Assignment 2: Research Task 1. Posters -First Things First

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Public domain, for example http://www.designishistory.com/1960/first-things-first/ First published in 1964

For this task we are asked to research a theme within posters and graphic design, following our interests based on the history of graphic design. Reading through the articles in the course materials, I was particularly interested by the postmodern era and its impact on graphic design, and specifically the First Things First manifestos which began with Ken Garland’s initiative in 1963/1964 and has now seen three subsequent iterations. 

When I studied Theology in the early 1990s Modernist thought still underpinned certain areas such as the literary and historical analysis of the Biblical texts, but increasingly postmodernism was growing more influential, especially in areas such as Liberation Theology, Feminist Theology and Eco Theology, all of which had developed out of European/American cultural influences of the 1960s and 1970s. During that time there was more openness than previously to listening to the poor of Latin America, for example, and so theological horizons grew broader. In terms of epistemology, it had become, by the early 1990s, very hard to make any claim to the existence of objective truth or reality. Happily we seem to have moved beyond that preoccupation in recent years. However, this educational grounding, as well as personal experience, has made me more aware and predisposed towards marginalised groups. More recently the climate crisis has raised everyone’s awareness of the need for ethical practice. 

Therefore, when I read about the First Things First manifesto, I was immediately intrigued. The image above shows the manifesto as it was published in 1964. The drive to work ethically and for good causes rather than add fuel to the fire of consumerism resonates with me. As a monk in the Celtic Christian tradition, I share with my fellow Community members the principle of a simple lifestyle, living counter-culturally in resistance to the structural sin of consumerism. We stand against the economy of scarcity and constant growth, believing in abundant provision for all if we prioritise each other’s needs rather than our own wants. Consumerism breeds the culture of ‘always on’ relentless busyness, forever trying to keep up with ever growing demands. 

First Things First" by colindunn is licensed under CC BY 2.0

The second iteration of the First Things First manifesto arrived on the scene in 2000, having been launched by Adbusters magazine in 1999. Rick Povnor, who was instrumental in getting signatories to the 2000 version, points out that this version was much more overtly anti-consumerist:

The 2000 version had a similar structure to the original, while broadening its target from advertising to marketing and brand development. Its language and argument brandish the fiery worldview Adbusters had spent a decade cultivating. By their actions, designers were supporting “a mental environment so saturated with commercial messages that is changing the way citizen-consumers speak, think, feel, respond and interact.” Graphic design had helped to construct “a reductive and immeasurably harmful code of public discourse.” Consumerism was “running uncontested” and designers should help to challenge it. (Provnor, R, 2021).

He goes on to say that Ken Garland, despite having signed the 2000 manifesto, later distanced himself from the more overtly anti-advertising stance of this manifesto. 

There was a good deal of controversy around this publication, with accusations of hypocrisy and much debate about the nature of graphs design, what it’s for, and whether it can be seen as value-free or whether designers whose work promotes smoking, for example, could be held to be in any part responsible for its harmful effects (Wikipedia (2), accessed 16/12/2021). Again, Provnor adds an incisive comment in the form of a quote from Dietmar Winkler:

…the alleged hypocrisy of a few signatories caused intense annoyance with some readers. “Isn’t it embarrassing to see a handful of self-appointed design practitioners and educators, totally vested in the security of the stock market, privilege, and the tenure system, speak as prophets for such a complicated and complex world?” wrote Dietmar Winkler, director of the school of art and design at the University of Illinois, in a reply to Adbusters.(Provnor, R, 2021).

 

https://firstthingsfirst2014.net/


The next issue of First Things First was published in 2014 to mark the 60th anniversary of the original manifesto. It’s debatable whether or not this and the subsequent 2020 version can be classed as posters, given that, as was not the case with earlier versions, these two have been launched primarily online. In fact the 2014 version had a particular focus on design in the digital age.This version received 1800 signatories online However, it has since been surpassed by the 2020 manifesto.

https://www.firstthingsfirst2020.org/


As well as continuing the broadening definition of graphic design to include marketing, brands, and, crucially, the manufacturing of demand, the 2020 iteration of First Things First has, in my view, outgrown both its original remit as defined by Ken Garland, and any possibility of being defined as a poster, unless the genre is stretched to its outer limits. The 2020 manifesto is not only internationally accessible and open to anyone to sign, but it is evolving, with contributions adding to and changing what it is in hitherto unpredictable ways. The 1964 manifesto, as published in The Guardian, can be captured as a static image that is not subject to change. This cannot be said of the 2020 version - it can only be captured at a particular date and time, with the expectation that a future visit might yield different material. 

Despite this, there is an integrity to the four iterations of First Things First, which, in terms of written content, share a common format and, to a large extent, a common impetus. However, studying this progression is a microcosm for the revolution brought about by online and digital design. What could once have taken a static form, not subject to change, is now amorphous and not within the creators’ sole control as to how it might evolve and change far beyond their original intentions. Whilst practitioners do all they can to hold onto their intellectual property, design is now unfixed and collaborative, without the choice of collaborators necessarily known to or chosen by the originator. 

So what is a poster in 2021? Is it merely a historical artefact? Posters haven’t entirely disappeared from our towns and cities, but increasingly we see flat screens with moving images and successions of eye catching information. First Things First began as a poster published by a national newspaper. That avenue of communication would have only been open to a very few. Ken Garland, as much as he sounded countercultural, did apparently occupy a position of privilege. Now First Things First is an interactive website to which anyone with access to the internet can add. In later life Ken Garland distanced himself from the evolving manifestos and perhaps was unhappy with the ongoing life of what he had birthed. In this digital age designers must either embrace impermanence or not be heard. 


References:
https://firstthingsfirst2014.net/

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