Graphic Design

In 1993 Jeffery Keedy made the following statement;

"The idea of borrowing in Graphic design is so pervasive that it's often done unconsciously. What is needed is awareness of what crossing cultural/historical barriers actually means, as well as an understanding of the importance of context"

It is a fair comment to make that borrowing in graphic design, as well as in almost all other areas of design is ubiquitous. Whether this is a good or bad thing could be argued at length, but generally it is widely accepted as the norm. While it seems that borrowing from another designer, culture or era lacks ingenuity and innovation, it could be argued that it is simply a form of appraisal and ratification. While both are very fair points, It may be that the borrowing is neither a good nor a bad thing, but a mixture of both. It becomes clear, when looking in more detail at designs that have been inspired by, or have indeed borrowed, that problems can arise. The major problem of course, as Keedy so rightly mentions, is that this emulation can often lead to designs, products, and ideas losing their original meaning. This is in agreement with Tibor Kalman's comment (1991, pp. 50 -57) that,

"What we don't see is the context"

If something is taken out its original context, with no mention to the source or influence, how can it be fully understood and appreciated? In worst case scenarios this can lead to ignorance of differing cultures, beliefs and indeed times.

Perhaps the reason behind this prevalent borrowing of another's ideas is the ease in which it can be done. The global information network that is the internet has revolutionised the communications world and made it effortless to search for, and indeed replicate another's ideas. In this way the internet has almost become a negative thing, holding designers back. It is all too easy to spend far too much time looking at another's designs and ideas, instead of coming up with their own innovative concepts. Having said this, the masses of information available is invaluable and educating and is heavily relied upon in business, design and generally in everyday life. Another reason is that as technology is continuously improving it has meant that designs and ideas can be constantly changed and improved upon. This, in many cases, has led to them losing their authenticity and original meaning. The development of mass media has also made borrowing ideas increasingly easy as there is constantly an enormous circulation of information.

As previously mentioned, this idea of borrowing is widespread throughout all design industries, and one which it is particularly incessant in is fashion design. Western fashion designers are constantly borrowing ideas, and taking inspiration from other countries and cultures. It is also the case that some of these country's fashion ideals have been heavily westernised, which on the whole is a shame. Of course, Eastern countries rich in traditions, such as China and India have only been influenced in certain ways, and borrow to suit their preferences. In most cases clothing is a personal choice that everyone makes and so it is not really appropriate to generalise, however it is possible to speak for the majority. In the consuming world that we live in, fashion has always been, and still is now, more than ever, a significant part of people's lives and affects everyone in one way or another. It is so important because like it or not, others judge and make assumptions about us based on the way we look. For this reason many people try to express themselves in the best way they can through what they wear and that is why the fashion business has been thriving for such a long time.

Fashion trends for the western world change dramatically from season to season and designers have to constantly come up with new and innovative ideas to keep people buying their clothes. The trouble is, these 'innovative' designs that flood the high streets are more often than not, borrowed ideas. An excellent example of this are the trends forecasted for the summer of 2005 which include 'eclectic ethnic bohemian', 'Safari', and 'African tribal'. This is not a new concept though; everything we wear has no doubt been influenced by or borrowed from another place, time or indeed culture. A good example of this is the stiletto, whose earliest forms were found in the ancient tombs of Egypt.

It seems nobody really gives any thought to the origins of the clothing they wear or the culture they are borrowing from, and why should they? Clothing is such an everyday necessity who really takes the time to think about the culture their new top is savagely borrowing from. A good example of the commercialisation of different cultural fashions can be seen in Figure 1, the fashion page from the local Nottingham lifestyle magazine FHP. It suggests that the key look for the summer is Tribal with 'an abundance of African overtone', 'Middle Eastern influences', and that 'kaftans are an essential wardrobe piece'. Although this borrowing seems harmless enough, occasionally serious repercussions can arise when cultural fashion items are taken out of their original contexts and popularized in the west by fashion designers and the models wearing their 'borrowed' concepts. The strong interest in all that is ethnic and exotic is at serious risk of obscuring cultural identities of the Eastern and African people, and in some cases it is already too late. Culture is all too often seen as a commodity.

One 'fashion' craze from the latter half of the 1990's which very few people gave a second thought to, is the Bindi. The coloured dot, worn on the Buddha spot (in between the eyebrows) is a statement of cultural belonging for South Asian women but has become a meaningless statement of fashion for Westerners. This is largely because impressionable young women constantly imitate pop icons such as Madonna and Gwen Stefani who wear these symbols so callously (See Figure 2). The Bindi signifies female energy and is traditionally a symbol of marriage, giving protection to the women who wear them, and to honour the third god in Hindu Trinity, Vishnu. For a South Asian woman, this commercialisation of a sacred legacy is having devastating effects, even in South Asia, reducing the complexities of the culture. It has become a challenge for women to find plain red Bindi's, as they have all been replaced with sparkly, jewelled, and multicoloured versions. The Bindi has become disconnected from its original meaning; it is seen by most as a fashion accessory whose popularity inevitably