Conclusion & Dissertation Intro Lecture NotesThird year independent dissertation academic research requirement for degree with hons.
Research summary
Workshops: researching, academic writing & researching. Subject choice
Research visuals – mind mapping, flow charts. June – July Essay proposal form – emailed by 4th June. Make research plan – methods to suit your subject area. Literature search – Draw up a reading list of secondary research material. Initial reading – Effective ways of collating information – research blog, notes. August – September Reconsider scope – revisit initial proposal & refine if necessary Hone subject area – formulate key ideas & arguments. Active secondary research – begin to substantiate ideas that will form written work. Primary research – consider surveys, conduct interviews, contact organisations/ individuals etc. Identify/ deal with any potential problems. Refine scope – Restrict what you can/ will cover in 4,000 words.
0 Comments
Academic Presentation & Harvard Referencing Lecture Notes Correct formatting for references within the bibliography & citations within the body of work. Essay writing tips
When to reference:
Cite them right online - Home Citations In-Text reference or Citation Inserted into main body of the essay, signposts reader to the end-text reference (Surname only or organisation if no author, Date of publication, include page number for quotes from books) A citation may be immediately after a quotation/ reference. A citation may be integrated into a sentence where an author’s name is mentioned. Paraphrasing – still requires a citation Re-phrasing an author’s idea into your own words may demonstrate a deeper understanding of the content. Paraphrasing can sometimes assist in the flow of content Paraphrasing can diversify your sources to reduce the number of quotations used in your essay. Bibliography
Reference FormattingReference formats Books & e-books: <Surname>, <Initial> <(Date of publication)> <Title>. <Edition.> <Place of publication>: <Publisher.> Journal articles & Magazines <Surname,> <initial.> <(Date)> <‘Title’,> <Journal Name,> <volume (issue),> pp.<start page – end page.> Websites <Author> <(Date)> <Title> Available at: <Link/ full URL> <(Accessed: date).> Edited Books <editor surname> <editor initial> <’chapter title’> (ed.) <title> <published location:> <publisher name.> pp.<start page number> - <end page number> Images Image reference list in numerical order. Images embedded, labelled with creator, year & title. Sperate image list after bibliography. Direct reader to image using notation (Fig. <number>) or (Illust. <number>) Image caption/ citation Fig. <Number> <Name of creator First & Sur> <(Production Date)> <Title> <[Medium & Optional dimensions]> Image from a website <Surname,> <Initial.> <(date)> <Title> <[Medium]> Available at: <Link> Accessed on <(Access date)> Image from a book/ magazine <caption details> <book reference>/ <magazine reference> The Research Journey Lecture NotesAn overview of doing a primary research project
Primary research – engaging with different methods which can give deeper understanding of a subject Research – Finding relevant sources of knowledge about a subject. Establishing a context. Leaning new information to understand. Research seeks the answer to a question or a solution to a problem. Research is rooted in theory, and may develop new theory. Research contributes to the existing body of knowledge on a topic. Research process – not cleanly linear, interchangeable & mingling stages
Examining & deconstructing case studies of media artefacts Theory used as a framework to examine case studies – a filter to view artefacts through (Feminism, Semiotics, Narratology, Gender etc.) Social Science analysis Methods used in sociology, psychology, and cultural studies to understand humans, their behaviours, and their interactions. Quantitative vs. Qualitative research Quantitative
Learning by doing – gaining insight by going through processes Documenting process Critical self-reflection Theory used as framework for analysis Write Up Synthesise any primary research with your reading Develop answer to your research question – your thesis Plan and write the chapters of your dissertation The Critical Designer Lecture NotesResearch – The search for, and systematic advancement of, knowledge. Research is a key point within the design process. “Could you get an education for a second!” Grounded knowledge of creative material, methods, systems, software, techniques, & processes. Professional development – To extend/ renew skills, to reach the top of your field and stay there. Targeted research to address client briefs. Informed foundation for launching the design process. Primary Methods Methods carried out by you out in the studio, or out in the field: Practice – led research. Practice-led Research
Experimentation with materials & processes (William Burroughs and cut-ups) (Art Spiegelman early experimental comics) Sketchbooks & Blogs
(Leonardo Da Vinci observational & investigatory experimental sketchbook style) (Ivan Brunetti developmental & outcome focused, compositional & design orientated sketchbook) (Joshua W. Kotter Developmental process annotated to produce outcomes) Secondary Methods Reading & analysis of existing published sources;
“The organisation of human experience” Erving Goffman “The frame does for the human mind what a program does for a computer. It determines how we read a given text or situation” Jonathan Rose Examples of frameworks:
Targeted research – relevant WW2 themed books for authentic setting context, animal books for anthropomorphic character design. Working process – exploring media & materials, designing layout & format. Becoming a critical practitioner Designing an effective research method Remaking Theory, Rethinking Practice by Andrew Baluvelt – Key points
Written Extract Notes – The Education Of A Graphic Designer (2005), Remaking Theory, Rethinking Practice, Pages 102 - 108 By Andrew BlauveltOpening statement
Blauvelt discusses the divide between theory & practice within the specific sphere of graphic design, and then a more generalised view of the conflict between theory & practice in the wider world. Theory & practice are presented as divided aspects of work, thinking vs. doing. Beyond The Great Divide: Practice Versus Theory There is a resistance towards theory within the graphic design sphere. This resistance is simplified into two forms:
The perceived inaccessibility of theory is rebuked by the idea that theory is inherent within the practice of graphic design, or any practical work. Theory is not deliberately constructed & prescribed; it is constantly present & evolving within the work of graphic design. Graphic designers constantly affect, influence, change, and redefine the theory of their practice. Since the divide between those who practice graphic design, and those who craft theories of graphic design is so small, if not entirely non-existent, harmony between the theoretical & practical should be possible. To resolve the apparent dissonance between theory & practice one must accept an approach to theory that is descriptivist rather than prescriptivist. The Turn Toward Theory As this piece was published in 2005, Blauvelt discusses the impact of rapidly developing technology on the theory & practice of graphic design: with the increasing accessibility of personal computers, the professional sphere of graphic design becomes threatened by how accessible the practice has become, anyone with a computer & access to software can become a graphic designer. Additionally, for current graphic designers, new skill-sets must be developed to adapt to this new medium. With increased accessibility to the world of graphic design, amateurs can compete with professionals on a level playing field. As such, professionals seek out means to legitimacy, to distinguish themselves from amateurs: theory provides a way to gatekeep the practice of graphic design to authentic professionals. It’s all very elitist. Baluvelt discusses the inclusion of historical elements within the taught graphic design curriculum as a means to gently introduce a theoretical aspect without meeting great resistance. The study of history helps establish a context to the present, which is parallel to Theory & Practice. Rethinking Practice The inherent presence of theory within the practice of graphic design may be addressed to varying degrees by the practitioner, to challenge them on a meta level or to simply acknowledge them within the work. Research within a graphic design context is an essential part of the process, especially in terms of a specific problem to solve. Theory is similar to research in that it may apply specifically or generally & can be abstract. Yet, to be useful, research & theory must produce satisfying answers that may be applied on a specific level. This is contrary to Modernist design theory which presents universal truths devoid of context which would be incredibly difficult to apply to any one specific scenario. Teaching Theory In Graphic Design Practice This section discusses defining what the role of theory within the context of the graphic design curriculum is. “graphic design does not begin nor end in the objects it makes.” A cyclical model of the graphic design process, from conception to consumption, is proposed. Three key areas of discussion within graphic design are identified:
Post Modernism & Post Internet Lecture NotesPost Modernism – “A cultural blender” Historical & contemporary influences affecting how we operate. Challenging to define exactly. “Postmodernism remains a difficult, slippery and for some, infuriating topic … it is now so well established as a way of thinking about our time and our “condition” that it simply cannot be ignored” – Rick Poyner, No More Rules Postmodernism
Scientific & academic progress affects cultural development – new ideas & ways of thinking to approach the world. Modernism as meta narrative: A story of the arts in the 20th century (as told by key cultural figures) – which has a clear sense of hierarchy and order. Postmodernism “The Modernist laboratory is now vacant. It has become a period room in a museum, a historical space that we enter, look at, but can no longer be part of” – Robert Hughes, The Shock Of The New (1980) After Modernism context
Post-truth culture
“Reason (modernism) has been shaped by a dishonest pursuit of certainty” – Jean-Francois Lyotard, The Post-Modern Condition
Post-modernist example: David Carson’s RayGun 1990s magazine Hyper Modernism “In an amazing acceleration… postmodernism is not modernism at its end but in its nascent state, and this state is constant.” – Jean-Francois Lyotard, The Post-Modern condition (1979)
High Vs. Low Culture
Mutations of public space Urban or fantasy architectural spaces – sampling of different period styles, reflecting:
Theme parks The hyper-real... the boundaries between the real and the simulated implode” – Jean Baudrillard The unstable image
The hyper-real – Proliferation of image signs that we can only read their representation & not their meaning. We can no longer trust image as true representations of reality or trhe context in which they were created. The degradation of the image. The Hyper-real
Order of the simulacra The representational image sign goes through 4 key stages
Parody: Original text [author & referent] – Parody [loaded simulation]. Pastiche: Images presented without reality or meaning [Blank simulation]. Intertextuality & Double coding Hybridity & Irony The Society of the spectacle
Last-Thursdayism Post-modernism conclusion
Post-Modernism Glossary Of Key Terms
Written Extract Notes – What Are You Looking At, (Chapter 19: "Postmodernism: False Identity 1970-89") By Will Gompertz“The great thing about postmodernism is that it can be pretty much anything you want it to be. But then, the really annoying thing about Postmodernism is that it can be pretty much anything you want it to be. Which is the freewheeling paradox at the heart of this movement…” Postmodernism is defined as a movement after modernism; Post – After. So, Postmodernism is a movement intrinsically linked with what came before. Postmodernism is a critical reaction to what came before. French philosopher Jean-François described postmodernism as “incredulity towards grand-narratives” which counters the modernist idea that humanity has a single, shared, global destiny & therefore humanity should address themselves on a global scale rather than divided cultures. This description elucidates the globalist vs. localist dichotomy separating postmodernist & modernist perspective. The opposition to grand narratives, viewing past instances of them as failures (Communism & Capitalism being the chosen examples), influences the postmodernist tendency to curate & appropriate the successes of history within its designs. An example of this idea is the AT&T building in New York City, which accents contemporary design conventions with design characteristics from historical art movements. An Art Deco style top & a renascence inspired front entrance. A trope-example that shows this concept is museum architecture, featuring roman columns alongside contemporary design features.
Postmodernism is self-aware & its designs may feature irony & derisiveness towards itself & other art & design movements.
Since postmodernism derives itself from historical influences & rejects one singular truth or narrative, any and all influences are valid, therefore any and all pieces of postmodern art & design have merit &, consequently, may have an infinite number of interpretations & associated commentaries. Perception is reality, and everyone’s perception is different. As postmodernism is reactionary to what came before, it has an excellent position to observe tropes of previous movements, and can therefore reproduce those elements with commentary. The deeper meanings & context behind some postmodern works will be utterly lost on viewers who do no possess an awareness of historical works that may be referenced/ parodied within. Therefore, postmodern works benefit from an informed audience. Having the knowledge to understand a postmodern work’s influence enhances the viewer’s experience, but a total lack of knowledge does not entirely undermine the effect of postmodern works. Postmodernism often takes a cynical view on the world, counter to modernism’s hopeful optimism. Postmodernism views the failures of history and projects the trend onto the future. Postmodernism, overall, seems to be a justified, if whiny, negative view of the world. Postmodernism uses irony & parody to mock & reject ideals, beliefs, & conviction. Which is a perfectly valid position to hold, but does nothing to actively improve or change the world directly. Postmodernism celebrates the successes of the past, and appropriates those successes back into the contemporary paradigm. These successes emphasise that there are solutions, perhaps not one universal solution to everything, for problems within the world, and that we can change for the better as past examples show. This illustrates the accuracy of this excerpt’s opening statement… “The great thing about postmodernism is that it can be pretty much anything you want it to be. But then, the really annoying thing about Postmodernism is that it can be pretty much anything you want it to be. Which is the freewheeling paradox at the heart of this movement…” Global Culture & Ethical Design Lecture Notes
The role of creatives within a globalised culture
Global culture is a space or field made possible through improved communication networks in which different cultures may interact. Key themes:
The whole earth as a physical environment where all citizens, consumers, and producers
Cultural Hybridity: Different communities experience & appropriate cultural trends from other communities within the global network. Example - mixing & cross-pollination of musical subcultures. American cultural imperialism in the 1980s & 1990s – the spread of American culture infecting the global stage. Stop American Cultural Imperialism - Jonathan Barnbrook Traditional community
Trade Without Borders
Brexit (It’s been like 5 years) – UK’s changing approach to USA – Trump’s nationalist/ isolationist agenda. The role of global corporations. What is a global corporation? The difference between a corporation & a brand? A brand is an ideal and a corporation is the vehicle which delivers it. Klein on corporations Growth can be traced back to the 1980s – trade liberalisation, union reforms, & global economics – subcontracting production to cut costs. Marked the movement from production to branding – corporations do not make the product anymore; they just produce its image. Corporations are:
Brand as a cultural sponge The race towards weightlessness “after establishing the soul of their corporations, the superbrand companies have gone to rid themselves of their cumbersome bodies” – Naomi Klein No Logo
Graphic Agitation & Ethical Design
The anti-corporate movement
Altering corporation billboards to transform & affect their message. Subtle changes to advertisement posters that fit with the design aesthetic, but are counter to the intended message. Adbusters – Canadian based network of artists, activists, writers, pranksters, students, educators, & entrepreneurs who want to advance the new social activist movement of the information age est. 1989. Design critical of capitalism as the dominant ideology in the world. Anonymous – International network of activism/ internet gathering – opposed to the consolidation of corporate and government power. Extinction Rebellion – current environmental activism. FIRST THINGS FIRST 2000 Manifesto
My Personal Ethical Manifesto
The main points of my professional Artist conduct manifesto, in no particular order:
Gender & Identity Lecture Notes
Defining Gender
Spectrum of identity, society defines gender roles & performative behaviour. Sex & Gender Sex
Non-binary or genderqueer is a spectrum of identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine – identities that are outside the gender binary. Transgender – gender identity does not correspond with a person’s assigned sex at birth. Key debates on gender
“GOOD GIRL” Typeface designed as a self-initiated response to the lack of female representation in the field of type design (Marion Bisserier)
Are gender appropriate behaviours learned/ performed at an early age? Do they merely reinforce natural tendencies, or are they prescriptive doctrine?
Gender as performance
Evering Goffman: Gender Advertisements – analysis of ads in the late 1960s & early 1970s
Break Notes - The Tiger Who Came To Tea (1968)
Analysing Style Magazines
Are performative gender roles featured in popular media descriptive or prescriptive in nature?
“Style magazines can be seen as commercial sites of intensified femininity and masculinity.” – In The Culture Society: Art, Fashion, and Popular Music (Angela McRobbie 1999) Key points to address:
GQ vs. Cosmopolitan Magazine Covers
Cover design is an important factor in slaves – seen in context with other magazines
Magazine covers address anybody, they also claim to address individuals with specific needs Content – emphasis on lifestyle, consumption, relationships, & body image. Use of a model on both – signification of body language, the feminine touch. Celebrity culture – celebrities as role models, associated status. Commodification of gender – link between consumerism and gender identity is presented as the norm. Direct Address – image & text addresses the reader directly. Subjective terms – you/ your/ our has two meanings: recognise yourself, and recognise yourself as part of a group. Men’s magazines: regressive argument
They respond to changing gender roles. Reflect changing attitudes towards sexual relations, relationships, consumerism, & work/ leisure patterns. Diminishing male power structures. Review Of Laura Mulvey's Visual Pleasure & Narrative Cinema (1973)I. Introduction
II. Pleasure In Looking/ Fascination With The Human Form
III. Woman As Image, Man As Bearer Of The Look
The dissonance caused by using Freudian psychology, which paradoxically flips between Nature & Nurture as the primary driving force on psychological development, as the primary lens in which to view this subject matter detracts from any coherent point being made.
I believe this article's message to be that cinema is both a vehicle for patriarchal ideologies to be disseminated throughout society, and a medium that exploits an already established patriarchal code. Subcultures & Style Lecture Notes
Exploring & defining subculture & style
Subculture:
Case Study 1: The Beats (1950’s America)
Frame of Reference:
Square values:
Case Study 2: Punk (1970s Britain)
Punk n. 1. Inferior, rotten or worthless person or thing. 2. Short for punk rock. 3. A young male homosexual. 4. A prostitute – adj. (Collins English Dictionary)
“No subculture has sought with more grim determination than the punks to detach itself from the taken-for-granted landscape of normalised forms” Hebdige: subculture & the meaning of style 1979 Key frame of reference points:
Punk Vs. Mainstream values:
Provocative – use of pornographic imagery/ fetish fashion Subcultural Rituals
Punk: The cycle of a subculture - There is a point where a subculture is at its most potent – after which it begins to be co-opted or absorbed into the mainstream. Features/ signs of absorption:
The Cycle Of A Subculture: Absorption Into The Mainstream
There is a point where a subculture is at its most potent – after which it begins to be co-opted or absorbed into the mainstream.
Features/ signs of absorption:
Defining Subculture
A Subculture is a sociological phenomenon that stems from a disenfranchised group's need/ desire to rebel against their perception of mainstream societal values, thus forming their own micro-society in which they can feel authentically invested in.
Subcultures adopt their own values & aesthetic codes which confront their contemporary mainstream culture. A unique & distinct cultural uniform separates members of a subculture from that which they oppose. The perceived otherness of a subculture's uniform helps separate them from the mainstream, until eventually the mainstream adopts & appropriates said uniform, and it becomes a historical costume. Cultural Capital Case Study: Vaporwave
As subcultures develop, they form their own unique cultural branding.
Cultural capital may take several forms which may or may not be present in a given subculture.
Vapourwave is primarily a music genre which developed its own subcultural following which has transformed into a vague nihilistic commentary on modern consumerism & capitalism through its visual aesthetic.
Vaporwave's visual aesthetic has surpassed its music as the primary cultural capital of the movement. Both the audio and visual elements of vaporwave are iconic & distinct, yet the visual elements are more striking.
The Graphic Code Of Comic Books Lecture Notes
The Graphic Code of Comics
Plurivectorial flow
Deconstructing a comic page into its constituent frames: Text box & balloon > Panel Frame > strip > hyperframe > page margin > single page Page – The whole page as one. Strip – Sequential style & aesthetics considered, the direction of the narrative is managed. Panel – Detailed examination of word & image and transition between panels Significant Panel coordinates – entry/ exit points and center Negative space –Drawn elements show only a portion of the story content. partial visuality: omitted, implied, content of the story that is not drawn within the frames. Negative space prompts the reader to imagine beyond. The gutter as a transition device:
 Comic Transition Types Write-UpMoment-To-Moment - Small jumps in time showing the same subject or setting progressing from one moment in time to another Action-To-Action - Single subject of focus transitioning from one action into another, generally small time-frame, but can be longer or an ambiguous duration of time between frames. Subject-To-Subject - Narrative thread remains the same; different subjects within the same scene shown in different panels. Scene-To-Scene - Different settings shown, great difference between time or location between each frame. Aspect-To-Aspect - Subjects within the same setting, reinforcing the setting by showing features between frames that share aspects of the setting, the same mood/ tone/ location/ concept/ aesthetic. Non-Sequitur - Frames with no discernible connection to each other. Comic Transition Types Case Study: By Chance Or Providence Double Page Spread From By Chance Or Providence  Annotated Comic Transition Types
Decoding Advertising Lecture NotesSignifier (Initial Stimulus) + Signified (Mind’s representation) = Denotative Sign, + connotative signifier Words & Images have different levels of reading:
“Ads ask us to participate in ideological ways of seeing ourselves and the world.” Ads are particular to time & place and reflect current political ideals/ social ideas/ cultural trends. Ads function within their context. Ads reinforce particular cultural myths which are often presented as “natural” but represent a cultural norm or dominant ideology. There’s a reinforcing agenda surrounding advertisements. Moral values – cultural norms and behaviour. Desirable traits are depicted as popular and normal within advertisements. Representation of gender, class, & ethnicity. Consumerism & Status – ideas that are reinforced as good for individuals. Constant competition for status amongst peers: buy status by consuming desirable products. Aspirational selling:
Advertising business
Magazine ads
Semiotic decoding: Separate image and text Linguistic message
Decoding Advertisements Task - Panzani
Image message A variety of fresh goods in a string bag, accompanied with the branded products spilling out of a string bag.
The text refers to Italy directly, and the pseudo-Italian brand name alludes to Italian origins. This message is reinforced by the Italian colour scheme. Primarily image-specific, elements of convergent anchorage, text compliments the primary image message. Frame of reference 1960’s French magazine, Sunday issue. Reinforces a perception of an Italian stereotype. Decoding Advertisements Task - Joy By Dior
Image meaning Youthful woman wearing a jewelled necklace backlit by sunlight submerged to her shoulders in water. Superimposed image of product in the bottom right of the image.
Convergent anchorage – the text connects the image content to the message Frame of reference The weekend guardian magazine, February 2019. Doubtless other magazines with a primarily female demographic. Decoding Advertisements Task - Burger King Linguistic Meaning
Non-Coded Reading:
Non-Coded Reading:
Printed Advertisement campaign launched in 2017. |
Author:Elliot Watson, Illustrator with a background in historical swordsmanship and all the weird and wonderful trappings that entails. Archives
November 2021
Categories |
RSS Feed