FINAL POSTERS

 

I created these posters to promote political/philosophical opinions which I hold. They are quite controversial opinions which it has taken me a while to come round to holding, but through education from other socialists and activists, as well as my own research, they are the opinions I currently hold. The posters are purposefully confrontational to provoke the viewer into questioning what they believe and to potentially change their opinions through research. 

Poster 1. This is a collage I made a few years ago when doing a study on a famous council estate in Sheffield, Park Hill. I was really pleased with the way it turned out as it represented the architecture and overall feel of the estate. I decided to reuse it in poster format as it was relevant to the project. The slogan ‘housing is a human right’ is supported by the UN’s human rights statement as well as many homelessness charities. It is well understood amongst sociologists and psychologists that housing is fundamental to the wellbeing of a person. I reckon this is the least controversial of all the posters. Although it uses red, it still strays from the traditional leftist aesthetic which Autonomous are trying to avoid by adding in contemporary type and geometric forms.

Poster 2. This poster features an image of a council estate which has been edited in Photoshop using gradient maps to become more of a texture/pattern than a photograph. I really like the colours of it. This poster offers some explanation behind the slogan it features as it is quite a foreign concept to most people. 

Poster 3. Using different typefaces and hierarchy to stress different words in the slogan. The yellow contrasts against the image in the background (of a cooling tower). At the bottom, I have used a typeface which is recognisably informed by the 'Coca-cola' logo - I have chosen coke to represent capitalism and globalisation as they are one of the most recognisable brands of the 20th and 21st centuries, selling their product in almost every country on Earth. They also have a terrible environmental track record as well as many instances of human rights abuse.

Each poster has the interview printed on the back of it. The idea is that the poster will be folded twice, creating a booklet. The viewer will read the interview like a book, from front to back, and can then unfold it to be left with a poster. I created 3 posters because honestly I was really enjoying making them and didn’t want to stop at one. The interview has 3 different backgrounds to compliment which poster it contains. 

Events

 

art can put historical events into perspective for future viewers

people can imagine an idealised world through art

why is it important for marxists to celebrate art n culture

‘as wage slaves we aren’t in control of what we produce as a society, so art and creativity give us the power to produce our own things’

dadaism - reaction to world wars 1 and 2, shattered classical art of oil paintings of nice fields n shit victorian edwardian

street art - northern irish wall murals, banksy ‘we can own the streets by tagging them’

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I attended this talk which is relevant to this project - I can't wait until the pandemic is over and I can attend events in real life again, but this was still good. 

Poster ideas

 

above collages - the collage spelling out housing was made digitally using images of social housing projects from around the world. I collected lots of images and then looked for naturally occuring letter forms in the architecture before digitally cutting them out. The other collage I made a while back using found images from magazines.

Radical thinkers on landlords and housing

Most people are familiar with the concept of rent - I would imagine every student on this course pays rent, or at least their parents pay it for them. For many people it is accepted as just another mildly annoying part of life, which cannot be changed - but what if it didn't have to be?

Historically, the rich have always been the landowners with the working classes paying some form of tax to the rich in order to live and/or work on the land. Under the feudal system, which was predominate in Medieval Europe, Lords (or 'Barons') owned the land whilst the peasants farmed it. 

King – owned all the land.

Barons – the king gave some land to the barons in return for money and men for the army.

Knights – the barons gave some of their land to the knights if they promised to fight when needed.

Peasants – the knights gave a few strips of land to the peasants and the peasants had to share their produce with them. They were not allowed to leave and were not free men.

In my opinion, this system is a load of bollocks. How can you 'own' the land? The Earth has existed for millions of years before humans evolved enough to farm and pillage it, and it will continue to exist long after we wipe ourselves out. It is not our's to own.

In 1649, a populist peasant group called the Levellers said "Was the earth made to preserve a few covetous, proud men to live at ease; or was it made to preserve all her children?". Basically they said the earth can easily produce enough sustenance for everyone to live in comfort so why are you pricks taxing us and living in luxury whilst thousands starve? It's nice to see how much society has progressed in the past 400 odd years :)

(Skip forward a few hundred years) - As the industrial revolution took place and cities full of factories sprang up, many of the working classes migrated from their land-working jobs to factory ones. The need for cheap housing near the factories increased. Employers ruthlessly exploited their workers by erecting poor, and often unsanitary, shoddily built houses. Workers often paid high rents for, at best, sub-standard housing.

"In the rush to build houses, many were constructed too quickly in terraced rows. Some of these houses had just a small yard at the rear where an outside toilet was placed. Others were 'back to back' with communal toilets. Almost as soon as they were occupied, many of these houses became slums. Most of the poorest people lived in overcrowded and inadequate housing, and some of these people lived in cellars."

Basically the idea was cram as many plebs as you can into a small space to maximise your profits, and when one of them dies of cholera it's no bother to the factory owners as there's another one eager to take his job.

The state of capitalism in the mid 19th century prompted the philosopher Karl Marx to develop theories on economics and society which are still prevalent in socialist thinking today.

Marx on landlords: Marx’s theory of rent sets out to explain that under capitalism, landed property is a source of unearned income going to the landlord by claiming a right over a portion of surplus value.

Surplus value is extracted from the working class during the productive process.

Marx was forced to give over a great deal of time to the question of rent, which he thought was of secondary importance because:

“Without this, our analysis of capital would not be complete”, (VOLUME III Chapter 37, Introduction p. 752)

Marx had little time for the rentier:

…by the palpable and complete passivity displayed by the owner, whose activity consists simply in exploiting advances in social development (particularly in the case of mines). Towards which he does not contribute and in which he risks nothing, unlike the industrial capitalist; finally, by the prevalence of a monopoly price in many cases, and particularly the most shameless exploitation of poverty (for poverty is more fruitful source for house-rent than the mines of Potosi were for Spain, the tremendous power this gives landed property when it is combined together with industrial capital in the same hands enables capital practically to exclude workers engaged in a struggle over wages from the very earth itself as their habitat. One section of society here demands a tribute from the other for the very right to live ion the earth, just as landed property in general involves the right of the proprietors to exploit the earth’s surface, the bowels of the earth, the air and thereby the maintenance and development of life (CAPITAL VOLUME III Chapter 46: Rent of Buildings, Rent of Mines. Price of Land p. 908 -909)

Marx was confronted, when he began his study on rent, with a theory of rent already developed by Adam Smith and David Ricardo.

Adam Smith on landlords: "Landlords’ right has its origin in robbery.  The landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed, and demand a rent even for the natural produce of the earth."

The landlord is one of the last vestiges of feudalism still holding power in (now, even late) capitalist society. But because financial capitalism has overrun and conquered industrial capitalism, in this the era of late imperialism, the problematic and fully parasitic existence of the landlord is just another welcome tool of wealth extraction in the capitalist arsenal. It’s a particularly nasty method of wealth extraction, to boot, as evictions will frequently leave former tenants homeless and on the street, or worse. Just as the serfs in the times of feudalism had to give some fraction of their grain (or other labours) to their lords, so too do renters have to give some fraction of their income — the wealth that they produced at work during the month to their landlords, or be removed from the premises. Yes, modern landlords are literally that, lords of the land, and we still haven’t abolished this wretched vestigial feudal appendage.

The legacy of many of these poorly constructed terraces is visible today - I live in one now, for example, as do many working class and lower middle class Brits. Whilst I imagine the conditions are MUCH better than those living in them originally, there is still argument that the rent on these properties it too high for what can often be substandard housing - it's not uncommon for renters to experience damp, mould, inadequate heating, broken furniture and harassment from landlords, all whilst paying:

"more than a quarter of their monthly salary before tax on rent, official figures show, but there are wide regional variations.

They paid an average of 27% of their gross salary to their landlord in England in 2016, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows. 

In London, tenants spent nearly half (49%) of their salary on rent."

Hyde park, Leeds.

I am intrigued by the concept of land ownership - it is a capitalist idea which has largely been spread globally through genocide and colonialism. Many indigenous and pagan cultures worship the Earth as a God and believed in living in harmony with nature, taking only what they need for survival and nothing more. They believe that the Earth cannot be owned by humans. Here is a letter from a Native American cheif: 

"Chief Seattle (more correctly known as Seathl) was a Susquamish chief who lived on the islands of the Puget Sound. As a young warrier, Chief Seattle was known for his courage, daring and leadership. He gained control of six of the local tribes and continued the friendly relations with the local whites that had been established by his father. His now famous speech was believed to have been given in December, 1854. There are several versions of his letter; the following was provided by Barefoot Bob.

Chief Seattle's Letter

"The President in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. But how can you buy or sell the sky? the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?

Every part of the earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people.

We know the sap which courses through the trees as we know the blood that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the dew in the meadow, the body heat of the pony, and man all belong to the same family.

The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred. Each glossy reflection in the clear waters of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water's murmur is the voice of my father's father.

The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. So you must give the rivers the kindness that you would give any brother.

If we sell you our land, remember that the air is precious to us, that the air shares its spirit with all the life that it supports. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also received his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life. So if we sell our land, you must keep it apart and sacred, as a place where man can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by the meadow flowers.

Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth.

This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.

One thing we know: our God is also your God. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator.

Your destiny is a mystery to us. What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered? The wild horses tamed? What will happen when the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of many men and the view of the ripe hills is blotted with talking wires? Where will the thicket be? Gone! Where will the eagle be? Gone! And what is to say goodbye to the swift pony and then hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival.

When the last red man has vanished with this wilderness, and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, will these shores and forests still be here? Will there be any of the spirit of my people left?

We love this earth as a newborn loves its mother's heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it. Care for it, as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it. Preserve the land for all children, and love it, as God loves us.

As we are part of the land, you too are part of the land. This earth is precious to us. It is also precious to you.

One thing we know - there is only one God. No man, be he Red man or White man, can be apart. We ARE all brothers after all."

on another note: "Landlords are lizards" - Melissa Wyper

The above is mostly stuff I already knew from studying Marxism and other philosophies, as well as having an interest in history. I did do a lot of fact checking as I wrote as well. I like relating my design to other interests of mine and I'm really excited to do so in this project. I have a very strong set of moral values, which of course, as I mature and continue to learn, will change; but these morals guide everything I do, including creative practice. 

Personal Presentation

I jumped into the personal presentation without much thought as to what I was going to say; it sort of all just spilled out. It isn't strictly graphic design related, however I don't think I can talk about my graphic design practice without relating to to other major events in my life. Graphic design is a visual representation of my own thoughts and feelings, and these have been shaped by my life experience. I kept the design of it fairly simple because I am very wary of 'self-branding' - I understand this is often key in becoming a successful designer, but the idea of putting restrictions on myself and turning myself into a product does not sit right with me. 

Vice article

From Vice - Interview with my chosen practicioner.

Show These Rent Strike Posters to Your Landlord – Or Hang Them on Your Wall

Autonomous Design Group creates striking artwork on issues such as police reform, tenants' rights and better pay for care workers.

SE

By Shahed Ezaydi

11.9.20

When you think of revolutionary artwork, you may conjure up Soviet-era propaganda, or the harsh red-and-black colour palette of traditional leftist posters. But there are other ways to disseminate anti-capitalist messages. Ways that are bright, approachable and easy to understand.

This is what Autonomous Design Group (ADG) sets out to do. A UK-based collective of creatives formed in 2019, the group creates artwork on issues such as police reform, rent strikes, the climate crisis and better pay for care workers. These striking posters incorporate clever use of collage, typography and copy, making them infinitely shareable on social media. But for ADG, it’s not just about the retweets. The collective hopes to see its work displayed as physical copies on the street, and also offers artistic support to social movements and political groups. By pooling their creative talents, the members of ADG hope to reach a much wider number of people with their message – both online and in the real world. 

So, in true collective fashion, VICE spoke to ADG as a group about their work, and why political art is so important right now. 

 

VICE: Hey, Autonomous Design Group members. What's the main aim of ADG and your work?

ADG: We’d say the main aim of our design work is to aid social movements and put approachable and clear ideas into the street. We aren’t interested in producing art to be exhibited in galleries. Throughout history, radical art and ideas have been recuperated by capitalism, pacified and sold back to us as commodities. Indeed, capitalism “guarantees our passivity by selling us the image of revolt”. 

We want to make the distinction between art in and of itself being revolutionary, and the repetition of clearly, well-presented ideas in the street being revolutionary. It’s the act of placing ideas into the streets, so that they affect thousands of people’s consciousness that is the revolutionary act. In this way, we view our role as attempting to reconfigure art as a method of revolutionary change, whilst also supporting groups on the ground putting the work into building a new society.

Why is it so important to promote and showcase these ideas? And in a visual way?

Well, put simply, we’re faced with the choice between the continuation of capitalism or human extinction due to climate breakdown. We need to win, and extremely quickly. Part of this is winning the war of ideas. The vast majority of people, if you sat them down, and talked to them for hours, could be convinced of what we would call libertarian communist politics. But we just don’t have that luxury, we need to communicate our ideas within a matter of seconds.

 

For the most part, the visual field has been almost completely colonised by capitalist logic. From advertising on billboards to online marketing, the system has perfected how it sells us things. Both exploitative labour practices and consumerism are so normalised that they are the only way we are able to imagine our lives. Interrupting the visual domination of capitalism is essential in seeding its destruction. 

At the same time, the aesthetic of political movements plays a large part in their success. Therefore, good design that is accessible and joyful is hugely important. We want to show political ideas in an accessible way that will mean people will see ideas that they perhaps are not usually exposed to, and act upon them.

Your designs have been shared quite widely online recently, especially on social media. Is an online presence also important to sharing your message, as well as through the streets?

Our view would be that the streets are far more important than having an online presence. It is often said, but social media really is a bubble. Digital space is still a significant political terrain in which it’s important to amplify and support left wing ideas and groups. It obviously has a place, but communicating ideas through the streets reaches far more sections of society. A thousand posters are better than a thousand retweets.

All the designs you produce are open source and editable. Was this always the case or something that developed over time?

Having open-source and editable designs has always been fundamental to our project. We want people to be able to print out our designs, or edit them for their specific context. In our work we are not producing a product or commodity, we’re producing a tool for struggle which anyone can use. 

 

We also try to produce all our work collectively. We want to get away from this idea of the individual artist, and the social capital and prestige that comes along with this and instead work towards all our art being a collective process.

Why do you think people are so interested and engaged with your designs?

We think this is because our designs break from the mould of traditional anti-capitalist design, which is often very Soviet, or crusty and folksy. We want to show that you can make anti-capitalist art without the only colours being red and black. Instead, we try to use bright colours and striking typography, which present our ideas in an understandable and approachable way.

Whenever we create a design, we always try to go through a checklist in our heads i.e. if someone saw this in the street, what would be going through their minds? Is it going to alienate people? Or is it instead going to bring people onboard? In order to succeed it’s necessary to revolutionise all of society, not just a tiny number of people on Twitter.

You've explored themes such as housing, unions, and the police. What other themes will you be looking into?

These are all symptoms of the same problem: capitalism and hierarchy. We’re going to continue supporting movements that address these issues, although we also have a large array of ideas in the pipeline. We hope to do a piece inspired by the writings of David Graeber (who very sadly died recently), around bullshit jobs and the idea that a 15-hour work week is possible. More generally, we hope to build a sense that people can have autonomy and control over their own lives.

@shahedezaydi

Chosen designer

 I have chosen to interview Autonomous Design Group as I feel I could learn a lot from them. I am intrigued to find out how they operate.  I am eager to learn more about designers who don't work for corporations and who don't even work for profit. I also chose this design group because it is something I can envision myself being involved in - integrity to my own values is important to me within my creative practice. 

All of the resources are free to download, and you don't have to make an account/ give any personal information. They also have editable versions of some of the designs.

Interview response:

How did the group get started?

P: Well a few of us were doing designs for various left wing groups like RENT STRIKE and we decided we wanted to form something concrete and collaborative like the atelier populaire of May 1968, to work on these posters collectively so as to enhance the effect our work could have. We put out a launching announcement on twitter and asked if people wanted to join.

How do you each operate on a day to day basis? (work commitments, work life balance,

working structure etc)

B: Work life balance? Idk her. Okay, to be more serious - you gotta prioritise. Don’t take on too much at once, set realistic deadlines that work for you. Sometimes design work has to take the back burner because that’s the sitch of the capitalist world. I usually block out what time I have for things to do in a day or week - it’s mostly a matter of if I think I’ll be in the right

mindset to do design work then or something else. 

L: I suck at this. I’m sitting at the computer for hours these days doing design, writing and conference calls until my partner peels me away. I’m trying to remember that great line that “you’re worth so much more than your productivity”, but to be real, that’s tough when you really believe in what you’re doing. And also with the pandemic! I was getting a lot out of swimming and boxing before everything closed up, but you need to take breaks. Decolonize this Place wrote this great line in their most recent text that “we share, we walk, we do not run because we are going very far.” I try to remember these are generational struggles, not sprinting contests. We have a long way to 

go, take care of yourself so you don’t burn out.

How many contributors do you have?

P: There are currently 7 of us working together collaboratively - we don’t like to think of

ourselves as contributors to a group but a collaborative project if that makes sense.

Do you know where in the world everybody is from?

P: Yes! Currently, we’re based in various cities over the UK + Berlin (from Canada originally)

How much of an impact do you think graphic design can have/ has had in the past over the

way society has developed/ is developing?

B: Damn, where to begin? It’s a visual medium and design movements are all very

recognisable. Design is influenced by the politics of the designer. To name one known

example, you can see this with the Bauhaus design movement - design for the masses calls

for mass production and so something simple and ergonomic. So out of politics comes

design but then out of design comes politics: design becomes a liberating and unifying

mouthpiece. And of course, don’t forget Emory Douglas and the Black Panthers, or the art

that is made and continues to be made for LGBT liberation. And have you seen the swathes

of Palestinian art out there? You can also look at the reverse - where is the, let’s be honest,

shit design coming from? It’s all this souless churned out bullshit from corporations (you

seen them minimalist memes?), business parties (looking at you Labour), lib cAuSEs. So in

short, yes, graphic design can and continues to have an impact on the way society develops

because of its intertwined relationship with politics.

How do you stay motivated to be creative in such an oppressive world?

B: I guess I find a release and a comfort in design. Not only is it a tool to fight against and

change this shit system but the arts - like many things, mind - were not made for this

capitalist and colonialist world. The best designs are from communist spaces. Design

enables you to show a visual way forward - it makes change seem more possible. Also, it’s

so fucking fun. I will 10/10 draw instead of doing so many other things. Saying that, you’ve

gotta take breaks. You can’t expect to be continually motivated and to always be drawing -

those dips in design action aren’t a bad thing, either. I enjoy writing, reading, eating, talking

to friends, organising, sleeping. It ain’t your whole life and that’s part of what makes it

special.

L: I use art as a tool for connection and also as self therapy. I don’t want to fetishize hardship, because it’s pretty difficult to prioritize making art when you’re worried about how you’re going to pay rent, but I do think in some ways creativity comes from struggle. I go back to art again and again because it’s helping me survive this world in more ways than one. Making art helps me make connections with others and provide material support; feeling useful and connecting with like minded folks is motivating.

Do you experience ‘imposter syndrome’ and if so, do you have any tips for coping with it?

P: OMG ALL THE TIME. Keep a little folder of praise on my computer and designs that have

been put up IRL. We’re mostly self-taught so particularly susceptible to this.

B: This question really hits - being critical of your work is part of the nature of design, especially as it is something you judge by a first glance. Everything I make I think looks dog shit. But it helps being part of a group - design should in no way be an individualistic endeavour. Being in a group acts as reassurance and enables us to grow: we critique each other's work - that means praise as well as working out what’s wrong - but most importantly, we work together to find out how designs can be improved. Also, take breaks - a fresh pair of eyes can more easily spot the good and the bad. Your designs themselves do not define you either - understand that everything is a process and your design journey will have ups and downs :)

L: I saw a meme the other day that said “are you even good enough to have imposter

syndrome?” and was like...oh no. So, yeah. :) I got no big tips, but I think the group dynamic

is especially helpful for this! Put together a collective and congratulate each other on how

awesome you are until you all believe it!

What do you do outside of Autonomous Design Group?

B: I’m a student lmao so reading, lectures, and essays is it right now. Like most people in ADG I’m self taught. I’m very fortunate that my family is very creative - they’ve got much better skills than me ahaha - which means I have been able to have a closer relationship to art compared to others. I took a couple art subjects in the good old days of compulsory

education which taught me jack shit - that’s the Tories for you - so it was mostly through

learning from my peers, my family, and being observant that I have found comfort in design.

L: I’m back in school at the moment, but I took a lot of time away from that and have had a ton of jobs over the years doing all kinds of things: working in greenhouses, landscape

construction, retail, florist, English teacher, different kinds of writing or editing work. Nobody

in my family is into art or design stuff, so I was always a bit of an odd one out, trying to figure

these things out as I went. Right now I’m kept busy with a lot of different organizing projects

in housing and abolitionist struggles that I feel really lucky to be involved in, but the casualty

is that work life balance!

How is your group organised/ structured?

P: We have a Slack group we organise through, with different channels for projects we’re

working on. Most of us have not met each other irl, both because of the pandemic and our

geographic separation. Having said that, we think we’ve done a good job of recreating

physical organising spaces online. There’s no firm hierarchy in place, everything is pretty

evenly distributed though of course some people have more time to offer to the project than

others. We’re very keen on breaking down informal hierarchies of power tbh, most of us are

self taught so we come at it with the angle of trying to remove this idea of the individual

artist, because there’s a lot of social capital that comes along with being like, “This is my

work, this is mine, look at what I did, look at me.” Instead, our designs are produced

collectively - maybe someone comes up with the concept, but then others will give feedback.

By releasing it under ADG, it produces this much more collective work. It’s also about

sharing our knowledge and skills among each other.

B: We also work on top of “each others’” work - like if someone starts off a Photoshop file, a few of us might jump on and add more edits. And yeah, on sharing skills and knowledge - we

have different channels on Slack to share things we’ve found on the internet that have

helped us. Sharing Photoshop and Illustrator files also means we can see how things have

been done. And don’t forget video calls - we do ‘em every so often to catch up and hash out

ideas for where to take ADG next.

P: And lastly, I would love to create a poster for your group - are you accepting submissions?

Unfortunately we don’t accept submissions - but we are accepting new members if you want

to send your portfolio through.

REFLECTION

I like that the group is organised with everybody having equal power - there is no 'boss'. It also really struck home with me what they all said about not equating your productivity to your self-worth - as a chronically ill person, I'm constantly berating myself for resting and not being 'productive'. I am starting to unlearn the idea that productivity=worth as I learn more about the way our society is structured - this idea is perpetuated by capitalism and only applied to poor people. I'm learning that it's ok to give myself a break, and it's necessary for me to be well rested and healthy in order to be creative at all. Overall, I was relieved at the casual tone they replied in - I think it's stupid how formal we all have to be as soon as anything is relating to 'work'. Of course, I know how to act professionally when necessary, but it's draining to put on a front constantly. I am hoping my future work practice will allow me to be myself.

Studios/ Designers I am interested in

1. Leah Maldonado 

https://leahmaldonado.com/GlyphWorld

GlyphWorld is a free typeface of nine fonts. It’s set in a mythical alternate font-world made of nine landscapes: Forest, Meadow, Flower, Mountain, Airland, Animal Soul, Glacier, Desert, and Wasteland. The project pushes the boundaries of what a typeface can be by using the medium of letterforms to reflect an emotional connection to our environment. 

https://www.instagram.com/obviousplant/

I like this because the artist uses recognisable/ inconspicuous graphic design to sneak absurdism into peoples daily lives. It makes me question what is real.

"‘Obvious Plant’ Leaves Hilarious Fake Products In Real Stores

There's no better feeling in the world than making somebody laugh. Well, other than making somebody laugh and forcing them to wonder whether what they’re seeing is, in fact, real. Genius prankster Jeff Wysaski, founder of the hilarious Obvious Plant project, is at it again. He hid even more amazing fake toys and other products among real ones, and it should be positively criminal how great they are.

We don’t grow out of toys just because we grow up. Obvious Plant obviously (pun intended) seems to know this and loves putting a satirical twist on things, so our jaws drop with wonder and confusion. Have a look through Obvious Plant’s newest practical jokes, upvote your faves and remember to let everyone know what you think of the project in the comments below! We all know how much everyone loves Obvious Plant’s funny pranks, so here are our previous posts about fake Christmas gifts, animal facts, self-help books, IKEA in-store reviews, and bootleg Avengers."

3. Bottom text:

bottom text is a meme collective. they have a tv show on adult swim where they review recent meme trends and create their own versions. Cynicism, irony and sarcasm are key in all of the images they produce, often using absurdism to comment on current political and social issues. It's purposefully anti-design - design faux pars are used on purpose. The images all appear lighthearted yet the messages behind them range from nonsense to addressing topics as serious as police brutality.

(what is a meme? memes are pieces of ‘cultural information’ that are passed between and within groups, that are constantly changing shape and fighting for survival)

The group is made up of @djinn_kazama, who often deals with existentialism, sexuality and perception of self in her memes, as well as her Asian-American heritage. 

@males_are_cancelled, who intersperses self portrait art in with their artwork

one could argue that posting memes is not a valid form of art or design, however I would argue that in an age where so much of our communication is done digitally, memes are a perfectly valid way of expressing political beliefs, philosophical ideas, social commentary and as an expressive art form. In a way, meme culture has made self expression much more accessible.

4. Polyester Zine

Polyester is a self published, intersectional feminist arts and culture publication aiming to bridge the gap of URL cyberfeminism with the IRL world.

I love polyesters hyper-feminine aesthetic. I admire that they are a small DIY publisher, giving a platform to female and LGBTQ creatives. I love the concept of zines as a whole - self publishing is radical.

5. autonomous design group - I found out about this group after seeing one of their posters in Hyde Park where I currently live and being directed to their website. This was the poster:

It immediately caught my attention as I agreed with the message - upon visiting the website I found out more about the group. Their webpage has collection of posters designed by the group, all promoting socialist ideas. The posters are all public domain and can be downloaded for free by anyone. The idea is that people can print the posters to display them in their own communities, making socialist ideas accessible to people who may not hear about them otherwise. They specifically design outside of the traditional leftist aesthetic of red/black, stencil style art as they 'believe [it] comes across as dated and out of touch.'

I have written about them before in a previous module when exploring ideas but ended up taking the project in a different direction.

Many of these above practitioners I am interested in are not people who are commercially successful - many of them operate independently and are not profit driven. I personally hope in the future to use graphic design to communicate my own ideas, and making loads of money isn't important to me - especially not if it would mean going against my values.

I think there is a large range of creative represented here - whilst graphic design is my primary practice, I love doing photography, illustration and performance art and will always tie my other interests into my graphic design where I can, and I think this is shown in my broad range of interests.