The reading for this week, chapter 22, discusses postmodern
graphic design. One of the designers that Meggs briefly touches upon in this
chapter is Michael Manwaring. Meggs briefly talks about his use of color, form,
and texture in his environmental designs, but doesn’t give any further
information about his life, work, or what environmental design is (Meggs, 473).
I wanted to know more about this, and after further research, I found that
Michael Manwaring has made many significant accomplishments throughout his life
in the field of graphic design, especially related to environmental design. I
also researched exactly what environmental design is. This blog post will
discuss both of these topics.
Fig. 1: Photograph of Michael Manwaring
(Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/O/index.ssf/2009/08/portland_opens_artist_ michael.html)
Michael
Manwaring was born in Palo Alto California. He was educated at the San
Francisco Art Institute, and stayed in San Francisco for the next forty years
working as a graphic designer (Manwaring). He completed many well-known
projects during this time, one of which includes the interpretive signage
project for the San Francisco Art Commission. This work “combines poetry,
cultural and natural history on The
Embarcadero Promende” which was a two-and-a-half mile long section of San
Francisco waterfront (Manwaring). Another accomplishment was the environmental
design graphics, color and retail work he completed for the HP Pavilion. He was
recognized for his work when he was profiled in Time Magazine, as well as
having his work featured in the “first exhibition of graphic design at the San
Francisco Museum of Modern Art” (Manwaring). The exhibition was called, In the Public Eye: the work of four graphic
designers. In 1997 the Society for Environmental Graphic Design elected
Manwaring as a fellow, as well as named him one of the most important people in
the field of graphic design (Manwaring). In 2000, Manwaring received the Allied
Professionals Award of excellence from the California Council of the American
Institute of Architects. Manwaring also worked as a professor during his
professional career. He taught at the College of Environmental Design UC
Berkeley, as well as Kent State University, and worked as an adjunct Professor
of Design at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco from
1976-2001. From 1991-1993 Manwaring co-developed and taught an interdisciplinary
course for artists, architects, and graphic designers called “City as Surface”
with Suzanne Lazy, Dean of Fine Arts (Manwaring). Early in 2006, he relocated
to Portland, Oregon to focus on his painting and sculpture.
Fig. 2: The Stanford Design Conference Poster by Michael Manwaring
(Source: http://designarchives.aiga.org/)
Fig. 3: Poster by Michael Manwaring
(Source: http://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/cardshowall.php?title=test-3-graphic-design-test-3)
Manwaring’s
work with environmental design got me wondering what exactly environmental
design is. Upon doing some research, I found that environmental design is,
“concerned with the visual aspects of way-finding, communicating identity and
information, and shaping the idea of creating experiences that connect people
to place” (SEGD). It embraces many disciplines such as graphic design,
architecture, interior design, landscape design, and industrial design. Common
examples of work by environmental design practitioners such as Manwaring include
“way-finding systems, architectural graphics, signage, exhibit design, identity
graphics, dynamic environments, civic design, pictogram design, retail and
store design, mapping, and themed/branded environments” (SEGD). It becomes
clear, and then, that environmental design is an important, and heavily used
aspect of our everyday lives.
References:
Manwaring, Michael.
"About." michael Manwaring. N.p.. Web. 6 Apr 2014. <http://www.manwaring.com>.
Manwaring, Michael. N.d.
Photograph. ProProfs FlashcardsWeb. 6 Apr 2014. <http://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/cardshowall.php?title=test-3-graphic-design-test-3>.
Manwaring , Micheael. The
Stanford Design Conference Poster. N.d. Graphic. AIGA Design ArchivesWeb. 6 Apr 2014.
<http://designarchives.aiga.org/
Megg, Philip B. Megg's
History of Graphic Design. 5th ed. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2012. 200-202. Print.
Metty, Abbey. The Oregonian
Michael Manwaring. N.d. Photograph. OregonLiveWeb. 6 Apr 2014. <http://www.oregonlive.com/O/index.ssf/2009/08/portland_opens_artist_ michael.html>.
"What is Environmental
Graphic Design (EGD)?." SEGD. N.p.. Web. 6 Apr 2014. <http://segd.org/article/what-environmental-graphic-design-egd>.
