Amanda Barfield

Here’s the original campaign poster, I got it off the AIGA...

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:41:58 -0500

Here’s the original campaign poster, I got it off the AIGA website (aiga.org)

Its not just Black or White

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:41:07 -0500

Greg Bennett’s campaign poster entitled “VOTE. WHY NOT?” makes a bold statement about the effects of a lackadaisical attitude towards voting. The poster’s three words divided into two phrases, “WHY NOT?” and “VOTE” take a backseat to the visual manner in which they are presented. The poster, which is aimed towards those members of the public who do not exercise their right to vote, draws a very emotional outcry from many of its viewers. The style of the presentation used by the designer is a relatively simple one, yet it stirs up a lot of controversy, given the current state of our country’s military. Bennett’s use of violent, threatening images and the sharp color contrast of black and white help to elucidate the severity of the consequences of not voting and the possible consequences of that decision.

One of the first things someone might notice about this poster is the military style fighter jet and the four bombs dropping beneath it. Planes such as the one in the image as well as the bombs are common associations with modern warfare. Since most wars are now not fought on land but in the air, this fighter jet is a prominent part of military force. With the controversy surrounding military occupation in the Middle East being an issue that affected the candidates for the election, campaign posters with military elements were common. More and more people, especially with the help of the news, are able to recognize planes like this one as part of the military action our country is involved in. The image of the plane alone arouses mixed feelings for the viewing audience. However, it is hard to mistake the scene for one of warfare with the bombs falling from the plane quickly approaching the ground below. The schema that the plane evokes is one that reminds the people of war and fear, which is exactly what the designer hoped to do. The plane is a synecdoche, representing war and the state of war.

Another choice that works well in the favor of the designer is the choices of black and white. Black and white are colors associated with clear, definitive subject matter. With black and white there is no in between, no question of whether a thing is or isn’t. The fact that the designer chose black and white to represent the issue of voting makes a bold statement in itself. By using those colors to represent the issue of voting, the designer makes the statement that voting is a clear issue, one way or another. However there is no association with one color or another being the right or wrong choice. This leaves the association of the images and the color choices up to the audience. While the poster was made before the two major parties chose their candidates, the concept of black and white becomes even more definitive now knowing that for the first time a black man was running for President. Considering there was no way to know who the candidates would be, I don’t think the designer chose the color scheme for this reason, but it does complicate things.

While many choices are up to the audience for interpretation, the text in the picture does not leave much room for play. There are only three words on the entire poster. “WHY NOT?” and “VOTE” appear in the picture, however one takes the foreground and the other the background. The word “VOTE” takes the foreground and center of attention because it is located in the center of the page. The font and text size are larger than that of the “WHY NOT” text, and are presented in black. I determined that black was the foreground while the items in white were in the background. By placing the text “VOTE” inside of a bomb shell, the designer places the emphasis on the word “VOTE”. Most people would recognize the power and danger associated with bombs and by juxtaposing that a vote could be a bomb the designer shows his opinion on how powerful a vote can be. The words “WHY NOT?” were in a small text bubble above what appears to be the head of the pilot, in plain, white text. The emphasis is clearly not on these words because they are written in white, which is the background color, and compared to the text of “VOTE” the text bubble is hardly noticeable.

Another small detail that I felt was important to notice was the lack of definition between the land and sky. With a color scheme that is black and white an unclear distinction between the two was rather surprising for me. Everything else in the picture is clear and separated from everything else. There is no other place in the picture where it isn’t clear where one object stops and the other begins. We interpreted this as the land coming apart, or rather being torn apart by the bombs being dropped on to it. Since I already established that the bombs were also votes, the land is being torn apart by votes. With as vicious as the campaign became as the election date drew closer, this image is one that became strikingly true. However, instead of blurring the lines between black and white some people might argue that the election made them clearer, as some voters voted for their candidate simply because they were of the same race. As disgraceful as I find that, I’d like to think that the blurring between the black and white is the line between the two being erased and becoming inconsequential.

Overall, I felt as though the visual was successful in getting across its message. It effectively reached the emotions of the viewing audience by playing on very real fears that people have today. In an election where people were told that their right to vote was more important than ever before, the designer did a good job of portraying the severity of neglecting that right. The use of violent images and black and white color scheme were key in portraying the mood and viewpoint that the designer intended. The imagery, which I though was abstract, appealed to the logical side of the audience as well as their worries and fears, which was the reason they were so successful.

Cultural Event #2

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:53:47 -0400

In a society where a lot of popular music speaks of the regrets and problems of one night stands and meaningless hookups, I find it refreshing to find a music group that still speaks of love in the romantic sense, not love because the girl is your baby mama. One group that I’ve learned to turn to for clean, good-feeling music is the country trio Lady Antebellum. The trio has a style self described as “mingl(ing) classic country 1960’s R&B soulfulness and the heart-on-the-sleeve openness of a 1970’s singer-songwriter, all presented with a razor sharp contemporary edge”. From their first radio hit “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” to other hits like “I Run to You”, Lady Antebellum’s music was pretty persistent on their view on love: its amazing when its right, and it hurts when it ends. However, one of their newest chart-climbing catchy songs, “Lookin’ for a Good Time” doesn’t stay consistent with the rest of their music. While the tune, guitar, and vocals are all up to par with the trio’s unique sound, the lyrics are what threw me for a loop.

Hey what you drinkin’ baby?

Girl you’re beautiful
You’re bout near perfect
But I bet somebody’s already told you that
Name your poison, name your passion
Cause a boy like me just couldn’t help but ask

The opening line already speaks a lot about the tone of the rest of the song. That line has been used by many single men in bars all over the world. Considering the man doesn’t know what the woman is drinking, the audience can guess that he probably doesn’t know her very well, if at all. Many women have heard that line, and expect an attempt at a drunken pickup soon to follow. Next come the smooth compliments, describing her beauty, and acknowledging that she must already know how gorgeous she is. The man even alludes to her irresistibility, claiming he couldn’t help but to try and buy her a drink. His intentions aren’t clear, but most girls can easily guess what would follow.

Keep on talking to me baby
I’m hanging on your every word
Keep those drinks a coming maybe
We’ll both get what we deserve.

The girl’s response is even more unusual to me. Girls are normally the ones declining the drunk pick up, with possible encouragement only to score free drinks for the night. However, here, the come on seems more sincere. She seems interested in the guy, but the line “Keep those drinks a coming” reaffirms my suspicion about leading the man on for his drinks. The last line says that those drinks will possibly get them their just rewards- whatever those may be. However, with the sly and mischievous tone that the singer used, what they deserve can’t result in too much good. The stereotypical way that this scenario might end is a drunken hookup, which leads us into the chorus of the song.

How bout baby
We make a promise
To not promise anything more than one night
Complicated situations
Only get worse in the morning light
Hey I’m just lookin’ for a good time

All of my previous suspicions are confirmed in the chorus. This meeting does indeed result in a one night stand, but this one unlike most hookups, comes with an agreement. The couple agrees to nothing more than one night, due to the inherent awkwardness and uncomfortable situations that will follow the next morning with the confidence of the alcohol fades away into clear thinking. They go ahead and deny any chance of a relationship- saying that they are both only “lookin’ for a good time”. This is one of the worst social situations someone could put themselves in; they are setting themselves up for a terrible morning. They have to try and be social to each other, without the alcohol influence, scuffle around the other’s apartment looking for scattered items of clothing, all the while trying to ignore the big white elephant in the room. In this possibly forgotten verbal pact, the two agree not to promise anything more than what the night presents, even recognizing that things could get messy when their decision making skills aren’t as impaired. Hopefully, this decision to not complicate things further will work for the both of them.

Put in a long hard week doing this 9 to 5
And you’re just the girl to get that off my mind
You shouldn’t have worn that dress
You shouldn’t dance like that
You got this little heart of mine in overdrive
I sure love this conversation
The band is good, the music’s loud
But would you get the wrong impression
If I called us a cab right now

The conversation continues between our new acquaintances as they describe their weeks, which is typical in a bar where everyone is trying to wind down from a hectic work week. However, she captures his attention and frees his worried mind. Her dress and dancing help to distract him from the long hours he’s worked that week, as he confesses that she’s the one that has his blood pumping. She takes the more direct approach to his conversation, choosing to skip the chit chat about the atmosphere and how great the band is. Making sure to cover herself if he thinks she’s too forward, she makes sure to find out if he would think badly of her for getting them both out of the bar and presumably back to somewhere they could make themselves more comfortable. It definitely defies my stereotype to hear the girl being the one to instigate leaving the club to do whatever they might do. Again, most people could assume what the two might be leaving the club to do.

Go ahead and lie to me and pull me close
Tell me that you love me even if you don’t
The rule is don’t you ever even talk about forever
But you never say never in life.

The last bridge is the one that seems to be the most realistic of the whole piece. These seem to be the buried thoughts that don’t emerge among the come on’s and compliments. The reality of the situation comes out: that people say things they don’t mean just to make the other person like them more. No one wants to hear I love you when the person doesn’t mean it, but in that moment in time, the rationality of that goes out the window as the lust takes over, and the lust loves the lies. Talking about forever is completely off limits, however they both acknowledge that nothing is ever as certain as it seems. Not their pact to compartmentalize their relationship, not the lies that they tell each other, but especially not the awkward morning that follows their emotionally jam-packed night.

Despite the questionable content of this song, I can’t help but get excited when it comes on. While I’m no advocate of one night stands resulting from a random bar hookup, the topic of the lyrics comes in second place to the upbeat, fast-paced music. The singer’s voices help to drown the topic out with their sweet tones, and the guitar is so exciting that the inevitable awkwardness is soon forgotten.

"Ms. Amanda, I know you like it and everything, but reading is dumb. Now playin’ Wii,..."

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:18:00 -0400

““Ms. Amanda, I know you like it and everything, but reading is dumb. Now playin’ Wii, that’s cool”.”

- Elijah, a fourth grader in the after school program I work at.

A Wannabe Western Affair

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:44:17 -0400

A Wannabe Western Affair

I started off the night with 10 of my closest friends and their dates. We each showed up dressed in our best imitation Western garb. It wasn’t uncommon that night to see girls in cut-off jean shorts, skimpy cotton jersey dresses, over-sized plaid shirts and of course, our best imitation leather boots. There were cap guns and cowgirl hats galore, which by the end of the night found their way under the seats of our charter bus. The night started at one of the sister’s homes, with country music blaring out of the speakers for the whole block to hear. When my date and I entered the house, the smell of whiskey was strong. Whiskey was the only appropriate drink, I was told, because of our Western theme. After spending a good two hours dancing, joking, and taking copious amounts of pictures, we headed over to the site where the buses were set to pick us up. On arriving, we saw many friends and their dates and we all proceeded to get on the buses. The problem we soon ran into was the inherent lack of space for all my sisters and their dates. Calling for other buses was not an option, so my date and I ended up sitting on each other’s laps while others around us were stacked three and four people high in their seats.

The bus ride to the event facility, Sleepy Hollow, was long and hot. What seemed like an hour long bus ride was actually only about 15 minutes, but the surroundings made it seem longer. All around me was the smell of sweat and alcohol, coming from the mouths and armpits that seemed to be encompassing my field of vision. The girl sitting directly beside me was literally wrapped up in her boyfriend, and completely ignorant of all the nearby eyes watching her every move. The girl behind me was anxiously chanting a mantra of “Gotta get off the bus, gotta get off the bus”. She apparently suffers from extreme panic attacks due to claustrophobia, so my trip was lengthened trying to calm her down, and to prevent her from screaming at the bus driver at the top of her lungs. As soon as she tore her way off of the bus with a firm grip on my hand, things didn’t get better, only worse. No more than 30 seconds had passed off the bus when I felt a sharp stinging pain, first on my calf and then on my neck. To my disgust, the bus driver had run over a hornet’s nest, releasing their fury upon the by standing, extremely drunk crowd. I believe a total of more that 30 people were stung, and that set the mood of the entire crowd as a sour one. There was a band playing when we arrived, the Doug McCormick Band, and the crowd was dancing. It wasn’t the typical dancing that you would see at any college party; there was no grinding or sexual moves. The dancing had a more old fashioned feel, with girls’ hands around their date’s waist and the boys’ hands on their shoulders. Everyone seemed to be dancing to their own music however, but enjoying themselves in their own worlds. The band played a great mix of Southern rock like Lynard Skynard, to classic country like Hank Williams Jr., and even some new country like Luke Bryan. It was a nice change of pace from all the rap and hip-hop that is normally played at sorority functions. After a few good dances with my date, we decided to head outside to get away from the resonating body odor inside the dance hall. Outside the barn where the dancing was taking place, a few sets of tables and chairs were available for our use. We sat and talked to a few of our good friends for close to an hour, reflecting on how the year was progressing. The atmosphere outside was much more relaxed than inside the dance hall. You couldn’t smell the alcohol, you weren’t getting pushed, and there was a nice breeze that replaced the scalding heat coming from all the hot bodies crowded in such a small space. There were lights hung from the trees and candles everywhere creating a very ambient glow, which helped to relax everyone a bit. We had only been there two hours when we decided to carefully board the buses to return back to campus. We were one of a few couples on the bus, so the atmosphere was much less crowded and stressful. We were able to take a breather and relax on the way back to our car.

Photo

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:46:52 -0400

Introducing...

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:43:00 -0400

Amanda Case Barfield

Secondary Education: English

Fort Mill, S.C.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn-Betty Smith

When Harry Met Sally

O.A.R.