Evaluation

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

Undertaking such a large research project was always going to be a struggle but it has been beneficial in several ways. Firstly I would like to highlight how it encouraged me heavily to attempt contact with designers and thinkers who previously I may have been overly cautious to message. This meant an increased amount of primary research that previously I may not have collected. This applies not only to messages but to real life events, meetings etc. In terms of the work itself, I have learnt a great deal about communication theory, something highly applicable to my practice. The discoveries are better stated within the work itself however. 

Due to the nature of a dissertation, I felt my academic writing has improved dramatically, say if it were compared to the first year CoP module especially. My ability to triangulate and construct arguments has improved and it began to take the shape of a real piece of research, unlike some of the more unsuccessful attempts of the past.

In terms of the practical, I believe it showed a good grasp of how to transfer my newly acquired theoretical knowledge into a synthesised proposal for practical applications. 

What strengths and weaknesses can you identify in your work?

I've already mentioned the new found confidence to gain primary sources for my research that I plan to implement into the extended practice module from this point forward. The written element as a whole became the strength of this module, mainly due I think to a bias sharing of time to that part of the project (that in hindsight was a weakness to the module as a whole). The final idea for the practical element I felt was strong, it just needed more time to apply everything I wanted. For example I would of much rather of created the work for the article instead of only being able to propose it but struggled to get subjects on board for the photography. This is my main regret of the entire project. Though I do plan to continue with the proposed article on the side of my extended practice module. This also means I fully intend to take my theory learnt here into practice, now and on going, into the future.

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Final Boards

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3 Questions - Tim Wan

On the quest to gather primary research for this project, It seemed beneficial to gather the opinions of people involved in the production of COLORS magazine. 

Tim Wan works as an Associate Art Director and Designer. Through an e-mail conversation I asked him 3 questions relating to shock and gained a small insight into their process. 

Theory into Practice - Rationale

As revealed and ultimately understood through my Research project, shock requires a disruption of the social norm. This is not necessarily to say this needs to be the more immediate responses to what, as a society, we find shocking in certain contexts. For example exposure to graphic images in public spaces is unusual, therefore disrupting the social norm. 

Taking this theoretical premise forward I would like to attempt to use shock for a positive means. Chosen for this is the topic of religion in British society. Muslims are regularly portrayed negatively and segregated by the media. One search for 'British muslims at home' on Google produces images of extremists, protesters and terrorists. It works to alienate another culture and further solidify negative stereotypes.

Media created social norm

   

In order to do this I plan to document members of different faiths all undertaking the same domestic tasks. For example drinking a cup of tea/coffee, doing the ironing etc. Hence, highlighting the commonalities shared on an everyday level. Aiming to focus on the humanistic agenda of every person involved.

To apply this in context, I have chosen to create a COLORS article on the subject, with aims to continue this work into an exhibition or other method of delivery. This also ties in the work again with the research project. 

CoP3 - Initial Project Plan

Initial Project plan. Laid the foundations of the work but as is plain to see from reading the finished paper it morphed into a slightly different beast. COLORS magazine was change to Benetton as it provided a larger well of research to draw from and was more applicable to the subject of shock. In order to streamline the title, it was shortened to 'The Use of Shock in Communication. This gave it a direct theoretical focus.

Process. Thermocromic.

Thermochromism is the property of substances to change color due to a change in temperature. A mood ring is an excellent example of this phenomenon, but thermochromism also has more practical uses, e.g. in baby bottles (changes to a different color when cool enough to drink) or kettles (changes when water is at or near boiling point). Thermochromism is one of several types of chromism.

The two common approaches are based on liquid crystals and leuco dyes. Liquid crystals are used in precision applications, as their responses can be engineered to accurate temperatures, but their color range is limited by their principle of operation. Leuco dyes allow wider range of colors to be used, but their response temperatures are more difficult to set with accuracy.

Examples in Design:

Reflections:

Interesting process which hasn't been fully utilised in design perhaps. I'm interesting in it as a way to express a concept more effectively, for example the top image where a book called 'metamorphosis' does in fact morph. It needs to express something. 

Process. Screen-Print.

Process. Cut-Out & Projection.

Process. Foiling.

Process. UV.

Due to my research theme I am interesting in processes which allow me to play with light and how light can be used to effect in a design, both in concept and aesthetic. UV is definitely an interesting project that I have rarely seen put to use in an effective design solution, it seems to have taken on a kind of rave/party/gimmick persona and I believe it has far more potential as a process. 

How it works:

Ultraviolet (UV) light is part of a family of radiations called the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. UV is just beyond the violet end of visible light and has smaller wavelengths and greater energy.

As with all electromagnetic spectrum radiations, UV travels at the speed of light. Humans cannot see it, but some animals, especially some insects, can see UV light and have body markings that reflect UV light.

LCA Exhibition Poster. Visual Influence.

The Poster as an Individual:

Reflections:

It's interesting to see how people deal with exhibition identity. Exhibitions lie in a unique problem category for branding as I see it. Depending what kind it is they can be hugely free to a designer, a positive and a negative depending on the individual. 

Most of these images look to be digitally printed but we have been given the freedom of any means, only restricted on it's three dimensional form due to the frame it needs to sit within. 

Exhibition Identity:

Typhoon:

Crossover:

Infinity:

It's worth mentioning how the identity of an exhibition is used across the range, including the poster. Although we have not been asked to produce a range we have been asked to consider identity when designing as the project is yet to have a title. 

501. Evaluation.

1.  What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

This module has assisted me in developing a greater understanding and appreciation of a number of topics and theories, as well as the ability to take one of these theories through into a visual practice. My ability to find the appropriate literature for a project research has also improved and now I find it much easier to use and utilize the college library.

It has seen a steady increase in my academic writing by increasing the strength and substance of how I put across and discuss topics. Now I write from an increasingly unbiased standpoint whereas I may have been found guilty of this in level 04.    

What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

The practical element of this project has been an interesting one. After I had decided what my concept was to be, finding a practical solution that best expressed that was pivotal to its success. I needed to find the most effective way of expressing two different messages in the same sentence visually. After some thought I found using colour contrast to my advantage allowed me to do so. I gathered influence and decided a fluorescent and black meant I could achieve an almost invisible quality from a distance on chosen pieces of text. Green appeared to give me the best results. These ideas of using process and colour to assist you in guiding the viewer onto elements you want them to first is something I have explore in other aspects of my design practice since, and will continue to do.

On the theory side of the module it has also been beneficial. It’s helped me to view design in a different way with a deeper understanding of responsibility. When we deal with the matter or persuasion, we must be careful of how we achieve it.  

What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

I’ve gone into this already in the previous question but to iterate I feel the main strengths in this brief have been to do with the synthesis between theory and practice. Learning how to bridge that gap is becoming vital to progressing my practice into increasingly professional methods. 

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future? 

I still struggle in two areas that I plan to correct over the summer period so I am completely prepared to tackle COP 3 head on. In terms of academic writing there is room for improvement. Triangulation needs to be worked on in order to produce a better argument and most importantly a superior grasp of theory in my own practice. Practically I need to have a firmer grasp of my content and a better plan of how the publication will flow.       

5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

1.    Give more focus to research to increase my understanding and better inform my practical elements.

2.    Work on triangulation to improve my academic writing.

3.    Spend more time on the structure of writing to present arguments and discussions better.

4.    Define subjects more to focus both research and practice.

5.    Find something I am really passionate about to increase motivation.

Look At Me! Make Your Life Better.

Theory into Practice. Rationale and Development.

Rationale:

I aim to create a publication which explores propaganda advertising in a visual way through its use of language. This is a practical continuation of the research I gathered to write my essay.

Initial Concept Boards:

After some time deliberating how to do this, I came across the notion of using vastly exaggerated phrases to highlight the undertones of propaganda advertising, albeit in a slightly humorous tone. By using colour contrast I am hoping to be able to draw the eye to what I want the viewer to read first. This same technique will also allow me to create the sub-text to be almost illegible from a distance. This is how I plan to display and highlight the suggestive and sometimes hidden nature of advertising, in other words, what they might say if they could come straight out and say it if the outcome worked and would sell the product.

Into Practice. The Democratic Lecture Book as Visual Influence.

I recently purchased The Democratic Lecture book by Craig Oldham and it proved a great influence for this project. Not in terms of its content this time, but for how he solved the design problem of creating a completely typed based publication and maintaining that visual interest.

Also I found in places the use of florescent green in contrast with black takes more conscious effort to read, feeding into my concept of hidden language.

Panopticism. Study Task.

The theory of ‘Panopticism’ can be seen in practice throughout contemporary society. A French philosopher named Michel Foucault birthed this theory when he associated a form of social control with a piece of institutional architecture designed by John Bentham that aimed to control the inmates or patients by the notion of constant surveillance. This structure was named the ‘Panopticon’. The foundations of this theory lie in the link between the threat of being constantly watched and good behavior. An example of this social control can be seen in any modern day shopping centre.

‘Visibility is a trap’ (Foucault, 1975). When visiting a shopping centre we are more than likely visible via CCTV and security from before we enter to after we’ve left. This is no secret. And it is no secret for a good reason. If we were not aware of this surveillance we could not be affected by it, and more importantly, controlled by it. It is difficult not to alter our behaviour to one which we know is acceptable by the surveyors if we know or at least think that these surveyors are presently watching us. The CCTV control room bears resemblance to the observation tower in Bentham’s Panopitcon. We are aware and can constantly see the cameras, however we can never be sure if someone is watching the screen we are visible on. Foucault describes this as ‘Unverifiable: the inmate must never know whether he is being looked at at any one moment; but he must be sure that he may always be so’ (Foucault, 1975).

This is how what he calls the ‘docile body’ is created   

The Gaze and the Media. Study Task.

The Century of the Self. Study Task.

• Freuds nephew, Edward Bernays, was the first man to show American corporations how to manipulate the masses into consumer buying. He showed governments and the ruling classes how fulfilling the masses inner desires made them docile and ultimately easier to control. 
• Bernays took what he had learned from WW1 and applied it to the period of peace which followed. He noted how 'propaganda' was used to control in war, and how this same principle could certainly be utilised in times of peace. This became know as PR or Public Relations.  
• Linking products to peoples emotional desires will encourage them to behave irrationally. Using this meant inanimate started to be seen as symbols of how a person thinks of wants to be seen. Bernays originated an idea which made people have an emotional reaction and attachment to a product or service. 
• The worry for mass production was that they would over produce. They were concerned that once the need had diminished they would be left with gear they couldn't shift and the American conscious at this time was driven by need. This all changed when PR thought of a solution, they were going to make people 'want' products, again by manipulating their emotions through tactics such as celebrity endorsement.
• Bernays rarely thought or was concerned about people as individual mentality. He cared only for the mentality of groups and how he could capitalise on this. Freud however became more and more concerned with the human psyche, believing us to be far more dangerous when in groups than he had previously thought. 
• Freuds writings had a large affect on journalists and intellectuals in 1920's America. They were particularly interested in the notion of a submerged dangerous forces in modern society. It made many people question democracy in the sense that human beings could not be trusted to make such decisions. 
• It speaks of how he believed masses are driven by instinct and irrational drives, not that of the logical mind. That we are more ferocious animal then civil creatures and this threatens to erupt at any moment creating mobs and riots. Like an unstable volcano.
• Bernays became rich and powerful from this introduction of psychoanalysis to modern society and consumerism. He thought of the masses as 'stupid' and easily manipulated. However the consumer boom he was riding was abruptly ended in 1929 when the stock market collapsed in America leading to the great depression. People stopped buying things they didn't need. 
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Globalisation and the Media.

Censorship and Truth.