OUGD601 / Practical 6

About a third left to go... it is very tedious at times but rewarding as every bit of work put in shows in front of you, creating something like this by hand definitely gives great satisfaction. There has been many learning curves also within the technique of weaving throughout this project.

OUGD601 / Primary Research / Interview with Knotsproject

Q: Do you think some people think that hand-made design (like Knotsproject) is elitist?

A: I don’t think elitist is the right word, I think people are unaware of the process a product or design has gone through and buy into the look or feel of something, or whether it fits in to their home. I think handmade processes are becoming more popular again, maybe a resistance from technology advances. People are possibly wanting a balance, or for handmade and technology to sit together in harmony. I think people still question the prices of handmade products as there is a lot of accessible, cheaper alternatives. I think it is easy to get caught up in a creative bubble where you think everyone thinks the same, or knows the same or likes the same things as you!

Q: Do you find this slower process of printing / using your hands rewarding?

A: I think being caught up in technology and the chaos of everyday life it is nice to sit down and work through a hand made process. I personally think your brain works completely differently and you start to see and develop various outcomes. I think it is a continuous process, something that is never finished. Setting your own deadlines, or intentions for an outcome are important or it can get so frustrating you never want to make work again. But I think it is rewarding on a personal level.

Q: Do you think the value of hand-made design is rising or decreasing in the digital age?

A: I think it will always be up and down, reacting to the world around. I think people are seeking a balance. The value is looked at in different ways. A digital, mass produced object doesn’t represent the same value as a handmade object. You also have sentimental value and I believe this will come above any of the others whether it is handmade or digital. You can’t judge whether the ‘value’ of handmade design is rising or decreasing without doing a huge research project…

Q: Some would argue these what you make could be reproduced on a mass scale for cheaper and faster, what do you think to this?

A: A lot of products can be reproduced on a cheaper, larger scale, if you think too much about this I guess you start to question what’s the point and it can turn into a negative barrier between you and your ideas and outcomes. I think some people will buy into a narrative of the brand or the quality of a brand and this is a selling point over the larger companies. You can lose quality when you scale something up.

OUGD601 / Practical 5

The letter has been completed and now the background has to be done. This will take a lot longer as there is a lot more background than letter. I have been enjoying the project so far though - it has been rewarding creating something physical in front of me, even when it goes wrong it's satisfying being able to fix it unlike when something goes wrong on the computer, (crashing) or something I can't figure out on Illustrator / InDesign / Photoshop.