OUGD601 - Dissertation Proposal Presentation

In last years module I chose the dissertation theme:

'To what extent do technological developments in production and distribution impact on Graphic Design?'

The areas that I chose to research into can be seen below.



I received feedback from Simon Jones before Summer began. He stated as follows:

'In general the proposals are good and show some thoughts and ideas about what to look at in CoP3. However, your reading lists are, almost universally, unambitious. For the most part you all seem set on not venturing away from the graphic design section in the library. It is important, however, that for CoP3 you are showing an understanding which goes further than the immediate design related contexts. Therefore, you need to be looking at academic books (textbooks) about the relevant wider contexts of your subject. These could be consumerism, consumer psychology, market research, digital media, subcultures, etc. As i have continued to say throughout your 2 years of CoP: if you read academic literature then you will naturally become a better academic writer. If you focus only on literature about graphic design by graphic designers you will develop only a very restricted view of your subject.

The main point raised is that I should be researching into areas other than just Graphic Design, particularly into academic sources. After considering the questions over Summer I decided to pick a topic that focuses more on my interests. I made quite a lot of research into marketing and social media last year, and it is one area that really interests me. For this reason, I opted to focus my dissertation question on it - linking to the original dissertation theme picked.

As I am a student, I do enjoy having a few drinks at the weekend. I am quite into my craft lagers and IPAs and thought that it could be interesting to investigate into the effects of online marketing in the alcohol industry. The question that I drew up can be seen in the presentation below. Some of the research that I have made so far can be read too.



After presenting my focus to Amber and some peers I received some feedback on it. The main point that Amber raised was the term 'new media', and how it can be quite vague. She suggested that I change the term to 'social media', as it is much more focused. She also suggested to possibly look at a particular age group. A lot of the research that I have made focuses on young people; therefore, I could change the question further to look at a particular audience. The question that I have opted for currently is:

'Is social media marketing to blame for encouraging alcohol consumption in the UK?'