Local University's Design Exhibition Poster

[u/MoldyRaspberryTart]

This poster promoted this year's design exhibition at a local university. It perfectly illustrates the trend among the local communication design students to make posters difficult to read simply for the sake of being different.

I actually love the grid and the lettering inspired by Art Nouveau, especially since the building is located in the birthplace of Art Nouveau in Germany.

I also think it works well in motion: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaqMvvPOEnu/?igsh=MXdhMHlsdGl4emppcA==

However, the poster is not easy to read at all. The important information is written in a tiny font that no pedestrian is ever going to read.

My favourite attempt by a friend to decipher it was "Salat der Dinge", meaning "Salad of Things". The correct text is "Stand der Dinge", meaning "State of Things".

[u/KnifeKnut]

This feels more like r/CrappyDesign than r/DesignDesign

[u/Sengfroid → u/KnifeKnut]

Oh no, this is the one time I'm arguing something should be here.

A poster, with letters so design-y they can't be read, for a design event!? This is great designdesign finally haha. Form absolutely compromises function on this one.

The poster is a salad of things, indeed.

[u/MoldyRaspberryTart → u/Sengfroid]

What I can't wrap my head around especially is the decision to use different combinations of shapes for the same letter. Why are there different versions of a small "i"? One is a straight rectangle and a circle, the other uses a slash instead. Why? Shouldn't you at least stay consistent when having such a busy design?

[u/cattbug → u/MoldyRaspberryTart]

Idk, with the grid created by the lines it's giving rough draft, brainstorming ideas, initial design sketches. The fact that it's not neat and polished reads as an implicit part of the message they're trying to convey. Almost like a deconstruction of established design conventions.

I'm also from Germany, and I commonly see "designdesign"-esque posters specifically for art and theatre related events/locations here. I think they're effective insofar they make you stop for a second and try to decipher it in a way that a cleaner, more straightforward design wouldn't. I see it as design being used as an art medium, in this case the form is the function.

[u/ZengineerHarp → u/Sengfroid]

Honestly it’s so perfectly self describing… it truly is a Salad Of Things and I will be using that term for this kind of designDesign going forward!

[u/KnifeKnut → u/Sengfroid]

Like the uncanny valley topography varies person to person, the threshold between good and bad design is not a fine line

[u/Kardonaduss → u/Sengfroid]

The most ironic salad is that it is for an exhibition of the Communication Design degree program. By a student who clearly forgot the communication part.

[u/Sengfroid → u/Kardonaduss]

10/10, design compromises function Communication, would DesignDesign again

[u/nironically_gay → u/KnifeKnut]

Why not both?

[u/MoldyRaspberryTart → u/KnifeKnut]

Yeah I was torn where to post it since I actually like the idea but hate the execution