Art and design

Sometimes a person who is not familiar with Art looks at the artwork done in an abstract style for example and says, "yes, everyone can do this," but never tries it himself. The fact is that if he tries, then a lot of graphic elements will merge into an unsightly mass, without creating a single holistic picture, and not causing any emotions other than rejection. Let's figure out why this is so. Why Art in general and abstract Art in particular, along with design, is a lot of work, many years of education, and in the end, a vocation not given to everyone. I would like to conduct this analysis on the example of the works of Tanya Dunaeva, an artist and professional graphic designer, one of whose favorite areas is "Typography". Both creative and professional works of Tanya are widely represented in the media space. She is the winner of many prestigious awards, such as RedDot, A' Design, TDC, Communication Arts and others. For example, her work for a fashion exhibition campaigning for a reduction in the level of consumption in the world, including the fashion industry: FAB or Fabric.

As the corporate identity of the exhibition, we see a simple, concise solution based on typography with the addition of an original graphic element in the form of a fabric developing in the wind. Light, airy pieces of fabric frame the outline of the letters, preserving their readability, which clearly "hints" to us that you can use many times less materials and resources to create clothes than we spend today. "A simple solution, concise... the idea, of course, is on the surface.." - this can be and should be the feeling of the layman. As Tanya told me, in order to come to the final result, she tried and completely drew at least four concepts in various variations. Each of the concepts is executed at a high design level, but there was always something missing, as if it were a design for another event, there was no unity of meaning and form.

When creating this project, Tanya went through a short creative path from idea to implementation. What motivated her? Why didn't she stop at intermediate options. Of course, personal qualities such as perseverance and perfectionism are important, but I would also like to mention one very important skill - the love of experimentation. This ability was cultivated in Tanya at the Stroganov Academy, where much attention was paid to creative experiment that went beyond practical application. In such works there were new forms, new statements, new meanings, which then returned to the real world and were applied in real projects in the field of graphic and industrial design. The development of experimental skills is found in Tanya's creative works in the field of experimental Typography. Constant experimentation, the search for forms, structures, methods of implementation is what keeps the ability to switch quickly and find ways to the best result in good shape.

If you look at Tanya's artworks, we generally see the same simplicity and conciseness inherent in her style. And even if there is a sufficiently large density of graphemes and graphic elements, the paintings retain their integrity due to a well-constructed composition. I want to look at the paintings, they immerse the observer in their atmosphere and evoke personal emotions and associations in everyone. The technical solutions that Tanya found when creating her works are interesting: the work is built by scrupulous selection of elements, materials, paints, from which a collage with unique textures is made. The role of textures in this case is very important, because when the image is further transferred to the digital space, it is they who give uniqueness and originality that cannot be generated in graphic editors.
At the end of the article, I would like to note the very important role of Art in such a practical, craft profession as a Designer. Just as Academic Science gives birth to breakthrough ideas, on which modern technologies and products are subsequently built, so pure Art gives us new ideas and new forms from which we draw inspiration, creating designs, corporate styles, concepts. The path artistic path of Tanya Dunaeva fully confirms that statement.