Fotografiks: An Equilibrium Between Photography and Design Through Graphic Expression That Evolves from Content

A new expression of Carson’s famously original way of seeing, ‘fotografiks’ are curiously fleeting images that seem to have been lifted out of their mundane context and abstracted to another realm. Street markings, graffiti and all sorts of signage have been obscured, enlarged or cropped to create strangely familiar but often enigmatic pictures that show Carson’s acutely sensitive response to shapes, colors, shadows and light. An introductory essay explores the synergy between graphic design and photography, and the dynamic relationship that exists between words and pictures. Anecdotal captions provide philosophic comments on the nature of the photographs, aspects of the page design and observations on the process of assembling parts to form a whole. Possibly the most influential graphic designer working today, David Carson has been profiled by several of the world’s leading publications including Newsweek and The New York Times, and has won an award from the International Center for Photography in New York for “the best use of design with photography”. He creates cutting edge advertising for a number of high profile clients including Nike, Microsoft, MTV, Jaguar, Ray-Ban and Sony.