Developing Consumerism through Design

Developing Consumerism through Design Consumerism All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume. Consumerism is a way of life and an ideology which is developed further by mass phenomenon. In Singapore, consumerism has become very much a way of life with the popular Great Singapore Sale, major IT Exhibitions, perpetual discounts in most retail outlets nations wide and many delicious restaurants with culture involved. Thus, it is important for us to recognize the value of consumerism that is within and around us. People are consuming in different aspects, and Food Beverage is taking a big part in the society. However, people need to consume, people consume also because of the thousands of designed space which attract them to go and explore more for their life. In another word, consumerism is becoming design driven. According to dictionary, the meaning of consumerism is that the movement seeking to protect and inform consumers by requiring such practices as honest packaging and advertising, product guarantees, and improved safety standards; the theory that a progressively greater consumption of goods is economically beneficial; and attachment to materialistic values or possessions: deplored the rampant consumerism of contemporary society. Consumerism is known as an action where people purchase goods, which are more than necessary for their lives, but it can affect more than buying habits and personal and family life. Sometimes, it may even make people less aware of their own emotional reactions, as they seek to buy yet another item that will distract them. On the other hand, consumerism also keeps people up-to-date and modern as consumerism globalized. In fact, consumerism has been around human civilization at the first place. It had a great turn in consumerism arrived just before the Industrial Revolution. In 21st century, consumerism is one of the arguments of scientists, and researchers, they try to find out how and why do people waste money in such expensive things, such as clothing, electronic items, cars, technological devices etc. One of many reasons that makes consumer spend lots of money for their consumption is advertisement. According to research, Billions of companies throw their commercials into market as many ways as they can. They will show their brand names on TV, magazines, in movie theaters, malls etc. To attract consumer, companies have million ways to entice people by advertising. If a company wants people know about its name or products, they then try to make an attractive poster or a nice page in magazine to advertise their products to the public. Containing a nice explicit picture and attractive colors, the poster is made to send an implicit message -the key- to consumers; this key convinces people to buy products. This has become a trend internationally. Indeed, a company advertised themselves is a way of designing themselves looks better and sounds greater to sell the product. From a design perspective, will a good design bring more consumers to the place? The answer is definitely yes. Designing a place is designing an experience, and how to leave people with a memory. It is the atmosphere that provides for the customers, which has a significant impact on them, and make them want to come back and hang out. Moreover, consumerism is not only happened in the fashion world as motioned before, Consumerism is also applied for other industries as well. For Singapore, tourism and food beverage are the most important industry which makes the income for the whole country. Food beverage industry is the basic needs for people, how good the basic industry is, and it reflects how well the country has developed. In another world, the fundamental shows all. However, food beverage is not lonely the food and drinks, it is a place where provides the feel of gathering; the atmosphere and the environment which design dress them up together. For some of Singaporeans, they consume on food beverage as a lifestyle to eat fine food at well designed restaurants. Based on research from Singapore Tourism Board, the busy life that Singaporeans have, the among of tourists come to Singapore keep growing year by year and the mixed culture background, all of these determine that there is a demand to open more fine dining restaurants. Singapore especially has a strong influence of western culture, the percentage of Singaporeans who drink wine has grown over 214 present during last 10 years, so that it is a potential to open a wine shop here as well. . As a result, the proposal for the Utopia project is to design a wine appreciation club and fine dining restaurant which aims to add on more value to the Singapore society, to adopt a wine culture to Singaporeans. According to the chosen site at South beach building which is located at the CBD area, the target market would be businessmen, tourists and local Singaporeans. The design intention is to create a space which carries the knowledge about the wine culture, the process of making wine and history of wine etc. The design concept is based on the process of making wine, the three key steps are harvest, crushing and ageing. The idea behind these three key words is that: harvest is a place to gather people and collection of grapes, it will become the reception and welcoming place at first when people get into the space; following by the crushing step, it is translated to the whole design language of the entire space, after reaching welcoming space, the crushing step forms a wine process gallery, normally, a gallery should be open and big space, yet in this case, in order to feel more about the crushing step of winemaking process, the space is designed to be narrow and low-volume space; Now ageing, this key word is designed as a journey in the space, why? The reason is ageing is a matter of time, a space that is changing or transforming like the wine making process, from grapes to wine, form sugar to alcohol; As people walking in the space, the space is able to speak and lead people through the designed journey. The space will be changing in term of volume, proportion, scale, lighting and different materials of the space. Through designing the space to bring peoples attention and draw people into the place to purchase and enjoy, it is a way of consumerism. Indeed, consumers come to the place not only to dine, but to also engage with new things, to experience the space, to add on value to them, to spend time with friends in the atmosphere of wine knowledge. Leave a wonderful memory to the consumers.

Management Economics Essay

Introduction. The business cycle or economic cycle refers to the ups and downs seen somewhat simultaneously in most parts of an economy. The cycle involves shifts over time between periods of relatively rapid growth of output (recovery and prosperity), alternating with periods of relative stagnation or decline (contraction or recession). These fluctuations are often measured using the real gross domestic product. To call those alternances â€Å"cycles† is rather misleading, as they don’t tend to repeat at fairly regular time intervals. Most observers find that their lengths (from peak to peak, or from trough to trough) vary, so that cycles are not mechanical in their regularity. Since no two cycles are alike in their details, some economists dispute the existence of cycles and use the word â€Å"fluctuations† instead. Others see enough similarities between cycles that the cycle is a valid basis of studying the state of the economy. A key question is whether or not there are similar mechanisms that generate recessions and/or booms that exist in capitalist economies so that the dynamics that appear as a cycle will be seen again and again. Just as there is no regularity in the timing of business cycles, there is no reason why cycles have to occur at all. The prevailing view among economists is that there is a level of economic activity, often referred to as full employment, at which the economy theoretically could stay forever. Full employment refers to a level of production at which all the inputs to the production process are being used, but not so intensively that they wear out, break down, or insist on higher wages and more vacations. If nothing disturbs the economy, the full-employment level of output, which naturally tends to grow as the population increases and new technologies are discovered, can be maintained forever. There is no reason why a time of full employment has to give way to either a full-fledged boom or a recession. Text. Business Cycle, term used in economics to designate changes in the economy.  Ever since the Industrial Revolution, the level of business activity in industrialized capitalist countries has veered from high to low, taking the economy with it. Characteristics of business cycle are: -A trade cycle is wave like movement. -Cyclical fluctuations are recurrent in nature. -Expansion and contraction in a trade cycle are cumulative in effect. -Trade cycles are all pervading in their impact. -It is characterized by the presence of crisis i.e. downward movement is more sudden and violent than the change from downward to 0upward. -Cycles differ in timing and amplitude they have a common pattern of phases, which are sequential in nature. Phases Of Business Cycles: The ups and downs in the economy are reflected by the fluctuations in aggregate economic activities such as production, investment, employment, prices, wages, bank credits etc. The various phases of the trade cycles are: Prosperity: Expansion And Peak. This phase begins with the rise in the national output, consumer and capital expenditure, level of employment and inventories. Debtors find it more convenient to pay off their debts. Bank rate increases so credit facilities, idle funds for investment in production since stock prices increases due to increase in profitability and dividend. Purchasing power continues to flow in and out of all kinds of economic activities. Expansion continues with the multiplier process. In earlier/ later stages additional workers can be obtained by giving higher wage than prevailing in the market. Input prices increases rapidly which leads to increase in cost of production. As a result price increases and cost of living increases which lower the consumption rate. The demand for new houses, cement, iron, labor tends to halt and same is for furniture, automobiles etc. This makes reaching the peak. To summarize we can say that: -It is a turning point in the business cycle – the end of expansion -Economy at or close to full employment -Capital and Labor Utilization at a high -Prices and cost rise at a moderate rates -Firms profit at high -Interest rates rise -Consumers and firms expectations favorable Turning Point And Recession. After reaching the peak, demand starts declining. Producer unaware of this fact continues to increase production and investment. But after sometime they realize that their inventories are pilling up and they have indulged in over-investment. Consequently further investment plans will be given up-order for new machinery, raw materials. Demand for labor ceases. Temporary and casual workers are removed. Producers of capital goods and raw materials cancel their order. This is the turning point and beginning of recession. Further the income of wage and interest earners also decreases. This causes demand recession. Producer lower down the prices to get rid of inventories  but consumer expects further decreases in price and hence postpones their purchase. Investments starts declining leading to decrease in income and consumption, bank credit shrink and prices decrease. At this stage the process of recession is complete and the economy enters the phase of depression. To summarize this: -Consumer spending falls -Investment spending falls -Inventories accumulate -Firms profit’s decline -Business Failure increase Depression And Trough. This is the phase of relativity low economic activity. It indicates fall in production, increased unemployment and a rapid fall in the general price index. Workers lose their job, debtors find it difficult to pay off their debts, and investment in stock becomes less profitable. At the depth of depression, all economic activities touch the bottom and phase of trough is reached. Weaker firms are eliminated from the industry. At this point, the process of depression is complete. Due to unemployment, labor starts working at lower wages. Consumer expects no further decline in price and start spending. Hence demand picks up. Stock prices fall during recession; the prices of raw material fall faster than the prices of the finished products. Therefore profitability tends to increase after the trough. Producers’ start replacing worth-out capital, investment picks up and employment gradually increases. Following this demand increases, bank credit becomes easily available at a lower rate. Due to increase in income and consumption, the multiplier effect increases the economic activities. The phase of depression comes to an end over time  depending on the speed of recovery. To summarize this: -The turning point in the cycle – the end of contraction -Characterized by high unemployment and low consumer demand relative to industry capacity -Greatest period of excess capacity over the cycle -Business profits are low or negative -Some prices are falling other unchanged -Consumers and firms expectations about future are bleak Recovery. It starts when prices further stop falling. Producers see no risk in undertaking production. Firms use idle capacity to increase production. This generates employment and income, which creates additional demand for consumer goods and services. Businessman when realize increase in profitability. Hence they speed up production machinery. Businessman starts increasing their inventories, consumer start buying more and more of durable goods and variety items. With this process catching up, the economy enters the phase of expansion and prosperity. The cycle is thus complete. To summarize this: -Employment, production, prices and wages begin to rise at roughly the same time -Expectations of consumers and firms optimistic or favorable -Investment spending increases -Consumer demand rises Causes of Cycles. Economists did not try to determine the causes of business cycles until the increasing severity of economic depressions became a major concern in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Two external factors that have been suggested as possible causes are sunspots and psychological trends. The sunspot theory of the British economist William Jevons was once widely accepted. According to Jevons, sunspots affect meteorological conditions. That is, during periods of sunspots, weather conditions are often more severe. Jevons felt that sunspots affected the quantity and quality of harvested crops; thus, they affected the economy. A psychological theory of business cycles, formulated by the British economist Arthur Pigou, states that the optimism or pessimism of business leaders may influence an economic trend. Some politicians have clearly subscribed to this theory. During the early years of the Great Depression, for instance, President Herbert Hoover tried to appear publicly optimistic about the inherent vigor of the American economy, thus hoping to stimulate an upsurge. Several economic theories of the causes of business cycles have been developed. According to the under consumption theory, identified particularly with the British economist John Hobson, inequality of income causes economic declines. The market becomes glutted with goods because the poor cannot afford to buy, and the rich cannot consume all they can afford. Consequently, the rich accumulate savings that are not reinvested in production, because of insufficient demand for goods. This savings accumulation disrupts economic equilibrium and begins a cycle of production cutbacks. The Austrian-American economist Joseph Schumpeter, a proponent of the innovation theory, related upswings of the business cycle to new inventions, which stimulate investment in capital-goods industries. Because new inventions are developed unevenly, business conditions must alternately be  expansive and recessive. The Austrian-born economists Friedrich von Hayek and Ludwig von Mises subscribed to the overinvestment theory. They suggested that instability is the logical consequence of expanding production to the point where less efficient resources are drawn upon. Production costs then rise, and, if these costs cannot be passed on to the consumer, the producer cuts back production and lays off workers. A monetary theory of business cycles stresses the importance of the money supply in the economic system. Since many businesses must borrow money to operate or expand production, the availability and cost of money influence their decisions. Sir Ralph George Hawtrey suggested that changes in interest rates determine whether executives decrease or increase their capital investments, thus affecting the cycle. Regulating the Cycle Since the Great Depression, devices have been built into most economies to help prevent severe business declines. For instance, unemployment insurance provides most workers with some income when they are laid off. Social security and pensions paid by many organizations furnish some income to the increasing number of retired people. Although not as powerful as they once were, trade unions remain an obstacle against the cumulative wage drop that aggravated previous depressions. Schemes to support crop prices (such as the European Common Agricultural Policy) shield farmers from disastrous loss of income. The government can also attempt direct intervention to counter a recession. There are three major techniques available: monetary policy, fiscal policy, and incomes policy. Economists differ sharply in their choice of technique Some economists prefer monetary policy, including the American Milton Friedman and other advocates of monetarism, and is followed by most conservative governments. Monetary policy involves controlling, via the  central bank, the money supply and interest rates. These determine the availability and costs of loans to businesses. Tightening the money supply theoretically helps to counteract inflation; loosening the supply helps recovery from a recession. When inflation and recession occur simultaneously–a phenomenon often called stagflation–it is difficult to know which monetary policy to apply. Considered more effective by American economist John Kenneth Galbraith are fiscal measures, such as increased taxation of the wealthy, and an incomes policy, which seeks to hold wages and prices down to a level that reflects productivity growth. This latter policy has not had much success in the post-World War II period. Conclusion. Thus we can say that the central idea of business-cycle literature, that the economy has regular and periodic waves–a cycle–lasting for several years, has few adherents today. Perhaps such cycles never existed, or perhaps they once did but no longer do because the government now plays an active role in the economy. However, the business-cycle approach remains useful because it is an easy way to introduce a number of macroeconomic topics, including the adjustment process that remains central in macroeconomics.

“Nobody Knows” and “Maboroshi”: Films about Pain and Struggle

These two Japanese films were directed by the critically acclaimed director Hirokazu Koreida. Both films were well accepted by the general public. These two films also garnered numerous awards and are known for their compelling storylines. Film critics around the world praised these two films on almost every department. â€Å"Maboroshi† was released in 1995, while â€Å"Nobody Knows† was released in 2004. There is a noticeable gap between the times these two movies were released, but director Hirokazu Koreida never lost his style and vision in film making. â€Å"Maboroshi† is Koreida’s first film. It revolves around the life of a woman named Yomiko. After her husband committed suicide, she was left miserable and alone. She struggled to put the past behind as she was consumed by pain and depression. As she struggles to battle her own insecurities, regrets and doubts, she is forced to resolve the inexplicable cause for her grief through an eventual renewal of love and companionship. It seems that Yumiko cannot escape the ghost of the past. Yet, she has renewed hope and comfort in the arms of another man. She decided to marry this man who is a fisherman. This man was lost after a storm came while he was fishing at the sea. After his return, Yomiko was never the same. Her doubts and fears have consumed her. She was also troubled with anxiety. She was stuck in the past, lost in thoughts that could bring pain and depression. These are the reasons why she could not fully commit herself to her second husband. The film â€Å"Nobody knows† is a story about four children who were abandoned by their parents. The film was based on actual events which took place in 1988. It was said that the actual even was more depressing than the movie adaptation. The story begins when a woman named Keiko abandons her young children in a shabby apartment in an unknown Japanese city. She left her children with almost no money for survival. Her character shows us how irresponsible parents could be. Akira, her eldest son, took the role of their parents. He had to take care of his three siblings. He tried his best to be a good parent by borrowing money from people he knew and even gave gifts for his siblings during Christmas. The film gives a picture of how hard life can be in an urban setting, where life is fast and only the fittest would survive. The film is about the struggle of these four children in finding comfort, security, happiness and salvation. Film Analysis and Comparison The analysis and comparison will be divided into three parts. The first part will tackle the technical aspects of both films. Then the second part will tackle the theme and the story of both films. We will try to see if the two films are somewhat parallel. The last part of the analysis and comparison is about the message of the two films. Technical Aspects Since both films were directed by the same person, they do not differ that much in terms of the technical stuff. These two films boast greatness in cinematography. The shots were meticulously framed and scenes were carefully orchestrated. The lighting in both films helped a lot in accentuating the mood and emotion that a certain scene elicits. This was more evident in â€Å"Maboroshi†. The film has a distinct imagery which was achieved by the contrast of colors and proper lighting effects. There are scenes from the film that actually looks like a canvass. The primary colors came in very effectively to highlight certain objects. An example would be the moving vehicles which brings luminous contrast. Even just the small details like the pink ball thrown by a child, the illuminated rooms bathed in light, and the blue paint in fishing boats were are all captivating. The film is pleasing to the eye. The scenes from this film were shot from a distance, making it more like a piece of artwork. This actually makes the audience feel distant from the characters and the story. â€Å"Maboroshi† could be described as an art film that is crafted by a master artist. Just like â€Å"Maboroshi†, â€Å"Nobody Knows† can also be called an art film. It is quite different because it is like a documentary. The film feels more like a documentary on the story of the four abandoned children rather than a regular film. It is quite noticeable that there are only few dialogues in both films. Certain scenes are actually shot pretty long and camera movement was seldom. The sparse dialogue and minimalist production actually worked well with â€Å"Nobody Knows† because it made the film more authentic. The movie’s slow pace and quietness made the plot build up more emotional. The set's close quarters and bright lighting puts emphasis on the isolation and loneliness of the children's apartment. The documentary style of filming that was employed in this film allowed the audience to see things from the children’s point of view. Both films were well directed and the actors gave a wonderful performance. Since dialogue was sparse in both films, the body movement and facial expression of the actors had to play a big part in the story telling. We should applaud the actors in both films because they delivered well in this department. A number of them actually garnered acting awards. Yuya Yugira (Akira) from â€Å"Nobody Knows† won best actor at the Cannes Film Festival. He was only a novice at that time. Koreida revealed the emotions and thoughts of his characters through the use of body movement and facial expressions. Emotions could be felt even by just looking at the eyes of the children. The best directors simply know how to use this style. The connection between the characters and the audience is the grand result of these stylistic choices. The Story and Theme If we look deeper into these two films, we will notice that their respective themes are quite parallel. â€Å"Maboroshi† and â€Å"Nobody Knows† both talk about pain and struggle. These two themes are the driving forces of the two films. If we look back and recall the plot of â€Å"Maboroshi†, we would notice that the story is about the pain and struggles that the main character (Yomiko) was going through. She was always in a situation wherein she has to confront her pain and struggles. This is the same for the movie â€Å"Nobody Knows†. The story was also about pain and struggle. The four abandoned kids had to go through a lot because they had irresponsible parents. The whole story was about their struggle for survival and their continuous search for salvation. The director employed the proper style and method to illustrate these two themes. The quietness and sparse dialogues helped a lot in relating these two themes to the audience. This is also the same reason why the two films are somewhat depressing. Although it’s necessary that films about these themes should be dark and gloomy, the use of contrast and a little bit of humor could still be effective. Director Hirokazu Koreida was successful in utilizing this style. In â€Å"Maboroshi†, he used contrast of colors to bring light into the overall mood of the story. He made the audience see beauty amidst the gloom that surrounds the film. In â€Å"Nobody Knows†, he used a bit of humor and optimism that is quite unexpected in the worst of situations. There was a part when one of the kids had these funny squeaking shoes which could represent the privilege of finding hope as they leave their shelter for the first time. The two films are about the universal concept of pain. They explore the emotion that makes us human. The question on how to deal with it is actually answered in the two films. Message Maboroshi is a Japanese word that loosely translates to â€Å"illusory light.† It is an incomprehensible mirage that occasionally unveils itself along the waves of the sea, leading many curious sailors to their impending doom. Its origin is still a mystery. Nobody knows why men are lured by its worldly promises. There are things in this world that cannot be explained. There are events that are incomprehensible. It only reminds us of our limitations and our humanity. The lesson that we can draw from the film is that there tragedies and misfortunes in life that we cannot immediately understand, but this does not mean that we should give up on our search for redemption and recovery. One must learn to accept these tragedies to be able to move on with life. The message that we can draw from â€Å"Nobody Knows† is similar to â€Å"Maboroshi†. The film shows us that there is hope amidst the worst of situations. Akira showed courage and devotion, even though it seemed that the weight of the world is upon him. The four siblings showed determination to survive, hoping that someday they will find a place in the harsh world they live in. â€Å"Maboroshi† and â€Å"Nobody Knows† were crafted artistically. They are unique, full of emotion, and captivating. They reach through the hearts of the audience, pleading for sympathy and compassion. These two films are undeniably deserving of the praise and recognition they have received.      

Essay on Cosplay - 1091 Words

Cosplay Subculture Rachael Driver Bowling Green Technical College Abstract This paper will be discussing the cosplay, or costume play, subculture. In this paper, it will also go over who makes up this particular subculture, what it takes to be a cosplayer, what this subculture does for society, how society sees those who participate in it, how and when it came to be, most famous cosplay costumes, and what this subculture provides for those who take part in it. Keywords: Cosplay, Costume Play, Sociology, Subculture, Japanese cosplay, costumes, cosplay conventions Cosplay, short for costume play, is a type of performance art in which the†¦show more content†¦The first is to show adoration for a character, or they pick one that they have matching personalities with, hoping to become that character or at least close to it. A few major characteristics of this type of cosplayer may be an enthusiastic attitude and the tendency to pay less attention to detail and quality. Such cosplayers are also known to criticize other cosplayers for not having a full knowledge of their character, or not also adopting character personality. This can cause a lot of conflict between cosplayers. (Cosplay, 2012) The second is those people who enjoy the attention that cosplaying a certain character brings. They have to dress as the most popular character so they can have the most attention. Within the cultures of anime and manga specifically, there is a certain level of dishonor that is attached to cosplayers with this type of attitude. Such cosplayers are usu ally characterized by paying close attention to detail in their garments and their choice of popular characters. They are also noted by participation in cosplay competitions. (Cosplay, 2012) The third category is those who enjoy the creative process, and the sense of personal achievement upon completion of the costume and character details. 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Bright colors, eccentric patterns, hand-made garments, heavy jewelry, mixing and matching jeans and tank tops with traditional wear like kimonos, is th eir way of making statements about their cultural influences and way of life. Lolita, Kogal, Cosplay, Ganguro are some of the most sought after styles that Japanese youth display on the streets. Lolita is a style with many subcultures, such as Punk Lolita, where chains, beads, lace and wristbands are popular accessories along with pink and peachRead MoreHalloween Informative Speech1247 Words   |  5 PagesHalloween. A holiday of spooky, scary, skeletons and a bunch of memes. It’s basically a holiday where you can go outside in cosplay and get free candy for it, provided that you aren’t busy to the point where you go home at about 6:00 PM and have to last-minute cancel your plans because of homework. (I’m still salty about that.) Regardless, Halloween has made its way to be one of my most favourite holidays. Now, I know what you may be thinking. â€Å"But Joyce! What about Christmas? It was literally aboutRead MoreContent Marketing Guide For Crafters : 6 Steps To Increase Website Traffic Using Content708 Words   |  3 Pagesyoure showing audiences youre up to date. Try writing posts that will be relevant to your audience whenever they read it. For example, if you create costume pieces, you can write a piece called The beginners guide to creating a cosplay costume, as people want cosplay information all year round. Try using writing guides like State of Writing or AcademAdvisor to get you started. 2. Look at What Your Audience Wants First of all, youre going to have to think about what your audience wants. When theyRead MoreBackground and Global Influence of Japanese animation1540 Words   |  7 Pagesdaily life. Those glossaries help us to learn Japanese animation culture. For example, Cosplay (ã‚ ³Ã£â€š ¹Ã£Æ'â€"ãÆ' ¬) is a short phrase for custom play. 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