Analysing Avant-Gardism in Graphic Design.

Upon researching avant-gardism within the practice of Graphic Design, I found many thought-provoking and powerful examples- most commonly found in advertising, a medium which is showcased globally in both screen and print formats- seen by millions each day. Of course, the originial purpose of avant-gardism was to provoke social or political change, so advertisements, with their wide-spread accesibility seem the perfect format for modern day.

From searching for examples of avant-gardism within Advertising (to which Graphic Design is, of course, applied) I found many examples- though few with truly original, innovative ideas as avant-gardism aspires to- with few examples appearing truly original (with the exception of the advertising from brands such as 'The United Colours of Benetton' with their range of adverts from Olivier Tuscani), though many draw inspiration from previous advertising campaigns to mock or play upon their original ideals to illustrate a "reality" of the brand- away from the ideaologies of the higher-classes or the elite that the brands are advertising their products to. 

I found two examples which particularly interested me- the 'Absolut Impotence' advertisement for Absolut Vodka and the 'Obsession for Women' advert for Calvin Klein- both portraying a "reality" far-detached from the original, glamorous and sophisticated aesthetic for the brands and products.

The Absolut Vodka advertisement showcases the potential reality of the consumption of their product- far from the sexy, glamorous, and youthful image the product portrays- instead, quite the opposite- an unsexy and potentially humiliating reality with the text 

"drink "provokes the desire but takes away the performance" 

written beneath it- not a great advertisement for young men to aspire to- thus, deterring people from the product.

Again, I found the mock-advertisement for Calvin Klein's 'Obsession for Women' to demonstrate a very similar message- one of the reality of the product, highlighting body dysmorphia- the glamourous men and women shown to us in magazines, and in these Calvin Klein advertisements only driving our self confidence to an even lower level- with ridiculous aspirations to look like these airbrushed models- with a warped mindset that this is how we should look.

Both instances, I believe are examples of avant-gardism within graphic design, or, at very least, the closest we can come to achieving avant-gardism. 

Graphic Design, along with most practices within art and design, are built upon the practice of learning from others, developing your skills from what has been taught before us- both of the examples I have analysed take a parodied look at the high glamour aesthetic produce from advertising- an image that has already been created, but in these cases, manipulated to a state of reality.

Whilst the imagery may not be new, the message broadcast can still be challenging, and provoke social change- one of the key elements of the avant-garde.