Week 4: The Self & Identity

How can graphic design enable you to communicate your core values at this moment on your course?

Who am I?

The theme for this week revolves around the topic of the self and our identity and how we can communicate our core values and identity within our design work.

The lecture for this week was by Martin Hosken, a lecturer in critical theory at Falmouth University who gave us some insight into how we can identity ourselves and our values.

At the beginning of the lecture, Martin Hosken first asked us to take a moment to reflect, 'to make some enquiries' of our lives, our families, our culture, and our own psychology. What are our values? How do we know our values? What is a value to us? Do we share values with the people around us? How are we influenced by those around us? Where do we come from? Who are we?

My Response

Fig. 1- Little Friend, Stik

In general, I believe that my values come from my own experiences. These values come from things I have learnt as I have grown up, they have come from my likes and dislikes, they have come from my strengths and my weaknesses.

And lastly, my values have come from the people around me and what I learn from them- from my family, my friends and my partners.

In order to keep it fairly simple for the sake of this blog I decided to list my top core values:

My Values

Happiness

Creativity

Family

Friends

Diversity

Fun

Kindness

Ambition

Exploration

Spirituality

Humour

I tried to narrow these down to ten, but I felt like I couldn't and realised that it was because each of these are very important to me.

At the very top is Happiness- which is the most important to me because it is the purpose behind everything I have done and want to do. I believe that overall, our values are what makes us happy, what makes us feel good about being alive.

Further into the lecture, Martin Hosken also asks us to reflect on the question; Do you think we are rooted and determined more by our biological inheritance? Or are we more of a blank slate where experience and environment determine our sense of value? It is a personal observation that if you asked most under-40s they would predominantly say nurture, while most over-40s tend to sway more towards nature. Why might this be? And is the implication that age has an influence upon our sense of self and identity?

In response, I think that it is possible to be both, but at the same time, I think that our experiences and the environment we live in has the capability to change that.

I wouldn't say that we are born a blank slate, I do believe that our genes from our parents will influence us in some way or form, but at the same time, who we become is depended not only on our upbringing, but also our own independent experiences. The people we talk to, our experiences at school, the things we read, see, feel, the information we gain regarding the world etc- there are myriads of things, scenarios and experiences that could mould us into who we are as individuals.

I think the difference between back then and now, is our access to information- especially the internet. The internet has given us the ability to talk to millions of different people, and it is through communicating, that we then have access to an infinite amount of knowledge and information which will inevitably aid to growth and development of our independent minds.

The Unconscious & Conscious Mind

Martin Hosken talks about the different theories revolving around the unconscious mind. I had studied Philosophy and Ethics back at school and so I knew that Freuds Id, Ego and Superego was going to make an appearance.

Sigmund Freud created a theory that the human psyche is split into three segments;

Id- the impulsive and unconscious part of our psyche which responds to our most primitive urges, needs and desires. The Id is stubborn and tends to only respond to what Freud calls the 'pleasure principle'. If it feels good, do it, and don't care about the consequences.

Fig. 2 - Freud's Iceberg Model. https://www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html

Ego- the Ego is part of our conscious mind and is often considered to be the mediator between the Id and the Superego. This is the part of our psyche that makes the decisions and uses reason to satisfy the Id's demands whilst also considering social realities and norms, etiquette, rules and laws.

Superego- a part of the unconscious mind, the superego is often considered to be that 'inner voice' or the conscience that tells you that you've done something wrong. It incorporates the values and morals of society and projects the image of the 'ideal self'- how you ought to be as a successful individual and valued member of society.

It is through the Id and the Superego that you are able to form your values, from understanding your own deepest desires, to then considering your morals, and incorporating the environment and society you live in.

Our Digital Identities

Towards the end of the lecture, Martin Hosken also talks about our digital selves and how technology has influenced our sense of identity. As someone who has grown up with the internet and has dabbled with everything from social media to virtual worlds, this has often been a recurring question- who am I without technology?

How does my presence in the digital world differ from who I am in reality?

Because of technology, we can be whatever we want to be, talk to whoever we want to talk to, post whatever we want to post- and overall, we can hide behind a fake persona that is miles different than who we are in the real world.

Initially this was me, I felt compelled to post about everything I did (all the good stuff) because it allowed me to showcase myself as someone who was confident, fun, cool or interesting.

This caused a lot of problems, it made me feel more self-conscious when I was meeting or talking to people in real life, it made me start comparing myself to other people, and overall it became this really unhealthy obsession- I was wasting time overthinking what everyone thought of me.

A few years ago, I read a really interesting book called 'Silence in the Age of Noise' where the explorer Earling Kagge spent fifty days walking solo across Antartica with no technology other than a broken radio.

Fig. 3- Silence In The Age Of Noise. https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/711n6It3HtL.jpg

During this expedition, the completely quiet and blank environment allowed him the chance to see more, and to truly embrace the power of complete silence- a world devoid of technology. As a direct response, it inspired me to create a documentary called 'The Age of Disconnection' where I held an experiment; I challenged people to sit in a white room for three hours straight without any form of technology to keep them entertained.

Since reading this book and making this documentary, it actually altered my relationship with technology. I decided to start using it more as just a tool for creation, communication, and knowledge instead of a means of identity.

Research

Personality Types:

Another way to figure out just what kind of person you are, is to use a personality test. I've done these tests a couple of times before because its always interesting to see how my personality has changed and developed over time. It also helps me to understand how I think, and furthermore, what I can do to help me absorb information and expand upon my knowledge.

The Campaigner

According to 16 personalities, I am a Campaigner:

"Campaigners (ENFPs) are true free spirits – outgoing, openhearted, and open-minded. With their lively, upbeat approach to life, they stand out in any crowd. But even though they can be the life of the party, Campaigners don’t just care about having a good time. These personality types run deep – as does their longing for meaningful, emotional connections with other people."

According to the strengths and weaknesses on my page, I can definitely say that I relate and connect to a lot of what was said. On one hand, I am curious, perceptive, enthusiastic, communicative, festive and good-natured. But on the other hand, I am people-pleasing, unfocused, disorganised, overly accommodating, overly optimistic and restless.

Workshop Challenge

With all this information in mind, I felt like I was ready to start tackling the workshop challenge for this week.

The Task

• Distill from your understanding of your practice and your character, your values as a designer (aspirational, honest, negative). Make an initial list of 20 words you can then edit down to five words.

• Create a visual mood board for each word.

• Create a single visual expression that conveys you (eg a film, 3D, typographic, an artefact or an experience).

• Document your whole process and reflect upon it on your blog.

• Upload your five words and your final visual response to the ideas wall on the following page, along with the link to your blog.

My 20 Words

After taking into account my likes, strengths, weaknesses, values and previous experiences, as well as my overarching style as a designer, I have managed to collate 20 words that I believe sums up myself, my practice and my values.

My 20 Words

Artistic

Storyteller

Illustration

Digital

Traditional

Composition

Colour

Texture

Shape

Communicate

Diverse

Open-minded

Filmmaker

Playful

Explorative

Peculiar

Nostalgic

Disorganised

Metaphorical

Multifaceted

My 5 Mood Boards

Storyteller

From producing films, social media campaigns, to creating graphic design and art pieces, storytelling is at the heart of everything I have done and everything I want to do in the future.

This also ties in with one of my other words- 'nostalgia', because my inspiration and passion for storytelling came from my love for illustrated stories, books and comics.

Fig. 4- The Walking Dead, Tony Moore. https://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1851301&GSub=201244

Fig. 5- Alice in Wonderland. https://archive.org/details/aliceinwonderlan19551gut

Fig. 6- The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson. https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/the-story-of-storyboarding-animation-film-061021

Fig. 7- Grimms Tales Illustration, Arthur Rackham. https://www.themarginalian.org/2016/02/29/arthur-rackham-brothers-grimm/

Fig. 8- Coraline. https://www.ranker.com/list/coraline-book-vs-movie-scary/erin-mccann?utm_source=sendgrid_newsletter&utm_medium=graveyardshift&utm_campaign=active&utm_content=210320

Fig. 9- Meanwhile, Jenifer Price. https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/jenifer-prince-illustration-230621?utm_source=weeklyemail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=intemail

Illustration

In the past, my designs have always utilised aspects of illustration- with its hand-drawn, playful and texturised style. Not only is it reminiscent of my love 2000's children books and comics, it allows me so many opportunities to play with different colours, line-work, shapes, textures and patterns.

Fig. 10-Future Street Culture, Daniel Isles (Dirtyrobot) https://hypebeast.com/2017/4/daniel-isles-dirtyrobot-illustrator-interview?amp=1

Fig. 11- Lucy and Yak, Lydia Hill. https://dribbble.com/shots/6806331-Lucy-and-Yak-Postcard?utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=pinterest_shot&utm_content=Lucy+and+Yak+Postcard&utm_medium=Social_Share

Fig. 12- Trainspotting poster, Fatti Burke. http://www.fattiburke.com/portfolio

Fig. 13- Post-it Note Art, John Kenn. https://mymodernmet.com/interview-mysterious-postit

Fig. 14- Farmstand, Christopher DeLorenzo. https://agentpekka.com/artist/christopher-delorenzo/

Fig. 16- Lauren Mitchell x Absolut Vodka. https://www.behance.net/gallery/72758483/Lauren-Mitchell-x-Absolut-Vodka?tracking_source=for_you_feed_recommended

Filmmaker

With my previous experience in film and media production, as well and my previous research into graphic design within film, it would definitely be a shame if I didn't include 'filmmaker' as one of my top five words.

Film has allowed me many opportunities to explore different ways and forms of art and design- from creating set designs, making storyboards, to crafting props.

Fig. 17- Amélie. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/292100725845115084/sent/?invite_code=87d155ea33964f26b793ab136a9434cc&sender=324751960538404077&sfo=1

Fig. 18- Loving Vincent. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/396809417164001915/

Fig. 19- Kiki's Delivery Service. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/706080047850280262/

Fig. 20-The Grand Budapest Hotel. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/174936766768731687/

Fig. 21- Wallace and Gromit. https://www.fanpop.com/clubs/aardman/images/6899222/title/wallace-gromit-grand-day-out-photo

Playful

In all honesty, I am not a serious person. I can definitely be serious when I need to be, but with my work I always want to have fun and create pieces that spark excitement, utilise humour and engage with people in a playful way.

Bold colours, funny/ positive visuals, ridiculous narratives- I am all about utilising my artistic abilities to make someones day.

Fig. 22 Lan Truong. https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/lan-truong-illustration-300518?utm_source=dailyemail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=intemail

Fig. 23 Funny Business Card. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/382594930857312993/

Fig. 24 Traffic Cones, Lauren Martin. https://www.oskarillustration.com/lauren-martin

Fig. 25 Gig Poster, Lucky Pony. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/385620786858186718/

Fig. 26 Risotto Studio Poster, Gabriella Marcella. https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/risotto-studio?utm_content=bufferdb213&utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Fig. 27 FRIENDS, Yime is Great. https://www.behance.net/gallery/83693393/FRIENDS?tracking_source=for_you_activity

Nostalgic

I have noticed any times within my work the parallels and connections they have to a lot of the content I engaged with as I grew up. Cartoons, comics, illustrated children's books, playstation games- they all entertained me like no other and have always inspired my artistic style.

Even when trying to draw realistic people, I always manage to draw their eyes a bit to big and cartoon-like.

Fig. 28 Cartoon Network poster. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/29554941297053314/

Fig. 29 Vintage Disney. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/22729173112912139/

Fig. 30 The Simpsons. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/253116441551612823/

Fig. 31 Garfield Comics, Jim Davis. https://fontsinuse.com/uses/16613/garfield-comics-series

Development

At first I wasn't a hundred percent sure on what I wanted to do, but I knew that the format of the piece needed to highlight my love for stories- whether that be by creating a storybook page, a film poster or a storyboard.

Not only did I want to capture my character, practice and values, but I also wanted to delve deeper.

Like with any good story, there is always a lesson to be learnt and I wanted to use this opportunity to highlight on the main lesson I hope to learn in the future (perhaps from this course).

We live in a world that is often dictated by media and technology- and whilst I know that it has allowed us many incredible opportunities to communicate, connect and learn, I also believe that it has also left us blind to the beauty and wonders that surround us in reality.

With this piece, I hope to highlight that whilst the opportunities within the digital world is endless, that there is inspiration to be gained simply by looking around you.

In the end, I decided to create a storyboard/ comic strip because I felt that this would be the best format to help get across my five words and my message.

I decided to keep the storyboard/ comic strip simple as I wanted to make sure that I could create it to the best of my ability with the time I had.

The idea for this piece, was that I was going to use fine-liner pens to draw out each scene. I would also use crosshatching, line work and patterns to create different textures and shades.

For the text, I would draw inspiration from typical comic book fonts and draw them out myself so that it would match the hand-drawn style of the piece.

Upon asking for some feedback from my course mates, a lot of them were very supportive of this piece but really wanted me to include a fourth panel that showed me within the digital world.

This gave me a lot of inspiration for a piece that I hope to complete in the near future, but I decided to stick with the original plan for the time being as I wasn't entirely sure as to how I could interpret that.

At this point I wanted to keep the ending open- and perhaps in some way that elaborated on the mystery/ vastness of the digital world

Final Piece

Reflection

Overall, I really like how it came out for a number of different reasons. I'm really glad that I decided to hand-draw the comic strip as I really think it added a lot of character (my character).

Although I usually create pieces utilising a lot of different colours, I think that the monochrome colour scheme really works as it really emphasises the different textures and shades. Although I would also like to see what it looks like in colour to see how it differs.

It is definitely really playful, illustrative and does actually offer me feelings of nostalgia- not just of the comics and cartoons I used to watch as a kid, but of the times when I would sit in my childhood bedroom and draw.

I think next time I need to put some more thought into the environment, because although I wanted to keep it simple, I believe I could have added a lot of different elements that also reflected upon my character.

I also think that I should have practiced the lettering a bit more beforehand so I could really emphasise on the comic book style.

I also think it could be quite interesting if I recreated this piece but in a digital style- to see how it differs and how it might change the overarching message of the piece.

In general, I believe that this piece really highlights my core values as an individual- my love for stories, my background in film production, my playfulness, my enthusiasm for illustration, and my connection to the content that had inspired me as a kid. I also like to think that this piece delves even deeper as it elaborates on the life lesson I hope to learn by the end of this course- that I must open my eyes more to the world around me, and not stay glued to my computer screen.

References

Hosken, M. (2023) Week 4: Lecture The Self. Falmouth Flexible. [Online] Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/1165/pages/week-4-guest-lecture?module_item_id=63399

Kagge, E. (2018) Silence: In the Age of Noise. UK: Penguin.

Mcleod, S. (no date) Freud's Theory of Personality: Id, Ego, and Superego, Simply Psychology. [Online] Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html (Accessed: February 13, 2023).