Study Task 4 - Triangulating and Harvard Referencing

In the following I am to produce short pieces of academic writing based on the following manifestos:
- 'First Things First Manifesto' by Ken Garland
- 'First Things First Manifesto 2000' by Adbusters
- 'Fuck Committees' by Tibor Kalman


Triangulating Manifestos:

Within the first two Manifestos by Ken Garland and Adbusters they both start off with rather similar introductions. Both addressing the "undersigned" as graphic designers, besides Garland also addresses photographers and students whereas Adbusters addresses art directors and visual communicator. They both mention how advertising has been presented the undersigned as "the most lucrative, effective and desirable means" of using their talents. Both show lists of the menial products (e.g. cat food, detergent, toothpaste, lotion... etc.) with which they claim "skill and imagination" are wasted on. With all three Manifestos they mention at least some type of improtance towards culture, that it is (one out of many listed) worthwhile for the undersigned to use their skills for and support ("Urgently require" their "expertise and help").


Analysis of an animation:

Relating to the first Manifesto by Ken Garland I have identified an animation which makes his point of designers flogging "their skill and imagination" for the selling of products. The animation I identify is "Coca Cola Animted Short 2015", it shows incredible amounts of animation capturing the movements of the interactions with an owner and his dog. How the dog sees the world through its' eyes provide some wacky and imaginative animations (e.g. chasing his tail and chasing squirrels). Yet all this effort is used for promoting a sugery fizzy drink. If Garland means what he said how he would react to such an animation selling a drink which has proven not to be health.


Evaluation on 'First Things First Manifesto 2000" by Adbusters:
The introduction does well to address a range of artists/designers relevant to the argument the Manifesto makes. Telling us at the beginning about artists/designers raised to believe their their skills are much needed for advertisement suggests some criticism. Then later on in the text it confirms that it's being negative through the list of menial products and stating that "there are pursuits more worthy of our problem-solving skills" suggested that the product advertisements mentioned are not worthy of their "problem-solving skills".


Summary of "First Things First" by ken Garland:

We undersigned (graphic designers, photographers and students) are raised to believe advertising is a lucrative, effective and desirable means of using our talent. Publications bombard us with such belief, congratulating skilll and imagination wasted on selling cat food, detergent, toothpaste, lotion... etc.

Great time and effort is wasted on trivial advertisement purposes with no contribution to national prosperity.

With increase to the number of general public we hav reached a point where the scream of consumer selling is just sheer noise. We believe in other thing worthy of our skill. Signs for streets and bildings, books and periodicals, industrial photography, educational aids... etc. and any media we promote our trade, our education, our culture and our greater awerness of the owls.

We do not promote a ban on high pressure consumer advertising (not possible). We propose a change of priorities to favor useful and lasting forms of communication. Our hope is that society grow tired of gimmicks, such as merchants, and that our skill be used for worthwhile purposes. Keeping this in mind, we propose to share and make our experience and opinions available to colleagues, students and others who show interest.

COP 1 Lecture 4: The History of Type

Written words endure while spoken words disappear.

Type is the form with language is represented in (i.e. words, letters and symbols).

Typography is the process of creating type in a specific style or appearance. In a form which will appeal to most people and would last for a long time.

Using symbols as a form of recording information has been confirmed to originate from Mesopotamia. The form of early writing started of using pictograms which were used to communicate basic information. This changed through the years into the form of a script.

Mesopotamia pictograms

Mesopotamia, origins of writing

For a language to be established in any part of the world by a group of people there must be an agreement that a word or letter will stand for something.

The first alphabet therefore was the Greek alphabet developed by the Phoenicians. Futher development of the Greek created Latin which is a widely used alphabet today.

Latin

"Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe."

COP 1 Lecture 9: Modernism

Kaiserpanorama (1883) - a form of stereoscopic entertainment
in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Modernism is created through artist's and/or designer's intuitive responses. Modern suggests novelty and improvement.

As a result of Modernity a range of ideas and styles were created.

Anti-historicism sees no need to look back towards older styles, rather look towards aesthetic futurism in architecture. Styles with defy traditions and historicism.

Historicism - show regard for past styles.

Chronophotographic gun (1882) - an antique photographic technique from the Victorian era.

'Truth to material' is a principle of modern architecture which dictates that material must be used appropriately for simple geometric forms.

'Form follows function' is a concept relating to modernist architecture and industrial design of the 20th century. It follows the rule that an object or building must be shaped appropriately for it's function or purpose.

The Bauhaus (1919 to 1933) - school of art and design founded by German architect
Walter Gropius

Internationalism - supporting a greater political or economic cooperation among nations and peoples.
Within art this is interpreted as designing a language that can be easily understood on an international level.

Harry Beck, London Underground Map 1933

COP 1 Lecture 14: Semiotics

Semiotics - the 'science' pf studying signs

Just like how we discover meaning behind every language by understanding the written and spoken material we can also find meaning within cultural practices (if we perceive culture the same way be do language).

In order to make sense of cultural artefacts we need to learn and understand their codes. That codes rely on shared knowledge.











Signs are made up of two parts, the signifier and signified. Signifier is a sound, word or image that suggests the sign and the signified is the mental concept of that sign.
For example: Sound of a dog (signifier) + Mental concept of a dog (signified) = Dog (sign)
There is no logic behind the relationship between the signifier and the signified in language.

Denotation - basic understanding behind the meaning of a word through the feelings or ideas that word suggests. For example: Dog = animal etc.

Connotation - ideas or feelings the word associates with in addition to its' actual meaning.
For example: Dog = loyal pet etc.

The meaning of a sign isn't determined by the object but by the people who identify them.
Therefore the meaning of a sign can change.

Dog = animal, canine, furry, four legged, noisy, pet, playful, loyal, loving, etc.