I got this book for my birthday last year and I've only just decided to give it a read. Only to find its full of useful references and information on just about anything in the design industry. As my brief requires me to increase examine graphic design outputs relating to social, ethical and political changes I found many examples in this book which gave me knowledge on what existing artists have created to respond these movements and changes.
Caricature
"Caricature visually accentuates and mocks the faults of the powerful, corrupt, pompous and vain. It mercilessly ridicules and pillories politicians, royalty and the famous. Johnathan Swift author of Gulliver's Travels, advised that politicians should be repeatedly pinched, pricked and punched to remind them of their forgotten promises, caricatures miss no opportunity to attack targets by transforming them into bloated pigs, preening peacocks, incontinent drunkards and ravenous cannibals."
Fluck and Law, Thatcha! 1989
Peter Fluck and Roger Law are the 20th century's Gillray and Hogarth. They pilloried royalty and politicians throughout the 1980's and 90's with their outrageous weekly UK TV show Spitting Image. They target Margaret Thatcher who demonically slices Britain from the rest of the world.Expressions Visualised
"Everyday language is dense with expressions that can be repeatedly visually: He minced his words. They were a puppet government. He went off the rails. Life is a bowl of cherries. Life is a bed of roses. He's lost his marbles. It puts hair on your chest. He's a moneybags. Money doesn't grow on trees. He was stabbed in the back. She put her foot in her mouth. They had blood on their hands. It was a bloodbath. He threw in the towel. He threw his toys out of the pram. He was spineless. It cost an arm and a leg. They'll have the shirt off your back. She was clutching at straws. It was the last straw. They're on the gravy train. She was skating on thin ice. Too big for his boots. Put yourself in his shoes. Take a backhander. He was rooted on the spot."
James Gillray, The Plumb-Pudding in Danger, 1805
British prime minister William Pitt and the French Emperor Napoleon carve up the world between them - cutting off more than they can chew.
Flags
"For thousands of years flags have been used to convey messages that indicate membership of a tribe, army, religion, city or nation. They have been a source of inspiration for many designers, photographers, film-makers and artists, including Robert Frank, Robert Mapplethorpe and the Pop artists."
Rooney NIKE flag
Footballer Wayne Rooney creates a passionate human English flag of St George in this 2006 campaign for NIKE created by ad agency Wieden and Kennedy.
Union Jack swastika
A 2002 campaign to stamp out racism on UK university campuses created for the UK National Union of Students by ad agency Bartle Bogie Hegarty.
Garage Genius
"Having no money, no budget or no computer is no barrier to communication. When German-born artist Kurt Schitters was imprisoned in Douglas Camp on the Isle of Man during the Second World War he turned his room into a studio. Here - to the amazement of his guards - he created sculptures from porridge and made prints using stolen pictures of lino tile. Ideas created with even very little money can be hugely impactful."
Paris SS
An incredibly provocative and impactful anti-police poster produced to be fly-posted and carried in demonstrations during the 1968 government protests in Paris. It was designed and screen-printed by the creative workshop known as Atelier Populaire.
Hands
"You can solve any brief with an image of hands. Handprints were the first marks early humans left on the walls of caves. Way before we had learnt to make drawings with tools we could make patterns with our muddy hands. Everyone has individual hand and fingerprints. They are a record of uniqueness, used both by police to identify criminals and to celebrate achievement and fame when celebrities press their hands into the wet cement in public ceremonies in Hollywood."
F. H. K. Henrion, Poster for the United States Office of War information, 1994
Four hands representing the nations of Russia, US, France and Britain, smash fascism. Henrion was born in Germany, trained in Paris and emigrated to England in the 1930's, adopting British nationality. He was a hugely influential designer in the 1940's and 50's.
Reversing Problems
"A great idea is sometimes described as having turned a problem on its head. Looking at the reverse of a problem can reveal new ways of thinking that may lead to an answer or fresh ideas."
Food Exhibition
Attempting to reverse the problem of always having a huge mess to tidy up after art student exhibitions, tutors set this project in which food was the only creative material allowed, hoping that the entire show could be eaten leaving nothing to clean up.
Satire
"Satire is the attack dog of comedy, the pit bull that can sink its teeth into the high and mightly and draw blood. It is a weapon the powerless can use against the powerful; it takes the side of the little guy against the bully. One satirist described his job as 'comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable'.
Gerald Scarfe, Jen Relieves Congestion 2003
In this drawing of Gerald Scarfe ridicules the former mayor of London Ken Livingstone as a drunken clown who talks out of his arse. The punning title twists the knife, implying Livingstone has the shits and referring to his scheme aimed at unblocking central London by charging cars to enter.
Unexpected Venues
"It is said that when trying to communicate, the only space worth buying is the space insider viewer's heads. The usual spaces purchased for spreading messages are billboards, posters, 30-second television and cinema advertisements, magazine and newspaper pages and space on the internet. As communication through these traditional slots becomes increasingly ineffective, new and unexpected spaces can be found that convey messages in different and more exciting ways."
