ART 441 / Week 1

25 thoughts on “ART 441 / Week 1”

1. I thought the “Designer as Brander” & “Designer as Hacker” sections were very interesting.
   Touching on the etymology of branding was impactful; it highlighted to me the violent mechanisms by which we commodify objects, both living and non-organic. Bringing up the design and commodity of water bottles helped me to synthesize a lot of information I already had floating around in my brain. “Designers create value”. Water is no longer seen as a human right to be freely given, else sold for cheap. It is now a market where fancy bottles can be sold for 200 euro.
   Designer as Hacker was also relevant to me, as I like to think of myself as a little mischievous when it comes to challenging authority. He said something to the effect of people creating innovative ways to outsmart megacorp infrastructure. The example was someone who wheeled around a crate of phones with google maps to create an artificial traffic jam on the service. Finding clever ways to circumvent capitalism. He also highlighted an interesting relationship between these challenges to authority and their tether to the functional market. We still have rules to play by, our critiques are products to be sold back into the market; however, we have to buy the right products, critical in both content and form, in order to work on dismantling our systems.

   I read Marx when I was 12 or so, and it affected me deeply. While I don’t agree with every point, I do wholeheartedly agree with many of them. The person who wins a game is not the best player, the person who wins a game is the person who knows the rules the best. This is a personal philosophy of mine, as games are seen most everywhere, and very often. The rule of the world is such a similar game, albeit more broad and all-reaching. It is an intrinsic paradox. To play a game, you must both know and play by it’s rules, but to win a game, you must know the rules well enough to see the blind spots. You have to adhere to the rules well enough to break them. Designers create value, and contribute to the market of branding and sales. This talk really reinforced my desire to participate in our systems just enough so I can start unscrewing the braces.

   1. I also thought the point of designers creating value was very interesting. Depending on how you design a bottle or packaging, it can give the illusion of luxury, making something seem more expensive than what it’s actually worth.

   2. Hey Austin,
      i found design as hacker interesting too, I do like how you establish a relationship between capitalism and evolution of technology. Also, I really agree with your interesting point of views in your last paragraph.

   3. I definitely agree that the way we commodify objects is egregious. A lot of the time people are just paying for the branding as compared to the quality of the product. Like Pater spoke about, most brands use the same packaging and same ingredients then slap a different brand on the container. It’s just all contingent on how highly rank the company is by the public.

2. Two categories from this talk that I found interesting were “The Designer as Scribe” and “The Designer as Brander”. Although Pater talks about these two categories sequentially, they still have their own separate qualities. It was intriguing for me to see one of the first written records of all time for the account of beer. There were no letters, only numbers. It’s fascinating to me that we were documenting math and numbers before writing language. The bank statements and stock market records also allude to the beginning of capitalism as humans were already so focused on product and money before the Industrial Revolution. It gets to a point where branding comes into play, and what was originally used to differentiate brands and their products that were individually marketed has become a world of its own. Pater mentions the interconnectivity between brands nowadays, and how they are all dominated by even larger corporate companies to distribute different products to different grocery stores.
   Having said this, it took me by surprise when Pater recalled working in a factory that manufactured detergent bottles. Before the bottles were shipped out, they were given different brand labels and distributed to different trucks despite being made out of the exact same material. This of course infers that each brand is most likely sold at varying prices even though they have no differing qualities. It goes to show just how far logos, marketing, and branding can go for a company if the graphic design aspect is intriguing enough.

   1. I agree with you on how intriguing it is that even before we learned to communicate with letters, we used symbols and number to signify changes in our society. Especially economic ones. Its funny to think that early stages of capitalism has been around since before we could efficiently communicate.

   2. Hi Finn!

      It really is quite intriguing to learn and see just how written documentation was many decades and even centuries ago. It makes you think just how much and how little has changed in that amount of time. All those years ago we were aware that written documentation, physical media, and recording information and events would be crucial and though we have changed how we do so, we still continue to keep record of these things. Great job!

3. 1. Pater structures his talk by naming categories (chapters) of designers/design work —can you name two categories that you found interesting and describe how Pater defines the designer’s work, role, or potential in those categories? (if you did this assignment in ART 448 S25 please highlight two other categories)
   Two categories or chapters in Ruben Pater’s book Caps Lock that I found interesting were The Designer as a Brander and The Designer as a Scribe. When it comes to The Designer as a Brander, Pater discusses how branding went from having a direct relationship with the maker to now being a world of its own and its own beast in a way. Brands have sort of taken over in our capitalist culture and it attempts to serve as variety whereas only a selection of big cooperations own the majority of these brands. I also think the comparison of branding as a company as well as branding this skin is very interesting, and how in a way they are related to each other. For The Designer as a Scribe, Pater looks at the relationship between designers and economics or accounting. Mark making, bank notes, and financial notations are created to log this economical information, and it builds a relationship between the people and those recording this information. The information is also recorded in a very specific way with certain formatting and annotating that had to be designed. I also find the comparison Pater makes to peoples worth an interesting aspect in this discussion.

   2. Was there an aspect of this talk that surprised you, or especially intrigued you? Can you say more about that for us?
   An aspect if Ruben Pater’s talk that intrigued me was the relationship between capitalism and domestic labor and how capitalism depends on domestic labor. Pater specifically discusses how certain jobs are underpaid and undervalued such as teaching or health care workers whereas other jobs like marketing consultants are highly paid. He also mentions how being a stay-at-home parent, raising children, doing housework, making sure things are moving smoothly at home, etc. Is a form of hard work and labor yet they are unpaid and are not a “job” in that sense. Capitalism moves and works off the efforts of domestic labor and it’s quite interesting to really dive deep into this concept and how real it is, as well as how it affects our lifestyle.

   1. Hi Carmen!

      I always like seeing your work, writing or otherwise. You have always grabbed a global issue by the nose and made it look you in the eyes, which is a very special talent!

      I remember hearing at some point that some of the oldest written documents are receipts. This was the first time it actually stuck. I always like to structure my understanding of our development as a species through these kinds of cultural dynamics.

      It’s interesting to think how economic positions might have been treated at the time? Economics seem to be innate to an intelligent society at any modicum of scale, at least if we take this example to be a microcosm for how we treat our relationship with the material economy of notes and stuff haha!

      The branding of the skin caught me off guard, especially the picture with the Nike brand forming this almost tribal mark making on human skin. The english language is the most difficult one to learn, mostly because we have an insane amount of words. With that many words, sometimes they zing together like those loud little dollar store magnets. Some of them are homophones, where they sound the same but are spelled different and mean different things. I can’t recall what the word is for the difference between branding in digital media and branding of sentient beings as far as linguistics go. However, the etymology will stick with me forever after watching that talk lol.

      Hope you are well!

   2. Hey Carmen,

      I agree that brands nowadays have become more capitalist-focused, and, unfortunately, there is a lack of authentic items being made by the actual creator. I enjoyed reading your insights and agree with many of your points, such as the fact that capitalism depends on domestic labor and that jobs are underpaid. The connection between the company and brand is an interesting relationship.

4. 1. The two categories or chapters that I found interesting are “the designer as economic actor” and “the designer as a hacker”. In the “the designer as an economic actor” chapter, engraving can only be learned from the workshop floor instead of in school. This also usually happens in a familial environment where both design production and printing take place. Around the time that printers created designs from printing machines, designers/advertisers were white-collar workers on another floor at the factory. Most graphic designers work more than forty hours a week, including one in three of them in Italy work more than one job. Designers work late, prone to things like depression and burnout. In the “the designer as a hacker” chapter, Pater states that social design or speculative design is an idea of hacking because he thinks it is important to understand that the 19th century is the coal age, and the 20th century is the oil age. The very first Apple computer made by Steve Wozniak relied on his computer club to share all the blueprints so he could build it himself. After he finishes with his computer, he ends up sharing the same blueprints with everyone else, so they have a resource to build on their own. According to Pater, our early technology and systems were based on knowledge exchange, and we see it as the political economy of graphic design. They give them to companies to publish their works, so they can communicate with clients.

   2. There is an aspect of the talk where it surprises and intrigues me. Reuben Pater mentions that autographs, stamps, and signage are part of graphic techniques. I just realized that it can be copied and printed from the state. I was thinking that them to be in the graphic design world, they must digitalize. Also, I did not know that they help make banknotes or any other documents look confidentially real and not counterfeited.

   1. Hello Jordan!

      I enjoyed your discussion board post and certain aspects that you mentioned, such as talking about the designer as an economic actor and how families learn from one another with skills related to printmaking and production. The approach of choosing these categories really shows your love for history.

   2. Hi Jordan! I like how you also pointed how the designers work overtime. I do think it’s sad that designers will put in so much effort and the payback would be so little at time.

   3. Hi Jordan!
      I was also surprised and sad to learn that designers have to work overtime in order to produce eligible work. I think this is especially depressing in this specific period of time because of the ever increasing use of AI technology to replace real, hardworking artists. It saddens me deeply.

5. “The Designer as Scribe”
   In the beginning, he shows a piece, known as the “Oldest found Written Document”. I remember talking about it last time for this assignment, and now knowing what it is, and being familiar with it, it really does highlight the fact that in order to create things in that matter requires some type of skill. Creating a language itself is very impressive and should be acknowledged on a large scale. (which it has been.) I still think it is impressive that it was able to show signs of accounting. Showing how they document in the past as well. “The first kind of part about the role of the designer is really how designers create documents that put trust in the economic system.”
   Then we were later shown a piece in 1666, showing the first European banknote, and we know it was a skilled graphic designer using the print press. Further expanding how people trusted each other with the economic system.
   “Silicon Valley Narrative”
   The second category that he spoke about was how the overworking that having social media may create due to the constant feeling that you can keep doing work and keep telling yourself that you NEED to push yourself more in order to succeed or be viewed as the best. Which I agree with in this day of age. Due to short-term content, artists are “expected” to create new things constantly, which, in reality, the majority of humans are not capable of doing. This becomes draining to the artist, and the majority of artists do not like creating “short-term art”. Same concept with design as well.
   Pater thinks that CEOs are getting paid way more compared to everyday jobs, where they are working overtime and still barely getting compensated, is an issue. Especially for minimum wage and artists/designers nowadays. Now you have less time to spend with your loved ones due to work and overtime.

   Pater also stated
   The role is vital to society, keeping an orderly fashion to everything by documenting important things like the first document and the first European banknote. Both were historically important things that had a huge impact on the future. Designers have done a lot for society.

   Archive Examples:
   https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fr%5Friley%5Funcg%5Fedu%2FDocuments%2F%5FRachele%20Riley%2Fteaching%2FF%202025%2FART%20441%2FJayla%20Miles%2Fweek%201%2Fgraphic%20design%20archive&ga=1

   1. I thought the Silicon Valley Narrative point was interesting as well. Short-term content that artists produce can either make or break them. Short-term art is essentially the flavor of the minute, and it forces artists to constantly try and one-up the previous work in a nonstop cycle.

   2. Hi Jayla!!!

      Third Typographics in a row! You’ve been impressing me ever since that first day in FNMD with Billy. Excited to see how you grow and flourish as an artist. If y’all are reading this, keep an eye on this one!

      The silicon valley point is very interesting. North Carolina is seeing gentrification on a scale that none of us were really expecting. This is largely due to NC setting itself up as the Silicon Valley of the east; lots of investment into tech infrastructure. Even stuff like Epic pouring money into UNCG, its all contributing to what will be an insane cost of living as people coming from the west coast will be much more accustomed to higher price tags. The law of supply and demand threatens to eat us alive once again.

      I refuse to believe that this is our sealed fate. We call it late stage capitalism for a reason, I’m of the mind that it is a terminal diagnosis. Currently, it boils down to small everyday acts of rebellion. Break a rule that is braced by capitalism, refuse to work harder than you want to for a little bit, have a good day because you want to persist against all odds.

      It was funny reading your post because you are the person on my feed constantly working the hardest! I know those art projects you post cannot be anything other than a respectable amount of work. As long as you like it, I know I enjoy looking at the updates, but also remember not to pressure yourself too hard!

      You’ve seen my posts on insta, (@goodpersonjpg if anybody else wants to say hi and talk about survivor <3) its a lot more fun being the punky weirdo nobody sees coming!

      Glad to see you, hope you are well!

6. Hey! So I have seen this video before called CAPS LOCK, by Ruben Pater. It has been about a year since I saw it, and I can’t find my document with my answers. So I apologize if there is a repeat. One interest that has struck me lately is marketing, and I really like how Pater brings attention to supermarket marketing and labels, alongside mentions of how capitalism has taken over the marketing world. This category is named “The Designer Vs. The Brander.” There is a lot of competition when it comes to branding and commercialism, which can interfere with the designer’s work because certain choices need to be made depending on the local market. He was saying how he used to work at a factory and made plastic bottles, and when it came to the final step, he would stick different labels on the bottles for multiple branding purposes.
   This ultimately means these companies are trying to make more money by having more exposure to the world through multiple brands. There is usually a direct relationship between the maker of the product and the company, but because the product is spread through multiple people, it does not seem as authentic. I found this part of his video interesting because it made me realize that nothing with popular brands or big companies is authentically made anymore and that saddens me. One word that stuck with me that Ruben said was “dehumanizing,” and that is how I feel when I know certain brands are striving even further away from the authenticity of their products.
   Another category that interested me was “The Designer As Worker.” It is something that slips our minds as artists that we also teach others, bosses of oneself, interns, and constantly learning like students. Sometimes when we’re so inthe moment, including myself, we forget that art started with a lot of physical labor, as Pater mentions the medieval printing shops and what strenuous work goes into it. There is a sense of appreciation for the present time but also a curiosity about what it was like back then to have a blue-collar job in the arts. Each artist had a role and many people were needed for these roles a part of the production of one printed fabric.
   Something that intrigued me was when he mentioned speculative design and how nowadays we can create images that are in our heads unimaginable but created visually because of art. This type of design takes time and does not provide answers right away. It is based on the future and what possible social trends or technologies can impact. Pater says it can be used for good (for the planet) or for bad (involving promotion of capitalism).

   1. Hey Hannah!
      I was also super interested in the designer as a brander! When you live day to day, you tend to forget just how much graphic design is involved in the process of branding and commercialism, which of course is directly related to capitalism. I was shocked to find just how different branding has changed over the years.

7. In this talk, Ruben Pater talks about different categories/roles that designers can have. One category that really interested me was the designer as a brander. This category focuses on making designs that not only identifies a brand, but helps distinguish it from others. Many companies don’t manufacture the products themselves, but instead make designs meant to convince consumers to purchase said product. Nowadays, branding is a massive thing that defines our lives, to the point where it determines what we buy and how we see things. I find this role interesting as the price of a product can sometimes depend on how it is marketed in design. For example, a cheap product can have a very elegant and premium design on the packaging, making it more expensive than what it’s actually worth. Another category I found interesting was a designer as a futurist. This role primarily focuses on creating graphics for scenarios that either could or will happen in the near and far future, giving a lifelike depiction of situations that aren’t yet possible. This type of design is called speculative design, and can often be a result of companies attempting to seem more nature-friendly than they are, as well as sometimes creating alternative futures in film for the sake of entertainment, and nothing more. Sometimes, these speculative designs can be used by companies to try and convince consumers of a future without that company or their product. One thing about this talk that surprised me was just how much a person can do to try and separate design from a corporate context, usually through local or independent work, or by forming unions. Freelancing and working with open source tools can also be very helpful in showing how an independent mind can create designs, making them more personal, rather than something owned by a faceless corporation.

   Link to Design Archive Notes:
   https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fr%5Friley%5Funcg%5Fedu%2FDocuments%2F%5FRachele%20Riley%2Fteaching%2FF%202025%2FART%20441%2FJohn%20Kaylor%2FWeek%201&ct=1755610487937&or=Teams%2DHL&ga=1

   1. Hey John,
      I do enjoy the part in the video, where graphic design address real life impossible situations too. You did great identifying what speculative design means and mention how they are beneficial to companies.

   2. Hi John!,
      I really liked your choice of the archive! My favorite one out of the list was the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games! I really liked the opposing colors and how the shapes mesh well with each other.

8. I had never heard of Ruben Pater before watching this video. I enjoyed hearing him explain the theme of each chapter throughout his book and how they correlate with artworks or collectives. Two of the categories that stood out to me were THE DESIGNER AS BRANDER and THE DESIGNER AS WORKER. The brander category stood out to me because of the correlation he made between the branding of company and how branding used to be used to categorized slaves or animals. This was interesting to hear about because his next point when on to state that depending on how the brand is stylized, it will affect the value of the price. This made me think about how when slaves harbored a lot of marks or a brand, it signified trouble and they were sold for less. All because of a emblem. A emblem that could be done in glitter or jewels and be worth five times more than its original value. The other category, WORKER, stood out to me because of how true he was about the social pressure that I think a lot of young adults experience when talking about a career and how to be successful. The references Pater talked about, even including his own image, showcases how there’s this idea that if you work strenuously that you will succeed more, which is false for most of the fortune 500 companies heads. A lot of the time, their success comes from privilege and personal connections among a certain demographic. As I grow older, I notice this advantages more and more and I think about how I am going to contribute to the world as a designer and how do I distinguish myself from other designer in a way that will build my success to that of those in a different/higher tax bracket.

   Archive Links
   https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/EnlIupMrMptCsYTMNrtKq7AB9vLY97nDLFdlGVvXx9J9Sg?e=5bKTJs

   1. Hi Mackenzie!

      I also wrote about the correlation of branding of a company and branding of people, animals, and slaves. I really found this comparison interesting and quite jarring, as you can see the ties between these two ways of branding when it’s explained yet you may not have thought about it prior. It goes to show just how embedded these horrid moments of American history are in current practices we use today, just in a different manner, such as stylized branding affects product cost compared to branded slaves being sold for less due to them categorized as “troublesome.” Great insight!

9. I forgot to add but something that surprised me was his talk about the cooperative group, Brave New Alps, who live together, work, and share their resources in order to live more comfortably. This shocked me because of how in America we push people to be more independent. We tend to try to individualize each other instead of work as an collective. I think that the way the Brave New Alps live increase the spread of knowledge, emotional connection, and economic status because of how many incomes are within their one “household”.

Comments are closed.