The Post-Alphabetic Poster

119 Pages·2017·1.96 MB·English

The Post-Alphabetic Poster

- Deconstructing a print medium
and its role the digital age

Anita Hvambsahl

Master Thesis in Media Studies
Institution of Media and Communication
University of Oslo
Autumn 2017
© Anita Hvambsahl
2017
The Post-alphabetic Poster - Deconstructing a print medium
and its role in the digital age
Anita Hvambsahl
http://duo.uio.no/
Trykk: Reprosentralen, Universitetet i Oslo
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”Post-alphabetic design (…) refashions information as an aesthetic event, and
at this moment, print is a good conductor of such events.”
- Matthew G. Kirschenbaum, 1999.

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Abstract
This master’s thesis is examining the poster as a print medium in the post-alphabetic age.
Through the last couple of decades, rumors and predictions have flourished about print
media’s inevitable demise. Yet, print has still not disappeared. Is the poster still a medium to
be reckoned with, and if it is, how has it adapted to a digitalized society? To conduct this
study, I have chosen to deconstruct a quote by Matthew G. Kirschenbaum found in a
presentation he held at the Media in Transition conference in 1999, where he talks about
print’s role in a digitalized society. This quote introduces several key concepts that I examine
as part of my analysis of the poster and the effects on this medium by the constant and
continuous digitalization of society. Kirschenbaum’s quote suggests that: “Post-alphabetic
design refashions information as an aesthetic event, and at this moment, print is a powerful
conductor of such events.” This quote brings with it a handful of key concepts, number one
being the concept of the post-alphabetic. With the poster as the protagonist, this thesis
attempts to set “post-alphabetic” on the agenda: What does it imply that a design is post-
alphabetic? How does it relate to the era of digitalization? Divided into five chapters, the
thesis: 1) places the poster in an historic setting to examine its historic importance, 2) maps
the term ‘post-alphabetic’ in relation to other theories and media practices, 3) presents the
work and career of David Carson in an attempt to understand the motivations for the
appearance of post-alphabetic qualities in his designs, 4) researches the ways in which
(information and) the poster can be an aesthetic event and how a post-alphabetic design can
enhance the poster as such an event, and 5) applies these findings to six concrete examples
of posters that seem to display a post-alphabetic quality within their design, in an attempt to
answer the following research questions: - What is post-alphabetic design, and how does it
refashion information as an aesthetic event? - If post-alphabetic design has a digital
component, how does this manifest in print? - How can post-alphabetic design found in
posters say something about the poster’s adaption to a digital climate?

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Sammendrag
Denne oppgaven utforsker plakaten som trykket medium i den post-alfabetiske tidsalder. I
løpet av de siste tiårene har rykter og prediksjoner florert om at trykte medier lever på lånt
tid. Likevel, trykte medier er fortsatt her. Er plakaten et trykket medium man fortsatt kan
regne med, og hvordan har den i så fall tilpasset seg et digitalt samfunn? For å gjennomføre
denne studien har jeg valgt å dekonstruere et sitat av Matthew G. Kirschenbaum, funnet i en
presentasjon han holdt på en konferanse i 1999, kalt Media in Transition. Dette sitatet
introduserer flere nøkkelkonsepter jeg undersøker som en del av min analyse av plakaten og
effektene et stadig mer digitalisert samfunn har hatt på dette mediet. Kirschenbaums sitat
foreslår at: ”Post-alphabetic design (...) refashions information as an aesthetic event, and at
this moment, print is a powerful conductor of such events.” Med plakaten som hovedobjekt
har denne oppgaven som hensikt å belyse begrepet post-alfabetisk: Hva betyr det at et
design er post-alfabetisk? Hvordan relaterer det til den digitale tidsalderen? Delt inn i fem
kapitler ønsker denne oppgaven: 1) å plassere plakaten i en historisk setting for å undersøke
dens historiske betydning, 2) å kartlegge begrepet ’post-alfabetisk’ i relasjon til andre teorier
og media praksiser, 3) å presentere arbeidet og karrieren til grafisk designer David Carson i
et forsøk på å forstå motivasjonen for utviklingen av post-alfabetiske kvaliteter i hans design,
4) å undersøke måtene (informasjon og) plakaten kan være en estetisk event og hvordan et
post-alfabetisk design kan forsterke plakaten som en slik event, og 5) å anvende disse
funnene for å analysere seks konkrete plakat-eksempler som ser ut til å inneha en post-
alfabetisk kvalitet i sine design, i et forsøk på å svare på følgende forskningsspørsmål: - Hva
er post-alfabetisk design, og hvordan omgjør det informasjon til en estetisk event? – Hvis
post-alfabetisk design har en digital komponent, hvordan kommer dette til uttrykk på trykk?
– Hvordan kan post-alfabetisk design funnet i plakater si noe om plakatens tilpasning til et
digitalt klima?

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Acknowledgements
Writing this master’s thesis has been a long and tedious process, in many ways. Yet, it has
provided me with lots of new insight in relation to both of my fields of interest, graphic
design and media studies, and how these can be combined and maybe even benefit from
this combination.
A special thanks: to my supervisor Gunnar Liestøl, for encouraging me to follow my
gut and choose a less conventional approach to my thesis work, and for the positivity and
interest you have showed me during our supervising sessions; to my good friend Sarah,
without your inspiration I would never have embarked on this journey in the first place; and
to my better half Chris, for always having faith in me and for making me laugh in times when
laughter was the furthest from my mind.
And last but not least, thank you to my family, friends and co-workers, and my fellow
students for your invaluable support.

Oslo, 30.11.2017

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