Abstract
To resolve the marginalisation of East Asian design in graphic design history, this research argues for design history’s reconception from the perspective of deeper historical and globological structures than the recent prominence of Euro-American design. That Western society has integrated its current global power with processes of cultural imperialism is evident from the writing of graphic design history. The metadiscourses of Euro-American modernism and postmodernism constitute the roots of privileged and prejudicial knowledge in the history of graphic design, establishing Western developments as the yardstick for the production and ordering of graphic design history. Substantive frameworks for shaping design history are necessary. However, frameworks are also necessarily subject to change as historical conditions alter. The rise of East Asian economies raises the issues of the cultures that support them, including their cultural heritages, which have had a world historical influence over fields like writing, printing and design. Writing the history of East Asian design cultures not only acknowledges their historical importance, it is fundamental to their future development as distinctive design spheres while opening up the scope for culture-based knowledge and understanding to reorient homogenous Western design.
Keywords
Taiwanese Graphic Design History, Graphic Design History, Globological Perspective, Euro-American Design, Cultural Marginalization
Citation
CHOU, W. (2006) The Reorganization of Graphic Design History, in Friedman, K., Love, T., Côrte-Real, E. and Rust, C. (eds.), Wonderground - DRS International Conference 2006, 1-4 November, Lisbon, Portugal. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2006/researchpapers/71
The Reorganization of Graphic Design History
To resolve the marginalisation of East Asian design in graphic design history, this research argues for design history’s reconception from the perspective of deeper historical and globological structures than the recent prominence of Euro-American design. That Western society has integrated its current global power with processes of cultural imperialism is evident from the writing of graphic design history. The metadiscourses of Euro-American modernism and postmodernism constitute the roots of privileged and prejudicial knowledge in the history of graphic design, establishing Western developments as the yardstick for the production and ordering of graphic design history. Substantive frameworks for shaping design history are necessary. However, frameworks are also necessarily subject to change as historical conditions alter. The rise of East Asian economies raises the issues of the cultures that support them, including their cultural heritages, which have had a world historical influence over fields like writing, printing and design. Writing the history of East Asian design cultures not only acknowledges their historical importance, it is fundamental to their future development as distinctive design spheres while opening up the scope for culture-based knowledge and understanding to reorient homogenous Western design.