OUGD501 - Study Task 06 - Consumer Identities

An extract from Cathrine Jansson-Boyd's Consumer Psychology, Chapter 4: Identity and Consumption:

In what ways can products and services relate to consumer’s identities?

• A person can have a number of different identities and some may be more relevant than others in certain situations

• People use their possessions to express who they are - since the 1970's it has become a more prevalent concept and research confirms that possessions play an important role in how people perceive themselves and others.

• We consume products in the hope of reinforcing or establishing the roles in which we frequently find ourselves or that we would like to be in. We consume to protect the social role and the expected behaviours that we believe we have.

• Brands symbolise different meanings and therefore inanimate objects can become associated with human characteristics. Brands and products can be turned into symbols - the meaning of the product mostly comes from marketing and is subsequently reinforced by the social environment.

• The symbolic meaning of products and brands can act as tools for make-believe identities

• People use products and services to negotiate between the Actual Self (the way people are at the present point in time), the Ideal Self (the self that we aspire to be), and the Ought Self (the way we think we should be, humility but also entitlement)

How do consumers use products and services within social interaction?

• The Social Comparison Theory states that the continuous comparison of ourselves to others is driven by a need to maintain and sometimes increase positive self-esteem

• Downward Social Comparisons allow us to compare ourselves to those who do less well, and therefore we appear to do better. This is something of a default for humans. 

• Upward Social Comparisons often occur in situations in which we cannot choose who we compare ourselves with, and are often people who are deemed more desirable - this can have a harmful effect on our self-esteem. Within branding, celebrity endorsement can be used as an example of this. 

• Brands and consuming a particular brand can form communities and allow us to bond and form a sense of cohesion - symbolic interactionism.

Using the theories discussed: suggest some visual communication strategies that effectively promote a product to its target audience

• Apple - associate personality types with their brand and their products

• Nespresso - upward comparisons to George Clooney (upward social comparison)

• Perfume adverts relating to body image and the Ideal Self

• Dove campaign advertising the Actual Self and playing against societal ideals

• American Eagle Outfitters use slogans relating to how individuals should live their lives -- Relating to Social Identity Theory - the part of an individual’s self-concept which derives from their knowledge of their membership of a social group together with the value and emotional significance of that membership. Products advertise a certain lifestyle which is attractive to a certain group of people - this group becomes more desirable and therefore more people buy into the brand.

• Popularity in children's toys - certain toys promote the popularity of a particular group status that becomes the desirable and is then reinforced throughout childhood and into adulthood

Are there any ethical issues?

• Brands can create an unrealistic Ideal Self, which most often sits outside the realm of the Actual Self for the majority of people

• Particularly in young children, certain aspects of the consumerist lifestyle teaches that difference in owned products an used services equals a negative difference in popularity, wealth etc.

• At times, possessions are simply used as an extension of the self, but they can also be used to compensate for what is perceived to be flaws in an individual's self-concept. Consequently, the consumer culture is often blamed for physical and psychological problems linked to identity.

• We create a society based on Othering, which relies on aggression to reach self-validation, which is mostly done unconsciously - branding which cynically plays into the reliance on certain groups of people acting certain ways can be viewed as unethical.

OUGD501 - Study Task 04 - My Question Triangulation

An example of triangulation using sources relevant to the essay's themes of parody and pastiche within Graphic Design.

Imitation occurs naturally in life and in a 21st century postmodern era the continual replication of images and ideas has evolved to become a unique form of communication. This form of pastiche and parody can be closely linked to the postmodernist movement. Works from this period across all artistic fields strove to provide ‘a reaction against modernism’ (Tate, 2017), and it became a period defined by the conscious using and re-using of images and concepts. As such, parody and pastiche became common recurring themes, however there has been continued debate as to the significance of the pastiche element in regard to the critical analysis of works from this period, and to the place of parody works in art history today.

One such voice in these debates is Fredric Jameson, an American literary critic and Marxist theorist. Stating that works displaying characteristics of pastiche demonstrate ‘the increasing unavailability of personal style’, it is his belief that the postmodernist movement resulted in the ‘random cannibalisation’ of ideas and what emerged was ‘a culture that is more concerned with reproduction rather than production’ (Jameson, 1991, p.16-17). A large majority of the works produced in the immediate postmodern period were heavily influenced by what came before, and saw the practice of re-using and re-making begin to permeate, however, Linda Hutcheon, a Canadian academic working in the fields of literary theory and criticism, provides a convincing counter argument. Hutcheon is of the belief that ‘parodic references to history reinstate a dialogue with the past’ (Hutcheon, 1986, p. 180) and that these references rightly open up critical conversations, allowing an audience to become aware of what preceded it.

Furthermore, ‘postmodernism is a fundamentally contradictory enterprise: its art forms use and abuse, install and then subvert convention in parodic ways, self-consciously pointing to its critical or ironic re-reading of the art of the past’ (Hutcheon, 1986, p. 180) - parodic works don’t necessarily represent blind imitation but instead show a deliberate political, historical and social awareness that reflects a deeper context. Hutcheon’s ideas are also paralleled by author and design critic Steven Heller. Within the context of graphic design he claims that ‘borrowing existing mannerisms provides familiar codes with limited risk’ (Heller and Vienne, 2012, p. 16) and that pastiche devices can be significant in allowing an audience to connect to a piece of design that they might otherwise not have related to.

Anon (2017) Postmodernism, Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/postmodernism

Jameson. F (1991) Postmodernism: Or The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, 1st edn. : Verso Books.

Hutcheon. L (1986) The Politics of Postmodernism: Parody and History (Routledge, 1989). : Routledge.

Heller. S, Vienne. V (2012) 100 Ideas That Changed Graphic Design, 1st edn. : Laurence King.

OUGD501 - Study Task 03 - Defining the Brief

Research Question:

This is the question that will guide your theoretical and practical work in CoP2. Your question must reference one of the CoP themes (Politics, Society, Culture, History, Technology or Aesthetics) either broadly or focussing on a specific aspect (e.g. "gender" being a specific aspect of Society); and one specific graphic discipline (Typography / type design, Advertising / public awareness, Branding / logo design, Editorial, Design for screen or Print making).

My proposed research will look broadly at parody and pastiche within graphic design, touching on the themes of aesthetics. More specifically within this I could look at parody and pastiche within branding

Is it viable: 

Using this weeks lecture (Proposing a research question) answer the following questions in relation to your research question: What is there to study (ontology)? How can we know about it (epistemology)? How do we study it (methodology)?

Themes explored within this topic can include the occurrence of parody and pastiche within the wider art world and then more specifically in graphic design. The theory of these motifs and whether pastiche and parody can be considered good or bad, and uses of parody and pastiche within specific examples of design. This topic can be explored through a range of academic sources, books and websites.


Defining the design problem: 

Whilst your research question should provide opportunities for both contextual/theoretical research and practical research, you need to ensure that there is an obvious design problem to resolve/explore. For example, your research may focus on branding and politics therefore your design problem would be: a political party requires a logo and brand strategy for an up-coming election.

There are many potential outcomes that could be produced through the exploration of this topic, including an option to create branding using parody and pastiche techniques.


'Client' needs or requirements: 

If there is a specific client or organisation or individual who you will be producing this work for (hypothetically) then you should take this opportunity to address any needs or requirements they may have. Similarly, if there is no obvious client needs then you should outline any specific requirements that will guide the project forward.

Should the practical exploration take the shape of a rebrand using parody and pastiche techniques, there will be many considerations that need to be adhered to. In any rebrand it is vital to produce work that is client-led, appropriate for both the company and then company's target market, and is within the boundaries of the company's current branding strategy in terms of colours, typefaces, tone, application.

Mandatory requirements:

Here you should outline (again, tentatively at this stage) what the mandatory requirements of the brief are. For example, adverts must include the slogan "just do it" or design outcomes must include the company logo or Typeface designs must be functional yet contemporary.

If the practical work should explore a branding strategy, mandatory requirements will include colours and typeface samples appropriate to the selected company, a range of branding ideas and then a final resolution.

OUGD501 - Study Task 02 - Parody and Pastiche

Jameson's definition of postmodernism:

Random cannibalisation (cherry picking)
A desperate attempt to make sense of an age that is chaotic and confusing
No grand narratives
The end of history? (not the end of things happening, but the end of new inventions changing the world, a system of resignation, a culture of repetition)
An age of information, possibly overstimulation?
Imitating and reusing dead styles, but without the importance, the emotion, the creativity
Depthlessness?
Born out of a pessimism of the world
A dystopia
Neo - beware concepts that begin with Neo; it probably means that it is not a new version of that concept, it is the old concept recycled
A culture that is more concerned with reproduction rather than production
Technology replacing human productivity and human skill
The weakening of historicity - because we have now have a cultural history of sampling, our understanding of history is completely change - we take styles and images without understanding their original uses and contexts - creates a divorce between us and history



Jameson's definition of pastiche:

The increasing unavailability of personal style, pg. 16

The producers of culture have no where to turn to but the past: the imitation of dead styles, pg.17

Pastiche is the imitation of a peculiar or unique, idiosyncratic style...but it is a neutral practice of such mimicry...devoid of laughter and without any conviction pg. 17

Modernist styles become postmodernist codes, pg. 17

Deja Vu, pg. 24



Hutcheon's definition of postmodernism and parody:

postmodernist art offers a new model for mapping the borderline between art and the world, a model that works from a position within both and yet within neither, pg. 180

postmodernism is a fundamentally contradictory enterprise: its art forms (and its theory) use and abuse, install and then subvert convention in parodic ways, self-consciously pointing both to their own inherent paradoxes and provisionality and, of course, to their critical or ironic re-reading of the art of the past, pg. 180

'Parodic references to history textually reinstate a dialogue with the past', pg. 180 - sampling anything opens up a critical and social dialogue with the past, making people aware of what came before

What both its supporters and its detractors seem to want to call "postmodernism" in art today -be it in video, dance, literature, painting, music, architecture, or any other form -seems to be art marked primarily by an internalised investigation of the nature, the limits, and the possibilities of the language or discourse of art.

[works] are resolutely historical and inescapably political precisely because they are parodic

[the very label of] postmodernism signals its contradictory dependence upon and independence from the modernism that both historically preceded it and literally made it possible. (It's not necessarily just blind imitation, it's an art form in it's own right that wouldn't exist without the movement of modernism before it).

"Postmodernist ironic recall of history is neither nostalgia nor aesthetic "cannibalization."

'The politics of pluralism' is getting us away from a white anglo-dominated culture.

She also writes about how people who don't accept pluralism are elitist snobs.

One of the main features that distinguishes postmodernism from modernism is the fact that it "takes the form of self-conscious, self-contradictory, self-undermining statement"

The use of parody: citing a convention only to make fun of it

Unlike Jameson, who considers such postmodern parody as a symptom of the age, one way in which we have lost our connection to the past and to effective political critique, Hutcheon argues that "through a double process of installing and ironizing, parody signals how present representations come from past ones and what ideological consequences derive from both continuity and difference"

Parody de-doxifies: it unsettles all doxa, all accepted beliefs and ideologies

she values postmodernism's willingness to question all ideological positions, all claims to ultimate truth.

LEVEL 5

OUGD401 - Studio Brief 02 - Final Outcome

The finished printed zines, What Happened To Our Town Centre and Hot Butterflies:

The final digitalised version available for download:

http://whathappenedtoourtowncentres.tumblr.com/


In total I produced 15 copies of this zine. Upon the completion of the zines, I contacted a variety of local and national independent artists bookshops enquiring as to whether they would stock my publication. I emailed the Newbridge Bookshop and Travelling Man in Newcastle requesting to submit a zine to their collection and archives. Both shops got back to me asking for a sample or photographs of the completed product, and so I replied with the link to the digital version and a selection of photographs of the physical zine. Both shops are currently reviewing the zine with the promise to respond shortly. I also visited the Village bookshop in Leeds in person and submitted a physical copy for review before submission. Again, they advised that a response would take up to two weeks.


Synthesis Statement and Evaluation:
From the investigate research undertaken in conjunction with my essay, What Is The Role of Print Media in the Digital Age?, I have undertaken a project that draws on my findings and conclusions within the essay, and explores both traditional and digital print techniques in the context of a printed publication.

This zine draws inspiration from the DIY zine culture of the 1960's, and its revival today, to create a publication which allows and encourages interaction and participation in the self-publishing movement. The project draws together all aspects of print media, taking influences from traditionally printed newspapers, with a limited colour palette and a natural stock. The production utilised digital technology, with a digitally created typeface and the use of computer programs to combine, arrange and print the content in preparation for screenprinting. A computer was again used in the creation of the digital version of the zine, which was uploaded to be distributed and shared on the internet.

This project is successful in investigating the conclusions laid out in my essay; it explores the themes of print media as a luxury items while also highlighting the importance of combining medias to allow further creation and access to content. The research into zine culture was appropriate and relevant to the project, although this could have been extended further by looking more closely at the digital content produced by both small and large scale magazines in order to gain how I might have marketed the digital zines more successfully.

Despite being available infinitely online, only fifteen copies of the original zine sheets were printed, and each one was hand numbered. This again introduced a luxury element of the physically printed product. The zine itself also draws parallels between the producer of the print media and the consumer of the print media, allowing each to become the same with a printable 'home version' of the publication. The printed editions of the zines will be distributed as flat sheets, requiring assemblage upon purchase, further extending the DIY nature of the publication.

There is a certain ironic overlap between this use of traditional and digital technologies, using purely digital means to create the publication, but ultimately using the traditional art of screenprinting to create a more aesthetically pleasing outcome. But traditional and digital print technologies sit alongside each other like this in many ways, informing how we create and produce on a daily basis. Despite the evolution of both technology and society, printed media still plays an important role in self expression and the exchange of ideas. Print may be considered a luxury today in the face of the digital age, but this self-publication reclaims print as its own, and in a way is part of the revolution to reclaim an important voice for self-publishers.

OUGD401 - Studio Brief 02 - Screenprinting

To screenprint the zine, each side was digitally printed and then exposed onto individual screens. Side one was printed in black ink, in the style of a traditionally printed newspaper. Side two was printed in red ink, in part to emulate the CMYK colour separations that newspapers print in, and in part to further the contrast between the two side, with the red story leading a softer narrative and the black side leading a more formal narrative. The zine was printed on thin newsprint paper, again to reflect a traditional newspaper in both stock and double-sided print, but also to create a translucency so that both narratives are visible when the page is folded down.

Side 1

Side 2

OUGD401 - Studio Brief 02 - Self Publish Be Happy

A talk by Bruno Ceschel, founder of Self Publish Be Happy, an organisation that collects, studies and celebrates self-published photobooks through an ongoing programme of workshops, live events and on/offline projects. SPBH has organised events at a number of institutions around the world, including Tate Modern, The Photographer’s Gallery and C/O Berlin. Since its conception is 2010, the London-based collection gathered together more than 2,000 publications. SPBH is the physical manifestation of a worldwide online community formed of a new and ever-evolving generation of young artists, who experiment, stretch and play with the medium of photography.

During the talk, Ceschel showed a large number of the publications SPBH had collected over the past few years, each by independent authors, from all over the world. He talked of the importance of self-publishing from many perspectives; how self-publishing is an art form that can be perfected but can also be abused, with either one creating new and innovative outcomes. People publish to push their own limitations as artists and designers, and with this, the limitations of what a physical publication can be are also tested. Publications today might not be made from paper at all, but from wood, or rubber, or metal, or any other material that could be used as a vehicle for expressing information. 

He also stressed the importance of self-publication in the context of social climates; people self-publish to express ideas and opinions, and at certain times in history, self-publication becomes the only way to correctly preserve the politics and the backlashes, the emotions and the expressions. 

Ceschel also seemed to be a big believer in the power of the internet in creating and sharing works and ideas. SPBH, despite centring itself around physical print, embraces the digital age, working with technology instead of against it. Although acknowledging the effect that the internet has had on printed media, SPBH utilises it's online connections to work with and gather work from people all around the world, curating a global collection of publications and continuing to share them with new people. And looking forward to the future of publications Ceschel seemed confident that physical publications would never cease to exist, and never cease to be important, simply because people love to publish.

OUGD401 - Studio Brief 02 - Final Content and Layout

Each narrative was then arranged so that when printed, the sheet would form individual pages of text. Selected parts of the text was separated by dividing lines, in the style of those that separate the personal ads in newspapers, and certain parts were repeated, depending on the emphasis of the words within the narrative. Each narrative was given a title, taken from headlining captions of different printed ads.

Side 1 - What Happened To Our Town Centres?

Side 2 - Hot Butterflies

OUGD401 - Studio Brief 02 - Experimentation With Collage and Text

To create the content for the zines I gathered together a collection of material from newspapers and magazines, including text and images. I initially used these to create a series of rough collages, with the intention of emulating a set of out-of-context personal ads.

After creating these, and presenting them in a peer critique, it was discussed that the focus should centre more around the text rather than the images. Although the images did play a part in the communication of the personal ad when they were printed, newspapers are primarily text based, and some felt that the inclusion of the images distracted from the message of the text.

From this I continued using text from personal ads, but instead focused on creating some sort of narrative to bring forward the idea of communicating a personal story. Initially I created two different narratives, with the intention that only one would be printed, but I felt that the contrast between them would work nicely when printed. From this I decided to make the zine double sided, so that each story would be communicated differently to different audiences depending on which way the sheet was folded.

 

OUGD401 - Studio Brief 02 - Zine Production

Production and Distribution
The physical format of the zine was another important consideration. Looking forward to the distribution of the publication, I ultimately wanted to sell copies through a range of independent artists bookshops as a way of gaining recognition as a creative, and to complete the self-publication process. However, as the research in conjunction with my essay indicated, accessing content online is also a very important aspect of distribution for artists and businesses today, as it brings in global consumers and provides a cheaper alternative for the majority of their audience.

In order to accommodate this I looked at how I might digitalise the zine after printing. One solution could be to digitalise the entire publication, which would then be accessible online. Another solution was to allow a consumer to buy the zine digitally so that they themselves might print out the pages and create the book. To do this, the zine could either be sold as a collection of pages to be printed out individually, or sold as one larger sheet to be folded down. When discussing these ideas in a critique it became obvious that creating one larger sheet was the easiest way for a person to print and bind their own version of the publication without the need for specialist equipment. It would allow them to also become a producer of the book, as well as a consumer, tying in with the traditionally DIY aspect of zine making.

Ideas for the format of the zine

OUGD401 - Studio Brief 02 - Zine Printing

Printing
To print the zine there are two options: digital printing or traditional printing (including but not limited to screenprinting, monoprinting, letterpress). Digital printing is historic to the zine-making tradition, as originally zines were made quickly and simply on a xerox machine. It is also the most common method of zine production today due to the wide accessibility and low cost of the using the equipment.

However, as this work will also focus on printed material as a luxury item I will use a traditional print method to produce my work. Screenprinting is the most viable option, as it allows for a relatively fast reproduction of the content, suitable for a small run of publications, but also provides an elitist edge as the zines will be individually hand-printed. It is also reminiscent of newspaper production (printing four different plates in CMYK), and also plays into the tradition of the cost and effort of production outweighing the physical value of the end product.

OUGD401 - Studio Brief 02 - Zine Content

From this research, and personal experience of being a creative who specialises in publication production and design, it is obvious that the importance of self publication is growing within young artistic communities. Within this body of work I want to explore this process of producing a printed publication with the intent to share the work through commercial outlets. To do this I will create, design and produce a small run of zines, focusing on the printing techniques, the physical production, and the distribution upon completion


Looking at the content for the zine I wanted to take a step back from the production of printed materials and instead focus on what is lost when a traditionally printed item becomes digitalised. This is becoming a common occurrence in the newspaper industry as papers either produce some or all of their content for computers and phones. Many physical quirks are lost during this process, for example the misalignment of printing plates as photographs are reproduced, or the coloured registration marks at the edge of each page, and the examination of these tactile imperfections could be used as the basis for the zine's content.

There is also a connection that is lost between producer and consumer when printed material is digitalised - when you buy and use a printed item there is a palpable process involved in its creation that is not simply present on a digital screen. As an extension of this there is also an element of communication that is lost in the form of printed personal ads. Communication is obviously still possible digitally, but is done instead through social media sites, where questions and answers happen instantaneously. This unique form of communication through printed media could also be a focus for the zine's content, in reference to the way we communicate in a digital world and the encroaching redundancy of the printed word.

Initial sketches for registration based content

Planning for communication based content

During a critique with peers it was discussed that although looking at registration marks might make for a more visually pleasing zine, however the concept of communication through print was a more original idea and would connect with a wider audience, both younger and older, providing more of a reminiscence on the decline of traditionally printed media.

OUGD401 - Studio Brief 02 - Zine Culture

I began by looking into the history of the zine and the culture that surrounds this particular form of publication production:

A zine (an abbreviation of fanzine or magazine) is most commonly a small circulation, self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images usually reproduced via photocopier. A popular definition includes that circulation must be one thousand or fewer, although in practice the majority are produced in editions of fewer than one hundred, and profit is not the primary intent of publication. They are informed by a DIY ethos and are written in a variety of formats, from desktop published text to comics to handwritten text.

Print remains the most popular zine format, although there is no one format for zines. There are not set materials and aesthetics to adhere to when creating a zine publication - the entire ethos of zine making is freedom and self-expression without the need for corporate printing and consumerist marketing. Topics covered are broad, including fanfiction, politics, poetry, art and design, ephemera, personal journals, social theory, riot grrrl and intersectional feminism, and sometimes content far enough outside of the mainstream to be prohibited or excluded by the more traditional media. The time and materials necessary to create a zine are seldom matched by revenue from sale of zines. Small circulation zines are often not explicitly copyrighted and there is a strong belief among many zine creators that the material within should be freely distributed. In recent years, a number of small zine publications have risen to prominence or professional status and have found a wider distribution though bookstores or online sale.

Zines among these include The Archives, Bust, Birkensnake, and The Miscreant.

The Archives - Claudio Pogo

Birkensnake

Bust

The Miscreant

Over the years, many of the more popular zines have expanded into bigger, glossy magazine type publications, not out of the want and need for money, but as an attempt to bring minority groups and sidelined conversations into the mainstream. Unfortunately, this change from a photocopied zine into a more consumable magazine brings the printed publication back into the realms of luxury, increasing the price of both production and consumption. However, like many mainstream newspapers and magazine, these larger publications have also diversified into digital and online content also, allowing them to reach a far wider audience while still putting out a larger volume and range of content.

The most notable example of this diversification is Dazed. The formerly know Dazed and Confused zine started out as as a black and white poster zine, but quickly grew into a full colour magazine publication. They are now better known for their website Dazed Digital, a digital strand of the publication delivering style news and social issues, that amasses an audience of millions every single day

Dazed Magazine A/W '15 

Another example is Bust magazine, who also started as a simple photocopied zine with a small audience. The now international publication and accompanying website deals with women's rights, sexuality, and health.

Despite the plethora of professional and corporate publications available, smaller, self-published zines can still break down the barriers of traditional media content, allowing any and all topics of conversation to be discussed without the fear of censorship. They provide a new, cheap and easily accessible platform and are hugely important platform for minority and social groups that do not fit the societal norms to voice opinions, share ideas, and communicate across a huge variety of topics.

OUGD401 - Study Task 08 - Practical Exploration

From the research done in conjunction with my essay, it was possibly to drawn a number of conclusion as to the role of print media in the digital age - each depending on the context in which the printed media is produced and used. In summation there are two overarching conclusions that i will focus my practical work on:

Print as a luxury
In terms of traditional communications media (newspapers, magazines, etc.), print can be viewed as a luxury item. Newspapers take a large amount of money and resources to print and distribute, but ultimately have a declining readership in favour of the digitalised versions. However this does not necessarily mean the end of the printed format, because printed newspapers especially carry heritage, tradition and social values. In terms of artistic print media, printed products can also be viewed as a luxury item as they too take money and resources to produce.

Print as a tool for self-publication
Through the evolution of technology, printing through either digital or traditional means has become a vital tool that allows creatives and non-creatives to self-publish and distribute their works. Self publishing and zine culture has expanded greatly with technological advancements, and with it has allowed the line between producer and consumer to become gradually blurred.


In light of these two conclusions I will look into zine culture and the phenomenon of self-publishing. I will also examine it's importance to creatives today, in terms of both producing and distributing, and look at how I might use physically printed publications as a basis for this body of work.