OUGD401 - Analysis of Quotes

Society:

Jansson-Boyd, C. (2010) - Consumer Psychology. New York: McGraw Hill Education.

"Many studies have found that both women and men do not believe that their current body form is attractive... Research has repeatedly found that physically attractive individuals are perceived by most to be socially more desirable than those that are perceived as being unattractive, something that is likely to have been reinforced by consumer societies".

Key words: Gender, body image, gender and advertising, gender and the media, gender representation, gender and branding, gender and consumer society.

This quote makes reference to those individuals who are perceived as being 'physically attractive', however this already poses a problem, as what we find attractive in an individual is subjective, a personal preference which is different for everyone. Therefore when portraying physical attractiveness of a person in design and the media this can be seen as a suggestion as to what the media believe constitutes as 'attractive' and is ultimately never going to be an accurate representation of body image. This is not only due to the subjectiveness of the topic, but also how this 'desired' body image is dictated by only a minority of organisations. By making reference to both men and women, this quote focuses on gender representation in branding and advertising, suggesting that men can also be accounted into this problem of false body image and expectations.

History:

Carr E. H. (1961) - What is History? Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

"The history we read... though based on facts, is, strictly speaking, not factual at all, but a series of accepted judgements".

Key words: History and truth, representations of western history, graphic design history, visual communication and truth, modernism, postmodernism, conspiracy theories and the internet.

This quote focuses on trends and approaches towards graphic design throughout history. It questions the truth in the history of graphic design and advertising, claiming that nothing is fact, only judgements which have been accepted by society as fact. It looks at how truth is communicated through media forms and represented through graphic design, and ultimately how graphic design relates to history.

Culture:

Danesi, M. - Popular Culture: Introductory Perspectives. Lanham, USA: Rowman and Littlefield.

"Modern-day pop culture... is a mass culture, spread widely through the mass media and mass communications technologies. Pop culture would not have become so widespread without the partnership that it has always had with the mass media".

Key words: Popular culture, mass culture, mass media, mass communication, high brow vs. low brow, high culture vs. low culture.

Popular culture can be defined as "cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, suited to, or aimed at the tastes of the general masses of people" (dictionary.com/browse/pop--culture). This quote focuses on pop culture and it's connections with design, branding and advertising, specifically high brow vs. low brow design. It suggests how artistic value can be recognised, however many social problems are often overlooked; popular culture is extremely relevant to understanding today's society.

Technology:

Erik Spiekermann (2014) - Interview in Creative Characters.

"What I find very interesting is the movement of people who are savvy in digital design but are genuinely interested in analog techniques. It is now more than a passing trend; there must be a deeper motive why we are newly interested in the hand-made and the haptic, material and three-dimensional aspects of type and design".

Key words: Letterpress, print making, theory of craft, handmade graphic design, traditional print media, decorative typography.

This quote concerns the differences between contemporary digital design, and more traditional design and production techniques, such as handmade production and printing. It looks at the reemergence of handmade graphic design techniques and how this is taking design back towards it's roots, as well as considering the advantages and/or disadvantages of rapidly developing technology which is changing graphic design as a whole. What impact is this having on contemporary graphic design practice?

Aesthetics: 

Vignelli, M. - Long Live Modernism: Massimo Vignelli Reaffirms His Faith in Form and Function. AIGA.

"I was raised to believe that, as a designer, I have the responsibility to improve the world around us, to make it a better place to live, to fight and oppose trivia, kitsch and all norms of subculture that are visually polluting our world".

Key words: Modernism, minimal design, functional graphic design, form follows function, kitsch.

Massimo Vignelli was an Italian designer, whose work sat firmly within the modernist tradition of design. As a very opinionated designer, he believed that we have a responsibility to improve the world by getting rid of any 'bad' graphic design. This quote also raises problems associated with subjectiveness. What Vignelli believed to be bad graphic design may be an example of good graphic design to another person. He believed that design must be timeless, however it is clear that design is not static, it is constantly developing with the times.

Politics:

Downer, L. (2015) - Political Branding Strategies: Campaigning and Governing in Australian Politics. Australia: Palgrave.

"More and more in Western democracies, branding is used by political practitioners as a strategy for campaigning and governing. Brands are crafted for parties, politicians and policies. Put simply, political branding sees parties and politicians borrowing concepts and techniques from the world of commerce".

Key words: Political branding, branding, advertising, propaganda, graphic design and elections, branding political parties.

This quote examines how design and media is used in propaganda and political branding. It concerns work such as Jackson Pollock's paintings which were being used as a weapon for the CIA, and raises questions such as, is it freedom of expression for the sake of art or expression for the sake of propaganda and weapon? It can be seen by some that these artworks lose their original meanings and then become images of revolution and political struggle, however it could be argued that this is essentially a part of their overall meaning, as graphic design continues to develop.