Interrogate/Relate Research Document

in te rr o gate

law13407812 gra p h i c a n d m e d i a d e si g n

social design

Research Document

jenelle law law13407812 g ra ph i c a n d m e d i a d e si g n year 2 g rou p b

folklore

co n t e n t s 9

pa ge o f 8 10 12 14 16 18 22 24 26 28

Project Aim Defining Social Design Examples of Social Design Summer Folklore Project Idea Generation Research Design Decision Experimentation / Design Choices Final Outcome Evaluation

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design

p r o j e ct

f olk lore s ocial 11

Choose one of these aspects of folklore and further investigate how items in that category could be communicated and made relevant to a contemporary audience.

This project is about preserving and celebrating folklore and its culture. Select an example from the category you have chosen, then decide on an appropriate audience and practical application for it.

You could choose to link your example to a current issue or use it as a way of engaging a community’s interest in the past.

ai m

f o l k l or e so c i al d e s i g n

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what is social design? social design has the power to make change.

Social design is giving means for community development and interaction.

13 Social Design is progressive.

It is the result of forward thinking and the physical manifestation of the ideal that social change is possible.

Social Design is the intention and goal of a group to influence a community in a certain way. It is proactive, progressive and hopefully positive.

As social media becomes integrated with live performance, social design has become a term to describe someone who designs how online tools connect to a performance. Social designers work with a team to complement a production with social media tools and content.

In this context, social design is defined as: “The strategic implementation of social media to deepen or broaden the nature of an artistic performance.�

Socially-designed products put people at the center of the experience, rather than data or information.

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e xa mp l e s o f

The D rinkable Book The Drinkable Book is a life saving tool that filters water and teaches proper sanitation & hygiene to those in the developing world.

Each book is printed on technologically advanced filter paper, capable of killing deadly waterborne diseases.

by Brian Gartside Client: WATERisLIFE I think this is a mind blowing invention with an innovative design that is only made possible with cutting edge technology.

When the designer noticed a severe problem of contaminated water in third world countries, he took action by thoroughly researching about the affected areas and diseases. With detailed knowledge of the crisis, he formed a team and devised a clever solution to propose the book of water filters as a mass-produced product.

The paper costs only pennies to produce, making it by far the cheapest option on the market. Each filter is capable of giving someone up to 30 days worth of clean water. And each book is capable of providing someone with clean water for up to 4 years.

By creating a promotional video that went viral, they allowed this concept to be known by millions out in the world of their ambitious design. This is also a great opportunity for sponsors to donate to increase the production of books so the books could be delivered to places in need of it.

so ci a l de s i g n

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M ore S pa ce

by Jack Beveridge, Kingston University D&AD - Yellow Winner Advertising Category, The National Trust “A D&AD Student Awards brief set by the National Trust. The challenge was to reconnect an urban audience with nature. With over 600,000 acres, the National Trust owns more land than anyone else in the UK. I decided to give people in a crowded city a taste of what it could feel like to have more space.�

Although this was mainly based on advertising, there were many elements of this proposal that caused some sort of social change and drew the attention of the people around within an environment, especially when they participants walked around in a spacious green hoop.

Since a large portion of our lives are spent online today, the More Space does a great job of intervening with popular social platforms and storage sites. Who would say no to some extra storage memory on DropBox? It is a great way to gain the public’s interest with the iconic green circle and to promote the cause of the National Trust.

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idea

Description

Educational/ Infographic Video

Cultural Event/ Festival

Produce an infographic-like video or a documentary that tells the Story of the MidAutumn festival and how it has evolved from ancient folklore to modern day traditions.

Have a cultural event to celebrate the different traditions and aspects of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

This can be broadcast around August or September to educate and raise awareness about the festival.

This enables people to learn about Chinese stories and experience a variety of traditions through hands-on participation in activities and workshops.

This festival can be held around September for a long weekend during the MidAutumn Festival period.

Analysis

Although it would be very informative and educational, it may not really appeal to people as much since they only get to see it on screen and not exactly experience the festival.

Selected Idea to Expand on

It will be in an open space so it would be convenient for people of all cultures to attend and participate.

It is a much more fun way to experience and bond with a variety of people.

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generation Orienteering Activity

Moon Cake Kitchen

Moon Cake Making Kit

A family challenge where people go around the city in an Amazing-Race like event.

Families will be able to sign up for a workshop to make moon cakes.

Enables people to experience a fun part of the Mid-Autumn festival: Moon Cake Making!

There would be Mid-Autumn riddles or festival-related tasks at checkpoints for participants to complete. The winner would win a prize, so there is an incentive to join.

They can take a certain amount home, but a portion of it will be packaged and distributed it to charity/less fortunate citizens.

Participants would be able to learn more about different aspects of the festival through games and challenges.

It doesn’t really relate too much to the festival and people may not take the time to experience the checkpoint activities as much due to competitiveness and racing against the time.

The participants can also distribute the moon cakes and be involved in a charity event as a family.

More like a charity event rather than a social design project.

The kit will come with instructions and ingredients to make a batch of delicious mooncakes.

Through the process of making this treat, people ranging from children to adults will be able to learn about the history behind the mooncake as well as the festival it belongs to.

It doesn’t really allow a wide range of different people to interact with each other.

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research

h o li f e s t iv a l o f co l o r s The committee for this festival event took the idea of how Indians painted themselves with various colors and throw colorful powder from the festival and decided to spread it around the world.

By taking an exciting tradition from a culture and using it to create an opportunity for others to enjoy it, people are brought together in a community and to share the joy of this fun-filled festival.

This Event has the power to directly promote and foster equality and tolerance and bring people together within a multicultural society.

The website of the Holi Festival of Colors is very well executed, with it’s bright color scheme mirroring the aesthetics of the festival itself.

Their promotional video is also professionally executed and clearly informs people of their purpose whilst portraying an attractive atmosphere. Overall its brand identity and web presence is well established and effective.

cultural festivals 19 day of the dead oxo tower I like how this festival has both the screening of a movie “Under the Volcano� and a variety of workshops for participants to experience. The film is a 1984 cinema classic that educates and informs people about the traditions and origins of this important Mexican festival.

As for the workshops that cater to both children and adults, families can participate in this at the same time, since there are tequila masterclasses for the grown ups while their kids decorate their own Mexican sugar skulls, paint masks, and folk art.

evaluation

eva l u a t i o n 20

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Since this project was a continuation of the folklore assignment that we did during the summer, it was quite unexpected when we were told to apply it to a social design context. My folklore was based on word of mouth & stories / rituals & behaviors since it was based on a legend that had evolved into an important Chinese festival known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. At first I struggled with thinking about how this festival and folklore could be communicated and made relevant to a contemporary audience because it was already so prominent back in my home country. But after multiple brainstorms, I realized that this festival was not really celebrated in London. Other major festivals such as Chinese New Year have large events to celebrate it in London, but the Mid-Autumn Festival was barely made known even though a couple of Asian cultures celebrated the same occasion.

The aim of this project was to preserve and celebrate folklore and its culture.

So through more research and idea generation, I was able to find a way to “bring it to London” through proposing a cultural event that could educate people about the festival and allow them to experience the traditions and activities we’d have back home. It was important to consider audience, context and location carefully. So in order to have a wider range of audiences, this festival would need to cater to multiple Asian cultures and to people who are interested in learning about these traditions as well. I decided to include workshops that would suit people of a wide age range.

In the beginning, I was slightly

overwhelmed with the concept of “Social Design” since it was so broadly defined and seemed like it could have a wide range of outcomes. But social design is really fueling and encouraging social interactions and helping the community better understand each other through the sharing and celebrating each other’s similarities and differences. I think my idea of the festival that combines multiple Asian cultures would not only be able to strengthen the connections between Asian cultural organizations in London, but also give people more opportunities to interact while enjoying the exciting festivities.

If I had more time to do this project, I would try more experimentations in terms of design styles and color schemes to find the most suitable visual outcome. I would also try to do more extensive research on the types of cultural communities and organizations that actually exist in London.

I would add those details to show that my idea is actually possible and it can change the way the communities interact and bond with each other. Proper in depth research would also help me to gain insight on devising realistic and possible solutions in order to make the proposal work.

Lastly, if this project was actually to be executed, the organization running it would have to commission a photographer in Asia to take the promotional photographs that I used in my publication. I was not able to take those photographs myself since it’s difficult or almost impossible to have opportunities to photograph those cultural events and subjects in London.

law1 3 4 0 7 8 1 2 grap h i c a n d med i a de s i g n

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an d

information environments

je n e lle law law13 4 0 7 8 1 2 g rap h ic and me d ia d es ig n ye ar 2 g ro u p b