I have spent a lot of time thinking about art/design, the difference between them, and how to make my work more design than art. After investigating the definitions of art and design, I have concluded that design serves a purpose, whereas art can be purely aesthetic. Connecting with peers for opinions has been challenging, perhaps due to the Easter break. So, I have spoken to my mentor from the creative management skills boot camp about ideas and a friend doing a master’s at a different university. The business mentor is in marketing, and the friend is doing illustration as her Masters.
After much thought and discussion, I believe that the purpose of my design is to reassure people that superstition it is a natural human response to uncertainty. My aim is for my design to help distract the mind when that uncertainty arises, much like a mindfulness colouring book or puzzle. According to a YouGov study from 2014 people between the ages of 18-29 are most likely to consider themselves superstitious. This could go hand in hand with the uncertainty of starting out in life and not knowing what the future holds. Whilst this data is for USA I can speculate that this is a global theme, particularly in Weston society. My target audience will be people aged between 18-29 with a propensity toward superstition.
What message am I trying to deliver?
I had previously scribbled in a note book;
That it’s ok to feel uncertain, superstition is your friend and will leave you feeling more optimistic. There is no need to feel embarrassed about your superstition, it is a natural human reaction to uncertainty.
3 is the magic number
The reference to three comes up a fair bit in superstition, some might say 3 is the magic number. Good and bad luck are said to come in threes. This stems from the holy trinity and can be why people don’t walk under ladders; the ladder against the wall makes a three-sided shape, representing the Father, Son, and holy Ghost. To walk through would be akin to blasphemy. I have been thinking a lot about creating a design with three elements. I thought of making several globes on buoys to hang in display in the window of a local art centre, Department.
I have thought about one globe with a repeating pattern on transparent material that can hang and be seen through, and an accompanying booklet, and I have not been pleased with these ideas. Today, I think I have finally settled on something design that steps away from fine art and can incorporate my ideas.
A box of surprises, three elements: A globe with hidden superstitious icons that are difficult to find, an explanatory booklet (which could actually be on the inside of the box when you open it up) and an interactive colouring/drawing/game book for mindfulness when feeling uncertain, that links to finding the icons on the globe.
Looking at the meanings of the triangle, goes back to god and the holy trinity.
Quotes
I thought a quote about superstition may be a good way to go, and initially looked at celebrity quotes. A lot of these were on the negative side, so I decided to look at quotes from psychologist, Stuart Vyse, whose work on superstition I have found referenced and talked about in many of the articles and documents I have discovered.
Best Quotes Of Superstition With Page Numbers By Stuart A. Vyse
‘It may seem paradoxical and irrational that superstition should persist in our modern world, but persist it does.’
‘science took some time to develop into the sophisticated collection of methods we know today, and, despite the growing dominance of scientific reasoning, superstition, pseudoscience, and magical thinking did not go away.’
‘Superstitions typically lack evidence to support their effectiveness, and, in addition, their presumed mechanism of action is inconsistent with our understanding of the physical world.’
‘Superstition provides a sense of control when control is lacking.’
‘Most of the time, superstition is just fine. It causes little harm, and it may provide a welcome psychological benefit.’
‘Rituals are a form of psychology, serving to reduce anxiety and provide a sense of control.’
‘Superstitions thrive in the fertile ground of uncertainty and fear.’
‘We all have an intuitive understanding of chaotic systems.’