Hitchcock's Influence On Graphic Design

As a multimedia designer, I’ve often struggled to clearly define my design influences. While “design” (especially any form of graphic design) is traditionally related to print mediums, I was heavily influenced, as a child and young adult, by classic cinema. Additionally, I’ve always been very musically inclined, and as a result of this I usually seek to infuse my work with some form of harmony and rhythm. As one could imagine, this has created a sort of identity crisis – I had a desire to take both music and design classes in college, however a two-year degree does not easily facilitate this. Choosing a multimedia design degree over music was a difficult decision; however, it was not a process whereby I concluded “I’ll just have to design graphics,
Being a multimedia designer, however, I do not believe it would be inappropriate to speak on these influences that permeate my multimedia (primarily video) works. While I countless “favorite” films directed by countless individuals, one of my favorite film directors is Alfred Hitchcock. A master of storytelling, Hitchcock had a talent for visual storytelling that I consider nothing short of brilliance. Even more importantly than this, he had a way of making you feel as if you walked in the shoes of those characters portrayed on screen. I observe that this was made possible, however, through more than simply the emotional implications of a well-written story; rather, it was through an absolute technical mastery of the use of the camera and lens and other production processes whereby Hitchcock’s masterpieces were realized. He was well known for his innovative uses of camera movement and framing, and his editing style was both distinctive and pioneering. Similarly, I function by first seeking mastery of a toolset, then attempting to utilize that toolset in the most unique, creative way possible. This method permeates my work not only in film but also in my web and graphic design productions. Fascinatingly, in the early 1910s, Alfred Hitchcock worked as draftsman (Technical Illustrator) and advertising
By focusing on hands-on experience and experimentation rather than technical lectures, my professor exposed me to whole new world of artistic methods and processes, for which I am grateful. Growing up, I enjoyed painting with watercolors, and in this class I learned to mix paint and produce works I never could have imagined I had the skills for. “When you look back at the end of the semester, you won’t believe what your first drawing looks like”, my professor always said. While all of college has been beneficial to me, I believe that I grew more, and in more ways, as an artist in that class than in any other I have had since. Perhaps this was due to the primacy of the course, but I believe it was largely as a result of continual exposure to new methods and artistic techniques, coupled with an environment in which boldness was encouraged and the fear of “messing up” was made a non-issue. A principle which I shall never forget was learned while looking at a final drawn piece in which I had clearly disproportioned certain elements. “Well that looks all wrong” I mentioned to my teacher “look how big his head is compared to the rest of the body”. Without missing a beat, the professor immediately retorted: “Well, look, if you can identify what you did wrong, then you have the power to correct it and you have learned and grown”. Since then, I have always