Thursday, 25 March 2010
TASK 6
M&S Exhibition
I recently visited The Marks and Spencer’s Exhibition at Leeds University titled ‘Marks in Time’. The collection has been curated by M&S archivists and is on show in a free public exhibition. This provided a great deal of information about how the ‘Marks & Spencer’ company was built and grown over the years. The exhibition displayed the past 125 years and is divided into nine eras detailing ‘The beginning’ & ‘The future’ of this ever-growing brand.
It displays a number of artifacts, merchandise, photographs and film which captures the timeline of the brand. I found the entire display very interesting and engaging and learnt a number of facts which have changed my opinion of high street supermarket chains somewhat. This exhibition depicts modern branding at its finest and proves that Marks & Spencer has woven itself into cultural history.
One of the displays I was particularly interested in depicted the 1940-1950s. It explained that when war broke out, resources and staff were limited. Restriction orders meant that Marks & Spencer were only allowed to use 5 buttons, 4 pockets and 4 meters of stitching for every item. It showed that even with limited resources the company found a way to offer quality in rough economical and political times. The demands imposed by Britain's post-war period meant that M&S were producing clothes that were brighter, inexpensive and easier to clean.
Marks &Spencer found a way to provide the public with the things that they needed at an affordable price. They introduced successful marketing tactics such as introducing a browsing system which allowed customers to examine items closely, which was unheard of before. In the 1930s the bra was invented and one in three women in Britain were sporting the M&S bra. Later, in the 1960s the chain introduced the sale of chilled food, another first in the country. This exhibition manages to capture life during the War from the fashions to the introduction of new inventions. From the exhibition, you really get a sense of life as it was lived from the1920s up until the present day, which I feel has had more of an effect on me than if I had gleaned the same information from books.
I feel that this exhibition was curated well and the whole thing felt quite spacious. There were many visuals to support the written material. I feel that it met its objective in celebrating 125 years of Marks & Spencer and I went away feeling like I wanted to run straight to the nearest M&S store to savour the experience myself.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this exhibition, I found the atmosphere very exciting due to the fact that unknown to me, that Marks & Spencer was started in 1884 as a ‘penny bazaar’ market stall at Kirkgate Market, which is my favorite place to visit in Leeds. Marks &Spencer are hoping to find a more permanent space for the exhibition. I hope so too.
TASK 5
How the world perceives design: First Things First, 2000 manifesto
The ‘First Things First’ 2000 manifesto dictates that commercial messages through adverts are changing how people in the world see things. They believe that our attention is being drawn away from terrorism and environmental and political issues and being focused on materialism, which is promoted by designers wanting to fill their pockets. Rick Poynor explains that the globe is engaging in the wrong type of communication and can no longer visualize the trickery being forced upon us. It is merely how we perceive the product’s ‘image’ rather than its use.
This manifesto, first written in 1964, prompted a number of visual communicators, designers and artists to step forward and promise to make a positive change in the way designers are seen. Tony Benn wrote “The responsibility for the waste of talent which they have denounced so vehemently is one we all must share.” Although this is supported by many talented designers, it is argued that this mass consumerist world will never change.
Can a designer really produce anything more meaningful than just designing to a brief? Can a few dedicated designers change the way in which millions of people perceive advertisements?
In reality I feel that arguing for the manifesto could be a waste of time and energy. As a visual communicator myself, I feel that it should be up to the individual to make his or her own choices in working for a corporation or in practicing ‘positive design’. I feel that in order to change the way people engage with design, one would have to look at changing people’s opinions of war, capitalism, religion and many more external pressures. People now tend to turn to many products advertised as a form of escapism. The images spread across billboards and on television offer a form of temporary glamour and excitement.
I am all for designers wanting to stray away from the commercial status quo but, at the end of the day, the reason why many designers follow this path is simply that commercial work pays the bills while uncommercial work usually doesn’t. But it’s not that black and white either. Income should not rule your life but neither should your job.
The ‘First Things First’ 2000 manifesto dictates that commercial messages through adverts are changing how people in the world see things. They believe that our attention is being drawn away from terrorism and environmental and political issues and being focused on materialism, which is promoted by designers wanting to fill their pockets. Rick Poynor explains that the globe is engaging in the wrong type of communication and can no longer visualize the trickery being forced upon us. It is merely how we perceive the product’s ‘image’ rather than its use.
This manifesto, first written in 1964, prompted a number of visual communicators, designers and artists to step forward and promise to make a positive change in the way designers are seen. Tony Benn wrote “The responsibility for the waste of talent which they have denounced so vehemently is one we all must share.” Although this is supported by many talented designers, it is argued that this mass consumerist world will never change.
Can a designer really produce anything more meaningful than just designing to a brief? Can a few dedicated designers change the way in which millions of people perceive advertisements?
In reality I feel that arguing for the manifesto could be a waste of time and energy. As a visual communicator myself, I feel that it should be up to the individual to make his or her own choices in working for a corporation or in practicing ‘positive design’. I feel that in order to change the way people engage with design, one would have to look at changing people’s opinions of war, capitalism, religion and many more external pressures. People now tend to turn to many products advertised as a form of escapism. The images spread across billboards and on television offer a form of temporary glamour and excitement.
I am all for designers wanting to stray away from the commercial status quo but, at the end of the day, the reason why many designers follow this path is simply that commercial work pays the bills while uncommercial work usually doesn’t. But it’s not that black and white either. Income should not rule your life but neither should your job.
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