This week we were begun work on Part III, Manifestos. I wasn’t too sure about how I could write a manifesto but after gaining a better understanding of what a manifesto entails and looking at some examples, I became more confident and intrigued.
The first example I read was Riot Grrrl Manifesto by Kathleen Hanna.
I really liked the content and ideas portrayed in the manifesto and found that the visual and written language helped articulate these ideas well. The choice of font and imagery articulates a societal disruptive poster or flyer, meant for the mass of the public. The manifesto’s font and imagery is loud and bold in the page, creating a sense of yelling to highlight injustice; to start a riot.
The next manifesto I read was Liminal Reality Manifesto by Anna Bredow.
This one was almost written as a poem. The writing was poetic and brief with the use of repetition which helped in articulating the idea that of questioning what is reality and what isn’t. The title and layout is a main focal point in communicating these ideas also. The blank/negative space around the title speak louder than the words. The briefness, unfinished and partialness of the text and the title correlate with the idea of unknowing and disorientation between reality and fiction.
I also read Meta Manifesto by Annika Engelhardt.
This manifesto was written in an instructional manner. There are two sets of instructions (one for the author of a manifesto, the other for the reader of a manifesto) that are separated by orientation but linked through the casual hand drawn imagery on top of the writing. The combination of formal instructions and casual, almost editorial visual markings not only create a sense of communication between the author and the reader, but also the create a sense that the author is writing it to herself and the manifesto is the author’s thought process of a manifesto.
Another manifesto I also read this week was Pool of Ideas by Maria Eugenia Araujo.
I found the content and ideas discussed in the Pool of Ideas manifesto very fascinating and thought provoking. The manifesto is laid out into a set of definitions/explanation/rules/facts about the Pool of Ideas and is supported by a more in-depth explanation. The visual language of the title communicates how ideas come about, relate with one another and exist together through the the squiggly font of a range of sizes overlapping with each other. Each letter and word exist within the jumble of squiggles, it’s just about selecting where to look and what to ignore in order to make sense of it.
The last manifesto I read was The New Dogma of Video Blogging by Marianna Nikulshina.
Although very simple and brief, this manifesto communicates its idea well. The manifesto is a response to the increase in video blogging through a comedic set of rules/steps in order to become a video blogger. This not only communicates the subject of the manifesto, but it also articulates Nikushina’s opinion about the subject. The font of the title has a pixelated effect, relating to the digital aspect of video blogging.
After we had spent some time reading the manifestos ourselves, we worked in groups to discuss and analyse how the tone, layout and visual language of some of the manifestos communicate their point and purpose.
Spatial Design by Ciara 