WwiiLooking ahead
1) What do you think is meant by practical consumerism compared to
impractical or design consumerism?
I think that practical consumerism is like for instance buying something for
the sake of function like buying a telephone for the sake of talking to
someone instead of buying a phone for its color or the way it looks this
would be considered impractical consumerism.
2) How does this film demonstrate impractical consumerism?
This film demonstrates impractical consumerism by instead of having a
good steady wood or steel shelf and or other household things this plexi
glass would look lavish and stylish in your somehow emaculant
penthouse.
Technicolor for industrial films
1) Explain why the use of color in advertising had historical and cultural
significance during the 1950’s?
Using color instead of black and white made it possible to catch the
publics eye using vivid colors and be able to demonstrate the true
purpose of the product its look and style.
Design for dreaming
1) Design for dreaming uses several big ideas to promote GM’s cars.
What are these ideas? List them and write a brief explanation of each.
Utopias means place of well being or Nirvana
Gender Roles means women was in the kitchen then after she magically
baked a cake quickly were out playing tennis and parting.
Sexual Politics having to do with gender roles like a women wearing a
hot dress and an apron in the kitchen.
Domestic Labor being in the yard or a beautiful place doing some
supposedly hard task quickly and easily without any effort at all.
Futurism The looking ahead in future toward profit.
Once upon a honeymoon
Explain the benefits and the disadvantages created by the wide availability
of telephones during the 1950’s.
You had to rent and pay phone bills, you couldn’t own your own phone it
may have made people anti-social. The good thing is convinced people
who were unable to afford transportation, not have to waste gas going
from place to place and you could talk to your family and friends that
were long distances away.
2) How do modern communication methods like pagers, computers,
cellphones impact our culture today?
I find all of the above very annoying because you can’t escape them for
instance if I wanted to go out into the woods by myself and not talk to
anyone I would of course be called by someone every hour on the cell
phone in the car and I would feel obligated to answer it and it’s
everywhere but on the other hand if I got stuck in the mud I would be
able to call for help so it’s got good and bad points.
Frigidaire Finale
1)In Terms of portraying the future, in advertising, how did the 1930’s
and 1950’s compare?
In the 1930’s for instance they would have said wow look we can keep
your food cold, no more burring your food in root cellars in the 1950’s
they would have said look at this slick unit its got all these custom colors
and sleke designs they had lost all focus on the function and all on the
look of things.
2)Why did consumer’s shortages in the war year’s result in a shift away
from futuristic themes?
Because during war times people didn’t want to think
about death they wanted to think about peace and other happy thoughts.
America look
1)How does the film demonstrate how the manufactures of the 50’s
felt that god design was the key to marketing?
The film stated that people were concerned with look not
function.
3) How did the film promote a Upper Middle Class ? How is this a
destroyed view of the fifties?
A touch of magic
1)This film presents the 1951 GM cars. Now that the sixties are here
what clues from the film let you know that things are different?
Because thing again were flashy and for instance GM produced the exact
same chassey but with 3 different car models. The only difference was
the body style.
2) The futuristic design elements from the early fifties are gone in this film.
What was going on during this period that might make advertisers
uncomfortable with portraying the future.
Because there was a war going on and people didn’t want to think of the
casualties and death that war might bring.
History Reports
