IdN v18n6: Humorous Design — Design in Contempt

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Who doesn't like to make people laugh? An ability to do this always adds something special to the message being conveyed, however serious its ultimate intent, and the rewards for those designers with a universal sense of humour, and technique to match, can be huge. In this issue, we have gathered together the work and words of 11 genuinely funny designers, who all have radically different approaches. If you think that you possess a prominent funny bone, their experiences may inspire you. We hope that some of them, at least, will leave you chortling or wryly smiling.

One of the commonest acronyms spawned by the Internet generation, the letters "lol" stand for "laughing out loud" and are used in computer-generated communications such as e-mail and texting to indicate that the sender finds something funny (which often elicits a "smiley face" emoticon in reply). As any stand-up comedian will tell you, making people laugh is one of the most satisfying creative experiences you can have – and rare is the designer who does not at some point in his or her career feel the urge to tickle their viewers' funny-bone.

Known for being the birthplace of tango music and some of the most talented footballers on the planet, Buenos Aires is fast emerging from the slump caused by the country's economic crisis of less than a decade ago and is now attracting artists from Europe and the US, presently mired in their own financial depressions. Long admired as one of the most advanced cities in South America, with its marked European cultural heritage, the country's capital, which is where 90 percent of Argentinian designers are based, is undergoing a creative revival. But can it survive the fierce competition that is arising – both locally and from the spread of globalisation? We ask 10 top Buenos Aires-based designers for their views on the contemporary scene there.

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