First Things First Manifesto (2000) - What does design mean to me?

-
In our first lecture of the year we was introduced to the First Things First Manifesto (2000). The version, as seen, is the updated version of of the earlier First Things First manifesto written and published in 1964 by Ken Garland, a British designer. The manifesto was signed by 33 designers and published in many other magazines and books around the world. The idea of it was to create a talking point around artist integrity and value as well as discussing values in design and those who believe Graphic Communication and Design should be value-free.

My task was to re-open the manifesto and look at it as a young and upcoming designer similar to those who signed the document back in 2000. I was also to think of my own ideas and influences and my own design beliefs and thoughts. 

Work from the seminar on First Things First 2000 Manifesto. 

I first of all started by deducting parts of the manifesto I didn't so much believe in; although they weren't much. I chose to remove any 'we' or 'us' pronouns by which I was creating a self-motivated manifesto. I also chose to pull out the part in which it talks about commercial advertising and it's effects on consumers: 'To some extent we are all helping draft a reductive and immeasurably harmful code of public discourse.' Although I do agree that advertising can have a effect on the way that we shop and interact with certain products, I don't agree that it is causing a 'harmful code' of discussion. In fact, I believe that some advertising and marketing techniques such as Guerrilla Advertising can be a clever and impressive form of marketing a product. As an amateur graphic designer I would like to look into advertising, marketing and brand development further. A particular interest of mine creatively is when Graphic Design pushes the boundaries between Fashion and Photography; I love looking at Marketing Campaigns behind high-fashion companies as well as the way they brand - such as logos, advertisements and the interior design of their shops etc. 

There was a large proportion of the manifesto that I did believe in however. I highlighted many words within it that struck a chord with me. In the beginning paragraph it notes how graphic design is having 'Market Rewards' and how 'a tide of books and publications reinforces it'. I agree that graphic Design is becoming a trend and more readily available in todays society. I also highlighted words such as 'Culture', 'Meaning' and 'Heart'; all things that I believe should be heavily incorporated into the art. 

The last paragraph is the most meaningful and purposeful in my opinion, it talks about the overall proposal of the manifesto - 
'In 1964, 22 visual communicators signed the original call for our skills to be put to worthwhile use. With the explosive growth of global commercial culture, their message has only grown more urgent. Today, we renew their manifesto in expectation that no more decades will pass before it is taken to heart.'

I agree heavily with this statement in the fact that Designers should come together as a whole to produce work that is brimmed with time and effort that is eventually rewarded for its skill. 
Key Manifesto Ideas: 


  • Artist Integrity is important 
  • Artist and Designers coming together to work on a larger issue is important 
  • Designers should have passion for their work; this comes with being rightly rewarded for their skills, time and effort
  • I love that Graphic Design books and publications are available and in demand
  • Artwork should have a balance between design and meaning 
  • Culture is influential 

Popular posts from this blog

Bauhaus; Form Follows Function

-
Image
https://d7hftxdivxxvm.cloudfront.net/?resize_to=width&src=https%3A%2F%2Fartsy-media-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2FgNXQ3GM5L9A1RLKt7oJ9jQ%252F4682696561_d851e8af0a_o.jpg&width=1100&quality=95 In this recent lecture we looked into Bauhaus, its historical relevance, the alumni it created as well as the Bauhaus Movement and how this has been one of the most significant inspirations in design.  Bauhaus was a experimental art school, located in Germany that mainly was created to challenge questions such as the city of the future and how design influences society. The school is influential for its modern take on art; any design nowadays that involves clean aesthetics, modern features or function following form will have originated within the walls of the Bauhaus School of Art. The Bauhaus was also noted for allowing creative disciplines that expressed feelings, emotions or ideas and anything prior to the Bauhaus t...
Read more

Semiotics: Christmas Advertising

-
Image
In this seminar we looked at how semiotics were also used within Advertisements. This was one of my favourite seminars; I love looking and analysing pieces of art and I've never really thought about the effectiveness of semiotics within advertising and especially Christmas adverts as they have become a sort of trend nowadays; the best way to sell a shop at christmas in todays market place is to have a very effective, most times emotional and relatable, Christmas Advertisement. Christmas Adverts really have become their on genre with intentional festive messages that are so relatable and emotive. When looking at the different adverts we were asked to question the following;  What techniques are used?  Meaning?  Signs?  Relationship/Meaning? Which are the most effective?  John Lewis Christmas Advert 2016 - #BusterTheBoxer Relatable: putting up presents on Christm...
Read more

Kinetic Typography 2: Z-Space

-
Image
In this workshop we learned  about 3D space - exploring depth and the z-axis in after effects.  C himamanda Ngozi Adichie's Speech used in Beyonce's World tour Prior to the workshop we were asked to prepare a text, quote, or song lyric to work with which we would then move, rotate and manipulate with Z-Space using After Effects. I chose to use C himamanda Ngozi Adichie's motivational speech about feminism - it has been a hit globally, with thousands of hits on Youtube and even an appearance on Beyonce's 2013 Album. The speech talks about women rights and the role of women in todays society so I believe it is a strong and powerful message to use within my work.  I inputted each word by word and decided to move past the recommended 10 second video so that the audience can really get a full grasp of the quote and the full nature of my intention which was to manipulate the words to what...
Read more