Designing Pornotopia
I picked up a copy of Designing Pornotopia in the Arnolfini. Its an excellent read - a collection of essays on various themes (including the eponymous one) but centred around visual culture. In fact, I think the title may do the book an injustice. The topics are much wider than pornotopia. However, it is an interesting enough title to have gotten yours truly interested.
Much of the book has me shouting for joy that someone is discussing these issues: the surrender of almost all public space to shopping and advertising; the fact that all public spaces (think airports, stations, etc) aspire to the mall; the monoculture of womens and mens magazines (I often find myself stood in a newsagents wondering what to pick up. Thank heavens for private eye.); the co-opting of art into advertising. He is pretty ruthless and readable on all these themes. He also touches much more meaty issues about how designers can respond effectively to them.
Even though I have only read a handful of the essays it has convinced me of two things: design is much more important (and necessarily political) than I ever thought; and secondly, I will go and see Rick Poynor’s talk at the arnolfini on the 31st of october.
Much of the book has me shouting for joy that someone is discussing these issues: the surrender of almost all public space to shopping and advertising; the fact that all public spaces (think airports, stations, etc) aspire to the mall; the monoculture of womens and mens magazines (I often find myself stood in a newsagents wondering what to pick up. Thank heavens for private eye.); the co-opting of art into advertising. He is pretty ruthless and readable on all these themes. He also touches much more meaty issues about how designers can respond effectively to them.
Even though I have only read a handful of the essays it has convinced me of two things: design is much more important (and necessarily political) than I ever thought; and secondly, I will go and see Rick Poynor’s talk at the arnolfini on the 31st of october.
