Ihi Wehi: Rhetoric and Persuasion

Continuing to Collect Artist Models

I have found an old issue of the University magazine with two illustrations about the same issue, but done in a different way and style. This has given me an idea of how to approach something in two different ways. The illustrations are also, coincidentally, on the issue of inequality in education which is the topic I have been researching, and the articles themselves have proven useful in my research.

One of the illustrations has cleverly turned the dollar sign into an impossible obstacle course, in a similar way to Sebastien Thibault's work. But the second one was more emotive, and said just as much, but in a more subtle way. The second one was more suggestive, relatable and shocking, to me.

I have also been looking at New Zealand's police recruitment campaigns, which I think are quite clever in the way they use street art. They use a pastiche - celebrating Banksy's work, which also makes them appear to be equals with the audience, rather than appear to be seeming more elite and sophisticated, which may appear to be patronising.

Brainstorming and Collecting Artist Models

After debating and brainstorming, I have become more interested in education, which I am continuing to research and look into.

Our class debate revealed that pathos and personal stories work best at persuasion, rather than an overload of facts. I will take this into account when designing my poster.

I have also found some incredible artist models. One in particular, Sébastien Thibault, I love because he makes political illustrations that are both clever and witty, but also very simple. He uses irony very well and plays with the expectations that the viewer have.

These to works of his use scale very cleverly to make a political statement. Skewing scale to dwarf some things and make other things seem controlling and powerful can be a really simple yet effective way of getting a complex idea across simply.

This image is about the number of male book reviewers compared to female reviewers. Scale is used really well here, with the small woman being towered over by the sinister pile of books/ mans face, making her seem powerless and overcome. The dark colour of the books and the perspective helps to create the impression that it is powerful in a negative way, and controlling. The colour in the background is both feminine and empowering and also suggestive of anger and resentment, which is successful pathos. The light green and white of the woman also make her appear innocent and have positive intentions. The viewer is made to sympathise with the woman and want to make change.

And these two works use opacity to show something 'hidden' to the viewer, something that is secret that only they know. This can be a really clever way to show something beneath the surface that someone doesn't want you to know, show multiple intent, or to make something else appear less significant than it appears. This is a device I hadn't thought about before and had a lot potential to be used to convey different things.

This is a design for a book cover, Disparus en Mer. The book aims to shed light on the silence surrounding the sinking of the ship of the Bernier Brothers. The design seems to be playing on the idea of something being 'just the tip of the iceberg'. Opacity and darkness taking up a majority of the lower half of the poster shows something which is normally hidden and kept secret, but is now revealed to the viewer. This is reinforced by the ship being transformed into a finger and mouth imitating a 'shh' underneath the water, it is not what the viewer expects, and shows us that the sinking ship is not what it appears on the surface. It is also quite uncomfortable and unsettling. So many metaphors are layered on top of one another in a single simple image. The dull blues, not only allude to the ocean, but also make the poster feel cold, dark and mysterious, and also quite sad. It gives the impression of tragedy. This poster mainly employs pathos to communicate its idea.

Another clever device he employs is irony through challenging the expectations of the viewer. This can be as simple as changing one shape to another or flipping something, and a whole new meaning is created. This is something which can be heavily loaded with meaning, references and connotations.

This design is about democracy, and how it is disguised as something which benefits everyone equally, but actually only benefits an elite few, who are upper class white men. This has been achieved through using the scales, which the viewer associates with equality and balance, and inverting one side to show that something which appears equal, is actually smothering the voices of some and benefiting others. The red colour in the background is sinister and gives the viewer the sense that something is amiss.

This design is about financing real estate, and how banks have a tendency to reject requests for buying or renovating from specific groups of people, such as elderly people. The house has been inverted, creating an empty space where the house should be, and space has been created between the elderly person and the banker. The dark purple creates a sinister feel to the design, and the house being inverted creates a sense of awkwardness and tension, it almost feels as if it is hanging and is about to fall. Also, the people being so close to the edge and facing each other creates tension between them and towards the house. The scale also, with the people being dwarfed against the enormous house, gives a sense of the enormity of the issue and awe.

Cleverly combining two things into one can also be used to show irony or humour/ dark humour.

This design is about the decline of Canadian soft power. As a New Zealander, I would not have recognised this figure, but it is supposed to be Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, as it is intended for a Canadian audience. New Zealanders might see the white crown and think that it was supposed to be the Queen. However, the white and black work well to show that something that is meant to be/ appears to be positive and peaceful, is being tainted by something negative. The red also works to show that something is wrong and that the viewer should be angry about it. The illustration shows a misuse or corruption of power by playing with the viewers expectations.