Politically Informed Design

Jessica Alba in 'Declare Yourself' photo by: Mark Lidell

One of the types of political branding that effects design the world over is the issue of voting. Many countries still don't have a fair voting system, the right to vote or any form of voting at all. However in countries like New Zealand and the States we have a fair and democratic right to vote.


A campaign in which politically informed design was evident was the 'Declare Yourself' campaign of the United States, which reached full peak in late 08 and early 09. The campaign was to try and get young people of the voting age to register to vote. It featured many celebrities including Jessica Alba as pictured above. The images were designed so that the models in them were 'silenced' this was usually due to bonds or gags. The slogan was 'only you can silence yourself'.


I think that the campaign was well designed and represented/tried to combat an important issue currently in our world, because as mentioned above many countries do not have a fair voting system or any form of democracy.


The design itself is a play on these issues, because in some countries it is not uncommon for people with differing political opinions to be silenced.

Who is Ashleigh the designer?

Hat design showcasing my own design background

It is a very strange question to be asked 'who are you as a designer' and many people will sit around and wonder exactly how best to answer that. I am an 18 year old female of New Zealand European decent. Does this mean that my designs would be influenced by my European heritage? I admit I love Gaelic designs and find them very appealing and I have used them in designs before. But I feel no patriotism to my Anglo-Irish Scottish heritage and I view myself as a New Zealander.

I lived in Australia for some time and I love the aboriginal culture there. Their depictions of animals are as beautiful as they are unique and perhaps this will come into play during my life as a designer one day. I lived in Australia as my father was a member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force and he had been posted there. My mother too has served in the defence force although she was in the Army. So my background has been full of exposure to military lifestyles and inspired my love for aviation. Aviation and things to do with that will shape who I am as a designer as there is a lot to be gained from not just the sky and planes but from the emotions that they evoke in me.

Another strong influence that shapes who I am as a designer is my education so far. I spent 5 years studying Fashion Design at college. I learnt about how textures correspond to one another, about colours and about proportions and geometry of the human body. In my experiences of first year design here at Vic I have used some of the things I learnt and they have been to good use. So I find that applying this textile knowledge has given me something unique to put forward and showcase.

Technology and Progess: The Bauhaus

Some particular philosophies stood out for me when looking at the Bauhaus and my own experiences with the School of Architecture and Design (SOAD). I have only been studying at the school since the start of semester 2 and have never done anything in the field of design apart from textile design, which is very different.

Things I noticed when I first arrived at the School were that Lecturers and Tutors try their best to make you think outside the square. The Design course 141 is especially adherent to the philosophies that Johannes Itten brought to the Bauhaus. The Lecturer encourages all the students to feel and view materials which would be used in design in a more abstract and interesting way and accepts their perceptions of these, especially through the use of photography. This is similar to Itten who believed that everyone's perceptions were different.

I also think that the SOAD has a strong connection with modern technologies linking progression and forward thinking with digitization. My understanding is that the School encourages students to use different technologies to create exciting compositions and designs. Much like the ideals that Maholy-Nagy had. However like Maholy-Nagy the school doesn't put the focus of the composition on the technology rather encourages the use of technology to produce innovative ideas.

Also like Maholy-Nagy it seems that the School is interested in the designing of 3D compositions and objects and the exploration of the spaces around and inside materials. For example when walking into the school for the first day of semester 2 the ground floor was filled with composition boxes made of wood. They were carved differently and all showed spatial exploration.