BUZZ POSITION STATEMENT

INQUIRY QUESTION:

The central aim of my BUZZ research revolved around an examination of –  if; when; how; and to what degree, research is embedded into the creative design process of 3 of my third year students in BA (Hons) Visual Communication at AIT.

Initially my intent was to set about finding evidence that captured the varying degrees of influence that research was having on the creative and visual development of the students work. However, I adjusted this inquiry after a tutorial when I understood that the direction I was headed was becoming too theoretical and this then led me to hone in, very specifically, to my case study group of students. I redefined my central question in the context of their situation within our own studio culture in AIT and their unique and personal researching activities and experiences. This then emerged as the thrust behind my own investigations for BUZZ. Symbiotic researching threads emerged and the students’ personal and individual researching skills fueled my own BUZZ research activity more than I ever envisaged at the outset.

RESEARCH METHODS (some cross over here into types of data and research outcomes)

A huge part of my methodology in the early stages included much reading, focusing on models of design research. Some of this is documented here in the blog. A point of interest for me too in doing this was my discovery that there exists surprisingly little writing and theory on design research methodologies. Much of my references led me to the relatively new field of HCI (Human Centered Interface) design. This research was proving to be enormously informative and I intend to refer back to some of my earlier analysis of it again at the close of BUZZ when I can integrate it into my findings at the macro level of my case study group.

However, once I refocused my intentions after engaging in these theoretical investigations and honed in on specific and individual observation of my students, my research became engaged in reflection and analysis of their research activities. The most constant research method I utilised was analysis of documentary evidence – predominantly the students’ sketchpads and notebooks. I continue even still to filter the elements that I have observed and recorded from these and the analysis of them is ongoing. This research method has been very fruitful in allowing me time to reflect on their individual research activities. And while there is an intimacy to pouring over their sketchpads, particularly in reading their notations on why particular research elements have been included or where they anticipate the influence of it unfolding within the projects’ creative development there is, conversely, a curious sense of remove from the process also at times. With one student in particular there is a sense that it is being filtered or presented for tutor benefit rather than her own. I discussed this with students in tutorials and it became clear that in fact this distancing is a technique she employs to give herself a sense of standing back and assessing the research. I found this very interesting as it seemed to me that in the creating this distance she afforded both of us an opportunity to reflect and observe.

The second main method of research I engaged in (and just touched on above) was tutorials with my students. These were enormously informative as here the act of my BUZZ research was wholly and completely bound up with my teaching practice. This method of researching gave me great insight into the day-to-day researching activities of the students and crystallised the degree to which each one engaged with their research; how they did so; and the value of it in the context of the ongoing conceptual and visual development. In conversation with them I could really see the value, or not in some cases, of the latest installment of their research and also hear how they perceived the value of it. It was fascinating to observe their research in action in this way and to see how they used the data they had gathered to propel themselves forward creatively, while going off tangents at times also. Again here I was struck by the tandem nature of the journey we were on together, given my own experience of the research process at the start of BUZZ. 

The last element of evidence gathering I engaged in was structured interviews with the learners involved.

All along I had conducted my research without the case study students being aware that they were being ‘singled out’ for observation in any way. I felt that prior knowledge on their part might alter the natural researching path they might take. As it happened it all unfolded very well with the timing  - with the academic year wrapping up giving me a 1-week window to interview my students about their researching activities over the course of the case study project. I videoed these interviews which run between 11 and 16 minutes and will upload them to the blog shortly. These interviews added a whole new dimension to my own research activities and are proving to enormously helpful now at the closing stages of BUZZ. The main aspect in which I am finding them to be revelatory is with regard to identifying patterns of researching activity between students. This is in relation to the gathering of information and is even more evident in characterising the process of analysis and synthesis they engage in with their research particularly once they are actively recording it in their pads. (Analysis relating to the sources, methods of investigation, inquiry and understanding central to the research. Then in the synthesis also where each student is drawing upon his or her analytical work and investigation to draft meaningful communications). The 3 students’ ability to understand the range of issues affecting the creation of a successful visual communication – audience, the intention with the message/product, materials, the use of appropriate visual language - all influence the research strands engaged with and indeed influence their creative direction towards the final form their individual designed artifact takes.

These interviews allowed the students to give their own account of how they research and enabled them to describe the value they attach to it. I found this fascinating as all 3 students aligned their personality types and modus operandi to the act of researching and then the subsequent analysis and synthesis of it. They referenced metaphors for researching such as viewing it “as a reservoir” (Cat Mooney); or “like gathering seeds” (James Killeen).

Each student also spoke of the sense of self-belief, confidence and trust in their instincts that the researching provides. Disposing of doubt whether it is in relation to their knowledge on a subject or in relation to the visual explorations that go hand in hand with the researching activities they do  – validating their creative expression in a way.

Another common element was the degree to which research provided an enormous source of inspiration for the students (all spoke of being influenced with regard to colours encountered for example). Again the tandem element of our researching bubbled to the top here as I became increasingly creatively inspired through my own researching into their research activity.

TYPES OF DATA GATHERED: (see above..and some cross over into research outcomes)

So from the various methods of research engaged in over the course of BUZZ the main ‘types’ of data I have gathered are primarily around the following areas:

I have investigated how my case study students research, and their approach to research in the context of the sample brief that was part of the BUZZ study. But also in a broader sense too through my conversations with the students. This has proved to be hugely informative in revealing how each individual tackles researching. These approaches varied among the group with research being the first port of call for Ita to get her ‘head in gear’ for the project in hand; James approached the research a little later once he had some loose directions and ideas in place; and Cat described her approach to research as something that did not come naturally but that she did hand in hand with her initial brainstorming. 


All 3 said that researching is ongoing throughout the project, although there were differences in their research activity as the project rolled on. Additionally, all 3 students approached the activity in an organised yet intuitive way, with Cat admitting that at times she felt bogged down by research and found herself becoming sidetracked on occasion.

I also looked at how the students record their research.  Again some commonality here – all 3 have quite an organised approach to the recording of their research. For Ita the visual appearance of the research in her pad is very important and she described feeling happy when she perused the pad and felt that she had made sense of the random gathering she had engaged in. She described how she uses the process of pasting in gathered research elements as an opportunity to allow her to reflect and assess what she had gathered, and to question why; and where she viewed the value of it in the context of her project.

James also had a very structured approach. I was intrigued as he described how he records his research in his pad. It takes on an almost ‘gallery’ like environment where he carefully selects which elements of the research should appear along side each other - as he assesses how ‘things bounce off each other’. He groups things together over the weeks of the project - with certain elements being pasted into pages of pads that he has moved on from and filled - like the rooms of the gallery or chapters of a book. He does this mindful of the viewer of his pad but primarily for himself as he structures his research in a way that allows him to maximise its' value to him when he needs to revisit it over the duration of a brief. Another element of note with James’ researching is in the commentaries that accompany it. While like the other 2 students, he includes notes on his analysis of the research,  he also focuses quite closely on his anticipated ‘use’ of the research - how he envisages it influencing him. The girls do this to a degree also, but not with the same level of projection that James engages with.

With regard to the time spent on researching again all 3 said they found it to be a very time consuming activity. However, they also communicated that the value gained from the knowledge and its contribution to the creative development made it very worthwhile. Cat in particular felt the time spent researching needed to be reigned in for her, as she easily found herself spending too much time engaged in it. The other 2 students revealed that they spend a large amount of time on research in the initial stages of the brief in particular. Ita then drops in and out of it - pit stopping with it once the creative progress slows... using it to refuel and propel her forward once again. James seems to have a more steady approach to his research, very much keeping it running steadily in the background throughout the entire project; gathering visual examples; adding to his understanding of his audience by investigating brands that focus on similar target markets, and like I mentioned earlier his method of recording means he interleaves any new research in with earlier elements as he goes. Cat too does engage her research skills throughout, and does an enormous amount of investigation, particularly with the visual research – casting her net wide, she then seems to be a little more buffeted by her findings than the others who hone in on particular avenues at an earlier stage.

I also investigated how the students apply the research to the creative development  – which they all do as they go along. The 2 elements run side by side generally, rather than research being something that is conducted as a separate entity. In investigating how each student maps their research onto the various stages of the design process I again identified differences in approaches here, which I have outlined earlier in this writing, but one thing all 3 agreed on was the contribution that the research findings make to their design practice.

When researching models of design research earlier in BUZZ I came across the writing of Sir Christopher Frayling (see earlier “Researching Research’ post on this blog).  This led me to some analysis on the blurring between the act of researching and that of designing. This is something that emerged again in my observation of the students research activities and in discussions with them and is something I see myself touching on a little more now again in the closing weeks of BUZZ.

The primary research tools for the 3 was the Internet - specifically Google searches. Books and journals also featured. Ita, although at times reluctant, also utilised interviewing from time to time and found the more personal her tie to the interviewee or the subject the more she benefitted and enjoyed this method. Cat and James both gathered and collected visual references to use as a research, with James also citing music videos, films etc as a source of visual research and inspiration. The students focused heavily in this brief on visual research, particularly referencing historical research – looking at existing logo/packaging/web designs for the area they were investigating. They each also conducted primary research, investigating their areas through photography and sketching etc also.

With regard to the level of enjoyment the students get from researching, James and Ita both commented on how much they enjoy the researching process and the degree to which it fuels the project. Cat seemed to view it and appreciate it as part of the process but admitted that is feels like an ‘unnatural’ activity for her and she also can lose her way within it from time to time. The fact that it is a marked element within a brief didn’t hold much sway with them (thankfully) and they, all 3, very much saw its’ impact on the amount of learning they did within a brief.

Finally here, they all felt the research findings they made defined the parameters of the brief for them with every aspect of the design being affected by the discoveries made within the research. For example, they commented that it helped them to identify the visual culture of the target audience, and impact on use of space, colour, typeface choice, imagery and imagery treatments, format, copywriting language etc etc.

RESEARCH OUTCOMES AS I VIEW THEM SO FAR:

I am attempting in this writing to keep to the headings provided in the mail from Maria, although I have included some outcomes under the headings above – apologies but as time is against me the structure will have to remain!!
One further point I feel must be part of this analytical audit on the outcomes of the research is in relation to the impact of the researching on the student’s confidence. It unquestionably instills a sense of self-belief in themselves and their creative offerings, the ability to back things up when questioned, the depth of the rationale. Also this gives them a great sense of the inner beauty of their work, and while they may not achieve what they had dreamed of in a visual sense, the fact that they can ‘logic it out’ as a piece of work, that fundamentally the meaning underpinning the visual is undeniable, brings with it a satisfying sense of achievement for them.

In brief, the research brings to the students:

* meaning (as a thing of beauty); * confidence; * trust in their creative instincts; * a building of visual awareness; * a breath of knowledge.

For me, the research outcomes during BUZZ have revolved around a huge upswing in my  * knowledge bank on the working and researching methods of my students.

I feel that I have witnessed far more closely the degree of learning that students’ gain from conducting their own research and that has led me to *contemplate my own teaching approaches with regard to this element of the project. I have decided that in the early stages of year 3 that students would benefit from a brief where the researching aspect is more guided, particularly in relation to visual research, which I can see all the more so now, has huge impact in building the visual awareness within different design disciplines and in tuning the students into contemporary design styles, approaches. It is assumed that students instinctively know how to research but I’ve found that this is not always the case and that sources can be quite narrow and there tends to be an over reliance on internet searches – particularly Google. I intend on addressing this within my teaching syllabus going forward into the next academic year.

  

WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE:

- upload student videos (in progress)  and sketch pad images to blog (or Voicethread  - see below)

- make final decision on final report format – still contemplating designing a summation piece of my BUZZ research, I have some outline sketches in place for this piece and a concept for it. However I am still wondering if my original report idea of producing a Voicethread might be a better option. In it I will include some of my student sketchpad images and videos with me voicing over my analysis and observation.

Both would encompass the individual experience of my student case study group along with capturing something of my own shared experience with the students and our collective researching activities. Obviously the Voicethread would be a more detailed and precise expression of my BUZZ analysis, but I am drawn to a less wordy report and interested in attempting to capture the essence of my BUZZ experience within a visual piece. I have been creatively producing on my own research within the REV 'creative output' and on into visual mapping piece I produced within COP, and so the prospect of continuing that is appealing - I will need to tease this out over my next tutorial. Which ever form the report takes it will feature elements of the patterning and cross referencing of the researching activity of the 3 students, and with my own researching activity also - a shared experience.

- Growing out of the more ethnographic approach undertaken in BUZZ I will, most likely, also revisit the effort to make my own classification of research. This in turn will possibly then lead onto rewriting the assessment criteria for the researching element of briefs within my teaching practice for the coming academic year also. 


– This would also include looking at the inclusion of a research focused brief for Semester 1 as outlined above.


These last 2 points would most likely be done post BUZZ and are elements that will materialise into the next academic year starting in September. They are elements affect my teaching practice growing out of the BUZZ experience.

Student Work/Research Spaces

Here is a little window into my 3 students' worlds. I asked them to photograph their researching spaces for me... the main places that they conduct their research. Interestingly all of them photographed their work desks with their computers for internet research very much present. However they all had mentioned the college library as a research resource. When I asked them about this they each replied that while they access books there and do a certain amount of researching in the library itself (depending on the loan restrictions on the books they were accessing) they all borrow the books and bring them home so they have the more comfortable and informal environment to research... drinking tea and listening to music and being able to say 'hey look at this' to housemates. Altogether a more social activity than you might imagine!

    

         

  

Outline Student Interview Questions

Here is an outline of the questions I used for my student interviews. I did the interviews with out working directly from this list and didn't 'lead' the students as much as some of the clarifiying comments in brackets here might suggest! These comments were more to assist me if the student was having difficulty answering which, thankfully, was not the case .

Questions for student interviews:
How do you approach research for a project - (is it something that you tackle from the outset to help define some parameters for yourself or do you begin it later when you have a clearer idea of your intent or is it something different to those egs altogether?)

Do you approach it in a calm organised way or is you approach more intuitive and hap-hazard?

What is the tempo of your research - time consuming and reflective or bursts of intense searching where much progress is made quickly or something else altogether?

For you what is the main type of research you engage in - (for example might it be... Historical research - looking at existing designs for the area you are investigating e.g. logos for a similar product etc. Or primary research - investigating it yourself through photography, sketching etc)
What are your main researching tools? for example - Internet - which sites or searches ?  Library - books and journals?Visiting sites - eg shop to view brands? Primary research?

How, for you, does the research findings contribute to  your design practice would you say? Could you give a % even for this maybe?

When do you employ research mostly e.g. beginnging of project, middle or end or all through or not at all?

When do you apply the research then to the design?

How do you feel the research maps onto the various stages of the design process for you? (i.e. here how do you apply the research)

Is there a difference in how and when you  approach visual research as opposed to the subject research?

Is there a blurring between researching and designing for you -  are are they 2 separate activities? (Do you research through your design experiments?)

How long for per ‘session’... or does it pour out into conversations with classmates over coffee … or it is something you approach in a structured search kind of way?

How do you record what you find? (do you comment on it or do you expand upon it and detail how it might be synthesised into your design work)?

Do you enjoy the researching part of the process or is it a ‘have to do it’ part of the project because it is marked?

How do you think researching impacts on the amount of learning you do within a project brief?

Classification Of Research Skills for BUZZ

This task is no longer in progress after my second tutorial. The aim now is to seek a more ethnographic approach. Now in retrospect it is better to let the students give their own account of how they research and let the classification, the construct, grow out of that. (previous idea of setting up a classification and mapping the students researching activity against that is not the approach now.)


I hope to...
'seek a richer story giving a sense of the individual'.

'how long do they research at home / what are their thoughts / what is their tempo etc'? 

'Go home with them and photograph their work spaces' 

'Observe their lives day to day' 

'The context of the research for brief is just a slice, the brief and artifact are aren't so important' 

So I will continue with photographing the students' work and will also interview them on their personal researching activity and methods etc in an attempt to get a sense of them.

researching RESEARCH

At my first BUZZ tutorial I was advised to set out a classification of research skills that I intended to use to monitor and observe my students' researching activity. It seemed like a simple enough exercise, however when I set about doing it so many questions were raised that I felt I needed to investigate design research methodologies and theories to get clarity on what I wanted to include within my own classification for BUZZ. In part I think this also grew out of a degree of confusion during the tutorial. As I spoke with Kieran and Maria it became clear that I viewed certain aspects of the whole process as 'researching' whereas my tutors felt that these aspects belonged in the activity of 'design' and therefore didn’t have a place in an investigation into research methods and skills of my students. There is a divide between the researching and the doing and I needed to define the difference.

A discrepancy again emerged in our discussion in relation to the end product of the brief - the design artifact - with Kiernan feeling that this element held little relevance to the knowledge production of the researching process. I realised that I needed to put in place definitions of what I intended to investigate and back up a rationale behind the relevancies of any decisions on what to include or not. This took me on a very interesting and in depth journey over the past few weeks and I have done extensive reading on the matter which I have found enormously fruitful and enlightening. Oh the joy of learning!

I began by looking at what I currently had in place...

My current research classification
Currently in my conversations with students and in the marking of a brief, I carve up the evidence of research in my students sketchpads into 2 main categories: subject research and visual research. 
Subject research concerns itself with investigating the major themes of the project - either those outlined in the brief or those identified by the student through their interpretation of the brief. Engaging in this form of research informs the students hugely and leads them in deeper understanding of any communication issues they may wish to make on a particular subject (be that drug addiction, the solar system, whatever). In essence the body of knowledge and understanding gained through this research forms the focus for the conceptual development - and the potential of visual solutions through analysis of the context.  
Visual research meanwhile focuses on 2 key strands: firstly – investigations into whatever design discipline the brief is engaged with (branding, editorial design etc) and secondly visual research that aligns itself with the individual direction the student is exploring thematically (visual examples of ‘distressed’ typography or spacial layouts that communicate, for example, a sense of calm etc). 

Both categories characterise a process of analysis and synthesis. Analysis relating to the method of investigation, enquiry and understanding central to the research of a project brief, concept or the particular context. Synthesis then is the means by which the student is able to draw upon his or her analytical work and investigation to draft meaningful communications. The students' ability to understand the range of issues affecting the creation of a successful visual communication – audience, the intention with the message/product, materials, the use of appropriate visual language - all influence the final form the artifact takes.


Reading (RE: search)
My methodology so far has included much reading focusing on models of design research; the analysis and documenting of student sketchpads; informal interviews with my case study participants, and with peers in academia and industry. In this post I want to focus on the reading I have engaged in over the past few weeks.
My attempts to define research have led me to many found definitions for example:
“A critical investigation or search or inquiry to discover new facts and information or to collect and collate old data. Research employs methods and schemes of testing to interpret events, fact or information, and is a process of observation, discovery and recording”  

(Ian Noble “Visual Research: An Introduction to Research in Design’)
“Rather than to define research in terms of use of specific methodological techniques, it makes more sense to concentrate on what it is both research and science in its most basic form tries to achieve: to produce knowledge and to seek the truth." 
(Fallman, D. Why Research-Oriented Design Isn't Design-Oriented Research. 2005, Umea Institute of Design Press)

I have investigated design research literature to understand historical and currently proposed models of design research. My reading, meant to ground my own inquiry and provide a framework for the drawing up of my own classification of design research, has focused on the history of design research; attempts to define and classify it; and the role of the designed artifact forming part of the research. I am including here some recurring names and models of note which are influencing my own classification efforts:

Sir Christopher Fraying: ‘Research in Art and Design” 
- a pivotal paper from Royal College of Art 1993.
Frayling identifies three key modes of design research:
1. research into design; 2. research through design, and 3. research for design.
Research into design includes the traditional historical and aesthetic studies of art and design. Research through design is project based and includes materials research and development. Research for design is the hardest to characterise, as its purpose is to create objects and systems that display the results or purpose of the research and prove its worth. (more about this below)

Donald Schön: ‘The Reflective Practitioner”
In adding to the research discussion of design methods, Donald Schön introduced the idea of design as a reflective practice where designers reflect back on the actions taken in order to improve design methodology. While this may seem counter to the science of design, where the practice of design is the focus of a scientific inquiry, several design researchers have argued that reflective practice and a science of design can co-exist in harmony.

Daniel Fallman: 
‘Why Research-oriented-Design isn’t the same as Design-oriented-Research’ (2005)
‘To briefly introduce these two notions, one can see design-oriented research — where research is the area and design the means—as a conduct which seeks to produce new knowledge by involving design activities in the research process. Here, design is used to drive and propel research. In research-oriented design however—where design is the area and research the means—the creation of products, and in that process answering to the problems and real-world obstacles that are faced in that process, is the primary objective. Here, research is used to drive and propel design.
I have included more on this below.

The Artifact as Part of Design Research
As I stated earlier part of my intent within my BUZZ investigations was to observe and document the impact of any research conducted upon the final design artifact. I realise that the research skills students apply to the activity is the primary concern but I believe that the created artifact embodies that research activity. I needed to define and clarify my thinking with regard to the research relevance of the artifact the students will design.

As briefly outlined above Christopher Frayling identifies three key modes of design research: 1. research into design; 2. research through design, and 3. research for design. Research for design is the hardest to characterise, as its purpose is to create objects and systems that display the results or purpose of the research and prove its worth.
This is the element that intrigues me most and that perhaps goes some way in validating the inclusion of the artifact as part of any observation of my students research activities.
“The thorny one is research for art and design, research with a small ‘r’ in the dictionary, what Pablo Picasso considered was the gathering of reference material rather than research proper. Research where the end product is an artifact - where the thinking is, so to speak, embodied in the artifact, where the goal is not primarily communicable knowledge in the sense of verbal communication, but in the sense of visual, or iconic or imagistic communication.” (Sir Christopher Frayings’ ‘Research in Art and Design”)


I refer to Daniel Fallman again here in relation to this point on the artifact as part of the research. In his paper cited above he argues that “in design-oriented-research the knowledge that comes from studying the designed artifact in use should be seen as the main contribution – the ‘result’ – while the artifact that has been developed becomes more of a means than an end. This implies that the artifact takes on a philosophically interesting role as a kind of middle ground between a thought experiment and a real thing. They are not designed entities per se—they are means to get at knowledge”.

However, he goes on to explain that "in contrast to this, research-oriented design is a term that is believed to better illustrate the relationship that consultants, applied researchers, and designers from industry typically hold in relation to design. In research-oriented design, the artifact is the product or primary outcome; it is regarded as the ‘result’ of their efforts." "Obviously, this conduct also generates knowledge however that it is not what is emphasized and this difference in purpose of the design activity generates different kind of knowledge which is not universal but rather it is particular to its character. The artifact also takes on a much clearer and explicit role in what the designers stress as their contribution."

"Yet another quite important difference is that research-oriented design most often has problem solving as a key component. This is because in the world of research-oriented design, the designer’s main guarantor, or customer, (or lecturer!) is typically a third party that puts up restrictions of different kinds and expects certain results. While research-oriented design may relate to, seek influence in, and even contribute to research (i.e. the generation of knowledge) in different ways, it has the production of new artifacts as its main motivation and goal." 


In a design project, research-oriented or not, decisions are often based on intuition and judgment. For instance, the form given to a specific element of a logotype is due to the designer’s judgment in the specific situation - based on his or her competence, intuition, experience, taste, knowledge of the context and so on - in a very complex process where the designer moves back and forth between considering details (e.g. exact coloring, specific shapes, and font kerning) and considering larger wholes (e.g. flow of characters, the logotype’s whole gestalt, and big issues like branding and corporate identity).

The main disparity between research and design from this perspective therefore is not primarily that design only produces artifacts and research only produces knowledge, there is room within each activity to accommodate both and within my classification I will have to decide how and why they differ within the context of the design brief I am observing within BUZZ.

My reading on design research has revealed much on a combination of research and making, however the focus in much of the writing has been on design as a practice and not as a research discipline that makes contributions of knowledge. Graphic design practice focuses on making a successful piece of visual commuication, but it could be argued that design research is engaged in the creation of artifacts that are intended to be questions or crafted observations offered up to the viewer. These artifacts stimulate discussion around a topic or challenge the status quo – the designer becomes the critical observer, analyst and communicator. It could be argued that student designers occupy this space more substantially as they have the freedom to do so free from commercial constraints. Again however it does depend on the project brief and some facilitate this level of research activity more than others. I would have loved to have been in a position to give my case study group a project that had less of a 'real world' focus in the interests of my own BUZZ investigations, however syllabus restrictions meant that the final brief needed to capture particular elements. I do believe however that the brief given accommodates the creation of artifacts that can contribute knowledge and generate further questions. I still intend to maintain this model within my own research classification as the project brief given expands the students’ focus on methods and analysis of artifacts to include making as a method of inquiry.

Ita's Sketch Pad

I am including for now some images of one of my case study students' work to date for the branding brief. i am photographing from the sketch pads weekly to keep track of progress, but am not yet sure how I will manage/display them - or on the basis of my tutorial - if i need to display them at all in fact. However in the interests of managing the image gathering myself and to get a clearer picture of how to map and cross reference the students progress in researching against my classification of research. I am still working on how best to visually articulate that - for myself at least! Crucially - I am also still finialising that classification, but for now I am including an update here of just one students work to give a flavour of things so far. 

Choosing the object and concept generation around its' new function:

Some visual research into logos that feature animal motifs (aligned with her concept):

Working on name development:

 Early drafts for trial name 'hound husher':

  Notes on brand strategy research:

  Visual research on packaging:

 Visual research on logos with focus on typologos:

Early draft of Typologo:

Sketchs following research into target audience - dog as child - 'poochie poo'

Research Based Practice

“One of the most impressive design research based practices in the world belongs to the architect Rem Koolhaas. Koolhaas has built his world wide reputation in large measure by designing and publishing the results of his research in provoking ways. From ‘Delirious New York: A Retrospective Manifesto for Manhattan' to 'S,M, L, XL' in collaboration with graphic designer Bruce Mau, to ‘The Harvard Design School Guide to Shopping', Koolhaas has consistently deployed design research in distinct ways. A look at his approach makes it obvious that design as research is not the same as science as research. Its emotional, subjective, sensitive to social context and culture and its precisely this that makes the results of design research resonate with people." (Peter Luenfeld, 2003)

In the current brief I have given to my students part of my aim with it is that they see and understand their role as designers to be able to create beyond branding and into shaping the design of products and services - that they view their role as more expansive, that they have more authorship. 

With so much hype about new design software tools (After Effects anyone!?) this is precisely the time to revisit the debates about deep design over styling. Our profession is in some degree of turmoil at present. I witness it in my own professional practice and regularly discuss future directions and definitions with my peers. Design is being squeezed by the requirement for web usability, site analytics etc and increasingly the role of the designer is “greying out”. It is difficult to prepare students for the profession when the ground is moving beneath our feet. I firmly believe that while all these new elements and influences are necessary within design in a contemporary context, we need to return to the touch stones of designs’ own power and intelligence. Design research is at the very heart of this. "It is a rational practice but one where emotion is allowed to manifest and guide. Its as much like a cooks kitchen as a scientists’ lab. "(Peter Luenfeld, 2003)

In my teaching practice my hope is to help students understand that while things may speed by on the surface they have a foundation in a calmer, more fundamental place. And it is here that research is undertaken, understood, and utilised in different contexts, and ultimately shaping the creative output in whatever form it takes.  In short, I aim to instill in student designers an ability to harness the power of research and in doing so increase the value and meaning of their own work and ultimately of the discipline itself. The ‘consequences’ of their designs become more intentional, purposeful, engaging through the research that helped shape it. It is something I fervently hope students will bring with them from academia to industry.