Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/837213
www.postmagazine.com 35 POST JUNE 2017 BROADCAST DESIGN one are the days of walking into a library to research a rare design book, and so are the times of finding obscure design magazines. Much was possible at a time when finding an obscure source might connect a design- er to the mind and esthetic of a remote designer that was truly not following local trends. In those days, most designers prided themselves on having the most unique and remote sources of inspiration. At that time, it was assumed that finding unique ways of approaching design was likely going to be the most desirable course of action. Being different was one of the most valued aspects of design. On the opposing side, broadcast de- sign has always been a very public forum with a much greater focus on trends. Here, although innovation has always been rewarded, the general valued atti- tude of design has been, "If it ain't broke…" and this has definitely affected the minds of those working in the industry, diverging them away from how other currents of design have evolved. So, at the same time that graphic designer David Carson was breaking every rule of typography, inspir- ing and motivating a generation of de- signers and publishers, every sport show opening sequence was likely featuring 3D text and reflective surfaces. One confusing aspect of design is the fact that one can only judge the success of an approach by the buy-in of the public. This can be unclear sometimes when the information available is limited. For example, if you were the only suppli- er of water on the planet and packaged your product in an orange container, you might be prone to think that orange is the most popular color ever. At the same time, the phenomenon of television being the only source of con- tent available allowed some of this think- ing to affect design all the way to modern times. Now, suddenly, several ways to get entertainment have become available to the public, providing new information for testing. The public can now make choices, and this is inevitably going to affect the market, as well as the marketers. People are educated by the images and options of which they are exposed. Now that we are all potentially exposed to all available information, things are getting interesting. For instance, reality TV, seemingly a gold mine for televi- sion, introduced the idea that content didn't have to be polished and high quality as long as it was sensational and "real." It paved the road for Vloggers who, with their unscripted home-made content, are now capturing 50 per- cent of the Internet audience between 16 and 32 years old (according to GlobalWebIndex). For years, television has looked to cinema as a big brother and tried to apply its rules to its own content whenever possible. This appeared in the form of imitating the "film look," in the production of mini title sequences and a number of other aspects. However, even this distinction is changing as acquisi- tion, cast and process between the two formats is now the same. Today, the public is also exposed to new forms of content that are uncom- promising and daring. This is elevating expectations from the standpoint of content and design sophistication. Broadcast design needs to evolve to take into consideration seemingly unrelated sources and measure up to more than just other broadcast design. Currently, to a large portion of the pub- lic, the lines between television, Internet, video games and cinema are blurring more and more. Consumers perceive all content as one thing. Both passive and interactive forms of entertainment affect people at the same time, in similar ways and inevitably they need to be more aware of each other's language. The industry can either perceive these changes as threats and choose to retreat and conserve; or it can reinvent itself, using the strengths that it has to counter and possibly exploit the oppor- tunities that change brings. This requires a courageous approach at revisiting all things that have been known but might now be no longer rele- vant and question many things that have been taken for granted for years. Design is a language of communica- tion that affects action and emotion by using aesthetic levers and organization to affect change. Like all language, it is comprised of assumptions and social archetypes that are inevitably going to change with time, but like always in history, change brings fear at the same time as opportunity. By reacting defensively, we miss the opportunity that this challenge is presenting us — the chance to explore, evolve and end up on the winning side of an inevitable paradigm shift. CHANGE BRINGS OPPORTUNITY G THE INDUSTRY CAN EITHER RETREAT OR REINVENT ITSELF BY ALBERTO SCIROCCO CREATIVE DIRECTOR/ FOUNDER LEFTCHANNEL COLUMBUS, OH WWW.LEFTCHANNEL.COM