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by Andrew Lam-Po-Tang
Sometimes I get some pretty flattering suggestions from people regarding stuff to write about. Flattering in the sense that the suggestions imply I am somehow qualified to comment on the topic.
For example, suggestion I got a little while back read "The influence or role of design, in all its forms, on society". Wow - that's a big topic! There is plenty of literature on the topic, mostly out of the US or UK. Just search under 'contemporary design history' or something like that.
However, I do have one small observation on the topic...
I suppose most of you would be familiar with Wallpaper magazine? It's published by Time-Warner, it's tag line is "the stuff around you" and I would describe it as: an aspirational lifestyle mag targetting young sophisticates with articles about designer clothes, designer things and hip travel. Visually, it is comprised of 60s & 70s visual idioms morphed into the cyber age. The objects it tends to celebrate are things like Charles Eames chairs, Bauhaus or post-Bauhaus architecture and the more globally-distributed clothing brands (Prada, yada, yada...).
What strikes me about the mag is that it is published internationally, seems to be pretty popular with its target market (at least those friends of mine around the world who fit the description) and is a clear and simple expression of how "design in all its forms influences society."
Now you and I know that graphic designers generally don't have the kind of money that this mag alludes to, but it is interesting that such a completely design-values-oriented publication should meet with global success. The interesting question here is, "how many people are in their target market?"
Another expression of design's influence is the boo.com, an online shop equivalent to Wallpaper. Here we have two Icelanders (think Bjork, et al) who are setting up a global business for all those design-aspirants to secure the latest, greatest and hippest stuff that they read about in mags like Wallpaper.
Going back a little further in time, have you heard of Design Republic? This is a UK-based graphic design outfit that basically wrote the book on rave party flyer and dance music CD design. All of that post-industrial, "blueprint" fluoro stuff. Now how often do you see those visual idioms being used? Or even further back, do you recall Neville Brody, who through his designs in Face and Arena magazine shaped a global definition of what was visually hip. Take a look around you now and you can see his influences in the logos of corner cafe, small clothing boutiques and even major shopping centres.
The implication from these small examples is that design can be a big deal, well at least big enough to capture the hearts and minds of broad (but young) chunks of the global population and consequently support large-ish businesses.
And when someone says to you, "well yeah, but this stuff is all directed at kids," just remind them that the well-educated, affluent 20-30 year olds today were 'kids' in the '80s.
Cheers!
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The views expressed this article are not necessarily those of AGDA. Please note that the information in this article is the opinion of the author only. I can therefore accept no responsibility for actions taken on the basis of this information. Copyright Andrew Lam-Po-Tang (andrew@lam-po-tang com), 1998-2008. Permission is granted to freely copy this document in electronic form, or to print, for personal use. Reprinting for non-personal use will require the express permission of the author (which I will generally be very happy to give).
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