It's October and autumn already. A new year has begun at Norwich University College of the Arts (formally NSAD) and over the last two weeks, Studio has contributed four lectures across all three years of the FDa/BA Graphic Communication course.
I love talking design, even over a quick cup of tea (I promise, I'm great company) so it's been an irresistible opportunity to raid the Studio think tank on subjects ranging from an introduction to typography, agency structure and branding. That last subject is probably the most discussed across all sectors of industry. And to grab the attention of Year One, my first slide featured the symbol of the cross; illustrating that with no title or description, these two converging lines communicate belief, values and an offering. This was then further explained by the branding of Apple Computers - what does their logo mean to you? If it's cool design, modernity and temptation - great! Me too. In conclusion, it takes more than a snazzy logo to capture the imagination and investment of any brand audience. The unique product or service must be right first.
Year Two were presented with 'Brands Which Challenge Our Way of Thinking', which featured interesting examples such as the challenge from Volkswagen in the sixties to convince american drivers to give up their petrol guzzling Buick's in favour of the beetle (or the bug as it was known in the US). And this was achieved by classic advertisements such as, 'Lemon', which had the daring to make fun of the product, but as a result made a virtue of its perceived deficiencies.
Controversial imagery was explored by looking at posters from Amnesty International and it's raising of human rights issues in China after the Olympic games. Gory stuff. Plus, examples of Oliviero Toscani's work for Benetton was shown. I'm not so keen on the shock tactics of these advertisements. To his credit, they stimulate debate and get the name of the brand out there, but I can't get past the fact that it's all for knitwear. And hey, they show the product too!
We closed by examining the promotion of the current US presidential campaign between John McCain and Barack Obama. There is great work to be found over there. The artist Shepard Fairey of Obeygiant has produced a series of superb posters for the Obama camp, and in each the candidate appears dependable and statesman like. The confidence embodied in each portrait is supported by simple one word headlines such as, 'hope', 'progress' and 'change'. These have also been ripe for political satirists, where the image of McCain has been paired with the title, 'Dope'. That can't make Sarah Palin very happy at all.
They are managing to capture the youth vote too by running poster competitions to help galvanise interest in the importance of the election. Plus, comedians like Sarah Silverman are producing their own viral campaigns to help gain support in states which crucially swing the vote. Please take a look, but avoid if easily offended. It's potty mouthed Sarah after all.
Our next talk on publishing is in November, but until then, it's back to the Studio for our latest design projects and watching the outcome of the election. Come on guys, don't mess this up.
Please visit see more of Shepard Fairey's work here, plus loads on Obama's campaign here.
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