A recent Zogby poll asked the general public to rank modern U.S. presidents. John F. Kennedy topped the list, for the first time besting Franklin D. Roosevelt. This outcome seems inexplicable, even bizarre, given FDR’s transcendent stature and monumental achievements over three terms. Bizarre, that is, until you realize that the group of people who lived through, and have personal memories of, the Great Depression and the Second World War is shrinking. And until you consider that today’s Americans don’t know much about history. In a recent presidential survey, 10% of 18-24-year-olds named Abraham Lincoln the first president, 20% declared Germany our ally in World War II, 52% did not know who was president during that war, and most rated Ronald Reagan and Jack Kennedy above Roosevelt in the pantheon.
Poll results tend to reflect the wisdom and experience of the young and the living; the dearly departed rarely vote, except in parts of New Jersey, Texas and Illinois.
Which brings me, once again, to our own 500th anniversary poll on the most influential creatives of the era. Happily, the consensus is that the results have a sort of “rough justice” about them. Milton Glaser and Paul Rand: check. Pentagram and Pushpin: check. Chiat Day and Crispin Porter Bogusky: check. Nike’s logo: Check.
Still, there continue to be lamentations over the conspicuous absence of some grand names: Lippincott & Margulies, Raymond Loewy, Anspach Grossman Portugal, Herbert Bayer, Alvin Lustig, Lester Beall, James Cross, John Massey, Paul Davis, William Golden, George Tscherny, Will Bradley, Will Burtin, Allen Hurlburt, Colin Forbes, Cipes Pineles Burtin, Samuel Antupit, Katherine McCoy, Ed Benguiat, Reba Sochis, Jim Miho, L. Moholy-Nagy, to name a few. Concomitantly, critics have hinted that the poll tends overrate today’s design notables and projects relative to their true significance.
In an erudite email, Frank C. Briggs, A.K.A. “Design Maven,” attributes this phenomenon to the “ignorance of readers.” Jeff Fisher of LogoMotives, addressing some anomalous findings, writes: “I think it says a lot about the education of young designers and a lack of design history in that education.” Many of you agree, including recent graduates who tell us they simply have not been taught about the giants on whose shoulders they stand.
Our poll is a snapshot of today’s memories and perceptions, no more and no less. That makes it fun, interesting and provocative reading. But we are the first to acknowledge the flaws built into the very exercise: the fading of memory, the failure of pedagogy, the passage of time and the ever-evolving judgement of history.
You can see the poll highlights at gdusa.com; search the archives for “500 and Counting.”
Reality Show
Speaking of gdusa.com, we have posted our 2006 American Graphic Design Awards Call for Entries as a downloadable PDF on the site. This complements a direct mail piece sent roughly a week ago to all subscribers. The awards program is open to everyone in the creative community, including design firms, advertising agencies, publishers and other media, inhouse designers at companies and institutions. It is big and welcoming and arguably the truest reflection of how real creatives produce real victories in the real world.
Poll results tend to reflect the wisdom and experience of the young and the living; the dearly departed rarely vote, except in parts of New Jersey, Texas and Illinois.
Which brings me, once again, to our own 500th anniversary poll on the most influential creatives of the era. Happily, the consensus is that the results have a sort of “rough justice” about them. Milton Glaser and Paul Rand: check. Pentagram and Pushpin: check. Chiat Day and Crispin Porter Bogusky: check. Nike’s logo: Check.
Still, there continue to be lamentations over the conspicuous absence of some grand names: Lippincott & Margulies, Raymond Loewy, Anspach Grossman Portugal, Herbert Bayer, Alvin Lustig, Lester Beall, James Cross, John Massey, Paul Davis, William Golden, George Tscherny, Will Bradley, Will Burtin, Allen Hurlburt, Colin Forbes, Cipes Pineles Burtin, Samuel Antupit, Katherine McCoy, Ed Benguiat, Reba Sochis, Jim Miho, L. Moholy-Nagy, to name a few. Concomitantly, critics have hinted that the poll tends overrate today’s design notables and projects relative to their true significance.
In an erudite email, Frank C. Briggs, A.K.A. “Design Maven,” attributes this phenomenon to the “ignorance of readers.” Jeff Fisher of LogoMotives, addressing some anomalous findings, writes: “I think it says a lot about the education of young designers and a lack of design history in that education.” Many of you agree, including recent graduates who tell us they simply have not been taught about the giants on whose shoulders they stand.
Our poll is a snapshot of today’s memories and perceptions, no more and no less. That makes it fun, interesting and provocative reading. But we are the first to acknowledge the flaws built into the very exercise: the fading of memory, the failure of pedagogy, the passage of time and the ever-evolving judgement of history.
You can see the poll highlights at gdusa.com; search the archives for “500 and Counting.”
Reality Show
Speaking of gdusa.com, we have posted our 2006 American Graphic Design Awards Call for Entries as a downloadable PDF on the site. This complements a direct mail piece sent roughly a week ago to all subscribers. The awards program is open to everyone in the creative community, including design firms, advertising agencies, publishers and other media, inhouse designers at companies and institutions. It is big and welcoming and arguably the truest reflection of how real creatives produce real victories in the real world.