This blog is the culmination of a series of design experiments, and the introduction to an exploration of the designer as the medium, through which media messages are communicated.

Within the initial stages of this experiment seven graphic designers from around Melbourne were invited to participate. Each participant was supplied with a package containing a series of six boards each with a short brief and accompanying quote from key post-modernist thinkers, asking them to respond visually to their environment. Specifically considering the notion of the simulacrum and the overt pervasiveness of the media image and its effects on the individual. We engaged a small group of designers to initiate a personal exploration of the transient nature of the relationship between image and meaning, responding quickly and instinctively.

This experiment was undertaken as a method of further clarifying the role of the individual within the areas of post-structuralist theory, post-modernist literature and media analysis, communication theory, new media systems and semiotics. These core principles relate to the role of the designer as author and the concept of cultural and technological progression, at all costs.

This is the beginning, please explore the content, contribute to the discussion and help perpetuate the simulacra.

Listen carefully and respond.

If you have any queries please contact us at

info@listencarefully.net

Please have a look through the individual exercises and profiles, in the categories section, for a better understanding of the results.

As the boundary between public and private (space and information) dissolves, the degree to which design can be used to articulate any distinctions remains highly questionable and leads us to question our role in shaping culture within society.

In creating a dialogue about the shift from private to public space, we were able to explore to what extent messages acquire their meaning from the way they are represented and the context within which they appear. By engaging the public in a dialogue and making a private dialogue public we were able to analyse the changing values of the message dependant on its media. This investigates the extent to which messages can be imbued with external meaning and value. This exercise questions the traditional role of designer as cultural messenger and author. Just how does the democratisation of cultural authorship affect the design profession?

The responses from each individual and their interpretations helped us gain an understanding of the current relationship between design, new media, a current obsession with the ‘new’, and the effect of a shift between private and public.
We hope to engage our participants and audience (creative industries and wider community) in the creation of a dialogue around the role of the designer in modern society, and draw attention to the effect of media in shaping the audience’s perception of a message.

These core principles relate to the role of the designer as author, the shift in meaning between private and public, and the concept of cultural and technological progression, at all costs. By challenging the role of media in our society we are taking steps towards defining a framework for the ‘new’ design. By embracing creativity as the defeat of habit and revelling in its inability to be quantified, we reject the new media technological demise of our industry. We seek to address our role in re-shaping the boundaries between private and public, and maintaining our social responsibility.

This design experiment is an introduction to an exploration of the designer as the medium, through which messages are communicated; and forms the beginning of an on-going observation, into the interpretation and perception of messages and how this varys according to context.

Each of the six tasks, within this experiment, was designed to act as a prompt for our seven designers to create individual responses. Participants were asked to interpret a message, in the form of a quote, as a response to a question or task; our expectations were that each designer would create something unique, both reflective of themselves as designers and also as individuals.

Essentially what we were hoping to achieve, was to explore to what extent messages are shaped by their media, and how this meaning differs when interpreted within both private and public contexts.

Our participants are all designers from Melbourne, Australia, from both educational and professional levels of the design industry.

THE TASK

“A photograph is always invisible, it is not it that we see.”

ROLAND BARTHES

EXERCISE
Using the supplied camera (or your own digital camera) take approximately 6–8 photos that represent something personal, about yourself and your environment, relating to your interaction with image and media.

SPECIFICS
Consider colour, form, idea, process, a journey etc. Beyond that we have no expectation of any particular outcome, respond in anyway you like.

ANALYSIS

DESIGNER 00
Type Imposter: A hoax, a fraudulmnt original
A photographic documentation of his proud contribution to the media environment
in his chosen context.
Note: ‘fraudulmnt’ is as it appears on designer’s response.

DESIGNER 01
No response was received.

DESIGNER 02
Although this was intended to be a photographic task, this response focuses more
on the notion of invisible. A clever interpretaion of our own message, the text has been partly blacked out to form a new message.

Invisible. Look Closer.

DESIGNER 03
A photgraphic series of moons.
Clearly, images not generated within the timeframe… BUSTED!
Is this because of a focus more on the aesthetic, rather than the task requirements, or simply time constraints?

DESIGNER 04
A literal interpretation of her environment, a street sign, something hanging
on a wall, a familiar fence, a bookshelf, environmental, which tells us not only
of location, but time of year, and personal items.
An insight into the individual.

DESIGNER 05
Emphasis on the media within her environment, a series of photographs, including
a stack of newspapers, posters/postcards, storage devices, mobile phone, ipod, magazines, and computer. A comment on the disposable media around her.

DESIGNER 06
A personal approach, from big picture, to an intimate detail.
Providing images from cityscape, to personal space, love note, creative outlet, inspiration, something of worth and something treasured.

THE TASK

“As soon as there is language, generality has entered the scene.”
JACQUES DERRIDA

EXERCISE
Use colour to tell a story/narrative.

SPECIFICS
The method by which you use colour to complete this exercise is completely up
to you. Potential methods include: paint, pencil, texta, pantone swatches, found objects, collage, appropriated material, photography etc.

ANALYSIS

DESIGNER 00
Beginning by stating the materials provided, and his chosen language: Sagmeister
as inspiration. Designer 00 has chosen not to use any variance in colour but to write the words imposter and oppps across is chest… Next to a visible scar, this references the self-mutilation implied in the Sagmeister work.
Note: ‘opps’ is as it appears on the designer’s response.
(Perhaps this is a recurring theme)

DESIGNER 01
The board acts as a form, that a colour narrative is built upon. Wrapped in layers around and around and around, brightly coloured ribbons and black thread intertwine creating a unique composition that uses both front and back, with definite beginnings and end.
A colourful reference to narrative!!

DESIGNER 02
A rebellion!
A smashed camera splattered in blood red, signifying destruction, demise, death…
of media? of design? of…

DESIGNER 03
Perhaps a new fashion accessory, or designer trend… the multi-coloured pipecleaner headpiece apparently helps him focus. We think not… but if this is true, where can we get one from? A ‘customised’ creative response, that certainly can’t be classifed as generality.

DESIGNER 04
An instinctual response. She saw red!
An emotional, or perhaps literal interpretation can be understood. The multi layered meanings make this a really interesting response.

DESIGNER 05
A reference to Alan Fletcher, and perhaps the simulacrum. Carrots in any other colour than orange, questions reality, and the representation of.

DESIGNER 06
Fluorescent strips woven between blinds… umm?
A different approach, in that it includes context within the narrative.

THE TASK

“The medium is the message.” 
MARSHALL MCLUHAN

EXERCISE
Collect/illustrate/write/show something of interest
each day for the duration of the project.

SPECIFICS
The intention of this exercise is for you to collect seven items from
your daily existence in seven days, the objects can be anything at all
(preferably jewellery, cash and design books).

ANALYSIS

DESIGNER 00
A personal account of seven consecutive days, a narrative told through a series of objects both shown and implied. The subject (designer) acts as a frame showcasing a range of messages within a variety of media allowing seven individual messages to create a global narrative culminating in a new message, a response to the brief. This response takes the audience on a journey through both mental and physical space and acts as a window into the life of the subject (designer) while exploring the way the recontextualisation of a message inherently alters its perceived meaning.

DESIGNER 01
A beautiful, intricate collection of things. An old and loved feel. It feels very personal, and like we’ve been given something precious. The materials and objects collected seem to tell a story.

DESIGNER 02
This seems so focused on the ‘experience’ the unwrapping of the response, peeling away a layer, giving us a little insight, if we look a little closer, into a documentation/receipt for each day. The final image, hidden within, displays lunch receipts collected over the seven days of the experiment.

DESIGNER 03
An unwanted collection…

Seven received ‘friend’ invitations.
“Fuck off!:
Seven more wankers I want nothing to do with”

DESIGNER 04
Calm and collected… and forgotten about?

DESIGNER 05
Rubber bands, lolly wrappers, 3d glasses, 5c coins, different types of media and design reference books. A literal interpretation of the task, a collection of things, that gives an insight into Designer 05.

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DESIGNER 06
A collection of valuables…

This response has an emphasis on valuable objects within a designer’s personal environment: Design books, cash, event ticket, magazine article, highlighters, Listen Carefully experiment and a cutting mat.

Cheers for the cash and design books, where’s the jewelery though?

THE TASK

“We are no longer a part of the drama of alienation, we live
in the ecstasy of communication. This ecstasy is obscene.” 
JEAN BAUDRILLARD

EXERCISE
Using the stickers provided, comment on a range of image/media/communication within your environment (home/work/life) by writing a single word on the sticker, placing it on your subject and taking a photo of the result.

SPECIFICS
This exercise can take place anywhere, from your house, place of work or even out in public. This is your chance to resist the simulacrum. Respond critically.

ANALYSIS

DESIGNER 00
A cheeky response “writing a single word on the sticker” a comment on status anxiety.

DESIGNER 01
No response was received.

DESIGNER 02
12:00, 8:00 and 4:00. A comment on a life falling out of balance, eight hours
at a time. Commenting on a media experience at eight hour junctures the subject draws attention to a corrupted balance of work, rest and play, one where the movement (or lack thereof) pixels on a screen is the only indication of time passing (away). This somewhat depressing narrative appears to deal with a struggle for balance and poses the question; does the life of a designer involve the marriage to a screen?

DESIGNER 03
A good sense of humour.
The invisible side to the media, the part that’s not exposed, but instantly recognisable. Very clever.

DESIGNER 04
mate/soul
soul/mate

provided digitally, the file naming implied mate comes before soul, perhaps a questioning of the standard. It seems to read soul mate, despite the way in which it appears.

DESIGNER 05

A look at ‘habitual’ media and the ability to desensitize the viewer. A good acknowledgment of the media that saturates our everyday environment.

Posting Your Comment
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DESIGNER 06
Great sequence of images!!
We’ll make the assumption that the sticker is symbolic of the media itself, and the demise of media, or perhaps to look further, the demise of graphic design? Does this create more choice, more individuality, and more warmth?

THE TASK

“What comes first, the image or the identity?”
DAVID BIRCH

EXERCISE
Using only a single piece of the coloured paper, glue and this white board,
create a composition representing yourself.

SPECIFICS
Do not use any equipment to complete this task outside of the provided single
sheet of paper, glue and this board.

COLOURS AVAILABLE
Yellow
Green
Blue
Purple
Orange
Red

ANALYSIS

DESIGNER 00
Blue.
Concertina folded to create a spring, positioned in the centre of the board, with
a cut tab to leave exercise title visible, the tab is then utilised as a part of the composition. Flexible, multi-layered representation of an individual.

DESIGNER 01
Green.
Also concertina folded, but fixed on both ends to create a hemisphere, as visually appealing from the top as it was from the front profile. It creates interesting shadows, solid at the same time as being hollow, and feels sharp and snappy.

DESIGNER 02
Purple.
Unsure whether to peel away a layer, to expose what’s underneath, it feels like what’s visible is meant to be hidden, just an implied impression.

DESIGNER 03
Blue.
A perfectly crafted tea-cup.
Design is important to Designer 03, but dammit… so is morning tea!

DESIGNER 04
Yellow.
It must be love… or is it?
An invitation to embrace something personal shown to a public audience.

DESIGNER 05
Yellow.
A technique acquired through many minties… one continuous strip torn from a single piece of paper. Created something new from an everyday mundane, sheet of paper,
the structure represents a sense of energy.

Posting Your Comment
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DESIGNER 06
Yellow.
A more literal self portrait. Busting out some moves, this little guy implies having a loud voice, energy and a statement to be made.
Don’t try these moves at home kids!

Posting Your Comment
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COLOURS NOT USED
Red
Orange

THE TASK

“Writing is drawing is writing.” 
ALAN FLETCHER

EXERCISE
Use typography to illustrate a range of noises/music/sound found in your current environment (home/work/life).

SPECIFICS
We have no expectation of any particular outcome, respond in anyway you like… within reason.

ANALYSIS

DESIGNER 00
A daunting proposition indeed, the environment/typography here is the question… language is a virus. May we all embrace the lack of a cure.

DESIGNER 01
A seemingly random series of typographic marks that upon further inspection uses the gestalt nature of perception to take the eye on a journey through white space. A typographic Rorschach test that culminates in an explosion of colour framed within a rectangular panel. The nature of this frame leads us to think this submission responds to any environment. A typographic frame that makes visible all noise/music/sound.

DESIGNER 02
Even nuns need to rock out from time to time. Perhaps a representation of a Gregorian band covering metallica? A juxtaposition of meaning through the medium of type, sound and space. While we find it hard to make any assumption as to the locale at which this response took place we feel a sense of confusion as though we are being asked a question to which every answer is correct and every answer is false.

DESIGNER 03
Traffic noise punctuating the private, a collision of the urban environment and personal space. Will some one shut that bloody window… I can’t hear myself think.

DESIGNER 04
A personal response to a period of time. The thick of night, black, gloomy and silent? Company kept in lowercase with a bloody pen. The small uppercase type feels crowed by its environment, struggling to keep the night at bay, only just holding it aloft. Perhaps the response does not equal the experience, a meek gesture towards the vast expanse of a still night?

DESIGNER 05
Where to start.
Distractions abound.
Chaotic inspiration.
Must focus.
You have one new message.
Place it on vibrate.
(maybe… maybe not)

DESIGNER 06
Many fingers have been irreparably scarred at this location, the hazards of long days, late nights, tight deadlines and an abundance of scalpels… the joys of mocking up.

Upon receiving many of our exercises back from the participants the first thing that became evident was the way the packages had been treated (see: Returned packs). The packages had already taken on a life of their own, irrevocably altered though their use, some through careful and delicate treatment and some through complete destruction.

While we endeavoured to distance ourself from this project so as to maintain a level of objectivity when analysing the returned packages it became immediately apparent that we were dealing with a most personal series of expressions. This degree of personality made any truly objective analysis extremely difficult. Whether intentional or not, many of our participants had imbued their response with a degree of individuality that at once shocked and pleasantly surprised us. They had, in many instances, replied to two briefs, the one we provided and the one they provided themselves. The packs became an investigation into identity and image… an exercise in branding, media, the visual narrative and personality.

By asking the participants to respond visually to their environment, specifically considering the notion of the simulacrum and the overt pervasiveness of the media image and its effects on the individual we attempted to standardise the tasks so as to create a framework within which the responses could be re-interpreted. This was highly successful on a number of levels, detailed analysis of the above response summaries in conjunction with an analysis of the blogged comments highlights this duality of visual interpretation and success in drawing attention to the oscillating nature of the message throughout a range of media.

Hypothesising about the nature the creative process in terms of the participants within this project has created an interesting dilemma, that is; there is no way of directly analysing the ‘private’ intentions of the individual. All we can do is eavesdrop into their creative process and hope to glean some (false) understanding, yet as soon as we make an assumption we find ourself staring at the ‘public’ message. It is in this way that the very act of listening carefully sends the private message public, no matter what the intention, the act of viewing and analysing the returned exercises has forever altered and distorted their (sub)conscious intention.

By listening carefully to the results of our participant’s careful listening, we have exposed the transient nature of the media message, investigated the way recontextualising messages via oscillating media forms irreversibly alters their meaning, explored the boundary between private and public messages and above all opened a new doorway, one through which we will continue to listen carefully.