CTS//Globalisation & International Perspectives Seminar.

CTS SEMINAR//GLOBALISATION & INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
Notes from today's seminar with Richard this morning.


- Deep relevance to Western Graphic Design.
- Relevance to practice.
- Cultural and Economical- Spreading one culture across the world (US over the world), forced expansion and domination of one culture/The spreading of an economic system to the world, forced economic expansion of one country to another.
- Innocent and McDonalds- 'McDonaldisation', the logo of American culture (G. Ritzer).
- Globalisation, Neo- Imperialism, Neo- Liberalism (new form of Capitalism).
- Expansion of American cultures and economics.
- POLITICS- struggles are fought and lost.
- The designer's role is an interesting one, we are part of the Western system.
- FIRST THINGS FIRST MANIFESTO... What should the designer do in response to this? Should we be more ethical? Anti- capitalist.
- AdBusters design should be doing something to counteract capitalism.
- Perpetuate the expansion of capitalism.
- END OF HISTORY (Fukuyama)... Argued after the fall of the Soviet Union (Communism), history has ended- the process of society developing had finished. Capitalism was now perceived as the "perfect solution"- no other social system forever.
- Post colonialism (West vs East), The colonised are fighting back to the colonisers.
- Che Guevara, giving a voice to the repressed.
- Anti- Capitalist movement, eco activists.
- Mechanism put in place after WWII- WTO/IMF/G8 (Organisational bodies secure capitalism as an economic system to spread throughout the world)... International Monetary Fund, G8, Bail out weaker economic systems.


- Is there such a thing as non-Western Graphic Design? (Inverse of this same argument)
- INTERNATIONALISM
- New typographic style
- Sans serif, neutral (one language for all)
- FAST FOOD LIVING, we want everything and we want it NOW.
- Destruction of difference.


Definitely thinking of taking my dissertation in more of a capitalist/ethics direction now. I feel it's something I could get really interested, and passionate about, as well as having a lot of academic sources and theorist to refer to, which weren't quite as evident in the sustainability subject matter I focused on beforehand. Really looking forward to getting started now!