Dissertation Surverys

At today's lecture we were given a brief talk about our dissertations. Even though they don't have to be handed for another a year, the idea that I am going to have to start thinking about one is pretty scary!

So when I discovered 2 emails from students regarding help on their dissertations I decided to do what I could! Both emails had surveys attached, (I have to be honest most of the time I don't stop to fill these things in, but it won't be long until I need the same input from other students) so I took a look at the questionnaires.

One was regarding film credits, which I found really interesting. I had to watch 7 different title sequences then answer a serious of questions relating to how they made me feel, if I took in any information, whether or not they made me want to watch the film.

The second survey was in regards to online services and what they offer in relationship to physical stores. This is a subject which I have had to investigate for a current project so I had a little knowledge on the subject which made the questions easier to answer.

Answering these questionnaires also gave me the chance to see what kind of topics people are choosing to research for their dissertation, hopefully they will give me inspiration when I come to choose mine!

Design Studies

This year Design Studies have decided to mix things up by putting us all in different teams for our assignments. Last year we had seminar groups which consisted of people from the same discipline as yourself. This year, however, it is a team made up of 8 members all studying different areas of design; graphics, textiles, environmental, etc. I think this is a very good idea, having met with my group on a couple of occasions, it has been beneficial to get a wide range of opinions and learn a little more about each area of design.

As part of Assignment 1 we were required to meet up and decide, for each one of us, a topic from a list to investigate. When we met everyone had already decided which area they were interested in and thankfully there was no duplicates, therefore no fighting over who gets a certain topic! I decided to research crime and design as I find this topic very interesting, and after having several lectures on crime last year it was an area I wanted to look into further.

We decided to give ourselves a week to researching our chosen topics and to meet the following Thursday to discuss what we had found out and explain our mind maps to the group. I found this second meeting very interesting as we all took turns to explain what our topics were and also highlight any information which we had found specifically relevant.

During the last two weeks I have managed to source books and websites on my chosen topic. I am also going to use the university website to search for journal articles which could also help me write my wiki entry. My group meet again on Thursday, so by then I hope to be able to discuss the history of crime and design and how it relates to the design process and designers.

One Week Down

So week one has been and gone already, which means that I only have two weeks left to work on my first design brief . Our first assignment requires us to 'reinvigorate the High Street by choosing a product or service to brand.'

The class has been split into teams of three so that we all get to experience what it would be like to work on a live project. I think this is a really good idea as teamwork is a prominent feature of the design industry. I have been put in a team with Nick and Kyle, two people that I have never worked on a project with before, so it will be interesting to see how we interact with one and other.

Over the course of the week we have had several meetings and brain storming sessions where we have seen our initial ideas develop into a final solution. In response to the brief we have decided to create a innovative new eating experience on the high street - youdo.

We were all aware that the general public are becoming more concerned with healthy eating and active lifestyles. There are ongoing campaigns by the government and health organizations to eat healthy, exercise more, etc. However with today's busy lifestyle how easy is it to eat healthy on the go? And with all the tempting fast food available what would draw the public into a healthy eating restaurant?

Youdo wants the public to participate in a unique hands on experience, where they not only choose what food they want, they help prepare it!

During the next week we have to decide on a logo for the company as well as starting to develop the extended look and feel of our product and have an idea for the launch programs.

I sense a busy week ahead!

A Fresh Start

September has finally arrived and with it brings the start of Uni! I may regret saying it (lets be honest, I am pretty sure I will regret saying it) but I am so pleased to be back. Even though I have enjoyed being off for just over three months (who wouldn’t!) I am looking forward to getting started on my new projects and assignments.

This year I am in a new flat, with new flatmates, as well as working in a new studio so I thought I would take the opportunity to restyle my blog. At the moment I am keeping my current blog but want to look into CSS so that I can design the layout the way I want it (this may take a while as I have know idea how to do it!). However, for the moment I have tried to simplify the onscreen layout as well as opting for a new colour scheme, so that I can make a fresh start!

When Is A Skirt More Than A Skirt?

'Question: When is a skirt more than a skirt?

Answer: If it’s short enough - or sheer enough - or shiny enough – a skirt can also be a signal and incitement to rape, according to a significant minority of people in this country. In the context of sexual violence, aspects of women’s appearance are frequently cited as indications that they were “asking for it”.'

A few days ago a new advert was aired on Scottish television to help change certain people's attitudes towards rape. Figures from surveys show that some people believe that some woman can be to blame for being raped; whether this is for wearing a revealing outfit, being flirty or being too drunk. I think the majority of the public would agree that these opinions are ridiculous, and that's where this new advert comes in.

The advert opens with a guy chatting to a girl in a club, he checks out her outfit before turning to his friend and saying 'she's asking for it.' The ad then flips back to earlier that day when the girl in question is in a shop looking for a skirt. She asks the shop assistant have some advice on which one to choose; 'I'm going out tonight and want to get raped, I want a skirt that will encourage a guy to have sex with me against my will.' After the sales assistant suggests what skirt would be more 'suiting' the advert ends with the girl saying 'as if!'

I have to be honest the advert had quite an impact on me and I haven't really watched an advert before that is so direct and hard hitting. I really hope that it has the positive impact it is hoping to achieve as I think its remarkable that people can have such prejudice opinions towards rape victims.

I was unable to download the video but you can watch it at http://www.notever.co.uk/

'Play Me I'm Yours'

"It doesn't matter if you're a world-class virtuoso like Beethoven or a guy who took one year of lessons like Bloomberg, just sit down and let your fingers do the talking," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a statement about "Play Me, I'm Yours" art project, in which 60 pianos have been placed throughout NY city for people to play for free. "

I was watching the news yesterday when I saw this interesting piece on an art project taking place in New York. Pianos were dotted around the city including public parks, streets and plazas. Major locations included the Lincoln Centre, Brooklyn Bridge and Staten island Ferry Terminal. The idea being the project was to get the public engaging with one and other again.

"Every Saturday morning Luke Jerram would see the same people washing their underwear but no one would talk to one another.He realised there must be invisible communities right across cities where people share the same space but do not engage. So, he had the idea of putting pianos on the streets to act as a catalyst to get people communicating. Now, beyond the horns and the traffic of the streets of New York, his project seems to be working - the air is filled with the sound of music."

I think this is a very unusual approach to get people communicating, most people would think the best way to get people talking is through a club or meeting. However I love this fun, interactive approach which is more likely to get random members of the public talking to one and other. Even if people only take a few minutes out their day to play/ listen to music I can see how it could bring people closer. In such a busy city, where people are always on the move it would be interesting to find out how successful a project such as this is.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/play-me-i-m-yours-piano-project-in-new-york-33284?cp

A Year Gone By ...

Last night I went back to the college that I attended for 3 years, to see their end of year exhibition. It was odd to think that only a year ago it was me that was running around trying to get everything finished and presented on time. Therefore it was a nice change to be able to walk around the room, and take time to look at the work that had been produced over the course of the year. It was also really interesting to see the different outcomes created in response to briefs I had been given whilst at college. It made me think that it isn't really that long until it will be me running around like a headless chicken again! My degree show may be two years away, but how time flies. I was lucky enough to have been given the chance to see a sneak preview of the Graphics work, prior to the Degree Show opening. It was very inspiring to see the work that has been created, some of which was both conceptually brilliant but also beautiful to look at. What did you think of this years show?