Photography by Abi Huynh

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It was an interesting story that illustrator Kat MacLeod was interviewed by the Melbourne newspaper The Age speaking about the high level of interest in her bedazzling work who like Julie Verhoeven, have produced highly tactile illustrations. In the article mentioned the grappling effect of computer-based art, which seemingly has dominated so much of what is so called ‘graphic design’. Some have said that its becoming dead but it isn’t as alarming as the global financial crisis. The only crisis would be the non-existence of a love for Graphic Design as both a discipline and a craft and not as a play toy. Thankfully, there is reasonable sense in that for one, a number of institutions around the world govern the discipline of Graphic Design more artistically aligned in teaching design and not that of honing creative spontaneity only. And whilst Art and Graphic Design are always in qualms with one another, their relationship to the individual has been to channel an integrity of one’s own work. The Royal Academy of Art in The Hague in The Netherlands is the oldest art school in Europe with the affectionate title of its Dutch pronunciation: Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten, Den Haag. The school providing both interdisciplinary levels of study including Graphic Design and Type/Media as well as Textiles and Fashion and Fine Arts, sees the school providing students with extensive and investigate skills enabling them to be critically-aware designers. On the contrary, as outlined by the recent edition published by the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD), Dutch Design can be seen in one light, only design for designers themselves. On the other hand, its a reflection that Design can be pushed intensively to its best creative extent than just for commercial sustainability.

Abi Huynh is one of the students currently studying at the Royal Academy of Art and has kindly taken some photographs of his studies at the institution. As the country for first establishing the only museum dedicated to the discipline of Graphic Design, the school in The Hague is still involving students in traditionalist studies embedded in the Type/Media program such as Typography and Calligraphy which is also a reminder of how the old French art schools taught students foundation art also. As a saying goes, Grids and Typography keep criminals at bay, as such pen and paper keeps creativity alight.