Introduction:
David Carson is an American graphic designer who is best known for experimental typography work and innovative designs for magazines. He used to be the art director for a magazine called Ray Gun, in which he applied many of his techniques that he is well known for. Also, the “grunge typography” era is said to be defined by Carson’s widely imitated aesthetic of experimental typography.
Carson’s Work:
1 – Pink
Carson’ first piece was made to advertise an American national park, meaning that the typography style is less experimental than in some of his other pieces, as the reader needs to be able to understand the type so they are aware of what is being advertised. He has coupled patterned typography with a plain background for a more minimalist look to this piece compared to some of his other work. Furthermore, in terms of colour, Carson has used an Analogous colour scheme as this piece is to advertise a national park, and Analogous colour schemes are often found in nature. Personally I like this piece because of the colour scheme of soft pink with purples, greens and blues.
2 – Green
For his second piece, I chose this one as I liked how it looked like a hand-made collage with the torn edges of paper and different dimensions as a result of the overlapping layers. The colour combination is interesting, as the hues are all very vivid, contrasted with the large black type that stand out from the colourful background. Carson has used a Tetradic colour scheme for this piece, pairing orange and yellow with green and blue. This piece is more experimental with its typography style compared to the previous piece, as the reader is not required to understand the type as it is not an advertisement.
3 – Red
For his third piece I chose this one as it was in a similar collage/scrap-book style to his previous piece that I analysed, and I liked the colour combination of reds, greens and blues; this being a Triadic colour combination. I like how Carson has created a three dimensional look by using jagged edges and overlapping the layers; the aesthetic of the piece appeals to me as it reminds me of graffiti on a brick wall, and I find graffiti an interesting form of expression.
Graphic Design 