Research & analysis
Lecture reflections: Susanna Edvards said “But now I think I’m really, really interested in design as a political tool and how it can do good in society.” Me too Susanna. The discussion on edges is quite interesting, being on the edge, pushing forward is part of paving the way for discussions, to push discourse. We constantly have to evolve our analysis of the contemporary world as it is changing. Being on the edge is critical, Maziar Rein says “Where is your value system within this?”. Good question and something more people should ask themselves. Is there a responsibility within our work, as creators of products, messages, etc? Are we taking that responsibility? Can we evolve it further?
I did some Dorte Nielsen brainstorming on this one. Considering the power of a well executed anachronism. It landed in a for me at least, unexpected direction.
Seeing the first lecture I myself reflected on the question asked: What are potential future definitions of design practice? What are the sectors that might change or need to change? For me it is all of them, that need social change. Possible future definition is Responsible design practice. What if the models we use for profit in the design sector is not sustainable? Or the way we work with leadership and client relationships? What if the way we approach graphic design is based on obsolete norms? Seeing the lecture for example, there is one woman among six men. The reason for that can of course be many. But it got me thinking about one of the main reasons I stopped working practically with graphic design, namely misogyny and sexism. It drained me. When I ran my studio with my friend a few years back, it was going quite well, we won awards, had a nice time doing our thing, etc. But we were also always balancing and handling the misogyny, a rough estimate is that 10% of our time was spent on dealing with this at different levels. Exhausting. After selling the company that balance became so hard to do on my own. And I simply stopped working practically and focused on an academic career instead.
Could I use this challenge of a paradigm shift as a tool, a method, as I discussed last week, to underpin a political commentary? Is it possible to deconstruct the past with the purpose to unpack the myth when positioned in a contemporary feminist discourse? I sure wanted to investigate if it was.
At the end of my brainstorm I came to the conclusion that I wanted to turn a medieval bible into a feminist magazine on female entrepreneurship amongst “business saints”, using icon like imagery for men giving advice or just coming with random input. I wanted to use three comments, two of which I have received unprovoked, during business meetings, and one from a friend’s experience. These quotes were:
– Do you know women lie about rape, and they lie about abuse of their own children just to get power over men?
-You can’t wear short skirts because then people won’t know what you are selling!
-I don’t hire women because all they do is babble!
However, sketching this idea and thinking of it, it just drained me. I got so incredibly sad. And why should they get to be icons even if it is meant ironically. They are no icons, no saints, they have taken the love for my work away. I had to find a different angle. I actually laid down in my bed for a while crying over this eternal hopeless injustice. Haha, yes a white girl crying over unfair entrepreneurship (ugh). But as well, to be fair to myself and my feelings, that rape and abuse comment mentioned above was actually a 25 minute long raging monologue, that in the moment paralyzed me, and that has caused me a lot of anxiety afterwards. I have not taken on client work or meetings since then. After this contemplating, I scrolled the web a bit. Comforted myself with videos of women matching the energy I wish I had in those awful meetings. And then…
What if I just do that? Women are my icons. So what if that feminist magazine is actually commandments (rather see them as tips, as I wish to command no woman to be honest, do what you want, but for the sake of the project I will call them commandments) on how to behave in business meetings with men? I found three women and quotes that sort of matched those previous comments.
For example, when getting a remark on what you are wearing:
On booking meetings with clients holding 25 minute misogynist monologes, simply say:
When called by the wrong title or just someone trying to undermine you and your expertise, don’t let them:
Now I felt the energy I wanted this thing to have. Positive energy. I wanted to use these quotes as commandments. In a feminist bible–>manifest. At first I thought I should focus on a magazine with the theme of entrepreneurship. After working and reflecting on early sketches however, the entrepreneurship part went out the window. And I instead focused on constructing a feminist manifest using visual attributes from illuminated manuscripts, via women in history, using the voice of contemporary women.
Design development
Inspiration
Could the inspiration for this have that same female energy that I had found in the quotes, as well? Answer is 1000% yes. Luckily the world has been blessed with Laurie Rosenwald, not just an incredible illustrator but also a verbal energizer.
There is also the power of implementing borrowed signifiers in new context through the method of using collage. Seen to the essence of the challenge, shifting into a new paradigm. This way of working can be quite impactful. One of the most convincing experiences of this happened once when me and a friend both saw this illustration. When we talked about it and how some signifiers can seem so insignificant, yet bring so much context. Then we both said, simultaneously (it’s true!) »This one reminds me of Francois Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse«
My newest graphic design hero, Chloe Scheffe definitely provided a path for this project as well. So what if I take an approach where Laurie Roswenwald and Chloe Scheffe meet in an imaginary visual world of an illuminated manuscript-like feminist manifest?
First sketches
The initial sketches were just based on the quotes and did not really create the friction I was looking for. I had the idea clear in my mind. But when I tried sketching, it was obvious that I needed a clearer connection to my original context, the history and the bible had to be implemented somehow. Also the context had to move from book(bible) into something more visually striking, something that can take place. A poster for example. I used this gained insight and took one or two steps back to get this properly done.
Inspiration
So I am taking an illuminated manuscript and turning it into a feminist poster. To avoid the mistake from previous sketches I had to map out some of the typical traits from manuscripts:
Historic women:
I need a woman from history to give voice to the quotes or one of them at least. And well to be honest, it all started with Eve, she ate the apple, they put on some clothes and then everyone was a misogynist after that.
Manicula–a pointing hand, used to identify passages that mattered to the reader and the reader often gave them their own shape. (Kwakkel 2018:121)
Initial letter–enlarged decorated initial letters. (Kwakkel 2018)
Typography–medieval script.
Layout–narrow columns of text. Pillars.
Arched pictures and arches in pictures – this can often be found in illuminated manuscripts and visualizations in relation to religion but I have had a hard time figuring out why. Kwakkel writes “The arch above her suggests she is in a room, a holy space, as seen in so many manuscript depictions.” (Kwakkel 2018:95)
Visual traits from feminism:
Pussy riot balaclava.
Sketching
A more medieval-appropriate initial letter was cut out.
Choose the typeface Germania one, a gothic style with some contemporary air to it.
The manicula is cut from a drawing by a woman named Vanessa Román who has drawn a female manicula. Which is very unusual.
Eve was the woman of choice with the quote “I am not supposed to be here right now since I am dressed like a hooker and none of you like me”, with connotations to what happened in the garden of Eden.
The balaclavas from the Russian feminist group called Pussy riot has really become a signifier for radical feminism.
This idea is almost like an equation: historic woman and her context+a contemporary woman at the frontier—the edge of discourse, wording a quote, appropriate to the historic persona. That should mean the idea is scalable? Like a recipe!
Final outcome
Reflections
This week’s lecture initiated a thought of the importance of social change in general, in our industry, but also in what we produce. I wanted to aim for a challenge with an idea in social change, focusing on gender inequalities. Then it happened to be so that I have some experience from having been a female entrepreneur.
After writing the blog this week I pondered on whether that personal experience was inappropriate for academic context. But social change is about structural injustices and these are embodied by personal experience. I can talk about postcolonialism and theorize about it without any personal emotional connection, besides my basic human empathy. But I can never fully understand the personal damage it has inflicted on generations. I can however get an idea when taking part of personal stories of the emotional wounds caused by this.
Thomas Tufte speaks of the emotional outpouring as fuel for social movements, he says “These individualized dramatized narratives were often at the heart of the highly emotionally charged movements”. (Tufte 2017:138) Tufte also mentions Hannah Arendt as she has been discussing how storytelling and artistic expression are central in making the private a public concern. Hannah Arendt writes regarding private and public matters that:
“Even the greatest forces of intimate life–the passions of the heart, the thoughts of the mind, the delights of the senses–lead an uncertain shadowy kind of existence unless and until they are transformed, deprivatized and deindividualized, as it were, into a shape to fit them for public appearance. The most current of such transformations occurs in storytelling and generally in artistic transposition of individual experiences”
(Arendt 2018:50)
To share these experiences is a way to gain power and work towards that social change, to share the personal experiences, putting them in public is letting them and oneself to leave isolation. As the isolation is something Arendt also mentions as powerlessness, (Arendt 2018:201) if being powerless and unable to take action, these social injustices will remain forever. But by taking these personal experiences, putting them in public through the vehicle of storytelling, and in this case graphic design, is in itself an action against the injustice, and opening up to enable others to also take action. Arendt says “to be isolated is to be deprived of the capacity to act.” (Arendt 2018:188)
Ideas wall
The feedback from the ideas wall was very positive! It made me really happy! The thought of this idea as a recipe has been haunting me all week. I would like to investigate the further possibilities of that! I was collecting some research on Giulia Tofana, a woman in 17th century Italy who had an apothecary shop and on the side of that, sold poison to women. These women were abused by their men and killed them with Tofana’s poison. So that is the historical context, the visual approach would probably be a book on medicine from 17th century Italy. Signifiers could be pharmacy bottle from same time and place. typography and other traits from the book design. Then on the contemporary side I would use a quote from the series “I may destroy you” discussing the question of sexual consent. The main character once says in group meeting for women who has been abused: “And in that place, where rules, clarity, law, and separation cease to exist, we will show you exactly what we mean by violation.” I have not yet tried to visualise this idea, but probably will as it is already constructing itself in my mind.
I loved Larry’s idea in the first phase, because it exposes, with such simplicity, global power structures. Using the term “simplicity” is not a way to undermine the effort made here, on the opposite. However, I came with some input, that he could investigate the tension of this paradigm shift, when adding a contrasting text to the image. He did and I loved that result even more, that unapologetic formulation was fantastic. I think my strong appreciation of this work is somehow connected to the discussion I have had this week. About being brave and saying what you want to say. As well sometimes saying that while being angry, and that is fine too. Sometimes the anger is even necessary. I am very jealous of that verbal ability and the courage to take the risk that sometimes comes with that same ability. It can be Patti Lupone saying she hates “the motherfucker” Trump, and it can be Larry Pilime putting my ignorance on display.
References
Arendt, Hannah. 2018. The human condition. 2nd edn. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Kwakkel, Erik. 2018. Books before print. Leeds: Arc Humanities Press.
Tufte, Thomas. 2017. Communication and social change. A citizen perspective. Cambridge: Polity press.