Download - Communication Survival Kit
Tomomi Maezawa
Research Paper / Evaluative Report
“In an entirely digital future,
how might we re-materialise communication?”
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, MA Communication Design, 2013
[email protected] / cancan-m.com
A
B
2 ・ Introduction 3 ・ Background (Personal Motivation)
4 ・Design Fiction (The Main Methodology) 6 ・Stationery
Design (The Initial Experiment) 10 ・Research on Today And
The Future 11 ・Ready-Made (Supporting Methodology)
12 ・The Scenario 13 ・The Final Outcome 20 ・Conclusion
21 ・Reference
24 ・Subjectivity 25 ・Discovery Of New Approach
26 ・Design Beyond The Frame
Contents
ReseARch pApeR
evAluATive RepoRT
A
ReseARch pApeR
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Communication is at the heart of the human history. No one can imagine
a world without speech, or even without writing. The writing began its
history 5000 years ago in the eastern Mediterranean, and much later,
new systems were invented to reproduce thousand or a million times what
could previously only be spoken or remembered.
Since those inventions including printing, postal service, radio, telephone,
and television, has significantly shaped our culture, we have seen the
world selected to be seen (William, 1981).
A football match on television, for example, would never be the same as
it is played. There would be the decision of what we should see and what
the most exciting is. It is selected so that it can be reported. However, we
can easily forget this because we care the game, not the process.
Today it has led by the Internet and mobile devices, which is at the centre
of any debate about communication among young people. Although we
all know that texting is means of symbolisation, it is treated as a reality
equally to face-to-face experience.
Especially, young people, who were born with this developed “reality”, can
hardly distinguish the limitation from those means. Moreover, they are
stressed out with an obscure meaning created by the limitation (Turkle,
2011). With a text saying “sorry”, you would be irresolute whether he
was actually apologising, or just flattering. You would not misjudge if it
were in person. This increasing mistrust or misunderstanding has been
twisting a relationship among the young.
The research was commenced to tackle this invisible urgent situation,
which needs to be realised by the young. There have been the measures
to deal with the situation, such as, educating the digital literacy (Dug-
gan, 2013), offering stress management, or even many communication
designs to smooth the troubles.
They would be the great first aids, however, the problem is passivity of the
young who are always given the answer. They are admonished to solve the
situation without their motivation. The first thing to do is to make them
actively discuss the situation, not only for today, but for the future they
will create.
I as a communication designer strongly believe that design has played a
significant role to provide a different point of view in everyday life. There-
inTRoducTion
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fore I started this design journey to investigate how to make the situation
more noticeable and discussable for our children and grandchildren.
In this research paper, I will reflect my background, which directed me
to where possible to question before moving onto the initial experiment
applying the main methodology. After evaluating the experiment, the
paper will go through the further research and supporting methodology
to generate more provocative outcome, which will be discussed at the end
of the paper.
The experience of the communication crisis warned me of our depend-
ence on the digital world, which could cause not only an everyday prob-
lem, but also a matter of life and death.
In 2011, there was Tohoku earthquake where many people experienced
communication confusion by the suspended networks. Because the phone
switchboard was jammed at once, the digital communication turned out
the only medium we could contact each other. It made possible warning a
danger or sending a SOS to where the mass media could not approach.
Nevertheless, we became confused if we were exchanging vital informa-
tion, or rumours. With great concerns about the safety, any information
looking urgent was sent out without consideration of its validity. The crisis
revealed the dependence on the technology weakening our ability to judge
the right information outside of the digital world (Kinoshita, 2011).
BAckgRound (peRsonAl MoTivATion)
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We have come too far to remember the world without technology, however,
facing a crisis like this case, we would finally realise how distorted our
communication was.
I strongly felt that we were still in progress of handling the digital com-
munication. In addition to the preparation for the crisis, the development
of technology needs reflection on its impact on human interaction. Com-
munication technology should not promote speed or ease of its applica-
tion. It should have a room to remind of why, what, with whom, and how
we are communicating.
This experience gave me a calling to change the situation by communica-
tion design. I therefore decided to explore a way to stimulate discussion
on the balance between communication and technology as a final MA
project.
In order to raise arguments, the situation needs to be visible. Instead of
being clear propaganda, the project aims to be a trigger for people cen-
tred in the digital communication. That is why Design Fiction was chosen
to be the main methodology.
Advocated by many futurists such as an American Sci-fi writer Bruce
Sterling, Design Fiction is an approach to design that speculates about
new ideas through prototyping and storytelling. There are some notable
examples in various fields introduced below.
In product design, Dunne & Raby is one of the great practitioners of this
methodology. They use a term “Critical Design” instead of Design Fiction
to define their focus on the reflection of new technology and science.
For example, in one of their work “TECHNOLOGICAL DREAMS SERIES:
NO.1, ROBOTS” (Dunne and Raby, 2007), they designed robots which
could not follow your orders. Because robots had been developed with a
brain like a human, they speculated that robots might start to be worried,
to be indecisive, or even to dream in the future.
design FicTion(The MAin MeThodology)
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Meanwhile, in graphic design, Tibor Kalman, in his magazine Colors,
provoked the preconception of race in a similar way with Design Fiction
(Toscani and Kalman, 1993).
He imagined the future without race from his attention to increasing peo-
ple with mixed origin. On the other hand, he knew that race influenced
our identity and our belief in someone. He consequently represented the
incompatibility by mixing skin colours of the famous people (Kalman and
Hall et al., 2000).
TECHNOLOGICAL DREAMS SERIES: NO.1, ROBOTS (Dunne and Raby, 2007)▶
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Inspired by their success in raising many arguments, my project refers to
Design Fiction in the way to stimulate contemporary communication by
speculating about the future situation.
My first experiment with Design Fiction, which was stationery design for
the future event annulling digital communication, led to the further re-
search and more concrete outcomes. Before evaluating the result of the
experiment, I will discuss my findings in the observation, and the first
scenario for the stationery design.
The digital communication is getting over the analogue’s position. It is
hard to stay with the analogue in order to catch up with everyday life.
Especially, mobile devices are compatible with the Internet social net-
working to reduce our belongings.
sTATioneRy design(The iniTiAl expeRiMenT)
Observation
What if...? (Toscani and Kalman, 1993)▶
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The devices allow your individual connection with both people and source
which physically impossible. In spite of the admirable fact, those advan-
tages seem to accelerate our dependence on the digital life.
For example, as soon as you find somewhere to go or you get lost your
way, you would not hesitate to access to the Internet mapping services,
such as Google map. A physical map would be used only where the Inter-
net is not available. That would be the moment to remember your reliance
on those services, at last.
It was assumed after the observation that remembrance of the analogue
communication could make people step back from the digital, and a sce-
nario was roughly set up in the future where the digital is unavailable and
the analogue communication takes its place temporary.
To introduce this future, the idea of stationery being a survival kit was
emerged. A survival kit is a term for a package of basic tools and supplies
prepared in advance as an aid to survival in an emergency.
Helped by my experience mentioned above, it was natural for me to come
up with the idea of the kit as a metaphor for being urgent. Examination
was conducted into the future stationery design entitled “Communication
Survival Kit”.
The First Scenario
An example of a survival kit ▶
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The stationery design was basically a transformation from the digital to
the analogue: extracting the function from the digital social services, and
adopting into the analogue stationery.
For example, a SNS service Twitter has two functions that can be replaced
by a diary and a business card. Hence, the future diary was imagined to
be a vertical pagination with a capacity of 140 characters per page, and
to be combined with a business card box into one item.
In the same way, there were more items designed, such as an address
book, a map, and a birthday card, which were transformed from the so-
cial media.
Stationary
A collection of the stationery in the first▶ experiment (left)
The twitter-inspired diary (far-right) ▶
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Although being the remembrance of the analogue communication, it
seemed failed to spot people’s dependence on the digital. Some of the
feedbacks suggested that the stationery design was rather showing pref-
erence for the analogue than questioning the digital, and people no longer
chose the digital for bridging distance.
It was also assumed that the dependence does not just come from its
superiority over the analogue, but there should be something else only the
digital has. The project therefore moved onto the further research and an
additional methodology to discover the more effective provocation.
In order to find out the highlight of the digital, the research was con-
ducted on literature of communication through digital technology, and
the development of the technology.
There are many scientists proposing their vision of the future commu-
nication based on their studies. After interviewing with those scientists,
Kaku (2012) claimed that, in the future, there would be contact lenses
projecting 3D images from your eyes as if the images naturally existed in
the real world.
They would blur the visual boundaries between the virtual and the real
world. Meanwhile, computer chips would also be integrated with our en-
vironment, which he calls “a smart environment”, in order to reproduce
sense of sound and smell. Thus, it might come true in the future that
communication would be device-free and the digital world would be the
“nature” for us.
While those interesting views on the scientific development, some sociolo-
gists and linguists argue about what the digital offered us beyond the
analogue.
Turkle (2011) points out fear of young people for revealing their real emo-
tion in communication. Her research shows that many young people prefer
texting to a phone call because the latter can lead to unexpected result.
They have found a comfort in expectable exchanges created by limited
information. She emphasises that the inventions like mobile devices and
SNS have satisfied their demand, and even grown it.
ReseARch on TodAy And The FuTuRe
Evaluation
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In addition, McWhorter (2013) supposes that texting has had its own lan-
guage differed from writing language. Although many research insist that
texting has an impact on writing skill among the young, he doubts this
vision because it has developed the different role, which is rather similar
to speech. Texting thus has been another way to express your emotion,
alongside of speech, face and body language.
Their opinions became food for the deeper scenario of future people, who
need a choice of means according to a balance of anonymity and connec-
tion. The scenario will be shown below.
As suggested above, the dependence is no longer rooted in its practical
priority over the analogue but in people’s vulnerability, and accordingly, a
format of stationery seems not the option of the outcome. To materialise
the scenario beyond the typical communication design, another method-
ology called Ready-made was picked up.
ReAdy-MAde(suppoRTing MeThodology)
Fountain (Duchamp, 1917, replica 1964)▶
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IN AN ENTIRELY DIGITAL FUTURE, HOW MIGHT WE RE-MATERIALISE COMMUNICATION?
In 20XX, there was no “mobile phone” in English dictionary any more. People no longer carried any belongings including communication devices whose functions were integrated into contact lenses or the environments.
Since invented, the contact lenses with 3D projection had become cheaper enough for everyone to wear. All vision through the lenses could be programmed so that it was impossible to judge which was the real or the virtual from what they were seeing. They both became their “nature”.
Only by waving their hand, they could send and find texts in the air, and make a call to others. They saw other faces in 3D images that were, of course, customised. They could download and install the programme of the most preferable expressions into their own images. Thus there was no need to make their face expression by themselves. They never smiled physically.
Meanwhile, an actual body connection was still essential for making love so that it was also available to install the ready-made sexual expressions, such as, orgasm, into the projected image.
But what if the main system for their contact lenses was demolished by unexpected event, for example, a natural disaster. Nightmare would not be ended with the networking but also in their vision of the world. If every “real” thing were revealed, people suddenly would be defenceless to the exposure. They could get too scared to say hello without visual protection. However, communication would be vital to survive the situation.
How would communication design help them to comfortably com-municate with others?
The final scenario ▼
1
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Ready-made is a term for art created from things not considered art. The
artists brought unaltered everyday objects into the context of art in order
to provoke preconception of art (Gale, 2009).
For instance, Duchamp’s work “Fountain” raised many arguments because
of not only its unexpected relocation but of the initial function being
excretion. It metaphorically challenged the value of art, the place where
art was supposed to be, and people who believed so.
The works in Ready-made assured me that relocating objects, which are
not used in communication, and whose function can be a metaphor for the
limited communication, would be an effective method of materialising.
After the discovery of the additional methodology, the project finally
moved onto the contents of the kit based on the scenario. In order to
cover the highlights of the digital communication, which is a range of
anonymity and connectivity, the kit was designed with means divided into
four levels; text, voice, face, and body.
In accordance with the Ready-made method, the suitable object was cho-
sen for each level, whose making process will be discussed one by one.
Texting ⇄ OMR Sheets
Today we more type letters and less write them, and in the same way,
there more typed letters and less handwriting. It is therefore imagined
that people in the future would never known how to write, or even how to
read handwriting.
As an action of typing is actually choosing one from the prepared sym-
bols, the process of typing is similar with a system called Optical Mark
Recognition (OMR). OMR is the technology that scans placed marks on
specially designed documents called OMR sheets, and it is popularly used
The FinAl ouTcoMe
By Text
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in surveys or tests.
I then hit on an idea that an OMR-like notepad would be easier for the fu-
ture people to make a sentence rather than, for instance, an open-ended
plain one.
Named “Textpad”, the pad has preprinted alphabets and symbols to
make a message in 80 characters per sheet. People can start soon to
exchange their texts by marking and scanning with no need of calligraphy
practice.
Calling ⇄ A Lasso
Because texting covers the function of delivering your thought in real time,
the reason for calling has been narrowed down to secure the response.
People take a phone to hold others listening them. Despite its connection
by force, they can still keep their face off from the process.
In order to satisfy this complex demand, the kit provides an item named
“Calling lasso”, which they can easily to apply in holding others during
their voice interaction. It is compatible with the masks, which will be
introduced below, to make the calling possible without face contact.
Screen ⇄ Camouflage-patterned mask
It would not be a surprise for hard workers to have two or three mobile
phones to separate their private life from their business. Similarly, it is
normal that people have several accounts in the Internet society to make
the right communication in the right place. There is always a screen be-
tween them to make it possible. The screen allows you to display your
customised appearance to suit others’ preference. That was the starting
point of bringing a mask into the kit.
The kit has transparent masks printed with abstract patterns, which re-
ferred to one of Andy Warhol’s work “Self-Portrait” and Plastic Laminate
Surface by the Memphis group.
“Self-Portrait” (Warhol, 1986) was produced just a few months before
his death in February 1987. The portrait in a camouflage-patterned fore-
ground and with a black ground shows a contrast between the imperson-
By Voice
By Face
◀▼ An example of OMR sheets (left), Text Pad (right, middle, and bottom)
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▲ Calling Lasso ▶
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▼ The Masks ▶
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ality of the pattern and the personality of the tradition portrait.
Warhol was fascinated by the ambiguous use of camouflage, which draws
attention when used in fashion but does the opposite in military use (Edu.
warhol.org, n.d.).
On the other hand, Memphis had a certain idea to use patterns in their
design. Memphis was a group comprised of the Italian designers and ar-
chitects in the 1980’s. With a reaction against Modernism whose product
seemed to lack personality and individualism, they intended to create a
new approach to the international design.
An Argentine architect Emilio Ambasz says that the greatest novelty of the
Plastic Laminate is “its anonymity” and “absence of signs, of quotations
or metaphors associated with codified culture”. He adds that the pat-
terned furniture of Memphis is void of texture, depth or warmth (Radice,
1985).
Inspired by those two practices of patterns being a hybrid of concealment
and appeal, the masks of the kit were designed with abstract patterns,
which can create camouflage by layering one on the other. When they are
layered all together, the mask would completely hide your face with the
black camouflage.
Common Knowledge of Sex ⇄ A Bodysuit
Although reproduction is one of the most instinctive actions of human,
people today demand skill in entertaining each other since they found it
enjoyable. People have shared knowledge of how to touch, to move, to
react and even to fake orgasm (Muehlenhard and Shippee, 2010), in order
to gain excitement and avoid disappointment.
The fact helped to develop my imagination of the future where the technol-
ogy took our place to visually entertain others in the process. It continued
speculating about people torn between a need of reproduction for survival
and fear of performing on their own, if such technology was unavailable.
The body suit with zippers named “Lover’s suit” helps those people by
covering all body, and providing a doorway for the essential organs in the
activity.
By Body
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▼ Lover’s Suit ▶
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Technology in communication has a progressive achievement of a long-
distance connection in real time. However, it can be said that human
demand for the technology is no longer in distance, but in fascinating
others. Limited expression in the digital world provides the expected pref-
erence and anonymity to contemporary communication where people are
getting vulnerable to a case outside of their expectation.
To question the situation by communication design, the project was
started with the experiments of stationery design, which suggested that
nostalgia for the analogue communication would not point out people’s
dependence on the limited expression.
With application of methodologies for stimulating arguments, relocation
of non-communication tools into the future communication situation be-
came a method to materialise a provocative survival kit, which contains
masks, OMR sheets, a lasso, and a bodysuit.
Each design was generated by the scenario in depth about the future
where communication via programmed visions obscures the boundary of
virtual world and the nature.
Although the argument tends to rely on the secondary research for their
validity, it is believed that the unexpected materialisation can compel
people to be sceptical about their communication today.
The outcome still has a room for testing its validity to provoke the audi-
ence, however, the focal purpose of the project was to propose the pos-
sible approach. It would be fulfilled by the further investigation, such as,
a demonstration of the kit to young people, and collaboration with other
scholars.
conclusion
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Behrens, R. (2002) False colors. Dysart, Iowa: Bobolink Books.
Coles, A. (2007) Design and art. London: Whitechapel.
Duchamp, M. (1917) Fountain. [Undisclosed format]., Porcelain, London: Tate Modern.
Duggan, F. (2013) Why universities should acquire – and teach – digital literacy. The gardian,
[online] 23 April. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/
apr/23/universities-should-teach-digital-literacy [Accessed: 28 May 2013].
Dunne & R aby (2007) TECHNOLOGICAL DREAMS SERIES: NO.1, ROBOTS. [image online]
Available at: http://www.dunneandraby.co.uk/content/projects/10/ [Accessed:
28 May 2013].
Dunne, A. and Raby, F. (2001) Design noir. London: August.
Edu.warho l.org (n.d.) Camouflage Activity. [online] Available at: http://edu.warhol.org/
aract_camo.html [Accessed: 28 May 2013].
Emergency Disaster Systems (2013) 72 Hour Survival Kit - 2 Person - 3 Day Emergency Sup-
ply Kit. [image online] Available at: http://www.edisastersystems.com/store/72-
hour-survival-kit-2-person-3-day-emergency-supply-kit-pr-3.html [Accessed: 28
May 2013].
Freeland, C. (2001) But is it art?. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Gale, M. (2 009) Ready-made. [online] Available at: http://www.moma.org/collection/
theme.php?theme_id=10468 [Accessed: 28 May 2013].
Kaku, M. (2012) Physics of the future. London: Penguin.
Kalman, T. and Hall, P., et al. (2000) Tibor Kalman, perverse optimist. New York: Princeton
Architectural Press.
Kinoshita, T . (2011) [Role and Future of the Internet After the Tohoku Earthquake] (in Japa-
nese). Internet Association Japan Review, 11 (2), p.4, 5.
Lanier, J. (2011) You are not a gadget. London: Penguin.
Madden, M. (2006) 99 ways to tell a story. London: Jonathan Cape.
Mcwhorter, J. (2013) Txtng is killing language. JK!!!. [video online] Available at: http://www.
ted.com/talks/lang/ja/john_mcwhorter_txtng_is_killing_language_jk.html [Ac-
cessed: 28 May 2013].
Muehlenhar d, C. and Shippee , S. (2010) Men’s and Women’s Reports of Pretending Orgasm.
Journal of Sex Research, 47 (6).
Norman, D. (2009) The design of future things. New York: Basic Books/Perseus Book Group.
Queneau, R. (2009) Exercises in style. Richmond: Oneworld Classics.
Radice, B. (1985) Memphis. London: Thames and Hudson.
Reines, A. ( 2012) Preliminary materials for a theory of the young-girl. Los Angeles, CA:
Semiotext(e).
Toscani, O. and Kalman, T. (1993) what if...?. Colors, Iss. 4 p.11.
Turkle, S. (2011) Alone together. New York: Basic Books.
Warhol, A. (2007) The philosophy of Andy Warhol. London: Penguin.
Williams, R. (1981) Contact. Human communication and its history. London: Thames, Hudson.
BiBliogRAphy
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B
evAluATive RepoRT
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Based on my exploration in the first year, which was about graphic design
challenging preconception, the final project attempted to challenge the
current communication that I was enthusiastic about.
The enthusiasm came from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake where commu-
nication was a key for survival. This design journey consequently seemed
to me rather examination of myself than an academic investigation.
Even though the research was conducted in the objective position, there
were decisions in the process have made by self-discovery to some extent.
The creative choices depended on how much I would be provoked if I were
the audience, rather than the actual reactions.
On the other hand, the advantage of this subjective approach was that it
clarified a conscious gap with the audience, which required the introduc-
tion. For example, the very first experiment, which was rejected from my
portfolio, was destroying the typical newspaper design to emphasise the
importance of the information literacy.
The idea was influenced by the crisis teaching me the role of the literacy
to prevent confusions of communication. However, some comments on
the design showed their difficulty to find a connection between the confu-
sions and the information literacy as the solution. It was also suggested
that the outcome could be the clear communication system design to
simplify the confusions.
The difference from my expectation arose by acknowledgment of the de-
pendence on the digital technology, which became a core of the project
afterwards. My repetitive approach between subjectivity and objectivity
resulted in defining the focus on a stage of awareness, before solution.
It has been learned from the process that repetition between subjectivity
and objectivity is essential to generate a strong outcome, as one cannot
be balanced without the other.
The feature of the project was application of a fiction into the design
context. A trigger to reach a methodology of Design Fiction was reac-
tions to my poster for “Is this tomorrow?” exhibition, which was held in
suBjecTiviTy
discoveRy oF new AppRoAch
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EVALUATIVE REPORT 25
December 2011.
After finding the focus mentioned above, evaluation of the previous works
was made in order to explore a possible approach. Although the works
were produced in the same approach, which was using everyday objects
as medium to reach the audience, the poster was often remembered and
discussed among friends, much more than the others. The only difference
of the poster was its fictional property, which stimulated imagination of
the audience.
The fact proved the effectiveness of a fiction in design, and led to Design
Fiction. Applying the methodology to the final outcome, it was realised
that the provocativeness of the design depended on the depth of the
scenario. The deeper the scenario went, the more idea was reinforced.
In addition, it was also vital to have knowledge of the concerned situa-
tion so that the fiction could be persuasive. As discussed in the research
paper, the experiment for the remembrance of analogue communica-
tion met with failure because it was from a rough scenario based on the
shortsighted observation. The next scenario was written based on the
academic arguments, as a result, it brought more stimulating outcome
into the project.
If the research initially started from such literature review, there might
have been more time without stopping for the stationery design. However,
the unconscious demand for digital communication would have never
been visible if there were no comparison with analogue communication.
Therefore, the process was worth to be a lesson for future practice in
Design Fiction.
Personally speaking, Design Fiction has been a totally new approach of
design since my study of graphic design began. In spite of its possibility,
there are few cases using this methodology in my own country Japan. As
its culture has conventionally struggled with preconceptions, which real-
ised thorough my experience abroad, the approach has to be introduced
actively to its industry, and more importantly, to its education.
It is strongly believed that designers should be aware of the influence of
their creativity on public opinion. Their future vision should be based on
not only their success but also their responsibility, which is hardly con-
sidered by Japanese culture because of its employment system. Since
Design Fiction is one of the ways to question the responsibility, I as a
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practitioner and educator will devote myself to spread the idea into the
culture.
It has been a challenge for me to handle 3D objects since my experience
was limited in 2D making. The limited experience has influenced on the
choice of material and formats of the outcome, which relied on paper and
ready-made articles.
Other strong materials, such as a plastic, would have given the more
convincing appearance of being a survival kit. It is accordingly suggested
that collaboration with industrial designers should be involved in the fur-
ther development.
On the other hand, the use of ready-made apparently turned out the rein-
forcement of the concept. Even if the idea could be materialised into an
unique design, the cliché of the objects encouraged to unsettle expecta-
tion of the audience in the same way of Duchamp’s “Ready-made”.
It requires a new skill for graphic designers to adopt 3D objects as me-
dium, however, it can be considered to be meaningful because people are
having the ability to see through saturated graphic expression.
An expected approach would not get people surprised nor moved. Graphic
design practice beyond paper or screen would help not only to escape
from those clichés, but to direct the environment surrounding the design.
It might be the future of graphic design to be localised on where to come
across people as important as how to be seen.
design Beyond The FRAMe
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