Lightness: Graphics

 

I was surprised at how quickly I was able to find a good example of Calvino’s Lightness within Graphic Design: The New Basics, by Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Phillips. I was looking for something that reminded me of my Lightness Emblem (an iMac); clean lines, simplistic, lightly tinted hues. I decided I would include two different images because I think they both do a really good job of demonstrating Lightness.

This first image has the following caption:

Artful Reduction A minimal stack of carefully shaped forms, in concert with exacting intervals of spaces, instantly evokes this sculptural landmark. Malcolm Greer, Malcolm Greer Designers.

Although I’ve never been to the Guggenheim Museum, I found this photograph of it:

Looking at the two representations of the building, they look very similar. The artist Malcolm Greer has stripped the Guggenheim down to it’s simplest and most essential facet. He has removed the weight from the Guggenheim. The busy city streets and even the artwork inside the building have been removed from the design so that it becomes light. Also, the bright yellow color provides a good canvas for use of negative space with the rectangular shapes and sans-serif typeface. This is a good example of thoughtful lightness: the spaces between the rectangles are even and the lack of framing reminds me of the black and white photograph I included above. In the black and white image the white facade seems to melt into the sky around it; there is no clear distinction between where the building ends and where the sky begins.

I also wanted to include this entry from Graphic Design:

Inverted Hierarchy This package design project asks students to redirect a product line to an unexpected audience. This design for cleaning products reorders the hierarchy and voice to spark the interest of young, progressive consumers who may be new to housekeeping. The brand name is subtle and sits back, while the offending soil takes center stage. Oliver Munday, Advanced Design. Jennifer Cole Phillips, faculty.

On an unrelated note, I would totally buy this product! It is an example of thoughtful lightness. The terms “laundry detergent” or “bleach” are actually a pretty abstract concepts if you don’t already know the definitions. This product takes the nature of the cleaning product and brings it down to its simplest form. The remove spots, stains, germs and scum, so why not make that the focal point of the product design? Also, the blue and white color scheme combined with the clean lines and empty space convey a sense of cleanliness.

 

 

Lightness: Emblem

Directly after I finished Lightness: Calvino’s Quality, I knew what my emblem for this quality should be: an iMac. The product itself is physically very light but it has the power of a work-horse: 8GB of RAM, 1 TB of storage, super fast graphics cards, and efficient wifi cards…

But the concept of Lightness with this iMac goes much deeper. It is the perfect example of thoughtful lightness as opposed to frivolous lightness and every time I think of Lightness, I think of an iMac. As I explained in my Analogy post, the inner machinations of a computer can become very complicated very quickly. However, when you use any OSX device, you are not overwhelmed by it’s intricacies. The user interface is so intuitive that it’s operational for a 7-year-old and a 70-year-old. Obviously, I’m a biased user; I know there are PC’s out there that have the qualities of Lightness, but Apple products consistently portray this quality. I did a bit of surgery on my own MacBook Pro pretty recently and I was surprised with how beautiful the computer looked when the back casing was taken off. I’ve opened up PC’s before and looked into their dusty depths, so I know that there isn’t a comparison.

When you open up an Apple product, it looks like a puzzle. Everything has a very very specific place and everything fits in with the least amount of wasted space. After looking at the insides of an iMac, you can’t image that the parts could be arranged any other way. Everything about this product is smooth, finished, calculated, and clean. Even though the computer can be complicated, it doesn’t seem that way.

Lightness: Analogy

As explained in my post, Lightness: Calvino’s Quality, something that has the quality of lightness can appear very complicated. However, when one steps back and evaluates from a different perspective, it will seem light. In order to explain this in more detail, I will use the analogy of the interplay between hardware and software.

In Calvino’s memo on Lightness, he mentions the relationship between computer hardware and software and I think it works best to look at it in a positive light and to expound upon it. So let’s think: You take a look at your basic PC. It looks pretty simple from the outside. It looks like a black case and a square screen. However, upon further inspection, things can become much more complicated very quickly: the simple black case contains so many infinitely intricate pieces and wires.

However, when you sit down and start working with the unit, it is easy to access the internet and perform simple tasks. Just because something may be very complicated, it is not necessary to know all of the specifics if it has the quality of lightness.

Lightness: E-Lit Example

After deciding upon my Emblem and Analogy for Calvino’s quality of Lightness, I ventured into the deep dark chasms of the E-Lit anthologies provided by Professor Ulmer:

• E-Lit Anthology
• E-Lit Vol 2
• More E-Lit

Honestly, going through some of these sites was painful for me. I thought I would irreparably damage my laptop with all the Java appelets these sites were designed for running. But then I realized that I’m just really spoiled with awesome places on the Internet to hang out. It also blows my mind that there have been so many advancements in such a short amount of time. So then as I was clicking around I finally found something awesome:

The video above is my exploration of Type is Art. Like the website explains, it is a public interactive art project. The aspects of your canvas can be made up of any of the 21 distinct parts of a letter form.

I’m going to backtrack a bit so that I can explain why this E-Lit site is a good example of Calvino’s Lightness. In his memo on lightness, I recall that he spent some time mulling over the diction of Danté and Cavalcanti in a specific passage. Both authors were trying to describe a mountain. Danté used the word “alpe” and Cavalcanti used the word “bianca” (white). Calvino said that Cavalcanti’s diction was better because by saying alpe, Danté is making the vision more concrete. By using bianca, the reader is able to envision “an atmosphere of suspended abstraction.”

This had a snowball effect for me. From my experience as an English major and a lover of all things literature, I know that the specific arrangement of letters within a carefully curated word can convey intense meaning (exemplified by Cavalcanti and Danté in the aforementioned excerpt). However, this E-lit example takes the weight out of these letters and transforms them into a different art form. This website design makes it clear that language can be atomized down to it’s individual parts like the serif, but language can also be pulled apart and take on a different meaning. The photo above is my attempt at making visual art through letters.

Lightness: Calvino’s Quality

Before writing this section, I found it helpful to first re-read Calvino’s section on Lightness. This was a lot more time intensive than I anticipated so I may just read over my detailed notes before I approach writing a post for the other qualities.

According to Calvino, Lightness is best explained in opposition to heaviness. He explains that he is often concerned with subtracting weight from stories and language. In order to further define the quality, Calvino uses the myth of Perseus.

Perseus was a Greek hero that killed the Gorgon named Medusa. At birth, Medusa is described as being ravishingly beautiful. However, when Athena discovered Poseidon raping Medusa in her temple, she transformed Medusa’s hair into serpents and made her face so terrible to behold that the mere sight of it would turn onlookers to stone. In order to kill Medusa, Perseus was able to see Medusa through the reflection in his mirrored shield; he beheaded her without looking directly at her.

This story relates to the quality of lightness because it is inherently tied to perspective. Just as Perseus had to gain a different or unique perspective in order to kill Medusa, we must look at things from a different perspective in order to work towards lightness.

Calvino also uses the story of Guido Cavalcanti by Boccaccio. Guido is surrounded by foes in a graveyard and things begin to look rather sinister. He cleverly escapes his enemies by leaping over a grave. This reference to Cavalcanti is significant because of the reference to mortality with the “graveyard” setting, but also because Cavalcanti was able to reevaluate the situation and find a solution that was very simple and effective.

For me, the most explicit definition of Lightness within this memo was outlined through the use of the following quote from Paul Valery:

This quote roughly translates: “One must be light like the bird, and not like the feather.” I really liked this quote (mostly because I speak French) but because it nicely put things in perspective. Professor Ulmer said that it was common for some students to immediately choose the feather as an emblem for Lightness. This quote explains why the feather would not be appropriate; lightness is only in effect if the subject has a use. For example, something that conveys Calvino’s Lightness would be functional, like a bird, and not like the feather which is only a part of the whole. A feather without a bird is useless, but a bird without a single feather can still function. This got me thinking about Calvino’s concept of thoughtful lightness as opposed to frivolous lightness. A feather would be an example of something that is frivolously light; it simply isn’t heavy. However, a bird (like the one pictured above) is something that is thoughtfully light. There is a well thought out purpose.