Der Motz von Butz: On the extinction of aesthetics
Based on my observations over many years—not just in advertising—there is more and more ugliness instead of beauty and pleasantness.
I'm trying to find out why I feel this way. Recently, prints of turn-of-the-century tourism posters advertising St. Moritz, Zermatt and Davos went for up to 30,000 francs at a Christie's auction. I bet that some of today's advertising posters wouldn't even fetch 30 centimes in 100 years' time.
Today's poster art lacks precisely this aesthetic. This harmonious art is on display until February 8 under the title "100 Years of Swiss Design" at the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich. What is striking is that the interesting design objects are not from the most recent years, but from the older ones. The decline in the level of quality in the
However, the design world is nowhere near as significant as in the advertising world, especially the poster world. I wanted to try to find out what underlies this aesthetic decline.
Several theories: 1. Until 70 years ago, posters were printed using the classic lithography process with stone plates. Each printing color had to be drawn on separately, reversed with a grease pencil, and then printed at a snail's pace. This laborious work forced the graphic designers or artists to plan exactly how attractive the result should be. Nowadays, it is unfortunately possible for any layperson to create a poster in no time at all, without any aesthetic conception. This is one of the great disadvantages of our New World.
2. Today, the scaredy-cat strategy that I have often quoted prevails. As the client, the marketing manager wants to please as many superiors as possible. The price displayed as prominently as possible on a yellow flash, 3 to 4 products draped around it, the logo even bigger and "new" or "new" placed in the top right corner. The CD, the AD, the copywriter, the photographer and of course the account director can also comment on it. But nothing too creative, original or even eye-catching, please! Such a procedure also contributes to the extinction of aesthetics.
3. Another reason for the advance of ugliness is the requirement to keep the design, the idea and the production as cheap as possible. So you don't commission the professionals, but someone from the fields, woods and meadows.
For one of my clients, the advertisements were created by the accountant. The collaboration lasted two weeks. I don't mean that something aesthetic should cost more. In urban development, where aesthetics play a major role, there are many good examples that were created on a smaller budget. Perhaps there are simply too many amateurs. The reason: the "improvement" reads in the caption.
I'm thinking that spring will start again in 54 days.
Theophil Butz, graphic designer, advertising agency owner, inspirer and for more than three years now also a mothballs for the Werbewoche readers. Please send any relevant information to [email protected].
