Research Methodologies

Vincent Merbecks 280341, MA Visual Communication 2017/2018 Research Blog

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4/12/2017 Tristan Manco

As part of my MA tutorial session, today I attended a very interesting talk by Tristan Manco, a freelance graphic designer, arts author and educator. As an art director for clients including Real World, Universal, Habitat and Wahaca, his work requires him to find and commission international artists, designers and illustrators for commercial purposes. Throughout his career he reviewed thousands of portfolios from various disciplines, which inspired him to compile these impressions into a book on the idea of “thinking and making”. “Street Sketchbook Journeys” provides an insight into the complex thinking processes of multi-media practitioners and shows how they gathered ideas, visualised concepts and experimented with different techniques. Manco proposes that art, design and illustration start as an intuitive process of bringing together ideas. At this, with the notion of ”Research through doing and making”, sketchbooks are all about exploration and as such should be used as a creative tool with no limitations or fear of failure. A lot of my thinking is happening in my brain, but often I feel that mapping out ideas, making drawings (even though they might not be the best) and collecting visuals gives my research both theory and practice more structure. I like to keep sketchbooks and notebooks organised so that I can retrace and if necessary reconsider steps and research outcomes. As a way to allow me to experiment with ideas more freely, I found it very fascinating to see the huge variety of approaches brought together in Tristan Manco’s book; from initial drawings to more sophisticated concepts and how they have informed final outcomes.

Sources: Manco, T. (2010). Street sketchbook journeys. London: Thames & Hudson.

Pictures: Plymouth College of Art, Illustration lecturer Tristan Manco, https://www.plymouthart.ac.uk/images/uploads/posts/18924721113_d578ab0447_k_1.jpg

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26/11/2017 The Research Methodology module is slowly coming to an end, so in preparation for the personal tutorial tomorrow I decided to reflect back on my research interests, aims and objectives and the strategies I used to achieve these outcomes. The mindmap above is in no means a finite methodology as there are still things I want to research and engage with in the remaining time, but it gives a good overview of the main structure of my research practice. I divided the page into two main areas ”Research“, the key concepts I am interested in, and “Methodologies“, what tactical steps I took to gather knowledge, form an opinion and develop concepts for final design solutions. I feel this short task has helped me to outline where I am at the moment and what missing pieces might be required for a full reflection of my research depth over the last couple of months.

My research methodology has been greatly influenced by the idea of “Research about, into and through graphic design”.

Research:

The Role of The Designer: I am interested in the role of the designer as an author and problem solver and the ethical and social responsibility he or she has back to the audience. I looked at the different aims of graphic design in a social, cultural, political and commercial context to inform, persuade, entertain and ultimately improve the quality of people’s lives.

The Role of The Audience: Closely linked to the function of the designer, I am particularly interested in the audience and the active and passive, direct and indirect roles they take in the design process. Design is about dialogue, hence my focus is on how interaction and participation can lead to more meaningful user-centred solutions that fully take the demographic and psychographic factors (needs, dreams, hopes, fears) into account. Another relevant issue that I have been researching is the concept of semiotics - how individuals read and decode visual language based on their personal knowledge, experience, cultural beliefs, preferences and interests. I want to continue to explore the relationship of denotation and connotation, how impressions and interpretations overlap and differ, and more importantly how visual communication can be given more direction and focus.

Methodology:

Theory: Graphic design relies heavily on its visual language, yet I believe there also has to be a more theoretical side to creativity to make outcomes not only visually appealing but contextually relevant. My research stretches across different media including books, magazines, online articles, essays, interviews, TED Talks, documentaries and exhibitions. With English as my second language, reflective and critical writing helps me to fully understand the research outcomes and analyse their relevance. With a great passion for knowledge, I always ask many questions What, Where, When, Why, Who and How? as I feel it gives definition to the design problem and relevance to its solution. What is more, as mentioned earlier, I believe that a direct interaction and dialogue with the audience can lead to more meaningful outcomes. At this I like interviewing individuals and conducting questionnaires as it gives me a personal insight rather than relying on facts and statistics. The theory part of my practice also consists of a constant reflection of how my research findings could inform my next practical steps.

Practice: “Research through Graphic Design” requires a more practice-led approach through “Making”. This includes the development and experimentation of ideas, techniques, materials and media. I always try to approach every project in a unique way to fully reflect the complex structures of the design problem. The good thing about Bath School of Art and Design is the great amount of workshops which allow me to fully explore creative potential.  My passion for graphic design follows me through my daily life - Inspiration is everywhere so I use sketchbooks, photography, online blogs and my Instagram account as a visual diary to collect and write down influences and ideas. As a very structured person, I also like to stay organised by drawing out mind maps and making lists.

In many ways, I wasn’t able to fully represent the different layers within my research methodology. Every design problem has unique structures and requirements for a solution, so there is no one fits all approach to my practice. Yet, I feel it was beneficial to illustrate my thinking process and I will continue to develop this mind map and use it as the foundation for my essay due in January. 

Mindmap by Merbecks, V. (2017)

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25/11/2017 Research through graphic design I feel this has been a very creative week, with a real strive for experimentation and the development of ideas. It reminded me back to a key issue raised in ”Visual Research” by Ian Noble and Russell Bestley, which I reflected on in a blog entry at the end of October. The authors discussed the application of research through practical and theoretical means by stating three main components of good visual research: “about graphic design, into graphic design and through graphic design”. In the first session of the Research Methodology class we were asked to indicate whether we are very adaptive or rather on the creative side of the art and design spectrum. I remember I placed myself in the middle, closer to the adaptive, structured side. With my focus on problem solving, research takes up such a large amount of my practice so that creativity is often limited by these boundaries. I believe that graphic design is not about self expression, but instead all ideas have to link together and communicate a message in the clearest and most comprehensive way. When I approach a project, I normally spend several days trying to find out everything about the design problem and its audience. Before I then start to translate these findings into an outcome, I also research and test appropriate visual language and gain inspiration from other design solutions with a similar approach. Finally, I bring all these ideas together, map out initial concepts and research materials, techniques and technology that can help me achieve the outcome. This research takes up the two categories ”about graphic design and into graphic design” and demonstrates my usual working approach. But often I feel that this systematic search restricts my creativity, and after all I am and I want to be creative and produce refreshing and original pieces of visual communication. “Making and doing” does play a part in my practice, however, research has priority as I believe that establishing a relevant context will strengthen the overall communication. Last month, I started a self directed project inspired by Paul Minott, which was all about not having a previously established concept but being driven by inner compulsion, express emotions and act instinctively and free. In a way ”making and doing” later led to a design outcome where I linked these digital drawings with the notion of writing and making doodles and created the branding for Wunderwerk notebooks. Although I was hesitant first, I actually really enjoyed the creative freedom and not being bound to research from books, essays, interviews, etc.  “Research through graphic design” is all about experimenting with ideas, materials and techniques. It doesn’t always have to lead to something, in fact failure is a substantial part of the process. Being experimental and in a way “fearless” takes a bit of confidence, that’s why I maybe sometimes hide behind my research. This week, I had finally constructed a foundation for my studio practice and finished reading about the concept of perception through our eyes and brain and synesthesia. As I want to create some kind of 3D object or game to teach people about synesthetic experiences, I decided to attend an induction at the wood workshop and plastics department to explore what possibilities there are. I found it really fascinating to see the different machines and play around with the materials, ask questions about what you can and can’t do with them and see student examples. The technicians at Bath School of Art and Design are all highly qualified and experienced in their fields so they gave me some really valuable advice on how to best make the game. While doing the induction, my brain instantly started to think how I can use these techniques not just for now but for future reference, so this really has been research “through making”. Now, that I have passed the health and safety test, I am free to use the workshops whenever and definitely plan to do so in the near future. Sources: Noble, I. and Bestley, R. (2011). Visual research, 2nd Edition. London: Bloomsbury.

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23/11/2017 Typography Gin

In response to the last questionnaire about letters, I then wanted to produce a product for the magazine that allows people to actually experience this taste sensation. I designed the packaging and brand identity for a fictional gin distillery based in London that produces a TYPOGRAPHY GIN. It is made with 40 carefully sourced botanicals and comes in 26 different flavours (one for each letter in the Latin alphabet). The product range has been greatly inspired by the concept of lexical-gustatory synesthesia, where individuals experience a sensation in taste in response to seeing colours, objects and text. Flavours have been taken from the questionnaire, i.e G = Strawberries, I = Elderflower, N = Rosemary. Photographs by Merbecks, V. (2017)

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23/11/2017 Questionnaire 2.2, Typography and Taste

In the second part of the questionnaire I moved away from colours and instead asked people to indicate: if letters had an distinctive taste what they would taste like? Again, options were divided into sweet, salty, sour and bitter and a blank space allowed them to define the taste more specifically. Here, responses were a lot more diverse, although again people tended to link letters with the first letter of food items, i.e A for apple, B for banana, etc. It was interesting how others saw deeper meaning behind the shapes, for example the letter B looks a bit like a pretzel and the letter I reminded people of a carrot.

I really like how these questionnaires always result in a discussion among people, where they share, compare and justify their answers. It’s fascinating to hear about the different reasoning behind their interpretations. For this project, I want to combine this kind of logical perception with the unconscious perception of synesthetes. Photographs by Merbecks, V. (2017)

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22/11/2017 Questionnaire 2.1, Colour and Taste This questionnaire came in two ways, in the first part I wanted to expand on the ”triangle, circle and square” experiment from last week and ask whether there is in fact something more behind the way people linked shapes and colours together. I wanted to learn more about colour theory and how it could be translated into a multi-sensory experience, so I asked the audience to match 12 colours (yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, dark blue, light blue, light green, dark green, grey, black and white) with the four main taste sensations sweet, salty, sour and bitter. I also wanted them to define in more detail what the colours would taste like. I was hoping for spontaneous and instinct driven answers rather than having them think too much about what a suitable response would be like. Individuals often linked colours with the actual colour of food items, i.e red tastes like strawberries, light green like kiwi and black like burned toast.  Photographs by Merbecks, V. (2017)

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21/11/2017 Synesthesia Magazine - This Candle Smells Like

Inspired by the questionnaire on colours and shapes, I wanted to expand this concept further and give it a more commercial context. I am very interested in the multi-sensory perception of synesthetes and how they experience the world around them. My plan is to create a magazine which gives the synesthesia community a voice and a place where they can share stories and discuss experiences. One section will include a number of products which have been influenced by the different types of synesthesia and interpret it in a unique way. For the first product, I was searching for a way I could translate the triangle, circle and square experiment into another dimension. Interestingly Grapheme-Form synethetes can smell shapes, which then resulted in the packaging and brand identity for ”This Candle Smells Like”, a fictional online Candle shop based in Paris. So far the product range consists of 30 hand poured scented candles that are an aromatic twist on the synesthetic sensation of colours and shapes. There is a slightly logical component to the design, i.e the packaging label for “Bananas and Cream” looks like a yellow banana or ”Honey Roasted Almonds” has almond flakes. The shapes were taken from the questionnaire and the scents were based on people’s responses. I will continue to experiment with different outcomes over the upcoming weeks and conduct more questionnaires on different senses. Photographs by Merbecks, V. (2017)

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19/11/2017 What is a designer: Things, Places, Messages After today’s Research Methodology class, I felt really motivated to do some additional reading in the library. I wanted to learn more about the role of research and “asking questions” in relation to my own practice. “What is a designer: Things, places, messages“ by Norman Potter (2002, originally published in 1969), is one of my favourite books and I already quoted some content when writing about graphic design as the art of problem solving right at the start of this module. It’s more like a reference book than to be read from start to end, although I really recommend reading it as it raises some interesting concepts about the possibilities and limitations of design. In a number of essays, Potter discusses central issues such as the difference between design and art, art school education, what is good design? as well as the responsibilities a designer has back to the audience and society at large.

In chapter 15, he introduced the importance of asking questions and finding informative answers to the factors what, where, when, why, who and how. When it comes to problem solving, most problems will be presented in ways that may be diffuse, ill-defined, or actually misleading, hence their nature has to be determined first (Potter, 2002: 133). In the diagnostic phase of the design process, the designer will observe, compare, relate, distinguish, question, discuss, research, measure, estimate, and record (Potter, 2002: 137). Asking questions will help them

to gain a sufficiently objective awareness of the parameters and contexts of the problem, taking full account of relevant facts, interests, possibilities and limitations (Potter, 2002: 133).

to focus and clarify their own response and to exclude irrelevant responses (Potter, 2002: 133). The designer show avoid to project their own interests, jump to quick conclusions or prejudice certain issues before further investigation.

to gain a better sense of the feel, weight, media context of the job and relate themselves productively to its potential. (Potter, 2002: 133)

to construct a satisfactory working brief (Potter, 2002: 133) on which successes can be measured.

Potter continues by stating 15 general considerations to be followed when asking questions. I have summarised them in the following list:

The extent of questions will vary, as each problem has unique structures and requirements for communication, however, they should not be based on the apparent scale or simplicity of the problem. I think what Potter means by this is that even a simple problem may have more complex structures underneath its surface. Questioning its causes, conflicts and impact may extend or alter the possibilities beyond our initial recognition (Potter, 2002: 134).

Problem solving requires a dialogue between the designer and client, or between the designer and the total situation, so ultimately the success of questioning very much depends on the designer’s own attitude and approach. Thoroughness will be beneficial as often the answer to one question is the genesis of the next. (Potter, 2002: 134)

There are a number of non-measurable factors which are crucial to the understanding of a problem. Most problems will involve a client, most will involve human relationships, and therefore an effort of identification with other people’s viewpoints is vital. (Potter, 2002: 134) Especially when it comes to user-centred design, listening to their needs, desires, fears and interests can build a good foundation for a final design solution.

When asking questions, the designer’s intention must be reflected both in the structure and tone. Potter states it would be a mistake to rely on formal means to establish informal truths, facts are best investigated formally, opinions or attitudes informally. (Potter, 2002: 135)

Facts and opinions will be inextricably mixed in the client’s experience of their proposed problem, hence the delicacy of the diagnostic technique. (Potter, 2002: 136) Often the client does not really know what needs to be done and relies on the designer for clarification.

Generally, asking questions is more about a diagnosis, not about instantly finding a cure. Questions seek answers and design solutions will arise later in the process. (Potter, 2002: 136)

And finally, questions and answers qualify and reinforce but do not substitute judgement and decision. (Potter, 2002: 136)

I found this reading really helpful as Potter gave the whole ”problem identification stage” a more structured methodology to follow. Asking strategic questions and finding informative answers plays a central role in my practice, hence I believe being guided by his principles may give more direction and focus and possibly even lead to more meaningful starting points. Problem solving requires the designer to be able to assess and diagnose a situation, so contextual and critical thinking will be required to draw logical conclusions and connect the different layers to the design problem.

Sources: Potter, N., 2002. What is a designer. London: Hyphen. Photograph by Merbecks, V. (2017)

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18/11/2017 Questionnaire Reflection Personally, I think the questionnaire has been really helpful is establishing a starting point for discussion where audience members shared their interpretation and the reasoning behind these impressions. There were in fact some similarities in the way people associated colours with geometric shapes, but I was unable to find an ultimate universal rule. Also the international group dynamic of the MA made the responses very diverse. In the group tutorial, while comparing our responses, one of my peers suggested I should look at synesthesia, a condition in which one sense (touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing) is simultaneously perceived as if by one or more additional senses. There are many different types of synesthesia; grapheme-form synesthetes link shapes with colours, while in other cases object-personification synesthetes associates them with personality traits. There is no logical reasoning behind what they see and all synesthetes experience a different interpretation. So opposing the theory of semiotics, I really liked the concept of compulsive, seemingly abnormal and unique perception so I decided to do some additional reading.

Synesthesia Synesthesia is a condition in which the stimulation of one sense (sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell) simultaneously produces an automatic and involuntary sensation in a different one. The word synesthesia comes from the Greek, syn (together) and aisthesis (perception), which literally translates to joined perception. Synesthesia can involve any of the five senses; for example individuals hear colour, feel sound and taste objects and shapes. While, in the past, synesthetes have been dismissed as having overactive imaginations and confusing memories for perceptions, there are now over 80 scientifically proven types of synesthesia.

1. The most common manifestation involves seeing monochromic letters, numbers and words in unique colours. This is referred to as graphene-colour synesthesia, whereas individuals seem to have very different perceptions. For some, the letter B might be pink, the word Laura purple and the number 7 green. Their experiences are not elicited by meaning, so that the number 2 might be orange but two (written in words) is blue. Even more perplexing, for coloured text, synesthetes typically report seeing both the real colour and the synesthetic colour. Generally, graphene-colour synesthetes have unusually good memory for things such as phone numbers, security codes, and terminology because numbers, letters and syllables take on such a unique array of colours.

2. Another common form of synesthesia is known as Chromesthesia. It is the association of sounds with colours and other visual experiences. At this, perception is rather generic, meaning that individuals may see colours or lines or shapes, but would not see something complex such as a room with people and furniture.

3. Auditory-tactile synesthesia describes the way in which sounds induce sensations in parts of the body without being touched.

4. Ordinal linguistic personification, describes where numbers, week day names, months and alphabetical letters are associated with personalities or genders. For example, the number 2 might be a young boy with a short temper, or the letter G might be a stressed mother with a kind face.

5. Lexical-gustatory synesthesia is another rare form of synesthesia where certain tastes are experienced when hearing words. It is estimated that only 0.2% of the population has this form of synesthesia.

6. Mirror-touch synesthesia describes when individuals feel the same sensation that another person feels. For instance, when such a synesthete observes someone being tapped on their shoulder, the synesthete involuntarily feels a tap on their own shoulder as well. People with this type of synesthesia have been shown to have higher empathy levels compared to the general population.

The causes of synesthesia remain largely unknown. Some scientists have suggested that everyone is born synesthetic but that typical development segregates the previously highly interconnected brain areas responsible for our sensory experiences. For grapheme-colour synesthesia, there were found anomalous cross wiring between normally divided digit and letter processing areas and colour processing areas in the visual cortex.

Often mistakenly associated with the experience from using psychedelics such as LSD or mescaline, and even, in some cases, marijuana, what makes synesthetic sensations different from drug-induced hallucination is that they are highly consistent. If the letter Z is perceived purple, tastes like strawberries or sounds like cow, then future experiences will be the same.

Research on synesthesia raises questions about how the brain combines information from different sensory modalities. Synesthetia provides cognitive neuroscientists with a unique opportunity to learn more about how the brain creates our perceptual reality. Estimates for the number of people with synesthesia range from 1 in 200 to 1 in 20,000. What is more, there are probably many people who have the condition but do not realise what it is. One very notable observation is that in the U.K., eight times as many women than men have been reported to be diagnosed with it. It seems to be a dominant trait linked to the female X-chromosome.

Sources: Palmeri, T, Blake, R. and Marois, R. in Scientific American. (2002). What is synesthesia?. [online] Available at: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-synesthesia/ [Accessed 17 Nov. 2017].”

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17/11/2017 Kandinsky, Colour and Shape, A psychological test

In 1923, while working as a lecturer in colour theory at the Bauhaus, Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky circulated a questionnaire, asking respondents to fill in a triangle, square, and circle with the primary colours, yellow, red and blue. He hoped to discover a universal correspondence, embodied in his proposed equation blue=circle, red=square and yellow=triangle. While Kandinsky achieved a remarkable consensus among students and colleagues at that time, I asked myself whether these findings are still relevant today. My new MA project focuses on the multi-sensory experience of viewing art and design. By not only questioning how our biological senses (seeing, touching, hearing, smelling, tasting) work but also analysing the psychological processes in the brain (based on knowledge, experience, cultural beliefs, personal interests), I want to explore how meaning is formed and can be given more direction and focus in the communication process. I am interested in both the differences and similarities when it comes to perception and experience. The lecturers about semiotics made me really curious how these impressions and interpretations might differ and I started to question the reasoning behind them. Over the next weeks, through a number of participatory experiments I want to discover how the audience reads visual language and what psychographic and demographic factors might influence their decision. To start with, this short questionnaire asked the audience to match each of the 10 colours with up to three symbols that they felt fit most appropriately. I am not quite sure where this project leads me, but I like how it links with the Research Methodology module as it shows my interest for user centred visual communication. While gathering information and responses, I asked for a rather spontaneous and instinctive decision without too much over-thinking to see their psychological state in the purest form. Even though responses were very diverse, it’s fascinating to see how there is in fact a small correlation between certain shapes and colour. We as viewers read emotions, personality and character from it, so we don’t just see the literal message but interpret the iconic meaning as well. What is more, I asked around in the MA Visual Communication course, which has a strong body of international students from all around the world, and again found it very interesting how unique interpretations, possible associations and reasoning are. Maika from Japan for example saw the Japanese Flag in the circle, while Mild from Thailand interpreted the triangle as a reversed red heart. This demonstrates how thinking and colour theory among global audiences differ - a very complex area that I want to explore further as part of my studies.

To prepare for this questionnaire, I did extensive reading using these sources:

Bauhaus100.de. (2017). Elementary Classes : Bauhaus100. [online] Available at: https://www.bauhaus100.de/en/past/teaching/classes/elementary-classes/index.html [Accessed 3 Nov. 2017].

Hockenbury, D. H. & Hockenbury, S. E. (2006). Psychology. New York: Worth Publishers.

Lupton, E. and Miller, J. A. in Tyler, A. in Bennett, A. and Heller, S. (2006). Design studies. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

Verywell. (2017). What Is Introspection and How Did Psychology Use It In Research?. [online] Available at: https://www.verywell.com/what-is-introspection-2795252 [Accessed 17 Nov. 2017]. Design/Illustration by Merbecks, V. (2017)

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17/11/2017 I am actually more than happy that my studio practice and the Research Methodology module support each other so well. I started this module with an interest in the different active and passive roles of the audience in the design process. First, I looked at user centred design solutions that are made to fit human purpose through the study of ergonomics and a psychological analysis of their needs and desires; then I became interested in participatory design where the audience is actively involved in the creation of content, expresses their opinion and engage in discussion; then finally I moved towards semiotics and detonated and connotated messages and how the audience relies on previous experience, cultural knowledge and intelligence to decode the intended messages. The theory of semiotics made me really interested in what we see and how see, so I engaged in different reading about perception through the eye and brain. At this I focused on the biological side of experiencing our environment through our five senses touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing, and the psychological factors in the mind that make us draw these conclusions. I am now researching the similarities and differences of people’s perception of visual language, that’s why I will use questionnaires to directly approach the audience and ask them to decode messages for me.

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16/11/2017 With the recent sexual assault allegations against several film producers, actors, etc. in Hollywood and Alyssa Milano’s viral #MeToo campaign, this morning I came across an article in the guardian about Mexican artist and feminist activist Mónica Mayer, who wants to give affected women an opportunity to speak about this rather emotional issue. Over her 30 year artistic career she has developed a special emphasis on the collaborative aspect that art as a public discussion allows. In an ongoing installation called El Tendedero/The Clothesline Project at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, she invites visitors to anonymously share stories about their own experiences of assault and harassment. Pink slips of paper ask questions like: “Have you ever experienced violence or harassment? What happened?”, “As a woman, where do you feel safe?”, “How do you recover your joy after going through an experience of violence?” and “What have you done or what could you do to stop violence against women?”(Sayej, 2017). In the Guardian interview, Mayer says “Visitors don’t have to write anything but their experience (…) As an art piece, it’s more symbolic, it’s not a sociological survey” (Sayej, 2017). The project initially began in 1978 in Mexico City, influenced by her personal experience in the city. Sexual assault is unfortunately still a very delicate issue in our society, so I liked how Mayer’s installation raises awareness that these things do happen and should not just be swept under the carpet. Affected people often feel alone, so even though this installation asks visitors to contribute in an anonymous way it makes it more acceptable to talk about and at the same time sends a signal to abusers that their behaviour won’t be tolerated in the future anymore.

Although my focus for this module has moved away slightly from public art installations, I still really like how visitors are encouraged to actively contribute to the art piece by sharing their experiences. The whole #MeToo campaigns has already been very effective through social media, but this gives it another opportunity to inspire dialogue between people and advocate change in our society for the future. The power of people’s stories through pen and paper is really fascinating.

Sources: Sayej, N. (2017) The Clothesline Project: an exhibit asking women to share stories of sexual abuse. [online] Available at https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/nov/16/the-clothesline-project-monica-mayer-sexual-abuse [Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].”

Pictures: The Clothesline Project. Kevin Allen, courtesy of the National Museum of Women in the Arts Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/nov/16/the-clothesline-project-monica-mayer-sexual-abuse#img-1

The Clothesline Project. Kevin Allen, courtesy of the National Museum of Women in the Arts Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/nov/16/the-clothesline-project-monica-mayer-sexual-abuse#img-2

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14/11/2017 Eye and Brain - The Psychology of Seeing My initial research interest for this module focused on the different roles of the audience in the design process as passive readers, active interpreters and dynamic participants. Over the last couple of weeks I have slightly shifted from user-centred design solutions to the theory of semiotics and denotation and connotation. Now I am interested in how we see and what see, both in a biological way through our eyes and in a psychological way through our brain. I want to gain a better understanding of how we perceive the world around us and rely on cultural knowledge, previous experience and intelligence to make sense of what we see. To get started on the phenomena of visual perception, I picked up a very interesting book from the library called ”Eye and Brain, The Psychology of Seeing” by Richard L. Gregory (2004, first published 1998) which introduces some relevant concepts about the relationship between vision and consciousness. Perception is the basis of all our experience and understanding, in science and art and everyday life (Gregory, 2004: pretext). Gregory analyses different psychological approaches to how we “see” and what we know or believe (Gregory, 2004: 2). We have the eye, a simple, yet sensitive optical instrument, on the one side, and the brain, a highly active engine of logical thinking, memory and understanding, on the other. What is striking is the huge amount of brain activity contributing to vision, giving immense added value to the images of the eyes (Gregory, 2004: 2). The brain, processes visual characteristics (brightness, contrast, shadows, texture and colours) and combines them into a meaningful whole. Cognitive psychology, emphasises the importance of general background knowledge and more-or-less logical thought processes (Gregory, 2004: 4). Scientists argue that we employ knowledge stored from the past, to see the present and predict the immediate future (Gregory, 2004: 2). One theory by German psychologist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894) describes perceptions as unconscious inferences from sensory data to make sense of visual impressions (Gregory, 2004: 2). As a very spontaneous and automatic process, we are unable to account for just how we arrived at our judgments. This active intelligence of perception might have it’s evolutionary roots in conceptual problem solving intelligence (Gregory, 2004: 5). Although I found that many of the concepts raised in this book were incredibly fascinating, I sometimes struggled to asses their scientific validity and relevance. Yet, it was interesting to learn about the relationship between the eye and brain, their sophisticated internal structures as well as closely connected intercommunication. The book also raises questions about “learning to see” as experienced by newborns or previously blind people, how cultural differences influence our perception, the attempt of technology to replace the eye, and lastly realities of art, as in perspective and optical illusions. I think I will definitely come back to this book as I feel it was a very useful reference tool to gain a better understanding of how we see and how these impressions and interpretations might arise. Sources: Gregory, R. (2004). Eye and brain. 5th ed. Oxford University Press. Photograph by Merbecks, V. (2017)

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13/11/2017 Roland Barthes - Image, Music, Text

Over the last couple of months, I became really interested in the theory of semiotics and people’s unique perception and interpretations. Semiotics describes a direct relationship between the designer/artist/author and the audience in encoding and decoding visual language. In my tutorial session, Andrew Southall suggested a number of reading materials to follow up on this idea of direct and indirect messages and meaning. Roland Barthes’ “Image-Music-Text”(1977) is a collection of essays on semiotic theory in photography, film and music.

In chapter two ”Rhetoric of the Image” Barthes uses a Panzani advertisement to demonstrate the richness of messages that visuals can contain. In advertising, the signification of the image is undoubtedly intentional (Barthes and Heath, 1977: 33), hence signifieds are used to form a message to be transmitted as clearly as possible for an optimum reading experience (Barthes and Heath, 1977: 33). As a system of signs, everything has been staged and conveys a deeper relevance within the overall context. As active readers, the audience then relies on their cultural knowledge to interpret signs and connotations to make sense of what they see.

Through a structural analysis of Panzani’s narrative, Barthes defines ”three messages” that the reader absorbs: linguistic (text), literal (non-coded image) and symbolic (coded image) (Barthes and Heath, 1977: 33).

The linguistic meaning (text). Barthes sees the written message as being twofold: denotational, as in the caption and the labels on the pasta and sauce, and connotational (Barthes and Heath, 1977: 33), where the word “Panzani” is not simply the name of the brand but also signifies a sense of  “Italianicity” (Barthes and Heath, 1977: 33).

The symbolistic message (or connotated image). The image shows some packets of pasta, a tin of sauce, a sachet of cheese, some tomatoes, onions, peppers, a mushroom, all emerging from a half open string bag in yellows and greens on a red background (Barthes and Heath, 1977: 33). The scene is presented as a return from the market, which itself implies two euphoric values: the freshness of the produces and the essentially domestic preparation for which they are destined (Barthes and Heath, 1977: 34.) A second sign is in the bringing together of the tomato, the pepper and the tricoloured hues (yellow, green and red) of the poster, which again signifies Italianicity (Barthes and Heath, 1977: 34). What is more, the collection of objects transmits the idea of a total culinary service, on the one hand as though Panazani prepared everything necessary for a carefully balanced dish and on the other as though the content of the tin were equivalent to the natural produce surrounding it (Barthes and Heath, 1977: 34-35). Lastly, the overall composition of the image is reminiscent of, and therefore signifies, the notion of a still life painting and tradition (Barthes and Heath, 1977: 35). In addition to the four signs, there is also another information pointer that tells the reader this is an advertisement from the place of the image in the magazine and its apparent emphasis of the label.

The literal meaning (or denoted image) If all these cultural indicators and signs are removed what we are left with is its iconic message without a code (Barthes and Heath, 1977: 35-36). After all the image represents a tomato, peppers, pasta sauce and so on.

“A picture is worth a thousand words” - Images are representations or signs of things, not just the things themselves but they can convey meaning systematically. I found it really interesting to see how the linguistic, symbolic and literal messages came together in the Panazni advertisement. Although I did struggle a little bit with Barthes’ use of language, I think it was helpful that he applied a visual reference to explain how the literal message supports its symbolic meaning. Advertising is about directing and staging messages, taking into account the cultural knowledge, intelligence, personality and preference of the audience and recognising them as active readers in the formation of meaning.

Sources: Barthes, R. and Heath, S. (1977). Image, music, text. London: Fontana.

Picture: Panzani Advertisement from Barthes’s Rhetoric of the Image, https://keithgreenough.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/panzani.jpg Photograph by Merbecks, V. (2017)

[researchmethodologies]

11/11/2017 Grayson Perry - The Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever! Over the past week I felt a bit uninspired by my work and needed some fresh input, hence I decided to travel to Bristol for the day and visit Grayson Perry’s ”The most popular art exhibition ever!” at the Arnolfini gallery. Even though, stylistically, his outcomes are far from what I produce as part of my practice, we are actually quite similar when it comes to user-centred visual communication. I have followed Perry’s artistic career and work for a while now and think he is not only a very charismatic and talented artist but also excellent at depicting what really matters to the audience. Being one of Britain’s most celebrated artists and 2003 Turner Prize winner, Perry is best known for his ability to combine delicately crafted objects such as ceramics, cast iron, bronze, printmaking, and tapestry, with scenes of contemporary life (Victoria Miro, 2017). The works displayed in the exhibition focus on issues that are universally human: identity, gender, social status, sexuality, religion and politics. Perry approaches these issues with an open mind and then tries to deal with them in a way that is accessible and yet not patronising to the audience. Personally, I think his work manages really well to start a public discussion about these rather private opinions and encourage and respect varied responses. One project I find particularly relevant in relation to my research interest in user generated content was called Matching Pair, a set of two vases demonstrating the divided opinions following the EU referendum in 2016. Perry invited the British public, through social media, to contribute ideas, images and phrases that were then used as a reference in the creation of the two vases, one for Remainers and one for the Brexiteers. The crowd-sourced project was accompanied by a Channel 4 documentary ”Grayson Perry: Divided Britain”, which followed Perry as he visited pro-Brexit and pro-Remain parts of the country and spoke to supporters of each side. The integration of social media also allowed him to reach a far bigger and diverse audience and gain a better understanding of who these voters are, what their dreams and hopes for the future are, what makes them proud to be British and what possible threats they see. The results show that despite all the prejudice, the two sides actually have so much more in common than they have which divides them by a Yes and No vote. The vases are identical in size and shape and it is not instantly clear if they are In or Out. They are mostly blue; have images of teapots, bacon and eggs, families by the seaside, walking the dog, and going down the pub (Kennedy, 2017) so nothing really that directly relates to this heated political debate but depicts them as normal people. The documentary showed the full production process from gathering initial ideas and opinion, to the creation of artwork and the final presentation where he would present it to voters from both sides to see if they can identify with the imagery. He is a really approachable person and I feel he has represented the different viewpoints in this rather emotional public discussion really well.

Sources: Arnolfini.org.uk. (2017). Grayson Perry: The Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever! — Arnolfini. [online] Available at: https://www.arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/the-most-popular-art-exhibition-ever-grayson-perry [Accessed 11 Nov. 2017].

Kennedy, M. (2017). Grayson Perry to unveil Brexit vases in Channel 4 show Divided Britain. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/may/30/grayson-perry-to-unveil-brexit-vases-channel-4-show-divided-britain [Accessed 11 Nov. 2017].

Victoria Miro. (2017). Grayson Perry: The Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever!. [online] Available at: https://www.victoria-miro.com/news/350 [Accessed 11 Nov. 2017].

Video: Arnolfini.org.uk. (2017). Grayson Perry: The Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever! — Arnolfini. [online] Available at: https://www.arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/the-most-popular-art-exhibition-ever-grayson-perry [Accessed 11 Nov. 2017].

Picture: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/may/30/grayson-perry-to-unveil-brexit-vases-channel-4-show-divided-britain#img-1, Channel 4/PA

[researchmethodologies]

Whiteley, N. (1993). Design for society. London: Reaktion Books Ltd.

Photograph by Merbecks, V. (2017)

[researchmethodologies]

9/11/2017 Can Graphic Design Save Your Life? - “First things first manifesto 1964”

The final part of the ”Can Graphic Design Save Your Life?” exhibition at the Wellcome Collection discussed the general role of graphic design in our contemporary society. Through critical literature, it reflected on it’s core nature as a problem solving practice and considered ways in which it can empower people and provoke an individual response. This section really made me think about what I want my work to stand for.

Originally published in 1964 by Ken Garland along with 22 other designers, photographers and students, the ”First things first manifesto” was a reaction to the affluent society of 1960s Britain. It was backed by over 400 other creative practitioners who all called for a return to a humanist aspect of design. It advocated a shift away from servicing consumerism seen in advertising, to designing for the public good: “We have reached a saturation point at which the high-pitched scream of consumer selling is no more than sheer noise, (…)  We think that there are other things more worth using our skill and experience on.” It's solution was to focus efforts of design on education and public service tasks that promoted the betterment of society. It presented the challenge to seek out meaningful, human-centred solutions and put people and ethics before profit and corporations. Signatories included Brian Grimbly, Ken Briggs and Gerry Cinamon and the manifesto was also published in its entirety in the Guardian. In many ways it changed the way designers approached their profession and recognised the important role of the audience in their work. Being often regarded as one of the most important pieces of writing in design, it was later updated and republished with a new group of signatories such as designers including Jonathan Barnbrook, Irma Boom and Milton Glaser as the ”First Things First 2000 manifesto”. Graphic design is a continuously evolving discipline that has the potential to be increasingly participatory and interactive in the future, hence there will probably be more changes done in the future.

Sources: Montgomery, A. (2014). Updating the First Things First manifesto for 2014 - Design Week. [online] Design Week. Available at: https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/february-2014/updating-the-first-things-first-manifesto-for-2014/ [Accessed 9 Nov. 2017].

Pictures: https://gdblogs.shu.ac.uk/b1044163/wp-content/uploads/sites/129/2014/02/first-things-first-manifesto-1964.jpg