Goodbye bright colors... and something to think about.

To start off right and dive vehemently into conversation about a rapidly changing world I'd like to say a few goodbyes to things recently retired. Goodbye Kodachrome, you will be missed, and sadly by others more than myself. Its funny that even though Kodachrome film has been as completely not a part of my life as black and white TV, I can still feel a bit of remorse in the last roll of film being developed in December of 2010. After a century of use and appreciation from thousands of photographers many of which never would have been photographers had it not been for George Eastman and his creative edge, all things come to an end. Sometimes a bitter end, but I suppose it all depends in the way you look at it. Still, its hard not to feel like print is on its way out in the sense. We've already seen huge declines in printed material in the media... newspapers switching to being fully online, magazines doing the same, and books that you can download to a electronic panel at your convenience. What can you really say to it though, the old makes way for the new, this does have big implications for anyone alive and interested in the futuristic world we are living in and even bigger implications for those of us who want to be an active part of it!

As a designer what does this mean? It means we either hop on board whole heartily or figure something out that no one else has, that is to say, if you want to be recognized. Recognition is sadly a necessity for most artists because their lively hood generally hinges on it. The Internet as a tool is one of the greatest things an artist has for gaining this recognition. From a design perspective the part about this that is a little frustrating is that it seems a lot of the time the only thing that is important anymore is getting recognized be that recognition good or bad. A popular street artist named Banksy actually made a film called Exit Through the Gift Shop that had this idea of publicity and media as a theme for the film. He proved that hype was the selling factor in media and even the art world could be lead around by the nose. He brings a lot of ideas to question about how we think of art and who judges it, and more than that, who puts a price tag on it. This is kind of scary for artists that want to be true to themselves and make "good art." Facebook, Blogs, personal websites, e-mail, and all other forms of networking open up countless possibilities for anyone trying to get their name out there. But, if we are really being true to yourself, getting face time is not enough at all and can actually be a bit of a hindrance if we aren't ready for where it might take us.

All things considered though, I think we should embrace the time we live in and make use of the resources that are available to us. That means we have quite a bit of responsibility, since these resources can be so easily abused. But, this is our decision and we have to make it consciously, its childish to think that we can go through our life and pick up the things we like and use them when we choose and then when they become a burden to blame them and toss them aside, or worse just complain about them. Its important to keep a wider perspective on things, because its so easy for us to get buried in the mess. Network as a tool, we get that opportunity, we can now communicate faster and more freely than ever before. So, what we say and do is very important, its easy to forget that and get caught in the drama.