Sorry Blog

I'm sorry blog, its been a while since my last post. Mainly since in the last few weeks works started to really pile up. We concluded our film project last week. This consisted of our final A2 poster and completed mailer invitation. I found this project quite enjoyable as well as trying. We were having to work in groups of two, I found that me and my partner Conner worked together quite well and were very honest with each other if things weren't going right. I had never worked on a project as part of a team but I think that I would be very capable of doing so now as a result of this project.

Another one of our projects that we have just finalized is is our one on packaging. For the final output we had to complete our packaging and 2D artwork and then resent it in a dragons den type format in front of a panel of experts. I found that experience although nerve racking, quite enjoyable as I don't think that I'm particularly fazed by public speaking any more. I got some quite positive feed back and some criticisms that I think I can take and use to make my product better.

For the end of our design studies module for this semester we have to compile an essay using a book and a journal on our chosen topic, which sort of ties all that we have been doing together. This has required a lot of research and time, however it has been interesting looking into my topic of celebrities in endorsements.

*This will be posted on Friday 4th*

Our last on going project is our website. Which I must say I have enjoyed roughly about the same amount as i've hate. At first I found using Dreamweaver really difficult as I had never had any experience in using it although after a few weeks of toiling something seemed to just click and it became a lot easier to use. After this it became quite enjoyable making your own website and is definitely something i'd like to do more of.

So I'm sorry I have neglected you blog but I will treat you better in the future.

Over Design?

The other day whilst perusing around the shelves in Waterstones I came across something that I regrettably see as becoming a new fad. Where there once was my favorite graphic-novel section, a shelf full of assorted books which i would happily skim through for lengths at a time, there was now a large blank space and a perspex box in place of a shelf.

Before you panic (because I'm sure thats what your doing), the graphic-novels had just been relocated. However what may be worse was that in there place in this clear plastic box was two shiny oversized calculator looking objects, which still needed a sign with a description underneath them that read: EBOOKS.

Ebooks? Whatever could that be? Quite self explanatory to be honest, there large screened like an oversized phone that digitally hold books and display them page by page like a...book. Im pretty sure that there not new inventions as I feel I can remember talk of their release some time ago although now that they were here the idea of them sort of worried me as the thought that this could well be the future of reading. That somewhere in 30 years from now entire librarys could be held in the palm of your hand and rather than just having a walk round and having a look for something that will grab your attention, you will have to perform some sort of cross search and know exactly what your looking for.

I am sure that some people will think the exact opposite from me and think what a wonderful invention, having all these books at your disposal in the palm of your hand. But its nice to get a good book and read it and tear it too bits, then pick it up years later and reed it again and remember it from before. I myself like to go into a library without knowing what I'm looking for, I wouldn't want to lose this and have it replaced by having to do a cross-search every time I wanted to read something. Plus you lose books all the time and you have precious books that mean something to you, a cold piece of metal isn't something you can enjoy in the same way.

What happens if an eBook breaks? Are all your libraries gone. I feel that this is a step where design is sometimes blind. Just because we have the technology to do something doesn't mean we should. Everything doesn't have to be simplified to an iPod stage and if it were there would be no simple joys any more. No small problems like having to fold the cover on a paper back book over when your lying down to read it, which although is annoying is bearable. There are some things that are just good being kept the way they are.

Top Websites

As a further part of Assignment 3, we were asked to compile a Top 5 list of websites that would be useful for keeping up to date with Graphic Design and a list of 5 websites for keeping up with current affairs.

For this there was an Inute tutorial to follow on how to use internet search engines properly http://tinyurl.com/dhtplibrary, it was (sort of) helpful in a way.

Regarde

Top 5 Graphic Design related websites

1. http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/
2. http://ilovetypography.com/
3. http://www.creativereview.co.uk/
4. http://www.graphicfetish.com/
5. http://www.designweek.co.uk/

Top 5 Current events related websites

1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/
2. http://twitter.com/
3. http://www.facebook.com/
4. http://www.google.co.uk/
5. http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Bibliography

For Assignment 3 we were asked to further our research from Assignment 2 by looking into one particular aspect. For this, I chose to look at the role of celebrities in advertising. After choosing one particular area we were to compile an annotated bibliography using the resources available to us in the library and Cross Search. I found this task quite difficult to begin with as I didn't really find much in the library and when resorting to using Cross Search I was quite unsure of what to do for a while as it takes some getting used to in my opinion. However after using it for a while it became much more simple.

Below I have compiled my list of journals in the form of a bibliography in the style of the Harvard referencing system, enjoy...

Carson, P, (2000), 'Sporting Heroes', Creative Review, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 31-33, Mar 2000, 0262-1037

This report follows the launch of a new Adidas campaign focusing on four major sports stars, Anna Kournikova, Jona Lomu, David Beckham and Ato Boldon. The purpose of the campaign was to put out the message that Adidas 'Makes You Better'.

Pringle, H (2004), 'Star Gazing', Creative Review, vol. 24, pt. 8, pp. 58-60, Aug. 2004, 0262-1037

Star Gazing looks at the use of celebrities in advertising and illustrates the fact that campaigns using them are no more successful that one using a created character as of a result of poor script. The study also looks at some of the more successful advertisements including the likes of George Forman's for Saltons Grilling Machine and Wayne Rooney in an advert for Ford.

Quart, A (2003), 'Branded: The Buying and Selling of Teenagers, Perseus Books 2002', 0738206644

This journal deals with the relationships between teenagers and consumer products. It analyses the ways that companies aim products towards certain age groups and in what ways teenagers are drawn toward these branded products. It also looks at consumer behaviours and preferences.

Sheilds, R (2009), '"Too violent" Knightley advert banned from TV', Independent on Sunday, pp. 28, 26 Apr 2009, 0958-1723

This Journal/Newspaper article reports on the anti domestic abuse advert entitled "The Cut" starring Keira Knightley, which was banned from television by Clearcast on grounds that it is too violent after receiving complaints. Womens activists, politicians and the group that made the film are outraged by the decision after two people complained.

Tripp, C, (1994), 'The Effects of Multiple Product Endorsements By Celebrities on Consumers' Attitudes and Intentions', Journal of Consumer Research 20 4 535-47, 00935301

In this journal article the author carries out two studies relating to the likeability of celebrities involved in multiple product endorsement. the studies look at how the growing number of multiple endorsements by celebrities and how they can change their credibility and likeability of the product. A series on interviews are undertaken too look at this.

van der Waldt, DLR, (2009), 'Celebrity Endorsments Versus Created Spokespersons in Advertising: A Survey Among Students', South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences 12 (1): 100-114 Mar 2009,1015-8812

This study looks into the use of celebrities in advertising and the whether they can actually be beneficial as an endorser to a product. Marketers are faced with the problem that there is little to no scientific evidence to prove that these well known faces can cad to the trustworthiness of the product. The study looks at the cost effectiveness of a celebrity endorser and such instances as bad publicity for the celebrity reflecting on the product.

Waller, D, (2009) 'Stars On Board', BRW 10/8/2009, Vol. 31 Issue 40, p44-44, 0727-758X

The author looks here at the role some celebrities take on the board of certain companies and how their involvement can boot the companies image. He also offers his insight and a sceptical view on how much of a role they actually have.

Twittered or Tweeted

You may remember a similar post I made not too long ago regarding opening a new flickr account. Well this months social network set to baffle me is Twitter.

I've put off getting Twitter for months as it gained popularity as I think I expected it to fade away as another unnecessary social networking site. However its continued to grow through out the past year so I assumed now was as good a time as ever to broaden my area of contact. I made my account the other day and I think that perhaps I was right in my stance against Twitter. It seems to be a bit vain in my opinion to constantly want people to know what your doing at all times. Who really wants to know if you've just eat a particularly good orange?

This may still be my opinion as I haven't quite found my feet yet. It all seems to be a bit alien to me still, one of the things that confused me was the language used. Apparently women tweet and men twitter. I do see its use in a business sense but don't really see what it offers that a blog doesn't.

As much as I'm cynical about it, I really do want to be proven wrong and see it in the same way that millions of others do as many people have said its a really useful tool to have at your disposal.

Twitter. Prove me wrong.
http://twitter.com/ste69en

Brainstorming

Firstly apologies for the giant images.

This entry may be a tad belated as we did do the brainstorming exercise a few weeks ago. However i feel it is more appropriate to write about it now as i have completed the full exe

rcise.

The first step of this short project was to, as a group, discuss or "brainstorm" our chosen chapters in a small group and how they related to design. The idea was to write down al

l ideas without discarding any no matter how relevant. Now in all honesty I didn't quite see where this exercise was going and was perhaps a bit sceptical in my approach. But after we got the ball rolling i found that ideas started to come and the process began to flow. We had 3 different sessions, one for each topic that people in the gr

oup had chosen. After the sessions we were told to spend time thinkin

g and just discussing how certain things relate to design. And I was quite surprised that we didn't ever have to consciously do this as I found that while on a break or in the studio

conversation would at times turn this way naturally.

Afterwards we were to create an A2 poster to take into the next semin

ar. This was to be on your topic from before. I chose to hone in on the salesmen aspect of the Law of the Few. I found that there was so many aspects of life in which we are being sold things and at times it can be unconscious, these are the signs of a good salesman, one who can sell you

things without you even realizing. One good example of this that i noticed was that each day when I walk to Uni in the morning, i walk past a billboa

rd for McDonalds with a 20 foot high packet of chips on it. I didn't really realize this till after a few days when i found that by the time i arrived at Uni I had an extreme craving for chips.

Other aspects that I looked at were celebrity endorsements. One be

ing David Beckham and the Sharpie adverts. Now these are two comple

tely unrelated brands that have somehow managed to make a connection that have made the sales of these felt-tip pens sky rocket. In marketing if you have the right image to accompany any product then it will sell no matter how simple a product.

I now own a set of Sharpie pens...