Graphic Design Analysis

In 1993 Jeffery Keedy made the following statement;

"The idea of borrowing in Graphic design is so pervasive that it's often done unconsciously. What is needed is awareness of what crossing cultural/historical barriers actually means, as well as an understanding of the importance of context"

It is a fair comment to make that borrowing in graphic design, as well as in almost all other areas of design is ubiquitous. Whether this is a good or bad thing could be argued at length, but generally it is widely accepted as the norm. While it seems that borrowing from another designer, culture or era lacks ingenuity and innovation, it could be argued that it is simply a form of appraisal and ratification. While both are very fair points, It
may be that the borrowing is neither a good nor a bad thing, but a mixture of both. It becomes clear, when looking in more detail at designs that have been inspired by, or have indeed borrowed, that problems can arise. The major problem of course, as Keedy so rightly mentions, is that this emulation can often lead to designs, products, and ideas losing their original meaning. This is in agreement with Tibor Kalman's comment (1991, pp. 50 -57) that,

"What we don't see is the context"

If something is taken out its original context, with no mention to the source or influence, how can it be fully understood and appreciated? In worst case scenarios this can lead to ignorance of differing cultures, beliefs and indeed times.

Perhaps the reason behind this prevalent borrowing of another's ideas is the ease in which it can be done. The global information network that is the internet has revolutionised the communications world and made it effortless to search for, and indeed replicate another's ideas. In this way the internet has almost become a negative thing, holding designers back. It is all too easy to spend far too much time looking at another's designs and ideas, instead of coming up with their own innovative concepts. Having said this, the masses of information available is invaluable and educating and is heavily relied upon in business, design and generally in everyday life. Another reason is that as technology is continuously improving it has meant that designs and ideas can be constantly changed and improved upon. This, in many cases, has led to them losing their authenticity and original meaning. The development of mass media has also made borrowing ideas increasingly easy as there is constantly an enormous circulation of information.

As previously mentioned, this idea of borrowing is widespread throughout all design industries, and one which it is particularly incessant in is fashion design. Western fashion designers are constantly borrowing ideas, and taking inspiration from other countries and cultures. It is also the case that some of these country's fashion ideals have been heavily westernised, which on the whole is a shame. Of course, Eastern countries rich in traditions, such as China and India have only been influenced in certain ways, and borrow to suit their preferences. In most cases clothing is a personal choice that everyone makes and so it is not really appropriate to generalise, however it is possible to speak for the majority. In the consuming world that we live in, fashion has always been, and still is now, more than ever, a significant part of people's lives and affects everyone in one way or another. It is so important because like it or not, others judge and make assumptions about us based on the way we look. For this reason many people try to express themselves in the best way they can through what they wear and that is why the fashion business has been thriving for such a long time.

Fashion trends for the western world change dramatically from season to season and designers have to constantly come up with new and innovative ideas to keep people buying their clothes. The trouble is, these ‘innovative' designs that flood the high streets are more often than not, borrowed ideas. An excellent example of this are the trends forecasted for the summer of 2005 which include ‘eclectic ethnic bohemian', ‘Safari', and ‘African tribal'. This is not a new concept though; everything we wear has no doubt been influenced by or borrowed from another place, time or indeed culture. A good example of this is the stiletto, whose earliest forms were found in the ancient tombs of Egypt.

It seems nobody really gives any thought to the origins of the clothing they wear or the culture they are borrowing from, and why should they?
Clothing is such an everyday necessity who really takes the time to think about the culture their new top is savagely borrowing from. A good example of the commercialisation of different cultural fashions can be seen in Figure 1, the fashion page from the local Nottingham lifestyle magazine FHP. It suggests that the key look for the summer is Tribal with ‘an abundance of African overtone', ‘Middle Eastern influences', and that ‘kaftans are an essential wardrobe piece'. Although this borrowing seems harmless enough, occasionally serious repercussions can arise when cultural fashion items are taken out of their original contexts and popularized in the west by fashion designers and the models wearing their ‘borrowed' concepts. The strong interest in all that is ethnic and exotic is at serious risk of obscuring cultural identities of the Eastern and African people, and in some cases it is already too late. Culture is all too often seen as a
commodity.

One ‘fashion' craze from the latter half of the 1990's which very few people gave a second thought to, is the Bindi. The coloured dot, worn on the Buddha spot (in between the eyebrows) is a statement of cultural belonging for South Asian women but has become a meaningless statement of fashion for Westerners. This is largely because impressionable young women constantly imitate pop icons such as Madonna and Gwen Stefani who wear these symbols so callously (See Figure 2). The Bindi signifies female energy and is traditionally a symbol of marriage, giving protection to the women who wear them, and to honour the third god in Hindu Trinity, Vishnu. For a South Asian woman, this commercialisation of a sacred legacy is having devastating effects, even in South Asia, reducing the complexities of the culture. It has become a challenge for women to find plain red Bindi's, as they have all been replaced with sparkly, jewelled, and multicoloured versions. The Bindi has become disconnected from its original meaning; it is seen by most as a fashion accessory whose popularity inevitably faded, instead of a statement of cultural belonging. This is insulting and hurtful for the majority of South Asian women.

It is for reasons like this that copying another culture's legacies can have devastating effects upon the original culture itself, bearing in mind this in extreme cases. It is more likely that the original meaning will be lost only in the country where that symbol was imported, out of context. The problem lies in the fact that it is not the original owners of these cultural symbols that are commercialising them, so all meaning is lost. Having said that, perhaps some good comes out of this cultural appropriation, if nothing else it surely gives westerners some insight into differing cultures, and hopefully reduces ignorance. Also in a way it gives non-western culture a permanent place in the minds of Westerners. But surely these cultures are worthy of that, without simply focusing on the fashion appeal of its traditions.

Another example of Western fashion copying from another culture is the African tribal look which is cropping up at all the fashion shows ready for the summer.
The recent interest in the eclectic ethnic has elevated African culture into high fashion, especially because of its jewellery, and the bigger the better. Large wooden charms, metal plated pendants, and beads have been saturating models at all the fashion shows. This body adornment, which has come straight out of Africa is an attempt by Western designers to create a real African tribal vibe and is used simply as a form of decoration, but where it originated from it has a lot more meaning. Beading and jewellery in Africa offers insight into hundreds of different cultures and tribes. It is worn to convey many different socially important symbolic messages such as religious or political beliefs. In an article written by Ettagale Blauer, she states
that,

"Ornament literally is used to delineate the unique identity of each culture"

Jewellery in Africa is a big part of their culture, pieces are worn throughout a whole stage in a person's life, and other members of the tribe can tell a woman's exact status from the jewellery she wears. A woman from the Masai tribe for instance, will amass her necklaces as she grows older; she wears her wealth in the form of her jewellery. Also the more jewellery she wears the more beautiful she would be considered to be. In the Zulu tribe, different meanings are given to different colour beading and every teenage girl knows them because they are also used to carry messages, known as Ucu. An example of the extensive jewellery worn by the Zulu tribe can be seen in Figure 3. It is clear that jewellery from Africa holds deep meanings and traditions and it seems almost ignorant that Western fashion designers popularise them as simple pieces of adornment to look sexy. The beads and pendants bombarding the high street shops have been robbed of any symbolic meaning they have in Africa, as there is no reference to it.
It is important to remember that it is not just the Western fashion world which borrows from the exotic ethnic fashions of the Far East and Africa. Western fashion and culture has also been filtering into, and almost taking over, Eastern fashion since the 1920's. A good example would be blue denim jean. It is ironic that as Western fashion designers are being influenced by everything Eastern, it would be a challenge to find a Japanese person wearing a Kimono in Japan, unless for a special occasion. The Kimono, an ankle length costume with wide sleeves and a sash, is the traditional costume of Japan. It is captivating fashion designers in the west, like Jean Paul Gaultier, but losing its appeal rapidly in the East because it is time consuming to put on and not considered practical. It is worrying that this heritage is fading away and being replaced by the Western fashion of jeans, mini skirts and t-shirts. Why, as the kimono is capturing Westerners imagination, is it declining in fashion appeal in its place of origin? Perhaps, it is not that Western fashion is taking over Eastern fashion, and vice versa, but that fashion is becoming increasingly international as cultures are becoming more inter-penetrated. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as cultures keep their ancient traditions in mind and indeed sight.

Having researched in detail into the practice of borrowing ideas and styles in fashion design, it becomes more and more obvious how omnipresent it is. Without the sharing of ideas we would no doubt be very uneducated, boring individuals. Having said this there are many implications to the heartless borrowing that is so prevalent in today's fashion world. Traditional dress and culture is taken out of context when it is popularised and commercialised in the west, and loses all meaning, simply being a fashion trend or craze. It can have terrible repercussions for the original culture. In contrast to this, the borrowing from other cultures can be beneficial to everyone as it is a step in the right direction towards a more tolerant and accepting society. Surely embracing a culture's fashions and traditions, such as the Bindi, is far better than ignorance or hostility towards it. It is all too easy to simply see the designers, who so often borrow with this negligence, as an omnipotent evil stealing traditions and causing them to lose their authenticity. I think perhaps what is needed is for people to be more conscious of the culture they are borrowing from when they go to buy the latest fashion item. I would also like to think that incorporating an eclectic mix of fashions from around the world into the Western summer trends is a positive step forward to an acceptance of a multicultural wor