First Things First Manifesto (Exercise 4)

I did not discuss this with a group as a such only with a friend who is also finishing off his degree in graphic design, but here is what we were able to extract from the manifesto :

In short the manifesto itself aims to make designers aware that in one way or another the skill we learn are being exploited for profit. As my friend pointed out, we as students have often been confronted with the 'what are you going to do after school' type of question. For some of us there are answers and not so much for others, but what I have learned throughout my college years is that the responses of the majority of people faced with the above question usual involves helping others make a profit.

Question : "What do you want to do after school?"
Answer: "I want to work on adverts"
Specific Answer : "I want to work as a 3D modeler in the multimedia field, you know doing adverts and stuff"

These are just some examples of answers that I have been given, and even I at one point said something similar when somebody asked me what it is that I wanted to do. The designers that signed the First things First manifesto are trying to get people away from that mindset. There are those who want to make money with their design, and then there are those who just love what they do, so in a nutshell Fist Things First is saying to us designers that yes, we love what we do but making a profit is just one of the aspects of the industry. Designers don't exist solely to make a profit for others which is what the manifesto clearly outlines. Designers have largely become people who make money for others, and that in turn helps them pay the bills. We live in a consumerist society where design is almost always applied to 'things' which the manifesto outlines as 'inessential at best'. Design can be defined with two simple words : problem solving, and we have somehow become a byproduct of the world of 'stuff' where we use these problem solving skills to sell things to others, not ideas but material possessions.

The Manifesto proposes a 'reverse in priorities', sure the corporate jobs pay the bills but there are are larger problems with the world that we as designers should address. It's a difficult thing to think about especially living here in South Africa. We have many social, political and economic problems that one would rather forget about and it seems to me that in the general scheme of things design is not seen to be as important or valuable as it is seen in other countries. We are still a growing nation and Africa has its own flavor of design that rivals the rest of the world, and I personally think that it's a good opportunity to explore the world of design through helping various causes. Quite a number of industry professionals suggest having at least one pro bono client - meaning that you would work either for free or at a reduced rate to provide a public service. Clients like charities and environmental awareness campaigns fall into the pro bono category and provide a means for the designer to help a cause. South Africa has plenty of opportunities for this kind of work, and even though it's free, it is also an opportunity for the designer to show off his skills. In several of his talks one of my favorite designers Stefan Bucher talks about 'Greed Control' - the idea where as the greed for money increases, the quality of the work goes down. This is evident in people who's primary goal for design work is monetary compensation, if you want more money you're going to start choosing clients who pay you the most and those clients may not necessarily let you work on the most exciting and ambitious projects but rather have you churn out average work. I've been skeptical about it in the past but I definitely think that there is potential, even in this country for designers to really achieve something, and in turn let people know how important the world of design really is.



First Things First Manifesto : http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/first-things-first-manifesto-2000
Stefan Bucher Talk : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt825-s1Joo

Incomplete Manifesto for Growth (Exercise 4)

I wanted to break down the manifesto harvesting what I could from each point and responding accordingly

Allow events to change you.
To me this relates to being open minded, and this does not necessarily mean that these events will be good things. We have to seek the silver lining and learn from the things that happen to use, take a step back, study ,and observe these events.

Forget about good.
I'm often guilty of judging something as being 'good' however just as any other qualities 'good' cannot be measured and is therefore a waste. I want to strive for what I want personally, whether it is considered good or not. "Don't be fucking trendy" as Good Fucking Design Advice puts it, break away from trying to be good and see how far you can go. Good is a limit.
Process is more important than outcome

Process is more important than outcome.
If you love what you do no doubt you have to be able to enjoy the steps taken to get to where you want to be. I love my final products, and recently I've started documenting the process from concept to final product, there's something about process that really fascinates me. I've often been told that I show too much process and not enough final product. I believe that we shouldn't hide our process like a secret, as if we are the only ones in the world that do things in that specific way, by sharing we can only learn from each other.

Love your experiments (as you would an ugly child).
Bruce talks about the fun of failure, this failure that we experience every day gives us newer ideas and perspectives on things, failures shouldn't be treated as a negative thing, and we need to embrace our failures as learning experiences, that's how we grow after all. Be proud of your failures, the more you have the more it's testament that you have been doing something, you cant fail if you don't do.

Go deep.
The deeper you go the more likely you will discover something of value.Capture accidents.
The wrong answer is the right answer in search of a different question. Collect wrong answers as part of the process. Ask different questions.

Study.

Working on a project usually involves learning, and if it seems like it doesn't then inject new methods to benefit from a project you've done before. Do it slightly differently this time.

Drift.

Go outside, use irrational and spontaneous decisions, don't over-think it

Begin anywhere.

I'm one of those people that is always afraid to start things, less so now than a year or so ago but there are still projects that I see as some sort of mental obstacle. The truth is that you have to start somewhere, if you've been taught to start at a specific place every single time, forget it. Begin anywhere, have a rough idea of where you want to end up and enjoy the ride along the way.

Everyone is a leader.

Follow people when it makes sense to do so, if you want to lead then take charge, teach people and let them teach you in return.

Harvest ideas.

Change what it does. If an idea has a specific purpose apply it elsewhere and see the results. Stefan Sagmeister suggests making sticky notes with random words written on them eg : umbrella + headphones =? 

The application might not be suited to the idea, but that might spark more ideas, more paths to think along.

Keep moving.

Don't get stuck doing the same thing over and over even if you are very successful at it, this leads to stagnation. Success is reinforced everywhere today, children are constantly being pressured to succeed. Avoid soul destroying jobs.

Slow down.

Take a break, do things at an unusual time, relax and take a look around, go for a walk.

Don’t be cool.

This relates very much to 'Don't be Fucking Trendy'. Being cool is unquantifiable, its a false sense and unfortunately we have been indoctrinated into what's cool and what's not, and even that is changing at a constant rate.

Ask stupid questions.

Everything has an answer, take it slow and ask the questions you want to ask, it wont hurt anyone.

Collaborate.

Ideas don't exist within us, and nobody is more creative than the next person, designer or not, let others influence you.

Intentionally left blank. 

Leave some space for input, show people what you have even if it's unfinished and let them fill in the missing spots with their ideas.

Stay up late.

Sometimes it's necessary to stay up late, sometimes one can just do it because they feel like it.

Work the metaphor.

Everything has the capacity to take on other meanings and shapes, use these metaphors to your advantage, find different uses and meanings for objects and words.

Be careful to take risks.

Slowly work your way up a ladder, everything you do today will carry over tomorrow.

Repeat yourself.
Do things over and over, whether you like them or not, don't forget to try something new.

Make your own tools.
Don't get stuck using the same tools. Use your hands, feet, mouth and apply other unusual methods.

Stand on someone’s shoulders.
The trials and triumphs of others can only be harvested for your own good, learn and copy from those that you deem great.

Avoid software.
It's hard not to avoid software especially in a digital sense where it's pretty much mandatory. Avoid it when you can and use your hands and brain.

Don’t clean your desk.
Just clean the dust.

Don’t enter awards competitions.
Spec work.

Read only left-hand pages.
This is an interesting concept, when reading a book skip all the right handed pages and move on, fill in the blanks on your own. Use your imagination.

Make new words.
Pretty self eploratrickoratory

Think with your mind.
Don't depends on devices to create. Good design is good design irrespective of medium.

Don’t borrow money.
Maintain financial control, practice greed control and spend your money if not wisely at least consciously.

Listen carefully.
Everyone you ever work with is going to have something to bring to the table. Some will be good, some not so good. Learn to distinguish between them and take peoples advice if you deem it worthwhile, give out your own advice, pass on god knowledge that you gained from someone.

Take field trips.
The more you go out and see stuff, the more stuff you are going to be able to take from for project. Stuff is great, look at it, touch it, feel it. Stuff stuffidy stuff stuff.

Make mistakes faster.
The faster you make mistakes the more you will learn in a shorter period of time. Do.

Imitate.

We would never have so many great artist and designers out there if they did'int copy each other. Everyone has something of their own to bring to the table and you can only learn by copying people's ideas and methods. Just make sure you are doing it legally.

Scat.
Make up non words, rhyme them.

Break it, stretch it, bend it, crush it, crack it, fold it.

Explore the other edge.
Use a variety of techniques that have been long forgotten or phased out by modern technology.

Coffee breaks, cab rides, green rooms.
Bruce is saying that the real epiphanies and growing up happens outside of the places we would like them to happen. The things we take for granted are also some of the most important catalysts for growth.

Avoid fields.
Break the rules once in a while, just know what the rules are first.

Laugh.
Pretty self explanatory. Laughing releases happy hormones.

Remember.
If you have a 'bad memory' then write things down, post them, pin them, tatoo them on your head(don't do that) Without history there would be no growth, as those who came before us already made the mistakes.

Power to the people.
Be free. Empower yourself.

I may have repeated a few things here and there but this is my understanding of what Bruce Mau is aiming to say and I agree with it 100%. And the above doesn't just apply to the design field, it can be applied to a any profession, the manifesto provides the points on how to make innovation happen. 

Bruce Mau : Incomplete Manifesto for Growth http://www.brucemaudesign.com/4817/112450/work/incomplete-manifesto-for-growth

United Colors of Benneton - A brief look (Exercise 6)

The United Colors of Benetton is one company that can be proud of redefining how we look at a brand. Their controversial advertising campaigns have been stirring people's emotions for several decades, some praise the company for their portrayal of diversity and integration within any cultural group on the planet (which was and is one of their aims). Oliviero Toscani, the designer and photographer behind the campaigns has been praised for his ability to merge the problems we face as a species into one understandable package. He was also the lead designer of a quarterly magazine publication appropriately named Colors prior to losing his tenure over the controversy caused by his 'We on Death Row' 2000 campaigns. Sponsored by Benetton, Colors  focuses on worldwide humanitarian issues such as AIDS, hunger and poverty. Toscani is known for his use of models of varying ethnicities as well as contrasting elements.

Such as this: 

His photographs not only include various ethnic groups but are also representative of the hardships we face as the human race. Issues such as racism and cultural suppression are the underlying messages. The United Colors of Benetton have found a way to shift associations. Anyone who is not familiar with Benetton will most likely make an assumption that the ad campaigns are not related to sweaters and clothing in any way, which in turn deconstructs the message. The message in the campaigns they way I see it really isn't about the clothing or the business end, it's about what the brand represents, which is no longer about clothing.

Here is a visual timeline of some of the more controversial  campaigns:

1989 

This one is by far one of the most memorable campaigns that really stood out from the rest. The clarity of the message is pretty much unparalleled and this image has caused much debate about multiracial issues. Even though a strong contrast between black and white people is used I think it was necessary to get the message across as the type of thinking can be applied to any two contrasting races.

1991

White Angel, Black Devil

Yet another controversial image this time being a more blatant jab at the way we have separated our physical and cultural differences. Having recently studied a little bit about African and South African movements this image is perhaps more relevant to knowledge I have, however it's clear from the image that racial separation is the message and even though the children have physical differences they are embraced in a hug, reinforcing togetherness.

1996

The "not so different" hearts, showing the human heart in it's raw form (a staple element in Toscani's photography) The message ultimately is that our blood and internals are all the same, why should we judge each other based on race or place when the things that make us work as humans are more identical to each other than our outward appearances. The drop shadows look pretty horrible though(from an aesthetic viewpoint of a designer)

2000

The campaign that would end Toscani's reign over Colors  and Benetton featured 26 interviews and photographs of inmates on death row. Victims rights groups were outraged and several store franchises refused to stock Benetton products.

In conclusion - I personally believe that 'controversial' might have been the wrong word to use to describe what Benneton was trying to achieve. I think the word they were looking for was 'real' . Yes at the end of the day Benetton is a clothing company, and they want to make a profit, and whether Toscani created these to generate hype and publicity for the company or not the reality is that all the messages pertain to very real things that happen all over the world. The media is responsible for the context in which these messages are conveyed and it almost always portrays them in a negative light, not a realistic one.

"People just refuse to be realistic, they'd rather stroke themselves" - George Carlin

References:

http://www.fashionist.ca/2010/07/benettons-most-controversial-advertising-campaigns.html

 Executive insights: United Colors of Benetton- From Sweaters to Success: An Examination of the Triumphs and Controversies of a Multinational Company. Journal of International Marketing Vol. 11 No. 4, 2003, pp. 113-128