Today, everything is a product. From media to marketing and everything in between, the aim of design is to ensure a profit from an established relationship between product and audience. The goal is for the audience to buy whatever you are selling, whether it be physical products or intangible concepts, and the design must make your product entertaining without being so outlandish that the audience feels out of their depth, thus rejecting it entirely. As a result, originality is a scarce commodity. What could once be perceived as inspiration has led to more drastic measures of competitive plagiarism, sparking new laws of copyright and ownership. This is not to suggest plagiarism is a recent development in human nature, but rather a reflection
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Many artists, such as Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art, cite fear as a factor as important to their process as a passion for truth, particularly fear of revealing the self. Pressfield goes on to state, “Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember our rule of thumb: The more scare we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it” (Pressfield 89). However, with contemporary establishments of art as product, personal components of creator’s relationship with the creation are often stripped away. The product becomes less of an expression of truth and self-reveal, but instead a means to an end where a product is produced. These fears may center on the concept of acceptance, meeting personal goals, and meeting the expectations of others. As with artists, there is still a common fear surrounding the notion “what if I am not accepted?” Marketers and designers may rely on previous successes and draw upon older concepts to continue producing a certain brand. For instance, Disney prides itself on a certain brand of wholesome, fantastical, family fun. A sudden branch into graphic horror film would be counterproductive to their brand. This idea is theoretical of course, but it serves to illustrate the fear of rejection from the audience as a motivator to continue regurgitating models already proven to work. Additionally, an exceptional amount of pressure is placed upon people; pressure to excel, pressure to accomplish goals, pressure to create something bigger and more successful. With heightened expectations also come heightened repercussions. Fear of losing one’s job for failing to create a product for the boss could lead to plagiarism as a means to meet those expectations. This can also relate to the fear of not meeting one’s own goals. Rather than risk an original idea unrelated to earlier work, people may rely on previously stated
Many artists, such as Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art, cite fear as a factor as important to their process as a passion for truth, particularly fear of revealing the self. Pressfield goes on to state, “Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember our rule of thumb: The more scare we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it” (Pressfield 89). However, with contemporary establishments of art as product, personal components of creator’s relationship with the creation are often stripped away. The product becomes less of an expression of truth and self-reveal, but instead a means to an end where a product is produced. These fears may center on the concept of acceptance, meeting personal goals, and meeting the expectations of others. As with artists, there is still a common fear surrounding the notion “what if I am not accepted?” Marketers and designers may rely on previous successes and draw upon older concepts to continue producing a certain brand. For instance, Disney prides itself on a certain brand of wholesome, fantastical, family fun. A sudden branch into graphic horror film would be counterproductive to their brand. This idea is theoretical of course, but it serves to illustrate the fear of rejection from the audience as a motivator to continue regurgitating models already proven to work. Additionally, an exceptional amount of pressure is placed upon people; pressure to excel, pressure to accomplish goals, pressure to create something bigger and more successful. With heightened expectations also come heightened repercussions. Fear of losing one’s job for failing to create a product for the boss could lead to plagiarism as a means to meet those expectations. This can also relate to the fear of not meeting one’s own goals. Rather than risk an original idea unrelated to earlier work, people may rely on previously stated