Phase 3: Week 10

Design Development

Weeks 9-10: Tutor / peer review briefing of work to date

Weekly learning objectives 9-12

• This period of the MA Final Major Project is for you to demonstrate a clear sense of development and review, to allow your project to evolve holistically but also maintain depth and rigour. This ensures it is critically positioned and conceptually exciting and new. It is always a challenge at this phase of longer and more in depth projects – you need to focus on keeping motivated and maintaining the ambition and intention of the original question driving your work.
• Alongside the development of your practice based studio work, you need to be working on your draft critical report, due to be submitted for formative student peer review in Week 13.
• By the end of this period you are expected to have a body of work that certifies your final direction and area for developing, building and launching, as a culmination of the final Phase 4.

Formative Phase Outputs

Personal action plan created in relation to your studio project and report, responding to feedback from the formative panel / student review of your case study presentations in Week 8.

Design development captured, edited and presented in a format of your choice, as a clear narrative of your project development, to be published via your research journal (blog) and on the Ideas Wall.

Critical Report draft development, to be published via your research journal (blog), with a link to it on the Ideas Wall.

All outputs to be clearly documented on your blogs, with evidence of active engagement with the Ideas Wall.

Task: pick out the questions from the previous weeks, especially the Week 8 feedback. Pull together a set of Q&A’s to send out.

Ok, so why do we need to belong to a group?

We all like to feel that we are part of something; a family, a cause, a group of mates. It’s nice to feel included, to feel welcome and to add a value to something as well as get some value in return. There can be many reasons to join or form a group; an outlet for artistic expression – a band or a movement, a place to learn new skills or meet new people. I think the main reasons for being in any group is to get a sense of belonging and a feeling of acceptance; you have something in common.

Removes awkward feeling
Increases confidence
Somewhere to hide
A place to reinforce beliefs – it’s not just me who thinks/feels/wants whatever it is.

Sport, music, fashion and lifestyle. A tribal undercurrent flows through these common groups we find. Sport in general, but then it breaks down into smaller groups; football jerseys, in particular, standing out as a common token, ‘a badge’ to show belonging.

Groups, clubs, tribes, gangs, teams, collectives (fans), parties.

Leading to confrontation and acts of violence; perhaps a token of commitment to the tribe.

Self-sacrifice, putting yourself through hardships ‘earn your stripes’, a military-style commitment which fits in with sports and protest. Something which you have to fight for, a belief or a team.

Music/fashion/politics = violence: ‘Teddy Boys’, ‘Mods and Rockers’, the Punk movement. All have a sense of rebellion, against each other and/or society and the state,

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2018/may/11/the-guerilla-cyclists-solving-urban-transport-problems

Design Case Studies

I’m taking a look around at some current publications to see if there’s an established style. From what I’ve seen prior to this search there does seem to be a common style; sharp grids, good typography and mainly image-led. It’s the image style which is going to be a sticking point, it’s the style I’d like but how am I going to stay away from becoming more of the same?

I feel the typography and layouts are under my control but how am I going to treat the images? Where am I going to get the images?

How am I going to avoid looking like all the others?

• What separates my project from all other publications?
• What’s going to make mine special?
• What’s my subject?

I’m still looking at producing some kind of study of cycling clubs but ‘that one thing’ is still missing.

Soigneur Cycling Journal: About

Soigneur was born in the Netherlands in 2012, when we set out to create an independent platform celebrating cycling culture. Since 2012 we have paid homage to the breadth of the sport, all over the world, both in writing and with photographs.

Soigneur brings together some of the finest stories, reportages, and photo-essays from around the world, online and in print reaching over 1 million people monthly. You’ll find tales of the past and of the present, of pros and of amateurs, of local heroes and of faraway places. Tales of suffering and of bliss.

(‘Soigneur – About Soigneur’ 2011)

Rouleur – “The World’s finest cycling magazine”: About

As Rouleur approaches its 100th issue, there has never been a better time to join our growing community of subscribers worldwide.

Rouleur conveys the essence, passion and beauty of cycling culture via the very best writers photographers and designers in the business.

Rouleur gets inside cycling with previously untold stories from great racers, both past and present, intriguing tales from the pro peloton, and unique insights into the wonderful world of bicycles. Cycling culture for cultured cyclists.

(‘Subscribe’ 2020)

Rapha.cc: About

The Rapha Cycling Club is a global community of passionate, active cyclists with exclusive access to our most sought after products, experiences and offers.

(‘What Is the RCC | Rapha’ 2020)

CHPT3: About

Imagined by David Millar and created by Castelli, CHPT3 is pure racing heritage for non-racers. Inspired by life in the pro peloton, it’s the ultimate cycling collection for the more discerning rider.

This is David’s vision for cycle clothing beyond racing. This is the next chapter. This is CHPT3.

https://chpt3.com/

(‘CHPT3: Creative Explorations in Cycling Apparel and Accessories’ 2020)

The Ride Journal: About

Philip and Andrew Diprose began The Ride Journal 2008 to offer something broader on the joys of cycling beyond race news, continental col pieces and pro interviews. With very high standards, and packing in over 50 stories, photo stories and illustrations per issue, the brothers have just bought out issue 8, and it’s another cracker. (‘The Ride Journal Issue VIII’ 2014)

Reflection

I’ve got this feeling that it’s still pretty insular and maybe I should widen the scope of the project a little more rather than singling-out a not-so-unusual type of club.

A comment from Stuart on the wall for week 7: ‘I’d love to know about any unusual and/or really niche and specific cycle clubs. Could be a lot of fun ‘.

Is my current plan a little self-indulgent? Andrew Diprose suggested the idea of having the three volumes: Before/During/After showing a story of race-day. This fits with establishing the level of seriousness the club riders take but is it just going to sit in limbo between those who do and those who don’t?

If I can widen things out to compare ‘level’ of cycling, or reasons for cycling; recreation, sport, protest, etc., then that would bring in more interest from those who don’t.

Look at Art Bikes, the Tweed-Run or the Naked Bike Ride. A view inside a more varied world instead of a single part of it takes it away from just showing the stereotypical pro/am cyclists. You wouldn’t just have to be interested in cycling to pick those up.

Comparing commitment. Not only pro’s dedicating years to the sport, or club cyclists trying to emulate that, but also those who are committed to a cause of some kind and use cycling, or bikes, as part of their expression. Are there niche groups (a well-used word so far in the feedback) who NEED cycling in order to deal with other situations?

Compare these groups as chapters or volumes in a set as per Andrew Diprose?