RESEARCH JOURNAL

LOCKDOWN PT2 WORK

300 WORDS 11/01/21

what ways can the magazine be seen to support Howard’s claim that design ‘expresses social priorities and carries out cultural values’?

This is an Adbusters magazine front page and Adbusters is a well known magazine which seeks to bring about social and political change through direction, therefore already supporting Haward’s claim as they openly talk about social priorities such as politices and war. The cover further supports his claim as the main text reads “POST -WEST” having cultural vaules to the gradual shift in the economic and political power from Western countries to the developing world and having connontations to the western world and capitalims, expressing that Adbuster want to adress this topic and have their readers/audience be aware of the changing world and to have direct action within their audeince. The central image also applies to Howard’s claim through the code of clothing , we can see that the male is wearing camouflage,mostly warn by soldiers therefore signifying war which can be seen to express cultrual values as wars can start due to religion, government and social structures which can result in a social priority as war can affect individual people and the globe, furthermore the male’s facial expression is directed away from the camera possibly signifying that his anger and rage is towards other people and not to camera as the image is not direct adress , his stance also shows his passion within his anger and what he is truly feeling as his hand is in a fist; making the readers wonder what the political aspect of the magazine and cover is about. The masthead gives the magazine an identity therefore reflecting the magazines beliefs and values which reinforces Howard’s claim as the magazine openly expresses what they see to be social priorities and do carry out cultural values and this is clearly shown within the front cover of this Adbusters magazine as their main aim is to bring change within social and political constructs.