Studio Brief 2 - Articles on Ruduced Reading

The decline of literary reading:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/09/07/the-long-steady-decline-of-literary-reading/?utm_term=.b0f0616d1a72 - Christopher Ingraham

'There are a lot more products and platforms competing for your attention today than there were 30 years ago — video games have exploded in popularity and movies have transformed from something you did at the theater to something you do at home. Perhaps most important, the Internet, with its infinite distractions, did not exist 30 years ago.'

On the importance of libraries:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/26/no-one-use-libraries-any-more-rubbish-sanctuaries--enrich-communities - Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

Journalist and former Conservative aide Andre Walker took to Twitter. “Nobody goes to libraries anymore,” he wrote. “Close the public ones and put the books in schools”

'What a privileged position to take, I thought, this assumption that these vital public spaces are not needed. Spoken like someone who has always been able to afford books and magazines (or else, I suspect, doesn’t read), who can pay for an internet connection, who doesn’t need help filling in government forms.'

'Spoken like someone who doesn’t require shelter from the storm, isn’t housebound or lonely or trying to escape a chaotic home life, isn’t a new parent wondering what to do with a small, helpless being for a few hours, because it’s raining and you’re knackered.'

'Libraries may be needed more by poor people but many comfortably off people use them too. Regardless of class background, libraries plug us into our communities, reminding us that there is life beyond our living rooms, that there’s more to our daily existences than work and coming home, and the same again tomorrow.'

Reading can offer improvements to health:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/24/have-a-lover-have-friends-read-books-said-montaigne-he-was-right-about-one-of-them - Germaine Leece

'Stories have been around since time began; they tell us what it is to be human, give us a context for the past and an insight towards the future. A narrator’s voice replaces our stressed, internal monologue and takes us out of our life and into the world of a story.'

'In 2009, research out of the University of Sussex found reading could reduce stress levels by 68%, working better at calming nerves than listening to music, going for walks or having a cup of tea.'

'A 2013 study found reading literary fiction can help you become more empathetic, by giving you the experience of being emotionally transported to other places and relating to new characters. Other studies have shown reading can improve sleep quality and ease mild symptoms of depression and anxiety.'

Studio Brief 2 - Potential Issues

I went through several issues to find a topic that would work best for me. It was important that I find something I was genuinely passionate about, in order to fuel the work as a whole.

Something I particularly looked at was mental health awareness and the education of conditions within schools. I looked at many animations on the topic, designed for young people - which was something I thought I could build on. There were many of these animations and although this is something I am passionate about, it is also something I have explored before. I wanted to tackle something that has been explored less and and could be a bit more lighthearted.

I looked at things like our lack in knowing other languages and the fact imagination is depleting in adults and children. I finally landed on the idea of doing a project on encouraging young adults to read more as I've found that many of my friends read considerably less at the moment, including myself. 

Studio Brief 2 - Visit from Footprint Workers Co-operative

Footprint is a co-operative of 5 people who specialise in printing ethically and using environmentally friendly methods. They do work for bands, personal comic series and have a specialism in zines. Because they're in a co-operative it means it means all the members co-own the company, receiving equal pay and shares. Any extra profit goes back into the company as an investment, returned to the workers or donated to the community/good causes.

The company began in 2000 when environmental activists inherited an Offset Litho Press and exposing plates, which they decided to use in order to spread their message of activism. The company was set up in the basement of a housing co-op and it is still based there. Eventually the company grew and they decided to no longer use a printing process that involved solvents and switched to risograph printing.

Risographs have quite a soft lo-fi effect that involves lots of experimentation. Currently they use a machine that involves 2 coloured drums which can be mixed to create a variety of colours, giving an almost transparent effect. Because of this unique process it means that the co-op receives regular customers from people around the UK. This form of problem solving day-to-day is a constant sources of inspiration for the workers, especially as they all have their own projects to focus on. Sometimes Footprint goes to zine fairs as well and runs a 'zine in a day' workshop which is a good way of creating interest in the co-op's work.

The company does quite a bit for the environment, participating in anti-fracking campaigns and working with many other co-ops. They also use soil based ink, all recycled paper and use barely any energy.They won't ship oversees either, which drastically cuts down on air miles and also allows them to promote other print companies around the world.

Overall this was an incredibly interesting talk, especially as I have followed Footprint's work for a while. It has inspired me to spend more time working on zines and researching printing techniques. It also has shown how your ethics can completely influence your design work, and every aspect of it. I hope to pick a topic for Studio Brief 2 that can be approached from an entirely ethics based approach, making the design outcome entirely authentic.

http://www.footprinters.co.uk/

Timetable Plan January