Cultural leaning, Modern learning
An Interview with Majid Abbasi by Jessica Avelin
Adobe magazine
What role does Iranian history (ancient and recent) and culture play in your design work? Your work can be political. What are some of your overall themes? What role does calligraphy play in your work?
This question can be answered like this; like water for a fish, our history and cultural background affects my works, Principally, they cannot be unimportant; this effect is not in appearance but is rooted in our means of treatment, education, culture, society and art. It is fundamental. I belong to the Iranian society, so my works are affected by the society and history of my country.
And the answer to the next question is that my works might be considered political and they might be given specific meanings but I myself do not think this way. Apart from some limited number of my works, no political idea in my mind had been turned into a graphic work since I am not interested in political practice but I consider myself committed to the society and my duty in-relation to it.
As for calligraphy, I should say that it is not seen much in my works and I am not specifically interested in using it as a tool in graphic design. I mostly consider it as a very important source in Iranian culture and art. Of course, I will use it if somewhere it helps me communicate with my audience through my work, for example, for the series of covers I have made for classical literature of Iran. Iranian designers must be completely cognizant of their national and traditional art and culture roots and their kinds and structure but this does not mean that not having used them, they are no longer Iranian.
What difficulties do Iranian designers face? What are the good things about being a designer in Iran right now?
I don’t know what you mean by problems. My question is that mainly what is a problem? Finalizing an order by the designer through the process of design, the way of talking and discussing with order givers in order to explain the process of design and finally defending it, or the designer being limited by specific orders and our society’s cultural and social limitations in for example not being able to use women’s image in our works as it is used in the west and… By raising these questions I intend to say that all over the world, there are specific problems for designers as regards their life and work conditions, but like tempered steel! They are used to facing them all, this is the nature of our job. They should get help from previous experience. Each order is likely to open new horizons for him since each order, will bring about its own problems…
The very strong point of Iranian graphic design lies in being new and not being seen up to recent years in the world which has taken place due to different reasons in the years following the war between Iran and Iraq. At the moment, writers, critics, designers and judges in international competitions pay attention to Iranian graphic design. And all this is because of the presence of Iranian young designers at international level. The 5th Color, Iranian Graphic Designers Society, Tehran International Poster Biennial and Neshan magazine have played a significant role in introducing Iranian graphic design to the world. Another part is because of the individual attempts by some designers in the past and now. Before the death of Morteza Momayez, he shouldered the heaviest burden to introduce Iranian graphic design.
… But its extraordinarily eastern flavor and its poetic sense which is at the same time unknown to the west and our specific type and typography, have given a new manifestation the world’s graphic design.
I have heard that your picture of a flowered Sadeq Hedayat is an easily recognizable image in Iran. Why do you think certain designs stick with people?
Certainly it is because of Sadegh Hedayat’s image and his popularity in Iran and also the flowers taken from Iranian painting. It has nothing to do with me! I was just kidding, but I really do not know why this poster has gained so much fame that even Uwe Loesch, the German designer, has somewhere called it the icon of Iranian graphic design. I think, at that time, I tried my best to design a good poster and this is the reason why. Now after seven years, if I want to design a poster, I will not go that way for sure. It might be interesting for you to know that now I am absolutely against designing such posters. I displayed my protest by designing my last poster for my poster exhibition in Tehran. The process of design and desinger’s mind are changing and I try not to bind myself to only one specific branch. I hope so!
How has design changed in Iran recently? Is it becoming easier or more difficult to be a young designer in Iran?
I told you that I do not know what you mean by problems, so I cannot say they have increased or decreased. But let me answer you by means of an introductory discussion from another point of view.
Graphic design has become very popular and fascinating in Iran, especially in recent years. A lot of youngsters are studying in this field or have already graduated. Lots of families would like their children to study this subject. In recent years, my generation, that is the designers who during the period of 1979 revolution of Iran were spending their adolescence, have now proved to be such experienced educationalists, such adept designers at social level and successful managers in their field of work. It does not mean that no good teachers, designers and managers preceded them or will succeed them. What I want to say is that our generation started their work under special circumstances without clear horizons so to speak, but they were accompanied by the experience of former generations. Unlike this, our young designers have been brought up and educated in very different conditions. They possess the experience of several generations and now it is time for them to innovate, to supply Iranian graphic design with a fresh spirit and to present another point of view in the world. Will they succeed in doing so? At the moment, some of these young people are continuing their studies in important schools of design and visual communication abroad – in Basel, Leipzig, Paris, Warsaw… - while none of the designers in my generation went abroad to study. In my idea, the major problem of graphic design in our country is lack of theoretical views of this profession which I hope will to some extent be removed by young people’s participation in international educational arena. One of my recommendations to my students and to young designers is to see around the world and to go abroad to continue their studies and gain more experience as much as they are able to and I will help the more talented ones to the extent that I can.
I do not know how much this discussion was related to your question!!
You have more than one distinct style of designs. How have these two, the simple and more elaborate, developed together?
Personally I do not think that I am following two different styles in my works. In fact, it is a designer’s duty to present a clear and transparent solution for an order whether this process is simple or complicated. I try to present simplicity, transparency and minimalism in my designs. I am completely against complicating the work.
What do you see for the future of graphic design in Iran? Is it difficult for women to become designers?
The future of graphic design in Iran depends on the presence of my generation and the one following mine in professional arena and at the moment not a very clear verdict can be made in this connection. But I should say that I am quite optimistic about its future and I think this is indebted to brilliant works and continuous activities of a few limited Iranian designers of different generation. If young designers recognize their position and in a right way keep up with the pace of what is happening in the world while taking into account their background and their precedents’ experience, it is possible to recognize a specific kind of graphic design in the world called Iranian style.
How does good design affect the general populace? What do you think good design does for average Iranians?
In today’s world, especially in developing countries, designers have a heavy responsibility. An Iranian designers is not only a designer, but he has a multi-faced responsibility. He should be a teacher and both a manager and writer as well and at the same time he should organize the events relevant to graphic design. I say this at least as regards me myself. Well, all these happen in a society where you can find few designers, teachers, managers, writers and organizers and designers try, however little it might be, to act according to their commitment to their profession and society by their participation in all these fields.
In each of these fields, the designer learns to raise the level of visual perception of the society and to struggle for a good design days and months. But this is not his only responsibility. By supporting the right view on design at social level, states and the organizations dependent on them and NGO’s can multiply the effect. They play a remarkable role in upgrading the visual perception of the society by delegating national projects such as designing banknotes, stamps, street sings, signage system, advertisements, newspapers and magazines and… to adept graphic designers.
Definitely each design has its respective audience and what is designed for the public should be able to promote everybody’s visual perception. Designing a bus or subway ticket, a stamp or a banknote, a phone bill which is produced in millions and all people have access to it is completely different from designing a novel cover, a poster for theater, a logo for a small business company which are produced in a much more limited number.
… But a good design, is the one which can, at the time of its being designed, communicated correctly with its audience and mainly works well. The goodness of a design is not only in its appearance but also in its amount of contribution to the goodness of our world. This is what our contemporary designers need. Now, I will ask you a question. Is the identity of fascist Nazis a good design or a bad one? What does it immediately conjure in your mind regarding its being good or bad?
What are you trying to do for the design world by being a part of the 5th Color?
We have written the following in prefaces to our published books and catalogs on the website of the 5th Color:
By demonstrating works and views, we try to cause an impetus in today’s atmosphere of graphic design of Iran, but we do not intend to spread a kind of specific thought in the graphic design of Iran or the world. We would like to communicate with our same-generation designers in the world. To reach this goal, we have so far held several exhibitions, workshops and conferences in Iran and other parts of the world, including our works and the ones belonging to designers from other countries. After its formation, the 5th Color has become an influential model for Iranian younger designers which I am very happy about.
You have been shown and published in many different places. Who would you most like to reach with your work?
My audience are the people interested in graphic design, designers, students and scholars of this subject. A limited number of people see my works but my works are to a larger extent seen in my own country – through designing posters and books, logos and visual identity, prints ordered by different order – givers like catalogs, brochures, etc. As a matter of fact, each of these has its own respective audience. The nature of graphic design is to communicate with its audience through visual contact and I try to expand the limits of my own audience.
The 5th Color website talks about “easy Orientalism,” what does this mean to you? What keeps Iranian design from being influenced by Western graphic design? Who are your influences?
I do not know where this quotation has come from because each member of the 5th Color has their own respective view. But I am not afraid of western impact. The fundamental principles of this profession belong to the west because it has mainly grown there but in Iran we try to make it compatible with the conditions of our society and culture. Is it possible to have a specific alphabet but not a specific grammar and literature? Is it possible to have the good music without knowing harmony and counterpoint? Having recognized harmony and counterpoint, we can reach the music which is compatible with our present needs and which is modern at the same time and has something to say in the world.
I am affected by everything. Everything that surrounds me, my family, friends, things I deal with, etc. I praise great designers and respect specifically those who have constructed part of our world’s history of graphic design. I try to learn from great designers but be not affected by them.
