Lance Wyman - Graphic Designer

http://www.lancewyman.com/projects?id=82

• Interesting that they are based on an action but there is no indication of movement - super simple but still communicate well.
• Some obvious, for example basketball, netball etc. However would be difficult to understand- if seen on their own- as an Olympic sport e.g. shooting, cycling. These rely on context - more easily understood when among others.
• In some the design has been more thought out and I personally think are more interesting to look at - Hockey, fencing, weightlifting. Still communicates the sport well. Doesn't have to just be function over form- can be both. 

Article - Lance Wyman and the Mexico City Metro (2015)

https://www.creativereview.co.uk/lance-wyman-and-the-mexico-city-metro/

Key Quotes:

• 'recognised the need for station identification symbols that could be read not only by people with poor or non-existent literacy skills, but also by visitors from non-Spanish speaking countries.' - need to be easily understood by everyone.
• 'if you can’t say what a visual symbol is, it will need to be accompanied by language.' -  can be accompanied by text to maximise understanding
• 'Wyman reasoned that an abstract symbol, or one that could not be expressed verbally, would have been far less effective.'

Article - Interview with Graphic Designer Lance Wyman (2015)

https://www.designboom.com/design/lance-wyman-interview-10-14-2014-2/

Key Quotes:

• 'what is the attraction of designing logos for you? - the challenge of communicating layered messages through minimal form.'
• 'what mistakes or ‘traps’ should a young designer avoid when working on a logo design? - don’t overlook the obvious. designers too often neglect exploring ideas because they seem to obvious, trite, corny, etc. when the obvious is transformed into a new image it can be powerful and easily understood.'

It was really useful looking at Lance Wyman's work - his graphic design is a perfect example of the themes that I am looking at in this project, these being; communication, simplicity, signs, symbols etc. The Olympic symbols that he designed show how complexity can be expressed in shape-based, simple forms and have given me inspiration for creating my own. Learning a little about his process through the articles looked at has also given me a better insight into how to go about producing the practical work for this project.