Role of Design as a Set of Social and Aesthetic Practices - Research Paper Example

Role of Design as a set of social and aesthetic practices in the relationship between Looking and Power Name Tutor Course Date Role of Design as a set of social and aesthetic practices in the relationship between Looking and Power Executive Summary This project aims at the role of design as an integral factor that shapes the users look and feel experience. This is a largely conceptual inquiry that draws its arguments from relevant texts on the key thematic areas that makes up the main objective of this study. The arguments are drawn from a wide range of literature on design and visual aesthetics so as to constitute a theoretical framework for the analysis of the role of design in the construction of the look and feel experience. The project begins by making analysing on how design influences the users experience and how then that determines the visual aspect and understanding of power drawn from the designs. The project advances the argument that the resultant experience, understanding and perception that arise from a given design it is more important than the factor of usability1. The project findings are that the designs have an impact on the users form and identity, aesthetic and overall project experience. Introduction In the contemporary world the design of a given product is increasingly becoming important. This is a departure from the ancient trend where products or whatever thing that was being made was always influenced by its use2. This is because there is new realisation that the design has an impact on the visual outlook and communicates a lot about the user. Design as a factor is shaping consumer purchasing behaviour because they want a product or good that goes belong meeting their needs but is incredibly appealing and communicates a particular social standing about them3. A good example is the fashion industry where say like a working woman is not just looking for a pair shoes to shield their legs from harm; but its more about what does this shoe communicates to the people around me. This paper shall be outlining the importance of design in as a set of social and aesthetic practices in determining the relationship between looking and power. The argument is that design is not about form or commercial value but it has a social and authoritative part of it. Through design people can express particular feelings, emotions and authoritative statement about their world view. Problem Statement When determining designs in most cases artist tend to largely focus on the usability of the object or whatever it is being designed. Sometimes they also consider the user preferences, the cost, level of technological advancement, and general awareness of the population about the object among other things. What are in most cases ignored are the ideas that the design expresses especially as regards the consumers’ power and general outlook. This is what this project refers to the look and feel of the design. The paradox that this project aims to unearth is whether the general design of any given commodity depicts the consumer as either a powerful entity or a mere end user of the product. This is so especially the modern day designs have consumers at their centre where consumer feedback, preferences and tastes in many ways affect the design of a given product. Available literature shows that for many years consumers were termed as passive actors in the design process by with the evolution of various communication platforms ranging from print to electronic it is becoming almost impossible to get rid of the said consumers out of the design process. Research Questions; The project aims at answering the following key questions; What role does design play in the relationship between looking and power? In what ways do consumers contribute to the design process? Are consumers passive of an active entity in the design process. Do they wield some power or are they just subject to the antics of the supra-individual and societal structures that are at the centre of design creation? Background Documented literature indicates that every product/service is designed to achieve a particular purpose4. There exist two schools of thoughts about the power that the consumer yields in the design process. One school of thought was advanced by Bauldridad who claims that consumers have a say on the general structure of some products in given circumstances. He uses the example of trainers and the kitchen set up to illustrate this,. His argument is that when consumers have some say as the regards the colour of their trainers or the materials to be used in its design then to that extent they can be viewed as a powerful actor in the design process. Additionally the category of the clients that the good are meant for may determine their cost, durability as the general design. Take the example of the phone industry. Right now the market if flooded with all kinds of phones which all serve the same purpose of communication. In order to stay on top of the game, many companies are now designing top notch and sleek designs of phones which makes users go for them. They are not only attracted to them because of the visual aesthetic but because of the kind of feeling they have when they own such a sleek phone as well as the kind of standing that such a particular phone gives them in the society5. The second school of thought that was propounded by Williamson is rather very pessimistic in the sense that it depicts the consumer as a manipulative entity as well as hopeless in the design process. According to the proponents of this thinking the consumer is just an end user of the already sculptured designs. The consumer has no say in the design of product whatsoever. His role comes in at the end of the distribution chain.6 This school of thoughts argues in favour of passive consumerism where the consumer has no option but to take the goods as they are already manufactured. The consumer only comes in contact with the goods when they are already manufactured and ready for use or judgement as well as exchange () according to this thinkers the whole process of design and production is left in the hands of professional who are employees of given companies. Consumers do not play any active role in the production process. Not even giving opinions or views. They are just end users of already finished products7. In the early 20th Century as the world became modernised, growth of towns became the norm of the day, there was also proliferation of administrative units, international trade in terms of exports and imports and international migration. With all these changes it became challenging to continue holding onto national languages as a form of communication alone. That’s how production companies adopted images and pictures as part of communication8. When designing these pictures it was important to keep in mind how the user will interpret, look and feel as he uses them. All this was in the spirit of ensuring that the consumer is an active actor in the design process. In a nutshell a design is not just about a structured. It goes a long way to formulate ideas. A design has a way it connects to the social and personal values of people. The design process can be empowering or manipulative depending on the amount of space it gives to the consumers to actively engage in it. This is because design has an impact of people’s identity and emotions9. The argument is that when people where particular clothes they allow the clothes to define them and that’s why it’s important to keep in mind their tastes preferences, opinions and wishes during the design process. He gives an interesting observation about designs in relation to clothes; “It connects with the values, emotions and sense of identity that people apply to their clothes. We let the clothes embody us, confirm us and, simultaneously, we allow them to produce us, our body and our self” Since the early 1990s a new trend emerged where designers sought to make the users part of the designing process in a bid to attach their experiences to the process. This is so especially in the fashion industry. For instance, the fashion industry has over the years tried to have an impact on the shape and form of the body especially among females10. So in fashion designers are not just in the business of covering peoples bodies but they give them some sort of an identity and in fact in some cases speak about classes in society11. At some point in Sweden it was the norm for women to put on clothes that could allow them to work freely; the same case could apply to Britain where for a long time women judges and lawyers were not allowed to wear clothes to the court. The argument was that trousers depict masculinity. But clearly there exist no literature that explains women’s feelings or opinions about these rules of the day. It was a culture that was meant to keep the female consumer as a passive consumer. Clearly the place of design as a factor that shapes the appearance of the user can be seen in various variations and manifestations. The kind of design being referred to in this project is not about opaque objects but that shapes relations and feelings through actions, perception and experiences. It is about designs that shape daily lives by giving earnings to objects and in t has the potential to trigger innovation, change, adoption and its usability by the people12. Findings and Analysis From available literature it is evident that the extent to which consumers are empowered or considered to be an integral part of the deign process depends on many factors; some which are social, cultural, economic, level of awareness or technological advancement. The following section will discuss some of the factors that play a critical role in determining consumers’ level of power in the design process; 1. Through Aesthetics Aesthetics refers to the ability to decipher knowledge that comes from the use of the five senses13. It is for a fact deigns are made so as to fulfil our sensory needs especially sight and touch. That’s why terms like aesthetic, emotion, value; attitude, judgement and understanding are commonly used in the design process14. Users have a way they have an experience of objects aesthetically especially by use of the sight senses in admiring the works of art. Take the example of a nice shoe like the one below. This is the kind of wear that gives a strong fashion statement and speaks a lot about the identity wearer. This kind of shoe will determine where it can be worn. This kind of shoe cannot be worn to an official function. However while this is the case it’s important to understand that the extent to which consumers are involved in the production and design of goods will determine how much of the wishes will be captured in the designs. In this era it is becoming increasing difficult to think on behalf of the consumer. Design communication is becoming an integral part of production whereby there are open channels of communication to allow for exchange of information. 2. Designs cultivate Product experience Closely related to the above is the understanding and emotional attachment that the user gets from the product. Usually the two are almost similar to aesthetic because sometimes it is hard to have a definite distinction between them15. The kind of emotional involvement that comes with interacting with a given product is what the experience in totality. Bhatt (2013) provides an interesting definition of what product experience is16. He states product experience is; “The entire set of effects that is elicited by the interaction between a user and a product, including the degree to which all our senses are gratified (aesthetic experience), the meanings we attach to the product (experience of meaning), and the feelings and emotions that are elicited (emotional experience). With respect to the attribution of meaning, many cognitive processes play a role, such as interpretation, retrieval from memory, and associations. These processes allow us to recognize metaphors, assign personality or other expressive characteristics, and assess the personal or symbolic significance of products” Some scholars have suggested theories that can provide a framework for understanding product experience. A design process that allows for incorporation of the consumers product experience can be regarded as prosumer because it empowers the consumer to have a say in the production process. One of such theories is appraisal theory which states that the kind of experience a user makes of a given product results from the evaluation it gets as either good or bad to the individual concerned17. For example if an individual gets access to a model of phone such the one presented below; their expectations will be that they will gets lots of admiration from their peers or it will give them an elevation in their social status. However unless the manufacturing company has a feedback channel they may miss out on other features that the consumer likes or dislikes about the phone. Most importantly is the fact the evaluation of objects is never standardised. It will be depended on the kind of feeling that emanates as per the current circumstance. That’s why designers tend to be trendy. Some design that was the talk of the town may cease in a moment when a new one is brought to the market. Additionally sometimes if the object design is ambiguous it allows for more than one interpretation thus attracting several evaluations. This is so especially if the design is new and is uncommon among the users. Perhaps this explains why some companies would rather just put the consumer at the end of the process so as to avoid conflicting information about the pros and cons of the given products from different consumers 3. Shapes Form and Identity of the user Adopting a pronsumer approach to design process can be benficail because designs are shaped by the social cultural contexts of the user. That’s why the kind of experiences that result from the interaction of the user and the object are normally subjective in nature. To illustrate this argument, Bhatt (2013) provides an example of a small town in Madrid that opted to use female images in its traffic lights18. As this was interpreted as deviation from the norm it attracted a condemnation for a section of population who though this was a move to promote sexism. This differs largely from the European experience where female pictograms have been in street signs as a way to promote gender awareness19. Taking the example of fashion in the Middle East where men put on free flowing clothes; if similar designs are taken to other parts of the world say Africa they could be easily be mistaken for women ware. Men from that part of the world will definitely have reservations in buying let alone wearing such clothes. The other example is the use of studs which is common in many developed countries and slowly penetrating some of the upcoming cities in the developing world; such ware may not be acceptable in the very interior and rural parts of this world. Design therefore has a direct relation on the form and identity that the user assumes which makes it necessary to have consumers that are empowered to speak about what is right or wrong in their context. This is very important especially for businesses that are expanding to unfamiliar places. Conclusion In conclusion a consumer plays a critical role when it comes to determining the relationship between image and power in the design process. A design may informs the experiences that the user has for the product but the kind of relationship that emanates from interaction with a particular design varies from individual to another; under different circumstances. It is therefore important for design artist to keep in mind that consumers are an integral part of the production process because at the end of the day the product are about them. For a long time designs have been determine by other factors such as cost, user preferences and taste, the prevailing social and economic conditions and most importantly the usability of the project. This project has demonstrated that its high time designers thought of other factors such as the emotions, understanding and perception of the consumer. Additionally it is important to note that these feelings and experiences are not universal. In fact the interpretation of designs varies from user to user as well as according to the geographical location. When people buy a particular design they are not just interested in its usability but it goes a long way to include the feeling of owning it and the identity it gives to the user. Works Cited Pedro, Bessa. Skittish shirts and Scanty Silhouettes: The tribulation in Gender in Modern Signage. Visible Language, 2008, 2 (42) 119: ProQuest. Gunn, Majja. Body Acts Queer. Stockholm: Responstryck publishers. Blauvelt, Andrew. Brand New Worlds. NY: Blauvelt Art Center, 2011. Knot, Stephen. Design in the Age of Prosumption: The Craft of Design after the Object. Design and Culture Volume 5, Issue 1 pp 45–68. Strasser, Susan. The Aliens Past: Consumer Culture in Historical Perspective. Journal of Consumer Policy; Dec 2003; 26, 4; ProQuest Central pg. 375. Boekraad, Hugues. Norm and Form: The Role of Graphic Design in Public Domain. Amsterdam: Foundation Internationaal Kunst & Museumtijdschrift, 1993. Bhatt, R. Rethinking Aesthetics. The Role of Body in Design. Routledge, New York, 2013 Repp, B. H. The aesthetic quality of a quantitatively average music performance: Two preliminary experiments. Music Perception, 1997, 14, 419-444. Scherer, K. R., Schorr, A., & Johnstone, T. (Eds.). Appraisal processes in emotion: Theory, methods, research. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Tooby, J. & Cosmides, L. Does beauty build adapted minds? Toward an evolutionary theory of aesthetics, fiction and the arts. Substance, 2001, 94/95, 6-27. Desmet, P. M. A. & Hekkert, P. (2002). The basis of product emotions. In W. Green and P. Jordan (Eds.), Pleasure with products, beyond usability (pp. 60-68). London: Taylor & Francis. Dewey, J. Art as Experience. Penguin, New York, 2005. Glenberg, A. M. & Kaschak, M. P. Grounding language in action. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2002, 9, 558-565. Pinker, S. The blank slate. New York: Viking Penguin, 2002. Read More

What are in most cases ignored are the ideas that the design expresses especially as regards the consumers’ power and general outlook. This is what this project refers to the look and feel of the design. The paradox that this project aims to unearth is whether the general design of any given commodity depicts the consumer as either a powerful entity or a mere end user of the product. This is so especially the modern day designs have consumers at their centre where consumer feedback, preferences and tastes in many ways affect the design of a given product.

Available literature shows that for many years consumers were termed as passive actors in the design process by with the evolution of various communication platforms ranging from print to electronic it is becoming almost impossible to get rid of the said consumers out of the design process. Research Questions; The project aims at answering the following key questions; What role does design play in the relationship between looking and power? In what ways do consumers contribute to the design process?

Are consumers passive of an active entity in the design process. Do they wield some power or are they just subject to the antics of the supra-individual and societal structures that are at the centre of design creation? Background Documented literature indicates that every product/service is designed to achieve a particular purpose4. There exist two schools of thoughts about the power that the consumer yields in the design process. One school of thought was advanced by Bauldridad who claims that consumers have a say on the general structure of some products in given circumstances.

He uses the example of trainers and the kitchen set up to illustrate this,. His argument is that when consumers have some say as the regards the colour of their trainers or the materials to be used in its design then to that extent they can be viewed as a powerful actor in the design process. Additionally the category of the clients that the good are meant for may determine their cost, durability as the general design. Take the example of the phone industry. Right now the market if flooded with all kinds of phones which all serve the same purpose of communication.

In order to stay on top of the game, many companies are now designing top notch and sleek designs of phones which makes users go for them. They are not only attracted to them because of the visual aesthetic but because of the kind of feeling they have when they own such a sleek phone as well as the kind of standing that such a particular phone gives them in the society5. The second school of thought that was propounded by Williamson is rather very pessimistic in the sense that it depicts the consumer as a manipulative entity as well as hopeless in the design process.

According to the proponents of this thinking the consumer is just an end user of the already sculptured designs. The consumer has no say in the design of product whatsoever. His role comes in at the end of the distribution chain.6 This school of thoughts argues in favour of passive consumerism where the consumer has no option but to take the goods as they are already manufactured. The consumer only comes in contact with the goods when they are already manufactured and ready for use or judgement as well as exchange () according to this thinkers the whole process of design and production is left in the hands of professional who are employees of given companies.

Consumers do not play any active role in the production process. Not even giving opinions or views. They are just end users of already finished products7. In the early 20th Century as the world became modernised, growth of towns became the norm of the day, there was also proliferation of administrative units, international trade in terms of exports and imports and international migration. With all these changes it became challenging to continue holding onto national languages as a form of communication alone.

That’s how production companies adopted images and pictures as part of communication8.

Read More