The essay I thought was the most interesting was, for obvious reasons, the Design of Dissent (the others were a little more historical rather than this articles interview format). Milton Glaser had some interesting points of view, some that raised a question or two for me. Most of page 8 I found interesting, especially when he begins on "peaceful vs. violent dissent". Is design peaceful dissent? Can graphic design be violent dissent? He points out that most people are moved by "powerful imagery and words" and stances that "appeal to justice." He goes on to say that dissent is fueled by empathy, that this is how dissent moves, that a key factor is the idea that other people's opinions matter so if someone is hurt we all hurt. I especially like page 10-11, when Milton Glaser says that being a graphic designer is about being a good citizen and "being responsible for what you're communicating" ...sounds similar to my AIGA Student Scholarship statement when they asked me the pageant question, "How do you think your design will impact the world?" I don't think my design can impact the world, but [paraphrasing] I do think that big changes start with small scopes—you.
Overall the readings opened my eyes to a lot of things:
- being an graphic advocate can get you in serious trouble—or worse—killed (i.e. Black Panther Party, anyone against the Hitler Regime)
- Hitler was an amazing brand strategist
- aside from empathy, viral campaigns are crazy effective if cleverly crafted
- timing is everything
- where is pressure building? what is the undercurrent?
- remember: "Can it produce the results it intends?"
