Authors

Vlasova Maria V., Pavlovskaya Elena E.
ON THE HISTORY OF ECOLOGICAL ADVERTISING

Architecton: Proceedings of Higher Education №1 (37) March, 2012

The article considers the history of the ecological movement and the evolution of the driving forces behind it since its inception inside early biological science, where visual communications were mostly represented by book illustrations. That early period was followed by the emergence of non-profit organizations from the left-wing political movement, which influenced the tonality of visual ecological communication as it moved from makeshift signs and banners in the 1960s to collaboration with top graphic designers and directors in the 1980s. The same political movement also influenced industrial design, leading to the creation of “ethical” design concepts by such people as Papanek – and yet the industry and NGOs remained hostile towards each other. In the 1990s, both of these trends converged into a movement that is known as ‘ecological modernism’. Some industrialists embraced the green design concepts, making reconciliation with the ecological movement theoretically possible. This has resulted in a new generation of advertising whereby industry tries to present itself as “green” and ethical. The foundations of ecodesign are rediscovered by such people as McDonough. And yet, hostility still persists on certain levels, as “greenwashing” is increasingly often used to cover unethical business practices. To counter that, the conflict between NGO advertisers and the industry shifts into the field of visual communication, where Greenpeace is striking back with satirical ads.