The quote that I selected this week for my Task 2 Ransom Quote Exercise is:

“Graphic design will save the world right after rock-and-roll does” David Carson.

For me, this quote incapsulates my personal use of graphic design and why I wish to pursue it as a career. I envision graphic design to have as much power as any other artform in terms of expression, if not more powerful due to its common place in general society. Unlike art you would typically only see if you were searching for it, graphic design is visible everywhere you look; the apps you scroll, the sides of the buses and trains you ride to work, the aisles you stroll endlessly deciding what to cook for dinner, so on. Graphic design has such an influence on the consumer that I personally believe it is the modern equivalent to traditional artistry; it is a battle to meet our eyes first before someone else’s work corrupts with alternate definitions. Your work is not limited to the people privileged enough to have access to art galleries, a greater audience than ever before gets to view work in which has been created to sway opinions, to impact societal expectation and attitudes.

Rock and roll developed in the mid 1950’s in the USA from the combination between traditionally White musical styles with emerging Black music styles such as the blues, jazz, gospel and ragtime. This marriage inevitably exploded into an international phenomenon we know today that would not have been possible without the youthful defiance that followed suit due to the music’s rebellious nature. Rock music has been the vessel for cultural and social movements, being associated with political activism, as well as attitudes towards taboo topics of race, sex and drug use, earning rock and roll the honour of being an expression of youth revolt against adult consumerism and conformity. An affective vehicle of change; a reflection of how graphic design can follow in the footsteps of such a successful ancestor (a few times removed but it is all art in the end). 

For me, this quote by David Carson allows for the actual capability of graphic design to shine through by comparing it to such a musical revolution. While the majority may recognise graphic design as nothing more than aesthetic or advertisement, this undermines the true capacity graphic design has to impact humanity. It’s works like the ones of researched in previous weeks that have the ability to influence more than can be conceived. This quote empowers me to be an enforcer of these beliefs and to use my abilities with caution as graphic designers have the future within their figure tips and mouse clicks.