Post 10

This post is going to focus specifically on propaganda.  A review from my last post, propaganda is a term referring to a means of communication aiming to influence large masses of people--the direct and indirect manipulation of human emotion through the presentation of exaggerated, saturated, one-sided arguments in order to incite social action or change.  Perhaps one of the most prime examples of propaganda this year is KONY 2012. 

KONY 2012 is a short-film released online in March of this year, 2012.  It was created by the organization, Invisible Children.  Invisible Children is a non-profit organization that aims to raise awareness on the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a cultist group in central Africa known for pillaging villages, employing horrendous extremes of violence and terror to maintain control, and for kidnapping children and forcing them to be soldiers in their army.  These are the invisible children--the children who are taken from their homes and families, stripped of everything they know, given a gun instead and lead to the front lines of war.  KONY 2012 urged the masses, specifically the young people, to join them in taking action in order to capture and arrest Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA.  It called for raising awareness of who Joseph Kony is around the world, inciting political and social powerhouses to join the movement, so that the US government would step in to take action in central Africa and capture Kony.  The video itself is wonderfully made and presented, and was no doubt incredibly moving.  It not only dived deeply into one's heart to grasp his emotions, but it played violently on one's moral heartstrings, exposing one with the blatant evil that is happening and almost forcing them to take action against it.  Right away it was a viral hit.  I remember seeing the video re-posted, re-tweeted, re-everything-ed across the web--the Invisible Children site even crashed due to its inability to sustain all the hits it was receiving.  All over my university campus, KONY 2012 became the hot topic of dialogue, with people urging others to take action.  It was emotionally overwhelming, being a part of a great revolution, a movement that would change the world.  However, it was still undeniably a form of propaganda.

After the hype subsided and people began realizing their rationality again, many questions began raising in response to KONY 2012 and the endeavors of Invisible Children.  Of course, no one could deny that the cause was a righteous and moral one, but the means by which it was to play out were questionable.  For one, the movement called for military intervention into Africa, and the LRA is composed of child-soldiers--the children we seek to save would be the ones we'd have to kill in order to acquire Kony.  Also, it further propagates a notion of American superiority and dominance in global affairs, suggesting that Africa, though it is undeniably torn and worthy of assistance, is unable or incapable of taking care of itself.  It also bordered on the concept of national sovereignty--does the US have any right to even impose itself onto African soil to perform such acts?  It also painted Joseph Kony as being pure evil, the villian in the story, almost satanic, employing posters stating "Kony, the worst" and even using moody forms of lighting and music to showcase him in the film.  Are we to deny him the rights of a human being, to forget that he too is a child of God worthy of affection?  And will taking out Kony truly bring an end to all of the LRA's efforts?  These were just some of the questions raised after the emotional stress had died down. 

It is truly and frustratingly difficult to know where to draw the line between right and wrong, moral and immoral, and to know how to act in this situation.  The Kony case is still in action, and will go on until the project ends at the end of December, 2012. 

Post 9

In preparation for our Information Design Research assessment, we have researched three separate streams of the design field: brand promotion, propaganda, and information graphics. 

Brand promotion refers to the ways a brand promotes and advertises itself--its identity.  The focal point is not so much the products themselves, but the identity of the brand, the name; thus it is important to have a strongly-stated and clear identity to market to consumer audiences.  Brand promotion engages consumers in an effort to raise sales.  It aims to encourage continued consumption, build brand equity, increase customer loyalty.  These endeavors are done through creating a sense of belonging, a club that consumers can be a part of if they align themselves with the brand.  Brand promotion utilizes various mediums from print to radio to television, but relies mostly on repetition of the brand and its message toward the public.

Propaganda aims to influence the views of masses of people in efforts to inspire change and/or action.  This is done by selectively presenting one-sided arguments in exaggerated, saturated, emotionally loaded fashions.  Propaganda usually relies upon the direct manipulation of emotions, encouraging emotional response over rationality, creating the feel of a movement, and building upon the hype and momentum to expand its scope of influence.  Mediums of propaganda vary with era as well, from print to television to internet to books.  Propaganda has generally proven quite effective, as it pulls on the core feelings of a people, and in turn disseminates exponentially to others.

 Information graphics works to present complex information in easily digestible forms, such as diagrams and graphics, often in a metaphoric manner.  What sets information graphics apart from the other two information design methods is the actual amount of research and though that must go behind each thought and sketch.  Information graphics allows for the transferring of knowledge and data to would be difficult to understand otherwise, like if it were presented in a normal document.  Often, symbols and images are employed in conjunction with text, being arranged as a metaphor. 

Post 8

In this week's class session we read a little bit about the "Bling Ring," a group of affluent teenagers who, motivated by their obsession of celebrity life and desire for fame, performed some of the most scandalous thefts in Hollywood history--their targets: A-list celebrities, including Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Orlando Bloom, to name a few.  Initially consisting of solely Nick Prugo and Rachel Lee, the group consistently expanded to include four other core members:  Diana Tamayo, Ray Lopez, Courtney Ames, and Alexis Neiers.  The rallying cry of the Bling Ring was a hollowing "Let's go shopping!" while the whole scene began adopting a party atmosphere.  Writer Nancy Jo Sales states: "I think they idolised these people, but at the same time there seemed to be a weird resentment - a feeling of, 'You've got way more than you need so I'll take from you'.  It was a great thrill.  There was a feeling of power.  They would go out wearing these clothes and joyriding around LA."  Journalist Lena Corner's assessment of the Bling Ring is quite insightful:  "what [the obsession with celebrity and the obsession with fame] demonstrates is the level of confusion we have now reached between celebrity and non-celebrity - and in turn, reality and non-reality." 

What is so profound is the constant struggle and tension between reality and fantasy, between celebrity and normalcy.  I think the Bling Ring definitely demonstrates more of the negative affects of a society based on consumerism and idealism, a society where money calls the shots.  Even the motives for making a movie off of the bling ring seem to be entirely money based, founded upon people's obsession with celebrity life.  It is a bit shaking to consider the possibility that designers, and those who are pursuing a career in design, may be propagating these thoughts and feelings.  It is undeniable that these sentiments are the driving forces behind magazines industries, tabloids, celebrity dramas, what they feed off of.  As designers seeking to engage a world through such a medium, it is increasingly important that we consider the messages we send and the ideas we promote.  It is necessary for us to indeed ascertain these beliefs and hold to them.

Post 7

Returning to the first week and the study of the meaning of things, observing designers and goals in design.  In examining designers we covered such as Kenya Hara, Hella Jongerius, and Li Edlekoort, we can see that design is always intentional and meaningful, whether it be to redesign for function or for pleasure.  This is possible because pretty much any object or experience can be assigned meaning.  Personally, an item that has incredible significance to me are my shoes.  I've had these shoes for a good couple of years now--they've seen me through thick and thin, taken me around the world, and have
faithfully brought me home many times.  They're horribly worn out, proudly boasting the valiant scars they've faced from harsh travel--the right pair has become so mangled, I have to hold it together with rubber-bands!  These shoes have meaning not on their own, but because I've placed meaning in them through my experience with them.  The meaning of "things," of objects is ascribed--such is the motive of the designer.

Post 6

In continuing our study with magazines and culture, I've examined Bon Appetit magazine, a magazine on food.  It not only reflects culture, but also how food has affected culture and vice versa.

Bon Appetit is an American magazine on food that is published monthly.  The title of the publication is a French phrase literally translating to “good appetite”—or “have a good meal.”  It was founded by M. Frank Jones in 1956 as a simple food magazine with good recipes and cooking tips.  After switching publishers to Pillsbury Company in 1970 and Knapp Communications in 1974, Bon Appetit is now owned by Conde Nast Publications (the same company that owns Vogue).   

Perhaps most eventful in Bon Appetit’s recent history was the assigning of Adam Rapoport as editor-in-chief in 2010 (Moskin, 2010).  Adam Rapoport was previously an editor for GQ Magazine.  Rapoport’s vision is to “build on the massive in food in this country” (Moskin, 2010), and he certainly has—since 2010, he has transformed the whole look and feel of Bon Appetit to market toward a broader audience, keeping its traditional focus on food, but also using food as a medium in exploring new areas such as restaurant dining, health and nutrition, travel, entertainment, people, and so forth (Bon Appetit, 2012).  It is interesting to compare the difference in brand name and editorial design between Rapoport’s Bon Appetit and an older edition of the same publication and automatically see the difference in feel just in the type, photography, and visual design.  It is also interesting to see the intersection of popular culture and food.  Indeed, as food is becoming a “part of being an informed, stylish, with-it kind of person,” (Moskin, 2010) the change to a modern design with a more lifestyle approach seems wise and appropriate in attracting this main-stream audience.  

Food is such an inherently connected aspect to culture, and is a subject that everyone loves.  In creating a magazine that is focused on food, it is necessary to be keen on what a culture considers appealing and attractive, and to know how to stretch those boundaries and horizons by introducing new concepts.  In seeing how Bon Appetit has changed its brand as of late, we can see how the view of food has changed in culture and society.  Food is now not only something you eat, but it is also a symbol of culture, of class, and of a life that is good—a life that we can aspire toward.  Bon Appetit magazine has recognized this, and has adapted to the culture around food to attract the modern patron and lover of food.  The inclusion of these new lifestyle elements into their magazine have given Bon Appetit  the ability to explore new ways of influencing culture through food.

Post 5

In analyzing magazines and how they affect culture, one powerful magazine I've examined is Vogue magazine.

Vogue was founded in September 1892 by Arthur Baldwin Turnure as a high-society, weekly journal aimed at both men and women of affluent, high socialite status (History of Vogue Magazine, n.d.).  In focusing on an elite audience, the magazine chronicled sports, plays, music, books, etiquettes, and fashion.  In 1909, Conde Montrose Nastbought the publication, and transformed Vogue entirely into a bi-weekly women’s fashion magazine.  As advertising manager of Collier’s Weekly, which was first in advertising revenue for magazines of its time, Nast was a self-proclaimed advertising and sales genius, and took Vogue overseas to Britain, Spain, Italy and France in 1916.  Vogue has experienced extensive development and change through historic events, including World War II and the Great Depression, in which American fashion began to emerge as its own category; and the sexual revolution of the 1960s, in which fashion became more contemporary, sexuality was freely discussed, and the ideal of beauty switched to a more androgynous feel (Weber, 2006).    

The current editor-in-chief of American Vogue since taking over in 1988 is Anna Wintour (Vogue Magazine, 2012), adapting Vogue’s editorial and stylistic elements in response to the changing culture and lifestyles of modern women by focusing on new and innovative ideas of fashion for a broader audience, as well as including charitable organizations into their agenda (History of Vogue Magazine, n.d.).  Her inaugural cover broke the tradition of representing a woman’s face alone by assigning greater attention to the model’s body, and thus her clothing, a statement in itself.  Vogue continues to be the leading powerhouse in women’s fashion and lifestyle magazines, being described as “the world’s most influential fashion magazine” (Weber, 2006), and even as “the style bible” (Fisher, 2009).  Vogue does not need to raise its voice, as it is the world that is eager to listen.  The name in itself carries weight and influence which stems from its innovative content, charitable and community acts, and from its editor herself. 

Vogue’s first-rate photography and content through the ages express the values and ideals of the era they are from, and document the shifts through time of society’s dreams, desires, and trends for glamour and beauty.  Vogue has retained its classic look, brand and message, yet has successfully marketed to the modern woman of its time.  It has clearly had to adapt to appeal to the current culture and trends, yet with its standing and influence it is setting the standards by which culture aspires toward.