Humour in graphic design - a device for persuasion

A couple of weeks ago I was looking at a few topics in an attempt to streamline what I was doing, specifically what and how I was going to produce my honours project.  While I have moved away a little bit from the things I discuss in this post, I felt it was important to chart them as they helped to inform the process that got me to the point I am at just now. At the point of starting to write this post, I was considering basing my honours project on the effectiveness of humour as a persuasive design tool. I ended up changing my mind slightly as you will have read, however I still feel the research I did here can be adapted to my new direction.

Following on from my previous blog post where I wrote a little about Karan Singh's work, I did a lot of reading of books and articles looking at humour in design. One really helpful book was A Smile In The Mind by Beryl McAlhone, which documents a lot of work which uses the element of wit or surprise in various works under the umbrella of graphic design.  There was a lot in there so I am going to make an upcoming post about the work featured in the book.

Another useful source of quotes was Stephen Heller's article for AIGA, "Is There Anything Funny About Graphic Design?"  The article is taken from Heller's book Design Humour: The Art of Graphic Wit and examines the role of wit in graphic design, especially through the use of visual puns, and asks if they are truly an effective method of communication.  The following quote I found really interesting:

"A picture is worth a thousand words because so much more information can be evoked through one image than in a sentence or a paragraph.  In visual language, it is often necessary to substitute one image with another, or one symbol from another.  Not just for purposes of jest - but to enhance meaning.  Therefore, the pun - at best a kind of shorthand, at worst a strained contortion - describes graphic symbols used to simplify complex concepts into accessible, often memorable images. " (Heller, 2002)

Hallie Bateman's New Year's Resolutions illustrations remind me of the works of David Shrigley and Gemma Correll.  The handwritten text works perfectly with the simplicity of the drawings to create a collection of charming, funny pictures.  Everyone has a voice in their head when they read words, and in these pictures I feel like the voice would be friendly, if a little sarcastic.  The type does not feel authoritative or even motivational, really!  The humorous element of the images is what makes them memorable - humour disarms the viewer and arguably makes them more perceptive towards what it is they are looking at.  If the typography was changed to a font more digital and rigid, the tone of the picture would change completely and potentially the funny element may be lessened.

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Similarly, Eduardo Sales' Cinismo Ilustrado are sarcastic observations on human nature, which on one hand make us laugh, but on the other hand make us look at our bad habits.  These images depict our immersion of the online world as a little bit satirical and a little bit sad.

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"When a visual pun works - specifically, when two distinct entities merge to form one idea - the effect stimulates thought and sensation." (Heller, 2002)  This drawing of a homeless person asking for likes pokes fun at the social media trend of "liking" pages for charities while not doing anything to actively help the problem.  

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"Humour is mnemonic - something that helps (or forces us) to recollect.  This can be manifested in word play, like a slogan or jingle, or picture play, such as a logo or trademark." (Heller, 2002) Everyone knows Cinderella, but this very funny spin on the happy ending brings a satirical element to it.  Satire is used again below to mock how men and women objectify each other in this diagram about boobs.

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This one is interesting; can't tell if it's depicting the digitally-led revolutions as a good thing or a bad thing.

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This made me laugh.  Purely good fun here and some wise observations!

So while I am no longer looking specifically at techniques of humour, there is a lot to be taken from it in terms of styles of illustration and typography used.  Who knows, I may find a way to bring it in to my practical work somewhere down the line.

References

Articles:

Heller, Stephen. 2002.  AIGA Website. "Is There Anything Funny About Graphic Design?" [online] Available at:  http://www.aiga.org/is-there-anything-funny-about-graphic-design/
[Accessed 10th January 2015]

Images:

Figures 1-8:  Bateman, Hallie, 2014.  The Awl.  "Realistic New Year's Resolutions." [online]
Available at: http://www.theawl.com/2014/12/new-years-resolutions
[Accessed 11th January 2015]

Fig 9-15: Sales, Eduardo. 2014.  Lost At E Minor.  "Witty Illustrations By Eduardo Sales" [online]

Available at:  http://www.lostateminor.com/2014/02/06/witty-illustrations-eduardo-sales/

[Accessed 11th January 2015]