Mass importance

I am so ill. On Friday I felt like I was coming down with the flu, after coughing and sneezing my way through the week. I was thinking I was getting on top of it all and today I've been coughing so bad I've actually vomited. I know, so attractive I thought I'd share. Very charming I know.

But the bad thing is that due to me being laid up, I have progressed very little in my work, so I thought I'd just come on here and write a bit. Try and distract me a bit from my current state, so I apologise in advance as this has a tendency of turning into a bit of a rant.

Anyway, I was reading an article by Josh Madden, on Evil Monito(http://evilmonito.com/author/josh/). He wrote an article about luxury necessities. Things like Channel loo roll. Its crazy, but it does make a point. It tells you what people will spend money on if it has the right name or logo on it. Its crazy. But I guess that's how powerful logos can be. I mean, its getting that right design, which people can relate to that specific company or product. I suppose that would be one of my aims as a graphic designer to create a successful logo. And have it actually do its job.

The fact that people will follow a logo blindly. A factory in China, makes two pairs of trainers, one pair gets a Nike 'tick' sewn on the side, and the other one is plain, and gets sent to the a budget store. The budget one will sell for under £10, where the Nike one, will cost at least £35, despite them coming from the same place. Which is completely crazy. People automatically think that  if they pay more money then it has better quality. But more often in reality, its the tiny label which advertises a company that you are paying for.

Its rather disconcerting that in this day and age, especially with the whole recession thing, that people are willing to blindly spend so much money. Is it good advertising that a television has went from a luxury to a necessity, or is it brainwashing? Have we been told what we need, rather than us deciding for ourselves? Its difficult to find out which is true, whether we are actually making our own purchasing decisions, or  are they already made on our behalf?

It is a very worrying thought, with all the advertising now in society, how many decisions are of our own free will? It is crazy, when you think about it. For instance Coca-Cola is one of the worlds most popular brands. Now, when you walk around you daily tasks, notice how heavily Coke is advertised. Its in the canteen, on the sides of bus shelters, in magazines, on TV and as on websites. That's not counting that whenever you go into a shop which sells newspapers, they have shelves of Coke, and possibly even a branded fridge. So whether you actually look at these blatant advertisements or not, you subconsciously take in the information. So when it comes to lunch time and you need a drink, the good old Coca-Cola, jumps straight out at you, because the advertising has worked. So is it free will that you buy that Cola, instead of a Tango?

I don't quite know. It is free will in a way that, yes you do decide to purchase particular product. But the sheer volume of advertisements pushing that product into your face, that does also affect your decision.