OUGD401 - Studio Brief 02 - Zine Culture

I began by looking into the history of the zine and the culture that surrounds this particular form of publication production:

A zine (an abbreviation of fanzine or magazine) is most commonly a small circulation, self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images usually reproduced via photocopier. A popular definition includes that circulation must be one thousand or fewer, although in practice the majority are produced in editions of fewer than one hundred, and profit is not the primary intent of publication. They are informed by a DIY ethos and are written in a variety of formats, from desktop published text to comics to handwritten text.

Print remains the most popular zine format, although there is no one format for zines. There are not set materials and aesthetics to adhere to when creating a zine publication - the entire ethos of zine making is freedom and self-expression without the need for corporate printing and consumerist marketing. Topics covered are broad, including fanfiction, politics, poetry, art and design, ephemera, personal journals, social theory, riot grrrl and intersectional feminism, and sometimes content far enough outside of the mainstream to be prohibited or excluded by the more traditional media. The time and materials necessary to create a zine are seldom matched by revenue from sale of zines. Small circulation zines are often not explicitly copyrighted and there is a strong belief among many zine creators that the material within should be freely distributed. In recent years, a number of small zine publications have risen to prominence or professional status and have found a wider distribution though bookstores or online sale.

Zines among these include The Archives, Bust, Birkensnake, and The Miscreant.

The Archives - Claudio Pogo

Birkensnake

Bust

The Miscreant

Over the years, many of the more popular zines have expanded into bigger, glossy magazine type publications, not out of the want and need for money, but as an attempt to bring minority groups and sidelined conversations into the mainstream. Unfortunately, this change from a photocopied zine into a more consumable magazine brings the printed publication back into the realms of luxury, increasing the price of both production and consumption. However, like many mainstream newspapers and magazine, these larger publications have also diversified into digital and online content also, allowing them to reach a far wider audience while still putting out a larger volume and range of content.

The most notable example of this diversification is Dazed. The formerly know Dazed and Confused zine started out as as a black and white poster zine, but quickly grew into a full colour magazine publication. They are now better known for their website Dazed Digital, a digital strand of the publication delivering style news and social issues, that amasses an audience of millions every single day

Dazed Magazine A/W '15 

Another example is Bust magazine, who also started as a simple photocopied zine with a small audience. The now international publication and accompanying website deals with women's rights, sexuality, and health.

Despite the plethora of professional and corporate publications available, smaller, self-published zines can still break down the barriers of traditional media content, allowing any and all topics of conversation to be discussed without the fear of censorship. They provide a new, cheap and easily accessible platform and are hugely important platform for minority and social groups that do not fit the societal norms to voice opinions, share ideas, and communicate across a huge variety of topics.

OUGD401 - Study Task 08 - Practical Exploration

From the research done in conjunction with my essay, it was possibly to drawn a number of conclusion as to the role of print media in the digital age - each depending on the context in which the printed media is produced and used. In summation there are two overarching conclusions that i will focus my practical work on:

Print as a luxury
In terms of traditional communications media (newspapers, magazines, etc.), print can be viewed as a luxury item. Newspapers take a large amount of money and resources to print and distribute, but ultimately have a declining readership in favour of the digitalised versions. However this does not necessarily mean the end of the printed format, because printed newspapers especially carry heritage, tradition and social values. In terms of artistic print media, printed products can also be viewed as a luxury item as they too take money and resources to produce.

Print as a tool for self-publication
Through the evolution of technology, printing through either digital or traditional means has become a vital tool that allows creatives and non-creatives to self-publish and distribute their works. Self publishing and zine culture has expanded greatly with technological advancements, and with it has allowed the line between producer and consumer to become gradually blurred.


In light of these two conclusions I will look into zine culture and the phenomenon of self-publishing. I will also examine it's importance to creatives today, in terms of both producing and distributing, and look at how I might use physically printed publications as a basis for this body of work.

OUGD401 - Study Task 06 - Establishing The Requirements Of The Practical Investigation

Practice-based research is a form of research methodology that uses “practice”, alongside other forms, as a means of discovering or generating knowledge. While the emphasis is still very much on establishing a critical understanding of the issue, practice-based research acknowledges the role of making and visual communication in establishing this understanding.

To create a physical body of work to accompany my essay I will pose the question 'How Can Traditional and Digital Print Coexist'

I will consider each of these points in relation to my chosen research question:

Techniques

Digital production vs physical production

Digital print vs physical print

A combinations of the two > using one to create the other

Content

A focus on Postfordism and the nature of Postfordist art > the decrease in the value of physical production, an increase of immaterial labour

Communication / Message

Production and consumption of all medias has changed, but do producers need to change how they produce in order to keep up with demand?
Traditional and digital print methods do compete but they can coexist

Research / Analysis

Printing methods - how traditional influences digital and vise versa 

How the concept of immaterial labour is effecting (young) creatives today

Testing

Examine the extent to which the work answers the original question posed, looking at the reactions from creatives, non-creatives, peers, tutors, and the public is applicable

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.

OUGD401 - Study Task 04 - Summarising and Paraphrasing

Analysis of Graphic Design Theory by Meredith Davis:

During this short excerpt from Graphic Design Theory Davis highlights many interesting points about the 'convergence of medias' in the design world today. Most notably is the idea that 'new' does not replace 'old', in that 'media convergences occur regularly and constitute an evolutionary process, not a fixed point in time when one medium instantly displaces another' [1]. New media's, such as the introduction of the Apple computer, or even the more widespread use of programmes such as photoshop, were each required to go through an adjustment period before being considered an essential part of the designers arsenal. 

Davis states that 'inherited forms and traditions limit and inhibit, at least at the start, a full understanding of the intrinsic or unique potential of emerging technologies' [2]. By this she means that old and traditional 'trades' such a printing and typesetting hold the basic skills needed to understand graphic design as both a discipline and a profession, therefore it is impossible to rule these out as non-essential when the computer is introduced as the same skills still apply, only this time in a digital format. However, these 'old' skills limit our initial understanding of new medias as with each new technology, more is possible than ever before in terms of design, production, output etc. It is only once 'old' and 'new' find a harmony that the technology can become fully integrated into the design world. Moreover, 'we must resist notions of media purity, recognising that each medium is touched by, and in turn touches, its neighbours and rivals' [3]. No particular media can exist by itself - all draw influences and skills from many other areas within both design and more broadly from art. Each challenges the capabilities of those it sits beside and this is the driving force behind the exponential growth of design medias we are seeing today. 

However, new medias should not be considered solutions to old problems, they are simply alternatives to the way we design and create. Neither is better or worse than the other, and 'the collision and convergence of old and new produces outcomes that often define particular periods in our technological history' [4]. It is the continuing evolution of the tools of design that push the boundaries of what is possible, and what defines us as both individual designers and as a generation.


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

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

OUGD401 - Study Task 03 - Reading and Understanding a Text

As a way of introduction to reading and analysing academic texts for our chosen essay question, I read an excerpt from the book Graphic Design Theory by Meredith Davis. Chapter: A Convergence of Media. 

5 Key Points that Davis makes:

1. New does not replace old, but integration happens over a period of time
2. Disputing that new technologies displace older systems with decisive suddenness 
3. No media exists purely by itself
4. Old formats can’t keep up anymore
5. We need more forms of media outlets

5 Quotes from the text:

1. 'The collision and convergence of old and new produce outcomes that often define particular periods in our technological history'
2. 'Media convergences occur regularly and constitute an evolutionary process, not a fixed point in time when one medium instantly displaces another'
3. 'Inherited forms and traditions limit and inhibit, at least at the start, a full understanding of the intrinsic or unique potential of emerging technologies'
4. 'We must resist notions of media purity, recognising that each medium is touched by in and turn touches its neighbours and rivals'
5. 'An increasingly intricate web of interactions among people, objects, and settings

The tone of voice was very formal and authoritative, naturally as Davis was a Professor of Graphic Design at NC State University and is a multi-published author. The text is factual and well researched, and references to designers, theory and other works and scattered liberally. 

OUGD401 - Study Task 02 - Finding Research Sources

When undertaking project research there are a variety of sources that could be used: books (or google books online) can come in the format of text/research books, documentation books, or even autobiographies. Information online can come from known establishments - such as galleries and museums, magazines etc - or even from blogs.

We were given the task to research methods of 'protest graphics', finding at least two distrinct research sources and evaluate each accordingly:


Disobedient Objects, Catherine Flood (2014)

'The book explores the material culture of radical change and protest - from objects familiar to many, such as banners or posters, to the more militant, cunning or technologically cutting-edge, including lock-ons, book-blocs and activist robots'

This book was published alongside an exhibition of the same name that showed at the V&A in London from July 2014 to February 2015. It documents a broad range of materials used in protests and therefore gives a wide picture or protest movements through the ages. The book comes from a reliable source as the V&A has a known reputation.



'Beauty is in the Street: The Power of Protest Posters', Justin McGuirk, 2011

'Beauty is in the Street' was an article published on The Guardian website detailing the Paris Uprising of May 1968, and the role that street posters and flyers played to gather public and media attention. Again, the article comes from a reputable source, but The Guardian has known left-wing political views and so information they publish may have a biased attitude.

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/may/23/beauty-in-street-posters-protest