Roughs and Development

For my practical, I'm starting with six illustrations that show the relationship between consumers and main stream advertising. They will sit inside an A5 printed book and as well, be proposed as an exhibition.

Photograph Sources:(combination of primary and secondary)

Roughs/composition

Blue (text), yellow (images)

Contextual References

Within my extended practice I really enjoy drawing with a layered, textured sort of style, which I decided to start applying to COP (when in doubt play to your strengths...)

Olivier Kugler and Lucinda Rogers are two of my most favoured reportage illustrators. I hope to portray a level of sensitivity with attention to detail with regards to the subject matter. 

Olivier Kugler

Lucinda Rogers

I aim to get the refined roughs done by tomorrow!

Narrowing Down Research

I've decided that it might be a wise idea to stop focusing on the medical side of things so much, just because I'm finding it difficult to come to a conclusion within my research. I will feel loads better if I solely focus on self perception, and can see my project arriving at a more refined point of synthesis if so.

Additionally, I don't really think that the packaging aspect is working as much as I thought it would. Therefore I am going to focus more on the psychological/sociological element of research.

I will still talk about health adverts in my dissertation, but intend to use this to show how attitudes have changed in alignment with social factors, and how this informs self-perception.

I also found this article saying that 'how to accept myself for who I am' was one of the most google searched items of 2016, which was really really shocking. I feel like this has a strong connection to my research focus, and plan to use this to further inform and refine my practical exploration.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38304371

Tips From a Former Smoker

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/

When researching into anti-smoking campaigns, I cam across an extremely hard-hitting series of videos and images of a lady who was a former smoker. Terrie Hall was one of the prominent faces of the Tips from a former smoker campaign. The organisation has enlarged on the participants within the project below:

'Some are former smokers and some have never smoked. Almost all of them are living with smoking-related diseases and disabilities. These diseases and disabilities changed the quality of their lives — some dramatically — including how they eat, dress and do daily tasks. Some had to give up activities they once loved to do. They speak from experience and agreed to share their stories with you, to send a single, powerful message: Quit smoking now. Or better yet — don't ever start.'


I found the videos of Terrie Hall particularly hard hitting. This was due to the level of honesty that is portrayed in an autobiographical format; no airs and graces, with an 'it is what it is' level of communication. It was shocking to both see and hear how her appearance and her voice had been damaged by smoking, to an extent where she was barely recognisable from her beautiful, blonde, cheerleading teenage self.

Additionally, this reminded me of the What I Be project in terms of image layout and approach to audience communication. The fearless gaze straight into the lens eliminates any false ideologies that can be created within ad campaigns, therefore having a more powerful influence on the audience. 

Revisited Practical Proposal

Evidently, I've found the practical side of COP really difficult this year, partly due to the fact that my project is heavily research based, as well as dealing with my tendency to produce visual outcomes that are 'too literal'. I didn't just want to illustrate my essay, but I wanted to propose a practical outcome that could genuinely make a difference if it became a reality.

I want the audience/society in general to love and accept themselves for who they are, and feel like they don't have to confine to false and unrealistic ideologies projected by the media in order to feel a sense of worth.


Brief Title: Project Acceptance

Brief: Produce/propose a reportage style ad campaign promoting self-acceptance to a mass audience

Product: Down to earth/honest autobiographical stories conducted from the primary research questionnaire. Using illustration and text to stimulate the acceptance of personal insecurities that are enlarged by the main media

Tone of Voice: Human; all on one level. Honest and empowering means of communication

Audience: Mass scale audience (excluding children)

Context: 

• A5 16 page book
• Proposed exhibition
• Proposed ad campaign

Tutorial Five/First Draft Feedback

Although I only managed to submit half an essay, my feedback was really positive and I received some really helpful pointers in how to structure the rest of my research.

Turnitin Feedback

• Started well with confident writing
• Good understanding of theories
• Structure is good
• Have shorter sentences; less commas
• Introduction is Chapter One (don't get confused here)
• In Chapter Two, talk about links between theory I'm looking at and advertising. Consumerism and marketing models
• This will be more apparent in the next chapter, but just put forward the argument in Chapter Two.
• Historical elements are good.
• Talk about modernism?
• Consumerism, advertising and health/hygiene all developed simultaneously 
• Link between adverts and using status and health to communicate it is really important!

Tutorial

In the last two weeks I have done a LOT of work and come really far with my practical work. As well, I have found some additional contextual references that also link in to my project really well such as the What I Be project.

Today's tutorial was more about connecting the dots between the research I have carried out and constricting information to come to a suitable conclusion within my essay and my practical work. This process has already started with the decision being made to discontinue looking at children as a motif within advertising and focus more on mature perceptions of self and how external influences can alter this.

Formative Feedback

6A1: Very good understanding of themes and contexts. Dissertation is  still unfinished (not long enough)
6A2: Very good explanation of ideas to synthesise results. Needs focusing for final work
6B1: Good level of research and collation of information- research techniques. Very good evaluation of materials
6C1: Very good explanation of material ideas/development of images comparison linking to theories and research. Final focus needs
6D1: Good final outcomes need refining

Additional Comments:

• Good project, well researched. Organic and developing its own momentum
• More decisions to make 
• Finish written element
• Focus- case studies
• Reflective practice- how project fits with the research/theories/purpose

Suggestions

• Put the health history in Chapter 2, link this to the development of adverts
• The addition of psychology within advertising goes hand in hand with developments in public health. This relates to aspiration (self-actualisation) in the escape from poverty
• Look at 'Prozac Nation' book
• Pharmaceutical industry in America;promotion etc
• Scopophilia theory:Laura Mulvey: Engaging with the person
• How women are seen as objects within paintings and advertisements;not engaging with the audience
• Manet: Olympia-controversial male gaze. The model is not passive. Challenging the audience with a different engagement
• Chapter 3: Choose three images to analyse
• Chapter 4: How does my product fit with research/theories? Effects of campaign etc...
• Chapter 5: What we need/told we need/creation of need. Link with case studies and practical outcome.
• Look at Marx false consciousness

Humanising Medication

From the medicine packages that I have collected, I took a slightly different approach by visually exploring why people take medicine. This may seem like a strange piece of research, but I was interested to compare peoples relationship with smoking to peoples relationship to health as an element of contrast.

As I have discovered, many people initially started smoking to enhance their self image, and because it was the 'cool' thing to do. 

Since taking medicine is a necessity in the majority of cases, I wanted to explore how people evaluate their self image in relation. In addition, it has been noted that a lot of medicine tends to be stigmatised, especially those to treat mental health. Therefore I was interested in creating a sort of connection to the ideologies portrayed through medical adverts to the realities; in a way trying to 'humanise' medication.

The outcomes I have produced are okay, yet I feel like they don't communicate a clear message. Additionally from looking at them I continue to question their purpose...what are they trying to tell the audience/prove? 

This has been a helpful and interesting segment of visual research, but it isn't something I am going to enlarge on. However I am comfortable with the style of line work in a combination with the handwritten text, as I feel that it communicates a level of sensitivity.

What I Be Project

What I Be by Steve Rosenfield stands out as one of the most empowering and moving photography projects that I have come across. Being successful in his career, and arguably 'operating at self-actualisation level', Rosenfield realised that he was extremely materialistic, opinionated and extremely unhappy. In response, he decided to take action.

"I never shared my feelings or insecurities because I was scared of how I would look to others. I never opened up and that created a lack in my relationships where people were scared to open up to me because they saw me as “blunt”. I eventually started to realize how unhappy I truly was so I started reading and journaling and further understanding that, in order to be happy, I needed to be more open and honest with people. I needed to be more compassionate which, in turn, made people feel safe around me because I was open to them. I quit my 9 to 5 in 2002 and started traveling all over the world until eventually planting my feet in California February of 2006. With a new mindset and fresh start, I quickly began making secure bonds and establishing strong connections with new friends. I tried to have no judgements towards the people I was meeting and saw no “flaws” because I had made myself aware of the fact that we all struggle, we all have our ‘flaws,’ and we all have our insecurities. I saw everyone as normal people on this road together called life."

"While, for years, I tried to formulate a plan, the project physically started in 2010 when I was talking with a friend of mine about an idea on sharing peoples insecurities without literally showing them and how I could possibly turn it into an empowering photography project. I decided that night that I wanted to photograph my friend with her insecurity written somewhere on her face or hands as a way to boldly displaying her greatest insecurity on her skin and fearlessly stare into the lens for a powerful headshot. I wrote “thunder thighs” on Amanda’s hand, alongside the photograph she came up with the statement, “I am not my body image.” And thus, the “What I Be” project was made."

"Subjects are putting their insecurities out in the open, and exposing a side of themselves that nobody has seen before. By stating “I am not my_____,” they are claiming that they do in fact struggle with these issues, but it does not define who they are as a person. They are not denying their insecurity, they are owning it. It is not aimed for people to say “You’re not fat,” or “You don’t have love handles.” It is to spread awareness on what people go through due to society’s paved roads. These are serious issues that some of us can live with, but most battle on a day to day basis."

How does this relate to my project?

'What I Be' displays an intuitive defiance against cultural norms with raw and honest depiction of individual insecurities that are dismissed, and judged by others on a daily basis. I truly admire the  realistic,grounded and untainted finish to the project, with each subject having a different story to tell.

These are real people. Real people with real issues, that will have taken an enormous amount of strength to come forward and embrace to a mass audience. The total opposite of the airbrushed utopian figures that are depicted as 'role models' within advertising. These people are the role models. Steve Rosenfield is a role model in himself for actually having the sense to realise that having a successful career and a fantastic salary doesn't ultimately result in happiness.

Reflection

• This has made me realise that a reportage/social documentary approach to resolving my research through my practical response may be the most powerful and effective way to synthesise my project
• It has made me think more about stigmas and misunderstanding of illnesses, as well as how advertisements in the past have given off false ideations towards such issues
• SELF-ACTUALISATION DOESN'T MEAN EARNING A SIX FIGURE SALARY! 
• ONCE WE ARE HONEST AND ACCEPTING WITH OURSELVES, THEN WE CAN TRULY BE HAPPY
• ADVERTISING EXPLOITS THIS!!!!!

(I'm excited because I think this is finally starting to make sense)

Why Do You Smoke?

The first thing I did this morning was write down a list of suitable (and do-able) options for my practical response, as it is getting a bit silly now that we were meant to decide on Monday and it is now Friday.

Options:

• Come up with names for pills for every day things, such as a pill for boredom, a pill for a bad mood, a pill for being hungry etc. This will emphasise our pill popping culture to solve problems, rather than making the effort to source alternative solutions 
• Create adverts that remove stigmas from certain medications in a vintage style which almost recreates sexist/derogatory ads from the 50s/60s
• Illustrate peoples reactions to controversial health ads
• Illustrate peoples perception of medicines that they take

Studio Eureka Moment

This afternoon in the studio I was just observing how many people smoked, and those that are in the process of giving up. Tilly told me that she is trying to give up, and I thought I would ask her about it. She gave some great answers! I jotted these down, and asked also asked Emily about why she smokes. 

SYNTHESIS MOMENT: From the packages I have collected, I asked them both what they thought of the off-putting images and new approaches to non-branded cigarette packets. I then took some photos of them rolling their cigarettes and had a go at drawing them in a reportage-y style. (I have been told to do this some more after the Extended Practice crit on Tuesday!)

 

This quick little exercise has increased my curiosity for individual attitudes, opinions and perceptions towards smoking, and for medication consumed. Smoking is deemed to be a really bad habit for your health nowadays with comparison with the 50's and 60's, where it was marketed as a habit that would actually improve your health, ironically. 

It would be interesting to explore this concept further by taking a more interpersonal approach to my topic, which would make sense because it is about self-perception. I am aware that we only have a week left before the Christmas holidays, so I need to be really precise with how I plan the little time I have left in order to produce a practical outcome to the best of my ability.

To do list:

• Illustrate some of the responses to my questionnaire
• Ask people in the studio about their approaches to the medication they take (if they are willing)
• Start to produce roughs for a final outcome

Standardisation of Cigarette Packaging

http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2016/05/19/from-today-cigarette-packs-will-never-look-the-same-again/

The standardisation of cigarette packaging is a factor that I looked into in more detail today, as I gathered that this might have a significant link with my research into how packaging influences people to buy products.

This diagram explains the specific elements that have contributed to the design that aims to further persuade consumers not to smoke. Notions of colour, imagery, language and layout have all been individually considered to arrive at an outcome that has a clear level of communication.

What now?

I might ask for peoples opinions with regards to the standardised packaging, whether or not they believe it is effective in their decision to smoke cigarettes.

As well I hope to look into concepts of persuasive imagery in more detail.

Alternative Packaging: Sanitary Products

Some Pun-tastic Period Products!

From my recent research into aesthetic impact on packaging, I'm going to continue to try out some more fun and light hearted approaches to packaging of healthcare/cosmetic products from the packets that I have been collecting. I need to decide pretty quickly whether I'm going to take this forward in a more professional sense for my final practical outcome or not...

Practical Response: Peer Review Two

Reflection of Progress

I went into todays session feeling extremely stressed about my practical work. This is because I was having a hard time trying to write my essay and submit a full draft yesterday, and still didn't manage to finish it. As well, I couldn't find my practical proposal and brief that I spent ages writing out last week, so I have to do it again which is super annoying!
Getting the balance correct between practical and written work for COP is something that I urgently need to make sense of if I am to progress any further. I was aware that I haven't made the most of the opportunity to exhaust my ideas through practical experimentation, so this is something that I will prioritise this week and try my best to put all of my energy into. I can summarise the progress on my COP so far as 'patchy'...as Fred would say. 

In all honestly I'm frustrated that I feel like I didn't utilise the session today to the extent in which I could have done if I would have spent even a few more hours just getting my practical ideas onto paper, although I was able to keep my head above water holding onto the faith I have in the re-branding of contraceptive medicine  that I tested last week. 

In these situations, where I am struggling to stay afloat with my work (and sanity), I sometimes find it easier to make sense of prompts and suggestions from others. This is helpful when I'm stuck in a tunnel-visioned anxiety ridden state of mind, an external perspective helps me to piece my ideas together in a clearer sense, giving me the confidence to make decisions in terms of my work.

Peer Feedback

6A1: Knowledge & Understanding/Critical Awareness

• Looked in depth at advertising in the contexts across a range of historical dates
• Perhaps look at adding shock and empathy to the final outcomes-link back to earlier research
• Research more into the wording in adverts
• Research into the current NHS issues- funding, diet pills etc?

6A4: Knowledge & Understanding/Innovation

• Strong connection- making a product that would be featured in the advert
• Perhaps focus on how you would market and advertise it as that is the main focus of the essay

6B1: Cognitive Skills/Problem Analysis

• Lots of reference imagery clearly guiding work 
• Look at moving image adverts and perhaps and what features they include to engage the audience
• Look at audience and context- where would this pill be displayed/sold?

6C1: Practical & Professional Skills/ Research

• Media experiments and thumbnails needed
• Select quotes from essay/theorists and align with practical work

Key Transferable Skills/Visual Quality/Resolution

• Well organised and planned- you can see the logical steps made to make the proposed outcome
• What is the context/how would you present the final piece?

Online documentation and evaluation of the project

• Strong understanding of what I'm doing
• Asking questions- giving depth to work

The proposed outcomes to the project

• What exactly is the final piece, is it adverts?
• Is it a product? For a gallery?
• What is the tone of voice and its purpose?

Task: Make a mind map plan with a clear idea of what to do:

This is much as I could do before crying (again). I'm just filled with dread about the whole thing. It seems like I'm so far off from where I should be in all areas of COP that I don't see myself submitting a body of work that reflects the amount of work and effort that I'm trying so hard to put into this project.

I haven't made a detailed plan from now till the deadline because I just can't bring myself to think that far ahead at the moment. I've given myself the rest of this week to solely focus on my COP practical, and just getting to a stage where I'm more grounded with a clearer sense of direction.

~PLAN FOR THIS WEEK~

This evening: Calm down. Breathe. Do some yoga/eat loads of chocolate and just get my head straight.
Tomorrow: Get my blog up to date, get every thing that I have done on there
Wednesday: Practical day (I cancelled my ambassador shift because I'm stressed and this comes first)
Thursday: Practical day
Friday: Practical day
Saturday: Day off (my Ma is visiting)
Sunday: Practical day

Second Peer Feedback

My group were so supportive and helpful, and gave me some great pointers.

• I could look at a utopian/dystopian world and how drug use intertwines in different ways
• I could do more of a fine art approach/instillation with the happy pills idea
• DON'T JUST SETTLE FOR AN IDEA TO TICK BOXES, DO SOMETHING AMBITIOUS, BECAUSE YOU ARE CAPABLE
• I can use digital application for the pills; I don't have to make the whole thing
• Make a list of ideas and cross off the shit ones
• "Let the pen be your guide"
• Look at Louise Lockhart- mimic vintage styles with mono print textures/collage

LETS GO!

Primary Research: Healthcare Consumption Questionnaire

I decided to write out a primary research questionnaire to gain an insight on how influences from the media in terms of marketing healthcare/cosmetic products can alter the perception of self.

I initially wrote out 20 questions in hope of gaining a more qualitative response, but then I realised that you have to upgrade to premium on survey monkey to ask more than 10 questions...rightly so though, as people probably would have lost interest after a while.

The highlighted questions are the ones that I chose to put forward:

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What is your occupation?

Scale of 1-10, how would you rate your general health? 1 being extremely unhealthy,10 being extremely healthy:

Scale of 1-10 how would you describe your outlook and attitude in terms of positivity? 1 being extremely pessimistic, 10 being extremely optimistic:

Do you have any long term health conditions, or have you had any long term illnesses/injuries that have disrupted your day-to-day ability to function normally? If so, please state:

Do you currently take any prescribed medicine? If yes, please state (including contraceptive pills):

How much on average do you spend per month on health care/cosmetic products?

List three of your favourite health care/cosmetic products and state why they are favourable:

Would you say that your choice of brand reflects on your personality/values?

When trying out a new product for the first time, what is likely to be the main persuasive factor? Word of mouth/recommendation or influence from advertisements?

In a scenario where you experienced a bout of short term pain such as a headache and decided to purchase an over the counter painkiller, would you be more likely to purchase a well known brand such as Neurofen or a supermarket/pharmacy own brand?

Have you ever been in a situation where you have felt disinclined to buy a particular healthcare products due to its aesthetic appearance? 

Do you remember any of healthcare/cosmetic products that you had as a child, or remind you of your childhood? e.g. ‘l’Oreal Kids’ shampoo, ‘Calpol’ etc. Please state:

Please state the most memorable television advert that you have seen which promotes healthcare/cosmetic products, e.g. ‘Aquafresh family song’, ‘Gaviscon- what a feeling’: 

Do you have any idols/celebrities that influence the way that you style yourself? If so, who and why?

Are of these icons are associated with any brand of healthcare product that you regularly purchase?

Have you ever experienced feelings of self-consciousness or insecurity in response to advertisements in the main media?

Have you ever received negative comments about your health or general appearance? If so, please state:

Do you currently use any products that you would classify as being ‘dependant upon’? e.g. wouldn’t leave the house without taking/applying it? Please state:

I figured that the more lengthy/qualitative questions would be more appropriate for a one on one interview or something. Nevertheless, I gained 52 responses that were really valuable. 

(I plan to read through these in more detail tomorrow as I need to submit my essay by midnight!)

Critical Incident

Discontinuation of researching children

I have reached a point in my research where I feel that placing as much emphasis on the child as a motif as I initially intended, is no longer relevant in my direction of study.

Although it has been really interesting to see how children are used within advertising to create shock, empathy, and more 'black and white' responses from audiences, I have realised that it doesn't align with my search into self-actualisation ideals on such a grand scale. 

The research I have undertaken so far on this area will not be completely dismissed, and I won't see it as wasted time in hindsight because it has been extremely helpful. It is just one of those constricting actions that you have to take to really get to the root of something, and in this case, the way that children are used in advertising is not my root.

Tutorial Four

Todays tutorial mainly consisted of discussing the problems I'm having my with my essay, i.e. getting the structure correct and narrowing down to a conclusion that aligns with my practical work.

I'm struggling a LOT with the essay writing just because my research so far has been really broad and I'm finding it difficult to narrow it down and conclude everything to a relevant point. Additionally this is making my anxiety worse meaning getting into a negative cycle of worrying about work, having no confidence in it, getting overwhelmed, getting behind, and worrying even more. AHHHHHHHH!

But its fine, everything is under control...sort of. I'm just going to try my best to bash out all of the content I have researched into my essay draft that is due in for this Sunday, and go back and make adjustments later on, rather than being so meticulous about it now.

On a positive note, Pete really liked my practical work!! I'm so relieved I've actually taken a step in doing some good work, finally. He agreed that I should expand on what I have already done , and really exhaust the process. But I'm still unsure of what the final outcome will actually be, but it is something to think about.

Exploring Imagery in Cosmetic/Healthcare Marketing

To gain more ideas for my practical response, I put a request around at college for the disposal of any medicine/cosmetic/cigarette packaging to look at how the language and imagery has the power to persuade and influence.

The majority of the responses consisted of cigarette packets, but I did find some packaging for the contraceptive pill, antidepressants etc, which is a good place to start.

So what now?!

Make art from it of course! (when I'm not spending all of my time doing my essay)

Where to start? I've already looked at the use of children in anti-smoking campaigns, and how the aesthetic of the packaging is becoming standardised across all brands in the hope of discouraging the habit. 

I decided to work from a different viewpoint by taking the contraceptive pill as a starting point to explore the ways that it is marketed and campaigned about:

• The contraceptive pill was introduced in the UK in 1961 for married women only. In 1967 it became available to all women, married or un married.
• In this mid-century period, women were expected to get married and start a family in their twenties; sex before marriage was heavily frowned upon
• In the US, birth control was illegal for married couples until 1965, and 1972 for single people
• During the great depression there was an array of absurdity into products that were used for contraception. For example, women used Lysol cleaning products to prevent pregnancy because it killed male sperm, but was also extremely dangerous to women health, in some cases resulting in death

• Adverts and campaigns for contraception are less mysoginistic and oppressive towards women today, thankfully. Many are lead by the NHS, FPA (family planning association) and condom brands such as durex.
• Some modern advertisements and campaigns take more of a 'tongue and cheek' approach to communicating with and informing audiences about safe sex, not forgetting some of the heavy text based 'straight to the point' ads produced on mass.

FPA Campaigns; using fashion trends as a metaphor

Heavily text based NHS ads, clever leaflet design though!

Humorous Durex Ads (condoms are cheaper than children)

How is this relevant?

Having just spieled off a number of different approaches to marketing contraceptives with visual imagery, if you're reading this you're probably wondering how this relates to my research question...?

The pill was first introduced in 1961, but was still exclusive to married women. In this time, women were very much still victim to oppression, having the blame placed on them if they became pregnant. 

WHICH ISN'T OKAY!

The synthesis here, is that women may have perceived themselves to be doing something 'shameful', 'unfaithful', or 'inhumane' if they were to take the pill in the 60's/70's as a result of being victimised by the way that it was marketed. Women wouldn't have had a leg to stand on in that era if they were labelled as being non-conforming, therefore wouldn't have wanted to be associated with such brands of pills.

Today, marketing of contraceptives isn't as sexist and demeaning, and taking them is deemed as a responsible and safe action for women. BUT, I believe that this doesn't really reflect in its dull, clinical packaging. I'm aware that medical packaging does't always have a purpose to be beautifully crafted and designed by a graphic designer or illustrator, but what if it was?! People should't be ashamed to take medicine that has, or has in the past had a stigma attached to it; 

I wonder how people would perceive themselves and others judging by the way that drugs are actually packaged?

When I think of a healthcare/cosmetic brand that glorifies femininity, I immediately think of 'Soap and Glory'.

• It has that 50's pin up girl, dainty charm-BUT WITHOUT BEING SEXIST
• Celebrates being a woman!!
• The packaging is hilarious, full of puns and euphemisms

I spent the afternoon trying to come up with some fun 'soap and glory-esk' names and packaging ideas for the contraceptive pill:

I actually had a really fun time doing these! I definitely want to have a go at doing some more designs and concepts around the theme of different medicines, and as well apply them to mockups of packaging and methods of advertising too. It will be interesting as well to maybe look more into how different people perceive themselves in relation to medication they take, and record it in a sort of social documentary style.

But now, back to essay writing! (send help)