For my experiments about the topic of handmade design I firstly want to divide the topic in to two perspectives:
- The effects of handcrafted design
- The process of handcrafted design
I have concluded that, even though both of these aspects of handmade design are intertwined, this division makes sense. In the end I hope I will get a clearer look on what a designer can get out of this way of designing and what an observer will perceive. Maybe then there could be a way to assess when it makes sense to design in this more time-consuming, less accurate way.
- During my brainstorming I had the following ideas for experiments regarding the effects of handmade design:
- Participants will be asked to evaluate branding for companies or events of different industries. The brandings will all have a similar handmade-look to them, and the key question will be: “When does this style seem authentic and align with the industry in question?” This way I can find out if my theoretic research from last semester can be confirmed in a real scenario. For example, I found out that handmade design has big associations to moral and political causes.
- Participants (preferably non-designers) will be shown different designs that appear to be handmade. It is their job to evaluate which ones are handmade and which ones were designed with a computer program. With this experiment I want to find out if it is necessary to design something analog in order to get the authentic effects of handmade design, or if a fake handmade-effect is enough.
- So far, I came up with one idea for an experiment regarding the process of handcrafted design:
- I will give designers short little tasks that they should execute once in a digital way and a second time in an analog way. Afterwards I will interview them on their experiments. This way I want to find out if there is a clear tendency which workflow is more enjoyable, which takes longer and with which one they felt more creative.
