BA (Hons) Graphic Design Context of Practice 3 Proposal Form 2013 Make sure you print a copy off for your own records Name:
Sarah Butler
E-mail:
sb102376@students’leeds-art.ac.uk
SUBJECTS OF CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH ALREADY UNDERTAKEN
Level 4:
Level 5:
AIM AND/OR OBJECTIVE OF YOUR PROPOSED C.O.P.3 PROJECT Is the digital age destroying the character of design?
1. What research needs to be undertaken into the general and specific contexts of your practice? Research into trends as set by social media, digital media, and consumer habits. Research into the fall of hand rendered design as reaching the digital age. Research into the fall of design with a distinct purpose or charitable gain. How are designers changing? Have we reached a point where design is going in circles and everything looks the same?
2. What approach(es) will you take and what processes, methods, materials and tools are to be involved in research into your practice? Research into historical and cultural trends, how they come about and why they die out/live on, look into trends within graphic design and advertising fields. Research into how graphic design is perceived and how it is valued by a range of age groups, how and why do these vary? I will focus on how the introduction of digital media has changed the design world (will argue if it’s for better or worse) – speak to designers who did not use digital media when entering design world/doing their degree. Explore if design with a purpose or charitable aim has a bigger effect on the public than design for the consumerist world. Draw comparisons of design from different eras and different places around the world – their effectiveness, reception etc. I will be exploring: -
Digital media and how it has changed the world of design
-
Social trends and how these are effected by social media
-
Consumerism and trends that lie within it – why do these trends come about and why are they followed?
-
Sustainability – look into sustainable design and how this compares to consumerist design.
BA (Hons) Graphic Design Context of Practice 3 Proposal Form 2013 Make sure you print a copy off for your own records 3. What preparation or investigations do you need to undertake for your creative practice to take place? I will be investigating into the impact of design with a purpose over design to sell in relation to a variety of age specific audiences, and will compare how these vary to determine a target audience. I plan to speak to designers that avoid digital media when designing – those that stick to hand-rendered design, or those that grew up without programmes specific to design. I plan to explore a variety of purposeful design opportunities via competition and live briefs, for which I will be very specific in ensuring they meet the criteria of ‘design with a purpose’. I will also be exploring my own ability with hand rendered design, and will try to incorporate as much drawing as I can to work in relation to this module. This will also help me reach one of my aims for third year which is to do more hand-rendered design.
4. What research do you need to undertake regarding who your creativity is for? I will need to explore the varied opinions of different age groups in relation to design, with the idea of inspiring those who work digitally to expand the pool beyond that. I will determine this by interviewing different age groups on their opinion of design from different decades over the last century. I will make a point of interviewing people both involved and distant from the design world so that I can attempt to cater to the needs of both groups. I will keep much of the design in relation to this process current, looking at governmental design, propaganda, social media, consumerist design, charitable design etc.
Primary Sources of Information 1. Description Location 2. Description Location 3. Description Location
Interviewing designers who do not work digitally or did not learn the business digitally as our generation have UK Interviewing/surveying a variety of age groups on the evolution of design in relation to trends and digital media UK Survey about the impact of charitable design and how much of a difference it makes to audience UK
Secondary Sources of Information 1.
Media, Society, World: Social Theory and Digital Media Practice Couldry, N.
2.
The Trend Forecasters Handbook Raymond, M.
3.
Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change Papanek, V.
4.
Sustainability by Design: A Subversice Strategy For Transforming Our Consumer Culture Ehrenfeld, J. R.
BA (Hons) Graphic Design Context of Practice 3 Proposal Form 2013 Make sure you print a copy off for your own records
5.
100 Ideas That Changed Graphic Design Heller, S., Vienne, V.
6.
Perceived problems or difficulties: A lack of published materials that are specific to my question, so each area will have to approached specifically. May need to find more diversity in my primary research in order to gage the full picture of designs effect on different generations. In terms of practical counterpart, I may struggle to maintain the handrendered approach that I would like to but will be making my primary concern doing purposeful design over specifically hand-rendered.