Topic

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Virtues vs sins: explorations in propaganda design.
Developing conceptual approaches and media awareness.

As people reach their junior year, they begin to identify the grey zones in concepts: that there may be more than two sides to any issue. These people are ready to explore the concepts of paradigms and the nuances that exist when paradigms of values and ideals collide and interact.

As a catalyst for a creative exploration into printmaking and the power of persuasion, students are challenged to explore the concepts of virtues and sins. These can be arranged and understood as paradigms of paradoxical ideals.

The Concept:

You will explore and attempt to locate your values along the spectrum of any ONE of the following paradigms:
lust (or extravagance) vs chastity
gluttony vs temperance
greed vs charity
sloth vs diligence
wrath vs patience
envy vs kindness
pride vs humility

Gather evidence and identify patterns found in such things as:

• imagery, popular and art work (art history)
• language we use (lyirics, books, news)
• Your history, your stories
• how other cultures, loved ones or acquaintances relate to the more general or specific nature of your query.
• interview a family member for their understanding, stories and/or examples.

Present your informaiton in an infographic (see http://piktochart.com)

write a reflection that draws out the conclusions you made from your research.

Propaganda Model:

Taking a side along this spectrum, you will create your own progragana poster to promote your position. indoing so to prepare lets examine the nature of propaganda in this class activity.

• Next, explore the nature of propaganda. Where is the line that separates art from propaganda?
• As a team, work together to explain the nature of propaganda, using three artists from three different cultures to explain how they used artful propaganda to persuade.
• examine posters from WWI and WWII, from Russia, America, Canada, Japan. Explore the art of Bosco, Goya, Otto Dix (trench war art), Jacques Louis David, Greek Architecture, Jenny Holtzer, Anselm Kiefer, James Nachtwey, Edward Burtynsky, & JR.
• Create a short keynote to defend and explain propganda art. You should share with the class eight to ten images. Describe the aesthetics of one in greater depth.

Graphic Design:

Poster art has been around for centuries. From hand drawn posters to Chinese serigraphs, wood blocks, etchings, collographs, lithography and now digital. For students to gain depth of understanding of the nature of printmaking, its potential and challenges, students will create their poster by combining traditional printmaking media with digital. 

In your Art Journal: include plans and thumbnails of potential poster designs as well as strategies for executing the poster. Show consideration for which medium will work best to bring out your imagery and what imagery (i.e. text) to leave for design software.

inDesign:

Assuming that they will have Photoshop skills from a previous unit, students will also spend time learning inDesign.

When printed, you will scanyour print into inDesign and integrate the images with their text, making appropriate font choices and using principles of design to select their most potent compositional strategy.

Critique and Reflection:

Students will create a 300 word reflection on the journey they had in self-exploration and investigating the perceptions of others.

Students will generate a questionnaire seeking feedback on the effectiveness of their design’s form, content and meaning. This questionnaire would be completed by all of their classmates. In review of the questionnaire responses, students would have an opportunity to go back and edit their design.