OUGD501 - Study Task 2

Triangulation

David Carson - Pepsi

Pepsi is one of the most famous fizzy drinks sold throughout the world with billions of litres created and sold each year, owned by PepsiCo, a multibillion pound company who also own the likes of Gatorade, Tropicana, Walkers crisps and many others. Over the years and especially recently it has become headline news how the side effects and contents of fizzy drinks can be detrimental to our health, yet sales figures still continue to rise and products are continually expanding.

            These designs for a Pepsi Ad campaign designed by David Carson are a prime example of how conscious advertising and manipulative design can convince and suggest of a beneficial and desirable lifestyle to the audience. On both bottle designs, the phrase ‘I wanna be young’ is clearly visible at initial glance as it is the larger of the typography displayed, however studies have accurately shown ‘that sugar-sweetened soda consumption prematurely ages white blood cells.’ (Leung et al, 2014) It has been confirmed that as a result this ages the skin, just one of the negative health affects that Pepsi has on the consumer, therefore this makes it a product that is sold on a basis of lies through visual form. Backed up within the 1964 First Things First Manifesto it is pointed out that ‘we have reached a saturation point at which the high pitched scream of consumer selling is no more than sheer noise.’ (Garland, 1964)
            This is enforced again in the revisited First Things First manifesto of 2000 where it is explained that ‘The profession‘s time and energy is used up manufacturing demand for things that are inessential at best.’(Lasn, 2000) I do question whether the most influential designers such as David Carson should be breaking these stereotypes of designing for meaningless purposes, using their status to create influential movement. When it is no longer for the purpose of making a living to get by, but to indulge in millions of pounds, when does it become greed?

Meanwhile, in the sensation-hungry design press, in the judging of design competitions, in policy statements from design organizations, in the words of design‘s senior figures and spokespeople (on the few occasions they have a chance to address the public) and even in large sections of design education, we learn about very little these days other than the commercial uses of design. It‘s rare to hear any strong point of view expressed, by most of these sources, beyond the unremarkable news that design really can help to make your business more competitive. (Poyner, 1999)

This quote from Rick Poyner in the First Things First (Revisited) deconstruction enforces my point of how designers seem to be unhappy about designing for unethical and meaningless products but those that are influential enough to change this seem to be the ones advocating it.

Leung, C Laraia, B Needham, B Rehkoph, D, Adler, N, Lin, J, Blackburn, E, Epel, E. (2014). Soda and Cell Aging: Associations Between Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption and Leukocyte Telomere Length in Healthy Adults From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. American Journal of Public Health. 104 (12), p2425-2431.