Anatomy of Design

8

Parody is humor used as weapon. Transforming a familiar graphic form by

slightly twisting its intent and altering its original meaning immediately triggers

audience recognition—with devastating effect. If the artist is predatory or critical

through parody, he or she can forever transform good into bad and bad into

good. Of course, parody can also be purely entertainment—both trivial and

profound—used to induce a smile or laugh (and there’s nothing wrong with

that). Yet whether for comic relief or political catharsis, parody is inherently an

act of ridicule as well as exposé. The successful parody highlights the silliness,

absurdity, or insipidity of ...