Digital Production and Distribution

Digital Production and Distribution

The digital revolution is far more significant than the invention of writing or even printing.

The origins of letterform and type

“We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.” - Marshal McLuhan 1911-1980 - Global village, idea that connectivity across the globe will create a global village. People with different skills connected.

key idea: once we develop the tools that help us to live our live, ultimately those tools shape us and we become reliant on technology etc.

Believed one must examine figure and ground together to fully grasp the impact of technology since neither is completely intelligible without the other. 

Where we are today will not be the end point. There will continue to be new tech which in turn further affect society and individuals. 

Relationship between medium (media) and the message. Impact on society, what does it use, improve? what happens when its pushed to the limits? what does it bring from the past? what does it retrieve? etc.

1990 - The globalisation of digital production 

Designer gained affordable access to digital production. Enhanced a whole new range of possibilities. 

Brought back the idea that typography could be creative and not mechanical. It was made obsolete.  

The new aesthetic

Coined by James Bridle, refers to increasing appearance of the visual language of digital technology and the internet in the physical world, and the blending of virtual and physical. 

The Digital aesthetic:

Digital clock pic: The layout, the type, the colour, the form - all associated with technology.

Creating environments around something that is impossible to create without digital technology.

Pic on left: associated with reality.

Paddington: digital aesthetic, the actual real world in the background mixed with a digital, hyperreal character. Blurring the lines between the real world and the digital world. Nostalgia v Innovation. Gone from original paddington to techno paddington, original = puppet, digital = not physical. 

Innovation - way in which aesthetic has developed through film.

Relating technology to brand, shopping and the users.

Dior digital shop experience - look into.

Another eg. Development of star trek.

Comparison of Analog and digital clock:

Analog clock tells you it will be 9 o’clock in 10 mins

digital clock will tell you its 8:50

Analog is easier to look at, angle of the hand and the numbers.

Digital needs mathematics involved. 

Visual relationship between digital and analog. 

Analog you can see the markings and where time has travelled. Proven to give people more of a sense of consequence. 

if an analog speed meter changes there is a change to the ‘gestalt’ of the image, with a digital meter the is just a number change. 

The mechanical aesthetic:

Robots - idea of the future, symbolic in development.

The technological aesthetic:

accumulation of thousands of years of development. 

A utopia is an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities. places emphasis on egalitarian principles o equality in economics, government and justice. 

A dystopia is a community or moiety that is undesirable or fighting.

The matrix.

Computer/robots in comparison to reality/normality. 

“World War III is a guerrilla information war with no division between military and civilian participation” - Marshal McLuhan.

Technology is becoming the biggest threat of the world - cyber crime, hacking, breaking into banks etc.

Digital revolution has not just arrived, it has well and truly settled in. 

The analogue aesthetic:

Looking back into the past that we trust and rely on, what we know, what we can see, what we are comfortable with. Things like the cloud are scary and unknown. We develop items from the past in a modern way to suit our needs but allowing us to stay in our comfort zone. 

Paddington - the idea of reality turned on its head. the old paddington is something we had a relationship with.

The information age:

period in human history characterised by the shift from traditional industry.

“The new information technology, internet and email, have practically eliminated the physical costs of communication” (check pp for who said quote)

Digital culture:

Emerging value system and set of expectations

Look at the histogram.

Introduces the idea of the audiences participation in communication, e.g. anyone can put a film up on youtube, no longer a need for a film crew to put a film on the internet.

Everything is editable. 

Look at the Eric Schmidt quote.