Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A Central Paradigm in The Periphery The Rise and Fall of A Graphic Design Business
A Central Paradigm in The Periphery The Rise and Fall of A Graphic Design Business
Qu Pasa will be used to understand how Graf changed the local practice from fine art printmaking tradition
Qu Pasa (December, 1980) Puerto Rico Tourism Company Editor: Patricia OReilley Design: Irene Delano Example of the magazine before Graf. Qu Pasa (Winter, 1994) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company Grafs second revamp of the magazine.
Our Question
Lack of design industry: Only Architectural firms were in business. No Diverse Practice: Design services were mostly offered by multinational Ad Agencies. Lack of Strong Government Policies: DIVEDCO (Division of Community Education), a strong cultural program that ran since the 1950s, had closed, leaving Concilio de Diseo (based on the model of the United Kingdoms Design Council) as the only government program focused on design.
Politicized processes Cultural insitutions and products were targeted and restrained by right wing government.
Qu Pasa (January, 1981) Puerto Rico Tourism Company The intrusion of politics in the tourist guide is evident in the January 1981 edition of Qu Pasa, where the cover (top) shows a picture of the reelected governor at the time, Carlos Romero Barcel but the table of contents (right, marked with red) shows a footnote referencing the cover photo that reads: Cover: Guayama plaza. PRTC Photo. It appears that the PRTC decided to change the approved cover after it had gone to press. According to Hopgood this move had an influence on then editor Patricia OReilleys retirement later that year.
Design is a luxury Countries with no reliable infrastructure or manufacturing industry Cheap labor No design discourse No design education (except architecture)
Our Question
Business model of West Indies Advertising (a local ad agency). Ethical Guidelines of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) to begin/develop a design practice discourse. Pricing model of the Graphic Artists Guild. Creative models of successful design groups like Pentagram to establish creative processes.
New Question
Analysis Framework
A four stage problem solving spiral model is used to explain, under Resiliency Theory, the stategies used by Graf to tackle adversity, thrive and later, succumb. RTRP uses 4 sets of behavior patterns consisting of 9 tools for design practitioners to make resilient strategies.
(ONeill, 2011)
(RTRP)
Learn
observe
act
strategy
analysis
ADVERSE EVENT
rtrp
Graf, Inc. team in 1991. Sitting down, in the middle with her arms crossed is Mary Anne Hopgood Santaella, President and owner of Graf, Inc. The photo is part of a shooting done for a three part promotional mailing piece. The photo was taken in Grafs new facilities, inaugurated in 1990. Photo: Mark Bacon.
rtrp
Anchored Intertextuality At Hand Publish
Effective Strategies
Work-ethic based on merit, not by public relations Horizontal organization Supportive of creative practitioners Visual acknowledgment of past artists and designers work Used what was available Participated in local and United States competitions. Open process with creative team.
rtrp
Anchored
designers self-worth
Effective Strategies
Work-ethic based on merit, not by public relations Horizontal organization Supportive of creative practitioners
Evidence: They chose their workload and itinerary. Very different from Ad agencies at the time. Promoted pro active decision making. Emphasized collaboration in all stages of production. The designers participated in the costing of projects based on their estimated time for executing each phase.
Commit to a specific community and when you find yourself in a compromising situation, remember and honor it. You should not confuse this tools meaning with blind nationalism or xenophobia.
rtrp
Intertextuality
designers role in society
Effective Strategies
Stay tuned to what happened, is happening and will happen in the field. Accept and recognize the past authors and creators legacies and integrate them respectfully in your work. In the best-case scenario, this tool may lead you to innovation.
Evidence: Grafs adaptation of Irene Delanos centerfold map of Puerto Rico drawn by photographer Jack Delano. Graf approached the map as an information design piece. The decision to pay respect to work of the Delanos in Qu Pasa, is a way to preserve design history.
The decision to pay respect to work of the Delanos is a way to build for the future.
Map of Puerto Rico Qu Pasa (December, 1980) Irene and Jack Delano Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Paying respect to the work of predecessors proved that embracing new technologies and new languages does not have to erase the past. Recognizing the contribution of the past offer tools for the present.
Map of Puerto Rico Qu Pasa (top: September, 1990; bottom: Fall, 1994) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Map of Old San Juan Qu Pasa (December, 1973) Irene and Jack Delano Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Top: (September, 1990) Qu Pasa was a two-color monthly publication. Bottom: (Fall, 1994) Qu Pasa had become a full color, digital, quarterly publication.
Map of Old San Juan Qu Pasa (top: September, 1990; bottom: Fall, 1994) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company
rtrp
Intertextuality
designers role in society
Effective Strategies
Stay tuned to what happened, is happening and will happen in the field. Accept and recognize the past authors and creators legacies and integrate them respectfully in your work. In the best-case scenario, this tool may lead you to innovation.
Evidence: The unique 8x8in (20x20cm) format was kept to mantain a connection and to build goodwill.
On the left, Grafs first design of the magazine, as a two-color, mothly publication. On the right, the 1994 revamp, as a quarterly full color, digital magazine.
Qu Pasa (left: September, 1990; right: Fall, 1994) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Hopgood on the 8x8in format: It could be easily folded and put in a bag. An eight and a half by eleven [letter size] would have been too big.
rtrp
Intertextuality
designers role in society
Effective Strategies
Stay tuned to what happened, is happening and will happen in the field. Accept and recognize the past authors and creators legacies and integrate them respectfully in your work. In the best-case scenario, this tool may lead you to innovation.
Evidence: Graf also sustained and strengthened the editorial criteria that the previous editor had established for the publication (60% editorial content and 40% advertising).
Top: shows the Events section of the magazine with the design used by Graf from 1983-1991. Bottom: shows the revamp for the same section (then called Whats Happening), used from 1994-1997.
Current events spread Qu Pasa (top: September, 1990; bottom: Fall, 1994) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Ad pages were kept apart from the editorial content in selected sections of the magazine.
Ad pages Qu Pasa (Winter 1994) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Main article spread Qu Pasa (December, 1983) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Main article spread Qu Pasa (Winter, 1992) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Main article spread Qu Pasa (Winter, 1995) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company
rtrp
At Hand
designers problem solving skills
Effective Strategies
If you find yourself in a stressful situation, constrain your design work to what is available. Dont lament about what you dont have; instead, welcome the new learning opportunities that this may bring you.
Evidence: Used photo-typesetting Redesigned the magazine section by section Did a total of three revamps while the production of the magazine kept on running, i.e. worked on two magazines simultaneously.
Top: design by Irene Delano. Bottom: first issue completely designed by Graf. Only small adjustments to Delanos design had been made. Grafs complete revamp debuted in December 1983.
Old San Juan spread Qu Pasa (top: July, 1982; bottom: December, 1982) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Two design approaches for the twocolor Qu Pasa (1982-1991), one with many smaller photographs and the other with bigger more dramatic shots of important landmarks.
Out on the Island spread Qu Pasa (top: January, 1985; bottom: January 1986) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Similar section to Out on the Island (previous slide) in the 1992 revamp. In the digital version of the magazine, Graf stepped away from the International Style aesthethic.
Following the sun spread Qu Pasa (Winter, 1992) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Another version of Following the sun. This was part of the 1994 revamp that was used until the end. This is the last issue designed by Graf.
Following the sun spread Qu Pasa (Fall, 1997) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company
First revamp by Graf of the Restaurants section. Debuted in 1983, Grafs first revamp of the magazine.
Restaurants spread Qu Pasa (December, 1983) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company
1985 revision of the Restaurantes section. Graf worked continuously to strengthen the Information Design aspect of the publication.
Restaurants spread Qu Pasa (September 1985) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company
1992 revamp of the Restaurants section. Same format was used for other listings like Lodgings.
Restaurants spread Qu Pasa (Winter, 1992) Graf, Inc. Puerto Rico Tourism Company
rtrp
Publish
designers self-worth
Effective Strategies
Participated in local and United States competitions. Open process with creative team.
Show others what you are doing. Allow them to see your reflections on both, the process and the final product. Remember that problems are like fungus; they grow in the dark, which means you can also use this tool to get problems out of the closet, debilitate them and solve them. Remember that in order to publish you need to document your work, or on the contrary, it will be like it never happened.
1995 7th. Edition EXCEL Awards Corporate Identity Puerto Rico Tourism Company Public Relations Association Puerto Rico
1996 8th. Edition EXCEL Awards Corporate Identity Commission for the 2004 Olympiad Public Relations Association Puerto Rico
1997 AMERICAN COPORATE IDENTITY 13 Award of Excellence Commission for the 2004 Olympiad Trademark/Logo Design
1997 AMERICAN COPORATE IDENTITY 13 Award of Excellence Commission for the 2004 Olympiad Complete Identity Program
1997 AMERICAN COPORATE IDENTITY 13 Award of Excellence Commission for the 2004 Olympiad Letterhead Design
1997 AMERICAN COPORATE IDENTITY 13 Award of Excellence Puerto Rico Tourism Company Signage/Environmental Graphics
1997 AMERICAN COPORATE IDENTITY 13 Award of Excellence Puerto Rico Tourism Company Signage/Environmental Graphics
1997 American Paper Design And Printing Competition First Prize Puerto Rico Tourism Company Promotional Mailing Piece
1998 10th. Edition EXCEL Awards Corporate Identity Museum of Art of Puerto Rico Public Relations Association Puerto Rico
Qu Pasas popularity grew and so did its production budget: from $423K (USD) in 1987-88 to $453K (USD) in 1989-90. Eventually PRTC assign up to $1 million to the production budget. Growth of the corporation: from 3 to 10 employees; revenue: $75.5K (1982), $527.1K (1989) to $1.3 million (1993) Peer Recognition: United States Print Magazine published an article dedicated to Puerto Rican graphic design, which included the work of Graf. Corporate clients: Ponce Museum of Art, Banco Popular of Puerto Rico, Citibank Corporate Banking, Commission for the 2004 Olympiad, Museum of Art of Puerto Rico, among others. Government projects: Tourism Company corporate ID and Promotional ID National events project: Central American Games of 1993. International projects: Banco Popular Dominicano and Costa Rican presidential candidate Margarita Penn; first female presidential candidate.
First female candidate of the Presidency of Costa Rica. Graf developed the graphics, promotional pieces, slogan and coordinated quality control with suppliers in Costa Rica.
New Question
Although Grafs model was adapted to the peripheral practice it was still center-based. Grafs Axiological Model became to rigid and lost focus. Grafs designers focused on adversity instead of opportunities.
Business Context
Cause
Effects
PrivatizationPublic policy
New administration handed Qu Pasa -a product developed with taxpayers moneyto a private corporation
Business Context
Cause Technology
Effects
Desktop publishing allowed proliferation of untrained professionals services and in-house setups. Corporate clients started to request speculative design proposals in order to choose the lowest bidder.
Business Context
Cause
Effects
Citibank closed down its Corporate Banking division and left the Island.
For Hopgood, this event was example of the unveiling of the economic crisis that would swipe Puerto Rico as well other countries, in the upcoming years.
Architect Leslie Voltaire, from Haiti, speaking of the effects of the earthquake, 2010.
Recent economic collapse due to the global economic crisis has left many designers powerless and lacking instruments to operate. Designers - peripheral or not - when they are in an adverse national context can find their business and practice efforts derailed easily.
rtrp
No Fast Feet Play
designers self-worth
Mutate and transform. If adversity makes its appearance, act immediately. A fast feet play attitude can substantially change any play, transforming a problem into a design opportunity.
Did not downsize or made adjustments to employees benefits. Therefore compromised the whole team. Were unable to reinvent their practice and recognize business and innovation opportunities.
Evidence: Graf did not recognize new ways of working and how the role of the designer was changing. Unable to give employees the flexibility to work co-location. Unable to move from an expert designer to a facilitator designer, therefore, collaborating in a participatory way with vernacular designers and users.
rtrp
No Diversification
Ineffective Strategies
designers self-worth
Mix and match your allies, so you can develop an eclectic network. When moving among the diverse spheres of action you will expose yourself to new possibilities. Note that, in order to make this tool work, these spheres cant belong to a specific social group.
It is a fact that the Internet, although it was still very new to many, presented a niche for designers. In 1989 Puerto Rico became part of the second group of countries to have access to the Internet (by NSFNET).
Effective and ineffective strategies for contemporary designers working under adversities:
Freelance operations will limit the growth (both of businesses and design maturity) in contexts with weak design cultures. Corporate structure strengthens the design practice as well as the design culture. The importance to use models that address the dynamics of socio-economic instability, similar to the experience of a peripheral country. The importance of a deep understanding of local cultural knowledge in order to create cultural capital in a sustainable manner.
Anchored At Hand
Effective and ineffective strategies for contemporary designers working under adversities:
Focus on opportunities instead of adversity. Like a two hand operation: one deals with the current problems at hand, while the other continues with the main plan. The importance of collaboration and participatory creative processes that promote a pro active environment among design teams with the users, clients and vernacular designers. The importance of inserting ones own practice in design history in order to build creatively. Being comfortable with public error and wandering in the creative process.
Intertextuality
Publish
Still a disorganized guild, dominated by freelance professionals. In general, the Puerto Rican audience is unaware of what design is or the role it can play in a society, i.e. Puerto Rico has no design culture. There is no entrepreneurship culture among the creative industries. The advertising agencies, which rule the industry, absorb the graphic design professionals. Others go into the freelance practice with no vision of something bigger. The work done by the Graf has fallen victim to the obliterating effects of the context; tabula rasa, very common in contexts like Puerto Rico that do not have a design discourse.
Various graphic design programs have opened up in local universities since Grafs time. Hopgood helped design the initial curriculum of the first one established, in her alma mater: Escuela de Artes Plsticas de Puerto Rico (School of Fine Arts). Graf did establish a precedent for design businesses in Puerto Rico. It showed that it can be done. Why people are not doing it?...That is a whole other research.
There are efforts, like this one by Rubberband,LLP, to document the local history of design as well as current work being done. Among others worth mentioning is Puerto Rico Historic Building Drawings Society. More recently, grass roots organizations that aim to make conscience that design is not a luxury have began to emerge, e.g.: Incubadora de Empresas e Industrias Creativas de Mayagez and Puerto Rico Creative Economy Initiative.
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