Study Task 5: Planning and Structuring an Essay

Suggested Research Question

• Identity
• How do consumers express their identity through the products they buy?
• How do consumers create their identity through products they buy?
• Music - How do album cover designs help create a consumer's identity?
• How do consumers express their identity through the music they consume?
• How does graphic design help create an identity (aesthetic) for a music genre?
• What are the aesthetic stereotypes to a music genre?
• Why do we correlate certain design to certain genres?

What is the problem? Why is it important or interesting?

• Identity of music genres - It's interesting as I can be focused one one music genre? Also, it'll enable me to explore the different design elements that make up design in music e.g. album cover art, creating a clear correlation between Graphic Design and the music industry. 

Which Academic Sources will you reference?

• Album Cover Album (Storm Thorgerson & Roger Dean)
• Consumer Psychology (Jansson-Boyd, Cathrine V. (2010)
• How do consumers express their identity through the choice of products that they buy? (Catherine Phillips 2003)

Case Studies (1-2 Contextual Examples)

6lack - Cutting Ties

Jay Park - Hulk Hogan

Dua Lipa - New Rules

Essay Map 

• Construct an essay map outlining at least FOUR main points of your arguments. 

1) How does the sound of music affect the aesthetic of the design?

2) How does this relate to group identity and social identity?
3) What and how are stereotypes made?
4) How are they specifically targeting their target audience?

Peer Feedback - How could this Essay Map be refined/develop?

• Centre it around a specific genre like Punk? 
• Punk - stereotypes and connotations e.g. D.I.Y was made by audience's as they made the posters themselves hence started the fad.

Thoughts & Reflection:

Through today's task I think I', getting a clear idea of which direction I'm going to take my essay on. Especially, through the first part where we were generating questions, I just started to drop down ideas that I had in my head at the moment, and because I was trying to think of which angle of Identity I wanted to take, I started to drop down ideas related to this. I thought of an essay that I read just the night before on how consumer identity is changed and a part of it was based around 'Food Identities' and how food and elements around it like veganism can change a person's identity. I thought this was really interesting therefore I thought of ideas which I'm particularly interested in, and as I said in previous blogs, I'm particularly interested in music, therefore directing my identity direction to music was only fitting. Also, in my PPP project I've contacted an album cover designer and he has mentioned how he goes for a more visualistic approach to his designs and take inspiration form the beats of the music, which can correlate to how a certain aesthetic is correlated to a genre. Furthermore, I also think that doing it about music will be quite interesting as I can talk about stereotypes, links between design elements and its characteristic with sound, consumer identity (group, self identity, social categorisation, emulation etc).  

My previous research have been centred towards general consumerism and identity however, now I will start to focus it more towards music and will probably choose a certain music genre in order to be more specific with my research and answers.

Identity in Relation to Consumerism

"people consciously or unconsciously base their consumption activities upon identity consumption"

"extended self" - possessions are considered with reference to and as an extension of consumption, thus continuing to reflect identity. 

Fetishism of Commodities (Marx, 1961, p72)

*Consumption theories -> Identity consumption 

1) 'consumers should choose the product which provided maximum utility for the disposable income they have where utility is the "satisfaction or pleasure derived from consuming a good". 

2) consumers choose products which closely match their current or aspired personalities -> "choosing products is relatively easy because one object is likely to strike us as "symbolically more harmonious with our goals,, feelings and self-definitions than another".  (Levy 1959) *helps us express our own originality e.g. the purchase of a watch may communicate one thing, such as need for timeliness, but the purchase of a Rolex watch demonstrates far more, potentially including status. 

3) 'Efficacy' - people/consumers like to be able to develop technical skills for personal satisfaction and social status. - Individuality from peers thus creating a new identity through something, e.g. sport, hobby. -> A sense on involvement in a community where money or other forms of status are not an issue. 

*Possession 

Possession can be linked to identity through how people put/measure the importance of a possession in their lives. Such as that traditionally people are buried with their possessions when they die or claiming ownership through licking it, touching etc. In addition the link to identity can also be shown through "loss of possession which can result in a lessening of self" which ='s to loss of identity in a way e.g. removal  of possession in prison. anger through possession being stolen -> "The utilitarian response to such feelings is that the loss of benefits provided by the objects is missed, not the objects themselves."(Belk, 1988)

*Extended Self

 (things, people,  places and body parts) 

*can be physically (e..g with something that helps us do something we can't normally do) OR

symbolically (a way to convince ourselves and other people that we are a different person through our belongings). 

1) Appropriation and Control - buying or consuming products (also gift-giving).

2) Creating product by oneself - *use of aptents and copyrights

3) Knowing someone or something - exists through name dropping etc. 

*further means of extending oneself is through money - "money enlarges the sense of self because it enlarges imaginable possibilities of all that we might have and do". 

Identity 

Used to be synonyms with occupations or with gender, age etc. however in this era occupation is not seen as identity anymore and people have the money and time to define themselves in other ways, and in an era pf 'empty self' there is the construction of 'self' that solves this predicament through consumer habits. Having these identity constructions helps brands to "advertise to the right people at the right time, targeting their marketing". Thus the introduction and usage of loyalty cards in order to monitor spending habits and identify loyal customer. 

Group Identity 

Group identity can be shown through a collective or sense of community such as through uniforms, team shirts, tattoos. It may also be through "subculture of consumption" like common ownership (Harley Davidson motorbike). Being able to do more than just buying the product but also indulging in the subcultures in it like, having piercings, tattoos, pins, bike customisation; as these are the things that are associated with the product therefore consuming these display the group identity and belonging in a group, commitment in the group and at the same time differentiating the group from others.

OR

Family - traditionally considered as a single unit however consumption decisions are rarely the same due to each member having different likes for products and services, 

Identity Transformation 

*How identity can be changed and developed through consumption. 

1) Through aesthetic change and surgery - being able to change oneself's appearance in order to appear more confident and confine to society's expectations. Also, makes people feel comfortable to the identity/roles they also shaped or act as a further catalyst in identity change. 

2) Change in environment (more of a gradual change) - e.g. discarding old clothes that "did not grow with the extended self" 

3) Teenage years - Most prevalent period of identity change as teenagers are very interested in consumption and identity. It's the times and part of life where people often go through various different phases in order to shape their 'real identity'. In addition, products bought often have "strong symbolisms and social functions". Through these years the sources where information are obtains are also varied such as through - "magazines, advertisements, films, peers, celebrities and music television". And, through these mediums teenagers base their identity through "their interpretations of consumption ideals prevalent in popular culture". Emulation can also come under this, as consumer may often buy products which are advertised by celebrities that they look up to in hope to be just like them, or feel like them )e.g. just as rich, beautiful, popular etc.) 

http://www.bath.ac.uk/management/research/pdf/2003-17.pdf

Thoughts & Reflection:

Through this research, I've found quite a lot about identity itself and the different sub-content within it, however linking it back to design, I felt that only a tiny bit of the research was strongly relevant to my practice. 

For example, I've found the idea of the consumption theories to be particularly useful as it talks about the actual types products consumed by consumers such as having high utility use, and linking it back to their identity. Linking this back to Graphic Design, this may come under the aesthetic of the product, the characteristics it evoke, how the design has been branded in order to appeal to a certain audience etc.

Study Task 4 - Identity & Consumption

Consumer Psychology - Jansson-Boyd, Cathrine V. (2010)

What is meant by multiple identities?

Multiple identities is the idea that a person or a consumer is able to have various different identities depending on the situation and setting that they are in e.g. acting as a lawyer by day and by day and night acting as a mother of three children. Multiple identities can also be shaped through products used by consumers so much so that consumers consume different products in relation to these identities in order to further establish and reinforce them.  

How are identities formed?

The concept of identity is part of human nature and start from a very young age from a baby recognising themselves through a mirror, through more complex develops in teenage years and being influenced by family, peers, school, environment, society and adulthood by incorporating political and religious beliefs, physical appearance, group membership, age and possessions that describe who they are. In addition, being able to embody different characteristics also show that identity is multi-dimensional. Adding to this, people can also have multiple identities however as us humans have a 'basic need to simplify and impose order on the world' we often simply people in order for us to identity our relationship with the person as well as, who they are and what they represent. Furthermore, we also compare ourselves to other s and cosign with groups often subconsciously in an attempt to know the differences and similarities we have with others and through these processes we are able to know who we are as people and our own identity.

What is social categorisation?

Social categorisation is the idea of that of us being able to categorise ourselves within a group or being able to categorise a group through objects and material possession that they own. Due to this we often depersonalise people as we think of them as a representational 'thing' of a group rather than them as individuals. Hence, individuals themselves are subject to stereotypes regarding the group that they are in. An issue with this is that as people are categorised through object perception it raises the question of whether or not they are representative of what the person is really like. 

What is social comparison? 

Social comparison is the idea of "understanding oneself...through comparison with other people". Social comparison is driven from the desire of positive self-esteem and group belongingness. 

*Downward Social Comparison - comparing ourselves to others who do worse in order to appear better.

*Upwards Social Comparison - comparing oneself to something/someone of 'ideal' characteristics which can have a harmful effect. This is particular with comparisons to 'ideal' media standards and consumer culture. Such as buying a product in order to feel a sense of belonging to the idealistic character that the product is advertising. Furthermore, through this it also shows how individuals base their comparisons through products and brands. Also, although consumer choices ought to be individualistic, people may still think something is better than another, as individuals will associate these ideas to the kind of groups that they want to belong to thus seeing is as something better and somewhat idealistic.

What is social identity theory?

Social Identity is "that part of the individual's self-concept which derives from their knowledge of their membership of a social group (or groups) together with the value and emotional significance of that memberships" With this, groups collectively consume the same brands or products in order to differentiate themselves from others, however to be able to get others attention they consume products and service which have a "clear symbolic value", proving that products often have meaning and value through advertising and marketing techniques. At the same time marketers offer individual solutions as to how they can achieve full group membership or signal that they want to be part of that group. 

What is an example of strong brand identification?

Brand identification is linked to material possession. For example, Macintosh users having a stronger brand identification as they may feel like they are 'part of a small closely knit community'. Similarly, in today's era, Mac's have certain attributes linked to it such as being high quality, expensive, superior therefore people will more likely to hold a stronger brand identity with it. In addition, narcissist may hold a stronger brand identification than others. As they are people who like to seek reaction and admiration from others they are more likely to purchase products that have greater symbolic value in order to feel more superior.

*Self Fulfilling Prophecy 

The idea in which we as people will have certain expectations of other's based on the products they consume, the services they use and things they have and through this people can also alter the way they are perceive by consuming the 'right' products which in turn can change other's behaviours towards them and vice versa. 

What are the negative effects on body image?

Due to 'ideal identities' being advertised and promoted through the media, both men and women (especially) have negative thoughts towards their own physically form, though most would say that physical attributes are not as important as intellectual, emotional or spiritual qualities. However, we can still see that people who are close to the 'ideal identities' are treated better than those who are not. 

Linking to this  is the media's constant bombardment of the 'perfect body' which in turn suggest to consumers that body appearance is part of self identity. This is also presented from a young age such as children playing with Barbie dolls, which in turn making children look up to Barbie as the perfect. It's also particularly worse in teenage years as they are constantly exposed to the media they are likely to encounter these, making them think that their appearance are not good enough for society's standard and therefore try to change their appearance. However, because society's standards are impossible to attain they become stuck on a 'treadmill of destruction' which in turn make them buy more products and services in the hopes that it will make them feel better and achieve what they want. Moreover, not only is this most applicable to teenagers however through adulthood too and it more prevalent in today's digital era and our constant exposure to the media in all sorts of medium like social media sites.

What is self-discrepancy theory?

Self-Discrepancy theory is the idea of us people having  sets of expectations and associations objects or ourselves. There are three types to this:

• Actual Self - the way people are at the present point in time.
• Ideal Self - the self that we aspire to be.
• Ought Self - the way we think we should be.

Ideal Self helps us to strive to what we aspire to be though at the same time ought self prevents use from doing things that we think aren't in line on how we should be. Also, it's important that there aren't any difference from this types, such as that if there is a difference between ideal and actual self a person may feel disappointed or worse if there is a discrepancy between actual and ought self it may led to fears and anxiety. And, if people have high discrepancies they may suffer from low self-esteem which can lead to them engaging in 'identity seeking buying behaviour' where they start to buy products in hopes of achieving the ideal or ought self. 

However, this can be prevented or stopped if the media will use the 'right' tactics in their advertisements. Such as that, using 'average' people in advertisement may make people feel better as naturally we like to compare ourselves to others. Not only that but it may also make consumers to start denying the 'ideal beauty standard' exposed to them. It may also be beneficial if people who are perceived as less attractive are used to further help boost consumer self-esteem. *Ex. Dove 'real beauty' campaign.

Identity and Consumption

Focus on identity first in this lecture -  why and how you use and wear a product / consumerism/ what does a brand/product say about you as an individual?

What is identity?

Who you are and what you think about yourself - how you present yourself/ how you want people to view you. Your personality/ interests/ characteristics. 

What is consumption?

Buying/using a resource in some way - taking something and taking it. There are things that are made to be consumed by us. 

How are they related? 

How is consumption an identity? How are they related? - You could choose to buy something from a brand or a product and make that their identity or part of their identity. Tapping into the brand - part of their characteristics.

Make a list of 10 brands that you buy into?

Zara

Alpro Milk

Apple

San Miguel

Cafe Nero

Morrisons

Mango

Victoria Secret

Colgate

Nongshim 

Choose one and why?

Zara - The aesthetic of the clothes fit my style the best and are very very good quality. I also think they are a good price for the quality and I'm getting the best out of my money as the clothes last for a long time and the style stays trendy for a long time.

*Bruno Munari - products are objects of interest and we buy into brands and their products through their aesthetics. 

*John Heskett - they are objects/products that we use and buy into to shape our identity and image. The consumer can choose to do this or a company or brand can do this. *Building your own identity/image/status/memory/social. Consumer culture can help you socialise - e.g. basically dressing/ using brands associated to some social culture etc. 

HIERARCHY OF NEEDS (MAZLOW)

Purple - the basic needs of people/ food, water, warmth

Green - Safety needs- security, safety

Yellow - Belongingess and love needs - intimate relationships, friends

Blue - prestige and feeling of accpmplishments

Self-actualisation - make you 'whole' as a person - the peak/ the idea that when you meet all the needs you're more able to do make pursuits, creativity, problem solving, morality, accepting people. 

ACHIEVING YOUR FULL POTENTIAL.

Who are they aimed at? (Audience) - Nike try to aim their adverts to the youth and youth culture, athletes or sporty people as their primary consumers. 

What is their message? - In general they want to encourage the youth and their consumers to be active and to be more conscious about social/political issues, especially with the newer more modern adverts. 

How do they meet needs or promote needs? (Mazlow) - The  meet the esteem and self actualisation parts of the pyramid as they give the consumers make consumers feel confident. Individuality/ one against everyone else. One against a manmade machine. 

How do they play into or form an individual's identity?  -  They make the consumer feel confident and feel like they are taking action and supporting what the brand is promoting through wearing the shoes.

In the end we as consumers are being sold 'values' by brands -  a senses of belonging, needs, safety, confidence - overall identity. 

*Steven Miles - Consumerism as  a Way of Life 

'whether a consumer culture encourages individual freedom and expression or whether it actually serves painstakingly to construct the parameters within which people consume. In effect, dow we as consumers design our own lifestyle or are those lifestyles designed for us?' 

Study Task 3: Parody & Pastiche

Felluga on Jameson's Pastiche

• postmodern parody = 'blank parody' without any political bite
• parody has been replaced by pastiche in modern age
• "Pastiche is, like parody, the imitation of a peculiar or unique, idiosyncratic style, the wearing of a linguistic mask, speech in a dead language. But it is a neutral practice of such mimicry, without any of parody's ulterior motives, amputated of the satiric impulse, devoid of laughter."
• "the past as 'referent' finds itself gradually bracketed, and then effaced altogether, leaving us with nothing but texts"
• examples:
• postmodern archtiecture -"randomly and without principle but with gusto cannibalizes all the architectural styles of the past and combines them in overstimulating ensembles" 
• nostalgia films - we approach "the 'past' through stylistic connotation, conveying 'pastness' by the glossy qualities of the image, and '1930s-ness' or '1950s-ness' by the attributes of fashion" 
• postmodern historical novels - "This historical novel can no longer set out to represent the historical past; it can only 'represent' our ideas and stereotypes about that past (which thereby at once becomes 'pop history')" 

Felluga on Hutcheon's Parody

• one of the main features that distinguishes postmodernism from modernism is the fact the it "takes the form of self-conscious, self-contradictory, self-undermining statement"
• "Parody—often called ironic quotation, pastiche, appropriation, or intertextuality—is usually considered central to postmodernism, both by its detractors and its defenders"
• "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"
• she values postmodernism's willingness to question all ideological positions, all claims to ultimate truth.
• Postmodern film does not deny that it is implicated in capitalist modes of production, because it knows it cannot. Instead it exploits its 'insider' position in order to begin a subversion from within, to talk to consumers in a capitalist society in a way that will get us where we live, so to speak"

*WHAT IS BEING DISCUSSED IN EACH TEXT?

*WHAT IS JAMESON'S DEFINITION OF PARODY AND PASTICHE? QUOTE?

*WHAT IS HUTCHEON'S DEFINITION OF PARODY AND PASTICHE AND HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO JAMESON'S DEFINITIONS? QUOTES?

*WHAT IS HUTCHEON'S CRITICISMS OF JAMESON?

WHAT ARE JAMESON'S AND HUTCHEON'S POSITION ON MODERNISM AND POSTMODERNISM?

Linda Hutcheon 'The Politics of Postmodernism: Parody and History

• postmodernism is a fundamentally cont

  radictory 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 (p 180)

critism of jameson -  

Postmodernist ironic recall of history is neither nostalgia nor aesthetic "cannibalization." Nor can it be reduced to the glibly decorative. '' It is true, however, that it does not offer what Jameson desires -"genuine historicity," that is, in his terms, "our social, historical and existential present and the past as 'referent' " as "ultimate objects,"'

But its deliberate refusal to do so is not a naive one: what postmodernism does is to contest the very

possibility of there ever being "ultimate objects." It teaches and enacts the recognition of the fact that social, historical, and existential "reality" is discursive reality when it is used as the referent of art, and so the only "genuine historicity" becomes that which would openly acknowledge its own discursive, contingent identity. The past as referent is not bracketed or effaced, as Jameson would like to believe: it is incorporated and modified, given new and different life and meaning. p 182

• *Rather than looking at parody as blatant copying or unoriginal almost mocking or disrespecting the "ultimate objects" as Jameson implies, she sees parody as a way to see through these objects and the past and create something that is elevated and modified from the past which in turn has a new meaning and life.

"But the looking to both the aesthetic and historical 

past in postmodernist architecture is anything but what Jameson de

scribes as pastiche, that is, "the random cannibalization of all the styles 

of the past, the play of random stylistic allusion."22 There is absolutely 

nothing random or "without principle" in the parodic recall and re-

examination of the past by architects like Charles Moore or Ricardo 

Bofill. To include irony and play is never necessarily to exclude serious

ness and purpose in postmodernist art. To misunderstand this is to 

misunderstand the nature of much contemporary aesthetic production

 even if it does make for neater theorizing." p 186

Frederic Jameson 'Postmodernism: Or the Cultural logic of late capitalism'

• 'Pastiche is, like parody, the imitation of a peculiar or unique, idiosyncratic style, the wearing of a linguistic mask, speech in a dead language." p 17
• Pastiche is merely a mimicry and emulation, whereas parody is almost mockery and disrepectful . 'neutral practice of mimicry' p 17
• 'faced with these ultimate objects- our social, historical, and existential present, and the past as 'referent' - the incompatibility of apostmodernist 'nostalgia' art language with genuine historicity becomes dramatically apparent.' p 19

Summarisation of Parody and Pastiche 

Hutcheon and Jameson have opposing view about parody and pastiche as one argues that it's degrading of the 'real past' of 'historicity' whilst one argue that it is through perhaps postmodernism, parody and pastiche that new things emerge and given new life and meaning. 

Hutcheon sees parody and pastiche as a way of recognising '

the fact that social, historical, and existential "reality" is discursive reality..' p 182. She sees parody and pastiche as a way to evaluate the past and for post modernist and postmodernism to 

create something that is elevated and modified from the past which in turn has a new meaning and life. In contrast Jameson sees parody as very satirical and almost disrespectful of the 'ultimate objects', whilst pastiche is more of a 'blank parody', 'the imitation of a peculiar or unique, idiosyncratic style, the wearing of a linguistic mask, speech in a dead language'p 17. It is here that Hutcheon criticises Jameson's points as she points out that 'postmodernist ironic recall of history is 

neither nostalgia nor aesthetic "cannibalization"' p 182. It is deliberate to the fact that it aims to elevate the designs of the past in order to find something new and exciting. For example, pastiche work of Victorian print advertising, showcases and references the style and effect of the design whilst achieving an outcome that is appreciative of the design as opposed to mockery. However, on the other hand, like Jameson said, parody can also be seen as mockery, for example, a parody movie of the 2008 trilogy 'Twilight', 'Vampire Suck' 2010, shows deliberate bad acting and over the top lines, which jabs at the fact that the original movie acting was bad and hints at the fact that the overall plot of the movie was bad. In this way, we can understand that parody can be of mocking and satire. 

Study Task 2: Ethical Graphic Design? *THINK PIECE*

, *How ethics impacts on the practice of Graphic Design*

'Can Designers Save the World? (And Should They Try)'Nico MacDonald, 2001

"...our culture is one of participation, and not participating is one of the most subversive and disturbing things you can do."

• refusal is most effective when it is deliberate and intentional. 
• silence and refusal are important because they challenge rampant consumerism without adding to it.
• "Ethical design in some sense is a response to a sense of political powerlessness: designers are urged to get off the fence and act".  p. 18 (Cameron cited in MacDonald, 2001). 
• In First things First (2000) - roles of designers have become people who help companies push inessential products with no useful social ends to costumers.
• "It'd vision of consumer capitalism is a stark one: Human beings have little or no critical faculties. They embrace the products of Disney, GM, Calvin Klein and Philip Morris not because they like them or because the products have any intrinsic merit, but because designer puppetmasters have hypnotized them with things like colors and typefaces." p. 19 (Bierut cited in MacDonald, 2000).
• 'We should also be aware that as designers we can indeed make a great difference to the world by building on what we know how to do already. Key skills in the designer process include being able to conceptualize and weigh up a multi-dimensional problem, consider scenarios or use, think laterally and creatively, evaluate ideas and communicate effectively.' p. 20
• '...for designers to be more effective at ensuring that their skills are applied to products that actually make a difference to people's lives they would do well do understand better the world around us, from a political, business, social trends, economic and technological perspective.
• To create better design, us as designer should be able to understand the users and audience better (not imposing our own views and values on them but treat them as individuals needing effective and satisfying design solutions. 
• Improve our relationship with our clients --> applying some good design thinking can guarantee that ur insights will be taken more seriously and will benefit real people at the end. 

'A Manifesto With Ten Footnotes'Michael Bierut, 2007

• "ad agencies have treated designers as stylists for hire, ready to put the latest gloss of the sales pitch" p. 27
• "Consumer culture is an oxymoron" p. 28 (Kalman cited in Bierut 2007)
• "What I am suggesitng...is that we make some attempt to identity, and to identify with, our real clients: the public. They may not be the ones who apy us, not the ones who give us our diplomas and degree. But if they are to be the final recipients of out work, they're the ones who matter" p. 31 (Garland cited in Bierut, 2007)

'Is it okay to be happy?' Lucienne Roberts, 2006

• "Although our practice is grounded in commerce and the requirements of a brief, it can still deliver joy and delight and certainly can enhance the quality of life for all concerned" p 67 (Roberts, 2006)
• *Self expression - 'compromising our desires is sometimes appropriate and inevitable' p 67 (Roberts, 2006)

*How ethics impacts on the practice of Graphic Design*

Ethics is an important part of design as  it's a sensitive topic which argues between a designers freedom of self expression or a designers role being to help agencies and companies create ads that persuade and manipulate. Discussed heavily in the original First Things First manifesto is the fact that designers are helping agencies push products that have no real value to its consumers, which presumably is going against the principles of Graphic Design. As said by Michael Bierut (cited in MacDonald 2001, p 20) 'They embrace the products of Disney, GM, Calvin Klein and Philip Morris not because they like them or because the products have any intrinsic merit, but because designer puppetmasters have hypnotized them with things like colors and typefaces', implying that through the design of the advertisements consumers are being lured in to consume products that they don't necessarily need but want in order to improve their social status or identity. On the other hand, Garland, stated after the publication of First Things First, that perhaps if designers focus their aim at understanding the 'real clients' of the design then perhaps everything is worthwhile. Similarly, Lucienne Roberts said in her essay 'Is it okay to be Happy?', 'Although our practice is grounded in commerce and the requirements of a brief, it can still deliver joy and delight and certainly can enhance the quality of life for all concerned' p 67 (Roberts, 2006). Not just because designers are 'told' what to do doesn't mean they can express excitement through their designs. 

Ambiguity and Truth 'The Road to Hell' by Milton Glaser

Today we had a lecture about ethics in design and learnt about the different aspects and angles in which ethic can come under and how it can affect designers and the corporate world in general. We looked at Milton Glaser's 'The Road to Hell' from his essay 'Ambiguity & Truth'. The questions were gradually meant to become 'uncomfortable' as you read on, and as I was reading it I did feel a bit weird and became more conscious of of my won believes and I became to actually question myself if I would actually do it. I also felt that the questions challenges peoples personal beliefs and morals as they are quite controversial and talks about topics in society the environment and politics. Thinking, about when the actual essay was wrote during the 1960's; designers back then were treated more tools rather than people themselves. The designs in those era lacked morals and ethics, such as very sexist advertisements etc. The questions in this essay would've been very much relevant in those days and changed the way designers and design was seen. At the same time, the questions are still relevant today as well in my opinion, only that we are more aware of ethics and morals, as well as the fact that people and consumer's themselves are more aware of corporate designs and are more literate in advertisements and have stronger ethics and morals in general.

We also discussed corporate responsibilities in general and in terms of design. We thought that as designers we should be aware of who and what we are designing for, therefore doing thorough research about the corporation and their own code of conduct was important as it meant that as designers we could also try and align our own ethics and morals with theirs or and accepting their own values as everyone will have different morals and personal values. In addition, we also thought it might be for corporations to take care of their public image in order to gain and keep their loyal consumers. It also shows that the company itself is being aware of the social, cultural, political and environmental issues, therefore they themselves engaging in programs in which they show that they are trying to improve or help a situation as well as create advertising and design which relate to this issues. 

Thoughts & Reflection:

Overall, I thought the lecture was quite helpful and very informative. It made me questions my own personal values and morals for my design practice and in general, which I found really beneficial as I've never really thought about these kind of things before  - not that deeply anyways. In addition, it may also help me with my own research for the area of design that I want to know more about and how ethics can affect and take part in the area. For example, I feel like if I picked an area in advertising or branding, ethics will be a huge part of the considerations that needed to be done for it. Furthermore, I think it also links to my PPP module were we were taking about manifesto's and personal beliefs and ethics, therefore looking at ethics in more in depth in this lecture may also help me think more carefully about my own manifesto for PPP.