1989 by Jeff Widener (The Associated Press)

Neda Salehi Agha Soltan

I was reading this morning about Neda Salehi Agha Soltan, the 26 yr old student shot during the Iranian protests. Stuck in traffic with friends, she got out of her car to see what was happening when she was shot. Her death was caught on acell phone video and communicated all over the internet. Her image is becoming the symbol of the protests, just as the ‘Tank Man’ photo of Tiananmen Square and Eddie Adams’ famous execution photograph from Vietnam became symbols of those conflicts. Being a graphic designer, whenever an effectual video or image is disseminated I am in awe of the sheer power of an image. The video of Ms. Soltan’s death has become so powerful that the Iranian government has forbidden any mosque from holding a memorial service for her.

Steve Heller has written and co authored many Graphic Design books on the power of images and symbols (The Swastika: Symbol beyond Redemtion?, Red Scared!, Angry Graphics, and The Anatomy of Design are a few I’ve read) and I was curious to see if he had anything to say about the video and it’s impact. He didn’t but in an earlier blog he points out Neshan, a design magazine produced in Tehran. I read the first two articles and they are very good. Until Further Notice… is an historical overview of the struggle of political graphics in Iran. Be my companion… is about the political graphic design of Kourosh Shishehgaran and his efforts to have a voice in a closed government.

My heart and prayers go out to the Soltan family. There’s nothing that eases the pain from the loss of a child.

It’s probably not the best idea to have my first post on my blog send you off to another designers website, but…it’s a really cool site and his work is really interesting. The designer/artist/gamer (do they still call them gamers?) is David Werner. The work is a few years old (he’s moved onto bigger and better things) but his approach to his portfolio is still unique. His use of video, to explain the concepts of his work, is a slap-in-the-head-why-didn’t-I-think-of-that idea.  The videos enable the visitor to really understand what he was trying to accomplish in each of his chosen pieces…not to mention an interview handed to an Art Director or client interested in hiring him.  I’d love to add video to my site but I’m not sure I have the story-telling capabilities of Mr. Werner. Take a look, if anything it’s entertaining.