New Key words & Drivers

Since our project direction changed, we decided to re-think our project keywords and direction drivers that can help us pinpoint our design focus.

The following list is compiled after our meeting:

giving
community
communication
strategic
rewarding
baby-step
empowering
relating
accumulative
daily action
involvement
knowledge
individuals
dialogue
awareness
solution
soul
bridging
wellness
pure
healing
giving back
intimate

"giving is what makes life richer"


Key concept:

rewarding

individual rewards bridging with community involvement
rewarding lifestyle
rewarding experiences
encourages
clarity (organizations, conscience, doing good things that make you feel good)

Project Goal & Objectives Clarification

After several discussions, Lulu and I have narrowed down our focus and put together a mission statement for our project goal.

GOAL:

Providing communication means to project individuals in charitable commitments, that returns clarity and rewarding experiences into everyday lives.


We have also broke down different milestones and objectives for the following 1.5 months.
The Objective list is presented as follows:

1. Project Timeline (working backwards)

2. Choose charitable themes / causes for content development

3. Identity design (logo, colour scheme, typo)

4. Content development (choose featured themes, work out specifics, time unit)

5. Package design - with chosen materials and form language

6. Presentation preparations (visuals & Oral)

7. Personal identity development (business cards)

Project Name Change!

Due to change in our design direction, we have decided to re-name our project as "Soul-Supplements." (As to our web address, the new blog is now www.soulsupplements.blogspot.com)

Please feel free to provide any feedbacks and suggestions!

Brainstorm Session After Interview - Concept Development

After 3 hours of tea-drinking and head scratching for ideas, we stumbled upon a major design inspiration: FLOWmarket

FLOWmarket is an inspirational design originated in Denmark, designed by Mads Hagstrom. It is about raising awareness on the imbalance between concrete and abstract in modern societies. It challenges and inspire individuals to use their consumer power and commercial vote for the kind of world they want. The designer himself called this concept as "next generation luxury." Packaging abstract ideas, feelings, and mindsets, FLOWmarket comments on existing consumer society and sustainable business solutions in our culture.



Lulu and I were pretty damn excited seeing a cultural comment with such design language like this has been marketed so successfully and well-accepted by the general public. This led us to our new project direction, which aims to have the same commentary while providing opportunities for consumers to actively participate in making changes.

What if, we are not selling products, but selling ACTIONS?

We thought of the idea of 'SOUL SUPPLEMENTS'-

meaning, providing consumers the opportunities to engage and commit to charitable causes which may benefit social and community in general, as well as to enrich their individual life styles.

Rather than focusing on the issue of shark-finning, which may only acquire interests from specific groups or limited number of individuals, we have decided to raise awareness and motivate behavioural change towards varied causes and social concerns. I still care a lot about shark-finning, but to face the issue honestly, I understand that this type of thinking may only strike interest and concerns from a limited group of people. I need to address the communities and our culture as a whole, which may sound ambitious, but it's still worth a try.

Different individuals all embody different life styles, behaviours, and beliefs. Our goal is to enable them to actively participate to the charitable causes and social concerns which they can relate to. Give them the ability to choose, allow them to adapt the commitment to their own life styles and schedule.

For example, we can design a product line, with a series of charitable themes. Each theme may be packaged with specifically designed, and well-planned out communication plan which aims to improve knowledge, motivation, and behavioural change concerning the specific theme. The consumers who choose & purchase that specific theme are therefore given the tools and support to follow through. The package itself can be designed into monthly commitment with action tips for the individuals to participate according to their own limitations and abilities. Moreover, the money which we received from the purchase of each 'soul supplement,' will be given to the relatable and collaborating charity that's connected to that specific theme.

From a more technical design perspective, the focus would be to design a package that communicates our intention and concept idea well and effectively.

Content-wise, we would have to do a thorough and feasible example on one of the chosen charitable theme to communicate our concept in grad show.

This documentation way of clarifying our concept may not be the most effective and best explained, but it's just a way for us to keep track of our progress. :)
I'm pretty excited to present Louise with our concept, and get some feedback!

Brainstorm Session After Interview - Analysis & Ideations

Just to make sure we can get the most out of our interview with Sarah, Lulu and I decided to have a brainstorm session shortly after we left the cafe.

It's quite a bit of information to digest. We realized that targeting young audience alone might not be as applicable and effective as we hoped. Sarah' s emphasis on the urgency and severity of this global concern made us feel like our project should definitely bring attention to many other worthwhile causes that may be relatable by the general public. There is no doubt that Shark-finning has significantly impacted marine eco-system, and more importantly, the world at large. However, we need to make such issues RELATABLE, and develop CONNECTIONS between consumers and such issues by creating the link for people to understand.


The image above is derived from the list of keywords we determined from our learnings in the interview. We branched out each keywords into possible approaches and more specific definitions to help visualizing ideas and concepts.

It's not difficult to rationalize the concepts from our understanding and information collected. The hard part is to visualize these concepts, and transform them into actual project ideas that can produced, used, and marketed.

Lulu and I both agreed that in order to get our message across, we need to address consumer behaviours, more specifically, people's psychological factors and influences. We pointed out some pretty realistic specifications on human behaviours, such as our tendency to satisfy material indulgence, immediate results & recognition-based mindset, and etc.


We thought of the following possible design direction:

1. Breaking away from conventional format of design exhibition:
Works & concepts in design exhibitions tends to be elite and idealistic, presented in an established environment that
(only people who are interested will come in, and take in information)

2. Having a design exhibition in consumer-relatable settings? like a supermarket?
Somewhere that suggest high interactivity, where people can relate and actively participate, suggesting practicality
and feasibility of concept.

3. Maybe this sounds odd, but what if we can pitch the exhibition concept idea to local supermarkets? collaborate with
them, to come up with interactive design that suggest ethical consumer behaviour, and encourage change in habits.

4. Exhibition format, develop something for people to take away? to encourage learning through interactivity,
innovative information advertisement for greater public.

These points brought up couple concerns as well as many innovative design application ideas.

The next post will discuss more in depth of the other project direction we have come up with during the brainstorm session.

Meeting with Sarah King from Greenpeace

Arriving slightly late to our meeting, we met with Ms. Sarah King at the Prado Cafe. Never having met before, Ms. King waved at us as we entered the little cafe. She has a friendly smile and we were quite surprised to find someone, an expert, that's so approachable and helpful.
Emily and I had came up with a list of questions that we derived from our understanding of the issue, however the interview took flight from the sheet of paper as we discover the other facets of this issue from Ms. King; that there's much more to learn about the mentality of consumers behind the fining and unsustainable fishing. Key points distilled from interview as follows:

Present situtation with our oceanic consumptions:
-Few supermarkets in Canada are working towards a sustainable seafood policy and they all sell Redlist species. Some have done nothing to date to address this issue.
-The ocean is "pretty fucked up at the moment" and if no immediate action is taken then unprecendented consequences will be enevitable.
-predatory fish such as cod and tuna have dropped by 90% over the last ~50 years.
-People are often shocked and find it hard to believe that the ocean is under heavy stress right n ow because the demand still presses and the supply works the ocean even harder to provide.
-Would we have to wait till the day where there are no more fishes on shelf to take action?
-Sharks are vital to the balance and health of the whole ocean eco system, yet they are precieved and hunted as damned.


How did the general pubic react to Greenpeace oceanic campaigns and surveys:
-Most are very responsive and interested, however there seem to be a lack of knowledge and a lack of action as our daily routine/system suggests other wise.
-"ignorance is bliss", turning the blind eye.

How should a rsponsible consumer approach this issue:
-cut back on seafood consumption
-avoid consuming species from the red-list
-ask questions such as the origin from which the fish is caught (not where it's processed) at and whether or not it is caught by sustainable techniques such as selective fishing and not long-line fishing. (Retailers will not budge unless pressured by lack of sales and/or negative image)
-Eating lower on the food chain.

In relation to our design topic:
-make tagents to the whole fishing industry and the condition of the oceans. For ex: Sharks are often caught as "by-catch" (the amount in which a different species could be caught at) and is calculated by a policy of "body vs fin ratio" which some fisherman take advantage of as the policy is hard to enforce.
-how to change people's perception and value? Ex: Consumption of Shark fin is viewed as a symbol of wealth and power in Chinese context. How can we change this?
-our initial target audience--children, could be too passive of an audience for such an urgent topic.
-In relation to the urgency--our design outcome has to be a visible and direct demand for action.
-Educating people then empowering them in this matter, even just acknowleding their individual buying-power, is probably a potent element in our design.
-Making the topic relatable via customization is also a way to bring on urgent action.



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A Big Thanks to Sarah King from Emily and LuLu!

Interview Arrangement

Good News :)

Sarah from Greenpeace has returned from her business trip and is available to meet for a short interview. We've set up a short meeting on February 10th, at a small cafe on Commercial drive. I have prepared some questions and an info consent form (the document is accessible through web link on the right). Sarah has agreed to meet both of us, that would be great to make sure we cover as much questions and details as possible.

Unfortunately, we have not yet heard back from Sea Shepherds, who has replied and agreed to collaborate earlier on during my research inquiry. But I understand organizations with such scale might have difficulty to commit to extra inquiries due to large quantity of requests.

Lulu and I are looking forward to the meeting with Sarah :) I think it will definitely help to point out a clearer project direction for us!

"Shark fin soup alters an ecosystem" (CNN)

Published on CNN website, along with documentary Planet in Peril, this article discusses the severity of shark-finning and the influence which pop culture, media, and cultural traditions have with the perceptions and understanding of sharks.

The article is written by one of the research reporters and hosts on Planet in Peril, List Ling, with interview discussions with co-founder of Wildaid, Peter Knights. It describes their learning from trip to KaoShiung, Taiwan, where riduculous amount of illegal shark-fins are being imported.

To read the full article, please click HERE.



To be honest, I feel disgusted and sick reading about information during my research process. I find the information too hard to take in sometimes. Especially when such activities that I personally feel strongly against actually happen in where I grow up, developed and adapted by my own culture and people. It makes the project more challenging of course, however, it also reassures my intention and motivation towards promoting such awareness.


Note: Photographs included in this post are gathered from CNN website, photographed by Jeff Hutchens.

Response from Greenpeace Canada

A nice surprise for our search for collaborating experts, after yesterday's inquiry email, I received a quick response from Sarah King, Greenpeace Canada. I'm really glad to see some interest in the project, and pretty excited about interviewing a professional in this field.

Sarah is a Oceans campaigner from Greenpeace Canada. She's agreed to help out and provide some insights regarding wasteful and awful fishing practices. It would be extremely helpful to work with someone who's actively participating in international campaigns and initiatives. We can perhaps find out how our design project can actually contribute and help to raise awareness on shark-finning.

We will soon set up a date for a short and casual interview.

I am thankful for her response :) now it's up to me to plan out specific questions for the interviews in order to execute a thorough research process.

Looking for Experts

It's time to look for research experts that are actively participating in shark related campaign & initiatives. I stumbled upon a short PDF document put together by Shark Trust, UK. It gives a pretty concise and accurate presentation of what's happening around the world.

To view the document, please click HERE.


I contacted different international organizations that are currently involved in shark-related conservation projects & campaigns, including public media organizations, and non-profit community collective. I emailed each source inquiring for an opportunity to get a short interview with an expert that's involved in shark related projects, just to get an understanding regarding the topic. However, due to the scale of these international organizations, I am not sure I would be able to get a timely response. But still! Let's be hopeful! :)


Here's a list of the organizations & individuals I contacted:

1. Sea Shepherd, USA

2. Discovery Channel (Animal Planet), USA

3. Shark Trust, UK

4. Greenpeace, USA

5. Wildaid, USA

6. Lisa Ling (CNN Correspondont for Planet in Peril)

Japan makes shark fin substitute

Nikko Yuba Seizo Co., A Japanese food processing company speciallizing in sharkfin trade has created shark fin substitution targeted to launch in major cities in China.

Made from pork gelatin, the substitution sharkfin is marketed to replace the real shark fin. Shark fins are considered as one of the highest-delicacies in Chinese cusine and a couple high-end restaurants in Japan.
From article:

"The price of the gelatin-made fin costs only one-tenth of the real one, or about 1,500 yen ($15) per kilogram when sold wholesale, he (company director) said.Controversy over China's appetite for shark's fin rose last year when the country's most famous sports personality, basketball star Yao Ming, called for a boycott of the dish to save the fish from extinction. Some species of shark are now endangered."

Full Story Here: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/10/19/shark-fin-animal.html?category=animals&guid=20071019141500&dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000

"The Most Effetive Method"

I think sometimes during the process of solving a design problem, we tend to lose sight of our intention, due to our tendency of holding on specific design approach, direction, or medium.
Initially, my ultimate goal of this project was to promote awareness and to educate as much as possible. However, I lost sight of that, because I was holding onto the idea of using 'exhibition design' to communicate my theme.

During Our sub-group discussion on Thursday, I re-evaluate my chosen method by questioning the main concern: How can I bring the issue to the table? To the target population?

Exhibition design may be grand, ambitious, or exciting. However, this may not be appropriate to apply to my design theme. I want to address the issue by educating the younger generations. More specifically, children in their elementary age. They have a higher capacity to adapt change, take in new information. The idea is that, the design solution will allow them to learn through interaction. The more significant impact comes after that, which is allowing the children to influence the adults around them. :)

So I guess, something more applicable and appropriate, would be to come up with a design solution, that's interactive and engaging for children to play with. Maybe something they can use in a class setting?

Collaboration with organizations or educational systems may be helpful in getting co-creators.
(elementary school, Science World, SUCCESS, Wild animal related organization campaign activities, etc.)

Collaboration with Lulu

As a result of my brainstorm session, I realized this project will have a large emphasis on visual elements in the design outcome. Since I don't come from a communication design background, I figured it would be appropriate and extremely helpful to collaborate with another design student at Emily Carr.

I am very fortunate, and lucky to have found Lulu Chen as my collaborative design partner for this project. Lulu is a Communication Design Student at Emily Carr. I am still trying to figure out how to put her as a second editor for this blog, so I will leave her bio for her to publish.

This gives me a lot more confidence and support, knowing that I will have the opportunity to collaborate with someone I have always admired. It would be a great learning experience for sure! :)

Really, who am I talking to?

During the 1-min project direction pitch on Thursday, several suggestions and concerns have been brought to my attention.

1. Couple classmates suggest that it would be extremely helpful to get some insight from people who are actively participating in the shark fin trade (eg. fishermen, social activists, campaign organizers, etc.)

2. The relevance and importance of educating the public, how important it is to have sharks in our eco-system. (Why we need to save them?)

3. Targeting the RIGHT group of population to get the most impact using the appropriate form of design language.

4. Interactive element does not only include visual impact, it needs to involve ACTIVE LEARNING, and PARTICIPATION of the audience.

5. How can we compete and alter a cultural tradition that has been around for generations? What concepts and ideas do we need to suggest?

6. Who would benefit from this? How can you convince people that they are the ones who can benefit from our project?

7. It's ambitious, in the way that it challenges a social behaviour. Our responsibility, is to suggest a possible alternative, using the most suitable approach to ensure our message gets acrossed.

Exhibition Design?

Idea: Raising awareness on shark-finning

Concept: To expose concern & solution using design language

Form & Approach: Using interactive design element to allow audience to engage in public setting
(Learn by playing)


I am interested in learning about exhibition design, since I haven't had the experience or the opportunity to do so in the previous semesters. My first concept and design approach is leaning very much so in the direction of exhibition design. It would be fun! and the issue of scale and visuals would be a great challenge!

PLANET IN PERIL Documentary

I strongly recommend everybody to watch the CNN documentary, PLANET IN PERIL. It is a series of research reports done on serious global issues that have been neglected and ignored by the public. Most of the topics discussed are either out of sight, or out of contact. People should definitely know about what's going on around us, on this planet.

Of course, this may sound like a cliche, but we have done way too much damage to our planet. This documentary will definitely make you re-think, re-connect, and re-evaluate our impact, both as individuals, and as a collective.

The segment on Shark-finning put me in deep shock, for a really long time. Being born in Taiwan, I could not believe my home country would participate or even take up such a major role in something this brutal, unethical, and cold. Sure, I understand economic pressure, cultural tradition, consumer demands and political survival, but this still makes me sad. We have no right, absolutely no right to do what we do. Some people argue that this is all part of the global foo chain. I really doubt that mass massacre simply for the benefit of ingestive pleasure can be considered as necessary.

I hope anyone that has come across this blog, can just spend a couple minutes of their time, to understand this cause, and my intent. You can google, use wiki to read about what is shark-finning.

To visit the CNN Planet in Peril segment on Shark Finning, please click HERE.