Participatory Culture

Using the lecture content to help you, write 200 words on what you would describe as the key features within the current phase of participatory culture.

The internet is currently the most accessible it has ever been. Likewise, it is the most regulated it has ever been. The world wide web provides a platform to speak. I think this is one of the biggest roles the current phase of participatory culture provides- a sense of belonging. But, alongside belonging, there is also sense of power. 

While it is the easiest it has ever been to get your voice and ideas out to a huge audience, with so many people  doing the same, the internet has become over-saturated with content. Much of this content is of a very low quality. It is disposable. So, to make oneself heard, popularity and priority is bought. 

I would argue that the key features of the current phase of participatory culture echo that of the key features of real-life society. It pushes the illusion of accessibility and inclusion while systematically creating a platform for the wealthy and famous to succeed. 

Top Ten Graphic Designers

Make your own top ten list of practitioners in your field and consider what it is about their practice that you value.


Wasted Rita, an artist/designer with a focus on type. Her work has a certain nihilism surrounding it which I think works well with her simple, slightly messy design. I value the unapologetic nature of her work as well as it's feeling of imperfection. 

Roys Room, an independent publisher, I really like the overall style of their publications; publication's that include experimental typefaces, hand drawn images as well as mixed media, and that have a narrative behind them.

Buffalo Magazine (Adrián González-Cohen/David Uzquiza) My favourite publication, I value Buffalo's originality. All editions differ greatly yet remain consistently high quality and retain a slightly strange, "off-brand" feel.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, an artist, not designer, however a very forward thinking and bold creator. I

I value Basquiat's use of colour and strong lines, something I want to experiment more with myself. 

James Victore combines images and words very easily, an ability of which I admire. I especially like the loose, laid-back feel of his work. Nothing feels forced or unnatural; it all seems very effortless.

Mushpit Magazine have a very satiical approach to editorial, much like Buffalo Magazine, mimicking old-school advertising and women's lifestyle quizzes, and replacing the subject with politics or world news. I rate highly this fresh take on print media.

Georgia Hill is an artist specialising in large scale type pieces. Her work is clearly very well thought out however I particularly enjoy the quality of spontaneity it has about it. It isn't too precious, which I like.

Seb Brown, although a jewellery designer/maker and not a graphic designer I really enjoy the simplicity of Brown's work. His refined style is something I often find myself trying to mirror in my own work, and is an attribute that can be found within any creative practice.

Matt Lambert, again not specifically a designer, but a photographer and film-maker. I value Lambert's ability to create an aesthetic and convey it so well to the audience. It is clear to see the idea's behind his work and the concepts he is trying to put across. 

Jamie Reid, "artist and anarchist." I really like Reid's use of collage and his ability to convey an emotion or political standpoint through design. I also value the irony of him capitalising on an anti-capitalist movement.

History and The Past

Why are some facts about the past recorded and remembered and others not considered worthy of committing to memory?

History is a selective retelling of events, dictated by the narrative a society is trying to push. Often facts are overlooked because they do not aid this narrative. If all facts about the past were remembered and retold there would be no clear pattern or understanding of how one event triggers another. History is an attempt to find pattern and coherence in a chaotic, complex sea of facts.
Facts not told within the mainstream narrative are not always erased, and are usually retold in alternative narratives. These alternative narratives often form the base of off-centre ideologies and social movements, such as Feminism, Marxism, Anarchism etc. 

Verbal to Visual Shift

Over the past 50 years, has there been a social and cultural shift away from the verbal/textual and towards the visual? If so, has this shift accelerated during the past 10 to 20 years?

Yes, I believe there has been a shift away from verbal/textual and towards visual to some extent. I think that the advancements of technology make it easier to produce imagery in a much faster, much cheaper manner. 

On a professional level, in the past 10 to 20 years, I think that while the quality of much imagery has increased, the quantity of it has not. However on a personal level, I think the quality has decreased because the quantity has increased. Visual text is now so disposable and replaceable it does not need to be good. The access people have to technology now also makes it easier to take a photo of something to remember it rather than write or talk about it. 

The Most Interesting Idea

Consider all the set readings that you have engaged with to this point and write a 200-250 word synopsis of the most interesting/challenging idea. Think about the ideas and issues that the texts have raised in relation to your own practice. Which ones do you want to find out more about and why?

Out of all the texts I have read it think the idea that resonated with me the strongest can be found in the Drift and Float extract, written about April Greirman.  The suggestion that design has become increasingly chaotic and overwhelming alongside the increasing media presence is something that I believe to be true. I also believe that there is now a resistance against this. I think this to be true for multiple reasons. 
Scandinavian design and minimalism has manifested itself within Western design more and more within the past decade. 
This generation are actively resisting brash branding, bright colours and oversized logo’s in order to just grab attention. More effort is being put into creating a cohesive aesthetic that is marketable as well as looking high quality. 
There has been a dramatic decline in younger generations watching traditional media, such as television, meaning mainstream media is less influential, and the alternative social media narrative has taken its place. 
I would like to find out more about the exact reasons minimalism has solidified its role in Western design and I am interested to see how long it will remain there.