Jorge Rosales
February 22 2013 Weekly Response 2
ART 301
Katherine
McCoy’s writing brings up a very important in her writing when she is speaking
about the “white lab coats” that many designers put on. She criticizes
designers for acting as if they are able to design things without fearing
consequences of how those used or what context they are put in. I have to agree
with her that we have to be conscience of our surroundings and the context in
which our work can be placed. Her point about how design has created self censorship
is also very important because it is the truth. We now have an idea of design
as something that should be made to be visually appealing and pleasant or to
sell something. When we see something deemed “radical” we shun it as being too
extreme as if political or thought provoking design were outside the limits of
our realm. In reality we must take this power of thought provoking visual art
and use it to create a better place here on this Earth. If we try to push
ourselves away from this political/thought provoking setting then it only means
that the truth is that our work, our design is always inside a certain
political/thought provoking realm. In “Obey The Giant” by Rick Poynor we are
given a final statement in which we are told, “that there are too many occasions
when it is confiscated, controlled, doctored, diluted and sold back to us with
its meanings changed for completely different purposes”. Rick is touching upon
the censorship that revolves around graphic design and how it has affected how
we see things. Sometimes our work is taken, modified and forced to fit other contexts
with both negative and positive consequences. These two articles touch upon
something that seems to be forgotten in the design world which is that we must
not be afraid to push the boundaries, on the contrary we must continue to push
them. For too long the design community has been satisfied with designing logo’s
for American consumers and not enough time trying to change the consumer
society in which design is restricted to only sell products.
