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Notes from Week 4, Convention VS Design Lecture

Updated: Dec 14, 2020

-Is the MA concerned with issues of hyper consumerism? There are theories that before the 18th century western Europe consumed less. If we can switch it on, can we switch off from hyper consumerism and consumption? Can we be fulfilled in different ways?


-Social and cultural dimension of MA. Has the 20th and 21st century become more regulated or sensitive than ever before

- Is the MA a real issue or something more hypothetical?

- If there is a real issue this suggests the need for greater understanding of conventions or regulations. If hypothetical it may make the research methodology harder

- Ripped clothes for example, in the 19 century ripped clothes reflected in poor wealth. Does the present fashion show we have so much, we can then present as if we do not?

- Max and Dave Fleischer, Betty Boop 1930. The original character was much more animal like. The character became sexualised but it got to a point in which the people revolted against it and thought it was too sexualised

-The Hays Code was first published in 1930 as the first attempt of film censorship. It was adopted by Hollywood in 1934

-Dr Frederic Wertham, 'Seduction of the Innocent' 1954 book

-Wertham talks about imagery and subliminal messages. The comics code authority was introduced in the 50s. Early comics questioning stereotypes of women and body shapes and roles

- Black Panther 1966, first black character introduced within comic books, although it took until 2018 to make the Black Panther comic into a film.

- James Gilroy 1930s, created posters for Guinness, stating.. it was good for us and gave us strength.

-Guinness surfer campaign, director Jonathan Glazer dumps the previous statements. The irony is the new ideas to advertise the products can then become more powerful. When regulators are trying to curve sales and stop certain positive comments, it makes the creators work harder and innovate

-If global in approach with MA work, be aware of the regulations globally. Smoking packets for example have different regulations in different countries. Certain countries are ready for stronger graphics as shown on cigarette packets at different times.

-Why do we have to have regulations? racism, sexism, etc

-Regulations around children and pester power

-Certain brands embrace diversity very well such as Coca-Cola

-Vogue cover, 2008 of LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen was very controversial in that there were connotations around King Kong imagery


Vogue cover, 2008


-Be aware of history and be aware of responsibility

-Research before, during and after (reflective) Who do you ask?

-Dangers in not doing market research? But some companies do not do this

- Rise of the use of Photoshop and manipulation of imagery and bodies, is this ethical? Debate of should you do it?

-Jos Van Den Broeck, Visual language perspectives of both makers and users, book

-Olay creams use of Photoshop to manipulate images, is this the same as the Guinness statements?

- Saatchi and Saatchi contraception 1970 campaign was seen to have overstepped the boundaries of good taste, but nowadays with this be seen as normal?

Saatchi and Saatchi pregnancy ad


- Calvin Klein Brooke Sheilds, at age 15 had a poster and TV campaign. As she was underage and dressed with this be possible today? To show an underage person in the sexualised way?

-The campaign and discussion then made the brand much bigger ironically. Calvin Klein often used sexualised black-and-white images

-Provoking in the consumer- FCUK in the 2000s, the ASA banned the use of FCUK in a written sentence. Profits then increased by the use of the word. We buy into it, but then complain about it further down the line

-Benetton had an advert of a man dying of aids in bed which was then used by an Aids campaign as a response. Toscani and Bennetons view was that people are not interested in the product, it was popular in the 1990s to make a provoking image, but then could somehow go so too far. In America Benneton had an advert featuring an image of a man on death-row which was disliked by the American public and seen as too far. Benetton then went back to the product in the image, but went back to the conceptual adverts in 2011

-How do you respond as a brand to criticism? McDonald's Super-Size Me. Questioning where does the meat come? The new hand drawn typography after this criticism shows non-corporate identity and more authentic image of the company. The repositioning of the product and the branding, from the red yellow Americanised colours of the 50s and 60s replaced with green brown and more organic colours and branding

- Rebrands. In October 2010 the Gap logo was rebranded, it had a negative response, questions if the low key development and change is better for a brand

-Conventions of society, who dominates the society at the time? Do they define ideas and show taste?

-In the 1700s middle-class white men versus the 1960s youth market with much more diversity

- Baby boomers of the 1960s- pop music

-Gen X in the 1980s with TV and media

-Gen Z now who are the digital natives

-National statistics https://www.ons.gov.uk/ show there are more people over 85 and over before percentage of people under 16 fell meaning we are moving into a society with more old people than young

-An older population will have an impact on design. In 2008 in Newcastle research for a new supermarket to support how all the people shop

- Memphis design groups Ettore Sottsass questions, why define the use of product? Let the consumer decide. The use and colours and materials and the juxtaposition of cheap and expensive materials

-Look at for example, paper. all papers can be considered and reflect in our ideas and more than just paper

-Questioning our traditions such as the designing of rooms, the zoning of the rooms and colour in the house. Why do we do this?

-Phillipe Starck, thought about how in the future, there would be more people working from home (especially in the recent pandemic) how do you then treat your home?

-Why am I using this material, convention? How can I break away from this? Questioning the purpose and intention

- Neville Brody 'The Face' questioned standard layouts, designing new layouts which broke from traditional convention


The Face, Neville Brody

-Does our gender reflect our output and our visual identity?

-Objectification, be aware of the audience.

- Diversity and multiculturalism- Stuart Ewen (1984) All Consuming Images, Basic Books


-Does my MA challenge any conventions?

-What are the conventions?

-In what way does it reflect society or the culture in which I was raised?

-Is it a real life theme of hypothetical?

-Does your design or research need to respond to regulations?

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