Product, Range and Distribution: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Nineteen Eighty-Four was a novel written by George Orwell based on an imaginary undesirable community where the government surveillance is omnipresent! This novel is relevant to the campaign I am wanting to create against government surviellance. One part of the novel is based on a fictional character called Big Brother. He is claimed to be the leader of Oceania, a totalitarian state wherein the ruling Party wields total power "for its own sake" over the inhabitants.

In the society that Orwell describes, every citizen is under constant surveillance by the authorities, mainly by telescreens. The people are constantly reminded of this by the phrase "Big Brother is watching you", the maxim ubiquitous on display. The term "Big Brother" has entered the lexicon as a synonym for abuse of government power, particularly in respect to civil liberties, often specifically related to mass surveillance.

I will read the book to get a better understanding of the society created, but in the mean time I will watch the film.

A range of different 1984 covers seem to have a few mutual characteristics. The colour used is either a strong red or yellow. The red represents danger and implicitly suggests that the story line is somewhat horrific. The sketchy illustrations focusing on a eye gazing into the distance implies that they are looking over something, not just at you but at everyone. 

The yellow is bright and attention seeking. Interestingly the plain 1984 yellow cover is a very similar style to the graphics for Utopia. Utopia is a box set and part of the story line follows a group of people who are under surveillance. The story line fits in with 1984 and the design link in interesting. 

Product, Range and Distribution: Tempora

I found a really useful guide to GCHQ's internet surveillance programme called Tempora, I couldn't really rephrase it better myself so I have copied it below:

Revelations about the extent of the US government's ability to snoop on the private data of ordinary people have rocked the world. The Prism programme, which former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden leaked to the Guardian and Washington Post, has brought into relief the extent of surveillance in the digital age.

Now the Guardian, using documents leaked by Snowden, has laid bare the UK's surveillance capabilities, showing it to be an "intelligence superpower" that rivals even the US. Here's a short and concise roundup of everything you need to know.

What is GCHQ and what have they been up to?GCHQ, full name Government Communications Headquarters, is the UK spy agency dedicated to intelligence and information gathering. It's the UK equivalent of the NSA in the United States.

On 21 June the Guardian reported that GCHQ had placed data interceptors on fibre-optic cables that carry internet data in and out of the UK. These UK-based fibre optic cables include transatlantic cables that carry internet traffic between the US and Europe, meaning that GCHQ is able to directly access large amounts of global internet data. The programme is called Tempora.

They're taking data straight from the tubes?That's right. Interceptors have been placed on around 200 fibre optic cables where they come ashore. This appears to have been done with the secret co-operation, voluntary or forced, of the companies that operate the cables, potentially giving GCHQ access to 10 gigabits of data a second, or 21 petabytes a day.

That's a lot of bytes…GCHQ wasn't exaggerating when it used the phrase"Mastering the Internet" in the documents.

What do they do with all that data?Around 300 GCHQ and 250 NSA operatives are tasked with sifting through the data, which can be stored for up to three and 30 days for content and meta content respectively.

They use a technique called Massive Volume Reduction (MVR). Peer-to-peer downloads, for example, are classed as "high-volume, low-value traffic" and discarded by an initial filter. This reduces the volume of data by 30 percent. They use specific searches, which can relate to trigger words, email addresses of interest, or targeted persons and phone numbers. GCHQ and the NSA have identified 40,000 and 30,000 triggers respectively.

So this isn't 'British eyes only'?Nope. The data is shared with the NSA. In fact, 850,000 NSA contractors have access to the data, according to the documents reported on by the Guardian. It's possible that the UK and US intelligence agencies co-operate in order to bypass domestic restrictions on intelligence gathering -- the NSA isn't bound by UK restrictions on surveillance of UK citizens and GCHQ isn't bound by US restrictions on surveillance of US citizens.

How long has it been running?It was first trialled in 2008 and by the summer of 2011 GCHQ had placed interceptors on over 200 fibre optic cables. By late 2011, the Tempora programme had been fully launched and shared with the Americans on a three-month trial basis. The Americans, on their best behaviour, suitably impressed GCHQ and passed the test, reports the Guardian.

What's the legal justification for this programme?Under the 2000 Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa), defined targets can be tapped if there's a signed warrant. The warrant must be signed by the Home or Foreign Secretary. However, paragraph four of section eight of Ripa allows the Foreign Secretary to issue a certificate for broad interception of categories of material relating to terrorism or organised crime, for example. It appears that GCHQ is using that clause to justify the broad interception of web traffic.

GCHQ claims that its operatives behave within the law, including the Human Rights Act, which says that searches must be necessary and proportionate, meaning that there must be cause for looking at the data. GCHQ says that it doesn't snoop on ordinary citizens data, but targets bad guys like terrorists and criminals, and that the programme has prevented terrorist attacks on British soil.

How does this compare to what the NSA has been doing?According to the documents, GCHQ's surveillance gives it the "biggest internet access" out of the "five eyes", which consist of spy agencies in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada and the US.

One last question, where's Edward Snowden?He left Hong Kong on 23 June, with most reports suggesting that he flew to Moscow. It appears he's on his way to Ecuador, via Cuba, where he has been offered asylum. But no-one's quite sure where he is at the moment. All we can say is that he's definitely not on this Cuba-bound plane full of alcohol-starved journalists.

Product, Range and Distribution: Privacy International

Privacy International is a London-based charity. They investigate the secret world of government surveillance and then expose the companies enabling it. They litigate to ensure that surveillance is consistent with the rule of law. They advocate for strong national, regional, and international laws that protect privacy. They conduct research to catalyse policy change. They raise awareness about technologies and laws that place privacy at risk, to ensure that the public is informed and engaged. To ensure that this right is universally respected, they strengthen the capacity of their partners in developing countries and they also work with international organisations to protect the most vulnerable.

"Privacy enables us to create barriers and manage boundaries to protect ourselves from interferences in our lives. Privacy helps us limit who has access to our bodies, places and things, as well as our communications and our information. It's the right to know that your personal communications, medical records, metadata and bank details are secure, but it is also about ensuring that they are under your control. Privacy is essential to human dignity and autonomy in all societies. Privacy is at the cross-section of technology and human rights. The right to privacy is a qualified fundamental human right - meaning that if someone wants to take it away from you, they need to have a damn good reason for doing so.


Technologies are enabling new forms of empowerment and interaction as we integrate them into our lives. They may also enable powerful institutions to amass our personal information. The threat of terrorism is giving governments across the world carte blanche to ramp up state surveillance. Industry is voracious in its appetite to profile us, predict what we will do, and profit from our data. We believe that technological developments should strengthen, rather than undermine, the right to a private life, and that everyone’s privacy must be carefully safeguarded, regardless of nationality, gender, race or ethnicity, personal or economic status."

One of their projects is called Big Brother Incorporated, Below is the information they have provided about it.
Today, surveillance technology ranges from malware which infects a target computer to record every keystroke, to systems for tapping undersea fibre-optic cables in order to monitor the communications of entire populations. In countries where detention without trial, torture and extra-judicial killings are commonplace, these technologies imperil the lives of every activist and dissident.

Exposing the surveillance industry
The global surveillance industry is valued at around $5 billion. Today, surveillance technology ranges from malware that infects a target mobile or computer to record everything, to systems for tapping undersea fibre-optic cables in order to monitor the communications of entire populations. Today, companies based in Western countries develop some of the most intrusive and sophisticated surveillance technologies, but other manufacturers are catching up.

The Surveillance Industry Index catalogues this industry. It is the largest index of the private surveillance sector ever assembled, comprising of materials collected at surveillance trade shows around the world by Privacy International staff and information provided by the WikiLeaks SpyFiles alongside other organisations and individuals.

Ensuring redress for victims of surveillance technology
Surveillance technology can facilitate large-scale human rights abuses by Governments. It can be used to track the activities of dissidents, human rights activists, journalists, student leaders, minorities, trade union leaders, and political opponents. The information and communications infrastructures of developing or authoritarian countries can be hijacked for limitless surveillance purposes, and the information thereby collected used to facilitate unlawful interrogation practices, torture and extrajudicial executions.

Big Brother Incorporated investigates these abuses and the networks, companies, and authorities that enable them. We pursue litigation in national and international courts and through various multilateral forums to ensure redress for victims.

Holding the surveillance industry to account
Despite the scale of the industry and the proliferation of surveillance technology across the world, it is a sector that operates wholly in the shadows. The companies developing and selling surveillance technologies must be made accountable.

Privacy International coordinates a global coalition aimed at ensuring surveillance technologies are not used to facilitate human rights abuses or internal repression. The Campaign Against Unlawful Surveillance Exports brings together human rights, arms control, tech policy, and media freedom civil society groups campaigning for stronger safeguards. Governments need to urgently agree on strong commitments to regulate the industry, and must use their export control systems to ensure the trade of surveillance technology is done in line with their human rights obligations.

Product, Range and Distribution: American Civil Liberties Union

I was trying to find infographics to show how we are surveilled in the UK however I came across the infographic below about the truth behind the NSA. It led me on to find a website called American Civil Liberties Union. They campaign about issues related to freedom and one of those happens to cover our rights online and government surveillance.

They post some interesting articles about the issues raised such as ones discussing Edward Snowdon. One campaign they are running was against Data Snatchers it is called Invasion of the Data Snatchers and has the caption: Data snatchers?? They are NOT science fiction. And they’re closer than you think. Below is a video that they have made to support the campaign. It perhaps goes to a bit of an extremely unlikely ending but I can see the point they are trying to make!

Product, Range and Distribution: The All Seeing Eye

The Eye of Providence (or the all-seeing eye of God) is a symbol showing an eye often surrounded by rays of light or a glory and usually enclosed by a triangle. It is sometimes interpreted as representing the eye of God watching over humankind (or divine providence). In the modern era, the most notable depiction of the eye is the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, which appears on the United States one-dollar bill.

Collaborative Practice - Save The Children: Colour Palette and Post Idea

I have scanned in the rocket that I made yesterday. I then redefined the shapes on illustrator and changed the colour of the base to grey. Previously as red it was too similar to the flames and too close. The grey helps it to stand out and look more like a rocket. It also brings out the grey rim around the window. 

From the papers we used yesterday a colour palette has been established. We haven't used any black but instead kept the colours more pastelly. We have chosen to work with the font Futura, we felt it was the most appropriate as well as having good links to the space theme; as it was the first font on the moon!

Above is a world that I illustrated however Ness pointed out that the shapes are too detailed and they should fit in with our previous paper cut out designs. From this I have made the patches of land really simple just showing the rough outlines. This works better and compliments the rocket.

I was just messing around with a poster idea trying to focus on the fact that reading will launch your child's future opening up a world of possibilities. Im not sure on the layout yet as this is a rough first draft. The type works well as the red 'launch' catches your attention the white large 'your child's future' falls next in the type hierarchy and leads your eye nicely onto the text underneath explaining. I don't think it matters that you don't know its about reading first of all as you read that afterwards. The colours are bright and draw you in, they will also help to make the advert more memorable.  The gradient background fades into darkness as it would in space. 

Responsive - Pocketbook: Discussing Logos & Colour Experimentation

I met up with Sam and Harry to show them the logo variations and speak through the concept behind it. They really loved the concept and thought it was strong and applicable to them. The two logos they liked the most I have circled in red. The preferred the lighter watercolour affect as it none of the widths were the same and there was no repetition. They wanted to have it is an strong colour however because it is a watercolour affect any colour makes it look really gentle and bland. This is the complete opposite of what is needed, it is music so it needs to be vibrant and show life and enthusiasm. Below is an example of the logo in the brightest red. As you can see it does not bring the colour to life, understandably as watercolour is by its nature gentle.

I placed it in context on a letterhead and it looks so boring. It looks like a logo for a natural or eco-friendly company not an up and coming music production. This is down to the low and unchangeable opacity it just makes the logo look too tame. Even though they prefer this logo I think I am going to use the stronger ink one instead. It can be justified because currently their branding does not reflect their company. 

I have messed around with colours on the ink logo and they appear a lot brighter. The logo suddenly has a vibrant appearance. However the colours I have looked at all look like they should be for a different type of company.

Blue - It looks like some kind of aqua company focusing on clear and clean water.

Red - Looks way to similar to virgin media.

Green - Looks like some sort of logo for reusable materials or recycling.

I will play around with colour more and try to find one which really works for them as a business. I will also play around with the width of the lines as at the moment they are all the same width. One of the aspects Sam and Harry liked about the previous watercolour one was that they were different widths.

I have looked into trending colours and applied them to the logo to see if any of them work and look good.

The Seaport blue works really nicely, the logo looks fresh and interesting as well as dynamic.

The crushed grape doesn't seem to look as vibrant once applied to the logo. The colour looks dull and doesn't really fit the music scene.

Azure blue is refreshing, it looks new, clean and full of energy.

The Hydro green looks mature and sophisticated.

I love the Scarlet Sage however it may be too similar to virgin media yet again!

The Marigold is a warm, summery colour however it doesn't fit in well with their branding.

I will get back to Sam and Harry and explain to them why the watercolour logo perhaps isn't the best one to use and why it isn't appropriate. I will show them the new ink logo with modified widths as well as in the range of colours above. 

Collaborative Practice - Save the Children: Spike Milligan Poem - The ABC

The email from Emma got me thinking about how we could create a factual but easy to read and interesting space book. I remembered a poem which I used to love when I was younger it is called The ABC by Spike Milligan. The poem is about the alphabet but is written from the point of view of the letters and where they are in the alphabet. The reason I have thought about this is that we could do a similar idea with our solar system...The planets could be talking about each other but based on facts.

For example this bit of information about Jupiter could be turned into part of a story:

Jupiter is by far the largest planet in our Solar System. The Earth could fit inside Jupiter more than 1000 times.

Jupiter is a very stormy planet. There are storms found throughout the atmosphere, and most of the storms seem to never end. The many different cloud formations and storms in the atmosphere also make Jupiter a very colorful planet.

The ABC Poem

'Twas midnight in the schoolroom 

And every desk was shut 

When suddenly from the alphabet 

Was heard a loud "Tut-Tut!" 

Said A to B, "I don't like C; 

His manners are a lack. 

For all I ever see of C 

Is a semi-circular back!" 

"I disagree," said D to B, 

"I've never found C so. 

From where I stand he seems to be 

An uncompleted O." 

C was vexed, "I'm much perplexed, 

You criticise my shape. 

I'm made like that, to help spell Cat 

And Cow and Cool and Cape." 

"He's right" said E; said F, "Whoopee!" 

Said G, "'Ip, 'Ip, 'ooray!" 

"You're dropping me," roared H to G. 

"Don't do it please I pray." 

"Out of my way," LL said to K. 

"I'll make poor I look ILL." 

To stop this stunt J stood in front, 

And presto! ILL was JILL. 

"U know," said V, "that W 

Is twice the age of me. 

For as a Roman V is five 

I'm half as young as he." 

X and Y yawned sleepily, 

"Look at the time!" they said. 

"Let's all get off to beddy byes." 

They did, then "Z-z-z."

Collaborative Practice - Save the Children: Ideas Following Emails

After a really interesting email from Vanessa's cousin, Emma, where she suggested the idea that we create a book for dads only (making this clear on the cover). She argued that men don't like reading stories about fluffy bunnies and rhyming things but instead prefer non-fiction. Where they can make something out of it and the child is learning about something real.

We could create a story book about space perhaps focusing on our solar system and the planets in it. This would tie in extremely well with our theme and we could use our paper cutouts.

Bernie has also highlighted the fact that dads should be reading something they are interested in as well as the child being interested. This helps to create an engaging story. She has also given some really interesting tips and advice such as Reading isn’t just about books but a wide variety of products which demonstrate different uses and types of language.  You could let child choose one article to read and they choose one for you. Get young kids to read names of items in supermarket/ on shopping list. 
She also suggested that it could be reading things like instructions. Perhaps we could give the child something to make with a set of instructions, at the end of it they would be able to see the benefits of reading by what they have been able to produce.

 She has also suggested ways of making it more interesting to read: Dad reads one page, child reads another... Dad reads the text and child reads the dialogue (really helps improve fluency). Perhaps have two books on the go – one of child’s choice which Dad reads to them and one of child’s choice which child reads to Dad. It would be nice if we could create a book where it has parts for the child to say and parts for the father, as it means the child still feels like they have an active roll.

Collaborative Practice - Save the Children: Email Responses

We have received some responses back from the initial email we sent out to families with children. We asked them whether they had any advice on how to target fathers to read to their children and where would be a good place to put designs that would gain the fathers attention. We also asked why they thought it was important to read to their children and how do they make reading interesting.

Email Response One:

Hi Helen,

Thank you for your email about dads reading to their children, I think as a dad with two grown up children it's only now I am beginning to fully realise the importance of reading to children. I think reading has a number of benefits other than just improving a child's reading, it develops;

1. A time where dad and son/daughter can spend time together. Having times together allows a strong relationship to develop that can help bring stability into a child's life.

2. Talking about the story being read with dad can help bring other issues that the child is worried or concerned out into the open. Dad can help the child through issues because they have developed a strong relationship together.

3. Helping a child to read can not only help them improve their education standards it can improve their children's educational standards, so it has a long term benefit.

I think dads can often get caught up with other things and loose sight of the importance of reading to children. Work, tv, sports, going down the pub Xbox all compete for dads time. I think reminders could happen in a number of ways a short tv advert, poster in key places, sports venues and pubs. key people in the public eye talking about their reading to their children. A slot on children in need about the importance of reading and perhaps money being spent to provide the most needy families with books. I think the governments financial cuts which have resulted in many libraries closing has made it even more difficult for low income families to access free books. For some families where money is tight buying books is a luxury they can't afford when they are struggling to pay bills.

I think big public organisations such as Devon County Council and the NHS, have messages spaces on their pay slips a few sentences about spending 10 minutes a day reading to your child everyday would get seen by every one reading their pay slip.

Dads could make reading stories fun buy reading characters in funny voices, getting items of clothing and putting them on when reading the book, this would make the reading a fun time.

Ideas for helping dads read to children would be to take a well known book such as Harry Potter,have the dad dressed in wizards out fit with a child in one hand and the book under the arm and with the other arm using the wand to fight of the things that stop dads and children spending time together to read. So their could be a a caricature of a TV creeping up, a boss demanding more house to be worked, a football with legs and arms trying to drag the dad away from the child.

Mark

Email Response Two:  

Dan loves reading to the girls, the key for him was reading them books he enjoyed reading as a child (Danny Champion of the World etc) For men any books with noises is good, I've found many seem to be self conscious about reading 'children's story books'. Maybe 'Dad Stories' could be a compilation of stories that men would be more comfortable reading...not all fluffy bunnies and rhyming!!! Could have 'For dad's ONLY' warning on the front?! We found at school, dad's preferred non-fiction books where they could make something I.e. Scarecrow / junk model car, or on things like toys they used to play with. Also, joke books, pop-up / interactive books, illustration books, where's wally, Minecraft etc. Many boys struggle with reading compared to girls, maybe positive male role model would build boys self confidence with reading. Reading is important interaction, builds knowledge of sentence structure, intonation of speech, rhyming patterns, story lines, imagination, descriptions etc etc!!! Reading time interesting by choosing books either I enjoyed or ones they would like to read but which would be 'hard work' for them to read. At school all classes now have to have a class book the teacher reads, just because they can read doesn't mean we have to stop reading to them. Hope that makes sense! Good luck. If you want anymore feedback my friend is literacy consultant & brill at reading / book linked ideas for reading in & out of school. Emma xx


Email Response Three:

Could you put design on variety of products ? Not just books but magazines, instructions (for eg in construction products / games manuals eg for Minecraft), fact sheets, information websites, games, sports brochures, newspapers. Products that Dads typically like doing with their kids.

Dads should read about something they’re interested in – then they’ll be more passionate and their reading will be more interesting. Equally find something the kids like so they see the purpose of learning to read so they can understand the text/ so they enjoy the text. Ideally find something that inspires both kids and Dads.

Reading isn’t just about books but a wide variety of products which demonstrate different uses and types of language. Kids sometimes get bogged down with a whole book so it’s refreshing to do something shorter with them (eg get them to read segments from a magazine, kids’ picture dictionary, puzzle book, comic book, poems etc). You could let child choose one article to read and they choose one for you. Get young kids to read names of items in supermarket/ on shopping list. The 10 minute reading doesn’t have to be sitting down with a book (although this is nice of course!) Get older kids to try to follow a set of instructions (eg to build a model / play a computer game)

Reading books – You can try lots of different ways of reading a book to make things more interesting. Dad reads one page, child reads another... Dad reads the text and child reads the dialogue (really helps improve fluency). Perhaps have two books on the go – one of child’s choice which Dad reads to them and one of child’s choice which child reads to Dad. Allow child some silent reading time (for more fluent readers) but Dad asks questions on text to make sure child has understood.

There are lots of interesting kids’ books now for starter readers – Usbourne ladybird style books come in lots of different levels and cover huge variety of topics. They give kids real sense of achievement as they feel they are reading a proper book. Also cartoon style books like Tom Gates, Dennis the Menace, Super cat are becoming ever more popular.
Horrid Henry / Dirty Bertie books – v funny. Would be a big hit with Dads I think.

Equally Dads can read lots of different things to your children – articles from newspapers, interesting info you’ve seen on website, books. Reading something that would be harder than the child’s own reading level allows them to explore topics they can’t yet read about. It promotes discussion. Reading to your child allows the child to see how much fun reading can be. You are role model for your child.

Hope you can wade your way through fairly random brainstorming. Let me know if you need any more !
Bernie x

Email Response Four:

Hi Helen,

Not sure how much I can help you on this as I've always loved reading to my kids.

When the kids are younger I think the key is to have books that are fun to read - I really miss reading Julia Donaldson books to my kids her combination of words and pictures were just great. Reading as part of the going to bed routine was key, but if the father is not part of that going to bed routine (which I guess he often wouldn't be in your target group) then that is probably the thing you have to focus on. By the way, the statistician in me says be careful about the numbers being quoted in that report, I would guess they have found a correlation but not necessarily a causality.

As they get older reading longer books a chapter each night is great fun and there are loads of great books for that.

One thing we did as the kids were getting older was to watch the film of the book after we had read it together (e.g. Harry Potter and Narnia series).

I think its important for dad's to read to their boys in particular, so they do not associate reading as a girlie thing. There was a TV series on this a year or two ago - can't remember it's name but the guy who did it was the guy who does that choir in the workplace thing. Basically his premise was is school particularly reception etc is geared towards girls not boys and that is why girls now do so much better than boys. He made the dad's come in and read round a campfire to the boys.

Other things that may work with some fathers (not me !) is things like lego kits where you have to read instructions to put the kit together.

Hope this helps

Andy


Email Response Five:

I say to Charlie, "are you washing up or reading with the kids?" and he reads with the kids! I think the earlier you enjoy books with you child the better, regardless if mum or dad takes the lead. If dad reads then mum is tidying up, if mum reads then dad is tidying up, the main thing is that one of you is reading with your child. To be honest I don't like the whole generalisation of 'dads like this type of book' , should be about what the child likes. Take them to a library and let them explore. Libraries are great, they have storytellers, fun events and they are free. It is quite an exciting concept for a child that they can choose 10 books and take them home! Louis has had periods of not wanting to read and I just order some Asterix, Tin Tin or Simpsons to keep him ticking along. I'm a great believer of making reading enjoyable and not a chore, and you shouldn't push your child to read high level books. Books shouldn't just be for bedtime, and they shouldn't be a timed chore. Should just be part of your day. If Also children need to see parents reading and enjoying books. Probably lots of children just see their parents fiddling on their phones. I think that would be a good idea to do something like 'put down your phone and pick up a book' sort of thing, especially if you want to aim at dads. Good luck and keep us posted xx

Collaborative Practice - Save The Children: Meeting

How can we target fathers in particular? What catches their attention and would make them realise how important reading is to their children.

We are going to send out emails to families with young children asking the fathers about why they read or dont read to their children as well as asking what would catch their attention.

It is important that we create pieces of design which catch mens attention and makes them realise the importance of reading to their children. Men and women interact with design differently as well as approaching problems differently. We really need to find a way to target men, it is crucial for our design to work.

"Left brain vs both hemispheres: Experts have proven that men process better in the left hemisphere while women tend to process equally well between the two hemispheres. This difference clearly shows why men are stronger with left-brain activities and approach problem solving from a task-oriented perspective while women typically solve problems more creatively and are more aware of feelings while communicating."

We want to create an app as we feel this would appeal to men as they are much more technology orientated in comparison to women.  

Stereotypically you could argue that men don't think about the future as much as women. Women tend to think too deeply into things. We need to clearly show the benefit of reading to kids.

Perhaps it is best to split our target of fathers and focus on first time fathers. If they can fully understand the importance before the child is born then it would be worked into a natural routine and have a strong affect on the child's life.

Collaborative Practice: Save the Children: The Benefits of Reading to Your Child

I have found this interesting article on reading to your children showing the benefits it has as well as tips on how to make it more enjoyable. This will be really useful later on when we come to designing.

The vast mass of knowledge in the world can only be gained by reading, and if you want your children to be smart, they have to acquire a love for reading.   The love of reading has so many benefits.   You can develop this reading habit in your children in as early as their first few months by reading to them. 

Many studies have demonstrated that reading to children has many positive effects. 

For example, a study was made in Rhode Island Hospital to compare two groups of eight months old – one group was read to often as babies, while the other was not.  It was shown that those who were read to have their “receptive” vocabularies (number of words they understand) increased 40 per cent since babyhood, while the non-reading group increased by only 16 per cent. 

Indeed, reading to your children is one of the most effective way of building the “language” neural connections in their growing brains.

When your read with your child, he derives these benefits:

• Reading to your kid makes you bond with him, and this gives your child a sense of intimacy and well-being.  This feeling of intimacy will not only make your child feel close to you, the feeling of being loved and getting attention also helps him to grow smart.
• The intimacy of reading to your kid is such a pleasurable experience to him that he will have a positive attitude towards reading as he grows up.
• It calms your child, especially when he is fretful and restless.
• It promotes increased communication between you and your child.
• Preschool children who are exposed to language by hearing words that are read to him and in conversation tend to do well in school.
• Many studies show that students who love learning and do well in school were exposed to reading before preschool.
• Your baby learns early the basics of reading a book, that words represent sounds and concepts, words are read from left to write, and stories continue when you flip the page.
• It promotes longer attention span, which is an important skill for your kid to be able to concentrate.
• It builds listening skills and imagination.
• Your young child learns about colors, shapes, numbers, and letters, while your older child discovers an expanding chain of knowledge.  His interest in cars, for example, will expand to his interest in trucks, and other transportation like planes and rockets, and soon he will be reading about outer space, science and technology, and so forth. 
• A study published in Perspectives on Psychological Science in January 2013 concluded that “reading to a child in an interactive style raises his or her IQ by over 6 points.”
• Books teach your child thinking skills early. When you read to your child, he learns to understand cause and effect, he learns to exercise logic, as well as think in abstract terms. He learns the consequences of actions, and the basics of what is right and wrong.
• Books teach your child about relationships, situations, personalities, and what is good and what is bad in the world he lives in.  Fantasy books provide material for his imagination and free play.  Fairy tales fascinate your kid, and help him distinguish between what is real and what is not.
• When your child reaches a new stage in his growth, or experiences a new and unfamiliar situation, reading to your child about a story relevant to his new experience can relieve his anxiety and help him cope. For example, if your child is stressed about his first day in school, or about moving to a new location, you can read a book to him that shows that these should not be painful experiences.
• Your child learns early that reading is fun and not a chore. When your child grows up, you will not be stressed about getting him to read, as reading has become, for him, a pleasurable habit.

Here are some tips to remember on reading to your kid so he will grow up a reader:

• Apply techniques for reading to children to make it interactive, thought-provoking, exciting, and educational.
• Make your child an active participant in the reading.
• Also, use age-appropriate strategies on reading to your child. Reading to your kids with different ages presents new opportunities and challenges.
• Since your kid imitates your behavior, let him see you read books.  Let him know that reading is a part of life!
• Let your child feel that reading a book with him is a pleasurable and enjoyable experience, and not a stressful activity that you are forcing him to do.
• Form a habit of reading to him at the same time each day, or at least several times a week.  Choose a time when you and your child are both relaxed and not rushed.
• Choose books that your kid will be most interested in, and appropriate for his age. A young child likes colorful drawings and pictures of people.
• To help your child understand that letters and words are symbols that are used to communicate, run your finger under the print but don’t force your child to follow your finger.
• Sometimes, your kid likes a particular book and wants to read it repeatedly.  Do not discourage this, since he finds reading this book pleasurable - and pleasure is what he should get from reading!  Also, he is getting the most out of this book and is giving you a hint about his interest!
• Expose your kid though to a variety of books.
• You can use reading as a way to allay your child’s fears or prepare him for changes in his life.  For example, you can choose books about using the potty, going to school, or moving to a new house when he is about to have these new experiences.
• Teach your child to treasure books and treat them with respect – keeping them clean and in good condition.
• Surround your kid with books.  Keep books where your kid can easily reach them so he will be able to browse them by himself.
• Take books to read to your child on long trips and places where you have to wait like the doctor’s office.

Collaborative Practice - Save the Children: Paper Cutouts

I decided to experiment with cutting space themed shapes out of coloured paper. I wanted to create an illustrative style without having to illustrate. The paper provides a solid bright colour which catches the viewers attention. The shapes have been cut out as simply as possible as it doesn't need a great amount of detail, the simpler the better.

The plan is to create a full range of cut outs which can then be scanned in and made into a range of designs on computer software. The cutouts will also be used on the progress chart as indicators and each planet could be a stage along the reading process.

We can use the colour scheme in the posters, this will help to tie in the whole project with a strong visual. However it may not be appropriate to use all the illustrations as after all we are trying to target the fathers not the children.

Responsive - Pocketbook: Bridge Logo Idea

Through mind mapping ideas out one of the stronger ones was bridge. There are some really nice links between the bridge in a song and their company. It provides a break from repetition much like their company will be different from similar businesses. A bridge also symbolises a way of crossing something or getting somewhere, it shows progression getting further than would have been possible without it.

I wanted to base the logo around an existing bridge but not something that would look like an obvious bridge. After looking through lots of bridge images I came across Gateshead bridge also known as the blinking eye for the way it tilts and its shape. I thought that this bridge is ideal to base a logo around. 

The shape has no lost all connections to a bridge shape; although the bridge itself didn't look rigid. The gap in the logo suggests a start and a finish, development throughout the project. The lines varying thickness' help to imply movement as well as speed. The logo still needs to be edited as the lines need to be made neater and I want to further experiment with line thickness' to see how it affects the appearance of the logo.

I have been experimenting with stroking the line with a paint affect. This helps to emphasise the movement as well as incorporating a creative element and adding what feels like a more personal touch. 

Real Problems Graphic Solutions Workshop: The Environment

Research the Environment and find one problem to research in more depth.

Potential Issues to further research:

• Overpopulation

• Climate Change

•  Nuclear Power

• Pollution

• Genetic Engineering


We have decided to go with overpopulation as this is the one we are all most interested in. The areas that we will research within overpopulation are:

• Chinas One Child Policy

• Medical Advancements

• InterAcademy Panel Statement on Population Growth,

• Resources

• Urbanisation

• Population Growth

• Japanese Micro Houses

• Combating overpopulation

• Population around the world


Birth Credits - A way of combating overpopulation

I will be looking at ways of combating over population one theory I have found is Birth Credits an idea suggested by Michael E Arth. The idea is that every human receives half a birth credit when they are born. They must pair with another human to make a full birth credit which will allow them to reproduce. If you want to have additional children you can purchase birth credits from people who do not wish to reproduce.

If that allotment was determined to be one child, for example, then the first child would be free, and the market would determine the cost of the license for each additional child. Extra credits would expire after a certain time, so these credits could not be hoarded by speculators. An advantage of the scheme is that the affluent would not buy them because they already limit their family size by choice, as evidenced by an average of 1.1 children per European woman.

Incentive and enforcement

According to Arth, a woman may collect the value of one credit if and when she decides not to have children. If the desired average number of children is one per woman, then a woman can have one for free. If she has additional children, she will be required to buy one birth credit for each child. The incentive to society is the prevention of an overpopulation-related tragedy of the commons, including an immediate reduction in unwanted children. The incentive to individuals is that their economic and educational levels would tend to rise as there is an inverse relationship between net worth and the number of children one has. As with traffic laws, enforcement of birth credits could be through fines, tax levies, or loss of privileges.

CostThe scheme would pay for itself by rewarding those who choose not to have children, and charging those that have more than their allotment. The actual cost of the credits to those opting for more than one child would only be a tiny fraction of the actual cost of having and raising a child. Therefore, the credits would serve more as a wake-up call to women who might otherwise produce children without seriously considering the long term consequences to themselves or society.



India - The fastest growing population
As of July 2003, India had a population of just over one billion (CIA World Factbook). With around 170 million hectares of arable land, it has the potential to produce among the world’s highest crop yields, and indeed, India produced the second highest amount of both rice and wheat per year in 1999 (Hopper). While whether or not this amount of food could sufficiently cover the needs of the population, two things are clear without dispute; millions of Indians’ fundamental biological needs are not met, and should the population continue to rise, it will not be possible to produce enough food to cover those needs.

Evidence for the first argument is simple to find. In 1999, 53% of the Indian population under the age of five was malnourished, and 37% had no access to safe water (The Earth Times). Fifteen million people in Bombay have sidewalks for beds (Associated Press), and 25% of the population is below the poverty line (CIA World Factbook). All of these issues boil down to the simple idea that there are not enough goods to go around. Or, if there are enough goods to go around, then there is not enough government to dispense them.

The second argument, that as population rises problems are worsened, is intuitive. But beyond this, growth rates are a big deal for a country with a huge population. India adds more people to the world each day than any other country (Clarke), adding up to about 12 million people per year by one estimate (Litke), and 18 million by another (ENN). Each added person increases the number on the side of the ratio that should decrease if needs are going to be met. And this brings us to the heart of the problem.
Condom Dispensers for City Streets Soon.   The Maharashtra District and Aids Control Society (MDACS) plans to install more than a 100 condom vending machines across the city as part of a pilot study. If the project is successful, the number of machines could go up to 300. The organisation had decided not to distribute the condoms free as previously the experiment did not work and the machines were vandalised. Mumbai's municipal corporators are lobbying for condom vending machines to be installed at check posts and railway stations but want the condoms to be free. The civic administration has turned down this demand.

India: Government to Take More Stern Steps to Control Population.   The Chennai Health Department will increase the number of no scalpel vasectomies by 10% as a part of their population control program. According to the records, an average of 35,000 operations are performed every month and while about 500 centres perform laproscopic tubectomy; the others follow conventional methods of surgery. Of the 14 lakh established pregancies 1.5 lakh undergo abortion. The Dept is planning women-friendly campaigns for HIV/AIDS, diabetes, hypertension and menopause. The officials consider promoting male sterilisation because it is cost-effective, simple and a quicker. The mortality is almost nil and doctors can perform several vasectomies in one day. However the department will not be able to promote vasectomies unless they break the myths about the procedure. Doctors campaigning for the no scalpel vasectomy say they find it difficult to convince people to hear about the procedure. Some men think they will lose their strength or will have to keep away from work if they undergo sterilization they believe men will lose their virility if they are operated upon. The directorate is promoting men who underwent the operation a decade ago and this has significantly increased the number of vasectomies.   

India Considers Childbirth Bill to Curb Population.   India is considering a bill to limit members of Parliament and state legislatures to having two children in an effort to curb skyrocketing population. India's population is expected to surpass China's by 2050. Six Indian states have laws mandating a two-child norm for members of village councils. Opponents argue that increasing education and work opportunities for women, as well as improving health care and offering a variety of contraceptives, have proven to be the most effective ways of limiting population growth. Enforcement of a two-child law could lead to an increase in female abortions. Everyone wants two children, but most also want a son.

India's Home Minister Says Government Shocked Over Growing Numbers of Female Fetuses Aborted.   The government of India said that because of the preference for sons, the practice of aborting female fetuses is growing. It has been illegal for more than 100 years but census reports and activists say that data shows some 20 million to 40 million girls were aborted or killed in infancy. The laws against misuse of the ultrasound technology to determine pre-natal sex have been strengthened. A plan for a National Register of Citizens, with identity cards for all of India's 1.05 billion people may help, as no woman would be able to get such tests without identifying herself, and the results tracked. 


World Population currently http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/.

Creating A Piece of Graphic Design
We now need to create a piece of design or at least propose a piece of design which is completely influenced by all of our research. We could either go down the route of informing people about over population or focus on some of the more shocking and attention grabbing aspects of it.

We are currently thinking about focusing on the harsher ways of stopping overpopulation. We want to really highlight how girls are aborted or killed in infancy.
We should look at the following:

• Why boys are favoured over girls
• Other harsh methods of lowering population
• Aimee has already researched the one child policy.

In the way of design we want to create something that is overcrowded or that uses something everyday to show overcrowded-ness. Pastel colours such as a baby blue and baby pink could be used to represent the genders and having less pink would symbolise boys being favoured.

The Chinese government has just pledged to get tougher, launching a new drive against sex-selective abortion. It is increasing safeguards – such as the requirement that two doctors are present at each ultrasound – and toughening punishments. Institutions, as well as individuals, will be held responsible for breaches; the worst offenders risk having their medical licences withdrawn.

Responsive - Pocketbook: Knot Idea

The concept behind using knots was that it could represent the collaboration of Harry and Sam and how they are strong together. I began to look into knots that I thought would partly look cool but also be relevant to them. After scrolling through quite a few, I settled on three.

Zeppelin Bend

The Zeppelin bend which I was drawn to because it is a secure, easily tied, and jam-resistant way to connect two ropes. The pattern it forms also is an intriguing shape which could loose its identity from the knot pretty quickly.

Figure of 8

A figure of 8 knot with two varying loop sizes. There wasn't a set meaning to why this one was chosen it just produced an interesting shape.

Square Knot/ Reef Knot

The reef knot or square knot is an ancient and simple binding knot used to secure a rope or line around an object. The knot is relatively simple but this is what makes it attractive. The amount of space between the pieces of rope breaks it up making it look less like a knot and instead like a pattern.

I decided to continue with the square knot further as I felt it had the most potential. The logo needed to work in just black and white so I limited myself to those colours. I created the knot twice but with one underneath slightly bigger to create a break between the lines. Without this extra line the interlocking pattern wasn't obvious it just looks like a 2D chunky logo as you can see from the first screenshot below.

Different variations of the logo have been tried in black and white. The best one in my opinion is the white on the black backing simply because it looks the neatest and perhaps is the most eye catching. However none of them are really appropriate for the industry they are entering the logo needs to be more dynamic and show more movement.