1. INTRODUCTION
- Angie Moyler
- Jan 31, 2023
- 7 min read
Updated: Jun 20, 2023
GDE750 Research and Discover. Jan 2023.
As a working title for the critical report as a response to this module I have settled on;
THE LANGUAGE OF THINGS Where does the continuing craft of authentic, successful copy writing sit considering the influence of large language models? That Blinking Cursor Moment and why our response to all this matters within the education and practice of graphic design.
UPDATE May 30th.
Since I began the process of thinking through and researching my intention for this final project, the ai large language genie has been released and the debate around it's use and the ethical consequence has exploded in the media. This has had a direct influence on the direction of my chosen subject.
The irony within the design education sector is that with all the discussion and focus on futures, the institutions have yet to provide policies on the use of large language models. Everyone has been caught on the back foot it seems. expand with the research In following the debate and talking with education colleagues and practicing designers there seems to be a fog of indecision.
What I have noticed however - as with anything new that humanity faces - is that the fear or fascination response go with personality and influence. The psychology of our approach to morality and ethics within a capitalist culture and how this effects our approach to education, for me has as ever, become the most interesting discussion. What course do you choose without external guidance or an inclusive world view? Or do you just avoid forming an opinion and wait for someone else to make a decision for you? The bottom line for humanity no matter what the subject or context.
What do you want your future to be? was a question posed by a leading ai expert ... ITV documentary. along with a call for us all to ask more questions before we dive in. To raise our curiosity and not just accept or dismiss.
As I have engaged with the current ai media debate and worked through further research, the ideas for my design submission have become very quickly redundant in the face of the rapidly evolving approach - in this instance - to our written culture. This challenges our formal approach to delivering and assessing learning.
The arrival of generative ai in the public domain has raised once again our perception of truth and authenticity, and questioned what sort of future we want, need and what is best for humanity as a whole. Huge questions for not only ourselves but future generations. Historical and current events demand that we treat these questions with the respect and tread carefully.
In relation to this project I have decided that an attempt to write copywriting/written content resource as a design outcome is futile. Whatever I write has a high risk of becoming irrelevant and of no use almost instantly. Their usefulness will be decided on whatever decisions validating bodies make on ai policies - which as yet have not happened.
So - in order to deliver an authentic design response to the discussions and research I have engaged with, I go back to 'what brings me alive'. On working with this project and peeling back the issues to understand the purpose of generative ai, the age old golden questions arise at the very bottom line of the debate - 'is humanity inherently good or inherently bad' and 'why? how? and what?' or as Simon Sinek puts it The Golden Circle. We have a choice in how ai is used. 'What sort of future do you want? And who - if anyone - is responsible for that? Will the remorseless drive of capitalism win the day?
So, is the big question around this debate about the continual search for meaning that we all pursue in this incredible world we participate with. Generative ai just happens to be the latest technological development that triggers this age old discussion.
Considering the time pressures the question of my design submission has caused considerable stress. I thought I had it all sewn up! For the sake of my sanity and authenticity with a desire to take some enjoyment from this MA, I have decided to completely abandon my original idea of an education resource.
I will be using the design element in the last module as almost a visual conclusion on this MA. The planned piece will be a typographic response to the questions it has raised using hand rendered type and ai generated imagery. The written content will be a collection of quotes referenced and questions raised during this project. This will include ai generated work alongside my own evaluation and thought processes. A series of still or animated images to reflect the debate.
'ideas are only as good as
your ability to communicate them'
The creative process, in my view, has to start with the seemingly simple statement
' ideas are only as good as your ability to communicate them'
which in my experience has been proven time and time again, with all sorts of people and in all sorts of situations.
Graphic designers are at their core, problem solvers, effective small talkers, risk takers, observers, incessant questioners, visionaries, psychologists, anthropologists and drawn more towards others than themselves. All this is held in tension with the ability to hold their creative edge while communicating an idea.
My approach to this project is based on the experiences from my practice as a designer and involvement in both the formal and informal education of the creative process behind graphic design.
I consider myself to be, by choice and circumstance, a people lead, practical, down to earth, thinking, 'coal face' designer rather than a theoretical, 'celebrity culture', cerebral designer. However, in order to fully understand the 'why?' behind any project there has to be a place for, and time given to the cerebral, the questioning and deep thinking.
In my experience design will only arrive at a successful outcome with a practical, others driven foundation and purpose. Ensuring the balance of the two is the tension good designers juggle both with themselves and with their clients - continually.
Advertising examples;
Case Studies;
1. Guiness.
...
2 other GD quotes
Included in the designers skill set is the awareness that effective graphic design relies heavily on the written content or intentional copy writing. Text and image working together to communicate a message. A craft traditionally seen as a specific skill and given to a copy writer, Increasingly, written content has been provided by the client or expected of the designer themselves.
(why?)
However, copy writing is not specifically taught as an integral part of the formal education of graphic design. Academic language is expected in written course work and marked down if not the genre of dissertations. There is often a request to write for a broad audience with an assumption that the student will know how to do this. This request often appears in module or project criteria along side a request to 'define the audience'. Both seemingly working against each other.
If the intention of undergraduate and post graduate qualifications in graphic design is for students to be employable, academic language will rarely - if ever - be used again.
With the exclusion of copy writing as a skill set written in to graphic design qualifications, and the rise of ai and large language models, is design as a practice headed towards the banal and mediocre in terms of its written content? Or, will the ability of large language models to mimic human creativity and use of language negate the craft of copy writing? How can we integrate this ever changing technology to be of use within the craft of graphic design.
My proposal for this module is;
to look at the history of copy writing and its effect on our culture.
How this craft is currently engaged with in the world of communication graphics.
The current media debate concerning ai, large language models and their proposed effect on society.
The questions raised by this debate and how we approach them.
A conclusion based on my response to this live and continuing debate.
An outline of a design proposal for the next module linked to this report.
The response to this module and to the subsequent design resonse module has evolved at a pace. I have had to change my ideas and direction of discussion on the hoof. This has proved a challenge as the changing landscape evolved daily in the media as the industry and commentators respond to large language models and generative ai. My original idea was;
To write copy writing projects for inclusion within graphic design courses accessible at levels 3 - 7.
With the introduction of large language models at the time of beginning this module, this idea for a design response has now become irrelevant.
Therefore, the design element in the last module will be treated as almost a visual conclusion to this report. The planned piece as highlighted in blog 7. Design Response will be a typographic response to the questions it has raised using hand rendered type and ai generated imagery. The written content will be a collection of quotes referenced and questions raised during this project. This will include ai generated work alongside my own evaluation and thought processes. A series of still or animated images to reflect the debate.
I had also thought on starting this module to include a practical focus for this project which would be a live project I am working on. This is to develop a brand language and image for an exciting new product called Wood Vinegar, to be launched within the regenerative farming market. I will touch on this as it has an interesting relevance to the evolving discussion - but not in the detail I had anticipated. There have been far more interesting questions raised in the live debate to look in to.
Wall post;
my subject for this final module is the art of copy writing as a crucial part of developing a language for any design project.
In design education we focus on academic language and writing but rarely use it in design practice. How we write about ‘things’ are all part of the design and therefore determine how it is received and by who.
How has this skill changed and developed in historical and contemporary practice and in design education?
What impact does written language have on a brand?
I will be using a live project as an example. I have been asked to develop and market a brand for wood vinegar … who knew!!
Initial research for this final project starts with two books - D&AD The Copy Book and The Language of Things by Deyan Sudjic.
Words are accessible to all and form the structures from which we build culture and society. During my research for this project the phrase escatolgolgical realism surfaced.
The phrase challenge for this report is to use it and justify it's relevance.
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