Tokyo 2020

[_subgenius]

The Tokyo Olympic logo design competition as speculative labor represents the further collapse of labor structures in the Neoliberal Era. Its probably just a bit of social media entertainment for many, but it is representative of something larger — graphic design, a relatively new sector of cultural production the name of which was only coined in 1938 — is threatened not only by the ubiquitous accessibility of ‘creative’ software and by contemporary notions that ‘anyone can be a designer’, but these notions are now being given further form by powerful global events.

The history of the Olympics is one of war — of idle armies training in times of peace. To me, a graphic designer operating from a position of married theory and practice, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic logo design competition represents the most vehement bifurcate embodiment of anti-intellectualism and anti-labor sentiments.
This competition is a retreat from past greatness and toward a dystopian future—not just for design (and designers), but for the public as well.
https://medium.com/@ianlynam/why-we-sho ... .chqf0q4c7

More and more or modern culture is producing articles and opinions such as the one referenced here.

Is our modern society doomed to a state of unpleasantness and "dehumanization" by our Neo-Liberal era's anti-intellectual and anti-labor practices? This article makes a convincing argument that we are.

Thoughts?

[_Dr. Shades]

Thoughts?

I think it's ludicrous that graphic design is "threatened" by more people being able to do it.

[_Quasimodo]

I was a medical illustrator back before computer graphics. It was all pen&ink and water color in those days.

When computer graphics became the norm, a doctor asked me if I thought this would hurt my business.

I replied that the art of illustration isn't in a pen or brush. It's in the illustrator's head. A graphics computer is just a fancy pencil. There needs to be some talent to use it well.

[_subgenius]

Thoughts?

I think it's ludicrous that graphic design is "threatened" by more people being able to do it.

The case study provided in the OP article disagrees...on a particular front. While there is a neo-liberal aspect that agrees with your sentiment, the reality is that the idea of graphic design by system, as opposed to by intuition, is threatened by the current environment. Graphic design as a profession is reduced to a kitchen table arts and craft hobby. The reduction in perceived value by consumers due to an overabundance of supply diminishes the quality of that supply.
To think that one could get the same level of graphic design product that was displayed in the article by placing a solicitation on Fiver is ludicrous.
Point being, ultimately you will get what you pay for.

[_subgenius]

I was a medical illustrator back before computer graphics. It was all pen&ink and water color in those days.

When computer graphics became the norm, a doctor asked me if I thought this would hurt my business.

I replied that the art of illustration isn't in a pen or brush. It's in the illustrator's head. A graphics computer is just a fancy pencil. There needs to be some talent to use it well.

So, in line with the OP would this merit a reduction in compensation for your work? Or merit a similar competition fee structure as the OP article references?

(My high school guidance counselor recommended medical illustration to me in 86 ,but I opted for printmaking then architecture...you must have been one of those "very few" that she mentioned)

[_Quasimodo]

I was a medical illustrator back before computer graphics. It was all pen&ink and water color in those days.

When computer graphics became the norm, a doctor asked me if I thought this would hurt my business.

I replied that the art of illustration isn't in a pen or brush. It's in the illustrator's head. A graphics computer is just a fancy pencil. There needs to be some talent to use it well.

So, in line with the OP would this merit a reduction in compensation for your work? Or merit a similar competition fee structure as the OP article references?

(My high school guidance counselor recommended medical illustration to me in 86 ,but I opted for printmaking then architecture...you must have been one of those "very few" that she mentioned)

It's a double edged sword, really.

Compensation for artwork has gone down a bit (except for textbooks and the like), but working time on projects has dropped dramatically. I can do a complex, full color illustration in about a quarter of the time that it used to take by hand.

There are some other real pluses. Changes are a snap when you just have to pull up a file and move things around (I use vector based programs) instead of a total redraw. It also allows me to reuse segments of drawings on other projects. I have accumulated a large file of surgical instrument drawings at different perspectives that I can use on new art.

Working online is also a big help. In the old days I would do a set of preliminaries and FedEx them off to the publisher and wait days or weeks for approvals. Now that happens in hours (sometimes less).

One downside is that there is a growing demand for "web content" artwork that is much simpler and pays less than it should. I don't do much of that, however.

[_Quasimodo]

I should have addressed your question about the use of competitions in graphic arts projects.

Those sort of competitions have been around for a long time. I did enter a couple when I was first starting out (medical illustration). I thought it might be helpful in finding new clients and in one case it was.

I never thought of it as a way to generate income. Just PR. A nice thing to have on a CV, but not a pathway to great wealth.

[_subgenius]

The OP is not specific towards the point of competition or the consistent truth of the John Henry fable in workplace progress.
But rather, there is a "dumbing down" of the market because of the idea that intuition has a greater or equal value to a "system". This topic has implication to the ongoing debate on this board about "the spirit", evidence,etc.
I believe the article in the OP would be similar in situation to having the work/clients you seek opened up to all-comers with a far less than usual fee....as if it were a Fiver bid.
I suppose it becomes a question of from where does the value of your work reside? Is it merely measured on a time card? Does a Picasso change in value because of how much time he spent to produce it?

Efficiency is an interesting qualifier in a pricing scheme but is that the question within the OP article? Is that the source of value?