Lecture Comments & Reflections
Respond to these
Design Development (weekly Challenge)
Chosen Story – First man on the moon (The Space Race)
How newspapers reported the first man on the moon. Looking at the typography, scale of type, words used and use of imagery.
Below is a select number of newspaper headlines from the first moon landing. From the United States, UK, Italy, Australia and Russia (Soviet Union) Many using uppercase lettering which celebratory words. However some refer to those who landed on the moon as ‘they’ ‘man’ ‘men’ which is interesting? As it was a singular man who first set foot on the moon, that being Neil Armstrong in 1969.
The headline grabbing text draws you in and shows how proud the world is to see the success of the first moon landing however in the Russian newspaper (bottom right) they didn’t have it on the cover they had a small article within the newspaper, choosing not to celebrate with such impact.
The newspaper around the globe almost keeps to a similar format… Is there anywhere which has a different format of showcasing the news in printed format?
I want to also explore how subsequent moon landings were reported on newspaper covers to see the comparison.
How the Moon Landing was reported across the US & communist countries. The ‘space race’ in the 1960’s was between the US and USSR, both wanting to be the first to put a man on the moon. However they say it was never a race.
The soviet union rarely shared there progress on their mission to get to the moon however the US shared there mission with the world, every step of the way. The Soviet Union would go very quiet and continue their secrecy on their moon mission even when the US reached the moon, with the first man on the moon. The reports across the USSR were minimal and kept quiet, for them it was the least of their worries.
Countries including China and North Korea decided against showing the moon landing on the television. (many homes didn’t have TV’s anyway)
Further newspapers reporting on the moon landings with the Evening Standard choosing the go with colour images for the occasion.
Question posted to the ideas wall:
I’m interested to hear peoples thoughts on the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong. Do you believe it happened? Do you think the United states successfully sent the first man to the moon. There was many who don’t and believe it was done on a film set. Have news reports, conspiracy theories, headlines made you think maybe it hasn’t happened?
Responses Below:
Thomas Daniels (Biology Teacher, Wiltshire, Age 30)
I believe in science so therefore I think it did happen. They are able to see the landing site on the moon now however many years after it has been. I can see how people would think it didn’t happen, if you look for evidence for it not to have happened like the flag flying in the non existent wind (it had wire in it to make it stand up – unpatriotic to have a flag not flying).
Matthew Shaw (fireman, Manchester, Age 32)
I think it was real , the Russians have shown numerous times throughout history that they can manipulate the world including the media and I think this was what they done during the moon landings.
Response to Ellie from Ideas Wall
Ellie – I agree. There is only a handful of people who have actually been there and actually stepped on that surface. The ‘conspiracy’ was started by a man and that has led to all these questions to date and got people still seeking for ‘real’ evidence it happened even though they returned with pounds of rocks, dust and matter from the surface of the moon. I find your point on collectively going against something on a global scale interesting. Going to explore into this further, thank you for your feedback.
Quick sketches on how I can display my critical review. I want to work with a newspaper format to share my review. Putting emphasis on the title. Make it an almost up to date news article on the first man on the moon. I want to include people’s responses / quotes from the story.
Right hand image – Starting to experiment with typography and image for my editorial. Big letters, Bold statements, monochrome. However why all black and white? Maybe I should explore it in really contrasting colours?, bold neon colours? Go against the norm of a newspaper.
Evidence of the moon landings. Left image is of the landing site and the right image is material collected from the surface of the moon. But still this evidence is not enough to proof it happened to some? But there is a point where we have to say there will always be those who don’t believe?
Imagine if we only went to space when social media was around? The eyes on the landings would have been even more heightened and I believe more conspiracy theories would have been created. But the technology today would back up the ability to get man on the moon.
Newspapers from around the world after the moon landing in 1969. Newspapers from New York, UK, Japan, Germany, France, New Zealand covering the story across the full front cover.
Feeling from viewing these: There is a sense of excitement and mission accomplished? Big images, Big type, very in your face. Everyone wanted to congratulate them and from these images of the newspapers there was a worldwide celebration of the huge accomplishment. Even looking at these newspapers today I feel excited? I feel proud they achieved that? As there hasn’t been a moon landing (so far) in my lifetime (with humans) this feels somewhat of a novelty? I wasn’t there to experience this. I take in the information which was documented.
I am fascinated to know how newspapers would report this story today? When the next moon landing happens, which could be within the next few years will the story dominate? Will conspiracy theories arise?
Different forms of wording, different typefaces, different placement, different image arrangement. more text than others, some with other stories, some covering just the moon landing…
What was the brief? AS big as you can get on the front cover. The world wants to celebrate this huge achievement. It wasn’t celebrate by everyone so how did they take the news?
Want to use the newspaper as a canvas for this week’s editorial outcome. I struggle to write so this week has been tough. Creative has been slightly blocked by worrying about the words. First draft above. Direction is good but I think it needs ‘messing’ up more. Cutting up old newspapers, scanning and re working to add some dynamism to it.
From my initial sketches and designs I don’t think it really captured the essence of the review? It needed to be beaten up more, like it had been found? I started to work with found newspaper objects (from the Daily Express and New York Times) I cut up, scanned in, edited, photoshoped and started to create a cover which felt found and almost a treasure in all it’s parts.
Next steps is to develop further – adding colour?
Ideas Wall Feedback for editorial outcome:
Rosie makes a good point on the typography used within the main editorial. It’s to static and almost takes over the design? I think what she says about choosing a more grungy / rock typeface could work. I could even had drawn this in? It’s to clean and edited.
Abbie enjoys the shapes deployed in the background which are taken from letterforms from the New York Times typeface. Could I go even further with these and create a set of shapes which are like rocks from the moon?
Tove made some constructive comments around the typographic treatment I had gone with. These inputs I am going to look over and implement and I feel I rushed this area. Agree with the Tove on the balance o the columns and headings.
Research (visual)
James Victore
Expressive marks make for powerful viewing. The smudges, the hand written words , you can almost see the anger in the way ‘racism’ has been written. The red adds that further urgent message, like this is something that needs addressing right now!.
Joseph Ernst – Nothing in the news.
“We live in a world of constant sensory overload”
Joseph Ernst
Newspapers with no news? Its stark? its slightly daunting seeing the newspapers designed like this, stripped back to there core. You can fill them with the news you want to read and take in? Fill it with positive news, fill it with news you want to discover more about. I find this project very brave and refreshing especially due to the overwhelming amount of news we are fed. Take Coronavirus? What do we do? What can we do, what can’t we do? is this right is it wrong? Face masks, no face masks? can we go otu can we not. It become so confusing and even more so when multiple news outlets report the same news in different ways. They use different copy, different wording to grab your attention. They make you think it’s worse than it is to get a reaction.
I want to take inspiration from this project and strip my critical review to leave just key headlines? Or even just images?
Stanley Kubrick – Moon landing
Final Outcome – Critical Review
Critical Review
The Race to put a foot on the moon.
I still find it mind boggling to this day that we have successfully sent life to the moon and walked on the barren, grey object. Saying this the steps to get there where more than just simply building a rocket and sending life to the moon. The race to the moon was expensive, political and felt particularly competitive between the USA and the Soviet Union.
How I feel about the space race from reports, news, headlines, articles.
Did it happen? Did it not happen? Was it a film set? Some of the questions I have asked myself while researching on this event. I am hugely interested in space and space flight but there was always something in the back of my mind saying… James it didn’t happen. I ask myself why? And it’s from the stories projected around the internet, told on news pages and videos. We consume news and form our own vison from what is told to us and that gets us asking questions… It takes time to take it all in and decipher your own opinion, for me It did happen. The huge amount of scientific evidence: from the collected rocks, to photographs of the footprints, from the words of the astronauts.
Response to visual aspects of the headlines
Uppercase letters, Bold typefaces, words covering the page – These design decisions really heighten the sense of celebration. However it also raises questions on why so impactful? Were newspapers looking for a positive news story to draw people away from other events such as the Vietnam war? On the Soviet Union newspaper the story didn’t even make the front page. Why? Did the Soviets not want to celebrate the success of the Americans after failing to win the competitive race to the moon.
Another point worth exploring is the colour of the newspapers. The Evening Standard choose to go with a colour print for the news story? This adds further significance to the celebratory feel or the event, again to draw away from other events or was it such a significant event it had to be stand out.
Phrasing of the newspaper headlines
They, man, American, men, footstep, leap, man’s. A few of the phrases used to describe the event but why did they choose these? The American newspapers used ‘American’s but others used they, men, man’s? Almost stripping them of who they are. Why didn’t any headline use Neil Armstrong in the headline? Neil Armstrong is first man on the moon for example. Would doing this make the story less significant as people might not have known the name.
With the majority of media outlets celebrating the news this supports my continued belief the first moon landings did happen. I don’t think I appreciated how much of a success and celebration the first moon landing was? I feel if I was alive when it happened it must have been so exciting… the atmosphere, the tension, the anticipation. The fact the event was reported worldwide allows me to almost be transported back and connect with that excitement.
Final Outcome – Editorial
References
- Winter . (1998). Writing on the wall: The posters of James Victore. Available: http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/writing-on-the-wall. Last accessed 11th August 2021.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ15AMgZkqk
- Siegel, A. (2019). Yes, The Apollo Moon Landings Really Did Happen. Available: https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/06/25/yes-the-apollo-moon-landings-really-did-happen/?sh=2d7aa36a8f74. Last accessed 13th August 2021.
- Ernst, J. (2021). NOTHING IN THE NEWS. Available: https://www.josephernst.com/nothing-in-the-news. Last accessed 13th August 2021.
Weekly Critical Reflection
What went well: Not allot this week. I struggle with writing and haven’t had time to catch up with my study skills tutor for this week’s task. However saying this I have enjoyed trying to construct a piece for this week’s challenge. This week has also helped me develop my research skills and looking into stories. Gives you a different view on the news around you, how we interpret it and what you want to take in.
Editorial: Again not my best week as haven’t had as much time as I would like. I wanted to stick with a newspaper theme for this week and create a front cover for my critical review. I think it’s success lies in the pulling apart, deconstructed, found parts (nod to the rocks, parts found on the moon) BUT I think this could go much much further. I would like to rip it up further, introduce hand writing, maybe even make a separate cover for the paper and make the editorial the inside page?
Over the past few weeks I have really pushed into new areas but I feel this week is slightly lacking. But I can’t always be on and sometimes you need week’s where it fails to understand what doesn’t work. It always help see what I don’t enjoy working on as much? Thoughts can be taken into the future beyond the masters here. (brining into someone to support on words/copy) COLLABORATION!!
Into next week (the final one) Hoping that into the final week I will be able to find that creativity from the past 10 weeks and add this to the final outcome. I need to finish up my studio practice PDF as well. This means I will need to plan my week to fit it all in.
Words for next week: Keep going. Believe in your decisions.
James Shaw 