The Corporate Revolt project is working to question the limits of corporate, branding, and advertising power in a culture consumed by consumption. Its goal is to encourage citizens to question their response to commercial messages and to play a more active role in determining the limits of corporate power in our society. Read More.
The past two weeks I’ve been reworking the Phase 1 advertisements which present future consumption possibilities pending the success of Anarkon’s branded take-over. I’ve taken them away from the illustrated style I had going before and comped them to look like real products you might be able to buy from Target, Walgreens, etc. I think my favorite thus far is the Heroin Fun Kit followed closely by the Plan Z Emergency Contraceptive Pill.
Feedback very much welcome.
A little off topic but I was looking over some of the videos Foo Fighters have put out recently and really like the simplicity, color and general aesthetic of the politically / culturally charged “The Pretender,” seen here on YouTube.
Just got back from a Wednesday evening branding class in which we started watching the Frontline / PBS documentary called The Persuaders, (you can watch the whole thing for free on the PBS website). The documentary is from 2004 (a bit dated) and is about the glut of advertising currently seen and relationship between the consumer and todays brands. Recommended viewing for anyone interested in the subject and as always Frontline does a fine job of presenting the issue.
I just watched Chicago 10, with a friend of mine. It’s a movie / documentary about the protests and trial (of the Chicago 10) that took place during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. It centers around several young activists / leaders who opposed The Vietnam War, including Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman and others. What struck me most was the intensity of the documentary footage used through this half animated half real footage film. Actually seeing someone get bludgeoned with a night stick or hit with tear gas was surreal to say the least. It was also fascinating to watch the dynamics of the protector /authorities face-offs play out.
Though some of the animation seemed a sub-par at times (the court scenes) I’d definitely recommend this one.
This week I’ve been working on some new posters / advertisements for Phase 1. Each poster presents a future consumption possibility pending the success of the branded take-over. I had originally included a lot more text explaining what was going on but then decided to take it out and simply let the image do the talking. These are designed for 16×22 but will probably end up scaling them up quite a bit for print.
I’ve been slapping up more posters around town and need to start hitting up some new neighborhoods. In the mean time I’ve been working on a few more for “Phase 1” of the Anarkon plan which I’ll post soon.
One of my instructors reccomended designing some fold out brochure pieces that could be produced quickly and get the message of Anarkon across in a little more depth than a poster. This week I’ve been working on such an item and have started printing up and folding them down. Pictured here is a 12 x 18 inch piece of paper folded down to 4.5 x 6 inch booklets that give the simple run-down of what Anarkon is all about and why their plan for global domination is “good” for everyone. When all unfolded there is a poster on the back side.
I think I’ll start mailing these and placing them around town when I have it refined just a bit more. As always, the photos aren’t the best, but you get the idea.
Just got some more stickers in the mail from Contagious Graphics. Relatively cheep and they do a good job. As always if anyone would like 1 or 2 (or a handful) let me know and I’ll see what I can do about mailing some to you.
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Just a quick heads up. The gallery I Shot Him shares space with is having an opening reception on Thursday September 4th, 6-9 PM. This installment is called Art of Democracy: War and Empire and will highlight new political art from artist across the country. I’ve seen a few of the pieces waiting to be hung and it looks to be a great installation.
Learn more at Merridian Gallery and come out for the opening on the 4th of September.
This past week I printed and pieced together some actual (not comped) packaging for the Anarkon Basic Gas Mask. I bought the mask from Amazon.com of all places. It’s an Israili Civilian mask and was a mere $30 after shipping. The photos aren’t the greatest but I was pretty happy with how the packaging itself turned out. I made a little warranty card and a product description piece that goes inside.
