First things First 250 word analisis

Chosen Question: Discuss the role that illustration can play during periods of political and/ or social upheaval?

Article analysis: First things first( 1964&2000).

 In the revisit of First things first, Rick Poynor in his review of the manifesto (1964-2000) said that designers should be doing more to communicate social and political issues rather than advertising for the money. ”Distinction drawn by the manifesto was between design as communication (giving people necessary information) and design as persuasion (trying to get them to buy things.)”Poynor,4,2000.  Secondly the manifesto was ignored by designers for that reason, they wanted money and didn’t give a thought to the more ethical reasons “Most preferred to keep their heads down.” Poynor,4,2000. The designers would rather produce work for the more exciting corporate brands e.g. Nike compared to CND(campaign for nuclear disarmament.) “The vast majority of design projects-and certainly the most lavishly funded and widely disseminated- address corporate needs…” Poynor,4,2000.

Also artist and designers coming out of art school where and still are working for more corporate projects because of the money. “For many art and design schools, they are obsessed with how cool an ad looks, rather than with what it is really saying…” Poynor,4,2000. And finally, the main message made in the original manifesto and the one in 2000 is that nothing has change in between these 35 years. And I agree with McCoy when he states that” Designers who have grown up in a commercial climate often find this hard to believe says McCoy , that  feels  political or social concerns are either extraneous to our work or inappropriate.” McCoy,5,2000  Even though this article dose centres on advertisement, illustrators’ still have these same problems. If I was offer the chance to design something for Nike or CND then I would more than likely go for Nike because it offers the money, however from having read this manifesto and the revisit of it, I can now see how that view is wrong. We have a skill of communicating key ideas in a way anyone can understand why don’t we use them to question and challenge political and social issues more? However I disagree with the point of young designers, which they just go for the big corporate needs more. If that work gets you established as a popular designer then you chose to show work demonstrating your opinion of issues, then would the work have more of an impact?   

Summary of image analysis.

Question given : discuss the role that illustration can play during periods of political and/or social upheaval.

Definition of political : Of or relating to the government or public affairs of a country, or dealing with the structure of affairs of government , politics or the state.

Definition of social: Relating to society to it's organisation or relating to rank or state in society.

Images found:
First image is by Kent Williams called "why the military never learns". The idea behind the image was to put a deadly spin on the classic playground sandbox image by bring toy soldiers to life. It is a very lighthearted fashion image but it amplifies the horror of the image. The soldiers are behaving very childishly and just flinging the bombs around them and hitting the city behind them.  Also there backs are turned as if they don't care and don't want to see they destruction. They also have little tanks around them which give the impression that war is a game to them. The place where it is set look resent could be Afghanistan and it looks like American soldiers. This could potentially be a very controversial image , but communicates the artist point clearly, war is like a game to them and they don't really care where they attack.



The second image is from Private eye magazine and is a sketch. There is a caption under the image of  Noah's ark which says "so what exactly are we -refugees or migrants?" This sketch is a response to to current refugee crisis and the ongoing debate over weather they referee or migrants. The refugees are compare to animals in this image, and have been before this when David Cameron referred to the refugees as a "swarm", bad choice of words. These people are crammed into boats because they are desperate to leave there country and then they arrive in other country's that are desperate to get rid of them , I think that is a prime example of a current social issues we have, that need to change.

Task 1 image analysis exercise.

500 Words.

The uncle sam range- image by Schumacher and Ettlinger, new york.

(Before) - image by Adrian Allinson. 

(After) - image by Adrian Allinson.

Both of these images tend to centre on very similar aspects. Firstly Cultural, they are about cultural superiority. The white races are viewed as the superior beings and the black races are viewed are the lesser man. For example in the first image “The Uncle Sam Range” advert for range stoves, is aimed at the higher-class male, and the purpose is to advertise “The Uncle Sam Range”(1876) . It shows white upper class Americans sitting around a table discussing business, with their wall, carpets and clothing covered in the American flag, and symbols of American independence around the room for example the declaration of independence hangs on the wall. They are nationalists very proud of there country, grand, powerful people. This is show in the font is large shine and gold which also demonstrates wealth. 

The image is composed so that they are the centre of it, but in the left hand corner the is a small black child, a slave, who is almost hidden away and he is doing all of the cooking in which these people are about to eat. The second image is like a before and after snap shot aimed at white British people, and its purpose to show technology brought over prosperity (1930). However it is only in the after picture that you see the effect of racism occur again. You have a tall, proud, strong white man smoking his pipe surveying all of the black slaves, who are again doing all of the work, and yet they stay hidden heads down and they look oppressed.

The social similarities within the images are that all the white men have the power and the women are absent. In the first image the woman is serving the people at the table, she is a housewife who would care about family values. The second image in the before shot the women are featured in but in the after shot they are completely absent. This would have probably fitted with the social views at the time.

Technology in these images is viewed as progress, making everyone civilised. The white uppers class Americans are almost saying look we have this stove, you should have one too, so you can be a civilised as us. And the after shot in second image is showing the effect negative effect that technology has had on the positive culture and identify the east African people had and it was destroyed. It is not bring prosperity to them only to the white British.  

Politically, each person in the image is attempting to enhance or build an empire. ‘Uncle Sam’ is enchasing the stereotypical American nationalist. Celebrating their independence, thinking America is the better country and a mockery is being made about other countries in the bill/menu the world is reading.  The second image is showing the building of an empire but it is all created by the exploitation of the slave trade. They are both propaganda images, they cover up the racism with ideals of white supremacy. This also links to the historical aspects of the image. In the time periods in which all the images where produce, it was eathier during and just after the slave trade was abolished.           

Preparatory task.

Culture: Definition- relating to the idea, customs, and social behaviour of society. 

Quote" I happend to have recounted Boris Jonson recently and I said to him ; If you don't get affordable housing into place, they become a curtal desert. Rich people on the whole don't create culture"- Grayson perry.

Grayson perry.

(unknown).

Preparatory task.

Social Definition: Relating to it's organisations or relating to ranks or status in society. 

Quote-"We are here , not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law makers." - Emmeline Pankhurst -http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

(google images, unknown)

(google images, unknown)

Preparatory task.

Historical: Definition- Of or relating to history, concerned with past events. Belonging to the past. 

Quote- "It's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."-  Neil Armstrong.-empoweryouknowledgeandhapptriria.wordpress.com

-  Anne Frank.










 


- Martin Brown( Horrible histories.)

Preparatory task.

Political definition: Of or relating to the government or public affairs of a country. Of relating to, or dealing with the structure of affairs of government , politics or the state. - http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

Quote-"One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing, that to win a was is as disastours as to loose one"- Agatha Christie autobiography (1977).

- Private Eye.

- Martin Brown - horrible histories.

Preparatory task

Technological: definition- relating to of using technology. 

. Quote- "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."  Steve Jobs- www.cheatsheet.com.

-Private Eye.

-http://doublemesh.com

Preparatory task.

Group work:  we made a list of ideas about what we thought each word political, social, cultural, historical, technological meant.