False Advertising: The Side Effects Of False Advertising

It is common knowledge that graphic design works parallel to false advertising. Consumers are exposed to a multitude of brands every day, each with the purpose to manipulate or convince the population into buying or supporting their products (Holland 2001. 3); it this competitive field that has led to deception within the media. The term False Advertising is applied to this situation, where deceptive information can lead to consumption and beliefs that “may not occur without the influence of the ad” (Xie 2015, 281). While this issue can be seen as an unstoppable side effect of a modern 21st century society, it is possible for graphic designers, whom are one of the many instigators to deceptive advertisement, to lessen the rate of misinformation

It is evident how graphic design has both positive and negative outcomes on consumers, however there is a lack of discussion on design and its effect on cultures and identity. An example for this scenario is the use of logos to support a company’s image. Logo designs for countries or travel companies are created to make the presentation of the country appealing to a large target market, hence influencing the flow of tourism in particular areas. This is described as a positive outcome, where globalisation and worldwide communications expand due to tourists experiencing new cultures (Lee 2012). However, even the most aesthetically pleasing logos can influence negative impacts towards the represented country (Perkins 2006). Designers encompass the key ideals and elements of the client they portray; this is the same method for countries, where the logo needs to represent the nation’s identity in a truthful light (Lee 2012). Despite this, many countries and travel companies instead use images and elements that appeal to consumers, rather than designs that truthfully present the values of the country This deceives the target market over the nation’s suffering, as a high amount of tourism leads to cultural appropriation, where tourists adopt and westernise the culture, as well as exploitation of the nation’s residents as they work to accommodate

Keeping the previous paragraph in mind, design also effects consumers on a smaller daily basis, an example being the design of food packages. While this is an obscure form of deceptive advertising, companies use designs to distract their target market from the unhealthy ingredients within their food, displayed on the nutrition label. The designer is generally expected to place the nutrition label on the back of the package, leading to only 33% of consumers in America to consciously seek and read the label (Roberto 2014). This becomes a form of false advertising when the designer purposely evades the label in favour of aesthetically pleasing packaging. Beyond this, it is possible to use this example to present how a graphic designer’s professionalism can prevent deceptive advertisements in a consumerist society. Whilst there has been an initiative for Front-of-Package (FOP) labelling to make consumers aware of their diet (Roberto 2014), there is also an understanding that designers should acknowledge how their end product will affect the user; this leads them to take into consideration the ethical aspects of their designs for the target market. As unhealthy eating is a large issue currently in society, graphic designers use their understanding of professional expertise in order to keep the target market informed while still pleasing the client (Perkins 2006); i.e. understanding