Practises

7.

Back to life. Where graphic design is not important. It just happens!

General questions

Where is the graphic design actually placed? (where else?)

The poster and it's design equivalents are attached to walls, windows, or electric boxes. I have noticed that they are mainly located near "Ballhaus Ost," where the musical is being performed. It seems like they are frequently found on abandoned buildings or construction sites where the posters won't be disturbed. I don't think they have paid for official advertising space like the "Litfasssäule," but rather they are wild placarding it.

Who passes by?

The passersby are often people walking to the nearest tram station, as there is a larger intersection not far from the location. Additionally, there are people passing by in cars, even though the placement of the poster is not optimal for catching the attention of drivers, since there are a lot of parked cars in between.

Who owns the place?

The building used to be a video rental place that closed even before the pandemic. Since then, there has been a note on the door indicating that it will soon become a betting office, but the building has remained unchanged for a few years now. That's why people have started putting posters on the windows and nobody seems to care about that.

Who put it there?

In some cases, companies or organizations may hire advertising agencies or street teams to put up posters on their behalf, but I don't think that was the case here. This poster may be put up by volunteers or supporters of the event.

Observation

I tried to observe the poster(well, not the actual poster but an equivalent at the same location, because it was already overtaped at this point) at the exact location. I tried it twice, during day time and night time. This is the summary of my findings through the observation:

Field notes

Date: 18th of January Time: Daytime

Findings:

• The poster is largely unnoticed, blending in with the other advertising around it.
• Most people are preoccupied with their own devices (smartphones, headphones,…) or conversations and don't pay attention to the poster.
• The noise level from traffic is quite loud and distracting.
• There was nobody from the tram that passes by every five minutes actively looking in the direction of the photo.
• The poster is partially hidden by parked cars making it difficult to see from the street by drivers/people in the tram.

Date: 12th of February Time: Evening

Findings:

• The foot traffic in the evening is still busy, but nobody seems to take notice of the poster.
• The noise level from the nearby partying teenagers makes it difficult to focus on anything else.
• The poster is largely invisible, blending in with the other advertising around it.
• There are still a lot of pedestrians walking by, maybe even more than during day time, but I didn't catch a glance.

Summary of your observations

All in all, it was a very sad and observational experience for the poster, but it was still interesting to do. When I randomly observed people in the subway station, I noticed that some of them were actively looking at posters (probably because they are bored). I also observed that people tend to look at posters more often when I'm actively looking at them, perhaps because they think I'm a weirdo for reading a stupid advertisement. However, I like to see myself as a trendsetter in the name of overlooked graphic designs.

To process my observations and feelings, I wrote a short poem from the perspective of my poster. Warning: it may evoke emotions, so have your tissues ready.

Afterlife

Despite the lack of attention from most passersby, it's possible that some people who did glance at the poster. There are some options what happens then (from most likely to least likely):

1. They forget it again
2. They forget it and see it again (and the more often they see it, the better they like it - as we learned in Media Psychology)
3. They forget it at first, but remember it at a specific moment - it’s Friday, they want to make some plans - they try remembering what they saw (“I think I saw a queer musical ad…”)
4. They snatch a photo of it because they are interested in the topic, or the design 
5. They actually go to the event
6. After the event they ask for the poster on the merchandising stand and put it in their home - so it becomes not only decor, but a memory. 

The existence of a poster within you is almost ephemeral. The poster continues to exist as a physical artifact long after the event has ended. It remains on the window where it was placed, slowly deteriorating and becoming a part of the urban landscape – until it is taped over. :'(

rip