I recently dug in to Emigre 67: Graphic Design vs. style, globalism, criticism, science authenticity and humanism. What a title. Yes, I'm behind on my Emigre reading. After all, 68 has already shipped (and it turns out number its a 100+ page reader response, which this wont be, I promise).

I've only read the first four chapters. And, as to be expected, the ideas, observations, comments, and criticism is thought provoking, and, at times shamefully true. I found my self thinking: Is truth what we get when we have experience, and, no longer are blinded by our sophomoric inhibitions? And, have I and many others fallen victim to the perils of globalism simply by being (unknowingly) an active participant?

In her essay, Hybridity Happens, Katherine McCoy openly confesses that she was part of the late 60's 'hippie modernism' which, like the modernists, strived for universal communication. The ideals of universal communication described by the author are in many ways similar to the ideals of the Constructive Universalist painters, sculptors of the early twentieth century. Joaquin Torres Garcia's work revolved largely around the central idea that symbology could communicate across cultures and therefore could reach audiences universially. He was a painter, yet, as the modernist graphic designers, found the grid and iconic symbols useful tools.

McCoy claims, "I have come to value diverse cultures of visual and verbal languages". What I find interesting is that the Constructive Universalist movement predicated the return to the niche cultural vernacular McCoy has come to value. In many ways, the Constructive Universalists were early examples of the 'hybrid' culture and communication McCoy refers to. However, the hybridity in the case of the Constructive Universalists is not a product of globalism rather, the layering of cultures. But then again, is there a difference?

The term globalism has baggage. Usually, connotations of evil and global domination of the empirical West are associated with the term globalism (i.e., the first essay Hello Mrs. Hernandez by Michael Schmidt). McCoy continues, "The authentic energy of cultures and subcultures connects members that share values, interests, lifestyles, and symbols". The author's prompt to reconsiders the values of shared interests assumes that the two competing cultures have come to equilibrium, and, that there has not been cultural assimilation. As we saw with the Constructive Universalists, there can be hybridity, which is still a result of 'globalism', as long as the lifestyles cultures have not been ironed and flattened by the global machine.

Part of why I find McCoy's argument's compelling is that she identifies the problem, but also offers a solution or next step. She concludes her essay, "We need some new methods in our design toolkit, a sort of open architecture, to effectively incorporate cultural human factors that respond to diversity, multiplicity, and flux." Cultural human factors describes one way design can exist in the global market place.