Lilli Wilkinson Chambers
Social Design
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Contents
4-5 7-10 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 20-21 22-23 24 25 26-27 28-29
Brief Research Values Concept Research Location Research Research Statistic Research Second Location Research Visual Inspiration Format + Paper Stocks Development + Evaluation
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Brief
Aims/Context: Explore language, its manifestations literal and visual, the audiences to which messages are structured and the environment, places, virtual and physical, digital and analogue in which they may appear.
Design a strategy/campaign to encourage people to share information person to person, in a specific space or locale that can function both on a local level in London and in an international or region specific context. The information exchange will be based on the subject area: Education.
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Response
What is social design? What is education?
After analyzing the brief I began considering which field of education I wanted to specify in. I was most interested in the subject of sexual health education or wellbeing because they’re the field I would like to work in professionally. To further understand education as a subject area and the process of educating I started to research into deep and surface learning and the pros and cons of both methods. As suggested by the names surface learning focuses on the surface, the signs and the emphasis is external whereas with deep learning one focuses on what is signified and emphasis is internal.
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Research To aid my understanding of environment I researched some books and writing that was based around the idea of spaces and places. This exercise helped me to gain further knowledge into how to approach the location component of my brief.
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I took further notes and found the information about how one can alter the structure of a space to result in a different experience, transforming my space could therefore result in a change of use and change its effect of the community for the better. I was most interested in how senses can impact a place and how one could use a sensory environment to educate.
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Because I’m interested in the subject of gender and how our society regards gender I began looking at the idea of gendered objects and space. It was interesting to learn more on the topic and how we see gender stereotypes within so much of our branding, objects and also spaces.
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Shown are some of the notes I took during reading about the anthropology of space and place. Through reading around the topic it helped me to gain further understanding into how a space can express things metaphorically and how the design of a place can cause segregation or inclusion.
I live in South East London and have chosen to locate my information exchange space here. Due to the area being local to me and knowing lots of young people in the area it’s accessible to me and therefore easy to undertake primary research to learn what sort of spaces that the local environment would benefit from.
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Values
Learning exercise to further understand the community by gaining insight into their values
During an exercise in class we looked at Geert Hofstede’s expression of culture and how we could use this to study our chosen locations. To further understand education as a subject area we noted symbols such as books, uniform, pencils. The rituals of education; routine, attendance, detention and participation depending on what type of education and whether it is successful or not. We identified some of the heroes as inspirational teachers, historical figures, scholars and motivational people. And finally we considered the values of education to include, progression, community and ultimately social betterment. To further understand the culture of South East London I must therefore considering and learn about the symbols, rituals, heroes and values of the area.
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Concept
Initial Ideas for what information exchange I want to take part in the space. What’s needed in South East London?
Sexual Health
Be a kid again
Educating young people about sexual health, healthy relationships, consent and also supporting young people who have experienced sexual abuse.
Providing people with the chance to explore like kids again, maybe get a little lost but see parts of London they may have never seen before. Playing with the idea of having 5 or so minutes to just explore and be in the moment.
Mindfulness
Sensory Environment
A place to be calm and spend a moment in stillness which is rare in busy city life. Wellbeing education.
Interaction with a sensory environment where the users play a role in the outcome of the space.
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Concept
Initial thought on what will the information exchange do? How will it help the community?
A lot of my close friends have had to deal with facing sexual abuse and I’m there for them in any way I can however as I’m not a professional I don’t know the specifics of the best way to support them and help them to heal. Recently I was faced with the news of one of my brothers best friends being sexually assaulted and this strengthens my need to try to do anything I can to work both pro-actively and reactively to these situations. This has lead to me developing the idea to provide a space for both providing knowledge to young people, aiming to educate on healthy relationships and also support systems for people dealing with sexual abuse. Having discussed my initial ideas with other students I’ve decided I want the space to allow for an exchange of care between someone in need of support and from someone who has experienced abuse but can offer advice/support/someone to talk to about issues. I’m hoping people through experience will be able to help others and then inturn some positivity can come from a negative situation. Goal: better enable people to help those they care about, support for how to support.
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Research
What’s available now in South East London?
One of the first places I inquired about counseling and support services in the area was Southwark council, and I was disappointed with what I found. First you have to go through your GP which can take weeks to book an appointment due to over subscribed doctors surgeries and although they mention services are available straight away it informs the reader of the chance of a long waiting list, this is disheartening. I also inquired at LCC, sending an application in for an appointment. When looking at the website the counseling page was well explained and thoughtful. This service seemed more of an easy process than going through the council. After sending my inquiry I was called to set up an appointment when best suited to me. They explained they aim to have an appointment ready within 10 days which is much more assuring than comments of ‘long waiting lists’. However obviously this service is only available to students and not young people in the community that don’t attend the university.
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What’s available at universities around the UK?
To gain further understanding of the topic I asked some students from different parts of the UK their experience with finding support. Isobel Manchester “There’s general counseling services at uni but it has like a month waiting list and there’s no other counseling service the uni offer. I got a sexual abuse counseling number from the clinic. Uni were useless.” Joe Queen Mary University “I had to wait a month for an appointment, and I was only allowed 6 appointments, and when I was 5 minutes late for one session then the session got canceled. The quality of counseling was quite good but it was a lot of time and effort to get the stage of appointments.” Anya Goldsmiths, University of London “The school offers counseling services but because of the long waiting list it felt like my issues were disregarded.”
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Research
Initial Visual Primary Research Peckham
Here I looked at my local area, specifically at the library pavilion area which is an large open space in Peckham which I think has unused potential. I either walk or cycle through this area every day and mostly I see people using the space to get from A to B, whereas I feel like it offers the opportunity for something useful to be in place. When considering the format of the space I researched into vernacular architecture; which is based on locals needs and reflecting locals traditions. When developing my space I hope to consider the needs of the area to make it suited to the people who use it.
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After exploring more of the South East London area, I researched universities in the area. With Camberwell College of Art, London College of Communication, Southbank University, Goldsmiths University and more it’s perfect because of my young target market. With so many students living and studying in the area the space will be accessible if positioned in South East London. I also considered the space being transportable so that it could be even more accessible for people living in different areas of South East London.
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Research
Where to go from here? How to start a conversation?
Things to consider Where the information exchange will take place, will it be fixed or transportable? - To collect concise research based on location (e.g. events? schools? etc) Who will fund the project/who will you be pitching to? - To help begin preparing an appropriate proposal to pitch (to council etc) What guidelines are in place for reporting sexual abuse? - To learn how we could remove obstacles for people coming forward to make reports. Statistically how many cases in the are there that are reported/documented opposed to unreported/undocumented? (Conviction rates) - to show the need for my information exchange.
Through discussing my initial concepts with Tara and developing a more concise idea of the aim of my information exchange I gained a better understanding of where I need to research further and things I need to consider.
Who are the heroes of the community? - To develop a better understanding of how to get through to young people effectively without causing confrontation (eg would men be more appropriate to teach young men about consent etc?) What factors are key identifiers for lack in education in consent and support? High numbers of young people? Strain on local resources? Low funding in schools? - To then select a second location in need of the service.
After discussing my ideas with peers, young people living in South East London and tutors I have advanced my initial ideas to a more clear concept of what I want my information exchange to achieve. I want my information exchange to reach young people aged 1824, aiming to provide both education and support on the subject of consent and sexual abuse.
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Research
Statistics Data
Who
Conviction
Approximately 85,000 women and 12,000 men are raped in England and Wales alone every year.
Only around 15% of those who experience sexual violence choose to report to the police Approximately 90% of those who are raped know the perpetrator prior to the offence
1 in 5 women aged 16 - 59 has experienced some form of sexual violence since the age of 16 47% of rapists are a friend or acquaintance. 25% are an intimate. 5% are a relative. As many as half of female students and a third of their male counterparts knew of a friend or relative who has experienced intrusive sexual behaviour ranging from groping to rape. 31% of female students polled said they had been the victim of “inappropriate touching or groping� and around one in 20 had experienced more intimate but unwelcome advances or been pressurized into sexual activity. Overall 34 per cent indicated they had experienced some form of assault or abuse. One in eight male students had also been subjected to groping or unwanted advances. A third of people believe women who flirt are partially responsible for being raped.
43 per cent of the women who had experienced sexual assault or abuse at university, did not report their ordeal, even to friends or family. Six in 10 male victims also said they had not told anyone. In 2014 there were 22,116 recorded rapes in the year to June, a rise of 29% on the year before. Most women in the UK do not have access to a Rape Crisis Centre. Conviction rates for rape are far lower than other crimes, with only 5.7% of reported rape cases ending in a conviction for the perpetrator. Over half of the individuals that contact Rape Crisis prefer to self-refer, a pattern which has remained consistent over the past five years and continues to demonstrate the necessity for funded independent services.
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Report
When looking at Rape Crisis’ information about reporting and the forensic medical examination. The steps suggested include: - Do not wash - Do not brush your teeth - Do not eat or drink - Do not change your clothes - Try not to go to the toilet - Do not clear up anything from the area of the incident All things that you would want to do as soon as possible.
Sources (Overview of Sexual Offending in England and Wales, the first ever joint official statistics bulletin on sexual violence released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Home Office in January 2013) (U.S. Department of Justice, National Crime Victimization Study: 2009-2013.) (youth site) (Office for National Statistics show) (Kelly, Lovett and Regan, A gap or a chasm? Attrition in reported rape cases, 2005) (Amnesty, 2005) (Map of Gaps, 2007)
Research Analysis After collecting more statistical research, I’ve decided to specify my space more towards A) Proactive - education on consent as a preventative approach B) Reactive - aiding in the process of reporting and looking further into conviction.
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Research
Selecting my Second Location
When researching I found high numbers of sexual assault within university, which is why I’ve chosen to research into finding a second location with a high student population. I found that Manchester was the second largest student city in the UK following London with around 100,000 students in total in the Manchester/Salford area. I think that my planned information exchange is would be suitable for the Manchester area because of the high student population. I think that cities with high numbers of young people will benefit most from education on the subject of consent and sexual abuse because the proposed space can provide the students with with both proactive resources through educating on consent with talks, group interactive exercises to make young people feel more comfortable about discussing consent and feeling empowered in their own body. As well as proactive response I think the reactive method of providing a space which aids the reporting process and helping to make a safe space for counseling will aid numbers of conviction and inform victims of their options to get more help and advice on the situation.
Case Study - Sarah - Manchester
Universities in Manchester - University of Manchester 40,000 - Manchester Metropolitan 34,900 - University of Salford 18,500 - Manchester College - Royal Northern College of Music Manchester evening news
“I got an emergency appointment with the uni counseling service following a chat with my course director about reporting/my studies/moving on from assault etc. I found the counselor to be both patronizing and contradictory, she told me I had no reason to be insecure of my image as I was a “perfectly reasonable size”. She went on to say she couldn’t offer me a regular appointment, I was better off going to see my counselor at home, after I expressed my concerns about fitting in a routine at uni. In regards to the sexual assault centre, I was told by the uni/police/clinic to contact them. When I did get in contact they informed me that I could be seen by a counselor within in the next three months as they were short staffed.”
Visual Inspiration
I’ve been really inspired by editorial and book designs that play with new formats, experimenting with different paper stocks and sizes to create modern takes on folio-like systems.
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Research
Format Experimentation
I looked to examples of editorial design to gain inspiration for my proposal format, considering different sizes and folds to create exciting formats and layouts. After looking for inspiration I began experimenting with formats by playing around prototyping for the proposal. After considering different formats I decided I’d like to continue with developing a format that is bound by paper (as shown above to the right) which is composed of different folds to bind the paper together, with a larger folded poster in place to secure the bind. This format allows me to experiment with different paper weights and sizes to create an interesting reading experience.
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Paper Stocks
When considering format one must also consider paper stocks to determine which papers are most appropriate. I visited GF Smith to look at different papers and consider how I may use these within my proposal to create an interesting and tactile experience for the reader.
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Development
Digital Development
After mocking up my layouts on paper by hand I transferred the decided dimensions onto indesign to begin preparing the digital format of the booklet. I began organizing how best to layout all the information I want to present without overloading the reader with too much to read. Colour-wise I kept it simple keeping to a green and black palette. I chose green because I think of it as neutral, calming, inoffensive and genderless. I also did a little research into some of the meanings represented by green in other cultures and found: Green - Personal Power - Native America Green - Compassion - Hindu Both of which I think are relevant to the subject that I’m trying to address. The layout lends itself to being easily read, and an object of interest that the reader would want to keep and be able to use to inform others on the cause. I didn’t want the proposal to be dull and just informative so I incorporated my own marbling work, which I think is relevant because one of the activities I suggested is art therapy. This touch of something different keeps the proposal from being a typical leaflet. Within my proposal I wanted to justify the need for my proposed space/intervention. To do so I presented statistics and findings around the subject. The proposal presents the rationale for the project and the proposed events that would take place in the space to benefit their users.
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Proposal Evaluation
I’m most interested in using design with the ambition to help people which is why this project excited me from the start. The topic is a sensitive subject so I made sure to gain qualitative research from people’s personal accounts as well as spending time learning the statistics of sexual abuse and conviction rates. I found it interesting to consider strategy from a design perspective as well as how to pitch an idea to the council. It was also great to get to experiment with an unconventional format, this however did come with challenges to create a design identity that is experimental but still able to be informative and appropriate. Testing out the layouts and prototyping for printing was time consuming but I think has allowed me to achieve a professional and creative outcome. I’m really happy with the colour palette and balance of space at writing. If I had more time to improve I would create a supporting video with people’s opinions of the proposed space and what they think is most useful as well as suggestions for further development, as I think the space should always be views as a work in progress which can transform with the needs of the users.
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