Notes from this morning's seminar with Richard, discussing potential topics and subject matter for my dissertation and dissertation proposal.
PROPOSED TITLE:
"How the ethical manifesto and production of the Innocent brand and it's retail products has helped to evolve the food and drinks industry within the United Kingdom."
- Works both side- both "Innocent" and suspicious. Look at the integrity of the Innocent brand in terms of their deal with McDonalds and their sponsorship of the 2012 Olympics.
- Profit sharing/sustainability/ethics.
- 8,000 words- 4 chapters, 1,500 words each, introduction and conclusion.
- The integrity of food and drinks brands after Innocent.
- TOPICS TO DISCUSS:
* Consumer Psychology
* Profit sharing
* Sustainable product sourcing
* Company brand and identity
* Sustainable methods of production
- READING MATERIAL:
* V. Papanek, Design for the Real World
* Cradle to Cradle
- DISSERTATION NEEDS:
* Methodology
* Content approach > Ecological/Communication theory?
- PRIMARY RESEARCH
* Interviews
* Designers
* Study archives
* Our own interpretations of academic texts
- SECONDARY RESEARCH
* Books about topics/research
* Approach
* Primary research
- FIND AS MANY BOOKS ON THE SUBJECT > FIND WHERE THE PRIMARY RESEARCH WILL COME FROM > SPECIFY CHAPTERS FOR DISSERTATION
- Literature search- 20 books (ish?), journals, periodicals, essays, TV interviews, Radio interviews, etc.
DESIGN FOR SOCIAL CHANGE (SPECIFIC INFORMATION)
- Design activism/political
- Baldwin, 'Visual Communication from Theory to Practice'... "All design is political".
- Graphic Design always supports one side of society.
- SUPERSTRUCTURE/BASE
- Balance of power and influence within society
- Dialectical materialism
- Economic measurable relations
- Superstructure is the higher power, Base is the economic reality
- FEMINIST STANDPOINT:
- Men have control over the mass media. Various aspects of the media reflect their position of power (e.g. Page 3 in 'The Sun' objectifying women, within films... women are rarely the dominant figure).
UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE
- Who are these products aimed at? AUDIENCE THEORY.
- ECO POLITICS
- Ideology (get critical definition!) = Political programme (personal beliefs)//False consciousness (MARXIST theory... created by the dominant classes, naturalised by the entirety of society (cements itself as the culture of everyone)... False way of thinking about the world).
- Klein, N, 'No Logo'- seminal in it's publication, activist summary of the system of American consumer culture. "No logo generation", led onto the OCCUPY movements, 1%/99%, "WE ARE THE 99%"... generated class consciousness.
- AdBusters, culture jammers... Intervening in the superstructures/base cycle.
CHAPTER IDEAS (From Richard...for generalised social change subject matter)
- Historical context
- Dominant ideology of this time
- Communication theory (messages to reveal society reality)
- Case study
SUBCULTURE/CULTURE
- What are the differences?
- CULTURE is produced by the dominant classes in production.
- SUBCULTURE by the lower classes in production.
SEE LAST ESSAY for inspiration, sources, etc.
//
Discussed my proposal idea with Richard and the rest of the seminar group, and was really happy with the response I got, which seemed very positive. Just time for the research now!
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