Primary Research Methods

Ethics
- Any research you do that involves 'human participants' needs to be approved (by a tutor) in advance.
- Any research using vulnerable people (children or people with certain disabilities) must be approved by the ethics sub-committee.
- Research involving human participants must be anonymous and you must obtain informed consent in advance.

Empiricism vs. Rationalism
These are the two main approaches to 'knowledge'.
Empiricism: something that is only 'true' if it is experienced using senses.
Rationalism: truth can be grasped intellectually using logic and reason.

Empirical research is about primary research, observing things at the source. Eg. people and their thoughts, feelings, opinions.
Rational research is about secondary research, what you find out and how you apply that knowledge to context and your research question.

Qualitative/Quantitative Data
Quantitative data is organised in numerical form.
Qualitative data is found in language - written or oral forms.

Data Collection
Focus Group: A focus group is a gathering of deliberately selected people who participate in a planned discussion about a particular topic.
Survey: Interviews (qualitative)/ Questionnaires (quantitative)
Interviews - Structured/semi-structured/unstructured
Questionnaires - Should be multiple choice, easy to complete, easy to read and understand without leading questions
Ethnography: (study of people and cultures) Participant observation/ direct observation
Content Analysis: (extracting quantitative data from qualitative sources) Measures the frequency of pre-specified items within a particular context
Creative Explorations: (Gauntlett, 2007) Using creative techniques as a means of gathering subjective data, eg. Lego building, collage, film making etc.

Data Analysis/ Organisation
Quantitative (numerical data) - In order to analyse numerical data you must start with a hypothesis, what you expect to be able to prove using the data. The data should then prove or disprove your hypothesis.
Cross Referencing - you may have basic personal information (eg. gender) that you can cross reference with other trends (ie. 30% of men prefer red 70% prefer black; 55% of women prefer red 45% prefer black)
Statistical significant - how you decide if a result is significant? This needs to be asked early on in the process and should have some logical or rational justification.

Qualitative (written or oral data) -
Coding - making sense of numerous qualitative responses from the same/similar questions won't happen without some coding. Coding means organising your data into common themes/concepts. Coding can be long and iterative.
Deductive Analysis (top down) - using a general rule or theory to find specific data in support of the rule.
Inductive Analysis (down up) - using the data and your analysis to establish new generalisations about the subject.

Study Task 05 - Essay Structure

Introduction
- What is Graphic Design? What is Architecture?
- The connection between the two.

Paragraph 1 - Egyptains
- hieroglyphs
- tombs/ burial grounds

Paragraph 2 - Romans
- roman propaganda
- roman columns/ fighting buildings

Paragraph 3 - The Middle Ages
- Romanesque/Gothic Architecture
- Stained glass windows
- the spread of religion

Paragraph 4 - 19th Century

-        Architecture was greatly influence by earlier architectural movements and foreign, exotic styles, which were adapted to the new technologies of the early modern age.

-        used motifs inspired by past empires and cultures to stimulate national nostalgia.

-        Development of new materials as a result of new industrial needs and mass production was introduced (glass, cast iron, steel)

-        Metro station at Porte Dauphine, Paris by Hector Guimard

-        “art-nouveau styled station entrances for the Paris underground railway system have become timeless symbols for the city of Paris”

-        “standardised formed metal elements…their distinctively sinuous and organic lines…inspired by the work of French type designer George Auriol, provided graphic vitality and identity that is stull an integral part of the Paris metro visual brand”.

Paragraph 5 - 20th Century

-        Invention of electricity, introduction of the telephone, automobiles, modern art

-        “twenties century innovations and inventions transformed the potential for graphic design in the built environment in the modern world more rapidly and widely than in any previous century”

Bauhaus

-        ‘Bauhaus’ is the common term for the ‘Staatliches Bauhaus’ art and architecture school in Germany, which operated from 1919 to 1933.

-        A rejection of the popular bourgeois style, and instead welcomed practical, honest and contemporary design.

-        “The Bauhaus school placed equal value on all areas of arts and crafts and stressed design for design’s sake” “its concern was for good design without regard for the design’s ultimate purpose” (GD on the desktop book)

-        “the Bauhausian ideal – a union of art and science fully realized by modern technology and materials” (GDAbook)

-        “art and technology – a new unity” “form follows function” (GDAbook)

-        “the outcome of this radical, new philosophy paved the way for a unified visual language that would eventually resonate throughout the design disciplines, including modern graphic design and architecture for the remaining decades of the 20^th century”(GDAbook)

Art Deco

-        Popular design movement from 1920 until 1939, affected ‘decorative arts.

-        Many design movements have political or philosophical roots or intentions, but Art Deco was purely decorative.

-        Elegant, functional, ultra modern, glamourous

-        “characterized by linear symmetry, geometry, sleek forms, and design motifs derived from machine age aesthetics”

-        “represents the opposite of simplicity and shows a concern with decoration and geometric shapes” (GD on the desktop book)

-        Empire State Building: art deco architectural style “evident in the stylized carved and aluminium letterforms appearing leafed above the entrance”(GDA book) “the building’s silhouette and façade lettering both stand out from their immediate surroundings” (urban book)

-        Chrysler Building: “simplified graphic abstractions of hubcaps and fenders are realized in the glazed-enamel, white and grey brick cladding of the building’s façade – all symbolizing the machine age of the 1920’s” “beacon yo American industry” (GDA book)

Paragraph 6 - 21st Century

-        New technologies, software, internet, social media and etc, hugely impacted the way both graphic designers and architects work.

-        “Popular culture, graffiti, and new non-traditional forms of visual communication such as film, video and digital media all began to have a tremendous influence on not only graphic design, but also on how graphic design could be realised in the twenty-first-century built environment.”

-        “New and innovative technologies were quickly embraced, inevitably empowering graphic designers and architects to gain more control over the realization of their ideas.”

-        “Coupled with the rapid development of new electronic, computer, and digital technologies, the distinction between graphic design and architecture has now started to evolve into one singular and impactful point of view.”

The Cooper Union

-        2010. “sign programme… is an essential and fully integrated component of the building’s innovative and dynamic architecture”

-        “typography throughout has been manipulated and dimensionalized in different ways, engaging multiple surfaces, appearing cut or extruded across corners, and extended through varied building materials.”

-        “This bold, iconic building, as well as its integrated graphic design elements, embodies the values of an institution well known for advanced education in graphic design and architecture”.

-        The Cooper Union (by Pentagram) “The signage typography has been physicalized in different ways, engaging multiple surfaces of the three-dimensional signs, appearing extruded across corners, or cut, extended and dragged through the material.”

-        “Pentagram’s graphics for the new building establish a dialogue with the older structure.”

-        “The building canopy features optically extruded lettering that appears “correct” when seen in strict elevation, but distorts as the profile of the letter is dragged backwards in space. The cut outs in the lower half of the letterforms echo the transparency of the building’s surface “skin” or perforated stainless steel.”

MOMA QNS

-         2003. From 2002 to 2004, Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) underwent renovation and expansion, during this two year period, a portion of MoMA’s collection were displayed in a former staple factory in Long Island City, Queens, and this place was dubbed MoMA QNS.

-        “The building exterior was treated like a large-scale canvas with painted MoMA QNS supergraphics covering the rooftop and building façade.”

-        “The economical and distinctive typographic feature appeared on a bright blue façade and communicated the museum’s visual identity in a consistent manner with its permanent home.”

-        “These large-scale monumental letterforms made it easy for vistors to locate MoMA QNS in the dense cityscape of Long Island City from a distance”

-        MoMA QNS (article)” Supergraphics painted on the rooftop fixtures and on the building façade communicate a visual identity consistent with MoMA’s home building in Manhattan.”

On an elevated subway line, there’s a 15 second window where the building can be spotted.

-        “Through this aperture the Museum’s new identity appears: first as a series of abstract patterns across the rooftop’s black boxes which then combine to form a legible reading of the MoMA logo before dissolving again.”

Conclusion

- sum up and link back to research question.

- identity and impact