by Kristina Reischl -

Joyful Design

Storytelling
Emotions

In my last blog post, I examined that authentic connections play an essential part in creating joyful experiences. But how is it possible to create authentic connections? One action to achieve that is using the power of storytelling. Storytelling is an essential part of humanity. Especially in Branding, it is valuable to build an emotional connection to people through stories that link humans to products on an emotional, empathic layer. Authentic stories stick in peoples minds and lead to higher engagement.

Case Study
Nike [1]

When it comes to Nike we can say that this brand has mastered the art of storytelling. Nike understands that harnessing emotion is the strategy to aim for instead of simply promoting features and benefits of the product.

“Why do people get married—or do anything?” Phil Knight posited to the Harvard Business Review in 1992. “Because of emotional ties. That’s what builds long-term relationships with the consumer, and that’s what our campaigns are about. Our advertising tries to link consumers to the Nike brand through the emotions of sports and fitness. We show competition, determination, achievement, fun, and even the spiritual rewards of participating in those activities.”

Nike’s mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.

Nike tells a story that everyone who has a body is an athlete and you don’t have to be a star on the court or the field to earn that label.

Nike’s story is based on a hero archetype. And one force we are all competing against is our inner self—our lazy self. That is something people can universally relate to and this topic hits a strong emotional pain point for people. Nike’s Slogan “Just do it!” perfectly takes approach on that pain point. The Slogan is a perfect call to action which makes you feel like victory. And exactly that message draws through all the brands communication. [2]

Sources:
[1] Grawe, Sam. (27/01/2021). How storytelling is at the heart of the Nike brand. URL: https://www.creativereview.co.uk/storytelling-nike-brand/

[2] Arek Dvornechcuck. Good Examples of Brand Storytelling. URL: https://www.ebaqdesign.com/blog/brand-storytelling

by Sabine Probst -

underwater filmmaking part 2

When getting more serious into underwater filming there are a couple things to think of. First of all you will probably want to upgrade from an action camera to a camera housing for the camera you use on land. To have the right gear when being underwater is important, and with gear I do not only mean camera gear, but also your diving gear. The most important thing when filming underwater is that you as a diver are safe and are already a good diver before concentrating on anything else under the water surface.

by Sabine Probst -

What is a script?

Documentary scripts tend to evolve over the course of production. In the case of programs that are significantly driven by narration, the script might begin to take shape during pre-production, only to be significantly revised and rewritten during editing.  On programs in which narration augments visual storytelling, scripts are not usually written until editing or shooting is complete (or nearly complete). At that point, filmmakers will assemble a paper script. This script builds on the original treatment but takes into account changes to the story as filmed, and it incorporates interview, sync, and archival material in proposed screen order as a blueprint for the editor to follow. As editing progresses, this script is revised and rewritten, until no more changes are made. Not all films are edited this way. (Curran Bernard 2004, p.122)

by Sabine Probst -

What is a Treatment?

A treatment should be short, about two pages for a feature documentary. This is not a script. A treatment is a summary of how the subject will be approached, and it should generally elaborate on the concept. The treatment gives a feeling of where the story will go, beginning, middle and end. Important in the treatment are the issues that will be explored and what questions will be asked. The treatment should give the reader a sense of who, what, when, why, where and how. Written well it can help build interest in the documentary. (Martin 2018, p. 133)

A treatment that gives a strong notion of the envisioned documentary could be presented in a number of mediums including film or video trailer, photographic, portfolio, audio program or slide presentation. A well thought out concept and treatment provides a place to begin and it brings the idea to life.

by Sabine Probst -

What is an outline?

Quotes from research:

Outlines:

An outline is a sketch of your film, written to expose its proposed and necessary elements. In most cases, the outline is a working document for you and your team.

It would include a synopsis (one or two paragraphs) of the overall film story, and then a program outline broken down by acts (if applicable) and then a program outline broken down by acts (if applicable) and sequences, with detailed information on elements such as archival footage or specialized photography and interviews. (Curran Bernard 2004, p.115) The outline is a chance to begin imagining your film.  (Curran Bernard 2004, p.116)

Be careful to focus it as you intend (for now) to focus the final film. (Curran Bernard 2004, p.116) || What is the film about? Who’s story are you telling 

If the film is about events in the past or events you have control over (a series of demonstrations set up for the purpose of an essay for example), it’s easier to begin outlining the film and finding an appropriate structure. For films of events that will unfold as you shoot, it’s possible to draft an outline (and treatment) based on what you anticipate happening. (Curran Bernard 2004, p.116) 

by Sabine Probst -

What is the environment?

What we call “the environment” is both a complex natural ecosystem, and a socially constructed abstraction.

The cognitive split between humanity and nature—indeed, between the spiritual world and the material—derives from the very earliest religious texts. (Duvall 2017, p.15)

The human species seems to be unique in its ability to cognitively disassociate itself from the natural world. Writes Willoquet-Maricondi (“Shifting Paradigms,” 2010): “We have erected a social structure, a civilization based on a perceptual error regarding the place of humans in the biotic community”. (54-55) (Duvall 2017, p.16)

History has been significantly marked by the ability of humankind to control natural processes and resources to serve its energy needs—in the beginning with fire, wood, water, wind, and metals, later with fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. The rise of mercantilism and imperial conquest established the supremacy of societies that could excel at invention in the fields of exploration and weaponry. (Duvall 2017, p.16)

Perhaps the first systematic challenge to the vision of technological progress emerged in 1864 with George Perkins Marsh’s Man and Nature; or, Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action. Marsh wrote one of the earliest explications of the ecological principle, noting the destructive effects of human activity on the natural world throughout history. (Duvall 2017, p.17)

From the visionary moral leadership of Sierra Club founder John Muir and the political support of avid outdoorsman President Theodore Roosevelt, the US Congress passed a series of laws creating a system of national parks. This “first wave” of environmental activism focused on conservation and preservation, recognizing that Americas’s natural resources were not as inexhaustible as previously believed. (Shabecoff,1993)

During the post—World War II period of conservative politics and economic expansions in the United States, environmentalism again took a back seat in the public mind. But beneath the surface, important thinking was going on. Aldo Leopold, author of Sand Country Almanac (1949), developed his concept of a “land ethic,” a scientifically based re-visioning of the relationship between humanity and nature that alerted man’s role from conqueror of the land to citizen upon it—just one living species among others in an interconnected web of life. Biologist Rachel Carson, whose 1951 book The Sea around Us was adapted into a feature length documentary film, also wrote Silent Spring in 1962, documenting the threats posed to humans and other species by pesticides, and bringing ecological issues to the attention of a broad public as well as the government. These thinkers and many others challenged the dominant paradigm of infinite growth and human hubris, increasingly regarding society in terms of systems thinking instead of ideological economic or political orthodoxy. …the decade of the 1970s, two important events helped to focus the public imagination on the environment and encourage holistic environmental thinking. (Duvall 2017, p.18)

The first was the moon landing in 1969, accompanied by photos of Planet Earth from space—Carl Sagan’s “pale blue dot.” (Duvall 2017, p.18-19)

Seeing Earth as a unified whole, dominated by blue oceans with land undivided by national borders, led the Earth’s residents look at their planetary life in a more integral way. One manifestation of this new vision was the first Earth Day in 1970, which for perhaps the first time brought together all the related issues of conservation, consumerism, energy usage, pollution, and species extinction into an interwoven context. (Duvall 2017, p.19)

these are some quotes from my research

by Kristina Reischl -

Joyful Design

Challenges and chances for Joyful Design.

Challenges and chances for Joyful Design to make an impact in our society according to Himanshu Baradwaj. According to Baradwaj there is one main challenge which is technology and one huge chance for joyful design in building authentic connections through design.

Technology
Through increasing level of technology taking a major part in our lives issues in regards of anxiety and the fear of missing out arises. Especially the presence of social media can lead to bad conditions such as triggering anxiety, jealousy, FOMO etc. Digitization, especially social media, is likely to trap people in a filter bubble. Smartpones disconnect us from reality and disconnects our attention from the present which is a major issue in reducing our sense of wellbeing.

“Stress, anxiety, disappointment, eyestrain, sleep disorders, depression, fear, social comparison, bullying, loneliness, and addiction are some of the emotions people experience while using technology products today.” —Himanshu Baradwaj

Especially stress causes illness—physical as well as mental. Which in return affects the quality of the end product design according to Baradwaj.

In regards to technology Baradwaj states that technology should be designed to give a sense of purpose, motivation, inspiration and the connection needed to solve current problems.

Authentic Connections
According to Baradwaj there is a natural craving in humans for authentic connections and positive experiences.

This matches especially with previous research—in symbolic meaning and postmodernity—where we can see a trend in craving for authentic relationships and being part of authentic communities. This research stated that to satisfy the human desire for community, modern individuals seek products and services less for their use value than for their linking value. Linking value results when a product facilitates and supports communion by providing a site, an emblem, the support for integration or recognition, and so forth. Here, linking value refers to product properties that cause users to experience a feeling of communion. [2]

In past times designers have undergone many techniques to enhance happiness when designing products. Reviews, testimonials, and gamification have been some of those techniques. But those techniques do not create authentic happiness. Baradwaj states that happiness is little about the product or tangibles itself, but more about experiences, long, compelling and authentic stories.

[1] Source: Himanshu Baradwaj. June 24, 2021. UX Collective. Can design be more joyful? URL: https://uxdesign.cc/can-design-be-more-joyful-540f28f6e1a6

[2] Cova, B. (1997). Community and consumption, towards a definition of the “linking value” of product or services. European Journal of Marketing,31(3/4), 297-316.

by Esma Kurbegovic -

HOW MUSEUMS USE MUSIC TO DRAW IN NEW AUDIENCES

In a previous article I talked about businesses bringing in new audiences by creating impressionable soundscapes in their offices, but what is going on when it comes to museums? Soundscapes and sound installations are being used more and more to present important and relevant topics/exhibitions in museums.

Giles Martin- the son of Sir George Martin, Beatles’ notorious producer, created an experience with a new Dolby Atmos mix that brought back into the world that was created in Abbey Road studios. This event showed visitors a new angle of Beatles’ greatest hits. The succeed of this event definitely lead to an increase of popularity in immersive sound experiences, with which we can explore both art and history in a fascinating new way. These experiences can offer a unique and interesting way to learn about the past. 

The Grammy Museum in LA opened up a new exhibition  called “Mono to Immersive Experience Room” in which visitors can relive the most famous performances of the Grammys. This audio-visual experience takes visitors on a journey from the 19th century phonographs to the immersive sound of Today. One can explore the most important parts of music history and experience how technology progressed with time.

One of the most innovative experiences was done by the London Design Museum that went on from April to July 2020. It was designed to “transport” visitors into the Nightclubs of cities with a famous rave culture (e.g. Berlin, Detroit, Paris). It used a combination of music, strobe and flashing lights in order to create a club atmosphere.The experience called “Electronic” was using all these techniques to allow visitors to explore the art, design and photography that captured and shared the electronic music atmosphere. 

The exhibit features works from some of the most famous techno artists like Jeff Mills and Ellen Alien, along with BBC’s radiophonic workshop. It also features photography from a famous german event photographer Andreas Gursky, as well as the work of French DJ Laurent Garnier. The following video  gives a bit more detail from interviews and insight on the projects mentioned here.

Resources

https://www.soundoflife.com/blogs/design/how-museums-use-music-draw-new-audiences

by Kristina Reischl -

Joyful Design

Master’s Thesis

When researching my master’s thesis topic, I found an article that tackles many ideas and issues of my master thesis. In the following blog posts, I will examine this article to integrate the insights and to build and develop upon those approaches in my final thesis.

“Can design be more joyful?”

Himanshu Baradwaj expresses in his article the conviction that every product experience, from creation to consumption can be designed in a joyful manner. He also highlights the importance of seeking a higher purpose than only solving problems in design which leads to my research on possibility-driven design—a design method that exactly sparked from that idea, that design should not only focus on problem-solving approaches.

Baradwaj also writes about the importance of creating positive feelings in order of fulfilling customer expectations and furthermore in order of creating successful experiences—experiences that trigger happy emotions “are more likely to be shared” and therefore more likely to be successful.

For Baradwaj Joyful Design means applying joy to everything.

“Joyful design is about novel approaches to problem-solving, detail-oriented work, consciously trying to be in the company of joyful people, and finding joy within.” —Himanshu Baradwaj

Whereas this holistic view on joyful design makes total sense I want to set my further focus on designing products that trigger joy. (Especially in regards to my master’s thesis). The thesis will not focus on a specific design discipline but rather on a general framework which can later be applied on designing products any form. Such as a social media campaign, a website, or even a whole brand identity.

Source: Himanshu Baradwaj. June 24, 2021. UX Collective. Can design be more joyful? URL: https://uxdesign.cc/can-design-be-more-joyful-540f28f6e1a6

by Marcelino Zus -

Focusing on MA-thesis part V – conversation with Ursula Lagger

Ursula Lagger held the course Proseminar Master Thesis and outlined the most important questions and considerations about the thesis.

After revising my expose, and the final conversation with Ursula Lagger, where I presented my topic, I feel quite confident that I’m on the right track.

However still I think I need to narrow the topic. For this I thought probably it would be better to start the focus already with the experts interviews. Instead of interviewing people from various fields probably it’s better to find more experts in a specific field like graphic design and print production. This would also fit the idea to produce a poster series and the printed hardcover as practical work piece. Thus I have probable interview partners in mind like graphic designers, typographers and illustrators who are experienced in both, digital and analog methods, processes and production.

Questions like the share of digital and analog for their work, experiences in perception, technical and aestehtic characteristics, special projects, general dis- and advantages, personal attitude on the topic seem to be a good start for the interviews.

However, I’m aware that there’s still more thinking about the questions and the aims of the thesis.

But I’m sure starting a proper research, getting in touch with interview partners and having all that material collected in March and April will again give another view on the topic and help to find a proper focus for the thesis.