The nature of history is that it is never “complete”, new information is gained every day that changes our understanding an interpretations of history. The mission of Incomplete Design History is to explore areas of graphic design history that are overlooked or ignored; to expand our knowledge in the field and to include all sides of the story. Incomplete design history seeks to be inclusive, inclusive not only of people but of ideas and technologies that advance the field of graphic design. History is messy. History is incomplete.
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José Guadalupe Posada was a Mexican illustrator who worked in lithography and engraving, he was a very prolific image maker who completed an estimated 20,000 illustrations in his lifetime, with themes ranging from Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead illustrations, political cartoons, popular illustrations, and daily life, as well as illustrations for “shocking” crime stories. He was also known to have created illustrations for a number of children’s books in the form of cheaply printed chapbooks with the printer Antonio Vanegas Arroyo, making them accessible to wide audiences. Yet despite his enduring legacy, his contributions are not often discussed in histories of graphic design, yet his story reveals a deep history of image making and mass production of images in Mexico, which includes the foundation of the Taller de Gráfica Popular, a collective founded by Leopoldo Méndez, Luis Arenal, and Pablo O’Higgins. Posada’s popular Day of the Dead icons, such as the Calavera Catrina, have captured the hearts and imaginations of many. Born in 1852 in Aguascalientes, Mexico, he made his way to Mexico City after a devastating flood upended his life. It is perhaps this move that allowed his work to be “discovered” by artists and historians after his untimely death in 1913. Though his work has been recognized by art historians, and he has been honored with a number of posthumous exhibitions of his work around the world, there is still work to be done to include his story in histories of graphic design. His images were geared to popular audiences, and a wide range of people had access to them and enjoyed them in his lifetime.
TIMELINE
1852 - Born, February 2, Aguascalientes, Mexico 1860s - receives drawing instruction Municipal Academy of Drawing in Aguascalientes 1867 - Census records Posada as a Painter 1868 - Begins working with Trinidad Pedroza 1871 - First political Cartoon published in El Jicote 1872 - Pedroza and Posada move to León 1876 - Takes charge of Pedroza print shop 1888 - Moves to Mexico City 1888-90 - collaborates with the newspaper La Patria Ilustrada and the Revisita de Mexico 1910 - The Mexican Revolution begins 1913 - Died, January 20, Mexico City, Mexico 1920 - The Mexican Revolution ends 1937 - Taller de Gráfica Popular, collective founded by Leopoldo Méndez, Luis Arenal, and Pablo O’Higgins
Tyler, R. (1979). Posada’s Mexico. Library of Congress.
Clip Art
Saison 3
jeudi 7 décembre 2023 • Durée 19:49
From its origins in the 1950s from the pages of books to software like MacDraw in the 1980s to CD Roms, and finally moving online in the 1990s, Clip Art’s evolution took place along with that of graphic design. Even though clip art was mostly created by unnamed designers and illustrators and sold in packages or libraries, there are many important figures we know of whose clip art contributed to the history of graphic design. Joan Shogren, an early computer art pioneer and clip art designer; Frank Fruznya, whose iconic clip art defined an era; and Sean Tejaratchi, whose cult hit zine series Crap Hound celebrates Clip Art and visually meditates on social issues. Ultimately, clip art is a misunderstood element of graphic design that holds an essential place in its history. Clip art in many ways paved the way for stock photo and stock illustration use that is common practice among designers today.
TIMELINE
1928 – Tom Tierney born in Beaumont, Texas 1928– Dan X. Solo born 1932 – Joan Shogren born 1941 – Dover Publications founded 1947 – Jean Larcher born in Rennes, France 1949 – Tierney graduates from the University of Austin in Texas, majoring in painting and sculpture 1950s – Clip Art began to be produced in books for commercial sale, such as The Volk Corporation 1951 – Tierney serves in the US Military for 3 years 1952 – Frank Fruznya, prolific Clip Art illustrator, born in Illinois 1953 – Tierney movies to NYC to work as a fashion illustrator 1954 – Art Chantry born 1960s – Tom B. Sawyer created Clip Art for Harry Volk Jr’s Volk & Co’s “Clip Book of Line Art”series 1963 – Shogren designs set of rules to make the first computer art with Jim Larsen and Dr. Ralph Fessenden’s assistance at San Jose Univeristy in California 1963 – “Cybernation” exhibition of early computer art featuring Shogren took place at the San Jose State Partna Book Store 1962 – Solotype founded 1965 – Larcher graduates after studying typographic art at the Paris Chaamber of Commerce 1969 – Artist and illustrator Mitch O’Connell starts to freelance Clip Art illustration for Dynamic Graphics 1970s – Dover begins publishing Clip Art books 1970 – Sean Tejartchi born 1973 – Larcher begins freelance design work 1974 – Fruznya started to work for H&R; then was recruited to work for Dynamic Graphics 1976 – Tierney publishes his first paper doll book, “Thirty from the 30s” which attracted the attention of Dover 1979 – Peter Roizen and Heidi Roizen, brother and sister, co-found T/Maker 1981 – IBM introduces the first personal computer 1983 – Heidi Roizen takes over as president at T/Maker 1983 – ImageWriter printer released1983 – VCN ExecuVision published IBM’s first Clip Art library 1984 – Shogren starts to work for T/Maker for ClickArt 1984 – T/Maker releases ClickArt Publications digital Clip Art collection 1984 – Brad Fregger creates Clip Art for Activision 1984 – Nova Development founded 1984 – MacPaint comes pre installed on Macintosh computers 1985 – “The Year of the Computer” mass production of personal computers helps change the world 1985 – LaserWriter printer is introduced1986 – Graphic Source published Clip Art Books 1986 – Apple introduces the Macintosh Computer 1986 – Mac Plus released 1987 – MacPaint to longer pre installed on Macintosh computers1987 – T/Maker introduced first vector Clip Art made with Adobe Illustrator 1988 – Adobe Systems released Adobe Illustrator 1989 – Company 3G Graphics published “Images with Impact!” 1994 – Crap Hound first published 1994 – Deluxe Corp buys remaining software lines from T/Maker, including ClickArt 1996 – Zedcor was the first company to offer Clip Art images as part of an online subscription service1996 – Microsoft began to include Clip Art in it’s built in libraries 1996 – Animation Factory founded 1998-2001 – T/Makers ClickArt library sold each year due to large mergers and acquisitions to companies like Mattel and The Learning Company1998 – Crap Hound ceases publishing 1999 – Animation Factory sold 2003 – Fruznya quits Dynamic Graphics after anonymously being the Clip Art world’s star illustrator in the 80s and 90s 2005 – Jupitermedia purchased Creatas, now owning all of Dynamic Grapahic’s clip art library 2005 – Tejaratchi begins to publish Crap Hound again 2009 – Jupitermedia went out of business2009 – Fruzyna moves to Paradise, Michigan with his partner to paint 2012 – Solo passes away2014 – Tierney passes away 2014 – Microsoft discontinues it’s Clip Art library in favor of Bing Image Search 2015 – Dat Boi, an Animation Factory asset, becomes an early internet meme 2015 – Larcher passes away
REFERENCES
Yolanda Margarita López
Saison 3 · Épisode 3
jeudi 5 octobre 2023 • Durée 22:06
During the 1960s, the Chicano Movement or "El Movimiento" gave way for Chicano artists, designers, and printmakers to emerge. The Chicano Movement united Chicanos, Americans of Mexican heritage who chose that label, in a new shared identity to fight for social and political empowerment. One of the creatives that made their mark in support of this movement was Yolanda Margarita López, a feminist painter, printmaker, educator, and film producer. She was best known for her works focusing on the experiences of Mexican-American and Chicana women, often challenging the harmful ethnic stereotypes associated with them. López is most known for the Guadalupe series, where she reimagines Our Lady of Guadalupe in the image of the everyday Chicana woman. López was essential to the case of Los Siete de La Raza, or The Seven of the Hispanic Community. In this case, seven Latino youths were falsely accused of killing police officer Joseph Brodnick in San Francisco on May 1st, 1969. The political art and design work she produced in support of the seven falsely accused helped rally the San Francisco community together in support and led to the acquitting of the seven youths. López, through her activism, challenged stereotypes of Chicana women and advocated for the Latino community as well as other marginalized communities over the course of her creative career.
TIMELINE
1942 – Born on November 1 in San Diego, CA 1968 – Third World Liberation Strikes 1969 – Los Siete de La Raza 1971 – Enrolled at San Diego State University 1975 – Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in painting and drawing 1977 – ¿A Donde Vas, Chicana? 1978 – Start of Guadalupe Series 1979 – University of California, San Diego, receiving a Master of Fine Arts 2021 – Yolanda dies of complications from Liver Cancer
Davalos, K.M. (2008) Yolanda M. López. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press.
Black Film Posters
Saison 3 · Épisode 2
jeudi 28 septembre 2023 • Durée 27:16
There is a rich history of Black films and filmmaking in the United States that stems from the history of segregation, which created a need for separate films for separate audiences. Since mainstream Hollywood ignored Black audiences, Black filmmakers took the lead in making all Black or “colored” cast films for their audiences. These films have become known as race films. The goal was to shoot films for and about Black folks that were positive and uplifting, to counteract the stereotyped portrayals of mainstream movies. The era of race films dates from roughly 1912-1950 when following World War II movie theaters began to desegregate, Black culture began to be subsumed by white culture, and Black music, dancing, and other performances began to be seen as profitable by Hollywood studios. Much like mainstream white movies, Black films were advertised and marketed to Black audiences through film posters. In many cases where the original films were not well preserved, all that remains as evidence of these films are posters.
TIMELINE
1912-1950 – Race films were made by Black filmmakers and producers with “All colored cast” 1915 – Deeply racist film, The Birth of a Nation is screened, protests of which leads to the formation of the NAACP 1919 – The Homesteader, first film written by Black Filmmaker Oscar Micheaux 1923 – The Bull-dogger is filmed in Oklahoma by the Norman Manufacturing Company staring Black rodeo performer Bill Pickett 1943 – Some of the first mainstream Hollywood films for Black audiences include Stormy Weather and Cabin in the Sky 1948 – The Betrayal, last film written by Black Filmmaker Oscar Micheaux 1953 – Movie theaters desegregated, resulting from a U.S. Supreme court ruling to desegregate restaurants, though many southern states would hold out for at least another decade. 1971 – Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, the first Blaxploitation film premieres, written and directed by Black filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles 1984 – Art Sims designs film poster for Steven Speilberg’s The Color Purple 1992 – John Duke Kisch published a book on his collection of Black film posters called A Separate Cinema 1995 – Art Sims designs controversial film poster for Spike Lee’s Clockers 1995 – Edward Mapp donates a substantial collection of Black film posters to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences collection in the Margaret Herrick Library2000 – Art Sims designs a controversial film poster for Spike Lee’s Bamboozled, depicting racist stereotypes, which audiences pushed back on, until they realized that designer and filmmaker were Black and the stereotypes were intentionally satirical.2000-2011 – The Mapp Collection, donated to Indiana University by Dr. Edward Mapp of New York City, consists of two series: Film Publicity, 1930-2002 and Films, 1934-2004.2005 – Portions of Mapp's collection of Black-cast film posters toured the country with the Smithsonian’s Traveling Exhibition Service as Close Up in Black: African American Film Posters.2020 – John Kisch’s Collection was purchased by The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
REFERENCES
Edward Gorey
Saison 3 · Épisode 1
jeudi 21 septembre 2023 • Durée 31:51
Edward Gorey was probably best known as an author and illustrator of more than 100 books in his lifetime. Collector's items today, his books have become icons in and of themselves, darkly humorous and humorously dark. The books defied genres and publishers sometimes had a hard time determining how to market them. They were illustrated yes, but the dark and sometimes gruesome tales certainly weren’t children's books. This contribution was undoubtedly significant, but this was not the limit of his career, which included designing book covers, sets, and costumes for theater and ballet (including the Tony award-winning designs for Dracula in 1977), and the illustrations for animations for the PBS Mystery! series, a shortened version of which can still be seen today. Gorey’s book cover designs are often identifiable by his hand-lettered titles, which he claims he did because he didn’t know much about type. Additionally, Gorey was an icon of fashion in the New York scene, he and his extensive collection of fur coats were the subjects of multiple articles on the New York Fashion scene. Yet despite his numerous contributions, he is not mentioned in design or illustration history books, is his absence from the design history canon a result of gatekeeping? Was it because he mostly designed book covers for inexpensive paperback books rather than glamorous hardcovers? Or Possibly because his own work was described by critics as “macabre”, “gothic”, or even “campy”. Or was it because of his association with the LGBT community? Many have speculated about his sexual orientation, even though Gorey was not “out” and he preferred ambiguity only going so far as to admit to an interviewer that he supposed he was gay, but didn’t “identify with it much”.
TIMELINE
1925 – b Chicago, Illinois, as Edward St. John Gorey 1942 – was accepted to Harvard 1942 – Drafted into the Army, served stateside during WWII at the Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah, deferred college entrance 1946 – Begins at Harvard, education is paid for by the G.I. Bill, majoring in French Literature 1953– Hired at Anchor /Doubleday as a book cover designer, moves to NYC 1953 – Publishes first book of his own, The Unstrung Harp 1962 – Founds the Fantod Press to publish his own books 1962-63 – Hired as an art director at Bobbs-Merrill, publisher 1963 – Begins working as a Freelance book designer and illustrator, begins living part-time at the cape1963 – Publishes abecedary, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, along with The Insect God and The West Wing1977 – Designs sets and costumes for Broadway revival of Dracula, wins a Tony award for both1980 – Creates illustrations for animated introduction to PBS Mystery!1983 – Resolves to leave the city (NYC), moves permanently and full-time to the Cape2000 – d Gorey dies at age 752002 – Edward Gorey’s home at the cape becomes a museum, The Edward Gorey House
REFERENCES
Black Panther Newsletter
Saison 2 · Épisode 12
jeudi 1 décembre 2022 • Durée 26:55
The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was founded in 1966 in Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. The Black Panther Party was founded during the turbulent times of the sixties that saw many changes in America. Newton at first led the party with an ideology called their Ten Point Program, and with the idea that arming Black communities was essential for their protection and survival. Through community assistance programs and armed community patrols to prevent police brutality, the Black Panther Party sought to protect and uplift their communities, stepping in where the government had failed them. In order to promote their party’s ideals, generate revenue, and recruit new members, the Party began publishing the Black Panther newspaper. It grew from 4 pages to 32, adding color and better design under the direction of Emory Douglas who was the Black Panthers’ Minister of Culture and the paper’s editor. Douglas’s skills as a graphic designer and illustrator produced the imagery that would define not only the Black Panther Party but the entire Black Power movement. The success of the paper grew, had distribution across the United States, and later reached other countries as well. Internal strife among leadership and members, as well as extensive government interference, led to the crumbling of the Black Panther Party. With it went their iconic newspaper that for over a decade was a visual record of the Black Panther Party, the Black Power movement, and the struggle for civil rights.
TIMELINE
1827 – Freedom’s Journal first published 1936 – Robert George Seale was born in Liberty, Texas 1942 – Huey Percy Newton is born in Monroe, Louisiana 1943 – Emory Douglas was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan 1960 – Emory Douglas started studying Graphic Design at City College of San Francisco 1963 – Martin Luther King Jr delivers “I Have A Dream” speech 1965 – Lowndes County Freedom Organization was founded by Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Alabama 1966 – Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale met in Oakland, CA, and founded The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense 1966 – BPP developed survival programs 1967 – California Governor Ronald Regan signed Mulford Act 1967 – Sale and Newton established the BPP first headquarters in Oakland, CA 1967 – Black Panther Intercommunal News Service1967 – Newton was shot and jailed after a standoff with a police officer1967 – Emory Douglas met Newton and Seale and joins the BPP1967 – David Hilliard, BPP chief of staff, first arrested for selling the Newspaper1968 – Kerner Commission publishes findings on potential race war; faults white institutions1968 – Martin Luther King Jr assassinated, race riots erupt across USA 1968 – Newton was convicted of manslaughter for killing a police officer 1970 – FBI memo says circulation for BPP Newspaper was 139,000 a week1970 – Newton was released due to his conviction being overturned on appeal1971 – Newton shifts BPP focus to community programs, leadership is challenged by other part members 1971 – Newton expels 21 members, the “panther 21” over rumors of kidnapping and fratricide; also expels Eldridge Cleaver over suspicions of assassination through letters1971 – Cleaver’s followers tied up Sam Napier in NY distribution office for the BPP newspaper and shot him, set fire to office1974 – Netwon fled to Cuba on accusations of murdering a prostitute, Elaine Brown takes over as leader of BPP1974 – End of BPP1977 – Newton returns to California to stand trial for the murder of a prostitute1978 – Jonina Abron takes over as editor of BPP Newspaper 1980 – Last year BPP Newspaper is published
REFERENCES
Harmon Foundation
Saison 2 · Épisode 11
jeudi 24 novembre 2022 • Durée 17:50
In 1922 William Harmon, a white real estate mogul from Ohio, started the Harmon foundation which, among other things, supported Black artists. His hope for the foundation was that it would help these artists gain recognition and help them to sell their work, regardless of their skin color. The foundation organized exhibitions and awards for Black artists, all with the explicit intent to stimulate their success. Despite its good intentions, the foundation met with criticism from the Black community. The work the foundation did was seen as patriarchal and fulfilling a “white savior” complex rather than effecting real change and achieving equity. While it can be argued that the Harmon Foundation did a lot to support Black artists, one of the main criticisms is its role in maintaining the segregation of Black artists. Harmon Foundation exhibits featured Black artists alongside other Black artists, instead of integrating with white artists. The foundation's awards were also juried by white judges who selected winners based on a white ideal of excellence rather than understanding the work and its value or role in Black culture. While the Harmon Foundation’s efforts weren’t always welcome, it still spent 45 years promoting Black artists, helping them gain well-deserved attention and recognition.
TIMELINE
1862 – b Ohio, William E. Harmon 1887 – Founds Harmon National Real Estate Company 1922 – Harmon Foundation is founded 1925 – Harmon Foundation begins issuing cash awards for distinguished achievement in a number of fields, including fine arts 1925 – Harmon Foundation supports the Religious Motion Picture foundation 1928 – William Harmon dies 1928-33 – Harmon Foundation recognized as first to give national recognition to achievements of African Americans 1933-36 – Harmon Foundation supports films: “The Negro and Art” and “We Are All Artists” 1935 – Artist Romare Beardon accused the foundation of “coddling artists and lowering artistic standards” 1935 – The Harlem Artists Guild founded, to support artists and to pressure the Federal Arts Project to accept more African-American participants 1935 – Harmon National Real Estate Company becomes one of the largest real estate companies in the world 1936 – Harmon Foundation sponsors films: “What Africa Is”, “How Africa Lives”, and “From Fetishes to Faith”.1938-41 – Harmon Foundation supports film series: “The African Motion Picture Project”1969 – ‘Harlem on My Mind, 1900-1968’ exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, opens to criticism for absence of Black curators or consulting the Harlem community1967 – Harmon Foundation ceases operations
REFERENCES
Poster Design of the Islamic Revolution
Saison 2 · Épisode 10
jeudi 17 novembre 2022 • Durée 29:05
Posters as political tools are nothing new. In the Middle East, two revolutionary movements led to some of the most potent and vibrant posters in design history. The Iranian Revolution and the expulsion of Palestinians due to civil war and the continued fight to reclaim Palestinian homelands from Israel. These posters effectively gave voice to the struggles of ordinary people resisting the influence and meddling of various Western powers. For Iran, that meant keeping the dream of an Islamic state free and independent from Western countries that had been trying for decades to install a democratic government. And once so much of Palestine had been taken over by Israel, the Palestinian resistance fought back with ideas as well as guns. Using powerful graphic imagery common to each of their respective cultures, like calligraphy, Islamic iconography, and the colors red, black, white, and green, resistance posters of both movements kept the fire of resistance burning brightly. The Iranian Revolution effectively concluded once the Shah of Iran was overthrown and power consolidated under the rule of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. Palestine wasn’t so lucky. While their resistance began much earlier than Iran’s, their fight still isn’t over and their resistance posters have continued, spilling over into the digital domain in a continued effort to reclaim their native homeland.
TIMELINE
1908 – Prince Yusuf Kamal founded the School of Fine Arts in Cairo, Egypt 1917 – Britain made Balfour Declaration to establish Palestine as a place for Jewish people 1921 – Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq declared independence from Britain 1922 – Egypt declared independence from Britain 1934 – University of Tehran Founded in Iran 1941 – Syria declared independence from France 1943 – Lebanon declared independence from France 1945 – End of WW II; Britain hands matter of Palestine to the USA 1948 – 750,000 Palestinians were forced to leave their homes due to Israeli takeover 1947 – United Nations Partition of Palestine, followed by Civil War in Palestine (Arab-Israeli War) 1948 – British completely withdrew from Palestine, and Israeli statehood declared 1949 – Syria's president Husni al-Za’im overthrown by a military coup 1950-54 – Designer & Artist Ismail Shammout attends the University of Cairo 1950s – Saqqakhana Group formed 1951 – Libya declared independence from France1952 – Egyptian Monarchy overthrown by Free Officers Coup1953 – USA and UK leaders helped to install Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi (overthrew Democratically elected Prime Minister Mossadegh) 1956 – Sudan declares independence from France, Israel attacked Egypt (Six Days War) 1958 – Iraq Monarchy overthrown, Shammout studies in a private graphic design workshop in Berlin, Egypt and Syria form the United Arab Republic1959 – Yasser Arafat founded The Palestinian National Liberation Movement1963 – Algeria declares independence from France1965 – The Peoples Mojahedin Iranian organization was founded at the University of Tehran1967 – Palestine National Liberation Movement joins the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) 1977- Iranian Revolution begins; Mostafa Khomeini, eldest son of Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini, dies of an unknown cause at age 47; Protest & violent, repressive response cycles begin in dozens of Iranian cities. 1978 – Cinema Rex Fire in Tehran; 477 Iranians killed in fire. 1978 – Black Friday, where government tanks and helicopters opened fire on 1,000+ protestos in Tehran1979 – On Jan. 16, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi fled Iran ; On Feb. 1st, Ayatollah Khomeini started The Islamic Republic of Iran as its leader. 1982 – PLO expelled from Lebanon, Israeli invasion of Lebanon1988 – Palestinian Declaration of Independence
REFERENCES
Sylvia Harris
Saison 2 · Épisode 9
jeudi 10 novembre 2022 • Durée 28:29
Sylvia Harris has been described as a public designer, her own words, and a citizen designer, but whatever you want to call it, Harris was dedicated to designing for the good of the people. She was committed to creating designs that helped people to navigate their world. Harris grew up in Richmond, Virginia where she experienced the desegregation of her school, which likely had a significant impact on her entire life. As a Black designer who was educated and entrenched in modernist design practices, created by western and European “elite” designers, she sought to discover what the Black aesthetic in America was for herself, and she shared her findings with the world. Her work ranges from the redesign of the US Census in 2000, which succeeded in creating a design that resulted in a larger number of responses that were more complete and accurate, to the design for the ACLU’s initial brand design. Sylvia Harris is a designer who can teach us a lot about what it is to be a Black designer in America, where to possibly look for Black designers in graphic design history, as well as what it means to create design for good.
TIMELINE
1953 – b Richmond, Virginia 1959 – State of Virginia is officially desegregated, the state continued to fight desegregation and was not fully desegregated until 1970 1971 - Entered Design school 1975 - Graduates from Virginia Commonwealth University where she was a student of Philip Meggs 1975 - Works for WGBH design department in Boston alongside, Chris Pullman, an AIGA Medalist 1980 - Graduates from Yale with MFA in design 1980 - Founds 212 Associates with David Gibson & Juanita Dugale 1993 - Hired to redesign the Census (design released in 2000) 1994-1997 - Serves on AIGA board of directors 1994 - Leaves 212 to found her own company Sylvia Harris, LLC 1996 - Publishes What is it? Searching for the Black Aesthetic in American graphic design 2000 - Design census released 2011 - Rebrands her company to focus on “Citizen Research & Design” 2011 - Untimely death, complications due to heart failure she was 57 2014 - posthumously awarded AIGA Medal
There is a long history of racism behind famous brands, characters, and design that often goes unnoticed. Blatantly racist caricatures began with minstrel shows and the use of blackface, where white actors would use black makeup and overdrawn lips to depict Black people. These drove stereotypes that would be used in film, television, and branding. White actors depicted other minorities in an ill manner. From Mickey Rooney playing a Japanese man, Mr. Yunioshi, to Claudia Cardinale playing Indian Princess Dala, actors continued to manipulate their physical features to display the American audience’s ideas of these different ethnicities. Cartoons like Disney’s Peter Pan used Indigenous stereotypes for its character Tiger Lily and her tribe of Piccaninny, along with the song “What Makes the Red Man Red?” Big production companies such as Disney and Warner Bros. are guilty of distributing offensive caricatures that poorly reflect Black, Asian, Indigenous, and other ethnic groups. Brand mascots like Aunt Jemima were created to uphold the mammy stereotype, a Black woman who is subservient to white people and their children. She was meant to contain white anxieties about increasing the mobility of Black people within spaces of mass production and consumption post-emancipation. At this time other brand mascots like Rastus for Cream of Wheat and Uncle Ben’s Rice similarly demeaned Black men. Ethnic mascots are also very popular in sports, primarily mascots of Indigenous American men who are shown as savages. It’s only been since 2020 that brands have started to shift away from these racist images but the damage of BIPOC caricatures lingers.
TIMELINE
1833 – One of the first examples of blackface, in Bowery Theatre, New York, Thomas Darmouth Rice played the caricature Jim Crow 1889 – Aunt Jemima brand was first introduced and featured mascot/character as a stereotype of a mammy 1893 – Cream of Wheat launched using a mascot named Rastus, a term used for Black men who were depicted as simple-minded 1904 – first US stage production of Peter Pan features white actress, Margaret Gordon as Tiger Lily 1927 – posters of advertising performances of Joesphine Baker by Paul Colin: ‘La Revue Negre, feature racist stereotypes: Black figures with large red lips and overly sexualized depictions of Baker 1928 – Land O’Lakes butter premieres with a sexualized mascot/character of a Indegnous women called Mia1935-36 – Shirley Temple appears in blackface and clothing which depict the ‘mammy’ caricature in The Littlest Rebel’ and dances on a stage with two men in blackface in ‘Dimples’1940 – Tom and Jerry cartoon introduces a character named Mammy Two Shoes, a heavyset Black woman who was responsible for taking care of the house1947 – Florida State adopted the name Seminoles 1953 – Disney version of Peter Pan , the tribe of Piccaninny are designed to play the exotic and savage trope and performs the song, “What Makes the Red Man Red?”1961 – white actor Mickey Rooney plays a Japanese man, Mr. Yunioshi, in Breakfast at Tiffany’s1978 – FSU Seminoles began a new tradition: At home football games a Seminole warrior would ride a horse onto the field, known as Chief Osceola and Renegade2013– Daniel Synder, owner of the football team The Washington Redskins, vowed to never alter the name or imagery2019 – the Cleveland Indians and MLB made the decision to remove native caricature Chief Wahoo from their brand2020 – Aunt Jemima is retires and the company rebrands to become Pearl Milling Company2020 – B&G Foods announced they were removing the Rastus character from Cream of Wheat2020 – during a rebrand Mia is removed from Land O’Lakes packaging2020 – Washington Redskins announced name change and logo retirement
REFERENCES
Arntson, Amy E. (1988). Graphic Design Basics. Saunders College Publishing.
Borrell, J. (1988, January). Verbatim: An Interview With Heidi Roizen. MacWorld, 74–86.
Boudrot, T. (1989, October). New Graphics Take the Rough Edges Off Clip Art. Electronic Learning, 9(2), 54–56.
Cripps, M. T. &. (2022, October 19). Close-Up in Black: African-American Films Posters from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Apparent First Edition). Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Kisch, J., Nourmand, T., Lee, S., Gates, H. L., & Doggett, P. (2014, September 18). Separate Cinema: The First 100 Years of Black Poster Art (First Edition). Reel Art Press.
McCluskey, A. T. (2003). Director’s Notes: Imaging Blackness, 1915-2002: Exhibit Documents Black Hollywood through Film Posters. Black Camera, 18(2), 1–2. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27761620
Mapp, E., & McCluskey, A. T. (2003). An Interview with Dr. Edward Mapp: A Passion for Collecting Black Film. Black Camera, 18(2), 1–10. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27761621
Martin, M.. (2018). GALLERY: Poster Art as Cultural Labor in the Cinematic Archive of Claire Denis. Black Camera, 10(1), 144–155. https://doi.org/10.2979/blackcamera.10.1.08
Reid, M. A. (2005, March 17). Black Lenses, Black Voices: African American Film Now (Genre and Beyond: A Film Studies Series) (Edition Unstated). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Petermann, E. (2018). The child's death as punishment or nonsense? Edward Gorey's "The Gashlycrumb Tinies" (1963) and the cautionary verse tradition. Bookbird, 56(4), 22. doi:https://doi.org/10.1353/bkb.2018.0062
Schneider, R. (2020). Start of a Decade: "Camp Leaders" The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide, 27(1), 4–4.
Alkebulan, P. (2012). Survival pending revolution: The history of the Black Panther Party. The University of Alabama Press.
Berry, A. H., Collie, K., Laker, P. A., Noel, L.-A., Rittner, J., & Walters, K. (2022). The black experience in design: Identity, Expression & Reflection. Allworth Press.
Carroll, F. (2017). Race News: Black journalists and the fight for racial justice in the Twentieth Century. University of Illinois Press.
Carroll, F. J. (2011). Race News: How black reporters and readers shaped the fight for racial justice, 1877-1978 (thesis). Fred Carroll, Ann Arbor, MI.
Duncan, M. (2016). Emory Douglas and the art of the black panther party. Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men, 5(1), 117–135. https://doi.org/10.2979/spectrum.5.1.06
Fagan, B. (2018). The Black Newspaper and the Chosen Nation. The University of Georgia Press.
FEARNLEY, A. M. (2018). The Black Panther Party's publishing strategies and the financial underpinnings of activism, 1968–1975. The Historical Journal, 62(1), 195–217. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0018246x18000201
Kifner, J. (1998, May 2). Eldridge Cleaver, Black Panther Who Became G.O.P. Conservative, Is Dead at 62. New York Times, pp. 8–8.
Michaeli, E. (2018). The defender how the legendary Black Newspaper Changed America: From the age of the pullman porters to the age of obama. Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Morgan, J.-A. (2020). The Black Arts Movement and the Black Panther Party in American Visual culture. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
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