Yesterday I visited the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising in London. This is an area of graphic design that I have a particular interest into, and I thought that it would be useful to see the development of this area through time. The museum entry price was quite expensive being £7 for students, and unfortunately no photographs were allowed, however I found it inspiring and very nostalgic.
The main feature within the museum was the time tunnel which starts from the Victorian era right through to today's day and age. It was really interesting to see how consumer and popular culture has developed over the years, and I think that it is important to understand why and how it changed. Within the museum there was a wealth of items, but they were all crammed together inside glass cases. As there was so much to look at visually, it was very easy to look over and miss things out. Another criticism of the museum is that although there was a lot of historical context about the era the items came from, for a design student like myself it would have been useful to know about production methods, materials, styles, designers etc.
My favourite era from the time tunnel would have to be the 90's, I love the bright, bold colours and striking text that was on packaging. I want to look into type and use of colour further as for me, they were really striking pieces of design. Within the museum it also featured book covers and magazine covers, I much prefer the design of them in the past rather then present day. Illustration played a big role in newspaper designs and made them more visually appealing and sophisticated then some of the tackier designs of today. Text for titles was also designed and embellished which was interesting and added status and grandeur. In some areas I believe design has taken a step back and the quality of design and skill doesn't seem to be what it used to. Looking at past designs has really inspired me, it's helped me to reconnect with my love of design especially within packaging.
What also became clear was the importance of materials and resources as the most cost effective would be used and design was thought about after. Lot's of things help to change a brand such as shape, size, name, colour etc.
One of the reasons I had gone to this exhibition was to see 'The Graphics of Punk Exhibition', unfortunately it was only two glass cabinets, and the information seemed to lack on what it was actually about. However the style in design was clearly radical compared with where it was contextually placed in the museum, it was interesting to how the styles of collage and threatening text was portrayed in a positive break out movement.
Overall I have found the visit very beneficial and I want to take forward methods in design that aren't used as much and try to revitalise them for the modern world.
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