Manifesto

Final Manifesto

Promotional material

For my promotional material I made different cards using different colours, fonts and patterns, to follow on from the theme that everyone is different and prefers different things.

Documentation of final manifestation

For my final manifestation I created three kitchen utensils where the user makes the handle to fit them and how they want to use it. The handles were each created by a different person. You can clearly see each handle is quite different depending on hand size, shape and how they hold it. After they were completed each user said they were really comfortable to use. 

I also created packing for these utensils, naming the brand "yourtensil" to emphasise the idea of personal use within the brand and product.

This manifestation backs up the ideas in my manifesto as it clearly shows how incorporating the user into the design process to develop a products that it customised to the users preferences can result in a successful product.

Plan for manifestation 

I though it may be a little challenging to develop a new customisable iPhone, so Im planning on using kitchen utensils. I think this will be an effective approach as kitchen utensils are another everyday product that are used by everyone, and again made for one size to fit all. I will create a set of kitchen utensils, where the end user will be part of the design process by creating the handle themselves to fir their own hand. This way the utensil will be customised to the individual and work exactly how they want it to.

First Draft Manifest 

Manifestation ideas

The first thing that inspired me was the iPhone. A product that is exactly the same physically for everyone. While the content on the screen is customisable. It is assumed that all the millions of end users like the same colours, and have the exact same shaped hands. While the white and black options are neutral they probably don't appeal to everyone. Also I know for a fact many people find iPhones uncomfortable to hold, depending on hand size. "too small, too big". It just really isn't a one size fits all product. I wanted to somehow use the idea of such a mass produced product and redevelop it in a way that would have more influence from a specific end user, so that is suits the individual rather than attempting to satisfy the mass all at once.

Manifesto ideas

While I think this aspect of randomness within product design would create more original and "special" products to the individual, I believe in terms of the individual it is important for the end user to be part of the design process in order for a product to be developed with the end user in mind and how the product can be made to suit the specific user. The key idea is that one size does not fit all, and we should not assume all users want the same thing out of a product. This should be considered in terms of aesthetics, functionality and ergonomics. Users should be able to have the final say with these aspects of design in order to develop products for specific users to suit them specifically and their needs and wants. This also means that no two products would be the same, and allows users to express their identity more uniquely. 

Key ideas 

Manifesto

One size does not fit all

The end user, the customer, should complete design

Everyone is different, people use products in different ways suited to who they are and how they live

The design process is not complete until the user is satisfied with it. Design should incorporate the idea that the consumer is part of the design process and has the final say on the design and how it works.

Whether it be how an item of clothing looks or is worn, or a utensil crafted to specifically fit the users hand

Customizability

Make it personal

View the consumer as a co designer

Mass customized products

Mass customization

Identity and personal preference

Laser printing

One size does not fit all

You are designing for people not the approval of other designers

Respect the individual, more than the mass

Make life easy

DO not finish your design; let the consumer the co designer

People strive to stand out, let them do so

Embrace randomness

Empower individuals

Never underestimate the perception of colour The consumer completes the design [process 

Initial ideas

My first thoughts for this project and my manifesto stemmed from my previous projects looking at identity and the individual. I think it is sad that so many products are mass produced and all the same. No one really has an origional product. This prevents the opportunity of true individual expression, using products that reflect us. While we can and do use products to express who we are, given the restrictions of mass produced copies of each other, we can only be so different to each other. 

I think design should attempt to incorporate an aspect of randomness and individuality to product design, where every product in a product line are slightly different to each other, whether it be multiple colours, different shapes or complete customisability.

Manifesto - first draft

Manifesto

First notes on my manifesto ideas 

Manifesto

The end user, the customer, should complete design

Everyone is different, people use products in different ways suited to who they are and how they live

The design process is not complete until the user is satisfied with it. Design should incorporate the idea that the consumer is part of the design process and has the final say on the design and how it works.

Whether it be how an item of clothing looks or is worn, or a utensil crafted to specifically fit the users hand

Customizability

Make it personal

View the consumer as a co designer

Mass customized products

Mass customization

Identity and personal preference

Laser printing

One size does not fit all

You are designing for people not the approval of other designers

Respect the individual, more than the mass

Make life easy

DO not finish your design; let the consumer the co designer

People strive to stand out, let them do so

Embrace randomness

Empower individuals

Never underestimate the perception of colour

The consumer completes the design process

final idea and development

In my images I wanted to show the lack of real life identity in real life people. I wanted to portray that who someone is and their identity is moving to the digital world, where most people perceive it to be more important. I chose to photograph people who I could tell nothing about their identity, and some where they still maintain an aspect of real life identity. I edited the photos to make it appear the people where disappearing to the digital world. While a couple of the people I photographed had more of a real life identity, the most likely still develop a digital identity. I therefore varied the extent that this were being sucked into the digital world in my images.

I think If I were to further develop the images I would have looked into taking photographs outside of  multiple portraits, and find other ways to portray my point.

As I continued to observe the city and struggled to develop my last idea I noticed that many people spent a lot of time on their phones. I thought about how many people have an online/ digital identity (almost all people), I then realised that I could probably tell more about an individuals identity through the internet rather than in real life.

I came to the observation that the idea of the personal identity is moving to a place where it is more important in the digital realm than it is in real life. People are constantly developing their digital identity rather than enjoying life for what it is and believing in who they are in real life. It seems most people find it more important to say they have done something or been somewhere or like something on their Facebook page, rather than just doing it and experiencing it in real life. 

This idea of the digital identity gives people the option to build up a facade and create any kind of identity on the internet, almost an ideal version of themselves, they way they want people to see them, the identity you want people to think you have, rather than express your actual identity, and believe in who you are both online and the real world.
What was once integral – our self, our person, our identity – is now split among ourself in the physical world and our many digiSelves, each having an autonomous lifeof its own. Thus, we disconnect from the normal experience of physical and corpo-real time and space when we live vicariously through our digiSelf on the Internet.This disconnection is signi fi cant and profound, as our consciousness becomes discon-nected from our sensorium, extends in a real sense into the world’s electronic nervoussystem and thereby creates the unique experience of separating our identity, or self,from our body. (Federman)

We are heading to a place where it is almost more important to develop this digital identity rather than a real life identity. For example we can even lose a job based on our activity or identity in the digital world.Stacey M. Koosel defines a digital identity as As new media is transforming culture, we transform ourselves into digital iden- tities in the information age. Digital identities are who we say we are, when we are online. They can be a subtype of a public persona, an extension of our ‘true’ selves, or they can be completely fabricated and fantastical, to function as a mask  to hide the identity of an Internet user from rest of the world. A digital identity can spin intricate, interconnected webs utilising creative, social and interactive platforms that enable them to share and perform to an open or closed audience (Koosel, 2012).

To be honest I cannot determine the weight to which people define a person based on an online identity, I try to do it less, some may do it more. The point is that this development in the idea of identity has a negative impact on society. I think that people should look in the mirror and think about who they are and how they can represent their identity in a positive way in real life, opposed to constantly developing and ideal online identity, to "appear" happier, or funner or cooler than they are in real life. Embrace your identity and forget about making your Facebook page a mass advertisement for the unreal you.

Therefore my theory is that people should spend less time developing an online identity and focus on their real life identity.

Works Cited

Koosel, S. M. (2012). Exploring Digital Identity: Beyond the Private Public Paradox. The Digital Turn: User’s Practices and Cultural Transformations .

these are some haikus I wrote for this idea

New identity

I can change it everyday

A new me is born

No one will see me

I hide behind many webs

Who do you perceive?

What defines someone?

Facebook, selfies, instagram

Reality, zilch

I am in the cloud
my identity has gone
to the digital

this is my iPhone
it holds my identity 
without it I'm lost

my identity 
facebook, instagram, twitter
constantly changing 

my identity
selfies, Facebook, instagram
look in the mirror