For the manifesto project, I collaborated with my classmate Tilly. We found that a fantastic text to read in preparation for the project was Harriet Baker’s “10 Game-changing art manifestos” (1). It is a fantastic guide to different visual styles, different writing styles and content that are used in artistic manifestos. It was fascinating to see how some manifestos are purely text-based, while others include both text and imagery.
One of my favourite manifestos was the Guerrilla Girls’ manifesto (shown below). It is very simple, its point is clear, and the use of vibrant colour and bold font give the image lots of impact.
Shown above is another manifesto featured in the article, “Red Alan’s Manifesto,” by Grayson Perry. The style of this manifesto sets it apart from the more common style used in political manifestos, which typically involves a bold, constant typeface such as “Helvetica.” This handwritten one is much more relatable; it has no overtones of power or authority, it seems like a manifesto written by the general public, for the general public. It is more easily understood by the majority of its audience. Myself and Tilly wanted ours to be handwritten for the same reason: we felt that the handwritten approach is more approachable for the majority of people. This is consistent with the very nature of our message: we want the general public to unite against Donald Trump, and what he represents.
Since we wanted it to be relatable, we decided to simply choose some of the most stupid things Trump has said, and reply to them with cutting, sarcastic comments, because this is how a lot of people might respond to them. We hoped this would provide a harsh, funny, and relatable critique of the man.
- Baker, Harriet, April 2015, 10 game-changing art manifestos, online at royalacademy.org.uk/article/ten-game-changing-manifestos
William Fowler 
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