One-Stop Print Shop
Finding unexpected values of informal graphic design within lowbrow Indonesian print shops.
A great deal of visual communication in the world is made by non-professionals, or people who do not label themselves as graphic designers. Graphic design itself is a practice that does not require a license to perform. This unspoken distinction between professionals and amateurs creates a veil of exclusivity that undermines unrecognised work by means of educational accreditation, high pay, gender or respect. As a result, valuable work coming from low economic contexts are often overlooked. Indonesia’s visual culture of vernacular jargon has been the result of lowbrow print and copy shops where printers and designers possess a creative resilience to make do. The One-Stop Print Shop shares and documents the body of work by Indonesians who bears design knowledge but do not fit into its professional categorisations. Referring to them as 'tropical designers', rather than amateurs as the project shines light on their day to day life practicing graphic design. Lastly, this documentation hopes to elevate informality in a volume loud enough for its value to be acknowledged.
