Lauren Hyndman: Final Year of Design Degree

Playing around on Photoshop with the idea that my mini-project of 'Packaging the Seven Deadly Sins' could be continued a little further and transformed into a novelty keyring range, asking people the question, 'Which Sin are You??'.

People could then attach their greatest sin onto their keys to remind them perhaps, not to feel so compelled by their vice.

Or perhaps mugs...'Don't be a mug, swallow your greatest sin'. Badly worded, but you know what I mean.

Or even Tshirts......'Wear your sin with pride, unless your greatest sin is pride.... in which case, you'll be doing it anyway' - now that is even worse than the mug one.

Yesterday's tutorial with Wendy regarding my dissertation went really well. The main purpose of the tutorial was to catch up with where I currently was in the completion of my work. The tutorial helped me to realise a path for my essay and what to do in the next couple of weeks.

Wendy helped me to begin deciding on an aim for my writing. A couple of rough aims were thought up;

'Can you purposefully design things to create an emotional effect/state of being on the user?' (using 'dens' as a case study).

"sense of den-ness" - the emotion/ the state.

* There appear to be reasons why people need respite from parts of their life.
* People appear to want to reach an emotional state and they appear to achieve it with a personal 'den'.
* There appears to be some commonality in that desired emotional state.
* There appears to be little commonality in the spaces/ artefacts that they use as a 'den'.
* Can designers create spaces/ things that facilitate people needing this state? Can these outcomes be conceived as 'dens'?

Could it be completed as an interactive essay??

'Understanding the meaning and physicality of dens as a way of exploring whether design can contribute to emotional well being.'

This could add to my current plan for my dissertation work;

1. Clearly identify the 'common' emotion saught through 'dens' (may link to other writing, e.g, escapism through film.
2. Include the themes of 'dens and consumerism', 'nature and nurture', 'luxury or necessity', 'childhood through to adulthood' and 'the psychology of dens'.
3. Debate/ discussions around emotion and design, highlighting the currency of this debate.

Things to do before my next tutorial next Wednesday;

* Start reading up about design and emotion (Donald Norman, Patrick Jordan, Crozier, and the design and emotion society website http://www.designandemotion.org/).
* Write and rewrite aim, expanding on it.
* Write the introduction for my dissertation.

I have had a look on the uni's library catalogue online and all the books I want are already on loan. Argh!! So I have had a look on Amazon to see how pricey they are.

I think I might buy;
Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things - Donald A. Norman (only £9.99 and seems like it will be useful formy dissertation.)

The books I want but can't afford right now;
Emotionally Durable Design: Objects, Experiences and Empathy - Jonathan Chapman
Manufactured Pleasures: Psychological Responses to Design (Studies in Design & Material Culture) - Ray Crozier (both over £25 second hand)

I have placed a hold on;
How to Make Brilliant Stuff That People Love ... and Make Big Money Out of It - Patrick W. Jordan (back of the book says the book tackles the consumerism aspect of my aim. I just don't like the title. Hopefully the student currently loaning this book hands it in soon.)