Illustration

I researched through sketches whether it would be possible to sublimate the state of our inability to stop consumption into creatures such as monsters as a metaphor.

Self Reflection

I found that using a consumption monster makes it difficult to talk about the value of each object.

Mock-ups

I created many mock-ups that would serve as ideas for my next publication and explored how to create an experience-based book.

SELF REFLECTION

I decided to expand on the nesting idea in the top left and create a book where the book itself is wrapped like a Russian matryoshka doll.

I have explored my line of enquiry, which is the question of the in-transparency of consumption, by iterating the making of publications in the last semester. 

Because there are lots of possibilities in the term ‘in-transparency of consumption’ depending on the interpretation.’ Therefore, I needed to continuously consider ‘What kinds of in-transparency am I interested in?’, ‘Why am I struggling with this topic?’ and ‘How can I make this topic more specific and/or original?’ as the reflection of my studio works. I realised how critical practice is in deepening my inquiries. Each outcome elevates the resolution of my thoughts, allowing me to gradually observe what can be the key to my project.

As a result of the final publication, I became interested in what kind of psychological effect humans seek in their consumption behaviour more than necessary and how the value of objects plays into this.

Hence, I would like to focus on researching mimicking desire from Rene Gurard and Object-Oriented Ontology to project my work that awakens people to consider how we could have a better relationship with objects and change consuming behaviour in capitalist society.

{ Theme }

The theme of this week is the improvement of visual communication, which I have realised through creating the last prototype. I carefully reconsidered the size, materials, and usage of colours to make the publication more understandable without explanation.

Latest line of enquiry:

How people beg for identity, stimulation, belonging, and status through overconsumption is an act whose actuality is uncertain.

Studio Work:

How I improved:

(Layout, Colour, Structure)

• Added the explanation of the structure of this book.
• Moved the receipt on the first page.
• Changed text colour to all black.

(Material)

• The cover page reflects the reader through a mirror effect and asks where your identity is.
• The gradient shows you can be anyone you would like to.

Feedback:

I have iterated to capture the structure of the mass-production capitalist society while exploring my questioning using publications as a medium this semester.

One of the project’s most successful points is that I could reveal the fact that humans and products are consuming each other through the fictional narrative, but it happens everywhere in our daily lives.

However, this project is still in the middle point because I observe that I am also interested in the manipulation to keep consuming by society, and I have not considered this effect so much. Therefore, I am planning to research how people get the desire and fear to get better lives through continuous consumption.

●Presentation link

{ THEME }

I have explored how I can capture the structure of consumption connected to the line of enquiry with iterations of creating publications in two weeks.

Reflection²:

Reflecting on the previous experiment through the structure, I captured the relationship between people as a consumer and a company through an item.

I have got two prior realisations through the experiment. Firstly, I noticed that consuming is not just purchasing. The previous publication contains only the purchasing process, so it is necessary to expand the duration. Secondly, it does not articulate my line of enquiry – so I need to reconsider why I opted for the topic of consumption. The purpose of this project is to reduce over-necessity and meaningless consumption.

Research:

To iterate creating publications as an experiment, I have started to research the current consumption behaviours. The reference, “The world is on fire but we’re still buying shoes”, says there are five main purposes to keep consuming clothes: Escapism, Status, Belonging, Novelty and Stimulation.

Experiment³:

In consideration of the above, I planned the next publication as follows.

1. The opposite relationship between the company and people from the previous publication.
2. Expanding the time duration from just buying to finishing to use.
3. The unique consumption that has a meaningful story.

In addition, I set the original definition of the word consuming, which is “Adding colours to the narratives of your life”.

The additional iteration of making a publication shows meaningful and irreplaceable consumption from my experience. However, I observed that the outcome had lost its criticality because it had become just a self-dialogue.

Reflection³:

Therefore, I went back to the initial question: While residing in Japan, I frequently observed a tendency for individuals to make purchases without a conscious and deliberate thought process. Many people wear similar clothes, live parallel lives, and eat indistinguishable food. I was constantly questioned about how people show their identity through these similar consumption habits.

Latest line of enquiry:

I would like to emphasise through my design that people tend to over-purchase items to find their identity, which is not an essential act.

To connect this line of enquiry with the following outcome, I decided to represent the relationship between people and products consuming each other through the fictional narrative.

Experiment⁴:

This is a juxtaposition of the person who consumed the eyeglasses and the eyeglasses that consumed the person. The story is set in 2060 Tokyo.
Some products embed AI and can make the strategy for their marketing by themselves.

Reflection⁴:

Regarding the contents, it is certainly connected to the latest line of enquiry because this book has the possibility of making people start looking for their identity inside of themselves and naturally reduce their consumption. Yet, it still has some technical issues that need to be clarified for readers. I will improve these points as follows;

(Layout, Colour, Structure)

• The spiral is more noticeable than the title.
• Text is too small and difficult to read
• There is no reason to choose green as the main colour.
• Text colour should be darker.

(Contents)

• The story should be more specific.
• The story should not be the future
  – because the shape of this issue will be different in 2060.
• Consider how I can make it more easy to understand without explanation.

(Material)

• Consider what material can express the purpose of this book which is to make people think about our identity and overconsumption.

●Presentation Link

{ THEME }

How can I express my line of enquiry if my curiosity is about consumers more than animal rights?

Line of enquiry:

• To explore human-centred design (NOT USER-CENTRED DESIGN) that does not sacrifice the environment and animals.
• To visualise the consumption in a more transparent.

Studio Work:

This book shows that humans are consumers and/or users from a company’s perspective and do not have subjectivity. Additionally, as the reference book “Are We Human?” shows, humans can only grasp about 7% of our consciousness. It indicates that our subjectivity is mostly behind the subconscious, and the thinking process to get the item is blurred. Therefore, I express the situation through tracing paper and structured forms to buy things like Amazon’s UI.

Feedback:

I explored how I can translate the process of purchasing items through my line of enquiry, whose core is consumerism rather than animal rights. As a result, I could express how human existence becomes objective to see our purchasing process from a different point of view.

●Presentation Link

Reconsidered why I am here?

This is substantially the initial step of this semester to destroy my tendency to create design until now.
I went back to the time before starting this course. I applied to this course because I felt that I was like a factory machine as a designer. Technically, my skills have improved every year. However, it was difficult to make a contribution to this society as an individual designer; I was a small part of the gears of the capitalist society.

For that reason, I aim to deepen my understanding of the line of enquiry derived from my experiences growing up in Tokyo, a capital city in Japan. Moreover, I seek to visually articulate this interpretation rather than relying on verbal expression.

Initial Question:

While residing in Japan, I frequently observed a tendency for individuals to make purchases without a conscious and deliberate thought process.
For example, during my part-time job at a coffee shop ten years ago, I successfully boosted sales of products nearing expiration by strategically placing them on the pastry shelves near the till. I used the psychological strategy, in which people tend to move their eyesight like a Z shape from top-left to bottom-right.

In addition, Japan has a cultural tendency to blend in with others. For example, students wear formal uniforms until they turn 18. Even in college, where people can wear casual clothes, many dress quite similarly.

This trend extends to Fashion Buildings, where the available clothes often share similar designs. Additionally, the rapid annual shifts in fashion trends create a cycle of continuous consumption, compelling individuals to purchase new clothes each year. Failure to do so may convey to others that one is not keeping up with the latest fashion.

Consequently, in Japan, there is a prevalent perception that people buy clothes not solely for fashion but largely to conform to societal norms and expectations.

Conclusion:

There are various types of manipulation behind people’s purchasing behaviour and as an individual,
I have always lived my life trying to compete with them. Yet, as a designer, I had the contradictory feeling that I was always contributing to the Manipulation side. I started this course to face such contradictions.

Line of enquiry:

In the first step, I depict the structure which we used in Unit 2, Position, to organise how to explore this project.

For the next, I set my line of enquiry as below:

• To explore human-centred design (NOT USER-CENTRED DESIGN) that does not sacrifice the environment and animals.
• To visualise the consumption in a more transparent.

Studio Work:

The publication expresses the process from the time a pig is born until it is eaten by humans as a medium. Regarding material, it mixes tracing paper and clear film depending on the transparency of the process to consumers. Some words make the reader feel pain, particularly in the slaughter process, so I avoid using illustrations and pictures.

Feedback:

It was the first time that I succeeded in reflecting on my questioning of the visual outcome. I noticed that questioning is the starting point of all the projects, and it is important to find the most appropriate medium after that. I have the tendency to find the solution at the very beginning of the project.
This week, I used most of the time to find my question. Therefore, I could not get time to make the polished design. However, I would like to reconsider my question first, which may be more connected to consumerism rather than animal rights.

●Presentation link