MY FELLOW AMERICANS

Process/Research

Mood Board

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Descriptive Text: MY FELLOW AMERICANS"I am an American."What does this statement mean to you? Try sifting through all the political

and economic propaganda. What do we think this means to the rest of the world? Can you steer clear of a muddled, lengthy answer? Can you deliver something compressed, convincing, and to the point? Now check with your neighbor. Do they have the same answer? Probably not.

This country is anything but simple. There is no easy explanation as to what an American can identify with culturally. It was built upon great acts by people who had clearly defined beliefs. Today we are struggling with the stereotypes that have been thrown upon us and find that they clash with the pride that exists in America itself. In this way, our identity has become confusing.

We the people…used to know exactly who we were. We didn't question our rights, beliefs, or our identity. We weren't embarrassed, or ashamed to say "I am an American", and we certainly did not let other countries define our identity for us. We were a "Take It Or Leave It" group of united individuals, and proud to be that way. Browsing through history, one slogan and it's accompanying image surfaces; "I Want You". Dating back to the War of 1812, this remains one of the most American charged sayings. However, has it stood the test of time, or has it become a dated icon? Can the American culture of today still identify with the same icons of one or two centuries ago? It may very well just be something that defines America's past.

American culture has experienced a shift in definition. It's hard to pinpoint when, or why. We now have a desire to hold on to the past in order to try to maintain a sense of cultural self. Too much has changed since our country's forefathers wrote "The Declaration of Independence" and "The Constitution". We can't apply all the same icons with our country's beliefs and firmly convince ourselves and others that it is what being an American is about. The same used up “retro” designs do not cut it and the government designs have been in place since the early years of the country. True, they represent a part of America, and have their purposes, but what is there that truly shows today's America?

It is time to focus on where America as a united people is right now and where it is going. That is not to say that the past should be forgotten. Where would our culture be without our past? Americans should hold "times gone by" very close to us, like in a scrapbook. However, the past should not be the sole foundation any longer. Through tools provided by design, our current and future identity can take its place. Our cultural identity is there, it just needs to be edited, sorted through, and molded into the clear definition that American people need. I want nothing more than to be able to declare "I am an American", and be completely confident, knowledgeable, and proud in doing so. Let this be the first of many things that the American people can agree upon when it comes to the identity of this culture.

PERSAUSIVE TEXT: MY FELLOW AMERICANS“My Fellow Americans” is a thesis project about the identity of America. This is approached on a state by state basis, so it is about each of the 50 states separately and then how they all come together to form the United States of America. This country is anything but simple. There is no easy explanation as to what an American can identify with culturally. One of the intents of this project is to depict that very fact and give the Americans something relevant to show who they are. It consists of 50 different screen prints that show the character of each state, which are created based on conversations between the designer and another person that have either had experiences in any part of America or their home state (if they are American). The end product consists of a book holding all the screen prints as well as a fold out map in the back as a table of contents. One image is not like the other except for the style of execution, medium, and color. Every graphic is hand drawn with a china marker or grease pencil and the type is done with either a pen or brush. All the type is red, while the imagery is blue on a white background. These colors were chosen to touch on the colors of the country, as well as help to unify each print. The medium was chosen because it adds a personal element and shows that someone's hand was actually in this. Some of the graphics are positive, while others are negative, but they all have a clever tension that makes this approach successful. This tension shows that a lot of stereotypes about the states are found to be true here. The graphics are smirking at the viewer, and in turn the viewer smirks back as they realize that what is being expressed is a truth. “My Fellow Americans” reclaims the elements of America that Americans are made fun of relentlessly. It is here to say “This is who Americans are. Take it or Leave it.”