I am a Graphic design student researching how designers can persuade and influence a younger generation within the beauty industry. I am keen to know other peoples opinions on whether we as designers need to be careful about what ideas we are imposing on young people and the effects it may have?
I find it very interesting understanding what makes a consumer pick up and become inclined to purchase a product. It is a good designer's duty to sell this product and persuade their target market. But how do they persuade someone? I went to a very interesting lecture by Sarah Hyndman where she discussed how typography alone can impose an idea on its audience so much so it can make them believe something that isn't really in front of them. She explained an experiment she undertook with two perfumes, both completely identical (smelt the same, has the same name etc.) the only difference was the typeface the name was written in. One was a strong sans serif and the other a script, for a social experiment, she asked an audience which they preferred and why. Overall the results amazed me, people actually thought the two identical perfumes smelt different to one another; one was liked mainly by females and the other males. Crazy right? The power of a typeface is clear to me now, it can influence ideas, do designers use this every day to subconsciously influence young people?
Advertisement within the beauty industry largely consists of sexualised images of females and males, so much so that we often wouldnt look twice at toned muscular bodies plastering shop windows/magazines and the television. Designers use these images time and time again, but why? I understand that a lot of people desigre to have these bodies and like to look at them, however, often these images are airbrushed or simply not the norm. Do they create the impression that to look good you should look like the model in the advertisement? because in more cases than not the product will never make you look like the model. It makes me wonder whether young people are looking at these images and looking back at themselves and questioning their own appearances. this could affect peoples body confidence and reconsider their body image, but is this necessarily a bad thing? Or Should designers be more cautious when it comes to which models they select for promotion? why is it more often than not frowned upon to use an overweight model yet we wouldn't look twice at an underweight model in a magazine? In my opinion neither, being overweight nor underweight should be encouraged but who should model in the advertisement?
Adverts like the Lynx show women chasing after men, is this acceptable to propose this false perception like the other images imposed? or is it down to the immaturity or naivety of the individual choosing to believe these ideas.
One company that sticks out in my mind that tries to break this stereotype within the beauty industry by showing 'real beauty' is Dove. But are they really achieving this? They show a curvier bunch of females in comparison to many other companies, however, they still do not show all ends of the spectrum and all the women in their ads I believe it is fair to say are attractive. But why would a designer use an 'unattractive' model they want to present their product with positive connotations, right? So, how can designers win?
I find it very interesting understanding what makes a consumer pick up and become inclined to purchase a product. It is a good designer's duty to sell this product and persuade their target market. But how do they persuade someone? I went to a very interesting lecture by Sarah Hyndman where she discussed how typography alone can impose an idea on its audience so much so it can make them believe something that isn't really in front of them. She explained an experiment she undertook with two perfumes, both completely identical (smelt the same, has the same name etc.) the only difference was the typeface the name was written in. One was a strong sans serif and the other a script, for a social experiment, she asked an audience which they preferred and why. Overall the results amazed me, people actually thought the two identical perfumes smelt different to one another; one was liked mainly by females and the other males. Crazy right? The power of a typeface is clear to me now, it can influence ideas, do designers use this every day to subconsciously influence young people?
Advertisement within the beauty industry largely consists of sexualised images of females and males, so much so that we often wouldnt look twice at toned muscular bodies plastering shop windows/magazines and the television. Designers use these images time and time again, but why? I understand that a lot of people desigre to have these bodies and like to look at them, however, often these images are airbrushed or simply not the norm. Do they create the impression that to look good you should look like the model in the advertisement? because in more cases than not the product will never make you look like the model. It makes me wonder whether young people are looking at these images and looking back at themselves and questioning their own appearances. this could affect peoples body confidence and reconsider their body image, but is this necessarily a bad thing? Or Should designers be more cautious when it comes to which models they select for promotion? why is it more often than not frowned upon to use an overweight model yet we wouldn't look twice at an underweight model in a magazine? In my opinion neither, being overweight nor underweight should be encouraged but who should model in the advertisement?
Adverts like the Lynx show women chasing after men, is this acceptable to propose this false perception like the other images imposed? or is it down to the immaturity or naivety of the individual choosing to believe these ideas.
One company that sticks out in my mind that tries to break this stereotype within the beauty industry by showing 'real beauty' is Dove. But are they really achieving this? They show a curvier bunch of females in comparison to many other companies, however, they still do not show all ends of the spectrum and all the women in their ads I believe it is fair to say are attractive. But why would a designer use an 'unattractive' model they want to present their product with positive connotations, right? So, how can designers win?
