Designing in the Age of Anxiety

Milton Glaser and Mirko Ilic have recently reissued their book The Design of Dissent.In a recent interview with Fast Company's Creative Director, Florian Bacheda, they discuss how the anxiety and disorder of our time is changing design.The release of the book in 2005, which showcased socially and politically driven graphics from around the world, was pre-Arab Spring, the election of Donald Trump, and a plethora of other conflicts and events around the globe that have polarized our world even more.Many points about globalization are raised in the interview including the ubiquitous nature of design. Milton Glaser points out that because of social media, and certainly Google image search, some visual icons (ie. smiley face and the Guy Fawkes mask) appear everywhere.An interesting question is raised by Florian Bacheda when he asks the authors about an interview with design author Steven Heller who wrote, "Changing an established order is the goal of dissent." Bacheda asks that if established orders are typically governments and powerful industry special interests, will companies like Apple, Google, and Facebook become the new dominant order and will we see dissent against companies like these? We are already seeing push back from designers in the tech industry with movements like  "The Copenhagen Letter." The effort asks tech designers to take responsibility for the world and put humans before business. They've gathered 3577 signatures to date.The interview goes on to discuss the influence of social media, the introduction of new forms of media such as video, as well as showcase some excellent examples of posters designed for dissent over the past decade.It's also a disturbing trip through recent history and does a good job of encapsulating why and how we live in an age of anxiety. One can't help but see the link to a recent article in the NY Times about why American teenagers are suffering from severe anxiety now more than ever. We are not only designing in the age of anxiety, we live there too.Sources:https://www.fastcodesign.com/90146795/how-the-anxiety-and-disorder-of-our-time-is-changing-designhttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/11/magazine/why-are-more-american-teenagers-than-ever-suffering-from-severe-anxiety.htmlhttps://copenhagenletter.org/

Graphic Designers Get Political

As Americans await the second debate this weekend with less than a month to go to election day, there are some graphic designers who are taking a stand.Iconic graphic designer Milton Glaser, known for the iconic and ubiquitous I Love NY Logo, wants to get the message out about voting. In this interview with Tina Roth Eisenberg of Swissmiss, he asserts, "not voting is selfish and stupid."Glaser has been passionate about this election. Last spring he created an election poster that is an echo of Descartes' "I think, therefore I am,"—"To vote is to exist"—challenging people to vote. Glaser makes it clear he's not trying to advocate for one side or the other, but emphasizing how critical it is for people to cast their vote for whom they believe in.Other designers, like Jessica Walsh and Stefan Saigmeister, are taking a more aggressive stand, and asking them to reject Trump and vote for Hillary with their latest project, "Pins Won't Save the World."We can only hope they do.Sources:http://www.timegoesby.net/weblog/2016/09/interesting-stuff-10-september-2016.htmlhttps://www.swiss-miss.com/2016/08/milton-glaser-wants-your-vote.htmlhttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-06/milton-glaser-wants-you-to-prove-you-existhttp://adcglobal.org/pins-wont-save-the-world-jessica-walsh/

White lies—unethical, or an act of kindness?

Visual persuasion is at the heart of a graphic designer’s job. Taking information and ideas and forming them into communication that engages and invokes is what we do. Regardless of whether our client is selling a product or ideology, our quest is to help them do it. Some would argue that we are like lawyers. It is our responsibility to use our skills to get the best possible outcome for them and not let our own personal views influence us.Yet, like lawyers, we also face certain ethical and moral challenges along the way.  The graphic designer’s moral dilemma becomes apparent pretty quickly—in our quest to do “good” design, how many “bad” things do we do? This debate comes up often. Milton Glaser’s essay, “Road to Hell”  is one of the most famous, but it was not the first and won’t be the last.In a recent article for A List Apart, “Design, White Lies & Ethics,” Dan Turner discusses some of the choices Interaction Designers face. He also raises the question of whether or not deliberate miscommunication is sometimes actually an act of “good,” reassuring and helping users along their way.The case study that Turner uses involves a mobile timebanking app. Its goal is to help neighbors share services and build supportive relationships. During the design process the team found that transportation was high on the list of services requested. With that in mind they focused on designing a new feature, TransportShare, which would help connect users and drivers. Early prototypes focused on honesty and the team decided that showing one specific route would not be honest as drivers would likely be running other errands along the way and the route would not be direct. As a result no connecting Start and End points were shown, but initial testing did not show high marks for usability. Once a line that showed Start and End points was included, regardless of whether or not it was accurate, testing showed that users were comforted and usability marks increased. It appeared that in this case the white lie helped the user and increased adoption and satisfaction with the app, “good” design.Turner is asking for feedback and wants to open the conversation. He is asking for a framework that we can use to judge when design decisions are ethical. It’s an excellent question, and one that is at the core of our professional practice.Join the conversation and read the full article here:http://alistapart.com/article/design-white-lies-ethics 

Branding Whackyweed

While doing research for this blog post, I discovered there are at least 564 nicknames used for marijuana, about 500 more than exist for cigarettes and alcohol. This may be a sign of times to come for brand marketers as they scramble to figure how to brand the newly legal drug.In fact, designers and bloggers are already hard at work branding marijuana. Last month Creative Bloq published an article about the challenges designers face in rebranding marijuana from illegal to legal. They offer advice about the importance of ditching the street names and using scientific language instead.Designers are also challenged when differentiating between service and product types. Similar to alcohol and cigarettes, marijuana comes in many different strengths and flavors—but it also has a wider variety of uses including skincare products and supplements for pets.Brand experts may differ in their process and their outcomes, but they generally agree that branding is a form of story telling. But what is the story they want to tell? Some proponents of marijuana feel it is a recreational drug, similar to alcohol. If this is the story then we can expect to see these products competing with top Super Bowl advertisers like Budweiser, romanticizing the effects of marijuana, presenting it as the ultimate party drug—sure to win you friends, fun, and make all your problems go away. Others feel that marijuana's story should be about it’s medicinal effects and how it can be used for an overall sense of wellness, healing, and proper nutrition—a panacea of sorts. All of these stories collectively indicate big business is on the way. Companies like Aquarius Cannabis are dedicated to branding marijuana. Their website talks about the “cannabusiness” and the challenges of addressing both market sectors—medicinal and recreational.While such business steamrolls ahead, let us not forget the ethical issues involved. Similar to branding cigarettes and alcohol, graphic designers are likely to find themselves on Milton Glaser’s “Road to Hell” when working in this industry sector. Many would argue that much like cigarettes and alcohol, branding marijuana hits #11 on Glaser’s list, “Design an ad for a product whose continued use might cause the user's death?” Although a bit more complex due to proven medicinal effects and other uses, there’s plenty of evidence that the misuse of marijuana that would certainly put it in the same category.Then there’s the impact of growing marijuana on the environment. It’s estimated that 60-70% of marijuana consumed in the U.S. comes from California. Marijuana is a thirsty plant—using twice as much water as wine grapes. Cultivation of this plant, especially during the current drought conditions, needs to be done responsibly. Ecologist Mary Power recently co-authored a paper for the journal of Bioscience that details the destruction of the sensitive watersheds where cultivation is done and stresses how important it is that the environment be included in the debate on marijuana legalization. Power feels that quasi-legalization increases the difficulty to address the harmful environmental effects and full legalization may make things better from an environmental standpoint.Regardless of your opinion on marijuana, there is no disputing the fact that as the debate continues about its legalization, branding efforts will continue to grow right alongside it—and graphic designers will be navigating these murky ethical waters right alongside as well.Sources:http://www.pot-heads.com/what-are-the-nicknames-for-marijuana.aspxhttp://onlineslangdictionary.com/http://www.fastcodesign.com/3024457/6-branding-lessons-from-the-pioneers-of-weed-designhttp://www.creativebloq.com/advertising/how-designers-are-rebranding-marijuana-61515127?utm_source=Design+Indaba+mailing+list&utm_campaign=6e059e5cdf-Weekly_17_jun_20156_18_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_eb8e2b1d91-6e059e5cdf-429312541http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/10-best-ads-super-bowl-xlviii-155441http://www.miltonglaser.com/milton/c:essays/#2http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_high_environmental_cost_of_illicit_marijuana_cultivation/2895/http://www.livescience.com/42738-marijuana-vs-alcohol-health-effects.html

Visualizing Global Dying

Milton Glaser’s new logo is meant to change how people perceive climate change. As Glaser observes, the phrase “global warming” sounds comforting and non-threatening. He wants us to consider the more ominous words, “global dying,” which many feel is much more accurate about the state of our planet.Glaser says, “Those of us responsible for communicating ideas to others must bear the burden of the consequences of such communication. If one is looking for a purpose and theme to their life, avoiding the worst event in human history is a good place to begin.”

Hauntingly beautiful, as most of Glaser’s work is, the logo’s transformation from green to black evokes images of pollution, smoke, death, and the disappearance of light. The sphere also suggests an aerial view of the Earth, with only a small section of health and life remaining.

Designed as a simple visual for posters and buttons, the logo is available for purchase as a badge and is being sold in sets of five for $5. Proceeds will be put towards the production and distribution of more badges. The hope is that the campaign will go viral. Glaser says, “If half the people on earth wear the button even the ‘masters of the universe’ (large corporations) will be moved to action.”

Get your badges and help spread the message.Sources:http://itsnotwarming.com/http://www.dezeen.com/2014/08/04/milton-glaser-its-not-warming-its-dying-climate-change-campaign/http://www.wnyc.org/story/milton-glaser-takes-global-dying/

Monetizing Memorials

The 9/11 Museum opened last week in Manhattan amid a storm of controversy. Designed to remember the horrors of 9/11, many feel the steep $24 admission fee, along with the crass commercialism of the gift shop, has gone too far.With Milton Glaser’s famous “I Love NY” logo in somber tones of black and blue, the Museum Store features a wide range of memorabilia for sale. T-shirts, jewelry, ornaments, magnets, stuffed animals, books, and umbrellas are among the items being sold—at the same sacred site where the remains of 1,115 unidentified victims lie.Among the outraged are family members of the victims. Diane Horning, who never recovered the remains of her son, Matthew, 26, a database administrator for Marsh & McLennan and an aspiring guitarist, told the New York Post she is appalled:“Here is essentially our tomb of the unknown. To sell baubles I find quite shocking and repugnant. I think it's a money-making venture to support inflated salaries, and they're willing to do it over my son's dead body.” (1)New York’s memorial and museum cost more than $700 million to build. Financed by government agencies and private donations, supporters assert that the gift shop exists to provide a a stream of revenue that is needed for operations in addition to the admission fee. The next steps for the museum include plans to open a café by Danny Meyer this summer. While gift shops and cafeterias go hand-in-hand with museums, this news has outraged many. Meyer is CEO of Union Square Hospitality Ground which operates famous Manhattan eateries like Blue Smoke, Gramercy Tavern, and the Shake Shack. Meyer’s states that they are not doing it for commercial reasons, but rather to provide a relaxing and comfortable environment where visitors can experience local and seasonal fare. He also asserts that the café will pay the museum a “significantly above-market” rent and a percentage of proceeds. Opponents still feel opening a café at the site of burnt fire trucks and human ashes is in very bad taste.Other museums like the Pearl Harbor Museum and the Holocost museum have gift shops and charge admission using the money to support itself.“A historic museum is much like a church; you have to have income to survive,” says Kari Watkins, the executive director of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. “For those stories to be told, for those lights to be turned on, for that water to flow, you have to make income.” Her museum welcomes 200,000 visitors a year and derives 25 percent of its revenue from its gift store. (2)Some ask why these standard practices at the 9/11 Memorial have caused such a reaction. With less than 15 years passed since the horrific attacks, is it just too soon?Notes:(1) http://politix.topix.com/story/12134-the-9-11-museum-charges-24-admission-and-has-a-gift-shop-victims-families-are-outraged(2) http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-23/the-9-11-gift-shop-sells-tacky-tchotchkes-because-well-buy-themSources:http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-23/the-9-11-gift-shop-sells-tacky-tchotchkes-because-well-buy-themhttp://nypost.com/2014/05/22/911-museums-planned-comfort-food-cafe-is-inappropriate/http://nypost.com/2014/05/21/in-bad-taste-911-memorial-museum-opening-danny-meyer-restaurant/http://politix.topix.com/story/12134-the-9-11-museum-charges-24-admission-and-has-a-gift-shop-victims-families-are-outragedhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/what-you-can-buy-at-the-911-museum-gift-shop/2014/05/20/93da3c42-e03e-11e3-9442-54189bf1a809_video.html 

Mad men (and women), how do they fare today?

If you haven't seen the poster design for the final season of Mad Men by Milton Glaser yet, I'm sure you will consider it a treat. The poster not only references Glaser's signature Bob Dylan poster, but also loops back to Glaser’s career with Push Pin Studios, one of the biggest New York design firms to serve the advertising world during the real Mad Men era. Glaser was a founding member of Push Pin Studios along with Seymour Chwast, Edward Sorel, and Reynold Ruffins. Together, they helped shape, define, and set the direction of modern visual style.So besides this season’s poster design, how else does this critically acclaimed show—now in its seventh and final season—mirror the world of advertising on Madison Avenue? Some say some things have changed dramatically, while others adhere to the adage, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”Though technology has altered everyone’s lives dramatically, advertisers and the graphic designers that work with them have gained access to tons of data that helps them target, test, and monitor campaigns much more accurately. Designers still scramble to produce comps or prototypes that will win accounts, they just use much more technology to do it and face even tighter deadlines.Many argue that woman have it considerably better today and don’t face the sexism that Joan and Peggy have encountered throughout the show's run. However many others feel there is still a long way to go—including President Obama, who just last week called for equal pay for women. In terms of how woman are portrayed in advertising, an article for Business Insider in 2012 showed how many modern ads are even more sexist than their Mad Men counterparts.The three martini lunch is now (thankfully) gone, but the business of selling products and services by gaining an edge against your competitors is still the name of the game. Graphic designers who work in advertising are still charged with creating work that sells. In that role, they still face the same questions that Milton Glaser asks in the article he wrote in 2002, “The Road to Hell.” Glaser asks designers to examine their own personal ethics and establish their own level of discomfort. He starts off with a question that may seem a bit innocuous, asking designers if they have ever designed a package to look bigger on the shelf. The questions then get progressively more difficult, ending with the question, “have you ever designed an ad for a product whose frequent use might cause the user’s death? Glaser admits that he personally has taken a number of them during his long and illustrious career.Those of us who wait in great anticipation for the next Mad Men episode can’t help but notice parallels between the past and the present, and wonder at how “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”Sources:http://www.fastcocreate.com/3027412/image-of-the-day/milton-glasers-psychedelic-poster-for-final-season-of-mad-menhttp://www.wtop.com/41/3601295/Advertising-after-Mad-Men-How-the-show-compares-to-real-lifehttp://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/obama-reiterates-call-equal-pay-women-23301061http://www.designlessbetter.com/blogless/posts/the-road-to-hellhttp://www.businessinsider.com/these-modern-ads-are-even-more-sexist-than-their-mad-men-era-counterparts-2012-4#this-old-ad-took-the-whole-walking-all-over-women-thing-to-the-next-level-1

Students on the "Road to Hell"

Graphic design students will wrestle with many ethical issues in their careers. If they aren't already aware of image usage rights, design plagiarism, and issues of sustainability the courses they take will no doubt touch upon these topics at one time or another. However some of the biggest ethical issues that they will face in their careers are the choices they must make in order to make a living.Sérgio Manuel Neves is a recent graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Lisbon. He explored the topic of "ethos" and "ethics" in graphic design for one his projects this past spring. The publication that he created, Ethics: Graphic Design In Takes includes excerpts from authors on the topic of ethics in graphic design and designers like Milton Glaser, creator of the chart "12 Steps on the Graphic Designer's Road to Hell."What might surprise some people is that in his essay, "The Road to Hell," Milton Glaser states that he personally has taken a number of the steps on the chart he created. Others, like author Mark Johnson, wouldn’t be surprised. In his book Moral Imagination, Johnson states that we would be morally irresponsible to think and act as if we possess a universal reason that generates absolute rules, decision‐making procedures, and universal or categorical laws by which we can tell right from wrong in any situation we encounter. According to Johnson, absolute moral laws ignore what’s truly important about the concept of morality, to achieve imaginative dimensions of moral understanding that make it possible for us to determine what’s really important in any given situation or relationship and to make wise decisions accordingly. The ability to reach these decisions requires exploration, discussion, and imagination.Where are you on the “Road to Hell” and what do you think is the best way to prepare students for the choices they must make?Listen to the "Design Matters" Milton Glaser Podcast Interview by Debbie Millman where he talks about the road to hell.Sources:http://www.metropolismag.com/html/content_0802/gla/Mark Johnson, Moral Imagination: Implications of Cognitive Science forEthics (Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 1993), 5.http://designobserver.com/observermedia/audiofile.html?entry=8927

Ethics: Graphic Design In-takes

Sérgio Neves (aka Chazzy) is a design student from Lisbon who has written a thoughtful and creative collage and narrative on ethics in graphic design. He references findings from my thesis along with thoughts about ethics from Milton Glaser, Steven Heller, Helen Armstrong, Mário Moura, and Lucienne Roberts.You can see his work here: http://hausofcat.blogspot.com/2010/12/ethics.html