cataloging some things to read for later…
This is not a manifesto: Towards an anarcho-design practice
designing anarchy? by steven heller for print magazine
anarchism & design by christopher schwartz for core 77
disclaimer: from what i know of this guy, his ideas about the legitimacy of private property and capitalism are suspect, but this still looks to be worth reading.
new questions for anarchist art by josh macphee for if i can’t dance to it, it’s not my revolution
it's funny how things fall together slowly over time, how one piece you discover a year ago will sync up so nicely with another piece you just discovered a minute ago. i'm having a synthesis moment right now and don't want to lose it, so here goes...
as a student collaborator one of the first assignments was to work with stand up kc advocating for fair wages and termination of wage theft. little did i know that all this corruption was occurring in my backyard.
i was pleasantly surprised today to find the subject line “designing anarchy?” in my inbox this morning. the message was from the ever-consistent and suspiciously prolific steven heller as part of his daily heller series, to which i subscribe. there are several covers of various anarchist journals and he was even so kind as to include a great summation of what anarchism is, excerpted from a 1947 issue of resistance: an anarchist monthly.
download a pdf file of the talk “communication strategies for activists” formatted for smartphones.
also, a pdf of the physical handouts accompanying the talk.
photo by eric bowers
today marks day ten of “occupy kansas city”, the local manifestation of the “occupy wall street” movement. lots of events have been occurring over that time, but the first i have participated in was the march from the k.c. federal reserve to mill creek park on the plaza.
“the daily heller” has a nice little post about hugo boss’ nazi connections here. seems that boss’ sins were two-fold – he not only sought to capitalize on clothing contracts by joining the national socialist party, but he was a true-believer in the rhetoric of ethnic superiority. they also utilized forced labor in the manufacture of nazi uniforms.
in the spirit of redemption, it’s important to keep in mind that people, and companies, change over time. the corporation acknowledges their unsavory past and is both coming to terms with it and distancing themselves from it as much as possible. makes me wonder how we will view modern-day corporations like mcdonalds and wal-mart in the future, even as we are seeing massive shifts in how tobacco companies are behaving – moving into the food industry as r.j. reynolds has done with the acquisition of nabisco.
an interesting (and quick) read.
edit 8.10.12:
similar info here on “amster brand”
related article on nazi brand guidelines by steven heller over on design observer
the above video is an amazing example of visual advocacy that is designed in a culturally relevant and effective manner. it’s a great response to all of the pundits and decriers who have no authority (other than their status as “famous people”) to report accurately on issues of climate change.
the use of humor and parody is always such an effective way to “help the medicine go down, in the most delightful way”. see the longer article about the video here.
thanks to my student, jessi wilson, for the link.
i’m excited because i just ordered a few new books — finally. i’m a real miser when it comes to forking out money for new books, no matter what the subject matter. but i never fail to get jealous when i see new (or old) books that my colleagues bring in. so, thank you, birthday money from my parents, for allowing me the opportunity to spoil myself a bit on these cool items.
signal:01, edited by josh macphee and alec dunn
”Signal is an ongoing book series dedicated to documenting and sharing compelling graphics, art projects, and cultural movements of international resistance and liberation struggles.”
i’m excited about this whole thing, but mostly about “designing anarchy: the graphic covers of rufus segar”, because they look really interesting and i’ve never head of the guy. it’s always nice to discover new artists and designers working in a revolutionary context.
craphound #4, 5, and 7 (i have #6 already)
i respect Sean Tejaratchi because he has the tenacity to collect line art in a serious way that i could never muster. the themes from each issue are either clever non-seqiturs (death, telephones, and scissors) or useful groupings (church and state). the page layouts are awesome and the found art is great. yay!
from richard buchanan, in his essay “human dignity and human rights: thoughts on the principles of human-centered design” in looking closer 5. [emphasis mine, by design]