Masters project
"Guilty? The eternal paradox of being a graphic designer"
My MA research focused on the issue of sustainability and responsibility in design, the flaws
with many of the ideals and their intrinsic hypocrisy. The culmination of this was a 72-page handmade
book which I wrote, designed and bound myself.
The book explored the key debates surrounding sustainability in graphic design, my critical and slightly cynical standpoint and key movements, such as Modernism and the First Things First Manifesto. This was exhibited as part of the MA Expo (July 2007) and received great comments from the WGSN,
"Eleanor Seelig's work really stood out at this year's show...her beautifully presented, slightly tongue-in-cheek sets of questions and visual discussions, issues including sustainability, consumerism and globalisation all contributed to the designer's sense of anxiety and responsibility"
Read the full WSGN report [724kb, pdf]
Following the Expo, I was invited by the School of Art & Design (Nottingham Trent University) to give a lecture to staff and students as part of the "Preconceptions" series, exploring the issues surrounding sustainability.
View Preconceptions lecture (PDF, 1.34mb)
The "Life is Complicated" book explored the issues of sustainability, but also contained a mini, fold-out book that played with some of the typographic morality of Jan Tschichold. Some pages from this section can be viewed below.
Extract from project book... (click on page corner to turn, requires flash player)