Establishing a Research Question - Studio Task 03 - OUGD501

OUGD501 – STUDY TASK 3 – ESTABLISHING A RESEARCH QUESTION

Suggested Research Question. This can be a topic or theme, but please try to be as precise as possible.

Look at the affect that trends and the attitude of a throwaway society has had on the value of good design. Examples may include how furniture shops like Ikea tend to use unsustainable materials, and the average lifespan of their products is questionable when their products are compared to renowned industrial designers such as Charles and Ray Eames.  In addition to this, one major point of interest is the recent rebrand of Channel 4, question whether the change was necessary when in comparison to their older, iconic screen/print campaign. Use older movements like Modernism and Post-Modernism to validate the above points through parody and pastiche. For example Vingelli and Carson, how did the modernist 'rules' spark a rebellion within the post-modern community. Move on to a more recent example of rebellion within graphic design, like 'hipster' trends and how it reduces the need for concept and deeper thought.

Which Of The Module Resources Does This Question Relate To? You can find these on eStudio - Try to list at least three.

Branding New Media Advertising Industrial/Furniture Design Visual Communication Corporate Identity Visual Trends

Which Academic Sources Are Available On The Topic? Include a Harvard Referenced bibliography of at least 5 sources.

McLuhan, M. and Fiore, Q.(1967) The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects: Gingko Press. London. Cooer, Tim. (2010) Longer Lasting Products: Alternatives To The Throwaway Society: Gower Publishing Ltd. Surrey. Kirkham, Pat. (1998) Charles and Ray Eames: Designers of the Twentieth Century: The MIT Press. Cambridge McDermott, Catherine. (2007) Design: The Key Concepts: Routledge. Oxon. Brownie, Barbara. (2014) Transforming Type: New Directions in Kinetic Typography: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. London. Doust, R. and Austin, T. (2007) New Media Design. London: Lawrence King. Edelman, D. (2010) Branding in the Digital Age: You’re Spending Your Money in All the Wrong Places. Harvard: Harvard Business Review. Hutcheon, Linda. (1989) The Politics of Post-Modernism. Routledge: London.

How Could The Research Question Be Investigated Through Practice? What Graphic Design would you make in response to this, and why?

Possibly respond to the Channel 4 branding. Create my own idea of something that would be more appropriate in terms of improving on their older branding, yet giving it a more fresh, up-to-date feel that will last longer than the current ident.

Peer Feedback – How could this topic be refined / developed? Show this form to a fellow student. They should record their feedback in the box below

Look at more graphic design examples Make sure that more current trends are analysed Only use art movements before the digital age as a small factor in the argument