a review of family planning material design in india
DESCRIPTION
This essay asses the family planning campaign's visual material in the social, political and design context. It addresses interpretation as well as symbolism within the given context.TRANSCRIPT
AReviewofFamilyPlanningMaterialDesigninIndia
Papersubmittedinpartialfulfillmentofrequirementsofthecourse“HistoryofGraphicDesign”atSrishtiSchoolofArt,Design&Technology
AvniSethi,3rdyearSangamaInterdisciplinaryLab
21March2011
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TableofContentsA. Introduction................................................................................................................................. 3B. FamilyPlanningandtheOriginofContemporaryDesigninIndia ...................... 3C. TheRedTriangleLogo ............................................................................................................ 3D. QuestforaEuropean‐StyleGrassrootsModernity..................................................... 4E. TheKeyRoleofDAVPandFilmsDivision
inDevelopingIndia’sDesignCulture................................................................................ 4F. DAVPandtheFamilyPlanningprogramme .................................................................. 5G. Far‐ReachingImpactoftheEmergencyExcesses ....................................................... 6H. ContentAnalysis:Imagery..................................................................................................... 6I. ContentAnalysis:Messaging ................................................................................................ 7J. TheContemporaryPoster:AlignedwithNeo‐LiberalConsumerism................. 7K. InterplayBetweenStylingand(Printing)Technology ............................................. 8L. Conclusion:DesignasAdjunctto(Social)Marketing ................................................ 8M. Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 9ListofIllustrations1. TheoriginallogooftheFamilyPlanningprogrammeinIndia.............................. 32. Graphicsofthefamilyplanningcampaigninitsearlyyears.................................. 43. Theubiquitous‘fourfaces’FamilyPlanningmassmediacampaign................... 54. Themodified‘redtriangle’logo.......................................................................................... 65. PosterspublishedbytheDirectorateofFamilyWelfare,circa1993 ................. 66. Aone‐child‘happyfamily’image,withagirlasthesolechild .............................. 77. PublicityimagefortheSaathiyaintegratedfamilyplanningservice ................. 88. Arecentposterandadvertisementshowinghighnarrativecontent
anduseofdigitalimagingtechnology .............................................................................. 8
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A. Introduction Thispaperisareviewofgraphicdesignmaterialpublishedfor,byandundertheFamilyPlanningprogrammeofIndiaovertheyears–usingvisualreferences(mostlyposters,butalsowallpaintingsandprintadvertisements)collatedfromvariousinternetsources.Thepaperintendstoanalyzeboth,contentaswellasform,inthisoverview–intermsofthepoliticsunderlyingthemessagingaswellastheselectionofstyleandaestheticsoftheform–asevidencedintheposters.Further,itattemptstocorrelatethesewiththehistoryandevolutionofthediscourseofdesigntheoryaswellaspraxisinpost‐independenceIndia,andwithaglanceatcontemporaryIndiangraphicdesign,advertisingdesignandfineandappliedarttrends.Throughthis,itishopedtodemonstratehowdesigninIndiaoriginatedhighonidealismandaesthetics,butovertheyearshasto‘stooplow’–intothepopularandcommercial–inordertoremainviableandperceivedasrelevant,whileremainingingenuoustothepoliticalaspectofitsdeployment.B. FamilyPlanningandtheOriginofContemporaryDesigninIndiaTheFamilyPlanningprogrammeinIndiawasintroducedasearlyas1951‐52,withtheadventofthefive‐yearplansystem,andcommunicationwasconceivedasavitalcomponentforittobesuccessful.IntheearlyyearsoftheIndianstate,thereweretwoformsofdesignactivitysponsoredbyit–adaptationofcolonialartefactsanddesignsforanindependentIndianidentity,andcommissioningofentirelynewartefacts,monumentsanddesignsinalignmentwiththevisionofIndia.Inthepre‐independenceera,Indiangraphicdesignhadcloselyfollowedwesterntrends,butalsoindigenousmovementsintheartsliketheBengalschool.Muchofthedesignworkproducedduringtheindependencemovementreflectsthis.Afterindependence,thistrendgotadaptedfromnationalistictonation‐buildingmessaging.Muchofgovernment‐commissionedmassmediaandpubliccommunicationfollowedthistrend,includingtheFamilyPlanningprogrammeaswell.ThecityofNewDelhimightbeupheldasaninstanceoftheformer,while
thecityofChandigarhmaybeupheldasaninstanceofthelatter.C. TheRedTriangleLogoOneoftheearliesticonsofthisprogrammeisitsjustifiablyfamous‘RedTriangle/LalTikon’logo(fig.1).AttributedtothefirstAssistantCommissioneroftheIndianFamilyPlanningprogramme,DeepTyagiaswellastheNationalInstituteofDesignandcommissionedduringthefourthFive‐YearPlanperiod(1969‐1974)1,thislogomanifestedthe
1OnthewebsiteoftheMinistryofFamilyWelfare:“ItwasduringtheFourthFiveyearPlanthatcommunicationeffortsbegantobemuchmoremeaningful.ThefamousRedTrianglesymbolforfamilyplanningwasconceivedduringthisperiodandanationalcampaignwaslaunched…”athttp://www.mohfw.nic.in/dofw%20website/family%20welfare%20programme/iec.htm.
Figure1.TheoriginallogooftheFamilyPlanningprogrammeinIndia.
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nation’sneedforaprogressiveandcontemporaryidentitythatitcommissionedfromitsdesigninstitutions.Thelogo,anabstractionoftheyonifromTantraandcolouredredforfertility,becameaninternationaliconforFamilyPlanningintheyearstocome.D. QuestforaEuropeanStyleGrassrootsModernityAlongwiththelogoweredevelopedthesoon‐to‐beubiquitousiconsofa‘small,happyfamily’comprisingaman,awoman,andtheirsonanddaughter–renderedinagraphicabstractstylecomprisedofcirclesstraightlines(fig.2).Interestingly,inastudy2onthecommunicationeffectivenessofafamilyplanningcampaigninnorthIndia,respondentsdescribedtheseiconsas‘monkeyfaces’andexpressedtheirdislikeforit.However,itisapparentthattheseshouldearnacclaimfromthedesignpractitionersandideologuesofthetime,foritshighlyinternationalgraphicstyling,yetimbuedwithIndiancoloursandcalligraphy.
E. TheKeyRoleofDAVPandFilmsDivisioninDevelopingIndia’sDesign
CultureTheDirectorateofAdvertisingandVisualPublicity(DAVP)wassetupundertheBritishgovernmentafterthesecondworldwarinordertoserveasthePublic
2UnpublisheddissertationbyBhargava,Yashodhara:“Anevaluationofafewofthefamilyplanningposters”,LadyIrwinCollege,UniversityofDelhi1968;citedinRao,KamalaGopal:“StudiesinFamilyPlanning:India”,AbhinavPublications,NewDelhi1974.Quote:“Theyoungerwomenobjectedtothecartoonlikefaceswhichtheycharacterizedasmonkeyfaces,themessage(doyateenbus)inPosterC,andthepresentationoftheloopinPosterB.TheredtriangularsymbolonPosterDapparentlycommunicatedverylittle.”
Figure2.Themodernist,abstractedandhighlysimplifiedgraphicsofthefamilyplanningcampaignin
itsearlyyears.
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RelationsaswellasAdvertisingAgencyofthegovernment3–inotherwords,asitsofficialpropagandamachinery.Afterindependence,theDAVPreinventeditselfasa“catalystofsocialchangeandeconomicgrowth”andisthedefaultserviceagencyforCentralGovernmentministriesanddepartmentsfortheirpublicityandmediaproductionneeds.TheothermajoroutreacharmfortheIndianstatewastheFilmsDivision,setupin1948.RegionalaswellasHindicinemawerealreadypopularwellbeforeindependence,andtheFilmsDivisionbeganproducingnewsfeaturesandissue‐baseddocumentariesthatweremandatorilyscreenedpriortoeverycommercial/popularfilmscreening.Betweenthem,theDAVPandtheFilmsDivisionprettymuchdefinedthemediaimage&presenceoftheIndianstateforthefirsttwodecadesafterindependence,andtheIndiandesignestablishmentwasoftenacollaboratorandproviderofcreativeideas.4F. DAVPandtheFamilyPlanningprogramme
TheDAVPwasthechiefpropagatoroftheFamilyPlanningprogrammeinIndia,andundertookamassiveandconsistentcampaigntoreachoutitsmessagetoeverypossiblenookandcornerofthecountry(fig.3)–inanagewhenmassmediawasjustbeginningtotakeshapeinIndia5.Thiscampaign,combininginternationalmodernismwithvernacular,representsinmanywaystheparticularvisuallanguagethatwassoughttobeinventedandappliedbyandforthenation.Itseemedtomakesense–thelanguagewasminimal,simpleandabstract–sothatitcouldovercomeorbypassthemultitudesofIndianlanguagesandvisualtraditionsintoasinglenational
coda.Itcouldalsobeappliedwithleastdistortionbyhand.Designpromisedtodeliversuchavisiontothestatethroughitssupposedlyscientificprinciplesand
3SourcedfromtheDAVPwebsiteathttp://www.davp.nic.in/davp_history.HTM.4VikasSatwalekar,ex‐DirectorofNID,reminisces:“WithBobGillitwasquiteinterestingashewasboughtintoworkonafamilyplanningcommunicationscampaignwiththeministryofhealth.Andthat’swhereIgottheopportunitytogetinvolvedwithvisualcommunicationsatadifferentlevel,morethanjustadvertisingorpuregraphicdesign.”Sourcedfromthe‘DesigninIndia’websiteathttp://www.designinindia.net/designthoughts/teachers/vikassatwalekar/interview.html.5Wooster,MartinMorse:“FordFoundation:FounderofModernPopulationControl”,CatholicFamilyandHumanRightsInstitute,NewYork2004.Quote:“Thiswasthecampaignofthe‘fourfaces,’afourmemberfamilythatsymbolizedhowhappyparentswouldbeiftheylimitedthemselvestotwochildren.Advertisementsforthiscampaign,McCarthywrites,wereplasteredon‘billboards,buses,locomotives–anythingthatmovedandmanythingsthatdidnotwereadornedwiththenewsymbolsinanattempttoraiseconsciousnessaboutcontraceptiveuse.’”
Figure3.Theubiquitous‘fourfaces’
FamilyPlanningmassmediacampaign,createdin1968byFrankWilderandD.
K.Tyagi.
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methods,proveninEuropeandtheUS,andreadyforexporttothenewly‐independentcountriesofAsiaandSouthAmerica6.G. FarReachingImpactoftheEmergencyExcesses
However,theequityenjoyedbythislogogotseverelytarnishedduringtheEmergencyperiodinthe1970sinIndia,afterwhichitgotassociatedwithstatebrutalityandoppressionandhadtobe‘forciblyretired’anddevelopedintomoreacceptablevariants,suchastheoneshownhere.ThelaterlogosoftheFamilyPlanningprogramme(whichitselfgotrenamedtoReproductiveandChildHealthprogrammeandmanyothers,post‐
Emergency)rejectthestarkabstractionoftheredtriangleandinsteadinsertahumanelementtherebyevokinganarrativeandemotionalvalue,whilstretainingthetriangularmotifinordertodrawonthehighrecallvalueofthelegacylogo,minusitsnegativeconnotations(fig.4).
H. ContentAnalysis:ImageryThecoloursusedintheearlycampaignswereEuropean‐inspired(red,yellow,black)butalsoresonatedwithadominantlyHinduaesthetic.Thewoman’siconwasshownwithaprominentbindi,whilethemanhadaprominentmustache–anothercommonHindumarker–orasinthecaseoftherelativelymorerecent
6Exemplifiedbythe“IndiaReport”authoredbyCharlesandRayEames,commissionedbytheGovernmentofIndiaandfundedbytheFordFoundation.ThefullreportcanbereadattheDesignObserverwebsite,athttp://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=12692.
Figure4.Thetainted‘redtriangle’logowasmodified,butretaineditscorerecall.(FromtheDept.ofFamilyWelfarewebsite)
Figure5.PosterspublishedbytheDirectorateofFamilyWelfare,circa1993.(Source:PBS.orgwebsite,http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/campaigns.html)
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postersinfig.5–showingaclearlyHinduchildmarriageinprogress7.Thisneednotbereadasasinisterconspiracy,becausethereligiousantagonismofIslam(andsomestreamsofChristianity)tocontraceptionwaswell‐known8,andthesecularstatewoulddonothingtoovertlyoffendthesesectionsofitspopulation.However,overthetimesitbecomesevidentthatthismodernistapproachwasnotentirelysuccessful.Theabstractionandthestarkrepresentationofonecommunitycreatedmoreantagonismorindifferencealtogether,andthedesignidealisminthewakeofthenewly‐formedstateseemstogivewaytoahumblerpragmatism–inparticular,agrudgingacceptanceoftheeffectivenessofpopularforms–beitcinema,television,illustration(frompulpnovelsormagazinesandAmarChitraKatha)orotherfolkmedia.I. ContentAnalysis:Messaging
OneofthemajorelementsincorporatedwithintheFamilyPlanningprogrammeistheemphasisonafamilywith(“just”)twoorthreechildren,andtheshifttoonewithjustoneortwochildren.Also,inthefirst‐generationfamilyplanningmessaging,theidealfamilywasshownashavingonesonandonedaughter,butinrecenttimestheemphasishasshiftedtoshowingjustonedaughter(seefig.6)–andadvocatingthecauseofthegirlchild.Obviouslythen,thisisinresponsetothestill‐poorgenderratioinmanystatesofthecountryandthewidespreadpersistenceofabortingafemalefetusbasedonsexdeterminationtestingduringpregnancy.However,asisevident,thestylingofthepostershascomealongwayfromthesterileabstractionoftheearlydaystoastrongsentimentality
thatevokesmultiplenarrativesincludingthatofthepopularcinema.ThesepostersandtheirstylingremindsoneoftheLatinAmericanmuraltraditions,amarkedshiftawayfromEuropeanmodernity.J. TheContemporaryPoster:AlignedwithAdvertisingMovingonfromtheMalthusiandoomsdaytheoriesofthe1960sand70s,therecentmaterialsdevelopedfortheFamilyWelfareprogramme(therecentavataroftheFamilyPlanningprogramme)nowemphasizethequalityoflifeenjoyedby
7Theheadlineoftheposteronthelefttranslatesas“Istheirmarriageatthisageappropriate?”andthengoesontosay“Underagemarriageisnotappropriate…”8Ahmad,Shakeel:“MuslimAttitudeTowardsFamilyPlanning”,SarupandSons,NewDelhi2003.Quote:“(M.E.Khan)noticedthatreligionisabarriertothe(Muslim)adopters.TheyholdfasttothedoctrinaireconceptthatfamilyplanningisagainstIslam.ToacceptcontraceptionmeanstofightagainstGod;eventhinking(of)stoppingtohavechildrenisarevoltagainstGod.”
Figure6.Aonechild“happyfamily”image,withagirlasthesolechild.
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thefamilyunit(representednowasacouplewithnochildren,fig.7)–thankstocontraceptiontechniques.Thismodealsoresonateswithcontemporaryadvertising,whichadvocatesinstantgratificationandunapologetic
individualismandhedonisticvalues,asopposedtothe‘dutytosocietyorthenation’moralityofearliergenerationsofadvertising,particularlystatepropaganda.K. InterplayBetweenStylingand
(Printing)TechnologyTheshiftinprintingtechnologyisalsoreflectedinthestylingofthematerial.Fromflatandprimarycolours,whicharesuitableforhandpaintingorscreen‐printing,thetechnologyshiftedatsomepointtooffsetandgravureprinting,whichallowedforfull‐colourcollateral.Intandemalmost,thestylingshifted
frombasicgeometricshapesandiconstorealisticrepresentations–richinnarrative,andevocativeofcinemaposters–correspondingtoanevolutionintheaesthetictoaformthatisclosertothepopularimagination. ThisstyleseamlesslyblendsinwithnewtrendslikephotographyandtoolslikePhotoshopbecomingincreasinglyusedinproducingmaterial,asintheexamplebelow(fig.8).
L. Conclusion:DesignasAdjuncttoMarketingThepresentstatus,therefore,seemstosuggestaconvergenceof‘highdesign’and‘popular/folkart’towardseachother.Theloftyprinciplesofclassicaldesign
Figure7.PublicityimagefortheUSAIDsupportedSaathiya
integratedfamilyplanningservicetargetingyoungpeople.
Figure8.Arecentposterandadvertisement,showinghighnarrativecontentand
useofdigitalimagingtechnology
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haveyieldedtotheneedsandcontextsofmarketingtothemassIndianpopulation,whereasthepopularformshaveadoptedsomeoftheprinciplesoflayoutandorganizationespousedinmoderndesign.Itisstilldebatable,however,whetherthishasincreasedtheefficiencyandefficacyofthecommunicationmaterial,becauseIndia’spopulationgrowthcontinuesatanalarmingrate,andchangesareattributedtodevelopmentandeducationratherthancommunication.Thisalsoposesquestionsaboutsocialcommunicationincontrastwithmarketing,whichboastsofseveral‘behaviourchange’projects,albeitinconsumptiontrends.M. Bibliography• Ahmad,Shakeel:“MuslimAttitudeTowardsFamilyPlanning”,SarupandSons,
NewDelhi2003.• Guha,Ramachandra:“IndiaAfterGandhi:TheHistoryoftheWorld’sLargest
Democracy”,PicadorIndia,NewDelhi2008• Rao,KamalaGopal:“StudiesinFamilyPlanning:India”,AbhinavPublications,
NewDelhi1974.• Wooster,MartinMorse:“FordFoundation:FounderofModernPopulation
Control”,CatholicFamilyandHumanRightsInstitute,NewYork2004.