Of all the readings this week I was most intrigued by “A Note for the New Millennium”. When I think about corrupt corporations the first thing that comes to mind is the company’s logo, slogan, or brand in general. The visual presence becomes so intertwined with the company that it takes me a moment to remember that someone had to create that image which is now synonymous with greed, unethical behavior, or whatever the offense may be. There are several logos that immediately come to mind as representations of bad company behavior...
These logos were all designed by individuals hired to perform a job and deliver a high quality design to their employers. According to Stuart Ewen, the author of the article, "Designers must come to reflect upon the functions they serve, and on the potentially hazardous implications of those functions". Well, if designers began to create logos as true representations of the company for which they function, we would be seeing things more like these...
However, now that design has, "become a corporate profession", I doubt design reform is anywhere in the near future. Mass media has proliferated too deeply through society for us to be able to change quickly. With more and more individuals gaining access to programs such as Photoshop and illustrator, altered logos such as the ones above are becoming increasingly commonplace and these alterations are done at just as high a quality as the original logos. It may be cynical to say that those with the money have the power... but I think that so long as corporations are willing to shell out big bucks for designs that, "regularly mask destructive patterns within our society" or "aestheticizes hazardous ideas" there will always be someone looking to get paid. So I suppose as Ewen states, "Only by critically confronting this concern and by integrating it into a conscious, ethical practice of design will meaningful alternative be possible."
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