Nathan David Smith design + multimedia in Dumfries and London.
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9 May 2009

I love this

and you can’t stop me. I just do.


Defining Counterculture Once and For All


Submitted for LCC Foundations Exhibition. Winner of “Best in Show” Award.






Defining Counterculture

Culture (Dominant culture): Defined by the dominant classes. Comes from the relationships, likes and dislikes, and prevalent attitudes of those cultures in a given time period.

Popular culture: Defined by the ‘great masses;’ the middle and lower classes. Consists of their struggles with (for and against; accept and rejecting) the dominant culture.

Counterculture: Extremist popular culture. Complete rejection of the dominant culture. Highly idealistic.

Counterculture is extremism of popular culture. Its ideals are ultimately unrealistic, unachievable, or illogical and hypocritical. For example, the first-wave punk counterculture essentially advocated anarchy, seemingly unaware of the longer-term complete impracticalities of a society dominated by anarchistic policy. Modern society, however, requires the existence of idealism and extremism to present it with new ideas and catalyse change.

Counterculture is shocking to culture; it relies on its own scandalousness to distribute its ideals. Shock tactics attract (usually negative) media attention. Regardless of the negativity of this attention, the counterculture influences the world it thrusts itself upon.

While in theory it would seem that positive media attention would produce a more desirable distribution of ideals, removing a counter culture’s shock value would also remove the very reason it had received attention at all. More importantly, it would also require counterculturalists to compromise their principles. Counterculturalists aren’t idiots – they simply believe in a cause so passionately and absolutely that it is all they can consider. I don’t think I have ever felt that way.


And & Ampersand


myspace.com/andampersandampersand


"That is the Question"



Promo campaign for a performance of Shakespeare’s King Lear.


"Reg Perfect"


Two kinds of prints: inkjet/acetate monoprint and stencil/ink-roller prints.


GO RADIO - Extended Play

GO RADIO - Extended Play
Download EP
www.myspace.com/GORADIO


LineLineShape

THIS is THAT
“LineLineShape” typeface in two variants: “Clean” and “Dirty.” Below, “Clean” is shown on the left, and “Dirty” on the right.
Download Clean | Download Dirty | Download both
LineLineShape on Dafont.com
LineLineShape font example


Christian Care for the Homeless

Needy.org.uk - Design by Nathan David Smith
A charity based in Dumfries, Scotland that focuses on supporting homeless and needy people. CMS system allows the client to easily edit content. Attractive; clean; informative.
www.needy.org.uk


Music Pigeon

Music Pigeon.com - Design by Nathan David Smith
An exciting indie music website that gives you the opportunity to find and download free music releases. Visually appealing; eye-catching.
www.musicpigeon.com