In Search of Meaning
Ott Kagovere is a freelance graphic designer and design critic. Has studied philosophy at Tallinn University and graphic design at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
Ott Kagovere
Contemporary graphic design moves in mysterious ways. The paradoxical holy trinity of graphic design consists of design, art and business. How they fit together is a mystery, but somehow they form the entity known as graphic design. Some designers lean towards business and some towards art, but one of the biggest existential questions for a conscious designer is how to fit these two notions together. What is the right balance between making money and expressing oneself?
The group functioned as a platform for digesting various ideas and clarifying the general aims of the whole project. The focus of the project became clear through the realization that the perfect platform for discussion was the most mundane situation. Interestingly, the hot debates took place not in speciality magazines, but in school among fellow students, in a studio among colleagues, or in a bar with friends. Hence the aim of the project was to initiate those daily discussions.
Such existential matters formed the starting point of a design project initiated at the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) Department of Graphic Design by two students Maria Muuk and myself. The whole project was process oriented, a journey of two designers trying to find meaning in graphic design, but the general aim of the project was simple enough: to establish a platform where such ‘philosophical’ design problems could be discussed.
Six of these discussions were recorded and published in the form of a newspaper, a temporary format emphasizing the perishable nature of a conversation. The size of the newspaper was deliberately large (A1), and the paper was text-heavy and thus a bit uncomfortable to read and handle. The idea was to make the reader browse through the discussions and jump in at random moments. Just like in a real discussion! Later on the newspaper was exhibited as part of a reading corner, together with a selection of books, articles and magazines discussed in the newspaper. The number of copies of the newspaper are limited, but one can
The first step in this process was starting a graphic design reading group at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
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