Post Modernism Theory

The purpose of this study is to explore and reveal the influence of Post Modernism theories in design and how it has influenced Street Culture ideologies through apparel and the effectiveness of Graphic Design to communicate trends such as Street Culture to people which has influenced the overall look and feel of the researchers packaging design. This will be achieved by analyzing the Post Modernism theories and to highlight the specific points that lead to an outbreak of Street Culture across the globe and the youth interact with these theories. The shoelace packaging will form as an end product of these theories

The IPSA, (Institute of Packaging South Africa) is an organization that deals with the development of graphic art and science

In 1980s many designers thought that this way of moving away from the norms and of the Modernist theories was a new was of thinking about design and a new way of designing. Graphic designers began to realise that they could no longer hide behind the Modernist rules. They could simply indulge their egos and refuse to be transparent, to have personality and character. More and more designers wanted to start to acknowledge their unique position in the culture where they have not only one reality but also have an abundance of it (Émigré, 2015). Graphic Designers had the opportunity to do thing with typography that would have been difficult to experiment with in past, when the Modernist dominance of the Swiss Designs was at its peak (Visual Art Department, 2013). A popular postmodern designer that was at the focal point of this movement was David Carson. Due to his rebelliousness through the statement “no more rules”, this act revolutionized visual communication in the 1990s. No more rules in design lead to the freedom that designers longed for from the constraints of the Modernism rules of grids and space (AG Artins, 2012).

Figure 1: David Carson’s Double page spread magazine

An example of the no more rules theory David Carson followed through with was on a feature double page spread (Figure 1) he did of a singer called Bryan Ferry with no regards to illegible typography and visual space (AG Artins,

To the normal eye it looks weird, but to them it’s a way of expressing themselves through their apparel. Hipsters were in the forefront of the retro sub culture, where people who wore clothes, which are commonly used in the past. The trend grew among the teenagers who were ready to claim their own identity by choosing their own clothes and an area where get to be with their peers. This trend sprouted all over Johannesburg (The Citizen,