Shameless arrogant self promotion or a genuine heartfelt appeal?
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- autoflavour0
dont get me wrong, I think fundraising for disasters and volunteering is a very noble thing, but i question whether products need to be produced to achieve this end..
- mrghost0
a BAND-AID ???? what the fuck...
I think that the design insults the people of japan and the horror that they have witnessed. It will certainly take much more than a bandage to rebuild the country. The cartoon band-aid is just as ignorant as the pearl harbor comments. The severity of the trauma and the number of deaths cannot even be counted yet.
this is not acceptable.
- <<<randommail
- yep, the underlying concept that the japaneese flag looks like blood-on-gauss is offensive in itselfkingsteven
- http://www? What decade is this?i_monk
- monospaced0
- also, +1 to QBN having a real design discussion worth havingmonospaced
- +1 for SAVE FERRISuan
- DRIFTMONKEY0
- Good ol' JamesGlitterati_Duane
- come the fuck oncannonball1978
- mrghost0
If you feel compelled to help, donate your money/time/blood?
You shouldn't need a t-shirt or a print to convince you to help a person in need.
- hellobotto0
Given the tone of some comments so far, I feel compelled to preface with a note that I'm one of the many folks whose trying to raise money for relief efforts by offering items.
I choose to err on the side the designers' intentions are on the side of charity and not shameless self-promotion PROVIDED:
- They allow reputable entities to freely raise funds off their work. If the Red Cross wants to leverage the popularity of your design, then you should be willing to give it up. It's fine if they want to give you a nod, but nothing more because who cares who made it provided it's helping people.
- They provide a heads up to people if they can't secure 0% overhead. The means to produce the items I'm selling currently aren't free of production costs. Since I've been unable to get free and clear production, I'm including a disclaimer wherever possible recommending folks donate directly to a preferred charity in order to maximize their donation. It's only right you disclose as much as possible so folks looking to donate are fully informed. In the end, if a sale only generates a dollar to donate, that's still a dollar more than doing nothing...it's then just a matter of trying to promote efficiency in the process.
- They don't use the artwork in a case study. If the designer/artist wasn't solicited by a charity, then it's in poor taste to use a crisis like this as a long standing case study to try to win yourself work. You don't put on your resume how many pints of blood you donated each year in order to give yourself an edge. When it comes to this kind of effort, the designer/artist should try to be as invisible as possible.
- They make themselves available to anyone who may have a civil question about their intentions. If you're willing to put yourself out there for charity, then you're willing to put yourself out there to be held reasonably accountable. You ask a lot of folks when you ask for a donation; you shouldn't be put off when they demand understanding from you.
This all being said, I'd be curious what kind of thought leadership could come out of transforming a debate like this (a debate I've heard during the peak of AIDS awareness efforts in the 80s/90s, Katrina, the flooding in Iowa and Tennessee, etc.) from a question of "tacky vs. thoughtful" into "how can we do more through design?" and "what more can design do beyond printed materials and swag?" There's a lot of individual soapbox comments in this thread, but how could we use that skepticism to drive some constructive innovation?
I agree, a well-designed poster advertising a charity blood drive would be better than a screenprinted, letterpressed, double-embossed with a clear varnish poster of a red circle. So can we hear more of those ideas from the creative thinkers that make up this community? Otherwise this conversation is just self-righteousness for the sake of being self-righteous.
- thanks for presenting your point of view in a reasonable manner.2
- Fax_Benson0
pressplay's right. It's just the default response for lots of designers. It's not necessarily cynical or self-serving, just shows the level of thought involved.
Your aunt Jane's in hospital, she fell down a well and broke her ankle.
- shit, that's terrible. I'll design a t-shirt.It's a nice thought, but it it's not really appropraite.
- yakismaki0
... So here's the debate I was looking for! Really must learnt to articulate my thoughts a little better.
- autoflavour0
there is a whole merchandise industry popped up over night..
Japan had a earthquake and all i got was this lousy tshirt..
- ThePublics0
lol. ^
Actually, I would argue that the disaster raises the point, the point being that the victims of the disaster need help.
It's very simple:
I would venture to guess that 99% of those who will donate to the Red Cross/Doctors without borders will have never encountered the poster/t-shirt that bring attention out an already universally exposed disaster, so design objects are just a bonus for those who want a design bonus.
- *brings attention toThePublics
- also, that fucking band-aid... or botto's vector trainwreck don't raise shit.kingsteven
- sorry botto, been trying not to slagkingsteven
- identity0
- design is such a broad word, isnt iteficks
- communicating thoughtful action through universal, simple symbolism... works well for meidentity
- a vag and a loose ass?reinitialize
- mrghost0
watch this and understand the problem of charity.
- autoflavour0
as for what designers can do, that is a good question. i was just thinking about this hellobotto..
musicians would normally have a benefit concert, but they arent making stuff specifically for it..
but yep, designers dont really have a means to contribute without spending money to make money.
I guess i feel uneasy for the lack of accountability.. while i would assume the guilt of not donating the money to Japan would drive people, watching all this "Pearl Harbor" and "God Is awesome cause he gave japan a earthquake" shit.. really makes me wonder about the process of giving this money.
do people really need to have a product to compel them to give money? cant we just give money without getting something in return?
I am not cynical about people intentions, i think its noble for people to help, i am just curious if it helps that you have to create something to raise the money.
- design = arrangement of elements for an outcome, not making productscannonball1978
- sorry, i meant to say arranging elements onto a tshirt to sellautoflavour
- to then raise moneyautoflavour
- autoflavour0
i guess the thing that really gets me is people will buy a "I donated money to Japan" tshirt, and then will wear it around with this smug sense of self worth, as they gave $10-15 to a cause.. half of which would not make it there as it they had to BUY something ..
You want to help, Donate directly to the red cross.
Go give them $100..
but dont then go around bragging about how much of a community minded person you are. just do it, and move on.
- The smugness falls on the shoulders of the person wearing the shirt, not the designer created the artwork.hellobotto
- the smugness wouldnt exist if the designed didnt make the shirt to begin withautoflavour
- So it's the sports car manufacturer's fault that men have mid-life crises?hellobotto
- we arent talking about sportscars, we are talking about Natural disastersautoflavour
- The analogy stands. An object is just an object. You can't credit the object for making you a hero or a jerk...you bring that into the equation yourself.hellobotto
- no, it doesntautoflavour
- car sales men are assholes anywayDodecahedron
- autoflavour0
i guess the thing that really gets me is people will buy a "I donated money to Japan" tshirt, and then will wear it around with this smug sense of self worth, as they gave $10-15 to a cause.. half of which would not make it there as it they had to BUY something ..
You want to help, Donate directly to the red cross.
Go give them $100..
but dont then go around bragging about how much of a community minded person you are. just do it, and move on.
- hellobotto0
Autoflavour, good questions. No, folks don't need to get something to give something. Look at the number of people that text their donation, or drop some money in a Salvation Army kettle without breaking stride.
In cases like this though, I think some people are looking for something material to feel united and remember. In the present, we are compelled to unite in midst of devastation and uncertainty. In the future, it helps to have a material good to help us remember when our own memories start to fade and fail us.
- i would normally agree with you, but no one needs a commemorative mug from Zazzle saying "Hit Japan with a Heartquake"autoflavour
- heartquakeautoflavour
- yupmonospaced
- Guys, I'm not saying there isn't some tacky shit. Lord knows, I wish it all looked decent.hellobotto
- must_dash0
What really needs to happen if someone is to make a poster, is get a good copywriter on the job, as a 'clever' graphic symbol just won't do it. But still better than doing nothing, and not being constructive doesn't help either.
- yakismaki0
This has been really insightful reading and precisely the debate I wished to kick off. I guess now all we can do is help the many people in need in any way we can with a clear conscience and a pure heart. They're going to need all our support. Thanks for all your wisdom.