ARTICLE

A Sensitive Dependence:
The Search for a
Canadian Identity in Graphic Design

This past summer, on the balmy shores of Lake Huron, I took part in a wine tasting where the libations in question were all by the same wine maker, they were all from the same grape and all bottled in the same year. The defining difference between the three bottles was one of geography. The first bottle had been cultivated from the grapes on the southern hillside of the winery; the second bottle's fruit had matured in the valley while the last bottle had its roots in the acreage just across the highway. Within these controlled settings, the differences in taste seemed ever more apparent and strangely, more relevant. By reducing the variables to a matter of a few square kilometres, we had derived from the wine its true essence.

This experiment came to mind as I listened to the debate at the launch of the GDC's Graphex 2006 National Design Competition. The panel of international and highly qualified judges consisted of Rick Poynor, Min Wang, Debbie Millman, Robert Sarner and Tan Le. The topic was "Is there a definitive Canadian style in our graphic design?"

The general sentiment on this issue seemed to be "does it matter?" and "is it this even relevant?" Afterall, we live in a postmodern and globalized world. As designers, we are more aware than most about the decentralization of cultural influence and the influx of pluralism. While the 20th century can be considered the century of "movements" and "isms", our century has started to play itself out more as a collective database, an accumulation of digital fragments, images, sounds and verbage that we all share and from which we collect, re-read and re-assemble these pieces to form something that we then call "new".

Applying the wine test to such an environment, if we were to strip down the variables to only that of geography, would the results differ between a Canadian and an Australian in how they approached a design challenge? Or even between Vancouverite and Torontonian? Is regionalism still a factor in the current international design trend? Surely there is something more deep rooted in the Canadian soil that we can offer forth as a unique contribution to our craft. Surely we can still derive our essence.

Throughout all systems, both natural and manmade, it has been proven time and again that there is what is referred to in science as "a sensitive dependence on initial conditions". Known more commonly as "the butterfly effect", it follows that even just a small change in the initial conditions can drastically alter the final outcome. I will hold fast to this theory, that regardless of the global shared experience there still exist more inherent initial factors, those of the individual and his/her immediate surroundings and experiences that hold as much importance in how the collective database is sorted through and absorbed and how the methodology of design is then applied. To suggest that these unique qualities cannot survive the hegemony of international trends seems misguided and hopelessly cynical. That said, to turn around and suggest that these qualities translate into a distinct Canadian movement is simply foolish.

Again, it seems to come down to a matter of geography. Canada is a large country but a small nation. Our population is just twice the size of most of the world's major cities. The concentration of this populace is limited to only three major urban centres which are further divided from one another by both distance and culture. It would seem much more feasible under these conditions that we would witness regionalism within Canada rather than find anything that could be considered common throughout. We are also a country that is comprised of the emigres of other nations. Frankly, we are about as postmodern as it gets, a mosaic of cultures, backgrounds and perspectives. It will be interesting to see if these factors contribute to the outcome of Graphex 06's judging. What it may very well come down to in the end is a celebration of diversity, something, which I think we would all agree, is truly Canadian.

Regardless of the outcome, it is encouraging to see this type of formal discussion taking place in Canada, by Canadian designers (albeit, alongside an international panel). I hope to get involved in more of these in the future. Perhaps over a glass of wine. But from BC this time around, those Ontario vintages just don't quite taste the same.

 
 
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