#macd102

[paddytatemacd]

MaCD101 – MaCD102 – MaCD103.

When I started my online journal in September, it began as a secondary blog on an old inactive account. This restricted me from fully using the “like” and “follow” features for my work blog, so I have created a new blog. This has resulted in me moving the first semester’s work to an archive blog, found at www.paddytatemacdarchive.tumblr.com

[joshuacollinsma]

INSPIRATION THROUGHOUT

This is a list of images, videos, links that you should follow if you would like to know what has inspired me the past three months, but not the projects directly - my style, ideas, the way I think and what I believe.

https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-radar/ireland-punk-bands-fontaines-dc-murder-capital-2415910?fbclid=IwAR1z9T2Xg5tlPJfJHlmIn2oo3RseKIKRo-fb_r9_rGeFYXw6bGNDJkuehxU

https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/mvpbn4/interviews-with-people-who-just-smoked-dmt?fbclid=IwAR0LJshBOTyV3bi1L9upcEiutPH4-sONfHFx4Z3nz793RfoesxMnhb1ya5c

https://www.esquire.com/uk/food-drink/a24389938/how-to-create-a-successful-business-with-advice-from-a-man-who-has-actually-made-it/?fbclid=IwAR3QF8in1BROYfEKCyLOVq9aKD8gzuHoImcUFk6N-OsiEjMb0Klr7oIc-pw

https://www.facebook.com/boilerroom.tv/videos/310593969765339/

https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/lazy-oaf-take-a-break-exhibition-301018?fbclid=IwAR203IMbgd7B50vi4zVcg3HTQhZiFC9EYQUfiho87EUiagfvCDNTcmshtjQ

https://www.facebook.com/fu.pic.nny/posts/773852262817764

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbj2Zss-5GY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec3LoKpGJxY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulZrXxFaoUY

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvO6uJUVJQ6SrATfsWR5_aA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulZrXxFaoUY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQHQimMN33Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxHl5_wzr0A&t=84s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4BU-l2Q3-Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxBH2wpK10U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkLPFi4fmug

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCd6SQ67k-Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuQG6_evFc8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqJNqmIzIKU

http://www.academia.edu/4094789/Design_and_Self_Expression_a_relationship_between_person_and_object_designed

https://economia.icaew.com/opinion/july-2018/risk-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly

http://www.franziskaloos.com/portfolio/enter-at-own-risk/

http://www.risktech-forum.com/opinion/risk-management-metaphors

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mitch-ditkoff/50-awesome-quotes-on-risk_b_2078573.html?guccounter=1

https://www.zalando.co.uk/zms/levis-justin-timberlake/?wmc=zms440__.99140904___..

https://dwynrhh6bluza.cloudfront.net/website_uploads/documents/e-books/pdfs/risk-is-right-1388566911.pdf

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/a/auto-destructive-art

https://blissandfaith.com/best-practices-for-giving-attribution-proper-credit/

http://www.kesselskramer.com/communication/projects/jantje-beton

http://www.kesselskramer.com/communication/projects/nemo

http://www.kesselskramer.com/communication/projects/we-love-graphic-design

http://bookcoverarchive.com/book/exit_a/

https://www.c-heads.com/2018/04/19/not-credit-artist-people-forget-photos-dont-exist-without-photographer/

http://www.contemporist.com/tag/droog-design/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Bakunin

https://www.dezeen.com/2014/06/16/coop-himmelblau-jammer-coat/

https://weburbanist.com/2016/11/28/how-to-be-invisible-15-anti-surveillance-designs-installations/

https://anarchistnews.org/content/topic-week-automation

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/04/will-2018-be-the-year-of-the-neo-luddite

https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/11/08/the-dystopian-future-of-facebook/?

https://reallifemag.com/the-constant-consumer/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsKHaCIwyaY

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03vwfyp

http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/1/2018/09/04122037/FT_18.09.05_FacebookPrivacy_MethodologyTopline.pdf

https://thebaffler.com/latest/nudging-the-lexicon-haigney

https://medium.com/@richardnfreed/the-tech-industrys-psychological-war-on-kids-c452870464ce

https://theconversation.com/will-the-ai-jobs-revolution-bring-about-human-revolt-too-86290

https://www.dezeen.com/2013/06/23/stealth-wear-anti-drone-clothing-by-adam-harvey/

https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/mar/18/fully-automated-luxury-communism-robots-employment

https://www.dezeen.com/2013/06/23/stealth-wear-anti-drone-clothing-by-adam-harvey/

http://nyctaeus.tumblr.com/post/123280103843/dana-wsye-pills-remedies-from-the

https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/publications/research/2017-01-26-artificial-intelligence-future-warfare-cummings-final.pdf

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6949509

https://interestingliterature.com/2017/04/26/a-short-analysis-of-william-blakes-jerusalem/

https://www.hackread.com/mark-zuckerbergs-laptop-cam-tape/

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/smartphone-apps-listening-privacy-alphonso-shazam-advertising-pool-3d-honey-quest-a8139451.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26372109

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTTp1fK4j_U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42OUuCgZ27A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH8Oyo7nF2w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk3fK4A-pjM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efQmM-oZ9_I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZfOQqZ-HZM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz4hlWIc58I

http://basquiat.com/

http://richardyoungonline.com/

https://www.instagram.com/somgang/

https://www.instagram.com/thepetties_/

https://www.instagram.com/milogoretheband/

https://www.instagram.com/katherineplumb/

how many optimists does it take to change a lightbulb, none, their butler changes it. always poor, never bored

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDClBBpCtYI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-EH4VOsyh0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGqvpgdLzh4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVhme1eb8SI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RETHWVXbiuA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsKXq8AQTZE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF9k3xhNp5o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oNRFhlX6qs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_YPvSPLm-g&t=1s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYb_SmooC_k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-WEXVJAb90

falmouth

bristol

london

travelling 

expeiriences

house mates

friends

musicians

album covers

anarchy

messy things

https://www.instagram.com/joewebbart/

https://lostartshop.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dougalofcourse/

https://www.instagram.com/postwook/

https://www.instagram.com/feliciathegoat/

taking risks

lemme know when you click all the links

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkvPDx2qNjM&t=

[theothersideof-nat]

PERFORM102

The patterns on the website change colours, and the FREE PORN logo on the homepage illuminates like a neon. Such design brings to mind something playful and funky. However, when you place your cursor on the logo, you’ll see a message in which it is explained what FREE PORN really is, and what this initiative aims at. 

FREE PORN WEBSITE

neon homepage

green homepage

blue homepage

website info

website animation

On the website, you can find lots of links like: www.ilovetrump.com, www.womenaredumb.com or www.blackpeoplearecriminals.com, which names represent common stereotypes or opinions. It will be natural for the users to click the link which has a name that agrees with their opinions and beliefs. 

However, instead of the content that the user expects, lots of news and information contradicting the opinions contained in the link’s name will appear on the site. The way the information will appear will resemble an error or a virus, which is meant to shock and overwhelm the recipient.

www.ilovetrump.com

www.womenaredumb.com

www.blackpeoplearecriminals.com

At the bottom of the website, there is a bar that the user can fill out in order to send a link of his choice to a friend, foe or family. Thus, it encourages more people to develop critical thinking and challenge their confirmation bias. The image above shows an example of an email that someone has received.

REFLECTION / ART DIRECTION

I found this module very interesting and liberating. First of all, it was an amazing experience to be able to choose a social problem which I perceive as relevant, and to be able to work on a solution or at least a way to start a discussion about the issue. Furthermore, this project boosted my creativity and encouraged me to think outside the box, which resulted in creating more funky and unique content. Additionally, by challenging my working habits  and trying different ways of thinking, I managed to create a project which represents a critical design itself. Once again, I confirmed my belief that being out of my comfort zone is essential to look at designing from various perspectives, and that every brief is an opportunity to create unique and valuable content.

If I could develop my project in the future, I would focus more on the final product. I would use FREE PORN, to create not only a playful website, but a whole campaign about confirmation bias and stereotypes. I would spread awareness through social media, workshops and small festivals. Confirmation bias and stereotypical thinking are not only a problem themselves, but they also trigger more serious issues and dangerous behaviours.

[macdbecbowler]

Week Eleven (End of Semester 1)

This has been the busiest week of the course.

Completing my projects for MACD101 & MACD102 and putting together the last pieces for MACD103 as well as my essay.

I have discovered I am mostly interested in speculative design, and so have been approaching writing my essay and creating my project with a speculative perspective. 

I have mostly been influenced by Dunne & Raby’s book ‘Speculative Everything’ which I have purchased to keep!

My favourite projects linked to speculative design have been “Meet Graham” and “The Ray Cat Solution”

Here are links to find them:

http://www.theraycatsolution.com/#10000

http://www.meetgraham.com.au

For my essay and project I have also been studying more about lab made meats. From A YouTube video I discovered here:

I am interested in how consumers are losing connection with products. We rely on food to eat yet the western world knows little about agriculture. 

We increasingly rise the demand in customer service to do with products we know little about.

I am exploring what the world will look like when service industries have to be completely transparent. With the example of using lab made meat. 

[joshuacollinsma]

Week Seven

I found KesselsKramer a really interesting insight into design due to the sheer amount of high-quality designs they have produced. I came across the rebrand of the NEMO science museum in Amsterdam made up of bold stimulating colours and that inspired my project to be bold and garnish. I really liked the design because of the use of contrasting colours that stand out and really push it your face. The same reason as I decided to go with yellow and black, coincidentally the colours yellow and black are synonymous the ‘caution’ signs which alert people to danger, which is essentially the premise of my project; to warn publishers that they have broken copyright laws.

I began sketching out ideas until I got to the finished result which I scanned and used as the main feature of my website. I liked the style of it and instantly thought it would be great to keep this continuous throughout.

As a starting point for the website, I needed content that matched my idea and sketches, which came from research finding out that The Mona Lisa was physically stolen once. I wanted to create the image that you wouldn’t get the full picture because it was stolen or yoinked so I put the logo onto the famous artworks The Scream, Fountain and The Mona Lisa. Aesthetically I think they worked quite well and helped me visualise the website further.

I then began to collage them with more famous works and photographs to create a background for the website which would have my content over the top. The exercise was interesting and I believe stimulated more design allowing me to ar arrange a colour scheme and layout. Similar to my previous project in a Dada-esque sense.

At this point, I had arrived that over time this project would develop and I had an idea spark of an animation to open the web page. I knew this idea would come back at a later date once the substance of the website had come together.

[joshuacollinsma]

Week Six

 I began week six with writing my brief, a ‘how might I?’ question to stimulate the project. 

Background:

• My photographs have previously been used without consent.

• A friend and colleague had their work copied.

• Many other photographers/artists have had this issue.

• People do not know that copyright protection is automated and does not depend on registration.

• There is NO searchable international registry of copyright-protected works.

Objectives:

• Try and prevent publishers from plagiarising and taking advantage of artists.

• Create awareness of plagiarism.

Aims:

• Give artists their credit and desired payment.

• To remind publishers to credit and pay authors.

Single Message

• Try and prevent publishers from plagiarising and taking advantage of artists.

• Create awareness of plagiarism.

Target Audience

• Artists that have had work plagiarised.

• Artists publishing work online.

• Publishers who are unaware of crediting and paying artists.

Following this I knew I wanted to interview some people who have had the similar or the same issues. I contacted Mal, an old lecturer of mine and Alysa, a friend and colleague. I conducted the interviews to get a better insight into the issues surrounding plagiarised work, and to gain perspectives from other artists which could aid my project. I believe that these interviews are essential to the research part of this project due to it being a social project that people are to interact with, without the human interaction the project would not progress in the way that I would like.

Alysa’s work is on the Red Van Records YouTube channel uploaded months before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkFmMPRe1pY

The work that is somewhat very similar of an event much later by BBC Introducing, bare in mind the publisher also used the song without contacting Ronnie Cook in the first place also. 

https://www.facebook.com/BBCIntroDevonandCornwall/videos/1514153225356600/ 

Following this, I generated some ideas in sketches to visualise the project and put a face to the project. 

Campaign

• #ExposureIsn’tEnough.

• T-Shirt.

• Webpage.

• Newspaper.

Ask Nicely

• Consistent happy letters which publishers can read (prank).

Platform

• A platform which ‘verifies’ publishers that credit and pay.

Public Shaming

• Start a conversation with Sarah Gosling and film it.

• Newspaper dedicated to people that plagiarise.

• Posted hand-cuff to the plagiariser (prank).

My ideas where substantial in my opinion it was just a way in that was needed, the physical thing needed to be imagined.

The ideas that sprouted looked as if they were all part of a campaign trying to solve the final sketch that I did, where the credit step is jumped over in reality due to ignorance more often than not. 

I entertained the idea that I could encompass it all in one space, a website. Rather than taking it in a more abusive manner by plastering posters and t-shirts antagonising the situation, it would be a more reserved function allowing multiple people to use and targeting the problem directly with respect.

The discussion with peers to think of a name of the website was insightful and it resulted in a name being given. One of my earlier ideas was ‘Played Your Eyes’ a play on words sounding like Plagiarise. Despite this futile attempt ‘YOINK’ stuck.

[joshuacollinsma]

Week Five

Design for social change is a project where I designed a product that would aid, provoke, or engage my target audience. Of which I came to a quick decision of due to having limited time on this project, I focused on copyright law surrounding the usage of artists and designers work. The main reason for this is because in the past I have previously had my photographs used without my permission. At the time I was infuriated and spoke to the person at the root of the problem, eventually getting the person to give full credit... which has since been removed. Due to doing my BA in Photography I also know of people with similar stories. My target audience were those people.

Admittedly at the time I got too annoyed at the time before sending a personal message in the first place, but it felt just. Since it was the same people that had previously affected a colleague of mine.

I furthered my research into more occurrences when  artists have had rather than focusing on photographers. I came across many websites such as:

https://www.diyphotography.net/a-guide-to-plagiarism-and-theft-in-photography/

https://petapixel.com/2013/07/18/thou-shalt-not-steal-theres-a-plagiarism-epidemic-in-the-photography-industry/

https://www.joelapompe.net

http://stopstealingphotos.com

http://www.wipo.int

I found them fascinating due to the sheer amount of stories and that it is not just photographers that experience these issues. The fact that people do this is already a violation of someone’s private copyright, plus it is disrespectful to the author. A comparison I like to remind people of is that you wouldn’t ask a plumber to plumb your house for free, just because it’s a different kind of work does not devalue the effort people have put in. A message I would like to communicate is that there is more effort being put in by artists than people think, it is not a quick or cheap process to get the best results. With the increase apps and technologies which allow people to become none professional designers, has devalued the work and has created some kind of grey area between artist and client.

Copyright law in the UK states that the restricted acts are:

Copying the work.

Issuing copies of the work.

Renting or lending the work to the public.

Performing, showing or playing the work in public.

Communicating the work to the public.

Making an adaptation of the work.

I found that there is very little enforcement around these laws giving a lot more freedom of theft of artists work, and if it were to be more enforced it might make some people more aware of the toil people go through.

[theothersideof-nat]

RESOLVE102

ELIMINATE BIAS, BIGOTRY & RACISM

Do the opposite of what people know and expect

Disconfirm, make people think critically and question every information or opinion

Project of an interactive device which delivers news through various links available on a designed website. However, links contain content that is the total opposite to what people could expect based on the link’s name. Therefore, the website encourages people to develop critical thinking and challenge confirmation bias. 

After 101 module we had a trip to London to visit few creative studios and advertising agencies. There was particular one that fully got my attention, as it seemed very unique comparing to others. KesselsKramer is an independent advertising agency established by Erik Kessels and Johan Kramer in 1996. It is based in Amsterdam with offices in London and Los Angeles. The visit in KK London encouraged me to think about design more unconventionally. They show us the campaign called "The Worst Hotel In The World" for Hans Brinker Budget Hotel in Amsterdam, which was advertising infamous hotel in an unusual way. Instead of presenting best aspects of the place, KK decided to play with the subject and turn in into a joke. They came up with "The Worst Hotel In The World” slogan and made branding and advertising in the spirit of that concept. Therefore, the communication campaigns connected with its target market of young and cynical travellers, which brought many profits in the future. 

While choosing the name of the organisation, I wanted to come up with something completely unrelated to the subject. I didn’t want the name to suggest what topics the organisation touches upon and what may be on the website. What’s more, I wanted the name to be funky, provocative and imposing other associations.

Aesthetic inspiration 

Plastic!, Seth Bogart

CHLEB, MISTER D. x Anja Rubik

HAJ$, MISTER D.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4suvl4AO88

Feels Like We Only Go Backwards, Tame Impala 

Cuidado, Peligro, Eclipse, Agar Agar

Grosse Fatigue, Camille Henrot

Design sketches

Logo ideas

[theothersideof-nat]

SPARK102

SPREAD AWARENESS AMONG PEOPLE

Story Telling / Story Sharing > interactive website – spreading awareness and understanding among people

Social experiments and interviews – meeting people with an oposite way of thinking to break the bias

Interactive, digital quiz (labelled boxes) – shows people how ridiculous and judgmental some assumption are, makes people conscious of their words and actions, makes people feeling guilty about taking part in it

INTERACTIVE WEBSITE INSPIRATIONS

http://bharatyatra.online/untrafficked/

http://ladybird.movie/quiz

http://polishchristmasguide.com

https://babytalkfordads.org

https://yourself.nab.com.au

http://www.cyclemon.com

http://species-in-pieces.com/#

https://chekhov.withgoogle.com/alive#home

http://wakeup.isadoradigitalagency.com

https://www.noisli.com

http://assets.wwf.org.uk/custom/foodstory/

https://pumper.thisismailan.com/

Confirmation Bias, Evil Twin, Ryan Meagher

Our opinions are based on our experiences and beliefs, they are the result of paying attention to the information which confirms what we believe in while ignoring the information which challenges our confirmation bias. Therefore, our opinions are subjective. The absolute truth is objective and doesn’t change, even if we ignore it.

CONFIRMATION BIAS is a tendency to accept only arguments that confirm previously accepted beliefs. In this way, people seek information correlating with their own point of view, and more or less consciously put off those which could disprove their preexisting beliefs. Confirmation bias is one of the first and strongest hindrances to critical thinking.

FINAL BRIEF

How might I challenge confirmation bias?

[theothersideof-nat]

DISCOVER102

DESIGN FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

the biggest thing you can do is affect culture

common sense is not that common

“Don’t criticize what you can’t understand.”

- Bob Dylan

“Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”

- Howard Zinn

Femininity, class, mixed-race identity

Genevieve Gaignard 

LA-based artist explores themes of femininity, class, her own mixed-race identity and their points of intersection. Characterised by a crisp, cartoon-like style, the poignant images overlap and interact on backgrounds of faded Victorian wallpaper.

As well as vivid collages, her self-portraits and full-room installations also point the finger at other societal faults. A fully-decorated mock bathroom is decked out in dollar bill towels and crammed with skin-bleaching products. Another installation sees a wall of snow-white faces, with a mirror in the centre of it, designed to darken the viewers face.

https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2018/07/25/genevieve-gaignard-artist/#

Urban loneliness 

The Mannequin, Aseptic Studio

London-based Aseptic Studio has designed an ergonomic cushion in the shape of a headless torso to provide physical and emotional support for lonely millennials living in cities.

Called The Mannequin, the cushion resembles an upper body with extra-long arms that can be wrapped around the user for comfort. The product aims to reduce feelings of stress and loneliness experienced by young people in urban areas.

https://www.dezeen.com/2018/10/09/aseptic-studio-mannequin-human-shaped-cushion-ldf-design/

Feminism, body shaming / body positivity 

#Likeagirl, Always

Equal pay, Finansforbundet

Project Body Hair, Billie

Labels & stereotypes

#RethinkLabels, The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio

I am NOT blach, you are NOT white, Prince Ea

Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, Katz and Braly (1933)

Aim: To investigate stereotypical attitudes of Americans towards different races.

Method: Questionnaire method was used to investigate stereotypes. American university students were given a list of nationalities and ethic groups (e.g. Irish, Germans etc.), and a list of 84 personality traits. They were asked to pick out five or six traits which they thought were typical of each group.

Results: There was considerable agreement in the traits selected. White Americans, for example, were seen as industrious, progressive and ambitious. African Americans were seen as lazy, ignorant and musical. Participants were quite ready to rate ethnic groups with whom they had no personal contact.

Conclusion: Ethnic stereotypes are widespread, and shared by members of a particular social group.

If people had more knowledge and empathy, would they still use labels and stereotypes?

It’s safe and comfortable to live the way we were taught by subculture and society we live in. It’s easy to not come out of our comfort zone or think outside of the box , it disturbs our routine and the way things normally are. We are afraid of things we don’t know, we don't like to confront new ideas and beliefs, and when we do, we feel urgent need to name them. What’s more, majority of people is unconscious of using labels and stereotypes. Therefore, they are more likely to come up with ridiculous assumptions and tend to be closed to new opportunities. Additionally, algorithms filter our (online) sources of knowledge, we are surrounded by things that correlate with our beliefs and preferences. As a result, people become more egocentric and lack ability to understand others.

BRIEF PROPOSAL

How might I challenge labels & streotypes  around:

- LGBTQ+

- Refugees, Foreigners

- Feminists, Vegans, Vegetarians

- Other religions

- Extraordinary people / People with difficulties of any kind

How might I challenge misconception and assumption?

How might I challenge the way people perceive differences?

How might I embrace differences?

[theothersideof-nat]

MACD102 INTERSECTIONS

Module Introduction

This challenge explores collaboration and audience engagement, to build insight into personal practice, through a user centered design challenge. Observing current and potentially difficult human stories, you will begin to also sharpen personal views and conscience around the role design has to play in responding to human need. It seeks to focus on ’intersections’ that exist both in a communication design problem and the interface where a message is exchanged.

Understanding how communication relationships ’talk’  is central to the first project; whether between client and designer, form and function, emotion and experience, behavior and technology, you will test your ability and courage to confront a challenging research scenario. You will therefore work directly with a given audience, in an act of co-discovery to understand the needs and potential opportunity of a designer response. This will form the first part module. Having drawn out potential questions and insights, the next phase asks you to generate an interface in response to your findings that may solve or comment on the story, whether analogue or digital.

Project 1; At the heart

The role of design today has many focus points as media, socio-political and culture changes continuously shift; responding to, and defining human need at an ever-increasing speed. Designers too have played their part in defining their role in this, of note being Ken Garland’s ’First things first’ manifesto and recently the development of service design companies and research centers like Helen Hamlyn Centre at the Royal College of Art. Human centred design therefore becomes a catalyst for an exciting and important area of work for us. Understanding the ’human condition’ and the methods used to access qualitative insights into social drivers and constructs is a critical part of designer’s skillset today.

At the Heart asks you to engage in user centred design research to identify a critical issue within your own community in order to make it smarter, safer, healthier and/or more sustainable for everyone in it. From your research, you are asked to define ’How might I…’ question in response to a specific issue or challenge in your community. This could encompass day-to-day challenges (’how might I improve the pedestrian experience on Falmouth High St?’) or larger social issues (’how might I design an accessible election experience for everyone?’). Based on this question, you are asked to articulate a brief with background, clearly defined aims and objectives, target market, and timeline.

Project 2; Connect

For the second part of this module, you will explore solutions to your design brief towards the creation of a design interface.

The ’interface’ in board terms, is a point of interaction between two components parts. We define this loosely, as you will be exploring interface design in the context of a user centred need, as outlined from your first project.

We also acknowledge the need for relevance in your choice of interface and media, so whether analogue or digital, it should deliver a message or service in the most appropriate way for the intended audience. This may support a particular need or service or highlight an issue in an informative or potentially provocative way. However, where in depth and sensitive stories are involved, it needs to be done with significance, thought and dignity. Therefore, research and reading in and around the theme of ’humanness’ is a core requirement of this phase in your learning. In line with the course’s ethos, this should be seen to be a continuing building block of future creative thinking.

[macdbecbowler]

Week Ten

During week ten we started off Monday with a lecture about Critical Design & Speculative Design. Including examples such as:

The Human Interference Force 

Alix Gallet - Tricking Biometrics

Dunne & Raby - Is This Your Future?

Agi Haines - Transfigurations

Lina Kovačević, 2011 - A Set For An Online Romantic Dinner

 The Future Laboratory & Love Creative – Uprooted Diets

Meet Graham

The Ray Cats

Included here is a slide from our lecture presentation, I’m using this to help plan what will be included in my essay and project to make sure that whatever I choose to research will compliment each other:

I have also purchased the book Speculative Everything by Anthony Dunne & Fiona Raby as I have realised the topics of Critical Design and Speculative Design both really interest and inspire my thinking, so this will definitely be relevant to my essay writing and overall project ideation.

I have since been carrying on with my MACD102 project Intersections. Researching the layouts of comic books as well as how to draw comic book sketches myself. I now own these two books below:

Alongside interviewing my family members (which is all logged into my scrapbook) my older brother, Rob, also introduced me to a few references I’ve found incredibly relevant and quite special for my project.

The most relevant reference is a film called Life; Animated. Based on a teenager who is autistic, his parents realised he was completely non verbal as a child, until one day he quoted a Disney film. (This is very similar to my own Brother, Matt, as he constantly communicates through referencing films and comic characters. Also hugely similar in the families attitude towards autism, their perspective completely changed as they realised he CAN communicate, it was just a case of finding out how to find his voice and help him use it.

Heres the trailer:

I’m feeling incredibly enthusiastic about this particular project, I feel like what first appeared a giant, personal and intimidating task is now something I have found the right tone of voice for, and I’m telling it through my brothers language, which is the most important part. It’s going to be positive, endearing and most of all a nice piece of design that reflects how my brother sees the world, that he can enjoy and share with those around him.

 Now I just have to figure out how to create a comic book as well as I can!

Here’s something inspiration for how I’d like my comic book front cover to look like aesthetically:

[macdbecbowler]

Week Eight

This week within our intersections project we looked at critical frameworks/theories. We looked at 3 different phases of Design in the 20th & 21st century. (The following if from Robyn Cook’s Lecture: 5 MACD102 Intersections Towards Relational Design)

Phase one:

This early phase believed in a the possibility of a universal language of form that could transcend class and social differences (Russian Constructivism) to the abstracted logotypes of the 1960s and 1970s that could (supposedly) help bridge cultural divides.

(Image from:https://creativepro.com/russian-constructivism-and-graphic-design/)

Phase Two:

The second wave of design, born in the 1960s, focused on design’s meaning- making potential, its symbolic value, its semantic dimension and narrative potential, and thus was preoccupied with content. This wave continued in different ways for several decades, reaching its apogee in graphic design in the 1980s and early 1990s, with the ultimate claim of “authorship” by designers (i.e., controlling content and thus form).

(Image from: https://theartstack.com/artist/david-carson/ray-gun-3)

Phase Three:

The third wave of design began in the mid-1990s and explores design’s performative dimension: its effects on users, its pragmatic and programmatic constraints, its rhetorical impact, and its ability to facilitate social interactions. Like many things that emerged in the 1990s, it was tightly linked to digital technologies, even inspired by its metaphors (e.g., social networking, open source collaboration, interactivity), but not limited only to the world of zeroes and ones.

(Image from: https://www.cooperhewitt.org/2017/02/11/tischsuper-but-not-kitschsuper-dieter-rams-rt-20-radio-for-braun/)

Our lecture also taught us about Relational Design, with an example of Rikrit who turned a gallery space inro more of a social space, by cooking for everyone that turned up. Before seeing his work I never would have questioned how odd it is that we show up to experience artwork but stand quietly, nodding, not talking! 

Part of the lecture I found interesting was the slide, “Relational Design: Shift from a Utopian to Microtopian Agenda” in particular the following paragraph:

 “Since the mid 1990s there has been a shift in attitude toward social change. Instead of a utopian agenda, today's artists / designers seek only to find provisional solutions for the here and now. In other words, instead of looking forward to a future utopia, we are attempting to create small-scale, DIY, ‘microtopias’ i.e.: "learning to inhabit the world in a better way”.

I found this somewhat relatable with my current project, as I’m working on social change within the sector of Autism, I quickly realised it’s too vast a spectrum to help every individual, as everyone is so different. After focusing my project on my brother, Matthew, I realised it’s just as important to improve small changes, as it can have a great impact on one persons life.