Confessions of a Sixties Idealist

In this essay, Susan Szenasy talks about sustainability, which was disputed briefly by a student at Parsons. She brings up names of designers who made a big impact in the design world, emphasizing the importance of sustainability. The subject of the World Trade Centers was an unexpected turn in the essay, however made clear sense. This made me jump back to the early decade of 2000, when this was written, and imagine the impact of this incident as a NYC dweller and designer. Nothing mattered but our own values; we become more aware of ourselves and our surroundings. I believe this is where we designers must stand at all times- in this circle of networks that are altogether aware of what is truly important and at the same time trying to create a better world.

Two terms Susan was quite keen about in her essay were "interconnectedness and relationships." This goes back to the previous paragraph, where I mentioned circle of networks. Without this, designers would be stuck doing the same old thing; adding and improving the material/plastic (AKA fake) world. Susan is leading her readers and fellow designers to step out of this bubble and take [responsible] action for improving the real world.

Blatant American Apparel

This essay by Anna Kealey touched on American Apparel's not-quite-ethical standard that is the sexual imagery placed on their ads. It's not really an issue of "what" so much as "how" they put themselves out there. Despite their slogans that portray their good ethics in production, they are a bit too forward with what is "sexy", perhaps taking it a bit too far. I also noticed while shopping in their online store that they do not shy away from rendering their models in promiscuous positions. It was a bit shocking to see so much of the body under sheer fabric or even the contours of the bare bottom in selling some product.

Byker Wall

As I watched the short clip of documentary on Byker Wall, I noticed a clear difference in space and atmosphere from that of Pruit Igoe. The fact that it is so architecturally accessible to the community may have contributed to its own success. More open spaces allow people to enjoy the essence that is Byker Wall, and really get to appreciate that with others. Although the building's structure is so hard, there is indication of life and peace within its surrounding space; recreational parks, airy stairways, and

The short-lived stand of Pruit-Igo

Pruit Igoe was a large urban housing project designed by Minoru Yamasaki in early 1950s. It consisted of around 30 tall buildings-some housed less than a thousand people and others were 'boarded up'.

This infamous complex began to decay in the late 60's due to crime, segregation, and poverty. What could have caused such transgressions in this world? When I watched this clip, all I saw was a post-apocalyptic world that sat beneath stormy clouds. It could have been the stoic atmosphere of tall buildings standing so grim next to and behind each other. This reminded me of Batman's Gotham city,

BRAND ON THE RUN

This article frightened and inspired me, especially in the end when it warned the reader about this new tactic super brands use for marketing called "guerrilla marketing". What's even more frightening is that this article was written a decade ago and they have been rapidly successful in finding new and improved ways of luring customers in. To think that subvertising would be an effective tool in marketing is kind of sick, albeit clever. Perhaps the Adbusters will come up with a more witty comeback to this sort of reverse-psychology tactic as a means to open the eyes of society to the (mal)intents of super-brand marketing. While reading this article, I couldn't help but refer back to the First Things First manifesto as the objectives clearly state that design should be used for good. The Adbusters are crusaders of this manifesto, spreading awareness of the iniquitous activity of super-brands. Radiohead is also a part of this mission in letting its audience see them as a band alone. By prohibiting ads on their stage, they are allowing their music to be a pure form of art instead of some gateway to all sorts of products that are totally unrelated to their music. This piece is not just to make designers aware, but it's also a plea for them to fight back.

HELVETICA

Of the remaining time we had in class, I was glad we were able to watch some of this film because I heard other professors talk about it and I'd been wanting to see it. The film included many important graphic designers today such as Rick Poynor, Massimo Vignelli, and Michael Bierut, who shared their opinions on Helvetica as well as a tour of their workspaces. Many designers believe that Helvetica contains a meaning and style that no other font could match up with because it is so unique in its own. Nowadays, it is used in public everywhere- from buses to billboards to everyday signs because it is increasingly recognized as a great-looking font. One popular and recent brand that uses it as part of its character is American Apparel.

There is some tension from the apparent 'overuse' of Helvetica, however. Even though it is such a wonderful font, the constant use is thought to depreciate it. Also, I think that slapping Helvetica on anything to display a pleasing image is just playing the safe card. There should be more variety and risk attempted with type as a means to create something great.

Nevertheless, Helvetica will always be one of greatest fonts of all time because its freshness, wherever placed, is contained at some level.

We need to be BAD

Bad, that is, in reference to design. This article from PRINT magazine provided a unique, unusual layout and an eye-opening perspective to the world of design. Although I always knew that Mercedes was a symbol of wealth, it never crossed my mind as to how the spread of that symbol affected our culture. This status of power and wealth burgeoned ever since design had been recognized as a major benefactor in marketing, by the marketers. I've always looked up to and strove to emulate professional designers during my career as a designer, because they are successful and happy in what they do. As I admire the encouragement of this article to go henceforth with the 'right thing' to do, another part of me is reluctant to believe in this. This is probably because I'm afraid that clients will automatically turn the freethinkers down and move on to the next designer who will accord to their wishes. Then again, there would have to be at least some faith in this way of designing in order for it to flourish. I think that due to the economy now and the unknown future, it is hard to accept and believe in this article's said 'idealized' way of marketing.