Can Advertising Survive Digital?

In the Daily Beast, an interesting article by Dan Lyons:

In this brave new world, the role of advertising agencies would change as well. Instead of being a pack of well-paid liars, ad agencies would act more like consultants, helping companies figure out how to fix their businesses and improve their brand reputation based on actual accomplishments.

Your turn #8

Nicholas Gottlund, print on aluminum plates, via Juxtapoz

Polish posters, Cuban posters, LOGO! What's your take?

Freedom and originality

The Polish Poster is an original school, which goes from the mid-1950's to the early 1980's. There are two things that sets this school apart: search for freedom and originality. Polish artists try to create outside the box of Socialist Realism. In doing so they come up with a specific code-system, which is unique, and at the same time, universal. Two of the main underlying styles are a kind of Polish Surrealism and Polish Pop art.

By the way, this is a great page for Polish Poster History!

What's so (a)typical about the most typical face?

After this image appeared on Yahoo News, I posted something on miami.bourbaki about the riddle concerning "typical."

Your turn #7

Alicia Olink with Ray Gun, Fancesco Locastro, 2011

There is plenty to talk about: Bauhaus and its ripple effect, the war poster, information design, the masters: Lissitzky, Gabo, Moholy Nagy, the independents: Tschichold, Zwart, The New York School: Liberman, Herbert Matter, Saul Bass, Brodovitch, Sutnar, Lubalin, Pineles, the International Topographic Style, advertising vs. propaganda.

Go ahead!

Who needs Graphic Design Theory?

Helen Amstrong believes we do.

A Design Education Manifesto

I found this Design Education Manifesto by Mitch Goldstein I'd like to share with you:

School is hard. Design school is especially hard because so much of it exists within the abstract, the opinion. There are few, if any, absolutes as you go through design school. Much of design education is about learning some key techniques and then trying to apply them to your work in interesting ways. The following are some thoughts I have about how to go through a design program and get the most out of the experience, and beyond as a creative professional. More here.

Lady Gaga reaches 20-M t* followers!

Wow! What should we make of it?

Your turn #6

Jugend cover, 1901 (via Juxtapoz)

We've gone through an explosion of art movements & personalities. The main idea is the  design of the avant-garde: Cubism, Blue Rider, Expressionism, Futurism, Dada, Neo-plasticism, Constructivism, Surrealism, art for the people, art goes to the movies, propaganda vs. advertising, collage, photo-collage, the propaganda poster, (functional art ---> floor plans? ---> elevations?). Big names: Picasso, Kandinsky, Rodchenko, Marinetti, Duchamp, Breton, Dalí, Mondrian, Magritte, A. M. Cassandre, John Heartfield, etc. 

Go ahead!

Designing persuasion (early 20th century)

 

Two approaches, one in favor, one against. The important thing is to see that both persuasion and fear can be "designed."

Ken Russell's The Devils (1971), apropos of decadent Pre-raphaelites

Could not find Ken Russell Dante's Inferno in youtube

Your suggestion makes perfect sense: At the BBC Russell had his own "pre-raphaelite" company: Oliver Reed, Max Adrian, Murray Melvin, Christopher Logue (the one-time socialist poet). Iza Teller, and Judith Paris among others -names frequently found in the cast listings of his feature films. Russell is a music lover, who manipulates anachronism with almost baroque splendor (for which his work has been called "bizarre," "outlandish," "sick").

You get a good idea of Russell's bombastic style with The Devils, his 1971 film, banned by 17 local authorities in England. It attracted many scathing reviews. Judith Crist called it a "grand fiesta for sadists and perverts." Derek Malcolm called it "a very bad film indeed." However, The Devils won the award for Best Director-Foreign Film in the Venice Film Festival.