Tuesday, 18 September 2012

Exercise 9

Visual culture

we live in a world where visual plays a very important role in the user experience, visual stimulation is one of the most important elements when selling a product or experience

The global village

The global village is the society that has been created on a global scale. This has been possible due to things like the Internet. Communication on a global scale has become easier due to advances in technology.

Postmodernism

When it comes to postmodernism culture people like hippies are the perfect example of postmodern view. The disregard for authority and what's normally considered as culture. Examples of this are in crisis of authority, Nihilism, Pluralism and hedonism.

Culture Industry

this is when industries are based around cultures, for example the hip hop industry has fueled the industry of certain ways of dressing and the lifestyle some have chosen.

Virtual Reality

Our interaction with technology as humans has become so much we have begun to merge with technology. An example of this is with video games they have begun to make the experience so real that an individual has begun to feel like they are part of the game.



Thursday, 13 September 2012

United colors of Benetton Advertising

Images sourced from

http://www.advertisingarchives.co.uk/index.php?action=do_quick_search&service=search&language=en&q=United+Colors+of+Benetton

 

Thursday, 6 September 2012

South African Culture

Venda Culture

The Venda culture is a culture which has derived from many cultures one of the main cultures were the Shona people of Zimbabwe. To this day many Venda people communicate to their ancestors in a tongue which is strongly similar to Shona. Around the 1400s "waves of Shona-speaking migrants from modern Zimbabwe (known by the Venda as Thavatsindi) settled across theLowveld" (Www.krugerpark.co.za). The Venda people are divided into 2 groups "namely a western group, primarily ofSingo origin and descended from the followers of leaders such as Mphephu, Senthumule andKutama; and an eastern group who regarded themselves as descendants of Lwamonde, Rambuda,Tshivashe and Mphapuli" (Www.krugerpark.co.za).

The Venda people have a strong spritual belief, elements like water play a very important role in their lives. They believe in the Zwidutwane which are water spirits, who resided in the human and spiritual world and only half of their bodies can be seen in the real world.

Drums are central in the Venda culture they play a very important role in many of these cultures. They play such an important role that the most drums in a community are kept by the chief.

It is estimated that 875 000 people communicate in TshiVenda or LuVenda which is the language spoken by the Venda people.







Pan-Africanism

Pan-Africanism is an Ideology that refers to unifying everyone of African descent on a worldwide scale. This belief is based on the fact that this unity is good for economic, political and social.

Individuals like Marcus Garvey played and important role in the Pan-Africanism front, he began organizations such as the United Negros Improvement Assosciaiton.





Wednesday, 8 August 2012

Exercise 8

In " the ugly side of sublime technological development in Sonzero’s Pulse (2006) as an inadvertent critique of the ‘technocentricism’ of postmodernity”. South African Journal of Art History 22(3)." Konik is bringing to attention to the effect of Postmodern consumeristic values in the sense of humans creating a strong dependence on technology.

The reference to the cinematic narrative Sonzero's Pulse points out the factors that technology has become autonomous meaning it has become self-governing an example of this is when the film draws focus to personal computers conducting processes which the user is unaware of and it has the power to override any instructions which it has been given by the user hense bringing to question who really is the controller

Another factor is it has created a negative impact on humans by destroying social bonds. In Sonzero's pulse the point is brought up that the amount of personal information that is available to anyones grasp due to the internet and other technological elements is somuch that it can actually be considered as deadly. Social bonds are being cut due to technological advances people can be sitting in close proximity to each other but they would rather be using a computer or mobile device instead of verbally having stimulating conversations with the people who are next to you, face to face communication has been demolished due to the sense that people believe that there is no point in talking to someone face to face when instead you can just email or message the person. This factor is becoming dangerous because communicating with certain forms of technology make an individual lose that emotional context which is usually provided with the tone of someones voice their body language or the facial expressions.

Technology has become more powerful by being in control of humans lives for example the way humans spend a day having maximum contact with technology.

In Sonzero's Pulse they bring to mention the possibility of an alternate reality that gains its communication to this realm via technological means. The end of Sonzero's Pulse concludes with members killing themselves and their deaths have a reference of some technological aspect, the government sets up safe zones that have no technological development hence bringing the call to the only way we can be safe is by cutting our ties with these technological developments.





Saturday, 21 July 2012

Modernism vs Post-Modernism

 

Keywords of postmodernism

Individualism

Consumerism

End justifies the means: the method used does not matter

Commodification

Mass media

Hedonism

Pragmatic

Keywords of Modernism terms

Constructive

Uniform

Serves a function

Free from propaganda

Coherent



1 way of doing things









 

Tuesday, 3 July 2012

South African concept design

Artist: Sindiso Nyoni



http://www.behance.net/gallery/Protect-Serve-print/4911313



The above poster was designed by Sindiso to demonstrate the corruption in the police. The idea of a police man playing to role of the criminal and the enforcer







http://www.behance.net/gallery/Xenophobia-Poster-Series-2-Live-in-SA/139218





The above posters were made to represent the Xenophobic attacks in south Africa



Sunday, 24 June 2012

Virgin

The brand The Virgin Group which was started by Sir Richard Branson is a brand that has branched out into many sectors and although there are many sectors to it, it has managed to maintain a common visual identity throughout the whole brand.




The branding structure they have chosen is one that is maintained throughout the whole brand and it doesn't just involve the advertising it also involves every single element. When you look at the branding it seems as though it captures the essence of Sir Richard Branson himself.

 

Above Sir Richard Branson. Below some of the Virgin Group designs from all their different companies, and some of the other elements that portray the same feeling.