Research proposal

C103 Professional Contexts

C103 Formative Submission – Research Proposal Please complete each section of this form giving sufficient detail to show critical thinking and planning and early stage organisation for your research project. This is an early stage document and may provide a ‘wish list’ of organisations or institutions to be approached and research methods to be employed but it MUST be sufficiently practical to be realised in term two.

This submission must be uploaded using the designated link on the appropriate Moodle page.

Student Edward Yau Name Course / Graphic Design Cluster Contact e.yau@students.rave.ac.uk details

Research Question

Ask a question that will allow you to identify an area of practice you are interested in, where you want to gain a deeper understanding of what is going on. (A)

How will graphic designers need to adapt the way they work in order to fulfil technological advances in book design?

For my study, I intend to explore the graphic design and publishing industry, investigating how graphic designers take on the task in designing for books either for print or digital applications such as the e-book.

Purpose of Research

Write a statement that describes your purpose in undertaking the research, which links it to a historical and current industry practice and debate. (A; B; C)

My study will link heavily to the debate of ‘printed books v digital e-books’, digital applications designed for the electronic reading is a global industry in society and currently growing. I want to find out in my research them aspects of working as a graphic designer as a role and consider how technology has changed the format of designing primarily in print to digital. This may have a strong impact to a designer’s way of working in the practice, leading me to ask if a designer would have to adapt to this change in the future?

C103 Professional Contexts

Location of Research

Locate your research in a field of practice, an activity and role(s) using an example drawn from your subject industry. This should be in the form of a service, company and / or individual practitioner(s). (A: C)

With my research, I will be focusing on a graphic designer’s role in designing books to be published for print and discover whether they have designed a digital e-book from this, being a current device to design applications for in the market. I intend to make a comparison to the differences in working with both if a practitioner has done so and also gain their opinions with the prospects of designing more digitally in book design for the future. In order to make enquiries within the design and publishing industries, I plan to contact small design companies and publishing agencies based in London.

Research method, rationale and ethical statement

Describe how you might conduct your research and make a short statement justifying your choices in relation to where your research is located. Include a short statement on how you will conduct your research according to Ravensbourne ethical research policy. (B; D; E)

In order to investigate how a role of a graphic designer and observing how they functions within their role, I will be gaining primary and secondary information and data research for my project. I plan to collect these employing the following methods: Primary data will be collected through: >Emailing Contacts - I will be emailing a range of companies within the design and publishing industries, asking for some answers relevant to the question I intend to research for my project. >Sending Questionnaires - I will be asking specific graphic designers about their roles and skills that they apply within their work, as well as enquiring how working for print is different to designing digital applications. >Conducting one to one discussions by phone calling companies – I intend to gather my research either by making phone calls or visiting industry studios. >Photographs (If visits are made) – Comparison of how companies operate in relation to my question.

Secondary data will be collected through: >Internet and other resources - Looking at existing information via the internet and any resources that has relevant information for me to gather and analyse that could answer the question I set out to research.

C103 Professional Contexts

Hypothesis: I think, as e-books are becoming more a daily device to replace books, designers will have to adapt in the future to design for electronic applications in this market. Printed Books will become a smaller sector within the industry as more things become digitally formatted.

I will be conducting my research according to the Ravensbourne Ethical Research Policy to ensure that all the information I will gather is data protected and kept for confidentially for educational purposes. I will also ensure all data will be kept private and not be passed on to any other companies I am researching.

Research Schedule

Outline the research activity you will undertake and map out a time-line for data collection, analysis, evaluation and presentation of findings. (D)

To ensure my project runs to plan I have made a timetabled schedule where I will be collecting my data, analysing, evaluating and presenting my results.

[WEEK 1/2/3] Data Collection and Research – (Primary and Secondary): Primary: - Email/ surveys: send 3-4 emails/ surveys to several companies and wait for replies and responses.

- Phone calls/interview discussion: Conduct phone calls to several companies and if possible arrange interviews and visits to company offices and studios.

- Photographs (If visits are arranged) Secondary: - Internet: researching online information few times week - Other resources: research news articles and magazines.

[WEEK 4/5/6] Analysis and Compiling Results Analysing found information data: Once all the information has been gathered, I will then spend 3-4 hours analysing each piece of research and to present my found data in a graphical way, creating diagrams and charts. This will also indicate any correlations and patterns or anomalies discovered within my research.

[WEEK 8/9/10] Evaluate and Present!

Evaluation and Presentation: Once I have a full analysis of all the research, I will then evaluate my findings and in depth making connections with my results to a conclusion and make preparations for presentation. To present my project I will gather the data and information I have gained and interpret and present online as a digital booklet.

C103 Professional Contexts

Students Signature

E. Yau

Name

Edward Yau

Date

25/11/11

Assessing Tutor’s signature

D. Gibson

Name

Dave Gibson