OUIL501 Studio Brief 3 proposal
What is Good? - To what extent does Social Responsibility impact on the role and function of Illustration? Megan Ojari
Introductory Statement Throughout CoP1, I explored the impact of colour within packaging, and I would love to take this further within my dissertation. I am extremely interested in the psychology behind colour choices within the consumer industry, and how they have such a huge impact on everyday life. Another avenue I would like to research is the mounting problem of waste within product packaging, and how companies are using colour to highlight this to the customers and increase their environmental awareness. I will explore this further by investigating the social and ecological impacts of packaging, and how colour is used to manipulate the perception of this by the manufacturer. One of my keen interests is in the environment, and how much of a responsibility designers and illustrators have on the re-usability and environmentally friendliness of consumer goods. Therefore, I would like to research into how companies are using or misusing colour within their products packaging in order to lift their image and sell more products, regardless of the actual environmental impact of the packaging. I would like to primarily explore colour within my practice, perhaps through environmentally friendly means such as re-using and recycling materials, as well as using more traditional methods such as screen print. I will take what I have learnt from CoP2 in terms of re-using and re-appropriating materials in order to make a portfolio of work which is both environmentally responsible and reflective of my theoretical research and conclusions. My current question is: To what extent does colour have on the environmental impact of packaging?
‘Modern exchange is not materialistic. It is objects that people really desire, but their lush coating of images and dreams that mesh with a wider promotional culture fuelled by advertising and the broadcast media’ - Cummings and Lewandowska p.76
Cummings, N. and Lewandowska, M. (2000) The Value of Things, London: August Hollands, D. (2013) Colour Is King. Colour Theory & Colour Psychology, [internet] Available: <http:// www.createinn.com/retfordtimes/item/colour-is-king-colour-theory-colour-psycology>.
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;In one, s/he has no choice: the choice is imposed, even if it feels like spontaneous desire... (the other) is restricted only by a lack of information... these two versions rotate around the same two poles... full information or utter impressionabilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; - Bowlby p. 3
Bowlby, R. (1993) Shopping with Freud, London: Routledge Hutches, B. (2014) Colour Theory & Packaging Design, [internet] Available: <http://worksdesigngroup. com/color-and-custom-packaging/>.
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Around a quarter of the British public (26 per cent) report that they have advised someone against using a company because it had not acted responsibly, and a similar proportion (24 per cent) has positively advised some one to use a company because of its responsible actionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; - Harrison, Newholm and Shaw p.202
Harrison, R. and Newholm, T. and Shaw, D. (2005) The Ethical Consumer, London: SAGE Publications Morton, J. (2012) Color and Branding, [internet] Available: <http://www.colormatters.com/ color-and-marketing/color-and-branding>.
‘It could be that ethical credentials are seen as a fundamental part of doing business, or simply an ‘added extra’ or even a passing fad, but either way these firms will not principally position their products on this basis’ - Harrison, Newholm and Shaw p.223
Vignelli, M. (2015) The Vignelli Canon, Zurich: Lars Miller Publishers Hemani, S. & Punekar, R. M. (2008) Visual Design – Colour Theory, [internet] Available: <http://www. dsource.in/course/colour-theory/products/products.html>.
‘The most risible attempts at corporate ‘greenwash’ are probably behind us now... Corporations now seem to be even more reserved and cautious about the types and claims that they make... whereby specific ‘ethical’ claims are regulated behind other brand attributes’ - Harrison, Newholm and Shaw p.228
Berger, J. (1972) Ways of Seeing, Harmondsworth: Penguin Lacey, J. (2014) Crash Course In Colour Theory Part 3: The Psychology of Color, [internet] Available: <http://www.dirigodev.com/blog/creative-design/color-theory-part3-color-psychology/>.
Case Studies
Atelier Bingo. (unknown) Monotype, 50X70, Etching + collage with white eggs, [internet] Available: <http://www.atelier-bingo. fr/Etching-collage>. [29/04/17]
Misato Suzuki (2010) Early Summer Rain [internet] Available: <https://www.alittlepainter.com/ on-canvas>. [29/04/17]
Claire Softley (2013) Untitled [internet] Available: <http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/claire-softley>. [29/04/17]
Louise Lockhart. (2015) Love Card [internet] Available: <http://louiselockhart.co.uk/LoveCard>. [29/04/17]
Tom Pigeon. (2014) Harbour 2 [internet] Available: <https://www.tompigeon.com/collections/foiled-prints/products/harbour-2>. [29/04/17]
Reflective Practice Throughout my practical project in CoP3, I want to explore: - The importance of colour over all else, including line and form - Varying traditional media, such as gouache and traditional print methods, to link with the environmental impacts of mass produced packaging - Utilising found collage and ephemera to reduce the waste produced during the production of work - The relationship between colour and environmental impact and consumerism through collage - How to implement the colour theory learnt from the theoretical research into a purposeful practical body of work