Is Kony 2012 tony, or phony?

Kony 2012—the slick and emotional video by Invisible Children that has been circling the internet through Facebook posts, reblogs, and other forms of viral marketing—has been under attack this week. Critics are claiming that is irresponsible, self-serving, and a ploy for mass merchandising.With a campaign that asks supporters to "get the kit," some feel that Kony 2012 has become more than a campaign for justice—it's also become a source of revenue for its founders. Posters, bracelets, hoodies, and t-shirts are also for sale there and other places online. Questions about how much money is going to Jason Russell (its co-founder and filmmaker) vs. how much is actually going to the children have been raised. In response to this criticism Invisible Children has posted a response which includes a breakdown of expenses along with their financials.College student Grant Oyston never expected he would get over 2.3 unique views when he wrote the blog post Visible Children: Criticizing Kony 2012. Oyston says he wrote about the issue because he felt that people were jumping on the bandwagon to follow this campaign without doing research into either the organization Invisible Children or the war in Uganda. He said that up until his blog post came up he could find very little written about these issues.The poet Suli Breaks thinks the backlash against the Kony campaign is more a matter of cynicism. In a short response on YouTube he asserts that if the civil rights movement was going on now his generation wouldn't buy it. Suli goes on to say people have jumped from the Kony campaign to the anti-Kony campaign—without researching either stance.Many people, including Op-Ed NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff, have come out in favor of the campaign, saying that over the years he has seen that public attention can create an environment in which solutions are more likely. The top education official in Gulu, Uganda, Vincent Ochieng Ocen confirms this view as he explains the complexities of the war that has been waged for 20 years and affects not only Uganda, but other areas of Africa.Oysten and others, including Chris Blattman, a sociologist at Yale University, would argue differently. Blattman says, “There’s also something inherently misleading, naive, maybe even dangerous, about the idea of rescuing children or saving of Africa. […] It hints uncomfortably of the White Man’s Burden. Worse, sometimes it does more than hint. The savior attitude is pervasive in advocacy, and it inevitably shapes programming. Usually misconceived programming.”Another concern voiced by critics is that the campaign capitalizes on people's short attention spans; people will think they have done enough simply by posting one link or wearing a bracelet.When I discussed the campaign with my graphic design students most of them had heard about it, seen the video, and knew of the controversy that it had stirred up. There was a general consensus that they should support the cause, but not the campaign. They also agreed it was an excellent example of branding—acknowledging the slick and well executed video had powerful emotional appeal. This led to a discussion that included brand stretching, greenwashing, and social responsibility. At the very least, the campaign is a catalyst for the discussion of many of the ethical issues involved in graphic design.Sources:http://africasacountry.com/2012/03/07/phony-2012-risible-children/http://www.kony2012.com/http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dtYhk0K_WcEhttps://vimeo.com/38609658http://www.invisiblechildren.com/critiques.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/15/opinion/kristof-viral-video-vicious-warlord.html?scp=1&sq=kony%202012&st=csehttp://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/post/18890947431/we-got-troublehttp://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/ccp/college-students-blog-post-opposing-kony-2012-campaign-goes-viral

When do labels become too much of a green thing?

When does green labeling become so ubiquitous that it loses all effectiveness? The Eco Label Index lists 426 different green logos. It also provides a database with filtering that lets you search by region, find out what research they are doing, and compare them—for a fee.Businesses may have the resources to devote ample time to deciding which labels belong on their products, but for consumers the myriad of choices runs the risk of rendering them useless. For small business owners and freelance graphic designers, figuring out which products and services are truly sustainable and not merely greenwashing is added on top of their never-ending list of tasks.Cliff Burrows, president of Starbucks, asserts that eco-labels establish a level of trust. He says, "Customers have demonstrated that they are more likely to buy products and services from companies they trust." The eco-label tells consumers that a product was produced (think Fairtrade or organic) or can be consumed (think nutritional labels or Energy Star) in a more sustainable way. The eco-label combines sustainability standards-setting and branding, underpinned by the credibility of an independent body. However, Burrows goes on to say that the eco-label model may have become too successful: "A wide array of certification programs has been developed, creating confusion among customers and undue burden on farmers. The industry needs to better understand what is meaningful to customers and works best for producers." (1)In addition to the confusion about what all the eco-labels mean, the problem is exacerbated when companies use eco-labels for greenwashing— attaching a positive environmental association with an unsustainable product or service. Ramon Arratia of InterfaceFLOR explains in an article for "Sustainable Business" in The Guardian that the practice is damaging both the environment and the sustainable industries themselves. (2)While graphic designers can use resources like Lovely As A Tree and Renourish to help them make choices about paper, printing, and ink, the issue affects a much wider audience. A recent post for "Sustainable Business" on The Guardian says that an Asda study shows consumers – regardless of age, gender or income – are choosing sustainable products and services; they just need some guidance. (3)In a blog post for Greenbiz.com, author Joshua Saunders states that what we need are credible certification programs, labels, and rating systems to dominate the market. This will help minimize confusion as well as hold labels and ratings to high standards. (4)How do you assess eco-labels? Do you know what they all mean? Do you care?Sources:http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/09/23/are-there-too-many-eco-labels-and-green-ratingshttp://www.ecolabelindex.com/ecolabels/http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/blog/questioning-evolving-the-ecolabel (1)http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/asda-sustainability-green-survey (2)http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/blog/waste-and-recycling (3)http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/03/greenwashing-many-eco-labels-problem/ (4)

Greenwashing with totes

Steven Heller's recent post asks the question "Are There Too Many Totes?" Heller's article talks about how when used correctly totes can reduce the number of disposable bags. Conversely, if used incorrectly (with the massive onslaught that many of us see daily) the canvas or polypropylene bags have the potential to become another blight that will end up in the landfill.MFA grad Jessie McGrath argued in her recent thesis that “the idea of sustainable design is an illusive goal because a product can never be truly sustainable by virtue of the fact that it is a product.” (Read more)Most people want to do the right thing; they just may not realize the full implications of taking or buying more totes when offered. Why not comb your closets and reuse the ones you already have?What about the role that graphic designers play; are they practicing sustainability when they design more totes for the ever-growing eco-friendly bag business?

Greenwashing comes in pink too

Cause-related marketing can be of great benefit to both parties involved, as long—as it's authentic.National Breast Cancer Awareness month just celebrated 25 years in October. During the month-long celebration all kinds of products can be found in pink—everything from M&Ms to bags of chicken feed. But not all campaigns are created equal, and not all actually contribute to the cause.Read more in the USA Today article "Some 'pink' products do little for cancer research" (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-10-31-pinkwashing_N.htm?csp=usat.me)

How much do students know about ethics?

In the Spring of 2010 I conducted a survey among undergraduate graphic design students to find out how much they know about ethical issues in graphic design. The results showed that there are many issues they know little or nothing about. Questions concerning licensing fonts, reading terms and conditions for EULAs (End User License Agreements), and correct image use all showed that a high number of students are unsure and unclear about these issues. Of all the respondents, 59% of the students answered “sometimes” when asked if they only use properly licensed fonts and 16% said that they didn’t know what this meant. When asked if they read the legal copy on EULAs, 54% answered “sometimes.” When asked if it’s ok to use images that they find on Google, 23% answered with “I don’t know.” Nearly half of them didn’t know what working on speculation means. Students were confused about issues of sustainability and social responsibility as well.Download a pdf with the all the survey results: emkane_survey_resultsHow much do you think graphic designer students know about ethics?