Comic Design

Comics are back in the spotlight. Comics and their creators are gaining appreciation, and to an increasing extent are reviewed and discussed in leading newspapers. This is partially thanks to the popularity of the graphic novel: the literary comic. Within the comics genre, countless new, successful subgenres have emerged. Joe Sacco, for instance, won the Pulitzer Prize for his graphic novel “Palestine”, in which he gave an intense portrayal of a journalistic topic. In France, Marianne Satrapi depicted her Islamic youth in Iran in the book “Persepolis”. The animated version of this story received an Oscar nomination. As a medium, the comic has definitely transcended the street culture, and is now used in a wide range of genres – journalistic, autobiographical and poetic.

The creators of these kinds of comics often use different media (comics, illustrations, posters, scenic design), sometimes working as authors and sometimes on project basis or in temporary interdisciplinary teams. For instance, Gummbah, in addition to being a cartoonist and comic artist also works as a theatre and television producer and columnist. And it was Joost Swarte who made a rough design for the new Toneelschuur building in Haarlem. What all these comic designers have in common is their ability to tell a good story, which is why in ArtEZ’s one-of-a-kind Comic Design programme, much emphasis is placed on storytelling. Without a good story, a comic has no meaning. Learning how to tell, portray and design a story is seen as a crucial aspect of the programme.