Fall 09 / P3 / Symposium Foray / Draft 1

As second year students for Project 3 we are to "Propose and complete a design study that addresses an intersection (a point) rooted in (1) your thesis questions and (2) an aspect of the symposium theme "Design, Community and the Rhetoric of Authenticity." So I suppose it is time... time to unleash the researchable question that has remained under wraps for some time now. Please, treat it gently. It is just a babe, still in the making...

How can the design of interactive spaces lead a female college student through an evaluation of material consumption behaviors in relation to identity?

In these initial stages I find myself particularly interested in the notion of identity which fundamentally refers to the way in which one perceives one’s self. This could come from internal or external sources. But I am most interested in how this is persuaded by and communicated to the individuals peers and/or community. Thus the intersection. Identity and Community.

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In Thomas Cottle's book, Mind Fields, Cottle suggests that "...adolescents discover they are able to reflect on the stories they tell about others and themselves just as they are able to reflect on their own reflections. Their work, as it were, is to construct identities and develop a consolidated sense of self which they do in part from private reflection and in part from trying out bits of themselves, the products of these self-reflections, on the world. In sharing their reflections, adolescents open themselves to the possibility that their developing selves will be confirmed by others, although there is always the possibility of disconfirmation as well."

Erik Erikson expressed the notion this way: "The sense of ego identity, then is the accrued confidence that the inner sameness and continuity prepared in the past are matched by the sameness and continuity of one's meaning for others...." Believing this to be true, peer groups and gangs assume new significance, because peers contribute to the development of an individual's most private readings of his or her self."

This information on adolescents is particularly interesting because of my thesis focus on college aged women (18-22 years of age), but I do believe that the notion of reflecting on one's sense of self and trying out identities happens at many different stages of life, especially while in transition. Currently for myself I am attempting to establish what my own voice may be in the discourse of design. How your community and peers receives this expression of one's self is something that is often, if not always, considered.

Then I found this interesting study...

In the New York Times article, "Are Your Friends Making You Fat?" a pair of social scientists named Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler say, "they have for the first time found some solid basis for a potentially powerful theory in epidemiology: that good behaviors — like quitting smoking or staying slender or being happy — pass from friend to friend almost as if they were contagious viruses." Just some social science evidence for peer pressure? In the article they talked about visualizing the data they collected based on where people lived and how their weight fluctuated throughout the years. They saw that people gained and lost weight in "pods" throughout the community. This got me to thinking. In what ways are our own expressions of identity influenced by our peers and how may this be brought into consideration through illumination?

I discovered a school project of Marian Bantjes on Design Observer in which she explored the distinct graphic language of heraldry, the system by which coats of arms and other armorial bearings are devised, described and regulated. Bantjes describes that "heraldry is a lost vocabulary. Every symbol, shape, colour and arrangement of colour means something." In Bantjes project she uses the graphic language of crest making to develop system for logo making, in which everything means something (industry, size of company, mergers, etc) and thus the logo is read as an actual expression of the identity of the company.

This project was curious to me. These ultimately are expressions of identity and, while vast in numbers, similar elements are used throughout them all. Crests can be read and also related. They can show connections. Or rather, illuminate. I decided to do my own explorations in crest making and here is the plan I came up with:

IDEA 1:

Showing Connections to Peers.

Personal Crest Making:
Express values through a combination of symbols to create a crest or shield that represents the participants own (design philosophy) identity.

Pros: Illustrates connections
Cons: Little room for originality or personal expression.

Part 1 - Questionnaire:

1) participant is asked a series of questions based on relational facts. (where they live, who their friends are, where they were born, etc. This is to be used for placement of the symbols on a large "map" in order to illustrate connections.)

2) next the participant is asked a series of questions pertaining to their own values and sense of self. (this is used to create their personal expression in a crest/symbol)

Part 2 - Kit for Creation:

3) based on their responses they then get a kit of symbols/tools to for creation.

4) individuals with similar answers get similar symbols/tools

5) participant then has their own creative freedom to utilize the symbols to create their own personal identity crest.

Some ideas for how this could play out:
- participants walk into a room with bags with labels. If you associate with the label you grab the tool to create with out of the bag.
- stencils to create on shirt.
- participants complete the questionnaire digitally and then are provided with a set of tools/symbols and a space to create (like Illustrator). Then they submit their creation to be displayed on the larger map. And possibly create a wearable form of the identity crest.
- could be made using transparencies and projectors.

The idea is that people with similar values will be using the same tools and/or symbols. Their expressions with these things will vary but they will still be able to see the connections with like minded people.

Part 3 - Mapping Connections:

Ultimately the connections need to be visualized whether the participant is allowed to simply wear their identity crest and notice the connections amongst their peers or the creations are plotted on a digital map that groups the identity crests based on their responses to the relational questions (geographically, by friendships, etc.)

Could these be something that happens over time? People contribute over the course of time to build the map or graphic that grows and shows connections and associations.

IDEA 1 - PLAYING OUT:

Participants are asked a series of four questions with six possible answers. Based on each answer they are assigned a symbol to use for creating their identity crest.

Tools for creation for each question (each color represents a different question set):



Utilizing the one assigned symbol from each question (totaling four) and a bit of creative freedom the participant creates their own personal identity crest.

Some hypothetical identity crests:



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IDEA 2:

I am still interested in the connection between the outward expression/appearance and the inner thought. How authentic is the outward expression to the inner thought?

Language Labels: Expressions through language.

Playing off of the fears that may come from expressing an identity the individual answers questions about themselves based on scenarios that they may encounter and is then assigned a negative expression based on their decision.

EXAMPLE SCENARIO QUESTION:
My group of friends from the office are trying out a new restaurant for lunch, which is said to be kind of pricey. When they ask if I want to go I decide to...

a. go on ahead, money is not an issue.
b. go on ahead despite my budgeting restraints.
c. turn the offer down because I brought my own lunch and don't stray off the plan.
d. turn the offer down because I didn't budget for the extra $5 dollars the lunch will cost me.

Based on the answers the individual collects a negative word associated with their response.

a. pampered
b. weak
c. fuddy dud
d. tight wad

They continue to answer a series of questions which creates a collection of negative words that they then rate as more or less authentic. Do they then have to display this expression?

Some hypothetical word creations:



or

IDEA 2.5:

Still using the Language Labels. The idea is to attempt to create an authentic expression through language.

The individual answers questions about themselves based on scenarios that they may encounter. Then is given a range of expressions (from negative to positive) based on their decision in which they choose which best describes themselves (a.k.a. - the most authentic).

EXAMPLE SCENARIO QUESTION:
My group of friends from the office are trying out a new restaurant for lunch, which is said to be kind of pricey. When they ask if I want to go I decide to...

a. go on ahead, money is not an issue.
b. go on ahead despite my budgeting restraints.
c. turn the offer down because I brought my own lunch and don't stray off the plan.
d. turn the offer down because I didn't budget for the extra $5 dollars the lunch will cost me.

Based on the answers the individual is given a selection of words to choose from.

a. stable, spoiled, pampered
b. socialite, foodie, weak
c. rational, practical, fuddy dud
d. money smart, budgeter, tight wad

The creation is then a somewhat more authentic expression of their own identity.

Some hypothetical, aunthentic word creations:




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Fall 09 / P2 / An Initiation

Visual conventions, visual rhetoric or anything of the like has been the buzz around studio for the past few weeks. What are they? Where are they found? How do we as designers contribute to, create or disrupt them? Next we did experiments in "hybridization" attempting to infuse new visual conventions into the old. Attempting to lead our communities down a path. For the project we were to...

1. Identify : existing visual conventions of the community you have selected to study in seminar.

2. Design : An Initiation to ________ , introducing new visual conventions that might logically follow, or interrupt, if such is the more compelling strategy. Any media, any point of delivery.

...and we were off.

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My community of intrigue for this entire semester has been Weardrobe.com, a social platform for personal fashion. It is a fashion-focused community for discovering different ways to wear clothing. Weardrobers are all about imagination and creativity over consumption. After much consideration my initiation for the community is into ACTIVISM. And here is my proposal...

Weardrobe community members are invited to participate in a contest rooted in activism. The "Think, Say, Do" campaign encourages members to think creatively about how to incorporate the campaign's branding via tools/stencils into their wardrobe and fashion statements. I developed a branding for the campaign that utilizes the rich "mixing up" visual strategy that Weardrobe embraces. Their fashion ensembles include a mix of high and low fashion as well as their own DIYed pieces. These branding visual elements I came up with were translate into tools for creation (a.k.a. stencils) that I created using black card stock and the handy laser cutter. Here is how it is explained in the packet the Weardrobe participant receives...

Think / Say / Do: The Compliment Campaign.
Sponsored by American Apparel.

Think:
Utilizing the provided stencils and fabric paint get creative and "style up" an existing fashion piece in your wardrobe. Next, submit a photo of you wearing your creation to the Think/Say/Do Weardrobe Competition online. Most importantly, check out the charities listed and select one to represent.

Say:
Compliments equal Cash. Get online and compliment/comment on other participants creations if you dig 'em. Let your friends know to compliment your creation.

Do:
Compliments will be tallied up and American Apparel with donate $1 for each compliment received by the contest winner to their chosen charity.




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Fall 09 / Thesis / Begins

Thesis. It is well on its way by now. So I thought I would take some time to step back, examine my process up to this point and share it with you here:

I began my explorations when I began evaluating why I even wanted to come back to graduate school. I gave my best miss america speech in my statement of purpose about wanting to explore how design could make this world a better place for an individual, a community and society as a whole. And I have held onto those roots, I would say, in exploration.

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When first doing thesis research I found myself drawn to the area of emotional design. I explored the way emotions play a role in our decision making process. I latched onto the idea of "happiness" and wanted to promote positive thinking. I searched for a way that design could encourage behaviors that would lead to positive emotions. In my research I found that while the world tends to be grasping for happiness in general they are running off in well intended directions that take them further and further away from actually achieving that goal. The economic crisis we are facing now is a direct effect of one of those ill adviced paths, consumerism and the pursuit of material things.

In the Fast Company article "The Happiness Factor", James Roberts, a Baylor University marketing professor says '"all that consumerism is a pursuit of something other than Happiness: "The research is overwhelmingly clear," he says. "The more materialistic you are the less happy you are. We get Happiness through the love of others and sense of community. But we've been told by Madison Avenue that Happiness can come through the mall."' (The Happiness Factor, Fast Company) In the same article Cynthia Crossen of The Wall Street Journal notes, the American "pursuit of Happiness" certainly is of a piece with America's "capitalist democracy, where ever-increasing consumption" drives economic growth. (The Happiness Factor, Fast Company)

Why is it that it seems we are caring more for our economy and less for the individual? Does the economy shape the perception and well-being of the individual or is it the other way around. Does the individual shape the well-being of the economy?

Effective meaningful sustainable change has to come from inside first. And the heart of our economy is the individual. The heart of the individual is shaped from a very young age. Perceptions are developed, expectations are formed without any conscious knowledge. And how is this done? Through the examples set by others, such as parents, yes, but also through advertising and it's messages. In Jean Kilbourne's You Can't Buy My Love, she reports "that the average American sees more than three thousand ads per day and spends more than three years of his or her life watching commercials. Their messages are inside our intimate relationships, our homes, our hearts and our heads." (Kilbourne 12) There is no way to escape the pervasiveness of material culture and consumerism. And we as designers... what are we doing? We are the ones creating the tools for persuasion. We are complacent to the effects this has on the well-being of the individual. We are in many ways the vehicle to unhappiness.

One of the most targeted age groups for Credit Card companies are college students. Because students are a prime marketing opportunity. “If they can be in that kid’s wallet, they are more likely to have a customer for a good long time,” explains Geri Detweiler of ultimatecredit.com. (Weisbaum) Fresh from the material and financial comforts of home, guarded from the financial decisions their parents have had to make and the hardships they may have had to endure, college students often times have no concept of how personal economics work.

In a Newsweek article from early 2009 it reports how susceptible young college students are to building debt through credit cards. "The Center for a New American Dream, a group focused on helping Americans spend wisely, found that more than half of American college students signed up for at least four credit cards by the time they graduated. These card-stacked wallets help explain why, according to U.S. PIRG, the average American senior now racks up more than $2,500 in credit-card debt by the time they receive their diploma." (Soller, Majoring In Debt / Newsweek)

In today's economy the need for regulation is evident and laws are being past to limit the ways in which credit card companies target college students. Credit card companies may unjustly target college students by luring them with gifts and trinkets without explaining the real risks involved there is something inside the student to acquire that must be addressed. In "Can't Buy My Love," Kilbourne reminds us that for young adults advertising continues to invade their lives and "ads constantly tell us that products can help us find our identity, can make us unique, can help us understand ourselves and each other better." (Kilbourne, 91) In this new environment these students are well versed in self-expression through social media. Society is taught that you are what you own and that it is through these possessions that we can portray our desired sense of self.

SOURCES:

Kilbourne, Jean. Can't Buy My Love How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel. New York: Free, 2000. Print.

Manners, Tim. "The Happiness Factor." Fast Company. 08 July 2008. Web. 23 Aug. 2009. .

Soller, Kurt. "Majoring In Debt." Newsweek. 17 Feb. 2009. Web. 23 Sept. 2009. .

Truth About Credit. Web. 23 Sept. 2009. .

Weisbaum, Herb. "Credit cards: A dangerous convenience." MSNBC. msnbc.com, 11 Aug. 2006. Web. 23 Sept. 2009. .



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