RESEARCH
How can graphic design help us to prepare for the future, and how does graphic design fit into this future world?
Sketchbook research, analysis and idea's for Week 12.
Technology has created an ever-changing, ever-evolving world. As designers, we need to gain perspective on how we fit into that landscape, what we can do and should be doing for our clients, society, the environment and ourselves (Hambeukers, 2015).
The growing influence of technology in everyday life has created unrealistic expectations of designers. If you aren’t thinking digital, you have already been left behind (What will design look like in 2025? 2018). Print is on-demand and costs sensitive. Clients expect more for less. The categories of design are broader, including multiple disciplines and techniques replacing specialisation. A single designer is expected to make design, marketing, photography, and digital application for a fraction of the cost a team of designers in an agency would have charged a few years ago (Lecture 1b, n.d.).
With digital transformation accelerating, you need to keep abreast of all channels like Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook, even though a lot of them are fleeting (Lecture 1b, n.d.). Designers need to be agile and adapt to new situations, learning and changing course. It’s no longer about the survival of the fittest, but the most agile. Innovation keeps you on your toes and pushes you to keep up with the advancements people are trying to replace you with (What will design look like in 2025? 2018).
Technology makes things faster, quicker and more distracting. The future of design is tied to an attention economy where we fight for people’s awareness (Case Studies, n.d.). With innovation becoming broader and generic, it’s the ideas that endure. It is no longer about identity but designing the whole experience and connecting with the customer (Case Studies, n,d.).
We need to deconstruct our relationship with technology to become more authentic. We do this through craft as consumers respond to tactile elements resulting in a return to letterpress and even vinyl (Case Studies, n.d.).
Designers are more socially and environmentally conscious of the world in which they live. Our ethics and value systems are being put to the test as we balance making a living with doing good (Hambeukers, 2015). Fashion designers try to make clothing out of recycled material, and packaging designers innovate sustainable packaging.
There is large scale collaboration happening to bring together different skill sets and perspectives so we can work together for a better world. (Lecture 1b, n.d.). There is a positive shift towards purpose as the design takes us into the future.
ANALYSIS
How are idea perceived in new environments?
The purpose of design is to communicate a message in the most effective way possible. As Sam Winston said, we live in an attention economy, and if we can gain awareness of our audience, then our message has a far stronger chance of success.
Vivian Maier, also known as the ‘Secret Photographer’, accumulated thousands of photographs of New York during the 1950s. Her work was later discovered and exhibited. What started as a hobby was placed in a new context and seen as a time capsule for 1950’s New York.
A Danish publishing house created the One Thousand Books event showcasing publishing as an open, friendly and accessible designation by exhibiting in a supermarket in Rema, Copenhagen. A supermarket is one of the most accessible places most of us frequent, so the message was striking.
Fig. 1: Spark Me, 2020.
Anab Jain’s work I find truly unique, innovative and inspirational. She brings the future to life through design by creating experiences where people can touch, see and feel the potential of the world they are making and why it’s essential to fight for that world.
Things happen so fast today that we lose sight of our place in history. There is a disconnect between our actions today and our future selves. We are so overwhelmed that we just let the future happen to us. Jain creates visions of different and possible futures so we can see the consequences or positive outcomes of our actions.
A powerful means to effect change, is if you can get your audience to directly, emotionally and tangibly experience the future consequences of their actions today. People need to see, touch and feel the future to insight action.
Jain worked on an energy project for the United Arab Emirates. The pivotal moment came when scientists created polluted air samples of the future and presented them to the delegates. After smelling the air and realising pollution was the legacy they were leaving to their children, the government decided to invest billions in renewable energy to prevent this foreseeable future. Her work inspires positive outcomes for climate change through design.
Another future visionary for design is Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk, known for his incredible inventions and for challenging traditional technology. He recently made headlines after announcing his idea for a high-speed inter-city transportation system, the Hyperloop.
The Hyperloop is an imagined high-speed transport system using an elevated tube that maintains a vacuum for near-frictionless travel. No rails are required. It can work below or above ground. Theoretical speeds of 1,102 km/h are possible, making a trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco attainable in less than 30 minutes.
Fig. 2: Langridge, M., 2017.
Now his rocket-launching innovator has introduced yet another game-changer: This iron-man inspired software allows engineers to visualise their ideas in 3D, using not a computer mouse but their hands. Musk believes we interact with computers in an unnatural, 2D way that is not efficient when trying to create real-life designs. By immersive virtual reality, you can manipulate and design virtual objects with your hands and then send them to a 3D printer (McCrae, 2013).
The world’s most famous guerrilla, graffiti artist Banksee brings awareness to climate change in an unusual and inspiring way. In 2009, he painted the words “I DON’T BELIEVE IN GLOBAL WARMING” sinking into the waters of a canal in north London to highlight rising sea levels. This creates a visceral and emotional reaction from viewers where they can see and feel the results of global warming (Examples of Artists Inspiring You to Save the Environment | Supersite Blog, 2020).
Fig. 3: Siddique, H., 2009.
The future is unfolding in front of us, shaped by our actions today. Through design, we give people the tools to find hope and inspire action.
WORKSHOP CHALLENGE
Sketchbook research, analysis and idea's for Week 12.
Castle Lager Alcohol-Free Lager Campaign
In a bid to curb domestic violence during Level 5 lockdown in South Africa, a ban on alcohol was implemented. Upon easing of lockdown restrictions, the resale of alcohol saw hospitals inundated with alcohol-related casualties—drunk driving, stabbings, etcetera. Hospitals already had a shortage of beds in the ICU and could not cope with the influx of emergency cases. The government decided to reinstate the alcohol ban overnight. As a result, alcohol-related violence plummeted, highlighting the need for a shift in public behaviour towards alcohol for the greater good.
The abuse of alcohol is a problem in South Africa, and it’s something I wanted to draw attention to with my campaign promoting Castle Alcohol-Free Lager.
The campaign would start with people handing out drinks in a mall and large office complexes at 9 am. Their t-shirts and pull up banners would all read ‘it’s noon somewhere’ or ‘drink irresponsibly.’
The purpose of the campaign is to shock people into questioning how we as a society normalise or rationalize our need to drink to excess. How often, after a stressful day, do we reach for a glass of wine to unwind? Alcohol is a drug, and we need to recognize that we’re all addicted. But we’re also offering an alternative solution. If you need to drink, many alcohol-free beers taste as good as the real deal without impairing judgement or leading to unnecessary violence. But it starts with a choice.
We need to change the perception of alcohol-free beer into something trendy and manly.
Billboards and print adverts can read ‘It’s not a pissing contest.’
0% Alcohol
Change The Rules
As a South African designer, I feel a moral obligation to assist in driving the sales of alcohol-free beer as a socially responsible alternative to the disruptive nature of alcohol in Africa.
Campaign billboard for Alcohol-Free Castle Lager
T-shirts worn by those handing out beers in the mall activation together with pull-up banners
REFLECTION
The ‘out of the box’, disrupted, forward-thinking of this week’s material and tasks had me reminiscing about all the Science fiction movies that imagine and illustrate possible futures for our entertainment. Sci-fi is known for predicted future technologies and social phenomena. The real value may not lie in the predictive aptitude, but rather a creatives ability to inspire the future.
How different would the world be without forward-thinking visionaries? Would we have achieved the technological progress we have, if we couldn’t learn from the brilliant thinkers that went before us? In the world around us, every engineering feat and design marvel, first originated in the imagination of someone (Is sci-fi the mother of invention? - Just Imagine, 2020). These people risk being ridiculed and called crazy to innovate and inspire continuously? Something Elon Musk and many such inventors are familiar with.
The collection of manifested future ideas come from creative minds and inspires the future. We, as designers are duty-bound to continue this legacy to shape our future.
Reference: Bloq, C., 2012. Can Graphic Design Save The World?. [online] Creative Bloq. Available at: <https://www.creativebloq.com/computer-arts/can-graphic-design-save-world-8127886> [Accessed 8 December 2020].
Reference: Manchipp, S; Winston S; Soelling K; Finn, T; Boris, S. Case Studies, Module GDE701, Contemporary Practice.
Reference: Manchipp, S; Boris, S; Talbot A. Lecture 1b, Module GDE701, Contemporary Practice.
Reference: Edwards, S; Raein, M. New Steps Podcast, Module GDE701, Contemporary Practice.
Reference: Hambeukers, D., 2015. How To Prepare For The Emerging Future Of Design After The Pandemic. [online] Medium. Available at: <https://medium.com/design-leadership-notebook/how-to-prepare-for-the-emerging-future-of-design-after-the-pandemic-5cb4f40df87c> [Accessed 8 December 2020].
Reference: Boltgroup.com. 2018. What Will Design Look Like In 2025?. [online] Available at: <https://boltgroup.com/design-in-2025> [Accessed 8 December 2020].
Reference: Examples of Artists Inspiring You to Save the Environment | Supersite Blog. 2020. Examples Of Artists Inspiring You To Save The Environment | Superside Blog. [online] Available at: <https://www.superside.com/blog/world-environment-day> [Accessed 8 December 2020].
Reference: McCrae, M., 2013. Elon Musk And The Future Of Design. [online] MINING.COM. Available at: <https://www.mining.com/elon-musk-and-the-future-of-design-98191/> [Accessed 9 December 2020].
Reference: Just Imagine. 2020. Is Sci-Fi The Mother Of Invention? - Just Imagine. [online] Available at: <https://justimagine.aurecongroup.com/sci-fi-mother-of-invention/> [Accessed 9 December 2020].
Figure 1: Spark Me, 2020. Anab Jain. [image] Available at: <http://spark.me/anab-jain/> [Accessed 9 December 2020].
Figure 2: Langridge, M., 2017. What Is Hyperloop? The 700Mph Subsonic Train Explained. [image] Available at: <https://www.pocket-lint.com/gadgets/news/132405-what-is-hyperloop-subsonic-hyperloop-train-technology-explained> [Accessed 9 December 2020].
Figure 3: Siddique, H., 2009. Banksee Sees Red Over Climate Change. [image] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/dec/21/banksy-copenhagen-regents-canal> [Accessed 9 December 2020].