper meanings of graphic design as a medium with a message.
The modern work (a recent book commission, which van Toorn spent a year working on) showed the development of his craft and thinking from the early slides. But perhaps the most interesting examples were his stamps for the Netherlands post office, which combined layers of meaning and history into these small sticky spaces. The designs fitted the brief, made me think, and I wanted to know more.
After the talk, there was a Q&A session, with some interesting questions, particularly about what it means to be a designer in the face of ‘the collapse of international capital’, and an explanation of how he got into design (’by accident’).
A few video clips from this thought-provoking and informative evening.
Jan van Toorn Q&A:
How did you get into design?:
http://vimeo.com/3775122
The relationship between form and technology:
http://vimeo.com/3775270
Advice for a student designer:
http://vimeo.com/3774839
Richard Gallon
Think Tank 2 in a row, as Sam scoops February post of the month
Two in a row for Geronimo as our digital strategist, Sam Ismail, is this months Think Tank post of the month winner.
Sam’s article Wrong Questions featured on his blog International Smoothie.
Think Tank is a regular feature on Only Dead Fish, the blog authored by Neil Perkin, the Director of Marketing & Strategy for the commercial functions of IPC Media, the well known UK publisher of consumer magazines and associated websites.