Dezombies and the Coming Design Apocalypse: Confronting the Urgent Need to Increase Racial Diversity and Environmental Awareness in University-Level American Communication Design Programs.
Benson, Eric; Jennings, John; Gibson, Michael
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/126068
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Title
Dezombies and the Coming Design Apocalypse: Confronting the Urgent Need to Increase Racial Diversity and Environmental Awareness in University-Level American Communication Design Programs.
Author(s)
Benson, Eric
Jennings, John
Gibson, Michael
Issue Date
2017-10
Keyword(s)
Design Education
Racism
Environmental Awareness
Sustainability
Date of Ingest
2025-02-28T19:32:56-06:00
Abstract
When movie director George Romero introduced the modern conception of the zombie in
his film “Night of the Living Dead” in 1968, he created an enduring metaphor for depicting the
societal impact of rampant conspicuous consumption. His allegory for the consumer is that of a
mindless, empty shell of a being who is only connected to its fellow humans by its incessant need
to have its ravenous hunger satiated by the consumption of living brain tissue. The persona of
the zombie metaphorically represents the demise of free thought and critical analysis in society.
Romero’s film depicts one of the most significant and historically persistent horrors of humanity
— our seemingly insatiable need to consume — set against the isolation and banality of our
existence in a world now largely driven by corporate agendas.
This piece will argue the position that the contemporary American design practitioner and
educator directly and indirectly create exemplifications of the persona of Romero’s zombies by
the millions across much of the world, and particularly in the U.S. We do this when the bulk of
what we teach design students to think about and do is limited to creating and disseminating the
pretty packages that hold the metaphorical “brains — the processed food products, the consumer
goods, the promise of life-altering services and experiences — that consumers mindlessly
devour many times over as they live their lives.
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