OUGD601- Level 6 Research Introduction Lecture

Important to find a form of practice that empowers you to do something in the world. 

Turn your practice into a critical lens into the world. Graphic design as a form of critical thinking which asks complex, difficult and confusing research questions. 

Turn your topic into a research question which can be answered and investigated through making. 

Books, quotes, and practice. 

There are thousands of ways you can research a topic. Maximize the effectiveness of your research. 

What questions are you going to ask?

What Methodology?

• Your approach and how you're going to go about this and justify why.
• Be able to say why you went about your project in a certain way.
• Evidence this in your final submission. 

Use interviews, data collection etc. different ways of thinking about the world. 

What is Epistemology?

• The philosophy of thinking of how we think.
• Making a decision about how you're going to go about it, and why you know that's the right thing to do. 
• Deciding that one way of knowing will get you more effective results than another.  

Research how to write a dissertation and organize a research project. 

Maximize the effectiveness of your research skills:

• Don't just do a survey with a few of your mates. Aim it at the target demographic and make it a wider set of research. 

Who is your research project for? 

• The audience, targeting it at someone, changing your style. 
• A particular subculture
• A particular institution, design studio, gallery, magazine. 

Reseach Hermeneutic Circle by Heidegger 

• How to research

OUGD501 - Module Evaluation

During this module I have been more relaxed about the process of writing an academic essay and combining it with a body of practical work. In terms of the academic research and written side of the module, Studio Brief One, I compiled a large body of research before I began writing my essay to ensure I had enough content for a broad and varied research project. The topic I chose, the relationship between form and function in packaging design, is something that continued to inspire me throughout the project with a wide range of theories and design practitioners that I could embed in my work.

Natural progression within a project is a process that I am still learning, but I have tried to embrace this approach in the module. My essay covered a large range of relevant topics in relation to the question including the psychology behind the form of a design, the history of form follows function, trends within the packaging industry and cultural aspects within society.

Through further reading and research, I feel my understanding of the topic and what defines form, function and aesthetics has greatly improved. Despite studying English Literature at A-Level I have sometimes struggled with the essay side of COP, particularly the use of triangulation. This is something I have tried to improve on in second year. I have also tried to build my awareness of multiple theorists, finding less predictable sources and trying to push my writing to be more interesting and critically aware. I feel like my writing still has much room for improvement, particularly in regards to Level 6 of the course, however starting my essay early and staying on top of deadlines made the process a lot less stressful this year.

In terms of the practical side of this project, having a diverse essay with lots of relevant theories and topics made brainstorming ideas for studio brief 02 a lot more straightforward than I had found previously in Level 4 of the course. Having relevant research theories to back up my design decisions made it a lot easier to make informed choices on how I wanted the practical side of the project to look. This subsequently led to feedback that reflected my original aims and ambitions for the brief.

One criticism I would give myself is that my practical work is quite safe and I could have explored some more innovative approaches and actually had my designs physically produced. However, one thing that I am really pleased with is the synthesis between my practical work and the essay, with the inclusion of quotes taken from my essay effectively communicating the relevance of my practical research.

As usability was a key feature and driving force behind my practical project, feedback was an integral part of the design process, ensuring I was constantly seeking the advice of my peers to ensure my designs were relevant and appropriate. This has made me increasingly aware of the importance of gaining feedback and above all documenting this.

Overall I am happy with the progress I have made in Level 5 of this module and hope to progress further in Level 6. For my dissertation I have chosen a research question that is entirely different to anything I have investigated before in the hope that I will be able to generate lots of fresh and interesting content, and produce a varied and dynamic thesis. 

OUGD501 - Studio Brief 3 - Research proposal

OUGD501 - SB2. - Practical Feedback

I devised a questionnaire which compared the old packaging that I had based my practical work on with my new re-design. 

Old Design:

New Design:

Questions: 

I am really happy with the feedback I got on my packaging as it shows how I successfully achieved my aims for the project, to produce a range of packaging that was modern, sleek and contemporary, aimed equally at both genders and easy to understand by all ages. Successfully improving both its form and function. 

OUGD501 - Studio Brief 02 - Finished Products

The new range features a design which is accessible, versatile and easy to understand yet modern and minimalistic. My initial target audience research stated that quality was what the typical DIYer is looking for rather than cheap. This is something that the redesign embodies, giving a trustworthy and good impression to the buyer. 

I made sure to extract the stamp which says 'Developing our own paint since 1973' from the original packaging designs to emphasise the quality of the product and prove that it is a reputable brand. 

As my research found that 52% of DIYers are 24 to 44 years old, meaning the majority of DIYers are from two different generations: Millennials and Gen X, I wanted to create a trendy and current design that would appeal to this age range particularly. 

OUGD501 - Essay Feedback and points to consider

• Don't make sweeping generalisations-casual use of the term aesthetics.
• Develop triangulation further between the sources
• Can use non-academic sources into what makes a particularly desirable package design.
• Moments through the essay where you say ____,_____,_____, all agree that the quintessential package design has to do, x, y or z.
• Drawing together commonalities
• This is what a package is, having said that the package design for a boutique, canny consumer will steer away from that base idea of what a package says. and have x, y and z, which relates the Catherine Jansson-Boyd article of consumer psychology. 
• Good package design has to do x, y, z as said by ____,____ and ____.But a perfect package design for someone who wants to buy a certain sort of Indian green tea soap has to do something else. Because we're projecting and eco-ideal and canny consumer politics.