design as manipulation. design as emancipation
DESCRIPTION
Communication design is used to sell products – but even when it is not explicitly engaged in manufacturing consumer desire, design can function to conceal the impacts of conspicuous consumption and the socio-political-economic system through a process known as symbolic violence. While communication design can be used to reveal consequences, illustrate systemic dynamics and facilitate public processes – capitalism needs designers to promote consumption not to critique consumption! The values embedded in capitalism are reproduced by the design industry. Communication design serves not only to whitewash the destructive practices of corporate entities but to perpetuate the point of view of the culturally, politically and economically powerful. While there is some vague anti-consumerist and anti-corporate rhetoric in design circles – a cynical stance, on its own, will not transform the dysfunctional political systems. What is urgently needed in design is new form of politically, socially and ecologically engaged design practice. The work of building new social relations that can resist and transform political and economic institutions requires transparent, truthful and participatory communication systems. Designers must engage with social movements who have a legacy of creating agency and developing the means to see through oppressive cultural practices. In this way design can become a force for emancipation rather than manipulation. Presentation at Occupy Design launch January 2012TRANSCRIPT
Symbolic Violence: Design as Manipulation / Design as Emancipation
Jody BoehnertEcoLabs - www.eco-labs.org
@OccupyDesignUK Launch
January 2012
THE STEADY STATE ECONOMYA Totem of Real Happiness
www.eco-labs.org
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Complexity Map No.4 - Econopoly: Economics and EcosystemsDeveloped in the AHRC funded PhD research - The Visual Communication of Ecological Literacy: Designing, Learning and Emergent Ecological Perception Praxis No.29 - J.J.Boehnert - January 2012
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Econopoly
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Ecology GAmes 2012
Design as Manipulation The UK advertising industry, worth £17,318M in 2008 (1.2% of GDP),
has plentiful resources to communicate a view of nature that suits
the needs of industry and convince the public that new products and
business as usual are sustainable.
Design skills are harnessed to help advertisers communicate
attitudes and values supporting consumer capitalism.
Advertising offers highly paid work for graphic designers but
a recent report by the new economics foundation found that
‘for every £1 of value created by an advertising executive,
£11.50 is destroyed’ (nef 2009).
Symbolic violence is perpetuated through design.
The design industry manipulates tastes, desire and identity to
maintain the seductive power of consumer capitalism.
Design serves the needs the capitalism system that is dependent
on both the exploitation of nature and the invisibility and
remoteness of this dynamic.
This visibility of corporate advertising marginalizes environmental
concerns to the point of obscurity.
Truthful information on the state of Earth’s systems cannot compete
with the information overload by advertisers characterizing nature
as infinitely exploitable.
Design as Emanicipation
• Visualizing ecological literacy & sustainability
• Supporting social movements (such as Occupy)
• Politically, socially & ecologically engaged design practice
Graphic by PIRC
Visualising ecological literacy & sustainability
Graphic by PIRC
"The Game Plan" slideset release 1.0, March 13 2008 43
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A1T - Rapid growth, new, non-carbon, technology.
A1FI - Rapid growth, fossil fuel intensive.
A2 - High energy consumption, rapid population growth.
B1 - Environmentally and socially conscious global approach.
B2 - Environmental preservation and local solutions.
IS92a - "Business as usual" IPCC.
Recent temperature changes
Bars show the range in year 2100 produced by several scenarios.
Models vs. ScenariosTemperature Choice
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Springer-Verlag. The New Scientist.
Earth’s Natural Wealth: an Audit. The New Scientist
The Oil Age. Information design by Dave Menninger. 2006
Good Magazine
Living Planet Report WWF
Planetary Boundaries
Chemical Pollution Ozone and Aerosol
Climate Change Nitrogen & Phosphorus Cycles Ocean A
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Humanity has already transgressed three planetary boundaries: for climate change, rate of biodiversity loss and changes to the global nitrogen cycle.
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