Assignment 9: Politics of Design

While the United States was recovering from the Cold War, there was an agenda for society to rebuild conventions, and the solution for “healing” the nation was distracting people with rich consumerism. The designs of industrial products were a celebration of wealth, abundance and pleasure. The media depicted the ideal nuclear family lifestyle.

 When we look at the messages we receive in the media today, what is expressed? How does media and design reflect society’s contemporary values, or agendas?

 When one looks at the medium of advertising, three main “selling tools” are used: sex, humour and inspiration. Advertisers play on our desire for pleasure and enjoyment. To an extent sensuality has been used in media and design since the dawn of time, but not in such a blatantly sexual manner as today. When asked about media today, someone did not miss a beat when replying “sex”. And with a plethora of advertisement for organisations such as Tui’s, Burger King’s and even Rubik’s Cube Tournaments, it is undoubtable why sex may be considered one of the strongest cultural influences of society today. A part of this reason is because we live in a post-sexual revolution age.

 In terms of design, we can see products such as cars, television sets, and even font becoming more streamline, environmentally friendly and compact. The Warehouse changed their block letter logo to a slicker design. Also due to communication technology and the internet opening up the world, we can see influences in design between cultures, such as the influence of anime on a lot of western children, and the influence of western designs in eastern architecture.

 So today’s design and media has a generally slicker style, partially due to computer animation technology, but also to reflect the more increasingly humanised products. Products are now increasingly intuitive and user friendly, and pleasurable to use.

Resource: (2009). Truck Advert. Retrieved at 29/09/2011 from http://www.tui.co.nz/default.asp?s1=Cool%20Shit&s2=WallPaper