jonathan barnbrook
today we looked at a graphic designer called jonathan barnbrook. he was born in 1966. he believes morals are more important than earning money, and so turns down jobs if he doesn’t agree with the interests of the company. this means that he lives on what he describes as a modest budget, he lives in a normal house and rides a bike to work. he was also part of a design manifesto who think that graphic designers’ talents are being squandered, wasted on meaningless brand identities rather than focusing on more important visual communication such as signage and important campaigns.
barnbrook designed the cd cover for heathen by david bowie, although he is primarily a typographer.
i think barnbrook’s views are very idealistic, although i think it is important to stick to your morals we can’t all turn down work when it comes our way, earning money is important, and if you are going to get into graphic design then you have to expect making money for clients to be a part of the job. i also think the members of the manifesto are being a bit prentetious, i enjoy designing brand identities and packaging and all the stuff people associate with graphic design nowadays. i don’t think it’s selling out to want to do that type of work, perhaps it won’t impact on the world for years to come but it’s fun and people don’t have to buy the products, it’s not the designers place to ensure every product or event is morally sound.
