He Might Be Giant: Shepard Fairey

Frank Shepard Fairey he was born in 15, 1970, in Charleston, South Carolina. He’s often described as a Street artist. Fairey has often been accused of plagiarizing other artists' work. In some cases, even casual examination of these claims shows almost verbatim copying with little transformation. While some of the older, political propaganda works are in the public domain, others are not. The real issue seems to be that Fairey copyrights these appropriations, enforces his copyrights and profits from them. Fairey also disappointed a segment of his fans by not remaining a cult figure and beginning to make money as an artist.

Conversely, his messages calling for social and political change are sincere, he donates heavily to causes and he keeps a staff of assistant artists gainfully employed. Note too that many parallels can be drawn between Fairey's image sources and those of Andy Warhol, who is now celebrated in the art world. Fairey's name first began to appear in the news for wheat pasting (adorning public spaces with the artist's own posters, affixed to walls, signs and other elements by way of a water and wheat mixture as in wallpaper paste), sticker tagging, and the numerous accompanying arrests that now comprise his official criminal record. 

Hysteria

Intelligent Design, Not Clever Advertising

Hysteria is exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion or excitement among a group of people. It is exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion or excitement, especially in this case consumers. There is a difference between design and advertising but designers are not making this part of their practice. Designers are hiding bad things behind Ads, designs and consumer marketing. Nowadays we see that a lot and its getting worse. Designers are thinking only about their profits, how much money they are going to take out of it and about selling product so, exaggeration now is part of any design they will get out to audience even if it’s illegal or doesn’t satisfy what the designer believes or his morals and ethics. The world is full of designers who have no useful function and add to the hysteria of the consumer by pushing more and more products at them. They should stop designing if they only going to add to the hysteria of the consumer. There are many young designers with new ideas who want to enter the field but they can’t because ad agencies are hiring older more experienced people with old stale ideas that the agencies feel comfortable with. Designers these days use: “I was only following orders” defense a lot to justify their actions and the designs they are doing and coming up with. They also use “a person’s got to make a living” defense.

In conclusion, stop pretending that you are a good artist if you are using people as a corporate tool because you are not.

Good Citizenship

Although designers now are much more aware of their role as citizen designers, it is always essential to be reminded of this and wake up to the power we have to effect and change people in our community towards certain issues as it is easy to get sucked in to the life of consumerism, advertising and money. People should evaluate their actions as designers and should be more aware and more understandable to it. Designers are problem solvers but they cannot choose what problems to solve. They get assigned to a certain project or a certain issue to solve and they should take it and work it out or leave it. If they were asked to do work with a company that sells alcohol or drugs would they do it and take the job or not it all goes back to them and their morals. Profit should always be kept in mind when designing but not the main thing, designers should think carefully about the work their taking and what is it for before they take the job offer. They should think are they delivering a valuable message and how will it affect their audience and the people around them.

Who Gets to Say What To Whom?

Democracy of design

Design is to advice, communicate and influence & participate in dialogue than monologue. Designers have to be more involved in public debate and express their opinions and personal views through their designs. They have to work on their skills of communication and mobilize it to get to the audience. Some corporate designers offer the client-company a clean and clear look. However, they are actually warping and covering the reality. In the case of economic inequity women in the field earn less money than men. I believe this is so wrong because sometimes women are more talented and have more skills are loyalty to their work yet the society see the men more capable of doing the job and deserve to be more paid than us women. Women increasingly grew to work for both institutional and corporate client and they do an amazing work at what they are doing because when they want to work they put their heart and soul into it. Designers inside design institutions have stronger visual editorializing power than those who work for corporates service.

The Internet these days affects the design very strongly. It made the world become more open and more aware of what’s going on around them and made them open their eyes and understand more about design and what is it.

Publishing now is more complicated than the past (monopolized design media) because once you publish something then it’s over it’ll be all over the world and the internet and you won’t be able to erase it or take it back.

Design should be more taken in depth & Involved into content and impact. Critics and designers should focus on democratic, creative, personal & profitable possibilities for speech. Democracy in design is to be smart to put your opinion and deep understanding to what you've been asked for yet present it in a way that put the client, audience and designer on the same page.

In conclusion, to be able to produce more self-expressive and effective designs, designers have to think more about the content than the visuals. 

The Weaving of Design and Community

Devote your self to a cause

Designers should apply positive change to their communities and encourage other designers to do the same. The article was written to raise awareness among the designers and encourage them to relate themselves to a current cause or to a nonprofit organization. The ere is a major change in understanding the meaning of design every once and a while designers these days are more aware of need of the comity and what should they do and what should not they do. Graphic designers started to relate themselves to business and marketing world rather than relating themselves to a certain cause. They started using their knowledge and what they know and what learned to make the world a better place to make the people more aware of what’s going on in the world around them and how they should react or respond to it. A lot of designers here in Saudi Arabia and all around the world started working on certain project to help themselves, their country and the people around them to fully understand what’s going on in the world around them and to help them raise awareness about certain issues that are effecting the world and trying to find a solution to it.

First thing first manifesto 2000, Explains and call out for a meaningful designs that serfs the community. Pro bono work which means that a designer should consider his background, his social background and his knowledge to learn how to look at things critically, organizations and who it effects among the community also played a major roll in designers lives and their tries to make themselves and the people around them more aware.

The Cultural Influence if Brands

In defense of Advertising

Brands are one of the biggest inventions and has many different perspectives to them and they are mostly about two main things the business idea and the notion of cultural influence. Teenagers (youth) are the best clients any company or brand can get because when they got used to a brand they won’t change it easily specially if the brand took the time and listened and did what the clients want in that way they will gain their customers loyalty. When the company (brand) start focusing on the wealth and how to raise money more about their costumers needs and demands they will defiantly lose their costumers loyalty. Sustainability is when a client gets used to a brand, that he tried, and trusted he will always find his way back to the brand where ever he goes. Brands should consider caring less for their wealth and money and taking care of the client and how loyal the brand is to them.

What's Wrong With Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is a particle form of theft. Plagiarism is basically copying someone's work, idea, writing or anything that you didn't come up with. Plagiarism is so awful because it invades one's privacy and thoughts. It is in some ways the most unsatisfying argument. Plagiarism is also considered as a way of cheating and being dishonest. Plagiarists steal someone else out of their intellectual property and demonstrating. 

In the graphic design field it's hard to identify and clarify plagiarism but of course at the end its considered to be an assault and lying and no one can say but that’s lying is wrong, presenting someone’s else work to be your work is as wrong as lying and even worse.

Some Interesting and funny examples of plagiarism I found online, it included movies covers, posters and also food packages!