1. All three manifestos, ‘First things first’ (Garland, 1964),
‘First things first’ (Adbusters, 2000) and ‘Fuck Commitees’ (Kalman,1998)
criticise designers talents being put towards consumerist corporate culture, in
the place positive world changing causes. They call for ‘a reversal of
priorities’ (Garland, 1964), and for designers to turn their eye to ‘more
useful’ and ‘more worthy’ (Adbusters, 2000) causes that have the potential to
‘change the world’ (Kalman, 1998). Although, whilst Garland and Adbuster’s seem
to place this responsibility upon the head of the designers Kalman offers a
different view. In this argument designers have been ‘vetted’ and ‘regulated’
into limiting their creativity and leading a life of ‘corporate servitude’ (Kalman,
1998). The three manifestos almost seem to offer three very different tones in
their approach to this subject, as whilst Garland offers both a motivational
and urgent call for change, Adbusters seems accusatory of those designers who
have pursued comerical work and Kalman defeated, with little hope for the
future.
2. In evaluation of the ‘First things first’ manifesto
(Adbusters, 2000) I would argue that their recall to designers, of the original
manifesto’s message, is one that is positive yet unrealistic. The tone of the
manifesto seems accusatory; designers contributing to commercial work entirely
demonised claiming that they are ‘helping draft a…harmful code of public
discourse’ (Adbusters, 2000). The list of products endorsed by such designers
are also not from the most wholesome of industries – such as ‘cigarettes’,
‘credit cards’ and ‘designer coffee’ (Adbusters, 2000) – and are further
claimed to be ‘inessential’ (Adbusters, 2000). There seems to be a lack of
consideration that for most this work ‘paid the bills’ (Adbusters, 2000), which
is easy for those who signed as they sat quite comfortably successful within
their careers. Most would prefer to create in the aid of ‘unprecedented
environmental, social and cultural crises’ (Adbusters, 2000), but in the
consumerist society we now live in it seems unfair to lay this pressure, and to
blame, graphic designers for the lack thereof.
3. This series of logos are a part of Adbusters 'culture jamming' campaign in which they criticise corporate culture through cleverly composed images. Clearly here they have chosen to take well-known large corporations and subvert their logos to comment on the negative impact of our consumerist society.
4. In this manifesto, Kalman describes a ‘struggle between
individuals with jagged passion in their work and today’s faceless corporate
comittees’ (Kalman, 1998). Due to creativity being ‘vetted’ and ‘regulated’ he
argues this has led to a ‘thought-free, passion-free cultural mush’ (Kalman,
1998). He criticises the role of corporate America in leading society down this
path, whilst before ‘captains of industry’ (Kalman, 1998) would take upon
themselves ‘to support culture’ (Kalman, 1998). He looks to ‘lunatic entrepreneurs’
and ‘creative lunatics’ (Kalman, 1998) to come together, with the realisation that ‘fatter
wallets’ (Kalman, 1998) are of no consequence and what remains important is ‘creating
a future’ (Kalman, 1998).
