References

F. T. Marinetti, (1909), The Futurist Manifesto.

http://vserver1.cscs.lsa.umich.edu/~crshalizi/T4PM/futurist-manifesto.html . [Electronically accessed 30^th September, 2014.]

Whitney Houston, (1992), Queen of The Night. Available from Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFcnGLFGbL8 . [Electronically accessed 1^st October, 2014.]

Queen, (1984), Radio Ga Ga. Available from Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azdwsXLmrHE . [Electronically accessed 1^st October, 2014.]

Madonna, (2006), Express Yourself. Available from Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsVcUzP_O_8 . [Electronically accessed 1^st October, 2014.]

Lady Gaga, (2009), Paparazzi. Available from Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2smz_1L2_0 . [Electronically accessed 1^st October, 2014.]

The Vigilant Citizen, (2010), The Occult Symbolism of Movie “Metropolis” and its Importance in Pop Culture.

http://vigilantcitizen.com/musicbusiness/the-occult-symbolism-of-movie-metropolis-and-its-importance-in-pop-culture/#!prettyPhoto . [Electronically accessed 2^nd October, 2014.]

Daniele Conversi, (2009), Art, Nationalism and War: Political Futurism in Italy (1909-1944).

http://www.academia.edu/3062991/Art_Nationalism_and_War_Political_Futurism_in_Italy_1909-1944 . [Electronically accessed 1^st October, 2014.]

Bauhaus Dessau, (unknown), Bauhaus Dessau.

http://www.bauhaus-dessau.de/english/home.html . [Electronically accessed 20^th October, 2014.]

Mark Nichol, (unknown), 20 Types and Forms of Humor.

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/20-types-and-forms-of-humor/ . [Electronically accessed 25^th October, 2014]

Yorke, J. (2013), Into the Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them. London: Penguin Books

Booker, C. (2004), The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories. London: Bloomsbury

Tate, (unknown), Feminist Art.

http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/f/feminist-art . [Electronically accessed 20^th November, 2014.]

Anthony Burrill, (2010), Oil and Water Do Not Mix.

http://www.anthonyburrill.com/projects/oil-and-water-do-not-mix . [Electronically accessed 20^th November, 2014.]

Brooklyn Museum, (unknown), Elizabeth A. Sackler Center For Feminist Art: The Dinner Party.

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/home.php . [Electronically accessed 20^th November, 2014.]

Alison Nastasi, (2012), 10 Famous Feminist Artworks.

http://flavorwire.com/273653/10-famous-feminist-artworks . [Electronically accessed 20^th November, 2014]

Jacob Davidson, (2014), Why Urban Outfitters Won’t Stop Offending People.

http://time.com/money/3377906/urban-outfitters-kent-state-sweatshirt/ . [Electronically accessed 3^rd December, 2014.]

PETA Kills Animals, (Unknown), PETA Kills Animals.

https://www.petakillsanimals.com . [Electronically accessed 3^rd December, 2014.]





Jodie Cox
S13000371
Illustration, Graphic Novels and Children's Publishing
ARD501: Contextualising Design
2454 words

What I Have Learned from this Project and My Manifesto

In this term, I have formed my own opinions on a variety of topics including Politics, Futurists and the Bauhaus.

From the Futurists, I have learnt that I believe we shouldn't burn down libraries or museums. We should embrace the past, regardless of if things have gone to plan. We should learn from our mistakes and happy accidents as well as things that deliberately go well. I believe that, in this modern day and age, wars are outdated and we should all be feminists, we should all strive for equality for everyone. Everyone should have equal opportunities and should be treated with the same respect.

The Bauhaus' lack of politics is inspiring to me, it is surprising how they believe that design can be separate from any kind of politics. I believe that without any sort of rebellion, or statement, there will be no depth to the design. A piece of work should say something, otherwise it's just there and doesn't change anything. When approaching the subject of politics, I will ensure that my work reflects my views. I hope to not make anything prejudiced or stereotyping without correct research and will support positive change through my work.

EB White's quote about how dissecting humour is like dissecting a frog made me realise that the same can apply to design in general. If you study something too closely, you become close-minded and get tired of it. I need to regularly stand back from my work and look at it from another angle to prevent this from happening. I must try to consider all possible points of view. Furthermore, like humour, design is subjective. If I don't like my work, I need to remember that someone else will and that if I do like my work, someone else may not. I need to take both compliments and criticisms with grace and always try to improve.

From story structures, I have learnt that characters in a story must learn something, otherwise they will be inert. The same applies to the storyteller, the designer must also learn something, I should continue to learn even after completing my studies. I will try to learn something from everything I do.

In conclusion:

• I will embrace the past, learn from my mistakes and appreciate the happy accidents in life.
• I will strive for equality for everyone support positive change through my work.
• I will not support: violence, prejudice or stereotyping.
• I will regularly step back from my work and look at it from another angle to keep it fresh.
• I will happily take on criticisms and compliments and try to improve on them.
• I will keep learning after I complete my studies. I will try to learn something from everything I do.
• I will look at other illustrators and both be inspired by them and do something completely different to them.
• I will make my own style and be nothing like others to stand out from the crowd. 

Politics

It is becoming a growing trend that people use design as a form of politics. From portraits of Royals to the 2nd World War propaganda, design has been widely used to portray political statements.

Design has been used to make many different statements. Anthony Burrill's work "Oil and Water do not Mix" is a political statement against the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill in 2010. Burrill screen printed posters using oil washed up on the beaches from the Oil Spill, he then sold the posters and donated the money to a charity devoted to cleaning the beaches.

Judy Chicago's piece "The Dinner Party" was a statement to recognise the achievements of women in history. It included Georgia O'Keefe, Emily Dickinson and Virginia Woolfe. She said

“Do I still hope that feminist art can make a difference in the world? My answer is yes. I continue to believe that we need an art that can help us see the world through other people’s eyes and thereby lead us to a future where the world will be made at least a little more whole.” I think that, since 1979 when the piece was created, feminist art and the whole feminist movement has become more prominent. More people are aware of feminism and agree with equality now. 

In terms of politics and my own work, I hope to ensure that all of my work reflects my own views, I hope to not create anything which is prejudiced or stereotyping people without correct research and will support positive change both through my work and my own life.

Ethics

Ethics are "the rules or standards governing the conduct or members of a profession" and "a set of principles of right conduct." Ethics are the ethos of a person or company, what what they will or won't support and what they believe in.

Ethics can be discussed in three ways: morality, legality and integrity. Legality is to do with the law and what is legally right. Morality is to do with moral students a person or company's responsibility to others and the environment. Integrity is to do with a company's principles.

An example from recent media is Urban Outfitters. They have made offensive products to get attention from the media, these products include: a "Kent State' jumper covered in bloodstains which could be a reference to the 1970 massacre; a shirt covered with the word "depression"; and a shirt with the words "Eat Less". This shows that Urban Outfitters have very little moral compass and are more concerned with whether the products will make money for them and bring in more custom. They probably believe the term "any publicity is good publicity".

Another example is PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) who, as it has recently come to light, do not treat their animals ethically. PETA euthanises animals if they are too ill or injured to continue living, which would be ethical, as they would be put out of their misery and pain, however they also kill animals purely for the reason of lack of space or because they believe that their owners were treating them badly.

In my opinion, companies that do not have good ethics are not responsible companies. I will refuse to work with or use a company unless they are ethical and treat people and animals as they deserve to be treated.

Story Structures

In his book "The Seven Basic Plots, Why We Tell Stories", Christopher Booker explored the seven archetypal plots of all stories. He wrote that all stories fall into one of seven basic plots:

• Overcoming the monster e.g. "Legend of Zelda" games, "Hansel and Gretel" and "Star Wars"
• Rags to riches e.g. "Cinderella", "Google" and "Puss in Boots"
• Quest e.g. "Indiana Jones", "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Lord of the Rings"
• Voyage and Return e.g. "Alice in Wonderland", "The Wizard of Oz" and "Narnia"
• Comedy e.g. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and most Romantic Comedies
• Tragedy e.g. "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde", "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Picture of Dorian Gray"
• Rebirth e.g. "Sleeping Beauty", "ET" and "A Christmas Carol"

In John Yorke's book "Into the Woods, How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them" states that characters must change and learn something from the story. If they do not change, the audience will be dissatisfied and the characters will be inert. This allows us to recognise what people expect from a story. They expect the story to follow the basic plots and they expect the characters to learn something from the story. 

However, some stories don't fit into these archetypes and some fit into more than one. Booker goes on to state in "The Seven Basic Plots, Why We Tell Stories" that these are merely different perspectives of the big picture, the same drama.

In my own work, I will recognise that there are these basic plots, however stories generally do not fit into only one. I will try to cover multiple plots in my stories to make them more appealing to the reader. Furthermore, I will ensure that all of my characters learn something in the stories as they will be more interesting to the reader and not inert.

Humour

E.B. White said "Analysing humour is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it." So let's dissect this frog.

Humour is a very subjective thing, there are many types of humour and, because of its subjective nature, what you will find funny depends on age, upbringing and personal opinions. Something that is funny to one person, may not be to another.

In general, the point of humour is to subvert your idea of normal. If the punchline of the joke is as the audience expects, they will likely not find it funny, though if it is so far from reality, that it is completely unlikely, people will also possibly not find it amusing. From this we can conclude that humour cannot be too close to normality, but also cannot be too nonsensical. However, because of the subjective nature of humour, it is difficult to say for sure what people will and will not find funny. In summary, a joke must be unexpected, understood, not too normal or too weird and most of all, funny.

I believe that humour and its subjective nature mean it is incredibly difficult to pull off doing something humorous. It gives me a whole new respect for comedians and people who create funny pieces of work. They must really work at their work to make it effective. If I wish to create funny pieces of work, I must practice a lot and not force the humour.

The Bauhaus

The Bauhaus first opened in 1919, it was a rebellion against the politics of futurism and the intricate art of classical designers, it was the leading school of art and design in the world. They believed that all designs should be focused on function as opposed to form.

The Bauhaus ideals are reflected in some aspects of modern design. For example, products are becoming more and more functional and are looking simpler and simpler. It could be said that the modern day Bauhaus is IKEA. In the chairs below, you can clearly see the Bauhaus influence in IKEA designs, both the Bauhaus and IKEA are concerned with functionality over form.

Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer

Poäng Armchair from IKEA

Unlike the Bauhaus, I believe that function and form are equally important in design. Products that are all about function are interesting to the brain, but boring to the eyes, whereas products that are only about form are boring to the brain and interesting to the eyes. In terms of Children's Publishing, a story must be both functional and have an interesting form, it must be appealing visually to the child and also tell a good story.

If all design movements are a rebellion against something, what is worth rebelling against in present day? I think stereotypes and prejudice are worth rebelling against. I believe that everyone should have equal opportunities and should be treated with the same respect, regardless of race, gender, age or ability. This should be reflected in my work. There are very few things to rebel against nowadays, almost everything has been rebelled against. In terms of illustration, the only way that we can stand out from others' styles is to make our own styles and be nothing like other designers.

The Futurists

There is a belief that everything is connected, an art movement from 1909, for example, could inspire a film, which could inspire years of popular culture in present time. Furthermore, the art movement that inspired the film could, in turn be connected to older art movements, as it is an act of rebellion against another movement. Each new artist movement is an act of rebellion from another one.

The art movement in question here is Futurism. The Futurists' Manifesto states eleven main points. The Futurists were rebelling against the classical artists of the time (1909). They wanted to change the world, they wanted to totally modernise contemporary design and rejected all classical arts. They wanted to destroy all evidence of history, such as libraries and museums and they wanted to start again from year zero. In 1909-1910, there were a lot of changes occurring such as electricity, cars and steamboats. Cars, speed and light fascinated the Futurists. This is clear from this piece of work from The Futurists, where the main focus of the art is light and electricity.

Street Light - Giacomo Balla

In my opinion, this is a bad idea, if we get rid of all past ideas, we will not be able to learn from past mistakes and society and civilisation will descend into anarchy. In modern times, the Futurists would be shunned even more so than they were at the time, it is the common view in modern-day society that wars should not be happening and that everyone should be equal. This is a view I fully agree with.

The idea of everything being connected applies here. The Futurists influenced Fritz Lang's film Metropolis. This film influenced a comic, and many modern music videos, such as Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi", Madonna's "Express Yourself", Queen's "Radio Gaga" and Whitney Houston's "Queen of the Night". More information about how this film influenced popular culture can be found here.

Freddie Mercury in the video for Radio Gaga

Lady Gaga, whose name was influenced by the song Radio Gaga

It is surprising how one movement can inspire so many things in popular culture today. This makes me realise that my work should be influenced by others. I should look into what other people are doing in the illustration world and both be inspired by them and do something different to them. Because I disagree with the Futurist's manifesto, I intend learn from the past and embrace mistakes and accidents to improve my work.

Introducing Contextualising Design

Jodie Cox
S13000371
Illustration, Graphic Novels and Children's Publishing
ARD501: Contextualising Design
2454 words

In this blog I will evaluate my learning experiences of each contextual and critical lecture in trimester one of my second year studying Illustration, Graphic Novels and Children's Publishing. Over the next three months, I will be attending lectures twice a week on design themes, I will then write my thoughts about each one here.

This should help me consider my work methods, contextualise my thinking and analyse my thought processes. I need to critically evaluate, analyse and synthesise appropriate critical and theoretical texts.

• To evaluate is to gain insight into existing initiatives (to reflect on ideas)
• To analyse is to break something into smaller topics to better understand them
• To synthesise is to combine two or more things to make something new

By the end of this semester, I will have formed my own opinions on topics that interest me and I will have formed my own design manifesto.