Are graphic designers Heroes or Villains

As graphic designers we manipulate people everyday so does this make us Villains or can we take this power to save the world and become heroes?

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Permalink Reply by Janet Botes | ecojunki on October 9, 2008 at 10:33am: Graphic designers are both heroes and villains and it's YOUR choice on which one you wanna be. You could choose your company, clients and projects according to how constructive or destructive it is towards society...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by dylan_c on October 9, 2008 at 10:45am: everybody manipulates everybody. it's the way of the world.
designers just do it with images... arguably more subliminally and thus effectively.
i guess...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Monika on October 9, 2008 at 11:21am: its the same with anyone that wakes up with superpowers. ya gotta ask yourself what kind of world do you wanna live in.

artists for the most part tend to live in the gray areas. if we could breathe and eat art I'm sure we would do tha, but we can't... or at least that's what we tell ourselves every time we sell out.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Alex van Tonder on October 9, 2008 at 3:03pm: I saw this the other day and it made me LOL (i share it with love - i work in design myself, but you have to admit it does bring us all back down to earth a bit):; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lara on October 10, 2008 at 11:20am: Once when I was a jnr working at Ogilvy, there was a new art director/designer, who refused to work on any alcohol or cigarette branding, and I respected that. So years later I do think about this guy, and I TRY to also not work for / on brands that "I" think make the world a worse place. But its up to you on what you consider evil or not.

"Our role as designers is crystal clear. To respond to nature - both the nature of the material we are working with, which will become trash and the nature of man to create trash."

dont know where I read this but stuff to think about. yeh; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Keith on October 10, 2008 at 12:49pm: I think the world needs to be saved from Graphic designers... I for one am a graphic designer... and everyday I conceptualize and do everything in my power to try and manipulate the next person using very appealing graphics and concepts. As graphic designers we stereotype, manipulate and make people feel inferior. We turn wants into needs... that is what each and every brief we get requires... each and every client tells us that we NEED to let the consumer know that without his/her product their life is incomplete... absolute hogwash... but you gotta say the money is good... sweet; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jess M on October 19, 2008 at 12:10pm: Haha. As a media student I'm tempted to say both: whilst you may manipulate, we are all conscious and therefore can choose to accept or reject your images.
On the other hand, big media = evil, or so I have been taught ;)

I guess it all depends on how you use your powers for "with great power, comes great responsibility" ;); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Christopher Rabbit on October 20, 2008 at 11:59am: I.... I did work for Eskom...... I want to cry and run for my mother.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lara on October 21, 2008 at 2:31pm: i worked for the Spur Marketing Department for 3 years, I almost killed myself.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Howard Simms on October 24, 2008 at 10:38pm

Alex van Tonder said:

I saw this the other day and it made me LOL (i share it with love - i work in design myself, but you have to admit it does bring us all back down to earth a bit):

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Permalink Reply by Howard Simms on October 24, 2008 at 10:44pm

Alex van Tonder said:

I saw this the other day and it made me LOL (i share it with love - i work in design myself, but you have to admit it does bring us all back down to earth a bit):

I saw this on street in Copenhagen. I didn't see any homeless people there, I don't think they've invented them yet. So no soup kitchens either.

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Permalink Reply by Alex van Tonder on October 27, 2008 at 5:06pm: Howard, that is quite confusing.
Rly wish I'd gone to university. They didn't cover the whole 'tension of opposites' thing in my diploma.
Does this mean designers shouldn't try so hard?

Maybe by 'soup kitchen' they really mean 'advertising agency with an alcohol brand as a client'?
Rly wish i was intellectual right now.; ▶ Reply to This