Study Task 2

First Things First Manifesto (1964 & 2000)

Tone Of Voice

The 1964 manifesto and the 2000 revisited manifesto both have very different tones of voice. The 1964 encourages designers to turn their talent to something more worthwhile, while still saying advertisements are important

Key Points - 

• Today, we live and breathe design. Few of the experiences we value at home, at leisure, in the city or the mall are free of its alchemical touch.
• Graphic design in the advertising industry is 'wasted on these trivial purposes'
• Proposing a better use of talents within the graphic design industry.
• The world perceives design as unimportant commercial work.
• 1964 do not wish to abolish high pressure consumer advertising, but are proposing designers to favour different approaches.

Key Quotes -

• By far the greatest effort of those working in the advertising industry are wasted on these trivial purposes, which contribute little or nothing to our national prosperity.
• We do not advocate the abolition of high pressure consumer advertising: this is not feasible. Nor do we want to take any of the fun out of life. But we are proposing a reversal of priorities in favour of the more useful and more lasting forms of communication
•  Commercial work has always paid the bills, but many graphic designers have now let it become, in large measure, what graphic designers do
• There are pursuits more worthy of our problem-solving skills.
• In 1964, 22 visual communicators signed the original call for our skills to be put to worthwhile use. With the explosive growth of global commercial culture, their message has only grown more urgent. Today, we renew their manifesto in expectation that no more decades will pass before it is taken to heart.

Summary

In 1964, the manifesto complacently states how they believe that graphic designers are "wasted on these trivial purposes", talking about advertising for things such as "cat food" and "fizzy water". The tone of this message from these designers is that they urge others to use their skills in a more moralizing way. They, however, do not shame those who do these things as they state they do not want to "advocate the abolition of high pressure consumer advertising", as they believe it is not feasible. This meaning, that consumer advertising is something to pay the bills but to not waste too much of your talents on. 

The tone of voice of the 1964 First things First manifesto is not angry, but more urging. Some may perceive it as they just want graphic designers to be able to use their skills for something that will get them more recognition. 

However, in the re-worked manifesto that was brought out in 2000 the tone of voice feels completely different. Instead of the gentle urging they seem more angry that people still haven't changed from wasting their talents. For example, "Many of us have grown increasingly uncomfortable with this view of design", meaning that people from the public think that design is just something that sells tinned food. They seem more angry of this, and want it to change more suddenly "Today, we renew their manifesto in expectation that no more decades will pass before it is taken to heart." Seemingly annoyed that this has gone on for too long and nothing has happened.

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political/social upheaval: initial image response

I did these as an initial image response to my question. I wasn't really sure what theme to go with so i decided to do three little drawings representing different themes before i decide on something. I think these drawings are okay, but they don't really represent what I want. I want to focus on something in my essay so i think this will come across in my Journal as i start to carry on working.

political/social upheaval: thursday session

political/social upheaval: initial image research

Study Task 1

the first image shows a vintage advertisement for an uncle sam cooking range. the second is a 1930 advertisement for new transport links in East Africa. 

the first thing i noticed when looking at the two images were the strong figurative themes. both of them show bias opinions to western values and racial attitudes towards black people, however the ‘uncle sam range’ advert displays the racism more subtly with the boy cooking in the corner. They both quite obviously have themes of cultural superiority and the slave trade.

In the ‘east-african old style’ image, you can clearly see the women and children helping to transport items whilst the men watch over. However in the ‘new style’ you can see that there is no women, which is almost as if the Empire Marketing Board is insinuating that women are weak and cannot help out with construction. You can also see themes of misogyny in the ‘uncle sam range’ advert. The woman can be seen serving uncle sam. however in terms of hierarchy in the images the white man in the ‘east African new’ is the highest point of the image, which makes him stand out more and almost like he is higher to suggest he is of a higher hierarchy. but back to the original point, in the ‘uncle sam range’ advert the woman is the highest point of the image however she is still serving the man, showing the status of women in the past.

Both fonts of the images are big and bold, so as to make them stand out to the viewer. The ‘uncle sam range’ advert has a very westernised font, almost like something you would see on a cowboy movie poster. This is as if the artist thought “what is the whitest font I can think of… bingo”. This relates to the domination of white people, as in western America, the white man very much controlled the native Indians.

In both of the adverts you can see the advertisement of the benefits of technology. The first image promotes the progress of technology and America, as we can see on the clock from the ‘1776-1876’ which is in reference to the fourth of july 1776, when the American declaration of independence was signed. As it shows the date now, it is noting the development of America in the past 100 years and how they have ‘helped to feed the world’. We can see this theme from the “bill” that the earth is holding, with stereotypical foods that America is billing the earth with. The second image shows the development of technology through how transport is apparently developing. You can see a bridge has been built with trucks moving along. This kind of technology was not developed yet in Africa.

The images both seem to be aimed at a middle class demographic. You can see this clearly see this in the ‘uncle sam range’ advert as it’s like the advert is suggesting that if they invest in these products then their life will be improved. The second one is almost like it’s telling western countries how great the work is that they’re doing in Africa and not to worry, as if it was one of the main worries of old time white men.

dictionary define: technological

technological

tɛknəˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l/

adjective

1. relating to or using technology.

   "the quickening pace of technological change"

'look at the picture i took of the thing we're looking at' liam walsh

'technological trash' by chris carroll

dictionary define: political

political

pəˈlɪtɪk(ə)l/

adjective

1. 1.

   of or relating to the government or public affairs of a country.

   "a period of political and economic stability"

   synonyms:

   governmental, government, local government, ministerial,parliamentary, party political, diplomatic, legislative, policy-making,constitutional, public, civic, state, administrative, bureaucratic "the political affairs of the nation"

1. 

   dave gillanders

   

   charlie hebdo political drawings

   
   
   

dictionary define: historical

historical

hɪˈstɒrɪk(ə)l

adjective

1. of or concerning history or past events.

   "historical evidence"

   • belonging to the past.

     "famous historical figures"

     synonyms:

     past, bygone, ancient, old, former, prior, from the past;  literaryof yore "famous historical figures"
   • (especially of a novel or film) set in the past.

   

   'hark, a vagrant' kate beaton

   
   

eddie adams

dictionary define: cultural

cultural

ˈkʌltʃ(ə)r(ə)l/

adjective

1. 1.

   relating to the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a society.

   "the cultural diversity of British society"

   synonyms:

   ethnic, racial, folk; More

2. 2.

   relating to the arts and to intellectual achievements.

   "a cultural festival"

   synonyms:

   aesthetic, artistic, intellectual; More

Dancers pause during the Sinulog Festival in Cebu City, the capital of the Philippine province of Cebu

'cultural dance' by wale adeoye

dictionary define: social

social |ˈsəʊʃ(ə)l | adjective

1. 1.

   relating to society or its organization.

   "alcoholism is recognized as a major social problem"

   synonyms:

   communal, community, community-based, collective, group, general,popular, civil, civic,  public, societal; More
2. 2.

   needing companionship and therefore best suited to living in communities.

   "we are social beings as well as individuals"

'social gathering' by Bob Salo

noun

1. 1.

   an informal social gathering, especially one organized by the members of a particular club or group.

   "a church social"

   synonyms

   party, gathering, social gathering, social occasion,  social event, social function, function, get-together, celebration, reunion, festivity,jamboree, reception, at-home, soirée; More

2. 2.

   BRITISHinformal

   short for social security.

   "not everyone's on the social and taking drugs"

 my friends and i at a gathering

first cop task