CONTEXT OF PRACTICE 2 - MODULE EVALUATION

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE 2 - LECTURE NOTES - RESEARCH SKILLS

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE 2 - LECTURE NOTES - COP3 INTRODUCTION

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE 2 - BRIEF 2 - TEACHER EMAIL

Through a friend I managed to get the personal email of a student teacher in her final year of university. As part of her practice she has to complete a number of work placements throughout the duration of her course, this means she has a lot of experience working with children within the primary school environment. 

Before writing and sending the set of questions I messaged her to see if she had time to respond to my survey, after receiving a positive reply I progressed with creating the questions. 

I started this process by first noting down what I wanted to gain from the questionnaire.

After creating the list of things I want to find out from the interview I composed a series of six questions with a supporting overview to give the questions context and make them easier to understand. 

After creating the questions I send the survey to the provided email address. 

RESPONSE 

After only a short while I received the response documented below. 

ANALYSIS;

• Due to the age range of children that she has taught (3 - 9 years old) her responses are especially relevant to my project as the children that are specifically targeted usually fall within this age range. 
• Both the children that she has taught and the children other teachers have taught that she has observed regularly discussed toys and products while in lesson - these types of commodity based discussions happen on an almost daily basis.
• Technology is the main thing discussed throughout most schools - knowledge surrounding technological products such as the ipad and computers is common amongst teachers and students alike.
• Children often discuss the different games consoles they have and the various games that they play on them. 
• Apps are also a big talking point between children - this indicates they have, or have access to iphones. 
• Lucy was unaware that advertising agencies target educational institutions - my outcome could help solve this problem.
• Lucy would also support a campaign to educate children and adults about the industry. 

CONCLUSION;

• The response revived was very useful and insightful. 
• Commodity based products are a daily topic of discussion in most schools Lucy has taught in/visited - corporate influence is already well established. 
• Technology is the main point of discussion.
• Lucy was unaware that advertising agencies target educational institutions - room for an ethical solution.
• Lucy would also support a campaign that educated about the advertising industry. 

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE 2 - BRIEF 2 - AESTHETIC RESEARCH

After defining the concept for the project outcome a body of aesthetic based research was collected to help inspire the form and aesthetics of the final piece. 

Work examples were collected from secondary internet based sources.

Link

WHY FEATURED;

• The length of the leaflet allows for a good balance of aesthetics and information.
• A similar length leaflet could be utilised for my outcome. 

This is England ’86 | The Church of London – Creative Agency

Link

WHY FEATURED;

• The fold out form of this leaflet allows plenty of room for a balance of information and imagery.
• To read all information the leaflet must be opened completely, this could affect the delivery of information as space and the right environment is needed to do so. 

ALVA ALVA - flyer

Link

WHY FEATURED;

• Striking colours make the flyer eye-catching and interesting.
• A vibrant colour scheme could be utilised by my outcome to relate to the child based target audience and the often colourful aesthetic of commercial products.

STEPHANE PIANACCI  - Occupy Wall-street Leaflet

Link

WHY FEATURED;

• The chosen form for this leaflet makes it very practical and allows a good amount of space for a balance of information and imagery.
• I could utilise a similar form for my outcome to make it suitable for the target audience who will be on the move or outside while engaging with the flyer. 

DAVIDE GIOACCHINI - Leaflet design.

Link

WHY FEATURED;

• Unusual opening method creates uneven panels. 
• Interesting design invites the user to explore its contents.

Vespa Brochure 

Link

WHY FEATURED;

• Leaflet includes packaging.
• Packaging could be relevant to my design as it communicates information to parents about consumerism. 

MARISA PASSOS - Edison Booklet

Link

WHY FEATURED;

• Outcome could also take the form of a small booklet.
• A booklet is still suitable for the target audience and would leave sapce for a lot of information and imagery relevant to the subject.

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE 2 - BRIEF 2 - PARENT QUESTIONNAIRE

As outlined on my research plan I also want to create a short survey which will be distributed to the target audience of my outcome, parents with children attending primary school.

The primary aim of the survey will be to find out if parents are aware of the manipulative techniques applied by the advertisers to influence their children. Moreover, a secondary aim of the survey will be to discover if parents would be interested in engaging with a campaign that educates about such techniques giving them a chance to protect their children from them.  

Results will allow me to see if parents are already aware of the techniques currently practiced by the industry subsequently outlining the relevance of my response to the brief. If parents are already knowledgeable with the topic then I will need to redefine my concept for the physical outcome. 

QUESTIONS

Firstly, I started the process of creation by writing a short introduction to help parents understand the survey questions in context. Additionally, a set of four simple questions were also defined to form the main content of the questionnaire.

The introduction and questions were created in Microsoft word to ensure that no spelling mistakes were made.

CREATING THE SURVEY 

After the introduction and range of questions had been finalised the survey was composed using an online website called SurveyMonkey which allows users to create mullti-question surveys and distribute them via a web-link online. 

DISTRIBUTION

After finishing the survey online a web-link was made available allowing me to distribute the questionnaire via internet based sources. As my target audience consists of parents with children attending primary school I searched the internet for forums relevant to my target audience that had a lot of user activity. By finding forums where my target audience regularly visit I can disseminate my survey online and receive informed responses from the outlined audience. 

I found a website called 'netmums' which is a forum based site linking up mothers from around the country. I signed up as a member and disseminated my survey on the various notice boards available.

Supporting my link I created a short introduction to grab the audiences attention and hopefully engage them with my survey.

SUPPORTING MESSAGE;

Mothers of the UK! 
I am currently collecting a body of research for a university project and I need your help. Please complete the survey by following the link below and help me to understand your views regarding the manipulation of your children by the advertising industry. 
Survey Link - https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KJ5SSK8

Once I became a Netmum I was free to add posts to the noticeboards available on site. 

RESULTS

I left the survey for a few weeks while progressing with other aspects of the project to accumulate some responses.

Unfortunately, despite disseminating the survey around the internet I only received a dismal six responses to the questionnaire meaning that I could only gain a very limited insight into the target audiences existing thoughts and feelings surrounding the topic.  

Despite the limited amount of responses a basic idea of parental knowledge surrounding subject could still be defined by analysing the results gained.

• Of the six people the responded to the survey four had no idea how advertisers come into contact with their children.
• One participant answered other, specifying 'Adverts?' in the comment box, this indicates they have some knowledge but are unsure as to whether they are right. 

• 80% of the participants who completed the survey were unaware of the techniques used to manipulate children.
• The results from this question indicate that there is a need for an educational outcome to inform parents of the methods applied by advertisers.

• 100% of survey participants want to know more about the subject.
• Establishes there is a definite need for an educational outcome aimed at parents.

• Finally, 100% of survey participants were also interested in knowing how to protect their children from manipulative advertising.

RESPONSES

After analysing the results from the survey I established that the majority of parents are completely unaware of the methods used by advertisers to manipulate children indicating that there is a need for an education outcome. Moreover, this idea is further supported by the results from the last two questions which indicate that 100% of survey participants would be interested in knowing more about the subject. 

One thing that I will do differently next time relates to the surveys distribution, instead of relying on online methods of distributing I will disseminate future surveys personally. In doing so, I will be able to go to an environment in which the target audience are found and physically collect responses in person, this will allow me to collect a number of responses and improve the quality of the insight derived from analysing the surveys results. 

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE 2 - BRIEF 2 - SCHOOL DISTRIBUTION RESEARCH

My response to the brief is taking the form of a simple leaflet aimed at parents of the children who often fall victim to the manipulative techniques of the modern day advertiser. While collecting research for my essay I discovered that the group of children usually targeted are aged between 6 and 12. 

Due to the age range of children targeted by advertising schemes I outlined the ideal distribution point as a primary school, as both parents and children are present within the environment.

I am very unfamiliar with the rules and regulations surrounding the distribution of information from schools so decided to collect some primary research to see if the outcome could potentially be distributed a primary learning environment. 

THE MESSAGE;

I decided to contact the schools via email so that I could distribute a large volume of inquiries and increase my chance of receiving and informed response. The message was composed within Microsoft word to ensure that there were no spelling or punctuation mistakes before distributing the email.

MESSAGE CONTENTS;

Dear Sir or Madam,

My name is Jordan Harrison Reader and I am a second year Graphic Design student currently studying at Leeds College of Art.

The reason I am contacting you is to ask a few quick questions to help gather primary sourced information for an on-going brief.  

The project looks at the various techniques used by advertising firms on child based target audiences and the products they promote.

In response to the brief I have created an information pack aimed at parents. The pack disseminates important knowledge about the manipulative techniques used by advertisers and offers parents’ guidance as to how to protect their children from the range of methods used.

The hypothetical pack would ideally be disseminated from a primary school learning environment as the age range of children targeted by the industry lies between 6 and 12 years old.

Due to the school based environment from which I would like to distribute the hypothetical pack, I would like to ask for information regarding the rules and regulations surrounding the distribution of leaflet based documents from school. Additionally, I would also like to enquire about the rules and regulations surrounding the display of posters within the school environment.

Any information you can provide me with will be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Jordan Harrison Reader. 

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

To increase my changes of getting a response to the message I decided to first send it to the head teacher of the primary school I attended as a child.

ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION 

Additionally, I also decided to distribute the message to a number of additional primary schools incase my initial message received no response. 

As a feature of Google maps the location of all primary and secondary schools are shown as a standard. Moreover, the program also distributes links to the personal webpages of each school allowing me to access the contact information of almost every school in England. 

Using the information available on Google maps I found the contact emails for around 20 additional schools located around the country and disseminated my message to them. 

RESPONSES;

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE 2 - BRIEF 2 - RESEARCH PLAN

Before progressing with my research I decided to create a research plan to help me collect a body of relevant and informed information.

The essay produced as part of the module focuses on the way children are analysed and manipulated by advertisers for the sole purpose of increasing corporate profit. As outlined in the 'Brief 2' post found on the design practice blog my response will focus on disseminating information about the underhand techniques used by advertisers to the children's parents.

The plan below outlines various primary and secondary research tasks that will help me collect a body of informed information to support my physical outcome.

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE 2 - BRIEF 1 - RESEARCH

Once I had defined my essay question and written a rough plan I progressed with the project by collecting the research needed to successfully create an informed response. Using the subject areas listed on the rough essay plan allowed me to define source material relevant to the focus of the essay.


BOOKS

Below is a list of the books I borrowed from the college library and their relevance to my essay. 



THE MEANING OF MARXISM - PAUL D'MANTO

RELEVANCE;

• Discusses in detail the capitalist system - relevant to essay focus
• Presents Marx's view of said system.
• Useful for quotes supporting points made about capitalism and consumerism. 

CONSUMER SOCIETY - BARRY SMART

RELEVANCE;

• Discusses consumerism in detail - relevant to essay focus
• Presents information about child consumers - directly relevant to essay focus.  
• Discusses contemporary capitalism. 

CONSUMING CHILDREN - JANE KENWAY & ELIZABETH BULLEN

RELEVANCE;

• Provides information on child consumers - directly relevant to the focus of the essay. 
• Discusses in detail corporate influence in education - relevant to the essays focus on educational institutions. 

CONSUMER KIDS - ED MAYO & AGNES NAIRN

RELEVANCE;

• Discusses in detail the various manipulative methods used to influence children - directly relevant to the focus of the essay.
• Provides data surrounding the child based target market - directly relevant to the focus of the essay.
• Very useful book, most of its contents will be relevant to the points made in the essay.

CONSUMERISM AND ETHICS - LISA FIRTH 

RELEVANCE;

• Provides facts and statistics about capitalism - relevant to the focus of the essay.
• Provides facts and statistics about child based consumers - directly relevant to the focus of the essay.

INTERNET BASED RESEARCH 

Additionally, I also collected some internet based research in the form of a digital article written for 'The Atlantic' by a man called Andrew Simmons. 

The article bares relevance to my essay as it covers points made about education. Written by a experienced teacher the interesting article discusses how class influences your educational ambitions. To briefly summarise, students from low income families attending high school are often motivated to attend a university with the idea that they can alleviate some financial strains. Contrasting this, children from affluent families are motivated with the ideas that they can do something productive with a skill they love.

In my essay I want to cover points relating capitalism, class and education, therefore the article is very useful as it supports points I potentially want to make.  

Article Link