During a session of class we took a trip to the AIGA Exhibit: “We the Designers: Reframing Political Issues in the Obama Era”. The exhibit reflects not only advertising methods for the candidates but the major topics and issues surrounding the election. A few of the topics are gun control, an alternative green source of energy and showcasing the difference in the economy before and after a term of Presidency. These artist were not only chosen to help get President Obama reflected but to also showcase the major topics in the years to come.
One piece that caught my eye right away was Dylan Lathrop “Energy”. He took the major energy sources we use and made a minimalist graph of it showing what energy source we used in conjunction to the others. While including a color matching legend at the bottom flushed to the to left of the project to showcase which colors symbolize which source. The format of using a Legend is very successful as it can reach out to a board range of ages. This is an important piece because it doesn’t only reflect the candidate’s stand for improvement but brings awareness to the topic and shedding more light on this controversy issue.
Another design project throwing punches at unclean sources of energy is a design by Mirko Ilic named “Nuclear Energy”. Mirko takes the nuclear atom sign and draws a skull in it to showcase death and how long it takes just for one to become non radioactive. Mirko states that it takes thousands of years for a plant to become non radioactive which would take a multiply lifetimes just to accomplish. The use of the color yellow is no accident I believe seeing how it is universal used to dispose of toxic waste in canisters. The fact that not one but at least two projects about finding clean energy sources show just how important this topic is to the country and how this can sway votes for the better.
One of the most talked about topics if not the most important is the outbreak of killings and sudden increase of mass murder by guns. This subject is covered by the collage made by Pamela Hovland. She made a collage of pictures showing different targets from animals to enemies of America to even space invaders. I guess the message behind the design is if it’s allowed to use guns who/what are we able to use it against and who justifies whats okay to shot and whats not. I think it’s a major topic to discuss in these last couple of months we had of gun violence and war and rebellion factions rising up all over the world. I believe this project isn’t crafted to catch the eye of just anyone demographic but the whole population of the country not just those eligible to vote. It’s made so that even a child can understand something from it by just examining the pictures and piecing together the pattern.
After the combined work of these and the other unamed artist I belive that these designs did help to showcase the presidents goals and what he wants to achieve in the next four years. These projects might of gained a few votes that could of changed the election into his favor. The end result on which projects they showed in which areas such as the anti-guns design would have a greater effect out in the midwest and big citys then it would in citys such as Florida and North Dakotawho you don’t really hear about in the news for mass-murder or high crime rates by guns. While the clean resources posters would have more effect in the big citys seeing how much we really on it for everyday life and use it more wastefully then other states.
Dylan Lathrop “Energy
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Pamela Hovland “Black and White and Red All Over”
Mirko Ilic “Nuclear Energy”
