The 2007 Massey University calendar has begun. I showed up bright and early - to an empty classroom. It helps to read your timetable properly. No harm done, I realised my mistake and made a dramatic entrance to the five fourth year students in my Design Business class. This contrasted with the bulging Advertising class a couple of hours later. It should be an interesting year. Huge emphasis on creativity this year. Less theory. Hope to see some exciting work. My feeling is that an educational context should leave plenty of wriggle room for 'out there' ideas.
The problem with billboards and advertising in public places is they are an invasion of privacy. Unlike magazine, tv, radio (etc) advertising you cannot choose to turn it off or avoid it. Nor does it offer anything in return. It is a medium that offers no benefit or advantage to the person it is inflicted on. At least television ads subsidise the programming. Without doubt some billboards are entertaining - I thought the anti GE poster for short lived MADGE activist group was particularly good. But most are rubbish. Literally. Badly executed. Nothing important to say. The debate has led to a great deal of hysteria - mostly from people with a vested interest in perpetuating the deployment of hoardings. Perhaps the idea that the issue at stake is 'property rights' is the creepiest. If you own a building you have every right to plaster anything you like on its external surfaces. Is that an antisocial point of view? I think so. In the UK you could have an ASBO slapped on you for si...
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