OUGD401 - Postfordism and Its Parallels

A brief look at the notion of Postfordism and the connections that can be made between this movement and our work ethic today.

Fordism was a concept pioneered by Henry Ford in the early 20th century, founder of the Ford Motor Company. His model or work was unique, in that his factories consisted of a chain of workers, all highly skilled in one particular area of engineering and construction. This provided a 'convey belt' system of working, allowing cars to be produced more efficiently and at greater speed. This factory model also relied on a strict time schedule, with workers clocking in at nine and clocking out at five, creating a clear distinction between work and home hours. This is a model we often see today among large corporations, across many sectors.

However, during the Postfordist era there was a break down of this strict schedule. Workers began to re-skill themselves, becoming proficient in a range of areas within their profession, allowing for a greater diversity of work to be performed by just one individual. We can see this re-skilling today, as the younger generation advances with technology to become knowledgable in a range of areas, some online and some offline. Postfordism greatly informs how we work today - a generation of online workers do not have an office to work in, and so can work from home, at any time of the day or night, depending on the need for output.

We can also see an increase in immaterial labour - labour that does not produce anything physical as such. This can be found in the output of workers who labour online, as website designers etc. They still work and earn money for their labour, and have a reliable job, but the end outcome is just not a physical one. Digital technology has pushed the way we worked into new realms that were not possible before.

http://www.generation-online.org/c/fcimmateriallabour3.htm

OUGD401 - Why Print Newspapers Remain the Dominant Media Power in Britain

An interesting article from The Guardian written by Ed Amory, a noted journalist and writer. He makes many interesting observations on his experience working as a journalist during a time when many of the largest newspapers were beginning to seek out online readership. He states that between 2005 and 2012, over 242 local newspapers were forced to shut down due to a decline in sales. He touches on the statement made by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg , who is quoted as saying 'Facebook will become the perfect personalised newspaper for every person in the world'. To follow this, recent figures show that 24% of us say that our main method of accessing news is through our mobile phones, and 16% of us share a news story on social media weekly.

Despite this, Amory seems confident in the future of print. According to last year’s Deloitte report on media consumption in the UK, half of all Britons still buy print newspapers and a further 10% read papers bought by others, compared to only 31% who read stories online on newspapers’ websites daily. Of course, the long-term trend for print is irreversibly downwards, but in the UK at least, print media still dominates much of people’s media consumption.

http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2015/feb/16/why-print-newspapers-remain-the-dominant-media-power-in-britain

OUGD401 - Made You Look Documentary

'Made You Look' is a documentary exploring the challenges artists, illustrators and graphics artists face in a hyper-digital age. Interviewing a handful of artists and design studios from across the country, it provided a fascinating look at the views of both younger and older creatives and their opinions on traditional analog medias over digitally produced methods.

Some interesting arguments for analog production were made, the most poignant of which was by artist and illustrator Hattie Stewart. She made the obvious statement that when lifts were invented, stairs were not replaced. Both continued to exist and people just used whichever one was more convenient to them at the time. Therefore digital medias will not replace analog. Artists will simply use the method which applies most to their work, and will ultimately have more options as to how they create (which is no bad thing).

It was also interesting that many of the younger creatives still believed in the future of analog methods. Analog medias are still just as relevant today as they were yesterday, if not more so as many are looking for fresh approaches to their work. In the way that Photoshop is new to the older generation, screenprinting is new to the younger generation - there will always be an old method of creating that younger artists haven't tried before, and that they can reinvent to comply with todays demands. I think that whatever older creatives argue, analog is here to stay.

When asked about their personal opinions on using digital platforms to promote their work, many said it had left them feeling that 'it's like a million people putting their hands up at once' in terms of being noticed. But there are actually many more opportunities for an individual's or company's work to be seen when it's online, and for it to be seen globally by people who might otherwise have not seen it at all. Digital promotion has the huge benefit of allowing anyone anywhere in the world to be kept up to date with any artist, at all times, and it is a hugely useful tool that has been responsible for the launch of many artists careers.

However, I was disappointed to hear that when asked how they would feel if the internet was turned off many, if not all, of the artists replied that it would be of great benefit. They felt that many aspects of communication would improve and content production would increase because everyone would have the same level of artistic output and expression. I have to disagree with this, and not only because I am part of the digital generation, but because turning the internet off would ultimately have the same effect as turning it on - people would learn adapt to their conditions, learning how to use the recourses they have, but I don't personally think production or even the quality of work would improve. The internet and digital media as a whole has given artists a new freedom of expression that they would never have been able to find otherwise and has been such a valuable tool in the evolution of the art world today.

OUGD401 - Study Task 05 - Planning and Structuring An Essay

After some consideration I have chosen to explore the essay question 'What is the Role of Print Media in the Digital Age?'. Traditional print methods, such as screen printing, are a medium I typically like to use within my own personal work and I am interested in exploring this relationship between traditional and digital, the old and the new, and if they can coexist.


Essay map:


Introduction
Thesis - print as a medium has evolved dramatically since its conception, and traditional and digital printing methods compete against each other as each evolves independently.


Argument
Print Media - the way ‘information’ is presented through a physical format (newspapers, magazines, zines, posters, flyers/physical adverts, business cards)

Digital Media - the way ‘information’ is presented through a digital format (websites (social media, blogs, information websites), phones / apps, TV)

Brief history of traditional print (letter press then screenprinting) and the rise of digital printing methods > digital overtakes traditional printing as technology evolves to adapt to societies wants and needs

Look at printing in two separate, distinct terms - print for information media (newspapers etc) and print used with the broader arts (fine art, graphic design, visual communication)

Look at the changes in terms of the way people produce print media - newspapers and magazines go digital, a noticeable decline in traditional art printing methods, digital technology has allowed the consumer to also become the producer

Look at the changes in terms of the way people consume print media - higher consumption than ever before means costly, slow printing cannot keep up with the demand, art is also produced in a more disposable way thanks to technological changes

Look at the way print vs digital has allowed people to market themselves, both businesses and artists - digitalisation has allowed globalisation

Links to postfordism - due to changing technology our work ethic has shifted, production has shifted and consumption has shifted

The roles of print vs. digital in society - print is traditional, historic, heritage. Print is a luxury, in terms of both producing and consuming. People take more time to physically screen print a poster than they would if they just pressed print, people take time out of their Sunday’s to read the paper, people spend money on making physical items, people spend money on buying physical items. Digital is easy, fast to produce, update and distribute, often free, widely accessible, international

Conclusion

Traditional and digital methods will always be distinct from one another, neither will ultimately become redundant, they may always compete but they will always find a way to coexist

Starting References

Davis, M. 2012. A New Paradigm. In: Graphic Design Theory (212-213). London: Thames and Hudson.

Peters, A. Look and Yes. Made You Look. 2015. Documentary. Available at:

http://www.madeyoulookdoc.co.uk/

7 Ways the Digital Age Has Changed the Media Landscape, 2015. Available from: http://www.hellostarling.com/7-ways-the-digital-age-has-changed-the-media-landscape/

Rozendaal, R. 2015. Internet + Money + Art + Work + Labour, Rafael Rozendaal in Conversation with Himself, in No Internet, No Art: A Lunch Bytes Anthology. ed Bühler, M. Ram Publications and Distributions, The Netherlands. pp 214-215.