Re-presenting ‘Fuck Content’ through Queneau’s Stylistic Prism

Inspired by Raymond Queneau’s “Exercises in Style,” a work that brilliantly demonstrates how the same story can be told in myriad ways, I embark on a similar journey with Michael Rock’s ‘Fuck Content’.

• Notation: In the realm of design, an idea emerges: designers, akin to authors, seek respect and value. They’re driven by a desire for content origination rather than mere manipulation. Yet, this leads to a misunderstanding: design isn’t just about content, it’s about form too. The ‘Crystal Goblet’ metaphor is oft-repeated, suggesting design is merely a vessel for content. This dichotomy is challenged; form is as essential as content in design.

• Double Entry: In the sphere and realm of graphic design and visual creation, there’s a prevailing and dominant belief and notion: designers, akin to authors and scribes, are not just shapers and manipulators but also originators and creators of content and ideas. However, this has led to a misconception and misinterpretation: that design is merely and solely about the substance and depth of content, reducing it to pure style or a mere set of tricks. The ‘Crystal Goblet’ metaphor, often cited and referenced, encapsulates this idea, but is it just about the content, or is the form equally significant?

• Litotes: Designers are not just about creating content. It’s not only the story that counts, but also how it’s told. Design, in its essence, isn’t reduced to just being a container for content; it has its own narrative to tell, through form and style.

• Metaphorically: In the canvas of design, designers dance between the roles of author and creator. They are not mere vessels for content, but sculptors of form, painting meaning with each stroke. The design world, with its myriad hues and shades, is a testament to the power of form, not just content. It’s a symphony where the melody of design weaves its own tale, independent yet intertwined with the content.

• Retrograde: Design, at its core, is about storytelling, not just content. It’s about how the story is told, through the lenses of typography, color, and form. This realization unfolds across the landscape of design history, challenging the conventional belief that content is king. Instead, form and its evolution take center stage, crafting narratives in ways content alone cannot.

• Surprise: Who would have thought? In the world of design, it’s not just the content that speaks; the form shouts out loud! It’s a revelation that design is as much about the how as the what. Design transcends mere content, embracing form as its language, telling stories in ways that content alone could never fathom.

My re-presentation of ‘Fuck Content’ employs a variety of narrative techniques to encapsulate and convey Michael Rock’s key ideas. Each stylistic form sheds light on different aspects of Rock’s argument about the role of form in design. The essence is that design transcends mere content creation; it is a language of its own, defined as much by how a story is told as by the story itself. This approach emphasizes that while content is important, the form, style, and method of presentation in design play an equally crucial role, challenging traditional notions about the primacy of content in the design process.

Referance

Queneau, Raymond, (1998) ‘Exercises in style’, pp.19-26

Rock, Michael, (2009) ‘Fuck Content