Date of Award
Spring 5-30-2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Industrial Design
Department
Industrial Design
First Advisor
Daniel Cavicchi
Second Advisor
Scott Geiger
Third Advisor
Natasha Jen
Abstract
In this body of work, I set out to show an exaggerated display of the manipulation consumers face everyday Attaching stories to objects drastically increases their value. In benign settings, this might elevate a simple trinket into a family heirloom or drive a bidding war for a piece of gum chewed by a celebrity. On the adverse side, a story can play with our emotions to turn a desire into a need.
In this way, fear-based stories are a particularly powerful motivator; they can drive people to the most extreme actions. When used as a tool, fear can persuade even without being noticed.
This book explores how visual language, and especially the manipulation of text and image, preys on emotions and our drive to protect ourselves. These case studies and bodies of work break down the curation of text and image and critique it using contextual awareness of global issues.
The critique seeks to bring a better awareness and understanding to consumers about how these manipulations work so they can make informed and rational decisions.
Recommended Citation
Stoelting, Tim, "Good times" (2017). Masters Theses. 128.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/128
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.