Dissertation / / Directional Seminar

A more informed look into my initial dissertation subject matter:

Dissertation / / Introduction

Dissertation      - Critical analysis with intellectual conclusion.
                           - has to be in-depth.

                           - have to be passionate about the subject matter.

                           - must relate to studio practice and graphic design in general.

University Aid:

- take advantage
 

Academic Support.  - make sure you do!
One to one sessions with experienced tutors.

Academic Writing course.
Three part course.  Starts next week / / sign up.

Look at the step - by - step guides on moodle.  Helpful reference.  Lots of reference 

material, powerpoints, guides etc.  To get onto dissertation / moodle go to moodle, 

'cross- course' then level six dissertation.

Proposal form is on moodle and has to be filled in before summer.

C o l l e c t i o n     o f     i n f o r m a t i o n     

i s     k e y    

t o     a     s t r e s s     f r e e     d i s s e r t a t i o n .

Mechanical Reproduction / / Task

Read the Walter Benjamin's essay 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction'. Write a 300 word analysis of one work of Graphic Design, that you think relates to the themes of the text, and employing quotes, concepts and terminology from the text.

Walter Benjamin, in his Marxist theory of art in the age of mechanical reproduction, takes the view that,  the role of art in the modern world has changed.  There was a shift from a time when only the rich used to create and buy art- 'craft of the beautiful' - an old fashioned idea.  In the age of print, art could be much more easily reproduced so that different classes of people began to have their own opinion on it.  Once the Guttenberg press was built, the world was never the same- art & design became more accessible en masse, books were printed on a huge scale- this educated the masses and democratised language.  A contemporary example of mechanical reproduction would be 'Keep calm and carry on' wartime morale effort.  The substructure of the understanding of art has been affected socially from something that was supposed to boost morale in the Second World War to something with no aura and essentially no communication of a message of any form.  It has become a 'gimmick'.  On the webpage, the designer has tried to reproduce the aura of the wartime poster through stained, old looking paper, with the headers in the form of a historical document file.  This is ironic seeing as the physical posters were naturally distressed because it was in the War, whereas the digital version has been made to look distressed to retain the aura of the original design and their context.  The 'Keep calm and carry on 'family' of designs have become 'detatched from domain of tradition', being reproduced in / on / with a multitude of different medias.  The meaning of the campaign has changed, there has been a constant 'decay of its initial aura' because it has tried so hard to keep its aura through extremely transparent designs.

Essay / / [Revised]

Why does a change in typeface within re- branding affect the way in which it is perceived by the audience?

Type is an essential aspect of design.  With regards to type alongside branding, it can be a powerful force of identity if executed successfully.  If this process is communicated effectively, the typeface is then associated with that brand.  In relation to logos, the type can be seen as image, letterforms as shapes conveying personality.  If the wrong typeface is used, the audience starts seeing the type as a word, rather than a logo. Graphic and Type designer Gerard Unger believes that ‘It is almost impossible to look and read at the same time, they are different actions.’  This rings true to ill-chosen typefaces.  The audience is distracted by the act of looking, rather than reading the information it is supposed to be communicating.  When engaging with the subject of type and re- branding, it is important to look into the effect it can have on its audience.  Author Melissa Davis states that

‘A brand may reposition to target a new audience or to change its market altogether- such as shifting from an upmarket position to a lower one’. ‘More than a name’ 2006 (pg62)

In extreme cases, the audience can switch because of a simple typographical alteration- the power of type is often overlooked, but even subtle changes like a curved bracket on the descender of a letterform can completely change the tone of a word.  Choice of type provokes emotion generally without the audience knowing they are being manipulated by it.  Type within branding is a point that deserves much consideration and analysis- a closer exploration is necessary to further understand an audience’s reaction to it.

       

The main case to reference would be the subtle rebranding of the Swedish lifestyle superstore ‘Ikea’ mid 2009, where they abandoned the well-known ‘elegant’ customised version of ‘Futura’, and in its place switched to a more modern font ‘Verdana’ for the signage and catalogue.  Journalist for ‘Time’ Lisa Abend believes that ‘Branding has been a large part of the Swedish chains success’, this is because of its strict consistency constantly re-enforcing its identity to the audience.  However, this strict consistency was challenged in the form of font.  Although so many brands before have made subtle changes to their identity through a slight alteration in type choice, it usually has little reaction, aside from the odd blog post of an outraged ‘typophile’.  Yet, the surprising notable was that Ikeas strategy was recognised- and not just by typographers and graphic designers, but by the general public.  This signifies the power of a slight change in type within a large brand. This form of re- branding is the easiest way to update an (arguably in Ikeas case) aging company.  The reason for this modernisation, Ikea argued, was that ‘It’s more efficient and cost effective.  Plus a simple, modern looking typeface’ Ikea spokeswoman, Monika Grocic from the article ‘Font wars’ in ‘Time’ Aug 28^th 2009.  This sounds more like an economically led choice than a respectable choice of identity.  The Ikea vision

‘Is to create a better everyday life for the many people. Our business idea supports this vision by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.’  Sourced: www.Ikea.com.

This vision supports the earlier statement from Grocic on the subject of ‘efficiency’ and ‘cost effectiveness’- the type reflects the vision in this aspect and is therefore a good typeface to choose?    But it is not the solid concept of this rebranding that is the focus, it is the reaction this rebranding from the audience.  Such a response surely begs the question, is it a case of people getting used to a brand once it makes a change.  One of the main reasons against using Verdana in line with the IKEA brand is that it is used across the whole of the web.  Such widespread use means that some of their originality and classy denotations through their use of Futura are now lost, and are instead replaced with a font that has no true identity because of the broad spectrum of brands it is already associated with.    McMutrie believes that

‘The outward form of modern typography is of little importance in itsef; the expression of the sense of the copy is vital.  Easy comprehension of the message, which in typography represents function, is therefore determinant of form.  1929 (p40-42)

McMutrie is essentially stating that when the message is clearly received in typography, it’s because the aura of the message has been successfully communicated- its function has been fulfilled.  This function directly relates back to form, i.e. the way the type is designed and the connotations it holds.  For example, Futura denotes a more personal style against Verdana.  This is because of the continuous construction of the stroke- there are no emphatic points of transition between strokes, or breaks between elements.  This flowing construction feels friendlier against the abrupt and instant transition of Verdanas counters, which are more angular, connoting a feeling of impersonality (Fig 3).  ‘Futura has a quirkyness to it that Verdana do es not’ argues Simon Garfield, ‘Just my Type’, 2011 (pg.82).  It is the bulkiness of the weighting juxtaposed with a quiet sense of style that one can relate to this ‘quirkiness’.  There is a certain level of delicacy to Verdana, with key characters such as double storey letterforms and in contrast, a relatively thin weighting.  However, the large x- height and wide proportion of Verdana let the audience know it is there to be read, the confidence of the type signifies a sense of authority that was previously masked in Futura by its stylish yet welcoming look.  This confidence on Verdanas part is one of the reasons that the change was rejected so profoundly- IKEA had changed from a self assured and silently industrial personality, to one that arrogantly demands the audiences’ attention.

Henry David Thoreau states that ‘It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.’  In the case of IKEAs rebrand this is the problem.  The audience went from a personalised front that resonated with them because they were used to it, then onto an impersonal, distant typeface that they related to (being an original digital type) in a digital manner.  This is not what IKEA is about.  They sell ‘well-designed’ products with personality (Fig 1).  Roland Barthes argues the death of the author,

‘Outside of any other function than that of the very practice of the symbol itself, the disconnection occurs, the voice loses its origin, the author enters into his own death, writing begins.’ The Death of the Author, 1967 (pg.142)

In this instance the voice is the feeling the customer gets when walking through the store, reading the catalogue- it has lost its origin because of the use of the typeface Verdana.  When you go into an IKEA store there is a certain closeness and physical sense to the experience.  As a customer you have the opportunity to touch the products, walk into a homely environment as if you live there.  Verdana does not reflect this mood.  It is a more clinical typeface that has no particular identity.  When customers enter the store they can choose to walk into these environments, each with their own personalised, specific identity that they can relate to (Fig 2).  There is a divorce between the meaning the type is trying to communicate and its visual form.  ‘The death of the author’ has arisen in this case because of this divorce in a critical design relationship; the audience began to have an opinion on this decision to re- brand IKEA through type.  Beatrice Warde, who states that type should be invisible in order to communicate effectively, argues this point.  The only people who should notice type are the people who design it.  If the receivers recognise the type within design then the message (subject matter) is not being communicated successfully.  The viewer is then distracted by thoughts on design choices rather than the information in front of them.

With reference to Barthes ‘Death of the Author’, the reason there was so much response from the public was because ‘the author’ (IKEA) had failed at communicating ‘the symbol’, (their brand aura- personality and craft) because of this ‘writing begins’ through the customers of IKEA.  The audience has been challenged because of inconsistency within the re-brand; it forced them to think about something they had never noticed before.  One aspect that needs to be considered is how existing customers are going to react to the re- branding of a company.  Melissa Davis states that, ‘A repositioning can be a difficult tactic for a brand- while it may open the brand up to a new audience it may also alienate an existing one.’  ‘More than a name’, 2006 (pg 63).  In IKEAs case this rang true.  The general reaction was one of confusion that forced the question, ‘why?’  This change took away the focus from selling the product and put it on the change of typeface, which E.Lupton argues is a detrimental flaw within typographic design.  Good type should be transparent.

In conclusion, it is important to note that in some cases, brands do so well because they have kept consistency for such lengthy periods of time, forming a relationship of trust and reliability with their customers.  This can be relevant even in poor design choices.  If a brand keeps their style consistent for long enough it means that not only does the company have longevity for staying in business for so long, but it also means that whenever the audience sees this brand, they are seeing the same thing, reinforcing their image upon you.  ‘Legibility is only a matter of being used to something: it is the reader’s familiarity with faces that accounts for their legibility’ Licko, 1991, (pg.12) This could be true in the case of IKEA.  If they stick with Verdana for long enough people will accept it, and possibly even respect the change- they have to show strength in their decisions.  However, in answer to the initial question, on a technical level, the type now suits the company and their values more so than Futura.  Nevertheless, on a personal level, Futura was more suited, the audience related to this because of its transparency.  The re- brand only really had a measureable effect on the way designers perceived IKEA, there is little evidence to suggest that the audience then thought differently about the brand.  Initially there was a huge reaction from designers and public alike, but after time, the public lost interest and sales were not affected, signifying that the re- brand didn’t change the way people perceived the brand enough for profits to either increase or decrease.  Does this, therefore mean that type cannot change the way non- designers perceive a brand?  Or does it mean that respect can be lost or gained for a brand without effecting sales?

Bibliography:

Books:

Greenhalgh, P. (1993) ‘Quotations and Sources on design and the decorative arts.’  Manchester University Press.

Garfield, F. (2011) ‘Just my Type- a book about fonts.’  Profile Books.

Davis, M. (2009)‘The fundamentals of Branding.’  AVA publishing, 1^st Edition.

Baines, P. Haslam, A. (2005) ‘Type and typography’ Laurence King; 2 edition.

Unknown.  (2008) ‘Postmodernism: New typography for a new reader.’

Barthes, R.  (1967) ‘The death of the Author’

Airey, D.  (2009)  ‘Logo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities (Voices That Matter).’  New Riders; 1 Edition.

(2009) ‘IKEA.  Home is the most important place in the World.’

(2010) ‘IKEA.  New lower prices, same great quality’

Sites:

Abend, L. (2009) ‘The font war: Ikea Fans Fume over Verdana.’  Time.com

Unger, G. www.gerardunger.com

Challand, S.  (2009) ‘IKEA says goodbye to Futura.’  Idsgn.org

Essay Proposal / / [revised]

[Initial]
"It's not what you look at, it's what you see."  Henry David Thoreau.

A detailed examination into the heirarchy and grid system within two different articles on the same subject.  And the way in which this system is used by its designers to manipulate how the reader recieves the story.

Bibliography:

'The fundamentals of Graphic Design' 

Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris

'Grid systems in Graphic Design:  a visual communication manual for graphic designers, typographers, and three dimensional designers.'

Josef Muller Brockmann
'Design for communication: conceptual graphic design basics.'
Elizabeth Resnick
'The designer's Graphic Stew: Visual Ingredients, Techniques, and Layout.'
Timothy Samara
Design writing research.
Ellen Lupton, J. Abbot muller
Design Studies: theory and research in graphic design.
Audrey Bennett


                                                                                                    ------------------------------------------
I got very bored, very quickly of my previous subject matter.  It took me some time, but in the end I realised I could write something that I was actually interested in. 
So:


Essay Proposal:

Title / /

Why does a change in typeface within re- branding affect the way in which it is perceived by the audience?
Case Study / / 
IKEA & their change from Futura to Verdana within the re-branding of the product catalogue.  An analysis of the social reaction to this change.
Bibliography / / 
Books:

Garfield, F. (2011) ‘Just my Type- a book about fonts.’  Profile Books.

Davis, M. (2009)‘The fundamentals of Branding.’  AVA publishing, 1^st Edition.

Baines, P. Haslam, A. (2005) ‘Type and typography’ Laurence King; 2 edition.

Unknown.  (2008) ‘Postmodernism: New typography for a new reader.’Sites:

Abend, L. (2009) ‘The font war: Ikea Fans Fume over Verdana.’  Time.com

Unger, G. www.gerardunger.com

Challand, S.  (2009) ‘IKEA says goodbye to Futura.’  Idsgn.org

Deleuze, Guattari & creativity

Constructed nature of social reality
Creativity goes toward generative force
Contrasting 'Rhizomatic' with traditional 'tree-like' thought
Concepts of 'the visual' and 'the actual'

Faris May- 1970s & 80s philosopher and psychologist
In relation to student and worker protests, social change was being rethought.

Can be ongoing- doesn't have to be just one huge act of revolt.  

Doesn't always work, i.e. Paris student and worker protest.
 

Traditional thought - Tree-like
The lines of argument branch out from one central point that is the trunk.

Alternate structure of thought  

Rhizomatic.
Favours creativity / /

Rhizo from the plantform-like tree.
Rhizos are like wall climbing plants
i.e. ginger.  Grows underground and pushes up shoots. 

Produced ideas between users of a given language system

Dog / / log - by changing single letters in a word you can completely change it's meaning

Insight into the nature by which meaning is constructed between different language systems. 
/ / We need to embrace our connection with the reality surrounding us. Rhizos shape new ways of thinking / / practicing.

Isa Genzken  

Hospital (Ground zero) 2008
Things appear put together provisionally
Suggests the possibility of architectural construction that can be reconstructed.

Manipulative tool.

Home not necessarily a house

Places and language and how the two together can be meaningful

Graduation -
Given a diploma: "here's your diploma"
Statement underpinned with prepositions of what people are expected to do in these situation.

under currents in this statement of duty, get a job... well done, congratulations.

All about statements that enact their meaning:

"I DO"

"hoody" - person wearing a hood up. some kind of criminal tendencies.
History of assumptions surrounding 'hoodies'Tabloid press manipulates the reader into changing the way they feel about them constantly.
However, status of military is generally fixed.  Brings up some interesting questions.

Research further into this. 

/ / Subjectivation. 
Sense of self/identity is not given, it is always under construction.

How we as individuals are shaped by society

Schizo analysis 
Our psyche is shaped by our relationship to our parents growing up.

Freud is a tree-like thinker
psycho analysis is a practice aswell as a theory

set notion of who a person is
Through role play and discussion and suggestion etc therapists aim to reconfigure who that person is. 

Schizophrenia
The process of breakdown is the possibility for change and rehabilitation
- The unconscious is a factory that continually produces and constructs.
'Planting a tree in the mind of the individual.'

Socially constructed assemblages
i.e. psychological assemblages

Body without organs
De-territorialising from identity

Everything changes.
- Change in the term 'banker' and what it connotes to us
The Western thought is pre-occupied by identity
Difference for Deleuze and Guattari precedes identity
Even mountains are considered constructions

'real' is the relation between the thing itself and all its constituent parts
synthesis of change and perminance
Any object us a contingent construction

Panopticism / / Task

Choose an example of one aspect of contemporary culture that is, in your opinion, panoptic. Write an explanation of this, in approximately 200-300 words, employing key Foucauldian language, such as 'Docile Bodies' or 'self-regulation, and using not less than 5 quotes from the text 'Panopticism' in Thomas, J. (2000) 'Reading Images', NY, Palgrave McMillan. 

Religion / / GOD

Relationship between organised religion / / God and believer.

In this instance, I will be talking about the monotheist religion: Christianity.  Because followers believe in one God, the mental effects of panopticism are heightened. 
Religion, especially Christianity, is a perfect example of Jeremy Benthams: Panopticon, because in this case, everywhere in the World is in effect, the inspection house.  Any one with faith can be seen at any time, anywhere.


An extremely poignant quote from Loki in Kevin Smiths comedy 'Dogma':

"Through the Looking Glass". That poem, "The Walrus and the Carpenter" that's an indictment of organized religion. The walrus, with his girth and his good nature, he obviously represents either Buddha, or.. or with his tusk, the Hindu elephant god, Lord Ganesha. That takes care of your Eastern religions. Now the carpenter, which is an obvious reference to Jesus Christ, who was raised a carpenter's son, he represents the Western religions. Now in the poem, what do they do.. what do they do? They.. They dupe all these oysters into following them and then proceed to shuck and devour the helpless creatures en masse. I don't know what that says to you, but to me it says that following these faiths based on mythological figures ensure the destruction of one's inner-being. Organized religion destroys who we are by inhibiting our actions... by inhibiting our decisions, out of.. out of fear of some.. some intangible parent figure who... who shakes a finger at us from thousands of years ago and says.. and says, "Do it - Do it and I'll fuckin' spank you. “

- puts the Bible's teachings into a context / / language that I can understand.
 
Taking on this point of view, I will structure my argument accordingly.

In the eyes of a Christian, God is everywhere, 'the penetration of regulation into even the smallest details of everyday life.' (Foucault, 1977).  There is essentially no escape from the eyes of God.  One aim of Benthams panoptic model is that the prisoners had to be isolated from the rest of the inmates.  The Bible teaches that, 'For every man shall bear his own burden.'  Bible, Galatians vi. 5, every believer should be separate, 'Perfectly individualised and constantly visible' Foucault, 1977).  In relation to the model, God, with his omnispresent surveillance, is the central tower.  This central tower is used as a mechanism of power to strike fear in all that believe (prisoners), 
'He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (Bible, John 3:36.)

to exclaim that those who do not believe will feel the wrath of God is used as a controlling device to make sure those who have faith stay in line- do nothing wrong under his constant gaze.  They never have to physically see God to behave 'correctly', this is through fear of the teachings of the Bible / / preachers / / priests masses of the reprocussions of sinning.  Because of this mental shift that effects the way the body acts they become 'docile bodies'- doing what they think they should be doing because someone could possibly be watching them. 

'We walk by faith, not by sight.'  

Bible, 2 Corinthians v. 7.


HYMS. 
- reinforce Gods message.  Under the guise of a happy song. 
'The whole World in his hands'.  Given the thought, very sinister.  Signifies the control he has, and heightens the feeling of safety those who have faith hold.  Works both ways.