RE-WRITE OF ESSAY

TASK 6

After reading through Gary's blog I decided to be challenged with stereotyping and whether or not I had done this within my previous work. I came across this which I created for the new coming first years to our studio and was really based solely around stereotype. Of course my research was conducted around the studio but who is to say that mine and the other years present at the time had the same outlook as the new students to arrive in september.

As well as this, it is only now, but I have realised I have used the very stereotyped colours around male/ female - blue/pink. I should imagine my thoughts were to be inclusive of everyone, but in doing so I probably seemed to be falling for what I thought was for all... but in fact may well not have been. Interesting!

TASK 5

Write a 500 word critical summary of the text which explicitly adresses the following questions

1. How is sustainability defined in the text?
2. What are the main characteristics or tendencies of Capitalism
3. Define a 'crisis of Capitalism'. Offer an example.
4. What solutions have been offered to the sustainability question? Are these successful or realistic? - If not why are they flawed?
5. Is the concept of sustainability compatible with Capitalism?

Sustainability is the way in which the values of society, the environment, the economy, and moral and political spheres are kept from the current generation and uphold for those to come. Balser describes this as 'inter- and intra- generational equity'. There is a specific focus, through this essay, on environmental sustainability due to the current environmental crises surrounding us; climate change, natural resources depletion, species extinction, deforestation, and the way in which our capitalist culture, although in an attempt to sustain, is causing the environment more problems due to consumerism and the need for more. Balser explains that sustainability has always been seen as a 'communal concept' but as capitalisation of certain communities emerges so does the struggle for other poorer communities to uphold it without the developing environmental technologies. This ties in with the Karl Marx and Rosa Luxemburg's thoughts that rather than capital accumulation having a positive affect it actually causes 'social inequality and instability' as one sells and earns, one is left without therefore creating a larger gap between the rich and the poor.

Characteristics of a capitalist community include commodification – turning products into production, accumulation, production , trade and exportation. Flaws begin to arise in capitalisms attempts to sustain as Balser explains, 'Capitalism...is a diverse web that is continuously expanding and trapping. These crises can vary in size, expression and materialization. ' For example commodification of air space for cellular and 3g networks as capitalism is constantly driven to find new avenues of commodification.

There have been many attempts to answer the sustainability question one concept is by Paul Hawkin who identifies that we are infact only human and need to 'work with who we are- which includes our strong instinct to shop the market and buy products of comparable quality at the lowest prices.' He pin points four ways in which businesses and alter the way the work to be more sustainable within a capitalist culture. Although attempting to be realistic compared with other concepts which go in the opposite direction of capitalism Balser argues that Hawkin's is instead 'validating the [capitalist] system.' By merely going along with it then nothing will change.

Balser goes on to explain the problems which surround linking sustainability with capitalism more specifically within a bio-fuel plant built in the very poor residential area in the North End of Hamilton in Canada. While the plant was providing fuel which made consumers 'rest easy because their consumer choices are more environmentally conscious and more sustainable.' It was having a huge negative impact on a very poor community. 'First, the site selected was community green space. Second, the constant tremors resulted in severe damage to several homes in the area..' There was no attempt made to made all people happy and it seems within a capitalist culture sustainability becomes more about making those able to consume feel better about themselves and in turn creating a very large, unmanageable class divide.

TASK 4

se Shannon & Weaver's model of the communication process to write a 300-400 word analysis of a work of Graphic Design. Comment on the ways in which the piece of Graphic Design attempts to communicate to a specific audience, using techniques of redundancy, entropy or noise.

Look at Fiske, J. (2002) 'An Introduction To Communication Studies' if you are struggling.

Essay Feedback

I think after handing my essay in I knew it was rushed and I had not finished it how I had hoped. Richard explained that I seem to have included too many subjects simply within the title and so overcomplicated it for myself to answer such a confusing question. I think my problem also was that I didn't know which part of it to answer and so rushed and only scratched the surface of some. Therefore I am going to re-write my essay considering just one topic but going into much more detail and coming to a more useful conclusion.

Another point made was that I use first person tense which ofcourse is too informal and not as an essay should be so this will need to be changed.

Also I need to add a Bibliography and also improve on my harvard referencing.

Generally my essay was more like a draft than anything. But fingers crossed for the re-write.

Eventual Essay title...

After a lot of thought, possibly wrongly so I wrote my essay surrounding this question:


Is graphic design becoming purely for designers and is this the only way it can exist creatively within a consumer culture full of noise?


I have been looking at various theologies surrounding this and wanted to do this so as to argue eventually FOR graphic design rather than against it as I fear my passion has diminished.


Books to add to the list:
Raymond williams. by Alex O'Conner
Understanding media cultures: Social thoery and mass communication. Nick Stevenson
Graphic Design history. S Heller & G Ballance.

Title Ideas

Considering theories surrounding popular culture to what extent can Graphic Design exist outside of our western ideology?

I have always been interested in the continuous consumer cycle that surrounds our culture. I have recently been contending with the concept that Graphic design is itself flawed with this and only exists because our cultures ideology allows it to, anywhere else it is pointless and shallow.  When I travelled to india I loved the lack of effort that went into the signage on shops in the small towns or simply the packaging on products...if any at all.  I would love to prove myself wrong with this as I feel Design can be more than just a way to make something seem more attractive than it really is and communication through imagery has surrounded us for centuries.

Books I have seen that correspond with my thoughts.

1. Cultural theory and popular culture: an introduction, volume 2006, Part 2. John Storey.

2. Popular culture: production and consumption by C. Lee harrington, Denise D. Bielby

3. Feminism, femininity and Popular Culture by Joanne Hollows. 

4. Culture and anarchy by Matthew Arnold

5. Consuming passions: the dynamics of popular culture. Judith williamson

6. Cultural thoery and popular culture: a reading John Storey. 

Essay title...

I think my personal favourite lectures and sessions so far have been on Popular culture and also the Gaze. I think they seem to interlink quite well though not sure this is possible within an essay.

The one I will probably be able to get the most excited about and read most about would probably be popular culture as I have, since then, questioned this consumerist culture a lot and why we feel the need to constantly have the new stuff yet with this fall in line with everyone else around us... do we actually want to be like everyone else? or are we fooling ourselves into being individual. Are there deeper meanings into why we chose things, what we listen to or watch?

I think I want to prove Adorno wrong, though, I'm not sure that will be entirely possible.

I'm not one to spend loads of money on stuff but I am a sucker sometimes and have a tendency to feel that I NEED something then a few months later forget why I needed it.

Popular music video

Sadly I had to shame myself and search You tube for the X factors most recent single 'heroes' which I feel epitomises Adorno's description and hatred of popular music. The chords are all the same. The sequence is the same... theres a classic build up and of course it sticks in your head, which seems to be the most common denominator of most pop songs.

A classic.

Task 2 - On Popular Culture.

From the beginning of the essay written by Adorno we see his judgement into popular music and its lack of functionality. Adorno explains and argues throughout his analysis that popular music is a pointless hobby which only those who don't want to learn listen to and which does not help in any way progress society. On various occasions it is compared with 'serious music' which sums up his thoughts on its inferiority and lack of 'culture'.

Adorno explains that "the whole structure of popular music is standardized, even where the attempt is made to circumvent standardization." Simply, this statement means that every bit of popular music produced is the same. Made to a set of standards which means the songs/sound tracks etc always sound exactly the same. Even when the artist is attempting to be different they in fact are still conforming to these rules of popular music. As well as this Adorno seems to interrogate even the listener as well as the artist as he says "the whole is pre-given and pre-accepted, even before the actual experience of the music starts: therefore, it is not likely to influence, to any great extent, the reaction to the details, except to give them varying degrees of emphasis." Adorno is now explaining that the listener need not put any thought into listening to the music as they already know what it will sound like, "the composition hears for the listener"(pg 77), yet they still listen to it, still like it and will no doubt buy more of the same music. In expressing this, Adorno is explaining that this type of music is in fact for those who can not be bothered to think, those who are lazy and do not want to grow intellectually. Of course, this is summing up a lot of people who in fact are all very different and listen to the music for various reasons. Though, the concept that popular music is all standardized is very near to the truth.

The term Psuedo-individualisation is key in linking Adorno's thoughts with other areas of popular culture. The term simply means fake individualisation. Especially in the current post-modern culture this term is very important. Each person is made to feel different to everyone else by the type of music they listen to, the films they watch and the clothes they wear but in fact each of these aspects of society have been rigged so that the consumer will indeed consume. We begin to base our identities on these things which in turn makes us different from everyone else yet, we forget that in fact it is produced for everyone to like and for everyone to understand. In trying to be different we become the same. This can be linked with the term 'ideology' as it is all part of the western culture we were born into, something we could not change and a thought process which has be engraved into us. Adrono also picks up on the concept that if "Unhidden they would provoke resistance"(pg 78). Which seems to say that if we knew that the music was all the same made so that we would buy it, we probably would not buy it anymore.

Considering all of this, it still stands that music is made to be heard and enjoyed, which, as explained by Adorno, goes without saying, but this is not a bad thing. In understanding that I listen to the same music as everyone else and wear the same clothes as everyone else, I don't feel less of an individual as it is more the experiences which come with these consumerist parts of society.

Task 1 - Panoptic society

Communications theory

The gaze - lecture notes.

Popular culture Lecture notes.

YEAR 2 BEGINS - Lecture notes

PANOPTICISM - Surveillance and Society.

Panopticism is a principle introduced by Michel Foucault (1926-1984) in his books 'Madness and Civilisation' and 'Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison.'

In the late 1600's the concept of being 'normal' seemed to take a turning point. All those seen as being socially unacceptable (insane, criminals, women who fall pregnant before marriage) were locked away. Instead of dealing with the problem in hand peopl

e would rather hide it away as though they never existed.

This was called the great confinement.

After this came 'Houses of Correction' to curb unemployment and illness. It was a place where they could repress deviance. Those who were put in these houses were forced to work.

Another way of reforming those who deterred from the norm was the 'Asylum' This was to separate the 'normal' from the 'un-normal' and insane. Here instead of being forced to do anything they were treated more like children. When they did something well they were praised and when they went against the rules they were punished.

FOUCAULT realised and explained in his books a new type of discipline. One which required less effort from the one in power and mainly to do with the psychology of the subject. PANOPTICISM emerged from and can be summarisedatten best in the form of an architectural creation by Jeremy Bentham 1791. A Panoptic prison (image below) Consisted of a main viewing tower which would be in the centre of the structure which is then surrounded by columns and rows of cells. Each person would be isolated in their own cell and would face the viewing tower directly. Compared to previous prisons/cells this forced in mates to feel as though they were constantly being watched. They would never be able to move away from the watchful eye of the attendants.

This would have an unexpected psychological effect on the inmat

es. They would begin to self regulate (constantly aware that someone was watching so changed how they act to suit the person watching and to avoid punishment) this is like a concept of reform without physical force from the power source.

A Semiotic Analysis

Here I have chosen two images which are advertising similar products but in a very different way. The first is a Pepsi advert which has used David Beckham, a famous footballer, as the main model in this image. David Beckham alone signifies many things and has been chosen very wisely for this specific product. The fact that he is a famous footballer shows skill and with that wealth which has underlying connotations that drinking Pepsi has enabled him and helps him to keep up with this lifestyle. As well as this, by using a famous person in an advert, the product becomes more attractive making the audience think that if their idol drinks it then it must be good. All the images in the background are also conveying movement which again signifies that drinking Pepsi aids an active lifestyle.

The second advertisement is for Coca Cola, here the designer has kept the advert very simple knowing that the name and colours that come with coca cola are enough for its recognition and to entice people into wanting it. I think the simple silhouette of the bottle signifies refreshment and is also a well known symbol linked to Coca Cola. The simple phrase of 'live on the Coke side of life' denotes that Coca Cola is, like in the pepsi advert, a key into a better way of life. It is full of positive connotations, that coke invigorates and makes life more exciting and is the best 'side' to live on. The concept seems to be that life without coke is not the same.

Both images are advertising a product that is already very popular and well known and so both are just again getting their name out there, keeping people aware of their name. It is really important to note that both images really do contrast in style and concept. The first is very busy, using photography and many colours, although the main colour is blue (which is linked with the pepsi symbol). Where as, in the Coca Cola advert, only one colour is used on white, and the image is kept very simple which has connotations of simple perfection and class. Coca Cola seems to aimed at a wider audience than pepsi. The bussiness of pepsi and the use of a well known famous footballer seems to make the advertisment aimed at the younger end of the spectrum.

Bibliography For Essay

1. Everdell, W. R. (1997) The first Moderns: Profiles in the Origins Of Twentieth Century Thought. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

2. Childs, P. (2008). Modernism: Second Edition. Abingdon: Routledge.

3. Harvey, D. (2003). Paris, Capital of Modernity. New York: Routledge.

4. Ferguson, P. P. (1994). Paris as Revolution: Writing the Nineteenth-Century. California: University of California Press.

5. Gronberg, T. (1998). Designs on Modernity:exhibiting the City in 1920's Paris. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Lecture Notes

Summary of Harrison, C and Wood, P (1997) 'Art in Theory: 1900-1990.' Oxford, Blackwell. pp125-9

The Idea of the Modern world.

The modern world sprung from and summed up the late 19th and early 20th century. It was able to stand alongside the achievements of the classical tradition. Expressionism was linked directly to this and artists of the avant-garde drew great inspiration from expression. This, though, was an expression of the 'self'. Artists of the time were beginning to be more realistic in the dipiction of who they were in comparison to the tradition of romanticism and escapism which would not parrallel with what was realistic, it was more of a dream world.

This modern change was making its way across Europe but stemmed and took inspiration from Paris, France, which stood as the epitamy of a modern society. Avante Garde art was also becoming thoroughly internationalised and the visial arts developed greatly in German speaking countries. Countries, such as italy and Russia, were quite late in modernising but, still, did attempt to do so even though they were relatively backward societies. Expressionism, Futurism and Cubism were aspects of this modern style and could be seen developing gradually all over Europe. Moderism was growing but was still over shaddowed by that of traditional and cultural values.

Modernization - scientific and technological advancement. In developing countries the new was out doing the old quicker than ever. Modernity - The social and Cultural change. This was the actual experience for the person and the effects it had on their own lifestyle. Life was infact losing depth and freedom due to the development of machinery and technology. In relation to this there was infact an opposing view which was that of histerical exhileration due to this change. People were able to experience things they had never done so before and the rush of wanting more and the idea of consumerism then developed.

There was a contrasting view to both alienation and exhileration which saw moderism as more of a selfish movement. The working class and, with it, socialism wanted moderism to not give up on the struggle to keep changing throughout the century. The socialist view was that the world should be changed practically to move forward.

As cubism developed through avante-garde art and this changing modern world so too did the socialists become aggitated. Cubism, although abstract and new, did not depict that of any social relevance. It seemed to be art for arts sake, and although intentionally being modern, it was also only understood by those who were educated on it. This, to socialists, seemed to contradict what modernism was trying to achieve which was a more realistic view on life. Yet cubism itself being a new art, a new way of expressing broke through the barrier of escapism. Artists were able to draw inspiration from what was around them but had no limitation on what and how they expressed that. In short, art has got to change, and take new dimensions, like being abstract in cubism, to progress with the changing world.

Here we are left with an on going tension. Artists and designers want to be for the people and produce something which can be enjoyed by everyone yet have a balance between this and progression into something new, which, at first, may not be understood and seems pretenscious but is a signifier of the world at the time and how they feel in response to it.