Jermanie Jones

Capstone Research Paper

DS 481
June 26, 2013
The Role of Design in Propaganda in the 21
st
Century
Design in my opinion, is the evolution of human production, to fit a particular need,
aesthetic or physical. In David Clarks Design Studies: A Reader, Victor Margolin states that
design in an activity that is always changing. (Clark, 78). Over two thousand years, design has
changed and it assisted propaganda with its evolution. The collaboration between design and
propaganda shaped the world as I know it today. The author of Politics & Propaganda:
Weapons of Mass Destruction, Jackson OShaughnessy states that propaganda is a tool used to
convey messages. Propaganda uses communication to convey a message, an idea, or an
ideology designed to serve the self-interests of the person or people doing the communicating
(OShaughnessy, 2004). As this paper will illustrate, propaganda uses several forms of
communication to persuade others to rally around an idea that serves their self-interest. This
paper records instances where this form of communication can also serve only one persons
self-interest, leading to the negation of the term propaganda itself. In the 21
st
Century,
propaganda is successful because its use of design.
The goal of this project was to uncover this history of propaganda, its agenda, evolution,
and current uses and how design enhanced their effectiveness. Precedent and exemplars were
discovered, theories were found, and 21
st
Century technology was examined and compared
against media forms of the past. This research provided a base of knowledge to prepare for
the research of current and future uses. Design, being written word, images, and color, all play
important roles in propaganda in the United States of America. Rulers of Rome, England,
France, and Nazi Germany will be looked at for attempts at applying propaganda that stemmed
from the building of nations to war arenas.
Colin Moore, the author of Propaganda Prints states that thanks to warfare, the word
propaganda has developed a negative connotation. Partly due to the Allied practice of
referring to enemy communication as propaganda (Moore, 8). The Allies of World War II
referred to the Axis Powers, most notably Japan, Nazi Germany, and Italy as the enemy. They
accused them of using communication entitled propaganda. Since they were looked at
negatively; this word was forced to accept the same fate. Hundreds of years before World War
II, human beings used several forms of communication to influence others around them. Most
forms were not thought of as negative but more of an essential form to life. The radio could be
used to play popular songs or used to send messages about war. Propaganda was all
constructed around the largest distribution methods which often meant the newest
technology. This arena could be thought of as an even playing ground where it depended on
the effectiveness of communication rather than the discretization of an opponent. The
evolution of propaganda is illustrated in different instances throughout history. The Ancient
Era, The Reformation, The Napoleonic Era, and World War II will be dissected to give examples
and exemplars.
From 49 BCE to 44 BCE, Julius Caesar reigned as Dictator of the Roman Republic. As one
of the most famous rulers of Rome, he created his own accounts of military affairs. Julius
Caesar wrote his own accounts of military exploits. His fame and influence lead to envy by the
Senate (Moore, 23). Caesar wrote his own accounts and he was able to control what was
detailed about a certain event. If the battle ended negative for Rome, Caesar wrote only of the
glories of the battles which made him out to be a victorious hero. From 27 BCE to 14 CE, the
First Emperor of Rome, Augustus used a more physical approach to influencing those around
him. Augustus rebuilt Rome in marble and stone for a concrete symbolic expression of power
(Moore, 20). With stone and marble, he was able to say to Rome and to the world that Rome
would be a permanent fixture in lives for years to come. By Augustus being the person that
orchestrated it all, he became just as powerful as the structures he commissioned. Moore also
states that Augustus avoided divine status, which was a lesson he learned from the rule of
Julius Caesar. These two rulers of Rome influenced Hadrian to build in the previous manners on
the lands he conquered. Every city Hadrian conquered would follow the example of Rome, in
which they were permanent structures that can still be seen today. Some of those structures
are the Maison Carree and the Pont du Gard in Nimes, France. This method was still useful in
1066 when William of Normandy conquered England. William set up shop in several key cities.
He built towers out of wood for temporary purposes. They were followed by stone fortresses.
(Moore, 28). Moore suggests that this sent the message that William was in England and would
not leave. The use of propaganda for conquest was a common practice, but religion was about
to become another use.
The Reformation was a religious conflict between Catholics and Protestant ideals. It
started in 1517 with Martin Luthers 95 Thesis. This conflict was highlighted by Henry VIII and
his succession from the Catholic Church as a result of not being allowed an annulment, because
of the failed attempts of producing of a male heir. This cause was supported by his chief
minister, Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell supported the kings cause by commissioning
propaganda. Thomas Cromwell used a group of English intellectual Humanists to produce
printed material, supporting that English Reformation, in both English and Latin (Moore, 42).
This was a pivotal change because in 1436, The Gutenberg process was perfected in the form of
the first printed Bible. Mass production of propaganda materials could be distributed quickly
and the multiple language availability ensured more people would hear it. English citizens were
witnessing mass productions of leaflets that would convince them that becoming protestant
was essential to being a loyal citizen. The King could now influence his subjects more
effectively than ever.
In the Early 19
th
Century, a Corsican born French military officer became Emperor of
France. This was achieved by a successful military campaign that allowed him to be propelled
by his peers and countrymen to supreme ruler. Vance Packard, the author of The Hidden
Persuaders discusses Napoleons achievements. Napoleon set up a press bureau that he
called, perhaps in a playful moment, his Bureau of Public Opinion. Its function was to
manufacture political trends (Packard, 171). Napoleon found it essential to form an
organization that its main focus was to control public opinion. This would spark future
organizations orchestrated under President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler. While in
Italy he launched newspapers to address morale of his troops, in a language which impressed
the educated bourgeoisie (Moore, 103). By impressing the upper class, he was able to gain
support that moved him up in society to Emperor.
The Industrial Age, which occurred in the late 18
th
Century saw the invention of steam
driven, electronic presses that increased prints from 200 per hour to 10,000 per hour. Again,
another invention would change the landscape of propaganda. George Creel, in his book, How
We Advertised America, mentions the success of propaganda prints during the Civil War. In
1835, abolitionists mailed over 1 million items of anti-slavery literature to the South (Creel,
167). By doing this, abolitionists used propaganda in order to help them win the fight over
slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation helped the Union form a moral and emotional
advantage over the South. In freeing of the slaves, the Union was seen as their slaves ally for
freedom and the South as the enemy.
The previous technologies would be used and perfected with the help of a world war. A
rising party in Germany would use these technologies in their execution of their ideals.
According to Colin Moore, the Nazis propaganda campaign of the 1930s and 1940s looked to
have five main points in their construction of their propaganda. First, avoid abstract ideas and
appeal to the emotion. Secondly, employ constant repetition or just a few ideas, using
stereotyped phrases and avoiding objectivity. Third, only use one side of the argument. Fourth,
constantly criticize enemies of the state. Lastly, use one person for special vilification. (Moore,
148). These five points helped to conjure up a population who would die for Hitler. It was
essential to being about emotion that fueled attachment. Repetition kept the threat present
and with them being biased, produced one sided ideals. The vilification was important because
it gave people the chance to blame one person and fight to eliminate them. During the Iraq
War Campaign, Suddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden were the evil persons used for
vilification.
In the late 20
th
and early 21
st
Century, America saw Presidents take advantage of new
media. The government had to find a way to deal with all citizens on a mass scale at one time.
There had to be a way to control attitudes and feelings simultaneously across the nation. The
real challenge comes in dealing effectively with citizens of a free society who can vote you out
of office, or spurn your solicitation for their support, if they are so minded (Packard, 171). The
power of the people is recognized in America; therefore that power is influenced by all walks of
life. Though as we read, there can be people who seek to use this knowledge for self-benefit.
One way the government seeks to eliminate this occurrence is to make the country untied as
one body. The government and the candidates for elected offices had to make citizens buy
there ideas and elect them based on a total package deal. The politicians are beginning to
apply all the smart advertising techniques used by mass production America to merchandise to
autos, bath salts, and lawn mowers (Packard, 172). Packard talked about how in the 1950s,
politicians realized the control advertising had on citizens. It was time for them to cash in on
the game of propaganda and persuasion. Under Chairman Leonard W. Hall & Robert
Humphreys, publicity director, the Republican Congressional Committee has made-to-order
productions for the candidate who wants to use television, movies built around cartoons and
charts (Packard, 172). As seen, this became an operation to gain a piece of the public pie.
This was no longer about winning an election, but about winning over the minds of the people.
Advertising had become propaganda for the federal government.
Television has been and still is huge part of American culture. Some of the most
important events such as presidential inaugurations and tragedies were captured and shown
mainly on television. The government, since televisions inception, has been involved in some of
the programs shown on television. There was even a push to limit the television markets to
three major networks. Ben Shapiro discusses the liberalism of television in his book, Primetime
Propaganda, David Sarnoff, of NBC, quickly learned that connections with the government
could be most useful. He cultivated a friendship with FDR and even helped the President install
a recording system in the Oval Office (Shapiro, 283). Shapiro also states that Sarnoff discussed
business with Presidents Johnson and Nixon. At ABC, Leonard Goldenson received business
advice from Senator John Pastore. This proves that there were connections between television
executives and the government. With this proof, it is now possible to think about the ways in
which the government propagated information and how certain design elements assisted them
in their tasks.
Images and videos show on television influenced the consequences of scandals such as
Watergate and the Bernie Madoff Ponzi Scheme. The entire country, even rural residents could
see for their own eyes what was going on in Washington. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
used the radio and Lincoln used the telegraph, which both helped them communicate to their
citizens. President Reagan would later be known as the great communicator because he used
the television to his advantage. Washington knows that effective communication is essential to
a successful political career.
My grandparents told me stories of when they saw the Birmingham citizens being
overwhelmed by the devastating forces of water hoses during the Civil Rights Movement.
Donald Norman, a cognitive psychologist composed a theory about how we interpret certain
images. The affective system makes judgments and quickly helped you determine the status of
the environment around you. The cognitive system interprets and makes sense of the
world.Emotion is the conscious experience affect, complete with attribution of cause and
identification of its object (Davis, 69). In the case of the discrimination in Birmingham, my
grandparents felt that this was a bad environment to live in and the world around them was in
disarray. These emotions are also played upon today in public service announcements. A
thirty-second smoking prevention television spot by a youth-smoking prevention campaign in
2000 showed a crew of young people piling up 1,200 empty body bags at the foot of a tobacco
companys high-rise building (Davis, 73). Davis stated that the ad sought to illustrate in a
visceral, an unreasoned emotional fashion how 1,200 people die each in the US from tobacco
related diseases. The creators designed a commercial that they knew would play on these
emotions. Photos are one of the components of design, and as previously seen, can be
powerful in persuasion.
Today, the web is one of the most important forms of communication. Geert Lovink
stated in his book, Dark Fiber that logging onto the net will soon be as fascinating and
meaningful as picking up the phone (Lovink,78). That day has come and gone and now we must
realize how the internet is organized to convey ideas about society to us. Take a look at news
sites. Then, take a look at a popular magazine or pop culture website. What you will notice is
that the popular websites boast provocative photos and text that use sex or entertaining
images to keep users on the page. Then picture CNN with the same photos and type. News
sites are known for providing important and vital information and cannot use those tactics to
keep users on the site. Though, this could be challenged by the news source TMZ, who cannot
be credited as a reliable source.
With internet sites in the 21
st
Century, we are made to feel like we have control over our
experience, just like we have control over our lives. Search Engines can provide every source of
information that we need. They must be designed to fit that need. Sites such as Yahoo!,
Amazon, and search engines such as Google, and virtually new organizations represent the new
breed in screen design. All space is used to maximize the amount of text-based info on the
front page. Designers have to become neutral providers of mass customization of users
(Lovink,334). Yahoo, Google, and YouTube are organized in different ways that provide
different outcomes. The first page, or home page draws the user in and can decide whether
they stay for the information provided or if they venture onto another site. On the first page,
Google presents its famous logo on a plain, white background with a search box. Space
attracts readers by making the page look accessible, unthreatening, and manageable (White,
13). By having so much white space, Google is providing something different than the ordinary
full screen that Yahoo presents. The page provides a space that does not limit the user. The
logo itself uses the De Stijl palette of primary colors, with the addition of green. As outlined in
Meredith Davis, Graphic Design Theory, De Stijl design was viewed as harmony that could be
revealed only through abstraction (Davis, 151). Yahoo boasts a complex display with a main
panel and a main story with a large photo. There are topics for the visitor to choose on the left
side.
Phillip Taylor, the author of Munitions of the Mind wrote a complete historical analysis
of propaganda. Taylor states that not only do we use television to communicate across the
oceans of the world, but we now have the internet that speeds up and enhances the quality of
that same communication. He states that not only can Belgrade citizens pick up leaflets
dropped by airplanes and show them to CNN Camera crews, but they have their own way to
communicate to people across the world. They can now take it home, scan it to their
computer and send it as an email attachment to anyone on the internet. Hence just as power
supplies, television stations and radio transmitters have become the primary targets of
information-age warfare, perception is a vitally important and worldwide conflict space
(Taylor, 311). The television is still useful, but the Internet has provided a new, more readily
accessible form of media.
In the area of lifestyle, Facebook and Twitter have a supreme hold on American lives
that has distracted us from effects of the media. McLuhan warned that content distracts us
from media effects and that we may not be as critical as we need to be about the real message
(Davis, 210). Davis writes Social networking sites, such as Facebook, incorporate the older
media of writing and photography and turn participants into content (Davis, 210). We are no
longer users, but the content which Facebook displays. So, now as McLuhan states, the medium
which we now are, is the message. I have come to the conclusion that we are now focused on
our individual selves and no longer focused on the issues that plagued society prior to
Facebook. It seems that we received a social media platform that occupies time that we could
be using to better our lives instead of just reading or sharing it with friends.
The message, which can sometimes be imperfect, is displayed with a blue template.
According to Swiss psychologist Dr. Max Luescher, the color blue has an association of being
dignified. This presents a clean, clear, and organized view for users that has worked for years.
MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter heavily rely on the color blue in their page architecture. Even
though American lives are dysfunctional and complex, the blue templates can make us feel
good about ourselves and society. If a person navigates Twitter today, they would see that
the President and the White House both have a Twitter Account. It can be seen that using new
forms of media to your advantage can be beneficial if used correctly.
I have analyzed propaganda from its use with media forms that have been government
or corporation influenced. In the future, we will still be using the methods outlined above.
What will be different will be that the average American will understand these things more
clearly and they will be used for peaceful purposes. Taylor states Propaganda has the
potential to serve a constructive, civilized, and peaceful purpose if that is the intention behind
constructing it. We must all become propagandists on behalf of those very characteristics that
genetically and anthropologically link all the people to the human species (Taylor, 324). This
method of persuasion is embedded in our DNA and we will always use it in some manner. It is
up to us individually to figure out its new forms and methods.
We now know that there is no limit to propaganda. It can be a frightening thought, but
isnt that what makes life so great. We, as human beings have the control to persuade others
and must act responsibly in doing so. Our evolution depends on it.




Bibliography
Creel, G. 1920. How We Advertised America. New York and London: Harper and Brothers
Publishers.
Creel provided a source to prove that America was advertised through television in some
capacities. It also gave a source of advertisement during the Civil War which supplied an
instance of evolution.
Clark, Hazel, and David Brody. Design Studies: A Reader. New York, NY: Berg, 2009. Print.
This book provided me with a series of essays that defined design and most of its
components. The definition of the design was discussed by several
Davis, Meredith. Graphic Design Theory: Graphic Design in Context. New York, New York:
Thames & Hudson, 2012. Print.
Along with an overview of Graphic Design knowledge, this book provided theories that
were used to explain current events. These theories provide professional and credible
sources of reference that validate points in the paper. In addition, there were historical
occurrences that were used to shape a timeline of evolutionary events.
Lovink, Geert. Dark Fiber. Boston, MA: The MIT Press, 2003. Print.
This 21
st
Century book provided a recent look at internet culture and the influence that
government have on its development.
Packard, Vance. The Hidden Persuaders. Brooklyn, NY: Ig Publishing, 1957. Print.
This was one of the most important sources of my research. It provided me with proof that
television has been influenced by the government in more ways than the average
American knows. It showed how these facts were hidden from society but can clearly be
uncovered through research.
Moore, Colin. Propaganda Prints. London, UK: A&C Black Publishers, 2011. Print.
This source was a written and pictorial account of propaganda from the Cuneiform of the
Sumerians to the Iraq War. It was the most complete source of historical knowledge out
of all the sources. The book was also chronological.
Shapiro, Ben. Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took over Your
TV. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2011. Print.
This source reviewed the government involvement in television in the 1950s. It discusses
the interaction of the network with several senators.
Taylor, Philip M. Munitions of the Mind: A History of Propaganda from the Ancient World to
the Present Day. Manchester And New York: Manchester University Press, 2003. Print.
Used throughout the other sources, this was the most credible source used. Taylor
provides an in-depth analysis that reviews the who, what, when, why, and where of
propaganda throughout history.
White, Alex W. The Elements of Graphic Design: Space, Unity, Page Architecture, and Type: 2nd
Edition. New York, NY: Allworth Press, 2011. Print.
White gives insight to how design is used in media and how it is composed.