“What’s important is the story, the message, the feeling, the connection – How do you make this reach people?” (Platon: Photography, 2017). The reason this quote is relates to me as a Graphic Design practitioner is because graphic design at its core is all about communication. How I can deliver a message that will reach my audience that will connect and resonate with them.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/55/Barack_Obama_Hope_poster.jpg

The first piece I’m looking at is the “HOPE” poster made Shepard Fairey. The reason this piece has a connection to it is because Obama represented a change. This was in terms of bring change to the wants of the American people and helping the civil rights movement in terms of being the first African-American to become president. This gave hope to many African-Americans dealing with discrimination, poverty and racism.

Is Economic Progress Killing the Planet?

Jonathon Barnbrook is a graphic designer and typographer. This piece is a print from 1999. It stood out to me because Barnbrook is using it to communicate the environmental issues that are occurring from economic development around the world. This is the story that needs to reach the people. The reason Barnbrook is important as he takes a stand when it comes to corporate designing considering the ethical and political implications of design work. “He was a signatory to the First Things First 2000 manifesto, in which graphic designers pledged to ‘put their skills to worthwhile use’ and address the ‘unprecedented environmental, social and cultural crises’ that they saw in the world” (Jonathon Barnbrook, 2017).

This image is titled ‘Union Mask’. It was created by Peter Kennard. As an artist he is using his art to express what is happening in the world to communicate a story being “to criticise the UK’s support of America’s Bush administration and its ‘War on Terror’.” (Stop the War Coalition Poster Number 1, 2003).

“Kennard holds a mirror up to war, poverty, and human suffering. His work is an attempt to ‘rip apart the smooth, bleached and apparently seamless surface of the media’s presentation of the world and to expose the conflict and grubby realities underneath.’” (Peter Kennard’s Powerful Political Protests through art, 2016).

These three artists among others are all important as they consider the ethical values behind their work and use the work they produce to communicate a message.

Works Cited

Jonathon Barnbrook. (2017, November 29). Retrieved December 5, 2017, from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Barnbrook

Peter Kennard’s Powerful Political Protests through art. (2016, October 4). Retrieved December 5, 2017, from theculturetrip.com: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/england/articles/peter-kennard-s-powerful-political-protests-through-art/

Platon: Photography (2017). [Motion Picture]. Retrieved December 3, 2017, from https://www.netflix.com/watch/80093804?trackId=14277283&tctx=0%2C6%2C7b654c82-34e9-4305-a84c-22632937880d-51811183

Stop the War Coalition Poster Number 1. (2003). Retrieved December 5, 2017, from ivm.org.uk: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/15027