Graphic Design: Now in Production, a traveling exhibition co-organized by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and the Walker Art Center, concluded its three-year run at the RISD Museum on August 3. Featuring work produced since 2000, the exhibition explored magazines, newspapers, books, and posters; the expansion of branding programs for corporations, institutions, and subcultures; the entrepreneurial spirit of designer-produced goods; the renaissance in digital typeface design; the storytelling potential of film and television titling sequences; and the transformation of raw data into compelling information narratives.
Graphic Design: Now in Production was popular with the general public and also provided a particularly exciting opportunity for RISD faculty and students to engage with the Museum. A full-day study session in the galleries in April brought together graphic designers, curators, and RISD faculty to debate the past, critique the present, and imagine the future of graphic design. This conversation inspired us to extend the lifespan of the exhibition in a digital format, to consider graphic design in 2014 and the future. Shifts in technology, trends, and ideas since the exhibition was initially composed seem to demand a reevaluation, or at least a continuation, of its themes and its definition of what is “now.” To that end, we have taken advantage of the Museum’s relationship with RISD and have asked a group of graphic design students and professionals to offer their visions of “Graphic Design Next.” Discover this lighthearted and experimental collaboration on Pinterest.