who has time to mash potatoes

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  • camer

    Really?

    I'm getting annoyed with consumerism. When will designers decide to stop trying to help sell us shit.

    I can absolutely buy, peel, cut, boil, mash and eat my own damn potatoes. I do not, nor do I know anyone who does need to buy pre-cut, pre-peeled potatoes. Potatoes are tried and true.

    Since when do people who wash their hands with soap care about touching the soap container? I can understand not wanting to touch the soap in a rest stop off the highway but 'they' are trying to convince people that we need a no-touch pump because there are germs on it.

    Really?

    I'm gonna wash my damn hands anyway.

    In design class, one time, my teacher brought in some guy to talk about his award winning solution he came up with a for a children's shoe company. Are recent classes were sort of based around impact.

    After he finished telling the class how awesome he was I asked him a question.

    It was: "As an award winning company, recognized among peers and consumers alike, in a time of "going green", how do you influence your clients to go with a more consciously green, potentially "greener" solution. Example: Using printing companies with FSC certification.

    I left design partly cause of the clients and partly because of selling shit we don't need.

    I guess I'm a pessimist?

  • inteliboy0

    design ≠ marketing

    but agreed, hard not to be a grumpy bastard with the amount of useless consumer made-for-white-people shit everywhere.

    • LOL. So much truth in that. However, I saw some vids today that would give you a run for your moneVikingKingEleven
  • honestIy0

  • VikingKingEleven0

    nope your right. It is pretty shitty when you realize you're promoting people to buy worthless crap.

    But, we need a job also. I am sure we would all love to spend 100% of our day doing art, design, inventing, creating, photography, love, fun, friends, food ect but we just aren't there yet. Stupid things like rent and life force into 'help sell us shit' industry.

    My favorite marketing term right now are the cleaner companies that use the word Oxy-Steam or oxygen cleansers.

    Basically they're marketing 'air' as a cleaning solution and people can't get enough.

  • TheBlueOne0

    "It is pretty shitty when you realize you're promoting people to buy worthless crap. But, we need a job also. "

    There is zero difference between this justification for consumer capitalism and a drug pusher when you phrase it that way.

    • your comparing a design/marketing job to a drug pusher? *facepalm.VikingKingEleven
    • Drug users *need their fix. They have to have it. People that buy worthless crap have a choice. They don't need it.VikingKingEleven
    • You missed the obvious point in your own argument. Stunning.TheBlueOne
    • My god, you;re an idiot outside the politics thread too.TheBlueOne
    • I can't think of a designer having anything to do with, say, marketing coke.Peter
  • camer0

    Viking, you're right. I WISH I/we could do what we wanted and I wish that works wasn't just that: WORK.

    Paying bills is one thing, I get it. But we have some messed up things going on.

    Why do we put dye in laundry detergent and come out with an un-dyed version which costs more. Why do we dilute it and then come out with concentrated version of the same thing?

    We do have laundry detergent that cleans clothes and then come out with an additive that makes the laundry detergent clean better?

    Why the hell can't these billion dollar companies come out with a laundry detergent that cleans clothes the best way possible, that is nothing but detergent, no colors or waters or other dilutions. Put that in a bottle made from other bottles for cheap.

    Market that...

    People want that . People would buy that.

    You can make that look cool. You can make it bigger and make it POP.

    But seriously, there is something going on here.

    Can we as designers do anything about this? Can we steer clients? I know we can't change products, but can't we do SOMETHING?

    We are the people.

  • camer0

    ...on a side note, Joaquin Phoenix killed it doing Johnny Cash...

    Not sure if that fcuks my argument but it's on TV right now!

  • randommail0

    Can't agree more, Camer.

    "Consumerism is the myth that the individual will be gratified and integrated by consuming. The public fetishistically substitutes consumer ideals for the lost acculturating experiences of art, religion and family."

    My question: is there a place/nation that has not completely lost itself to consumerism by maintaining their acculturating experiences of art, religion and family? Because being an American, I'd like to see if there's a better way to live and work than this as well.

  • akrokdesign0

    did you just describe life on the big agency? lol.

  • NONEIS0

    Bunch of whiners in this thread - if you want to do good in this field the opportunities and examples are abundant, these jobs exist and you can easily create your own, but dont think you will impact the overall consumer nature of this country just because you have seen the light - the scars are too deep and too old to be replaced by the mundane.

    Quitting the industry over this just makes you a quitter - not "enlightend".

    • So essentially you agree.randommail
    • I think everyone should quit.

      I'd have an abundance of jobs, nitpicking exactly what I want.
      Peter
    • I'm in no way saying I'm enlightend and this is why I quit. There are many reasons why I left...camer
  • CanHazQBN0

    I don't buy any of this.

  • Peter0

    As stated, (graphic) design does not equal marketing. Graphic design is but a tool. One of the tools marketing use to design an increase in sale. The whole "guns don't kill people marketers do" argument.

    But you have a choice. Every consumer does. If man were completely free of vanity, greed, envy, what have you, marketing (or more to your point: advertising) would simply fade away. Ads would be ignored. You'd only go for what you need. There would be less strain on the environment because we wouldn't overproduce. We'd eventually have world peace, so on. But let's not get into communistic or religious territory here. Let's just face it: humans are flawed - and why not bank on it?

    To suit the moral dilemma you would find that, ultimately, most paying jobs plays on those or any of the other fine, cardinal sins available.

  • Peter0

    For further reading consult the Want of the day thread
    http://www.qbn.com/topics/617029…