Definitions and Understanding

Today I will be explaining:

·         Visual Culture and life style in the digital age

·         Global village

·         Postmodernism

·         Culture industry

·         Virtual reality-Interactive media

Visual Culture

“Visual culture does not depend on pictures but on the modern tendency to picture or visualize existence” Nicholas Mirzoeoff

Visual culture is often seen as confusing because not many people really understand what it actually is and I am here to explain that.

Visual culture has got to do with visual effects where we can find information by using visual technology, this is anything that can be seen and viewed that improves our vision. The internet, oil paintings and television is considered as visual culture.

Nicholas Mirzoeff statement best describes visual culture as he means that visual culture does not depend on pictures that you can physically see but to actually reach into your mind and visualize, being creative in your own mind.

Global Village

Global village is also considered as globalization. Where some say that it is seen through pop culture, it is showing a cultural genocide on the world. The largest most dominant cultures are becoming more dominant and larger at the expense of others which in fact some could say that it is another word for Americanization.

While others argue that globalization can enrich the world culturally and gives the notion that there will be more opportunities for cultural exchange which can help promote tolerance and diversity. They want to create a global village where ideas and attributes can be exchanged and appreciated.

Postmodernism

Firstly, postmodernism was a movement in architecture that rejected the modernist, avant garde, passion for the new.

This has to do more with art, architecture and literature where by people react against earlier modernist principles by reintroducing traditional or classical elements.

Culture Industry

Culture Industry focuses on the media and marketing but due to a lot of publicity and advertising all cultural products including people have become things that share little or no meaning. A problem comes about in a sense of speech is lost. This industry gives a reason to believe that the individual is not there but an illusion that is manipulated by authority by those who are from the dominant side.

Virtual reality

Multimedia is emerging as a very important tool in the 21^st century. The world-wide web, CD-ROMs, Virtual reality games ect.

But to explain in better words it is not just multimedia it is a state of mind where you can escape and become something you are not in your life. Playing video games is a form of escaping and going into a virtual reality state.

Konik, I. 2007.

Today i have read Konik, I. 2007. and have stated it in my own words so i can understand it a bit more.

 

Konik, I. 2007. “Thematising the ugly side of sublime technological development in Sonzero’s Pulse (2006) as an inadvertent critique of the ‘technocentricism’ of postmodernity”. South African Journal of Art History 22 (3).

Now I will explain the statement in my own words and state it in my own words. Konik is giving a description as to what Sanzero’s Pulse (2006) was saying. He say that he is checking the ugly side of beautiful technological development as an unplanned evaluation of the technological out burst of postmodernity.

Comparison of the Key elements of Modernism and Postmodernism

Today i will compare the key elements of Modernism and Postmodernism in a table format.

 

 

Postmodernism	Modernism
Challenge the normal way of operating.	Breakdown of social norms and cultural sureties.
Authority figures are not to be trusted because of their loyalty to the establishment and different beliefs in moral truths.	Disorder of meaning and sense from its normal context.
Change comes with believing that truth is subjective and that it’s something that shouldn’t be generally acknowledged.	Valorisation of the hopeless person in the face of an unmanageable future.
Opinions are what matter. Provided that the opinion is backed up, it can be accepted as the best explanation.	Rejection of history and the replacement of a mythical past.
Rejects the idea of nationalism, it drives nations into conflict with each other. Internationalism makes sure that we’re looking out for the greater good.	Product of the metropolis, of cities and urban scopes.
Believe in equality for all, regardless of race, sexual orientation, class or religion.	Sense of consciousness
Disapprove of the idea of individual ownership. It would be most fair if we divided and distributed goods as a group. http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/8892593-10-key-characteristics-of-postmodernism	Overwhelming technological changes.     http://characteristicsofmodernism.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Group Discussion

In Graphic design history III we were required to get into groups and discuss questions about Apple Mac an then choose one and validate why you chose it, this is what we came up with:

 

1.       Why do you think Apple Mac has been said to be the best resource for graphic designers?

2.       Do you believe consumers should pay the expensive rates to obtain Apple Mac technology? Explain.

3.       How did design associate with Apple Mac?

4.       What type of new design did Apple Mac make available to its consumers?

5.       Given your understanding of Apple Mac, do you think it is a viable option to you as a design? Explain.

6.       How did Apple change the life of designers?

7.       What are your opinions on Apples design tradition and the development of its brand?

8.       Why do people want to purchase such products or brands?

9.       Have your design views changed in light of new technologies and trends from Apple?

10.   What differentiates Apple Mac from other brands?

I have chosen number 3 as it is an interesting topic to discuss and it would be quite interesting to find out exactly how design associated with Apple Mac and which were the earliest works done on their computers.

Visual documentation of the United Colors of Benetton campaigns from the 1980s to 2000s

Today i will be using visual reference to the design processes of the United Colors of Benetton campaigns from the 1980s to the 2000s.

 

1984 

 

 

1985

 

 

1986

 

 

1988

 

 

1989

 

1990

 

 

1991

 

 

 1992

 

 

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1994

 

 

1995

 

 

1996

 

 

1998

 

 

 

1999

 

 

2001

 

 

2003

 

 

2004

 

 

http://www.benettongroup.com/40years-press/img_our_campaigns.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

South African Concetual Design

In this post i will be discussing three posters designed with concern to south africa and the problems that persist in South Africa.

 

Fig.1

 

 

http://www.dwsmg.com/42-creative-modern-ads-for-inspiration.html

 Fig. 2

 

http://www.visionews.net/south-africa-aiding-women-attain-independence/sonke_poster_fatherhood/

 Fig.3

 

http://www.dwsmg.com/42-creative-modern-ads-for-inspiration.html

The problem that they are addressing in Fig 1. is the slaughter of rhinos and they are promoting this in a clever way, they are referring to the fact that you cannot strap on a horn to another animal and pretend it is a rhino. The viewer is being made aware of that once the all the rhinos are extinct they are gone and you cannot replace them.

The problem that is being addressed in Fig 2.  is the abuse of children by their fathers. They are showing that the father can be helpful to his children as well as kind and passionate by him exhausting his body by carrying them in a wheel barrow. We are being made aware of how a father should act towards his children.

The problem we are being made aware of in Fig 3. is HIV and AIDS. This design shows that the virus is the red dominos while you are the white domino and with a condom it can prevent the virus from entering your body. The idea being promoted is that you should use a condom during sexual intercourse to prevent you from contracting the virus and we are being made aware of that protection is key.

 



Group Discussion

One of my newest discoveries, was learning about to manifestos: First Things First Manifesto 2000 http://www.art-omma.org/NEW/past_issues/theory/ and Incomplete Manifesto for Growth (Bruce Mau) http://umcf.umn.edu/events/past/04nov-manifesto.pdf

These two manifestos had to be read and understood in order to formulate a team discussion, whereby we were able to state what it is these manifestos meant or portrayed.

Here is the discussion on the first manifesto "First Things First Manifesto 2000", the manifesto is based on the fact that designers are under appreciated and that people think that there is nothing to designing and that it can be done quickly without any thought behind it. I mean they don't actually understand how important designers are. Fundamentally designers add meaning to every aspect of every day existence. Therefore without designers, there would be no colour in the world around us.

Here is the discussion on the second manifesto "Incomplete Manifesto for Growth (Bruce Mau)", based on our understanding of the manifesto, we have identified the idealistic behind it, was to create a statematic point about the way designers should live and what they should or should'nt do in order to attain a good lifestyle.