Hotdog Books Feedback and Proposal

The feedback I got from  my hotdog books overall was positive. The people in my peer review gave some really useful feedback and helped me to make decisions about which books had potential. There were three favourites. 

The first one was the set by step guide to building identity. I had left quite a lot of the mock-up blank with just subheading but it raised the question of whether I should fill these saved with words explaining each category or whether I should leave some space for someone to actually fill it in. I think its a nice idea to have a book that people can fill in and interact with, especially with a theme like identity, it would make the experience more personal to the individual in my opinion. 

The second book they liked was the one with the photos of people and the fact files which you wouldn’t expect to match their exterior due to the way we instinctively stereotype people. Although I got good feedback on this idea, I don’t think this would make a very good publication. Although the concept is there, it would become very repetitive and probably uninteresting after people realised what the message was. 

The final book that got a really good response was the one full of things that society never questions. I raised my concerns about it causing offence to people but the general response from my group was that if I word it as a question, I am not putting across an opinion, merely asking the reader what they think. It would take a lot more research to come up with enough material to fill a book but I think it could be manageable. I could then focus of imagery to work alongside the question on the page. I have a concern that this book would be very broad in the topics it relates to and I think I might find myself finding out a little bit about a range of topics instead of researching heavily into one topic and fully understanding it. 

This was our mind map from the session task. 

'What?', 'why?' and 'how?' are the key to forming the proposal. 

Things to consider:Are the themes I am looking at too close/far from my essay question?

What type of book will I be producing and what is the purpose of it?

Who will my audience be and how will I target them?

With my project linking to a few topics that need to be handled sensitively, how will I ensure that my work does not offend people, will it need checking by a third party?

Will the book be predominantly image based or will the text make the most impact, supported by visuals? Which would work best to get my point across?

Draft Proposal

I intend to produce and 8-12 page publication based on the strange concepts in our world that society never seems to question. The book will highlight issues relating to race, religion and culture to make people think more about the world around them and ask themselves whether they choose to accept what they are taught or look deeper into world issues themselves. The book will stimulate thoughts and conversations getting people talking and forming their own opinions on topics, stemming from unbiased material. Identity was the prominent theme within my essay and I think this book, by making people form opinions, will help people think about their own identity and where they fit in within society. The book will combine written word and visuals to directly ask a question as well as highlighting things to consider during the process of answering it. The book needs to be impartial so it doesn't sway people's thoughts but I also want to get across the idea that as humans, we tend to shy away from tackling big issues head on and question the way the world works. 

Mindmap and Hotdog Books

I was unwell for the session last week so I have been catching up on the work for that. I spoke to Pete and he told me the task from the session and that I needed to make five hotdog books by the next session. I chopped up parts of my essay and used them as part of this mind map to help me identify themes and possible directions for a publication.

From this, I thought of five concepts for my hotdog books....

1. Cultural appropriation. A fashion book/magazine that openly sells clothing labelled as cultural appropriation. 
2. Building your identity (post-modern theory). A step by step guide. 
3. Breaking down nationality stereotypes. Using photography and fact files to build up characters of people that don’t match initial perceptions. 
4. Things society never questions. Highlighting the bigger questions that nobody really asks, including where did the concept of race come from.  
5. ‘All experience is local, all identity is experience.’ A reportage project following the life of someone through imagery and how their experiences has shaped them as an individual. 

After making these books I have gone off the idea of the fashion magazine. I think it is cliché and the issue has been tackled many times before in similar ways. I want to push myles with the project and I think going down this route would lead to a very ’safe’ outcome. Saying that, I think the book based on the things society never questions might touch a few nerves with some people, I will need to see what feedback I get on these ideas as I am struggling to know whether it is appropriate or not. I think the reportage book idea based on Taiye Selasi’s quote ‘All experience is local, all identity is experience’ might be too vague. I have used photos from my own life to make this mock up so I think it might be too personal if it was to be distributed as a publication. 

Draft Submission of Essay

I think my essay does need more work and I think I need to find a few more quotes to support some of the points I have made. I think that the structure of it so far is strong since I changed it from my original plan, it reads more like an ongoing argument now rather than just all the points 'for' followed by all the points 'against'. It might also be helpful to find some other images to reference. I have found it hard to find images which link directly to the arguments of my essay but I have since thought about using photographs, maybe from advertising campaigns to give example of cultural appropriation and identity. 

Essay Development

As I have been writing my essay, I have realised that what I am writing isn't really answering my initial idea for a question. It has evolved into something a bit different.

I changed the title to 'Is the blending of cultures leading to the concept of nationality becoming extinct?' I think this title could do with rewording, I don't know whether 'extinct' is being used correctly but I will see what feedback I get on my draft. 

I have broken this down into a clear structured argument including points for and against, based on my research so far so I am now using this as my main guide.

Image Analysis

Fig. 1. Fingerprint Man (1951)

Figure 1. Steinberg, S. (1951) Fingerprint Man. [Illustration] At: http://insolacion.tumblr.com/post/60371112524/fingerprint-man-1951-by-saul-steinberg (Accessed on 30.01.16)

This image by Saul Sternberg depicts a portrait of a man constructed from fingerprints which suggests that a person's biological makeup is the primary contributor to their overall identity. Apart from the suit and tie that the figure seems to be wearing, there is very little suggestion of any external factors which may have had an influence on this individual. Thinking about how this image relates to my essay, it suggests that it supports the idea of essentialism though the concept of the genetics of this person being shown as external qualities. The only other potential concept I can draw from this is that the opposite has occurred and through the suit being shown as fingerprints, this person had adopted the way they choose to present themselves apart of their internal identity. I think this option is less likely because I don't understand why the face would also be shown with a  fingerprint. However, it does show to potential, opposing concepts to the image. 

Triangulation and Referencing

Triangulation

The degrading use of creative talent through advertising is a topic explored by numerous writers. Garland (1964), Adbusters (2000) and Kalman (1998) have all made comments on this topic. In “First Things First’, Garland proposes that ‘there are other things more worth spending our skill and experience on’ when speaking about advertising. Kalman takes a similar view in ‘Fuck Committees’ when he speaks of the ‘thought-free, passion-free, cultural mush’ which is created by corporate committees. In ‘First Things First 2000’ by Adjusters, it is stated that 'there are pursuits more worthy of our problem solving skills’ which reiterates the message that creative talent could be put to a much more helpful, principled and beneficial use. These articles all take the approach that design should be put to good use and the talents of designers should be respected. By using them for advertising purposes, encouraging people to buy into the corporations churning out worthless products, their discipline and practice is being undermined by the high profit, low moral standard.

Analysis

Kalman speaks of ‘faceless corporate committees, which claim to understand the needs of the mass audience’ (1998). Describing them as faceless suggests a lack of emotion feeling and personal connection. It implies that they have no interaction with the real world and therefore don’t understand the needs of the public, even though they claim to do so. Using the term ‘mass audience’ suggests that the committees are purely business minded and void of any interpersonal connection, this in turn implies that their sole drive is monetary. 

Evaluation

In ‘First Things First’, Garland (1964) writes about how designers are being raised in a world where advertising is seen as a rewarding way of utilising creative talent. Garland is very critical of the corporations who feed this mentality and labels designers as the victims in the situation as they have been ‘bombarded with publications devoted to this belief.’ What Garland fails to recognise is the responsibility the designers have for their own practice, their morals and priorities. Instead of ‘proposing a reversal of priorities’ (1964) in society and amongst salesmen, Adbusters (2000) brings forward the idea of designers taking responsibility for tackling the issue themselves. 

Summary / Paraphrase

Adbuster’s manifesto (2000) explores the issue of advertising being presented to designers as ‘the most lucrative, effective and desirable use’ off talent. Instead of solely blaming corporations for this, the manifesto goes on to place the blame on the market and the designers themselves as well. It is promoting a change of attitude amongst designers, asking them to consider the ‘unprecedented environmental, social and cultural crises’ that need their ‘expertise and help’. It places the issue at the feet of the designers themselves and proposes that they take control of their own practice in order to change the way things are done on a larger scale. 

Bibliography

Adbusters (2000) 'First Things First 2000' [Online]. Available at: www.manifestoproject.it/adbusters/

Garland, K (1964) 'First Things First' [Online]. Available at: www.manifestoproject.it/ken-garland/

Kalman, T (1998) 'Fuck Committees' [Online]. Available at: www.manifestoproject,it/fuck-committees

Lecture Notes - Outside Collett Dickinson Pearce

These were the only notes I took from today's lecture. I can't say I found it helpful but I understood the concept of explaining the research process and how research can affect the pathway of a chosen project.