The ongoing conflict in Palestine had always been an interest of mine, especially the situation in the Gaza Strip, which is home to 1,500,000 people, and in the winter of 2008, was subjected to air strikes by Israeli forces. Codenamed Operation ‘Cast Lead’, the attacks lasted from late December until mid January, and during this time, 1400 Palestinians were killed, and large areas of Gaza destroyed, leaving many thousands homeless. The stated aim behind the atrocity was to end rocket attacks into Israel by armed groups affiliated with Hamas and other Palestinian factions.
My initial intention was to recreate a section of the 703 kilometre long ‘Separation Barrier’ which is built around the West Bank, dividing Israel and Palestine. However, as my research developed, I chose instead to design a layered piece, secured by rivets, with each layer representing a different section of the history concerning the conflict. The segment which depicts the photograph of the woman at an anti apartheid demonstration was to epitomise peaceful protest and the reaction of people all over the world as the events unfold in Gaza. The brass etching of the mosque was to symbolise the destruction of the heritage of the Palestinian people, and the wire fencing represents part of the ‘Separation Barrier’ and the people trapped behind it.
Colette Brown
‘Narrative Project’
Jewellery & Metal Design
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Monday, 4 October 2010
Semester 1, Assignment 1: Wiki Article
Colette Brown
Jewellery and Metal Design
What is Branding?
A brand is a name, logo, symbol, slogan or colour combination that is used to identify a product, service or business. A brand is often used to project its companies’ values and objectives, and to communicate what the brand stands for, when reaching out to its audience; “Through the use of bright color [sic] and clever design elements, the Conseco Worksite logo communicates our mission and our energetic approach …” (Chordas, L, 2007).
The inspiration for brand names can come from a variety of sources and the most commonly used types are:
Creator/Family Name: the name is usually the surname of the person responsible for creating the concept, product or service e.g. Disney
Geographic: based on where the product was created and/or where it is manufactured e.g. Fuji Film
Descriptive: the name describes the product or services function
Abbreviations: the name is made up using initials e.g. IBM
Fabricated/Invented: completely made up words e.g. Wii
A Brief History of Branding
Branding was developed in the 19th century during the industrial revolution, when it became increasingly important for manufacturers to “create identifiable names and symbols to make their products stand out from their competitors” (Vaid, H, 2003). A brand is built, primarily through exposure through advertising. In the 1950s, branding and advertising took off on a much larger scale due to the invention and the availability of the television, and other methods such as radio, newspaper, magazines and other print advertising and the Internet have all been widely exploited. A brand can then begin to establish a reputation, and if successful, can create instant association with their product or service e.g. a McDonalds restaurant conveys to the consumer that they will be able to purchase cheap, fast food from them. The goal of the majority of companies is to become globally recognisible, therefore enabling them to amass sizable profit, whilst maintaining a consistent product or service, and constantly improving their advertising to keep them ahead of the competition of rival organisations.
Brand names which have been hugely successful through advertising and through continually providing a good service or product, have infiltrated their way into daily usage. Nowadays, it is common to refer to a vacuum cleaner as a ‘Hoover’, regardless of the company which produced them, as the brand becomes synonymous with the product. Customers often refer to adhesive tape as ‘Scotch tape’ or ‘Sellotape’, regardless of the company that has manufactured the tape, due to the aforementioned companies domination of the market.
When the brand is recognisable to the point that the name of the company is no longer required in order for the product to be distinguishable, but merely the logo or symbol to be present, it is the highest level of achievement for a business. Many companies have had such successful advertising campaigns, through billboards, television and radio advertisements, that the viewer knows exactly which product is being portrayed before the brand even appears on the screen. One such television advert was ‘Surfer’, used to promote ‘Guinness’, the popular Irish alcoholic beverage, and it first made it’s debut in 1999, and went on to become hugely famous. ‘Surfer’ depicted four men riding a colossal wave, whilst the foam generated by the force of the sea, transformed into several huge white horses, and the music track ‘Phat Planet’ by British band, Leftfield, played in the background, becoming increasingly louder as the advert progressed. ‘Surfer’ won a Gold Lion in Cannes in 1999 and was voted number 1 in the ’100 Greatest TV Adverts of all time, a poll run jointly by The Sunday Times and Channel 4 two years later in 2001. The slogan the advert was trying to project was “Good things come to those who…”, but in the success the advert had in becoming so hugely famous, and indeed in other similar campaigns, the original message has been lost, and it is the advert itself which sticks in the consumers mind, and through association, leads back to the brand.
The logo for The Coca Cola Company, one of world's most widely recognised brands.
(Image from: http://www.anh-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/coca-cola_logo_script.jpg)
Relevance of Branding to Design Practise
Usually a company begins with a concept; the invention of a product or service that will in some way enrich peoples lives. This can be the invention of a product that is faster or more convenient in completing a task than a previous product, or it can be a completely new product that the market has unfulfilled need for. Once the concept has been established, the design process can begin; the long arduous task of experimenting and probing until the product is ready to go out onto the market. For huge multinational companies such as Nike, there is a team of inventors and designers working round the clock to create the latest and most competitive product on the market, and enabling them to stay one step ahead of their rivals. For these massive companies, having a ready supply of experts is necessary as they are working within a very specific area and need to have all the facts and information there when creating their vision. The design process plays a huge role in the lead up to the finished product, but at the end when the product or service has been finished and is ready to go out into the world, there needs to be a powerful advertising campaign behind it, to raise consumers interest and persuade them to purchase.
For an already successful brand, this is simply a method of staying one step ahead of the game and thinking up new and more innovative ways of promoting their product. However, for a small and not quite as successful a company, group or individual designer, this can be an extremely difficult process of breaking into the market. Branding helps further and promote a product or service and establishing a brand is vital in gaining interest and therefore profit. Depending on the nature of the service or product and its target audience, the design of the packaging and advertising must be tailored to its individual needs. For instance, Camel cigarettes, introduced by American company R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, are sold in packets which have a dromedary camel on the front and on the back of the packet, is a scene featuring mosques and bazaars, which is in keeping with the idea of an exotic faraway land as suggested by the name.
Raymond Loewy was a designer working in the 20th century and is responsible for some of the worlds most hugely recognisable logos and designs, such as the slender Coca Cola bottle and the oil company, Shell logo. By designing these iconic pieces that are still used today, he increased sales and one such example is when the American Tobacco Company (ATC) commissioned Lowey to redesigned the packet for Lucky Strike cigarettes. Loewy changed the packet from green to white which increased product visibility and cut costs, as it eliminated the need for green dye. By improving the packaging in a small but significant way, Loewy aided in increasing the companies profit. Although the brand was already successful and established, a designer can improve on its current packaging by making it stand out more and have more of an impact of the consumer, therefore increasing sales and ultimately profit.
Bibliography
Chiaravalle, B, Findlay Schenck, B, (2010), Popular Types of Brand Names, Wiley Publishing
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/popular-types-of-brand-names.html
Chordas, L, (2007), Cosenco Worksite, http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Conseco+Worksite.-a0171581725
Mono, (2002), Branding: From Brief to Finished Solution, Switzerland, RotoVision SA
http://www.raymondloewy.com/
Reeves, R, (2006), Paradoxes of Perception, Management Today, Haymarket Publishing Services Ltd
Thibodeau, M, Martin, J, (2000), Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Branding and Design in Cigarette Packaging, New York, Abbeville Press
Unknown, (2002), Surfer, the Guiness TV Advert, http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A767207.
Vaid, H, (2003), Branding, Cambridge, The Illex Press Ltd
Jewellery and Metal Design
What is Branding?
A brand is a name, logo, symbol, slogan or colour combination that is used to identify a product, service or business. A brand is often used to project its companies’ values and objectives, and to communicate what the brand stands for, when reaching out to its audience; “Through the use of bright color [sic] and clever design elements, the Conseco Worksite logo communicates our mission and our energetic approach …” (Chordas, L, 2007).
The inspiration for brand names can come from a variety of sources and the most commonly used types are:
Creator/Family Name: the name is usually the surname of the person responsible for creating the concept, product or service e.g. Disney
Geographic: based on where the product was created and/or where it is manufactured e.g. Fuji Film
Descriptive: the name describes the product or services function
Abbreviations: the name is made up using initials e.g. IBM
Fabricated/Invented: completely made up words e.g. Wii
A Brief History of Branding
Branding was developed in the 19th century during the industrial revolution, when it became increasingly important for manufacturers to “create identifiable names and symbols to make their products stand out from their competitors” (Vaid, H, 2003). A brand is built, primarily through exposure through advertising. In the 1950s, branding and advertising took off on a much larger scale due to the invention and the availability of the television, and other methods such as radio, newspaper, magazines and other print advertising and the Internet have all been widely exploited. A brand can then begin to establish a reputation, and if successful, can create instant association with their product or service e.g. a McDonalds restaurant conveys to the consumer that they will be able to purchase cheap, fast food from them. The goal of the majority of companies is to become globally recognisible, therefore enabling them to amass sizable profit, whilst maintaining a consistent product or service, and constantly improving their advertising to keep them ahead of the competition of rival organisations.
Brand names which have been hugely successful through advertising and through continually providing a good service or product, have infiltrated their way into daily usage. Nowadays, it is common to refer to a vacuum cleaner as a ‘Hoover’, regardless of the company which produced them, as the brand becomes synonymous with the product. Customers often refer to adhesive tape as ‘Scotch tape’ or ‘Sellotape’, regardless of the company that has manufactured the tape, due to the aforementioned companies domination of the market.
When the brand is recognisable to the point that the name of the company is no longer required in order for the product to be distinguishable, but merely the logo or symbol to be present, it is the highest level of achievement for a business. Many companies have had such successful advertising campaigns, through billboards, television and radio advertisements, that the viewer knows exactly which product is being portrayed before the brand even appears on the screen. One such television advert was ‘Surfer’, used to promote ‘Guinness’, the popular Irish alcoholic beverage, and it first made it’s debut in 1999, and went on to become hugely famous. ‘Surfer’ depicted four men riding a colossal wave, whilst the foam generated by the force of the sea, transformed into several huge white horses, and the music track ‘Phat Planet’ by British band, Leftfield, played in the background, becoming increasingly louder as the advert progressed. ‘Surfer’ won a Gold Lion in Cannes in 1999 and was voted number 1 in the ’100 Greatest TV Adverts of all time, a poll run jointly by The Sunday Times and Channel 4 two years later in 2001. The slogan the advert was trying to project was “Good things come to those who…”, but in the success the advert had in becoming so hugely famous, and indeed in other similar campaigns, the original message has been lost, and it is the advert itself which sticks in the consumers mind, and through association, leads back to the brand.
The logo for The Coca Cola Company, one of world's most widely recognised brands.
(Image from: http://www.anh-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/coca-cola_logo_script.jpg)
Relevance of Branding to Design Practise
Usually a company begins with a concept; the invention of a product or service that will in some way enrich peoples lives. This can be the invention of a product that is faster or more convenient in completing a task than a previous product, or it can be a completely new product that the market has unfulfilled need for. Once the concept has been established, the design process can begin; the long arduous task of experimenting and probing until the product is ready to go out onto the market. For huge multinational companies such as Nike, there is a team of inventors and designers working round the clock to create the latest and most competitive product on the market, and enabling them to stay one step ahead of their rivals. For these massive companies, having a ready supply of experts is necessary as they are working within a very specific area and need to have all the facts and information there when creating their vision. The design process plays a huge role in the lead up to the finished product, but at the end when the product or service has been finished and is ready to go out into the world, there needs to be a powerful advertising campaign behind it, to raise consumers interest and persuade them to purchase.
For an already successful brand, this is simply a method of staying one step ahead of the game and thinking up new and more innovative ways of promoting their product. However, for a small and not quite as successful a company, group or individual designer, this can be an extremely difficult process of breaking into the market. Branding helps further and promote a product or service and establishing a brand is vital in gaining interest and therefore profit. Depending on the nature of the service or product and its target audience, the design of the packaging and advertising must be tailored to its individual needs. For instance, Camel cigarettes, introduced by American company R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, are sold in packets which have a dromedary camel on the front and on the back of the packet, is a scene featuring mosques and bazaars, which is in keeping with the idea of an exotic faraway land as suggested by the name.
Raymond Loewy was a designer working in the 20th century and is responsible for some of the worlds most hugely recognisable logos and designs, such as the slender Coca Cola bottle and the oil company, Shell logo. By designing these iconic pieces that are still used today, he increased sales and one such example is when the American Tobacco Company (ATC) commissioned Lowey to redesigned the packet for Lucky Strike cigarettes. Loewy changed the packet from green to white which increased product visibility and cut costs, as it eliminated the need for green dye. By improving the packaging in a small but significant way, Loewy aided in increasing the companies profit. Although the brand was already successful and established, a designer can improve on its current packaging by making it stand out more and have more of an impact of the consumer, therefore increasing sales and ultimately profit.
Bibliography
Chiaravalle, B, Findlay Schenck, B, (2010), Popular Types of Brand Names, Wiley Publishing
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/popular-types-of-brand-names.html
Chordas, L, (2007), Cosenco Worksite, http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Conseco+Worksite.-a0171581725
Mono, (2002), Branding: From Brief to Finished Solution, Switzerland, RotoVision SA
http://www.raymondloewy.com/
Reeves, R, (2006), Paradoxes of Perception, Management Today, Haymarket Publishing Services Ltd
Thibodeau, M, Martin, J, (2000), Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Branding and Design in Cigarette Packaging, New York, Abbeville Press
Unknown, (2002), Surfer, the Guiness TV Advert, http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A767207.
Vaid, H, (2003), Branding, Cambridge, The Illex Press Ltd
Semester 1, Assignment 1: Second Meeting
Our group chose to meet a second time before the due date, to see how we'd all gotten on with our mind maps and research, and to check if anyone had been having any problems, or wishing to change their topic. We'd all been fairly successful and our research was well underway.
Semester 1, Assignment 1: Mind Map
I chose 'Branding and Design' as my topic for the first assignment. I've chosen to examine the conflict in Israel and Palestine for the jewellery aspect of my discipline, and have been researching what brands support Israel and how they contribute to the Israeli economy, so was intrigued to look at the branding process in more depth. My mind map is a first draft, and I just jotted down words and key phrases that sparked my imagination, as well as some solid research.
I looked at the different types of brand names and what inspires them, the main aims of companies when they design their brands and how design can aid branding. With some of the subject headings, I had the information I required when it cam to writing the wiki article, but with others, I had to research further. The mind map helped me with research process as it forced me to look down many avenues and explore the subject quite fully, before I could choose areas to focus on.
I looked at the different types of brand names and what inspires them, the main aims of companies when they design their brands and how design can aid branding. With some of the subject headings, I had the information I required when it cam to writing the wiki article, but with others, I had to research further. The mind map helped me with research process as it forced me to look down many avenues and explore the subject quite fully, before I could choose areas to focus on.
Friday, 1 October 2010
Semester 1, Assignment 1: First Meeting
For our first asssignment of third year, we've been asked to choose from a variety of headings and write a wikipedia article on our chosen subject. We've been placed into random groups that include members from all the disciplines that attend Design Studies lectures, and have so far met twice to discuss our ideas.
Our first meeting was to see which subject everyone had selected, and is as follows:
Natalie: Social Change & Design
David: Interactivity & Design
Sara: Gender & Design
Sean: Mass Production & Design
Colette (that'd be me!): Branding & Design
Samantha: Fair Trade & Design
Sophie: Corporate Identity & Design
Robbie: Co-design & Design
We noted down each other's blogs and photos were taken as evidence that the meeting had taken place:
Our first meeting was to see which subject everyone had selected, and is as follows:
Natalie: Social Change & Design
David: Interactivity & Design
Sara: Gender & Design
Sean: Mass Production & Design
Colette (that'd be me!): Branding & Design
Samantha: Fair Trade & Design
Sophie: Corporate Identity & Design
Robbie: Co-design & Design
We noted down each other's blogs and photos were taken as evidence that the meeting had taken place:
Monday, 29 March 2010
Semester 2, Assignment 5: Part B
With regards to using the methods learned throughout both semesters, I can only see the benefits to be gained from putting them into practice. As a jeweller, I look at my work as something to be worn on the body, and for me, that aspect is always at the forefront of my mind when designing a piece. Although, I can’t see how the techniques will help me all that much at the moment – our briefs this year have never been specific to one person; you’re designing the piece more for yourself than a client, I can most certainly see how they’d be extremely useful in the future. My aim, when I graduate, is to try and create pieces which always have the wearer in mind, as it’s to be more about them than me when I’m designing a ring, or a brooch etc, as it’ll be them that wears the piece, and it needs to fit the occasion it’s meant for; be that a piece to commemorate a particular event, or evoke a certain memory, or a piece to be worn everyday to remind them of something. Although, I’ll be ever present as the maker, it’s not myself I’m designing for, and I will need to learn to separate myself from the piece, in a sense.
However, I’m going to try and apply the techniques learned to one of the briefs we were assigned this year, and have chosen the stone setting project. The key directives of the brief that had to be answered were as follows; it was to be piece of wearable jewellery, it had to be made in metal, it had to incorporate the setting of another material or materials and it was to be inspired by religious/spiritual symbolism. I chose to focus on the ongoing Palestine/Israel conflict, as it was not only a subject that fitted in with the brief, but also a subject that I have been interested in for a while now. I chose it also because I wanted to reflect on the consequences of what happens when religious fanaticism gets out of hand; and to appreciate that while religion often carries positive message of love and respect, these messages are lost when situations like this arise, and innocent people are murdered in bloody warfare.
I originally deigned to concentrate solely on the struggles of the Palestinian people, as I am of the opinion that they are oppressed by Israel, but after further research and exploration of the topic, decided to include a piece which would reflect the suffering of the Israeli citizens, as it’s important to remember that the aggressors have lost victims as well, albeit, a fraction compared to Palestine. As precious or semi precious stones are not something I would associate with that part of the Middle East, I decided to set another material; a fragment of porcelain, and chose this to be my representation of the Israelis, as it is a white piece of porcelain overlain with blue patterns; the colours of the Israeli flag.
In terms of research, I read a selection of magazines and websites in order to gain an understanding of the series of events that surround this war, and as it was a visual piece, researched photos of silhouetted mosques, as this was to represent the Islam. Looking back, ideally, my strongest form of research would be to go to Palestine myself and take photographs, record notes on the atmosphere, the people, graffiti, slogans, observe the suffering in the refugee camps that litter Palestine and interview their inhabitants, but in terms of time and money, this is an unfeasible task. However, it’s something I long to do and fully intend to do in the future, as it’s a subject that both fascinates and repulses me, and is one that I’d like to explore further.
As I was not designing for a client, I’d like to think I was designing for the people of Palestine themselves and trying to create something beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, that was inspired by a horrendous subject. I wanted to shed more light on the subject, as I feel it’s something that not enough people are informed about, as more would be outraged. So, looking at it from that aspect, I’d like to put my secondary research skills to use and go out and talk to people about the situation in Gaza. I’d use a variety of interviews to find out how people felt, or how much they knew, and whether or not they sympathized. It would be a set of unstructured questions that began with loosely finding out the interviewee’s grasp of current affairs, before honing in on the subject I was most interested in their views on. This would be useful as not only I’d find out people’s reactions, I could also use it as an opportunity to inform them as well.
Another method I could use would to show people images, preferably not too disturbing, but to an extent unsettling, and ask people what the images made them think of. I could collect a selection of key words and phrases, which I’d use as inspiration when designing the piece. In saying that, I could also show people my designs and ask them what it made them think of; would they immediately associate as I’d intended? This could be, potentially, incredibly useful, as it would give me as outsider’s opinion as to what message my piece was relaying, and how obvious it was. Although I wanted the message to be subtle, I also wanted it to be fairly recognizable, but again the problem arises of people not knowing enough on the subject, so would they understand the message I was trying to convey? I think that, given the opportunity, I’d need to display the piece next to some of my research, such as an open page of my sketchbook, in order for the viewer to fully recognize the subject matter.
However, I’m going to try and apply the techniques learned to one of the briefs we were assigned this year, and have chosen the stone setting project. The key directives of the brief that had to be answered were as follows; it was to be piece of wearable jewellery, it had to be made in metal, it had to incorporate the setting of another material or materials and it was to be inspired by religious/spiritual symbolism. I chose to focus on the ongoing Palestine/Israel conflict, as it was not only a subject that fitted in with the brief, but also a subject that I have been interested in for a while now. I chose it also because I wanted to reflect on the consequences of what happens when religious fanaticism gets out of hand; and to appreciate that while religion often carries positive message of love and respect, these messages are lost when situations like this arise, and innocent people are murdered in bloody warfare.
I originally deigned to concentrate solely on the struggles of the Palestinian people, as I am of the opinion that they are oppressed by Israel, but after further research and exploration of the topic, decided to include a piece which would reflect the suffering of the Israeli citizens, as it’s important to remember that the aggressors have lost victims as well, albeit, a fraction compared to Palestine. As precious or semi precious stones are not something I would associate with that part of the Middle East, I decided to set another material; a fragment of porcelain, and chose this to be my representation of the Israelis, as it is a white piece of porcelain overlain with blue patterns; the colours of the Israeli flag.
In terms of research, I read a selection of magazines and websites in order to gain an understanding of the series of events that surround this war, and as it was a visual piece, researched photos of silhouetted mosques, as this was to represent the Islam. Looking back, ideally, my strongest form of research would be to go to Palestine myself and take photographs, record notes on the atmosphere, the people, graffiti, slogans, observe the suffering in the refugee camps that litter Palestine and interview their inhabitants, but in terms of time and money, this is an unfeasible task. However, it’s something I long to do and fully intend to do in the future, as it’s a subject that both fascinates and repulses me, and is one that I’d like to explore further.
As I was not designing for a client, I’d like to think I was designing for the people of Palestine themselves and trying to create something beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, that was inspired by a horrendous subject. I wanted to shed more light on the subject, as I feel it’s something that not enough people are informed about, as more would be outraged. So, looking at it from that aspect, I’d like to put my secondary research skills to use and go out and talk to people about the situation in Gaza. I’d use a variety of interviews to find out how people felt, or how much they knew, and whether or not they sympathized. It would be a set of unstructured questions that began with loosely finding out the interviewee’s grasp of current affairs, before honing in on the subject I was most interested in their views on. This would be useful as not only I’d find out people’s reactions, I could also use it as an opportunity to inform them as well.
Another method I could use would to show people images, preferably not too disturbing, but to an extent unsettling, and ask people what the images made them think of. I could collect a selection of key words and phrases, which I’d use as inspiration when designing the piece. In saying that, I could also show people my designs and ask them what it made them think of; would they immediately associate as I’d intended? This could be, potentially, incredibly useful, as it would give me as outsider’s opinion as to what message my piece was relaying, and how obvious it was. Although I wanted the message to be subtle, I also wanted it to be fairly recognizable, but again the problem arises of people not knowing enough on the subject, so would they understand the message I was trying to convey? I think that, given the opportunity, I’d need to display the piece next to some of my research, such as an open page of my sketchbook, in order for the viewer to fully recognize the subject matter.
Semester 2, Assignment 5: Part A
Throughout the Design Studies aspect of our course, we have focused on using a variety of research methods to help us question how we process information, and as a result, the ways it can be manipulated and translated into assisting us in our own specific discipline. Semester one focused on secondary techniques; using research carried out by others to forward our analysis of our chosen subjects; and semester two had us try out a selection of primary research methods, to give us the experience of doing the initial research for ourselves, and the benefits gained from the process.
The alarmingly rising influence of The British National Party, and identity cards were the subjects I chose to look at in depth. (Lyon, D, (2009), Trilling, D, (2009), http://bnp.org.uk/, http://www.jobbik.com/) They were two separate subcategories that frequently reappeared during the tasks I completed last semester which included different brainstorming techniques and seeing where one idea may lead you through a series of linking concepts, and although I don’t consider them to be an obvious progression from one to the other, the subjects kept appearing, so something was driving me back to them. They are both matters I already had strongly formed opinions on, and although the research I carried out did little to shake those opinions, it did help me to gain more perspective on them.
As most people will already have a fairly set opinion in regards to the BNP, I’ve chosen to look purely at identity cards for this set of experiments. Identity cards, if ever brought into practise, are a topic that would directly affect everyone of all ages and cultures, and for my first experiment, I’d choose the most obvious and direct route; to find out how the public feel towards identity cards, and if they would have a direct impact on their day to day lives. I’d conduct this experiment through a series of interviews, beginning with a general set of structured questions to find out how much people knew about identity cards. The questions would need to be in a fairly roundabout fashion, as asking “how to you feel about identity cards?” is unlikely to get me very far, unless I get someone who is already well informed on the subject. I would begin with by questioning the interviewee about how often they give their details out in standard situations such as a job application, or applying for a course, and how they feel about giving out their details; does it bother them that although they may not get that job or gain a place on that course, those details may still be stored somewhere? I wouldn’t directly ask them about their thoughts towards identity cards, and may not even mention them in the first stage of interviewing, but would try and gauge their attitudes towards information storing and how comfortable they felt about it, which would give me a fairly good estimation of what their feelings towards identity cards may be.
In order to conduct these interviews, I’d prefer not to ask passers by in the street, as from my experience in a previous assignment, I don’t feel comfortable approaching people, as I feel I’d be hassling them, and I know from my own experience as being the potential interviewee, people express reluctance in having to stop and answer questions. I’d perhaps try a round-robin style email to have the potential interviewees meet me in an environment I’d chosen, such as a coffee shop, as I’d want my interviewees to be relaxed, as I feel they would be more likely to be cooperative and willing if they felt at easy. It may also encourage them to go into more depth in their answers. However, this method would only really be beneficial if it was student opinions I was trying to gather, so in order to target different age groups, I’d need to look at other methods as few people will have an email address that I’d be able to access out with the university. A questionnaire that could be delivered would work, and I’d only use a couple of questions in order to save time and keep people interested, as members of the public are unlikely to fill out a long, detailed set of questions. It would also have a section to fill out contact details in order for me to contact them at a later date to ask the full set of questions I’d prepared.
Another experiment I’d like to try out, but am unsure how feasible it would be due to ethical reasons; would be to follow a random member of the public for a set time period, say an hour, taking snapshot photographs of them in various locations, and recorded notes, but only of key words or actions, and then approach them to show what I’d recorded. I think it would give the subject a real insight of what it’d be like to have someone be aware of his or her movements through out a section of time when they were shown back to them. It would be easy enough if I was carrying out this experiment and keeping the results for myself, but it’s the reaction of the person I’d have followed that I’d want to get. Perhaps if I was to carry out the experiment, I could then approach the person and explain to them that I’d taken a couple of photographs of them for an experiment, and if they were comfortable with it, perhaps we could meet at a later date to discuss what I’d found. However, the problems I can foresee with this experiment are rife. What if the person reacted negatively at being followed in the first place? Or when I approached them, they wished to go no further with the experiment and wanted the photos I’d taken destroyed, resulting in me wasting time. I couldn’t prearrange the experiment as the subject’s actions may be influenced by my presence. Time management and diplomacy would be key to carry out both this experiment, and others, successfully.
Bibliogrpahy
http://bnp.org.uk/
http://www.jobbik.com/
Lyon, D, (2009), Identifying Citizens; ID Cards as Surveillence, Cambridge, Polity Press
Trilling, D, (2009), Who do you think you are kidding…?, New Statesman, London, Spencer Neal
The alarmingly rising influence of The British National Party, and identity cards were the subjects I chose to look at in depth. (Lyon, D, (2009), Trilling, D, (2009), http://bnp.org.uk/, http://www.jobbik.com/) They were two separate subcategories that frequently reappeared during the tasks I completed last semester which included different brainstorming techniques and seeing where one idea may lead you through a series of linking concepts, and although I don’t consider them to be an obvious progression from one to the other, the subjects kept appearing, so something was driving me back to them. They are both matters I already had strongly formed opinions on, and although the research I carried out did little to shake those opinions, it did help me to gain more perspective on them.
As most people will already have a fairly set opinion in regards to the BNP, I’ve chosen to look purely at identity cards for this set of experiments. Identity cards, if ever brought into practise, are a topic that would directly affect everyone of all ages and cultures, and for my first experiment, I’d choose the most obvious and direct route; to find out how the public feel towards identity cards, and if they would have a direct impact on their day to day lives. I’d conduct this experiment through a series of interviews, beginning with a general set of structured questions to find out how much people knew about identity cards. The questions would need to be in a fairly roundabout fashion, as asking “how to you feel about identity cards?” is unlikely to get me very far, unless I get someone who is already well informed on the subject. I would begin with by questioning the interviewee about how often they give their details out in standard situations such as a job application, or applying for a course, and how they feel about giving out their details; does it bother them that although they may not get that job or gain a place on that course, those details may still be stored somewhere? I wouldn’t directly ask them about their thoughts towards identity cards, and may not even mention them in the first stage of interviewing, but would try and gauge their attitudes towards information storing and how comfortable they felt about it, which would give me a fairly good estimation of what their feelings towards identity cards may be.
In order to conduct these interviews, I’d prefer not to ask passers by in the street, as from my experience in a previous assignment, I don’t feel comfortable approaching people, as I feel I’d be hassling them, and I know from my own experience as being the potential interviewee, people express reluctance in having to stop and answer questions. I’d perhaps try a round-robin style email to have the potential interviewees meet me in an environment I’d chosen, such as a coffee shop, as I’d want my interviewees to be relaxed, as I feel they would be more likely to be cooperative and willing if they felt at easy. It may also encourage them to go into more depth in their answers. However, this method would only really be beneficial if it was student opinions I was trying to gather, so in order to target different age groups, I’d need to look at other methods as few people will have an email address that I’d be able to access out with the university. A questionnaire that could be delivered would work, and I’d only use a couple of questions in order to save time and keep people interested, as members of the public are unlikely to fill out a long, detailed set of questions. It would also have a section to fill out contact details in order for me to contact them at a later date to ask the full set of questions I’d prepared.
Another experiment I’d like to try out, but am unsure how feasible it would be due to ethical reasons; would be to follow a random member of the public for a set time period, say an hour, taking snapshot photographs of them in various locations, and recorded notes, but only of key words or actions, and then approach them to show what I’d recorded. I think it would give the subject a real insight of what it’d be like to have someone be aware of his or her movements through out a section of time when they were shown back to them. It would be easy enough if I was carrying out this experiment and keeping the results for myself, but it’s the reaction of the person I’d have followed that I’d want to get. Perhaps if I was to carry out the experiment, I could then approach the person and explain to them that I’d taken a couple of photographs of them for an experiment, and if they were comfortable with it, perhaps we could meet at a later date to discuss what I’d found. However, the problems I can foresee with this experiment are rife. What if the person reacted negatively at being followed in the first place? Or when I approached them, they wished to go no further with the experiment and wanted the photos I’d taken destroyed, resulting in me wasting time. I couldn’t prearrange the experiment as the subject’s actions may be influenced by my presence. Time management and diplomacy would be key to carry out both this experiment, and others, successfully.
Bibliogrpahy
http://bnp.org.uk/
http://www.jobbik.com/
Lyon, D, (2009), Identifying Citizens; ID Cards as Surveillence, Cambridge, Polity Press
Trilling, D, (2009), Who do you think you are kidding…?, New Statesman, London, Spencer Neal
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