Impact of Design on the Relationship among People - Research Proposal Example

Research Proposal, Design and Technology Due to the dynamic scientific and social paradigms that have transpired over the years, the contemporary design practice has been greatly impacted. Design has had to embrace aspects of natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. As a corollary, design is seen as a relationship phenomenon in the contemporary world and this has given birth the concept ‘relational design,’ which focuses on the relationship among people in the society. Consequently, this study looks at how relational design affects the relationship among people and how relational design can recent scientific discoveries in neuro-science, biology, and cosmology can be used to improve relational design. Based on a review of literature, this paper proposes that relational design has profound effects on the relationship between people in the community in that it can be used to express and instill the convictions of dominant political and financial persons and it can also be used to change the perception of the society by nonconformists. Another proposition given is that relational design is used convey empathy and creativity to societal issues and this greatly influences the relationship among people in that society. On issues pertaining to how to improve relational design, this paper proposes that to establish that improvement relational design should take into account the scientific advancements of cellular automata and the computational cosmos. Table of Contents Abstract 2 1.0 Introduction 3 1.1 background information 3 1.2 Need for the study 4 1.3 Design of study 5 2.0 Literature review 5 2.1 Impact of design on the relationship among people 5 2.2 How to improve relational design 7 2.3 Relational design in relation to cosmology 7 2.4 Relational design in relation to biology and neuro-science 9 2.5 Complexity and the Relational Approach 10 2.6 Further reading 13 3.0 Expected outcome of the study 13 4.0 Research Time schedule 13 5.0 References 15 5.1 Further reading 16 1.0 Introduction 1.1 background information Amid the dynamic scientific and social paradigms that have transpired over the years, the contemporary design practice has been greatly impacted. The concept ‘design’ has shifted from via content phenomenon to a via context phenomenon. This is because in the contemporary world, design concentrates on how it works between people rather than how it looks and what it means. This has been specifically witnessed in the design of logos and identity systems for cultural and civic organizations. As a corollary, design is seen as a relationship phenomenon in the contemporary world and this has given birth the concept ‘relational design,’ which focuses on the relationship among people in the society. Andrew Blauvelt is considered as the pioneer of the theory of relational design. According to Blauvelt, (2008) the 20th and 21st century saw three major waves in the field of designed, which marked the transition of design from form to content to context. Blauvelt reckons that design and art started by concentrating on the generation of a universal visual syntax then evolved to the pragmatic and practical exploration of the semantics and meaning of the visual syntax. Blauvelt asserted that the core elements of relation design can be identified by investigating the changing responsibilities of designers, the underlying philosophy as it relates to linguistics, the logic and artistic principles of relational design and the procedure through which design is generated and received. 1.2 Need for the study Due to the specialization and academic fragmentation that has dominated the contemporary world’s activities; a chasm has materialized making the prospect of a harmony of knowledge between various disciplines a resentful obscurity. However, design academia has made efforts to combine element from different disciplines. Design academia has sought inspiration from natural sciences and social sciences. Most importantly, design academia has sought inspirations from humanities thus giving rise to relational design. However, there is yet to be a study that investigates how relational design affects relationship among people and how relational design can use recent scientific discoveries in neuro-science, biology, and cosmology to improve on its efficiency in relationship management of the people. As a corollary this study looks at how relational design affects the relationship among people and how relational design can recent scientific discoveries in neuro-science, biology, and cosmology can be used to improve relational design. 1.3 Design of study This study will seek to find out how relational design affects the relationship among people and how relational design can recent scientific discoveries in neuro-science, biology, and cosmology can be used to improve relational design. A series of interviews and surveys will be conducted in various companies to come up with the comprehensive findings that will enable to come up with conclusive information with regard to the needs of the study identified above. 2.0 Literature review 2.1 Impact of design on the relationship among people Design has a profound influence on how different individuals in the society interact and communicate. The impact of design on the relationship among people can either be positive or negative depending on what message is passed to the people through the design. Design can be used express and instill the convictions of dominant political and financial persons and it can also be used to change the perception of the society by nonconformists. As a result, design is a process through which beliefs and values are established to uphold favourable social conditions. It is also a process through nonconformists seeking a review of detrimental beliefs and stereotypes ensconced within a society convey new beliefs and values (Williams, 2011, pg 293). Designers have the power to convey empathy and creativity to societal issues and this greatly influences the relationship among people in that society (Munday, 2014). Through the empathy conveyed in design, people are able to comprehend the human-centered (those pertaining to social relationships) courses of action that can make a transform people’s lifestyles. Through creativity conveyed in design, people get to learn relationship habits that are likely to bring about immense difference in the way people handle various issues. According to Munday (2014), a designer’s approach to societal issues, especially their readiness to experiment on risky options that go beyond the traditional perceptions of the societal issues, has the power to change how people perceive their environment as well as how they relate to each other. Every society has a culture, which helps to maintain the relationship of the various social groups that belong to that society. According to Barnard, (2005, pg 66) design is an overlooked expression of the society and an implement of changing social relationships. Barnard stresses that design has the power to control and strengthen communication through public dissemination of a message without establishing a personal relationship with the beneficiaries of the message. This aspect of design allows individuals especially those who have political and financial dominance to exert a disproportionate persuasion on the society as it enables them to spread their convictions. O’Sullivan (1995, pg.59) terms culture as a noteworthy avenue for the reproduction of social power disparities. For example, design helps publicising of political parties thereby becoming culturally accepted. After they become culturally accepted, the political are able to raise funds from its supporters, which they use to come up with prolific designs so as to achieve an even more powerful influence. Throughout history, design has also been employed to control the relationship between individuals of different gender and racial identities (Pitcher, 2009). Gender and race are phenomena that are entirely artificial. This is because gender transcends the biological variations between men and women. Race on the other hand is a self-imposed classification of people on the basis of geography, genetics and physiology. For example, the design used to explain concept of race to the Nazis asserted that the race of an individual determined their “phenotype, culture and psychology” and this put more emphasis to their propaganda endeavors to undervalue their enemies. The Nazi propaganda design generated a racist doctrine of its Germany’s leaders. The propaganda design took the form of public exhibitions of art depicting other cultures as degenerates. In these conditions of where the government was active in the control of culture, prolific opposition to this racial stereotyping was difficult. 2.2 How to improve relational design According to Newark, (2011 pg .34) design is inseparable from scientific advancements. Consequently, in order to improve relational design, the contemporary scientific advancements must be considered. The most recent scientific advancements from which relational design \can draw inspirations so as to improve include neuro-science, biology, and cosmology. Below is a coverage of hows these contemporary scientific advancements can help in the improvement of relational design. 2.3 Relational design in relation to cosmology Throughout history, cosmology has been viewed from different perspectives. According to Smolin, (2008) the 21st century science is going to draw reference from the combination of two inspirations i.e. the triumph of relational methods of contemplating the world, and the self-organisation or Darwinian methods of contemplating the world. Smolin (2008) came up with three different phases of cosmology apparent in history in relation to how cosmos (the universe) has been comprehended and how the political, cultural, and public structure were affected by the comprehension of cosmos during that each phase. These three phases include the Aristoterian phase, the Newtonian phase, and the Einsteinian phase. Smolin articulated that liberal political theories reflect the scientific understanding of the universe at that particular the time. In Smolin’s different phases of cosmology, it is apparent while the cosmological understanding in each phase formed the foundation for the political and societal policies that reigned during those phases. According to Smolin, (2008) in the Aristoterian phase relationships were based on self-action, during the Newtonian phase relationships were based on inter-action, and during the Einsteinian phase relationships are based on trans-action as shown in the figure below (Source: Nevolution, 2011) The self-action phase was where inanimate things were given life based on the belief that they functioned without any intervention. The self-action phase was refuted these mystical suppositions, and proposed that action occurs through involvement of the entities. The trans-actional phase was based on the belief that the dynamic unfolding relationships should be viewed as interaction between time and space, instead of looking at them as detached entities. Contemporary design is incapable of articulating this interaction using everyday speech (Enwezor, 2008). This is because it is impossible to hold verbs and nouns at the same time, because one has to take precedence over the other. So as to improve relational design in relation to cosmology, the process of looking at things through prior rigid naming systems, and via inflexible essences, should be based on one to form a “conceptual blankness” in every issue devoid of a defining allusion to its context. 2.4 Relational design in relation to biology and neuro-science This aptitude to detach oneself from context has been one of the most imperative notions of Western thought in design. The mind/body divide allowed for abstract ideas, exclusive of the body and the contextual aspects of the world. This ‘punctual self’ does not require identity substantiation from others as it as an isolated point of consciousness, which is characterised by ‘conceptual blankness’ (Slife, 2004). On the contrary, the relational self is depends on its affiliations with other entities to substantiate its identity. However, this still allows the relational self to have a idiosyncratic identity, but by means of a distinctive nexus of relations instead of a distinct group of beliefs. The procedures and systems of evolution present valuable frameworks can help relational design go beyond the reductionist methods. The evolutionary method acknowledges the positive characteristics of reductionism and goes beyond to try and comprehend how the elements work collectively and holistically at varying scales. In general, science works utilises reductive methods, where thoughts, ideas and complicated phenomena are broken down their emblematic elements then explicated and used for predictive purposes. Galanter, (2011) however, points reductionism is flawed because it does not fully attend to the process of putting the emblematic elements back together again. The causation element of evolutionary methods allow self organisation to occur from the interactions that emerge through the spatio-temporal scale from genetic material to cells, animals, species and even entire ecologies, with every entity influencing the result of the subsequent entity. This happens as a result of the procedure in which self organisation functions, through outlines of procedures and activities. The scientific advancements of cellular automata and the computational cosmos exemplify the likelihood of materialization of complexity in relational design. Complexity arises where there are relations between many simple self-governing agents managed by simple rules functioning in a non-linear style thus creating a constantly changing situation between order and chaos (Galanter, 2011). So as to improve, relational design should operate in this domain, i.e. in the point between order and chaos. 2.5 Complexity and the Relational Approach To understand complexity one must first understand the previous scientific periods such as modernism and postmodernism. Modernism tries to achieve a comprehensible simplicity by generating crystal-like structures that are extremely structured and ordered. On the other hand, postmodernism tries to achieve a comprehensible simplicity by breaking down and leveling structures with the result being something like an undifferentiated haze. Galanter (2011) presents a simple method of comprehending the shift in relationships in modernism, postmodernism and complexity. In Galanter’s method, modernism, which was established during the period of Enlightenment, looked at designer as having absolute control of the design/text and the receiver/reader was simply an afterthought. In postmodernism however, a major shift happened that inverted the major focus of the relationship from designer to the receiver/reader. The designer stopped being viewed as being in control of the design/text, and the focus was taken to the reader /receivers ability to interpret the design/text in various ways. In the Modernist period, there is no receiver/reader and in the postmodern period, the author is insignificant. Galanter reckons that for the relationship to be fully functional, all the three elements need to be active. As a result, the complexity period does not leave out role of the designer/author in totalising the work of art. It also does it leave out the readers ability to create their own meaning with the text. Complexity period views all the three elements as having equal status in the relationship. The designer/author can also take up the role of the receiver/reader. Similarly, receiver/reader can also take up the role of the designer/author. These explanations are illustrated in the figure below (Source: Galanter, 2011) 2.6 Further reading A list additional documents that are relevant to the research but have not been covered in this proposal will be provided after the reference list of this document 3.0 Expected outcome of the study The proponent of this study expects to find out that relational design has profound effects on the relationship between people in the community. It is expected the findings will show that relational design can be used to express and instill the convictions of dominant political and financial persons and it can also be used to change the perception of the society by nonconformists. Another expected outcome is that relational design is used convey empathy and creativity to societal issues and this greatly influences the relationship among people in that society. On issues pertaining to how to improve relational design, the proponent of this study expects to establish that improvement relational design should take into account the scientific advancements of cellular automata and the computational cosmos so that it can have complexity outlook. 4.0 Research Time schedule Stage of the research project writing process Number of weeks needed Start date (2014) End date (2014) STAGE ONE: identifying topic and review of available literature a) look for a unique, manageable topic 1 May 1 May 7 b) appraisal of available literature in the topic chosen 2 May 7 May 28 STAGE TWO: construction of a detailed plan and collection of primary data a) construction of a detailed plan and collection of primary data 5 May 28 July 2 STAGE THREE: preliminary writing a) come up with a draft of the various chapters of the study 1 July 2 July 9 b) conduct any required supplementary research 3 July 9 July 30 STAGE FOUR: The first draft a) enter any new findings and collate the drafted chapters into first draft of the research 5 July 30 Sep 3 b) verify if the draft of the research has a flow 2 Sep 3 Sep 17 c) Check whether the length of the research is appropriate 1 Sep 17 Sep 24 d) conduct any supplementary editing and research 2 Sep 24 Oct 8 STAGE FIVE: Final draft a) go through the draft look for errors 1 Oct 8 Oct 15 b) prepare the draft for submission 1 Oct 15 Oct 22 c) rectification of errors and addition of new findings 3 Oct 22 Nov 12 c) conduct the proof-read and editing 3 Nov 12 Dec 3 d) prepare the bibliography section 1 Dec 3 Dec 10 e) bind the final draft 1 Dec 10 Dec 17 f) Ssubmit the final draft of the research 1 Dec 17 Dec 24 5.0 References Barnard, M. (2005) Graphic Design as Communication . London and New York: Routledge Blauvelt, A. (2008) Towards Relational Design. Available at: http://blogs.walkerart.org/design/2008/11/10/towards-relational-design/ (accessed 5 May 2014) Enwezor, O. (2008) ‘The Postcolonial Constellation: Contemporary Art in a State of Permanent Transition in Terry Smith, Okwui Enwezor and Nancy Condee (eds.), Anti- monies of Art and Culture: Modernity, Postmodernity, contemporaneity Durham: Duke University Galanter, P (2011) ‘Complexism and the Role of Evolutionary Art’ Available at: http://philipgalanter.com/research/ (accessed 5 May 2014) Munday, O. (2014) Design improves society Social engagement, AIGA /the professional association for design. Available at: http://www.aiga.org/landing.aspx?pageid=10591&id=51 (accessed 5 May 2014) Newark, Q. (2007) What is Graphic Design? Rockport Publishers, Nov 15, 2007 – Nevolution, (2011) A Relational Design Process. Available at: http://nevolution.typepad.com/theories/2011/03/a-relational-design-process-thesis.html (accessed 5 May 2014) O’Sullivan, T. (1995) Key Concepts in Communication and Cultural Studies, Second Edition, London, Routledge Pitcher, B. (2009) The Politics of Multiculturalism: Race and Racism in Contemporary Britain, London: Macmillan. Slife, Brent D. (2004) ‘Taking practice seriously: Toward a relational ontology’. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 24(2), 157-178. Smolin, L (2008) Why Science is Like Democracy: TED. VIDEO Available at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y96w6AFVi0o (accessed 5 May 2014) Williams, (2011) Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society London and New York: Routledge 5.1 Further reading Ahmed, S (2005) Encouraging reuse of design knowledge: a method to index knowledge, Elsevier Science, Design Studies 26(1), 565–592 Berg, M. (1998) The Politics of Technology: On Bringing Social Theory into Technological Design, Science, Technology, & Human Values 23(4). Emirbayer, M. (1997) ‘Manifesto for a Relational Sociology’ The American Journal of Sociology, 103(2) Julier, G. (2009) ‘Value, Relationality and Unfinished Objects’ Design and Culture 1(1) Özgür Eris (2003) Asking generative design questions: a fundamental cognitive mechanism in design thinking, International Conference on Engineering Design ICED 03 Stockholm, august 19-21 Worthington, M. (2003) ed Littlejohn, Deborah. Metro Letters: A Typeface for the Twin Cities. Design Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Read More