How We Look Now: Authenticity and Imagery in a Pixelated World

On August 11th 2010, I had attend an event by AIGA–Chicago the guest speaker Andrew Delaney from Getty Images. Andrew is responsible for the creation and development of Getty Images’ creative stills and footage, ensuring that customers find the right content at the right price points every time they search on www.gettyimages.com. 

The seminar was about How We Look Now: Authenticity and Imagery in a Pixelated World, His presentation was really compelling in many ways. He talked about the usage of social media and how it's changing daily. The usage of social has impact our generation to think beyond just paper and pen. We somehow unknowingly are going back to good old days. Our generations– not only of designers but people who are in other fields of profession are thinking beyond their limits. We constantly keep in touch with what's happening on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Flickr , etc., not only to update our status but to know what others are doing as well. Somehow are we making ourselves noticed more and more. Our lives have become so public that just typing our name in the Google's search engine we  are able to pull out our history of the last status update, or photo upload etc. 

This amazed me even further, when Andrew mentioned that the use of social media has changed, the way designers think these days. We are going back to the old ways of illustrations, photography, layouts, and especially advertising. People are connecting with concepts of authenticity instead of fabrication. The audience these days want real images of people, moments, and want ordinary people to create the advertising thats being publicized theses days. The audience do not want actors and famous people to be advertising for companies such as Puma. His message both effected and influenced me to ask myself the value of being authentic rather then basing my design, illustrations, editorial publications to a certain way.

 As far as imagery goes, my professor John, made us do a digital sketch book for his class at first I didn't realize the value of it but, I understand his point now. That having your own picture bring more value to the design or even illustration. Because, as an artist you have the right to claim it and we have the ability of making it either famous or even well known. 

My new goal for this year to expand my digital library and built a collection of imagery and good photography. Although photography is not what my main focus is, but I definitely want to be a well-rounded designer, I can create my own claims at my own work.