Mexico Olympics revisited

This month the BBC broadcast a programme: Black Power Salute. The programme notes read:

"Film about one of the most iconic images of the 20th century, when the radical spirit of the Sixties upstaged the greatest sporting event in the world. Two men made a courageous gesture that reverberated around the world and changed their lives forever. There were a number of unforgettable performances at Mexico City Olympic Games and many world records were broken, but the enduring image from the 1968 Games was when African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their gloved clenched fists in support of the Black Panther movement during the Star Spangled Banner, after receiving gold and bronze medals for the 200m sprint. They were subsequently banned from the Games for life. This documentary asks what inspired them to make their protest, why it carried such a powerful message and what happened to the unlikely revolutionaries following the Games."

This excellent programme will hopefully be replayed on other BBC channels in the near future.

The producers managed to capture the broad sweep of history which culminated in the black power salute in 1968 but also brought the story up to date. The San Jose State University, where the runners studied, unveiled a statue in 2005 in commemoration of the runners stand at the Olympics, but then you have to ask where was the Australian Peter Norman who came second?

My thinking was that the statue should really be complete as Peter Norman also participated in the protest by wearing a supportive badge, a group of black and white athletes fighting against discrimination. As ever a little knowledge is dangerous! Staff at the university have informed me that the second place has been left deliberately empty so that people can take their own stand and participate in this iconic image.
http://www.sjsu.edu/news/news_detail.jsp?id=1426
















In the light of the recent fracas caused by Jesse Jackson's comment re Barack Obama, the statue clearly highlights how life moves on and new perspectives come into view. Even the "old style" Jesse Jackson protest ideology becomes outworn and is usurped by refreshed ideas. Have we gone beyond "them and us" and now we are all to be engaged?

For further on this is a recent "Communities Dominate Brands" blog:
http://communities_dominate.blogs.com/brands/2008/07/serving-the-gre.html

British Grand Prix to Donnington Park by 2010

Just as the British Grand Prix arrives on the calendar we not only see the retirement at the end of the season of David Coulthard but also the loss of the Grand Prix at Silverstone to Donnington Park by 2010.

There are many things playing into this decision no doubt: financial, personalities and big business but did Silverstone lack the inner drive to raise the stakes? Just look at this dreadful logo for the circuit. Fine: red, white and blue, not unexpected. Jagged arrows in an attempt to portray dynamism but then the whole piece is orientated downwards to the right. With that emblem surely you were onto a loser from the outset of this rebranding?

Claiming to be one of the, "... most famous sporting venues in the world with years of experience in managing world-class motor racing events.", yes but perhaps not brand management - how far and how deep does brand management affect a business?

What of Donnington Park the hosts of the British Grand Prix from 2010? There are a couple of images to talk about. Firstly take a look at the World Superbikes logo for the circuit:
My doesn't this look familiar!! The blue is trying to rise to the occasion but is then hit hard by the over laying of the red splash which is not really going anywhere. Very uncomfortable.









You have to wonder though how the Donnington Park team of Simon Gillett and Lee Gill secured the British Grand Prix when their overall business logo is this boring retro lumpy thing!

I suppose if you have £100m in your back pocket for a revamp there will be money enough to refresh the dynamism of their brand identity.

Wayfinding in Prague

When you travel you have to find your way around a airport, train station, the city in general the road network. Land yourself in the heart of Prague and you might just go "What?". Try the street maps posted up in the street - ah result! On the key a big red arrow "You are here". Great thanks. But wait a minute the arrow is NOT transposed to the map so you are none the wiser. Then there is the Metro, very Moscow like, in that you have to be on the ball with which station you are at - announcements on the train are reasonably helpful but need to be repeated - especially as on arrival at the station, the station names are not readily visible.

But what space are the Czech's in when it comes to advertising displays on the escalators. In London you ride the escalator and can read the adverts horizontally. In Prague the adverts are set square to the incline of the escalator. What? See picture. Must be plenty of jobs for neck masseurs in the city.

Barcelona

A week at Alimentaria in Barcelona. Lots of Iberian foodie types and modern building stuff.

Deduction, Induction and Abduction

Following on from the previous posts it is worth noting that some of the issues I struggle with over imagery are discussed in the realms of semiotics/semiology. A great collection of papers on Marketing and Semiotics was published in 1987 under the editorship of Jean Umiker-Sebeok. In a paper by Morris Holbrook he discusses the how, quoting Burnham "..."the artist realises that a standardized product is essentially a piece of language containing syntagm and system" so that "the intention is to tranform common objects into art" via a process wherein "the artist's genius is in recognising the totemised environment of brand products and mass media."

Is that where the "artistic" need arises for photographers to capture the essences of scenes? To give expression to what is seen AND felt?


He goes on to say that, "The understanding of such consumption-based artistic nuances involves a type of logic that Pierce [a American founding father of semiotics) called abduction. ....As described by Peirce, abduction follows a different logical process from the familiar deduction or induction. Briefly, given
1) a rule ( a law of nature or general truth drawn from experience),
2) a case (a presumption or hypothesis) , and
3) a result ( an observed fact)........

deduction draws an inference from 1) & 2) to 3)
induction from 2) & 3) to 1)
&
abduction from 1) & 3) to 2)

he then goes on to give Pierce's example about a bag of white beans [!]

Deduction
Rule: All the beans from this bag are white
Case: These beans are from this bag
Therefore Result: These beans are white

Induction
Case: These beans are from this bag
Result: These beans are white
Therefore Rule: All the beans from this bag are white

Abduction
Rule: All the beans from this bag are white
Result: These beans are white
Therefore Case These beans are from this bag

Marketing & Semiotics Jean Umiker-Sebeok 1987 pp 98-99

"the artist's genius is in recognising the totemised environment of brand products and mass media." Again is that where irreverent comedy gets its kicks?

South Somerset Homes bird sanctuary

Here's another one that I cannot but see a Kiwi bird every time this housing association's vehicles rush by. Slowly I begin to see the tree and the house but the red shouts to me first.

Fairtrade emblem

If I am not careful this is going to end up a blog of symbols, logo and signs but perhaps that's necessary.
So here's the Fairtrade logo that great image of a quirky looking parrot! Strange what your eyesight and mind can do. Oh no it's not it's a person set between sky and earth - I hadn't cottoned on to this till recently. Then Oli of OW consultancy pointed out it is actually some weird green and blue fishes. Logo's are so awkward and difficult to get right. If you look on Google images however you do tend to see the Fairtrade logo closely connected to the statement: "Guarantees a better deal for Third World producers" which in essence counter balances the pure imagery of the logo. And yet! Isn't Third World pace now? Time to change?