Doing Good vs. Doing Good Design

Only having only read half of David Berman's "Do Good," I already feel a little appalled and disgusted by the manipulative and excessive advertisement in our world today.  In his book, Berman provides an in depth revealing of how ads (of the past and the present) can be and are constructed to alter a person's thoughts and habits, becoming a true "weapon of mass deception."

Berman begins by making the reader aware of the potential power and responsibility that lies in the hands of a designer, and introduces his hope that those with the power to influence the future will "do good" with their design to help steer our nation's future in a healthier direction.  He discusses some of his personal experiences that influenced his decision to follow this path, including his wife's disgust at how the female figure was exploited for products having nothing to do with the body or its sexuality, and his daughter's concern that she will not live a happy life due to her not consuming a product that was stated to provide all with such.

Several of Berman's observations similarly opened my eyes to the ridiculousness that advertising has pursued.  Continuing from his wife's complaint about overused sexuality, Berman criticizes the unnecessary exploitation of sexuality for the sake of selling products.  Take, for example, Guess Jeans, who's advertisments have been known for evoking a desire for something unrelated to the product.

    This image is a magazine advertisment for their jeans, yet we can barely see the product in the picture! Even their recent commercials focus more on sexual acts than their jeans.  

A brand logo that we all "know and love" is Coca Cola.  As soon as you read the name, I'm sure your thoughts immediately jumped to curvy white script upon a red background.  This is because the brand's extensive use of advertising combined with a classic, familiar logo has proved most successful.  Compare the minimal change that the Coca Cola logo has undergone compared to that of Pepsi:  

Cola has reproduced its logo out to cover the entire globe, plastered on surfaces of places where the product's existence is barely relative to the life which surrounds it.  Check out this sign for the cola, which is hanging upon a stand in the middle of a Tanzanian market place. 

 In an American marketplace, this would be more appropriate.  Yet how can it be appropriate to advertise in poverty-filled Tanzania, where, as Berman states, "the price of a bottle of Coke is about the same as the price of [the more needed] anti malaria pill"?  It's disappointing to think that customer recognition is so essential to the success of this product that it must be rubbed in the faces of those who can't even afford it.

Last but certainly not least, in flipping through the remaining pages of "Do Good", I glimpsed a sneak peek of the end of the book and happened upon an advertisement that revolted me most of all:

  This mug advertises a Toronto plastic surgery company by immediately labeling the consumer as imperfect. Think about how terribly effective this design is.  The targets of this ad: those with low self esteem or insecurities about their appearance.  For those people, the impact of dissatisfaction is immediate.  If a ridiculous mug like this could make the consumer feel badly about themselves, think of the harm that a world full of of equally successful design could do.  Do we really want to enable an environment for the future generations that is so willing and so easily able to be able to play on the insecurities of others for business' sake?

True, in order for a product to be successful, there must be some connection between the consumer and the product, which is usually personal.  And true, a plastic surgery company only has only so many things it is trying to sell and can advertise.

Yet as aware designers, this now leaves us, more than ever, to make a choice.  Now that we are aware of the potential harm of our skills, can we follow a path to avoid turning our society down a wrong turn? For example, if you were offered an amazing job at Marlboro, could you design for them knowing that their product kills thousands of people each year?  Will we ever be able to reach a point when doing good will be enough, rather than simply doing good design?

Flea Market Finds

This past weekend brought about a trip to Central New York's Regional Flea Market, which is comprised of a variety of vendors. This is the place to go to find anything your heart desires, from freshly packaged silverware and farm-grown foods to Wiggles CD's or even an antique Victrola bell! A flea market is the perfect conglomeration of convenience store meets yardsale.  This was yet another opportunity to expand my exploration of design to zone in on household paraphernalia from past to present generations.

I found this delicious looking salt and pepper set at the first table i visited: a good omen for the rest of my adventure at the flea market. The condiment containers fit snugly into the constructed cob of corn to make this item multi functional as a household item and a sculpture. And what better food to put salt on than corn! Good design.

At first sight, I was a bit bemused to see a piece of cloth lounging upon a cleaning bottle that I took to have been forgotten on a vendor's table, but upon further inspection, it became clear that this oddly-shaped piece of cloth was in fact an apron for the container! Although I'm not quite sure as to the purpose of this accessory, as a potential housewife I couldn't help but be won over by the adorable look it put upon the mundane product. After this unique discovery, why not make my kitchen cabinet the most fashionable one on the block?

This bowl is beautiful and entirely functional.  What more could you ask for?

Pez. It's a classic candy/toy. Who wouldn't want to eat a yummy candy that was produced from the mouth of your favorite cartoon character?

Coca Cola's familiar logo has surpassed the ages, which is why I give this symbol the good design stamp. Not to mention that the soda is delicious.

This doily was constructed entirely by hand.  Being able to make something so beautiful and intricate out of such fragile appearing material is good design to me.

This funky looking container was carved out of a dried-out gourd-like object.  Waste not, want not, good design.

The Japanese have always had a knack for making all of their products bold and beautiful with their simplicity, which continually makes them classic and appealing.

  This reminded me of the corn-on-the-cob salt and pepper shakers I had encountered previously. Although I wouldn't be drinking grape juice out of such delicate ceramics, I can see myself using these solely for the purpose that they are well crafted, reinvent and refresh the traditional teapot and tea cups that all are accustomed to. Now my goal in life is to possess a full dinner ware set entirely in food forms. Why not eat spaghetti on a plate that looks like it is spaghetti? Only we designers have to make sure that the illusion doesn't become so convincing that we have people winding up in the hospital for trying to consume that spoon that "really looked like it was a carrot."

I might have been suckered into this one with my "diamonds are a girl's best friend" gene, but it's pretty impressive that such a small chain can support the weight of so much rock, don't you think? :)

With the following items, we see design leave the line of success and begin to go astray:

Sure, these clothes might have a cool texture to them, but I'm not crazy about running around looking like icing on a cake. Not to mention they look weirdly warped and unflattering on a hanger. Maybe the vendor should have invested in a mannequin to make their product a little more understandable.

Cute duck, great! Cute duck in a witch outfit with a pumpkin bag and pointy elf shoes, what?

These hairstyles are not just bad design; they are a fashion crime.

What kind of a toy is this?  Please please let me know if a heart filled with alphabet soup holds any special significance for you, I would love to grasp the concept.

These two figures are borderline creepy with their luminous shade of skin and buggy eyes.

Why this item is associated with bad design should be apparent with the logo stretching across its front. ;)

I think it's acceptable to wear mutated clothing to add a little spunk to your high school's pep rally or sporting event, but it's a little unsophisticated to be wearing it out on the town for your flea-market date with the 'rents.

Maybe Mindy has some good music. But with her cropped arm, bagged eyes, vacant expression, and oddly colored text, I'm not sure that I want to give the cd a chance.

Even if dear old grandma did knit this one-of-a-kind creation for you, you should probably let her know for her next victim that hairy pumpkin is not really season appropriate for the holidays.

The lifeless eyes and spontaneous mumbo jumbo emitting from the mouths of Furbys have freaked me out since I was offered one for Christmas years ago.

Even though there was some weird random stuff at this flea market, there was also a bunch of really cool random stuff there too, perfect for dressing up your mundane college room and making it unique! (In a good way!)  Go check it out!

The NY State Fair

A gathering of the most celebrated and unique characteristics of New York, the New York State Fair contains a plethora of designs. Here are some examples of good and bad design that I discovered during my adventure at the Fair:

This was a twist on the man on stilts- this costume incorporated with the stilts an animated mechanism resembling a dragon-like creature, to appear as if the performer was riding a live beast. The construction of the performer's costume and his pet was very intricate and exotic. Great design.

I glimpsed this fashion creation inside the Arts building. The artist constructed this figure completely out of miscellaneous hardware accessories, such as nuts, bolts and springs. The fact that the artist combined the innovative material with a feminine and fashionable character was much more effective than if they had simply used the materials for a figure without a personality. Good design.

While venturing through the Horticulture Building, I was looking over a selection of fresh grown vegetables and decided to document the natural forms and colors of these plants, which to the human eye are eye catching, and delicious looking. :) Good design, mother nature.

This was also in the Horticulture Building; I appreciated how this organic food booth designed a trash receptacle to resemble a tree with its narrow, cylindrical shape and bark print around it. However, even though it seems that this design was supposed to promote environmentalism, I get the message that they are using the friendly visage to cover up the bagged trash that will eventually be discarded in a landfill and joining pollution. Unfortunate as it is, good design doesn't have to be truthful design.

This was the craziest piano ever! It was one of those old fashioned ones that plays the song for you! Here's how it works: The music is recorded on a scroll of paper with morse-code-like holes punched into it. Once you insert it in the center of the piano, you alternate feet and pump two foot pedals, which rotates the scroll of paper. A system of vacuums then presses the keys down according to the location of the holes in the scroll. My friend and I actually got to play it, it was amazing! Great design. :)

This was the centerpiece of a quilt in the Arts building. I really enjoyed the bright colors used in the piece, and thought that the components of the quilt were structured together beautifully. Good design.

Although I'm not a huge fan of these dancing air figures, they certainly are good at their purpose of drawing attention to a specific location. It's hard to miss the sweeping gestures of these human-like figures towering above buildings and crowds. Good design.

This sign was wrapped around the top of a food booth. Its design gives off a retro vibe with its iconic lettering and neon lights. Combining these features with the classic America food that it serves, this food booth emits a recognizable and therefore comfortable and appealing image. Good Design.

Although I never found the legendary sandcastles that were supposedly at the Fair, I did happen upon this incredible butter sculpture in the Dairy building. It was about five feet high and kept in a rotating glass chamber, which I'm assuming was at a temperature that kept the sculpture from melting. I was most impressed by the cow "milkman" being able to hang out of the door of the milk truck. Yet despite its crisp construction and friendly theme, I couldn't help but be a little sad by the fact that all of the butter would probably be wasted. Nevertheless, good design.

These lemonade stands are my favorite thing at Fairs. Maybe it's because they are shaped like a lemon. Maybe it's because their natural ingredients make the tastiest lemonade ever. Maybe it's because they remind me of my childhood, when I played a Pico game with a pig character that drove a lemon car. Either way, this was a brilliant stand construction that perfectly represents the fresh and genuine quality of their lemonade. Good design.

Here are some designs at the Fair that I thought were less successful, although I had a harder time picking these out because there was so much GOOD design at the fair:

Although this design clearly depicts what snacks the stand is selling, I really don't like the design. It is a really bland two-dimensional image with an inactive composition and unattractive color palette.

This was the sign at the main gate, I thought that the design lacked creativity and the logos could have been more pronounced.

Crocs are a huge pet peeve of mine! Not flattering the foot whatsoever, this shoe looks more like a clump of rubber stuck onto a person's foot. Comfortable as they may be for walking around the Fair in, wasting money on this fashion disaster is a no no.

This door was in the Horticulture building, and it just stood out to me as very unattractive. In an environmentally aware stand, I would much rather look at and appreciate the simplicity of a nicely made wooden door, as opposed to one wastefully wrapped with a giant plastic advertisement, cute as the old man in it is.

The minute I entered the fairgrounds, I encountered this bizarre mascot. The idea of a giant platypus is pretty cute, but one being transformed into an alien with unreal neon colors? Not so cute. And the company could have put a little more effort into putting their logo onto a T-shirt for it to wear, instead of unprofessionally safety-pinning a print out of it to his shirt.

Before

&

After

All I have to say about this design: Recycling is a great thing, but putting trash in bags that A- are see through so that all spectators can view these unwanted objects, and B- aren't even strong enough to hold their required baggage isn't too great. Should have gone with Hefty.

This creepy character was outside of a scary walkthrough-ride. My question is, why make clowns creepier than they already are? I definitely wouldn't want my toddlers getting a glimpse of this frightening image. What's worse, they had a midget dressed up in a demonic costume walking outside the "attraction." Disgusting and unnecessary.

As soon as I saw this sign, my thoughts of sweet, delicious ice cream sundaes with chocolate toppings ran for cover. Eventually I discovered that this was made out of mexican ingredients, no ice cream involved whatsoever, but the name still sounds unappetizing.

Not to pick on these poor animals, but mother nature was being silly when she designed this certain breed of sheep. They look pretty bizarre with a body of white fur accentuated with black fur only on their head and feet.

Overall, there was a lot of great design to discover at the fair, even though there were some creepy and confusing designs as well. Nevertheless, state fairs are a great experience, and it saves you the task of traveling your whole state to get to know its quirks because they're all gathered in one area for you! If you haven't yet gone to yours, definitely check it out. :)