Study Task 3: Establishing a research question

The designer that I am

For the context of practice module, we are required to define our own question on a subject area of our choice, we were asked to pick from; editorial, printmaking, typography, branding, new media and advertising. I have chosen to do my essay and practical work on editorial design. Within my practice I always apply an effective grid system when needed, and i am interested in editorial design as a lot of my research always includes elements of editorial design.
The essay needs to include:
- Selection of subject matter appropriate to my own interests.
- A logical structure, introduction and a developed argument. 

Notes:

• Emphasis on the integration f publication design, information, organisation and language

Types of editorial design; books, zines, magazines, newspapers, other publications.

My initial idea is to produce a body of work for the practical side that is a piece of editorial design or a publication that is relevant to my research and supports my essay. 

In order to establish my essay question, initial research is needed therefore I have looked at the sources; The Magazines Handbook. London: Routledge written by J.Mckay (2006) and 'The secret law of page harmony.'

Originally I thought I should focus on the visual language of a specific publication, and choose a specific genre of publication to base my research on. Some quotes that I depicted in order to get my head around what I actually want to write my essay about support the idea that good structure and layout is a crucial part of editorial design. These quotes are taken from J.Mckay's 'The magazine handbook'

"The main reason design is important to a magazine, it communicates the values and aspirations of a title before the potential consumer has read a word."

"Magazine design can not be generalised."

Neville Brody:
"At the route of design, a language just as french and german are languages whilst some people are able to understand design fluently there are those who just use phrase books. They don't understand the words they are using but the phrase meets their needs."

Design is important to a magazine, it communicates values and aspirations and not just design for design sake. 

I also looked at the secret law of page harmony. 
Importance of structure within editorial design.
Comparison of something that is aesthetically pleasing compared to a structured design. 
I could look at vignellis canon and look at the van de graaf, and muller brockman grids.

COP Lecture

Ethics - What is good?

First things first manifesto (Garland 1964)

Manifesto was republished by Adbusters 2000, changing key pieces of text to something different and much more politicised.

Two different types of manifesto.

The new manifesto suggests that if you participate in production of commercial images you are supporting a society that revolves around slave labour conditions, that supports the first worlds exploitation of the third world. Participating in a system that is manipulating people.

1964, 22 visual communicators signed the original call for our skills to be put to their worthwhile use. With the explosive growth of global commercial culture, their message has only grown more urgent. 

Ethical theories

Subjective relativism:
- There are no universal ideas of right and wrong.
- All persons decide right and wrong for themselves.

Cultural relativism: 
- The ethical theory that whats right to wrong depends on place and/or time.

Divine command theory:
- Good actions are aligned with the will of God.
- Bad actions are contrary to the will of God.
- The holy book helps make the decisions.

Kantianism (Deontoligical ethics)
Immanuel Kant (1724 -1804) a german philosopher.
Peoples wills should be based on moral rules.
Therefore its important that our actions are based on appropriate moral rules.
To determine when a moral rule is appropriate Kant proposed two categorical imperatives.

Two formulations of the categorical imperative

• Act only from moral rules that you can at the same time universalise. (if you act on a moral rule that would cause problems if everyone followed it then your actions are not normal)
• Act so that you always treat both yourself and other people as ends in themselves, and never only as a means to an end. (if you use people for your own benefit that is not moral)

Utilitarianism, or Consequentialist ethics (John Stuart Mill)

Principle of Utility 

- An action is right to the extent that it increases the total happiness of the affected parties.

- An action is wrong to the extent that it decreases the total happiness of the affected

  parties.

- Happiness may have many definitions such as: advantage, benefit, good, or pleasure.

Social Contract Theory

Thomas Hobbes (1603-1697) and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

An agreement between individuals held together by common interest.

COP Lecture - Consumerism

Aims
analyse rise of US consumerism
discuss links between consumerism

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

new theory of human nature
psychoanalysis
hidden primitive sexual forces and animal instincts which need controlling

Civilisation & its discontents (1930):
Argued that there is a fundamental compatibility between a human being and an animal and its instincts. We retain violent and aggressive instincts, that we can't act upon in civilised society. Human instincts incompatible with the wellbeing of the community.
Society and civilisation are incompatible. Pleasure Principle. 

ID- based animalistic desires are located. These desires/instincts inform our ideas and everything we do. (Freuds model of personality structure)

Edward Bernays (1891-19995)

Based on the ideas of Freud
Employed as a propagandist 

His innovation was taking the understanding of human nature, and hidden desires (freud), and translating it to the american system of consumerism/capitalism. 

Fordism Henry Ford (1863-1947)

Describes the way of making things on the production line, mass production.
Requires large investment but increases productivity so much that relatively high wages can be paid allowing the workers to buy the product they produce.