OUGD601 - Extended Essay - Structure 1

Essay Structure 1

How can graphic design encourage more sustainable consumption? 

CONSUMPTION THE PROBLEM

General outline of consumption (Stats and figures?)

Consumption unsustainable

Finite Resources

Limits to Growth

ISSUE / EFFECT ON WORLD

MOTIVES FOR INCREASED CONSUMPTION

No consumption impossible

Needs / Able to Experience World

Industrialisation as a system / Culture

Role of Society

Business and Environment – don’t fit – business first

Design Production system – linear cradle to grave - Roles in system of designer, consumer, manufacturer / company, legislation – brief

Designer Problems

Design / advertising / marketing encouraging increase of consumption

Desires created by consumer led design

REASSESSMENT OF CONSUMPTION

Sustainable measures already in place

Role of Design Reassessed

Consumer Awareness / Public Opinion / Support for Environment / Wants / Emotions

Business sees benefits

Business / Brands going green

Environmentally Conscious Consumers

Importance of ETHOS?

  

PROBLEMS WITH CREATING SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION

Barriers to green

Negative view

Reliability

Needs – Self actualisation

Do people care about environment?

Class

Incremental vs System change

WHO ARE GREEN CONSUMERS

THE RISE OF THE GREEN CONSUMER

Green mainstream

Why do people buy green?

Green Audience – Shades of Green

Needs of Greens

Purchasing Behaviours

Promoting consumer action and participation

  

CHANGING / INFLUENCING CONSUMPTION PATTERNS

Design / Advertising encouraging decrease in Consumption

Brands and Business changing behaviour – general

Normalising Sustainability

Marketing

Encouraging Sustainable Consumption through branding and marketing and ethos

IS SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION POSSIBLE?

Technology (Sustainable Activities) and Green consumerism increase problem

Solution?

CONCLUSION

Essay Structure - Expanded - Breakdown of possible key points

How can graphic design encourage more sustainable consumption?

CONSUMPTION THE PROBLEM / ISSUE

Increased use of resources and exponential growth

Unsustainability spreading

Value of resources – Intrinsic vs Industrial value

Disregard for environment / power

Take lots give little back

Denial / Ignore

Effects of consumption

World giant organism – Interdependence

Limits to Growth

Will restrict economic growth

Defining sustainability

Sustainable development

Conflicting ideas of sustainability – vague

Conflicting business and environment

-        Growth

-        GNP as measure of health

-        Cannot coexist

-        Business dominant

-        Can work together

Expansion beyond limits

Pass on to future

Finite resources

Consumption unsustainable / exponential growth

Rise of living standards quantify problem

Rethink on consumption levels

MOTIVES FOR INCREASED CONSUMPTION

Need to consume

-        No consumption impossible

-        Part of human behaviour

-        Lack

-        Needs / Motivation / Satisfy / Maslow hierarchy of needs

-        Engage with the world

-        Reflection of Self

-        Blurred lines between needs and wants

Capitalism / Culture / Society

Industrialisation

-        Cradle to Grave system *

-        Historical context – industrialisation

-        Enlightenment

Design Process / System – Industrialisation

Trying to be green - Relationship between:

-        Manufacturers

-        Consumer

-        Government / Legislation

-        Designers

Designers Role

-        Understanding makes you complicit

-        Not completely responsible / responsibilities

-        Product or environment

-        Materials

-        Cradle to Grave / LCA / Holistic

-        Design Stage programming

-        Middleman with influence

-        Want to help

-        New design concerns

Designers issues / problems in sustainable design

Design in general – Design increase consumption / plays on lack / creates desires

How / what it uses – Desires created by consumer led design – Playing on needs / Lack / Desires / Progress

Newness

Green Consumerism / Green Technology – increasing consumption

REASSESSMENT OF CONSUMPTION

Role of design – ethics

Role of design reassess

Design help change / solution

Consumer awareness / Public Opinion / Support for environment / Wants / Emotions

-        Awareness of issue

-        Environmental concern – peak

-        Making change in the market

-        Making / changing habits in consumers

-        Views on industry

Business

-        Sees benefits of sustainable initiatives

-        Perception

-        Demand from consumer

-        Competitive / success

-        Profit

-        Ethics add value

-        Forced to consider environment

-        Without these?

PROBLEMS WITH CREATING SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION

Negative view / aesthetic

Negative view of sustainable consumption

Negative view / reliability / quality

Green washing / ethos

Expensive

Recession

Confusion over terms

Do people care about the environment?

Needs / self – actualisation and consumer wealth

Class

Incremental vs System Change

Difficulties getting people on board 

GREEN CONSUMERISM

Mainstream or niche

Motivations to buy green

-        Emotions – guilt allievation

-        Self benefit

-        Happiness

-        Altruism

-        Concern for the environment – Want / Need to be in control

-        Self - 

-         

CHANGING / INFLUENCING CONSUMPTION PATTERNS

Design / advertising / marketing – Decreasing Consumption

Brands can influence behaviour

Encouraging sustainable consumption through Branding and Marketing

-        Hedonism

-        Understand needs

-        Market segments

-        Messaging – Cautionary vs positive marketing

-        Incentivising behaviour

-        Imagery

-        Ethics can’t replace quality

-        Trust

-        Emotions

-        Show benefits

-        Rational vs Emotional

-        Educate

-        Make it easy to understand

-        Make it convenient

-        Make it social

-        Normalising sustainability

-        Brands and ethos

-        Use of language