In order to engage more people in the project and to get a wider audience I created an instagram page. The importance of social media is vital for a project to be successful. Without social media, people would not know about the project. It is also important to keep the project up to date, adding content to keep the audience interested. I have learnt that it is easy to lose the interest of people quite early on, and if you haven't engaged the audience than they won't care for what you are doing. I also found that in order to engage, you first have to attract your target market and then work from there. I did this by using the relevant hash tags and following the main organic beauty companies.
Showing posts with label #understanding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #understanding. Show all posts
Friday, 6 May 2016
Harmful Chemicals
Have you ever wondered what some of the chemicals in your everyday products do to your skin? Below is a list of the chemicals that are found in beauty products on the market, with surprising results.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate - The two sodium's are found in products that lather up like shower gels, toothpaste and shampoo. The chemical is a skin irritant, yet when looking through the products in my own shower most of them had one or both of the sodium's in them. Even the products that are regarded as products to help with conditions such as eczema.
Triclosan - Found in hand sanitisers and deodorants, Triclosan is an environmental toxicant. Therefore the chemicals found in everyday products not only effect our skin, but they also effect the environment. I never gave any thought that my deodorant, or anti-bacterial products could be effecting the environment.
Silicone Chemicals - Silicone chemicals found in moisturisers and other cosmetics is a skin irritant and also harmful to the environment. Once again, I did not realise that my moisturiser could be effecting the environment or my skin. Moisturisers are there to look after the skin and maintain the moisture level, so it is surprising to see that most have silicone chemicals in them that irritate the skin. Once again leading brands that focus on helping people with problem skin have put these harmful chemicals into their products.
Parabens - Found in moisturisers and cosmetics, the parabens are an allergen, a male reproductive toxicant and also a immune toxicant!
Petrolatum - Found in lip products and moisturisers, the petrolatum is an allergen and skin irritant. This explains why lip products are used so much because they make dry lips better for a little bit until the product wears off meaning consumers become reliant on the product, which is actually harmful. Green people UK do a really good alternative to lip products like Vaseline. Although it doesn't taste that great, it works, and isn't harmful to your skin or the environment.
Overall, it is shocking to see that these products are allowed into products that come into contact with our skin everyday. Albeit they are in small quantity's, but the harmful chemicals are still there. Not only do they go on our skin and get absorbed, but they also go down the drain into our water systems which was an aspect I never really thought about. If everyone is using these products that have harmful chemicals in them than that is a large quantity going into the environment. Learning the difference between chemicals has made me aware of what I use on my skin and I now currently actively seek out products that are organically made. The aim of my final major project is to inform other people of the chemicals that are in their products and make them aware that there are alternatives out there, especially with makeup.
Although this is a short list of the chemicals found in products, there are many more that are harmful to the skin and the environment. To avoid harm to the skin it is so much better to use organic products that are better for your skin and the environment.
Inspiration
The inspiration to focus my final major project on Organic Beauty came from a talk with Nat Van Zee. During the lecture she explained all of the toxic chemicals that are found in everyday products which was a real eye opener. Since the lecture I found myself checking the bottles of products that I used to see if the toxic chemicals are in there, to my surprise they were. The talk made me change the products that I use in order to keep my skin healthy. I got to thinking if these chemicals are in things like shampoo, then there are bound to be harmful chemicals in makeup too. I decided that I wanted to open peoples eyes like mine were and educate them about the chemicals that are in products that affect our skin.
The inspiration for my proposed photoshoots came from researching into the meaning of the word 'Organic' through online platforms like Pinterest and Instagram.
The images on the Pinterest board all have a pure aura to them. I was particularly inspired by the images of the body and ones with material with sunlight coming through behind. It was here that I came up with the idea to show a story, leading the audience through the realistation of the chemicals and then freeing the skin.
The image above in particular really inspired me. The detail of the highlight on the skin inspired me to create this but with a darker light to accentuate the highlight over the skin. I think images like this one would show people how delicate their skin is and make them realise about the chemicals that we put on them daily.
I was also inspired by the image above. I thought that this image represented the 'Pure' content of my website. The image has a connotation of freedom about it, with the sunlight and multiple exposures creating a depth.
Name of project
The name of the project was quite easy to come up with. I brainstormed a few ideas, but eventually settled on ALT-GAN. ALT-GAN is the combination of 'Alternative Organic' which is the main focus of the project. I am looking at alternative products to the market that are chemical free and organic.
Reflecting Feedback
To reflect upon my project proposal, I would say that I was very confused about what I was trying to create. I knew that I wanted to make a project about Organic Beauty and the alternatives that were available on the market. This was to broaden my own mind and interest about the quality of organic products. I recognised the current trend of being healthy in all aspects of life, but found there was less of an interest in the beauty sector. There is always talk about what products are animal friendly, but people don't usually take into consideration the chemicals that are also placed into our much loved products. I wanted to create a project that would educate people into realising what companies actually put into our products and how harmful they are to not only us but to animals and the environment. I think that I struggled with what kind of online platform I would use to present this idea across. I knew I wanted to make a website but I didn't know what kind of website to make. In the end after receiving the feedback for my proposal I decided to make a photographic series that would help to engage my target market more.
In order for this project to be successful I need to carry out more research, both online and looking at the products currently available in store. I need to look more in depth at my competitors as I have realised that Nick Knight and Nowness aren't really relevant to what I am trying to create. As I am looking more at a trend, I should have looked at websites like WGSN and figured out who my competitors were from there. I also need to look at other websites and decide what aspects work well and what doesn't. Therefore I can decide how to design my website in a way that will lead the audience through effectively.
Feedback and Comments
Feedback and comments
Below is the feedback I received following the hand in of my project proposal. I have also added my own comments at the bottom in reply to the feedback.
TUTOR COMMENTS:
'An interesting premise for a project, although some of the statements made are generalised and would have benefitted from critical evaluation of the secondary and primary information sourced throughout and a more informed perspective that goes beyond highlighting the most obvious links to the organic beauty industry. What has become clear is that this is aimed at a growing specialist market, and it would have been more useful if the proposal had made this clearer by citing further relevant facts and figures, plus wider range of organic brands and social media links that this project proposal has based its outcome on. What is also not clear is why the platform you have chosen is an exhibition, specifically why an online exhibition would be desirable to your target market. I partly agree that the target market you have cited is appropriate, but I would have liked to have seen more in depth research and questioning to evidence that you have truly understood who this will appeal to. I am surprised that the you have not suggested that the marketing arm of the organic beauty industry itself would not be interested in a vehicle to showcase its products. You cite Showstudio and Nowness as sources of inspiration - however both sites are viewing platforms for fashion innovation, not exhibition spaces - which is a very different proposition. You must make it clear which it is you wish to develop. However as a platform for displaying the potential for organic beauty now and in the future, this idea taken further could be rather successful. Unfortunately while you have considered initial themes to base you visual outcomes on, you have not fully considered how they will be delivered - which is where the innovation and critical presentation should derive from. This multimedia format could be presented in the form of not just video and photography, but also cinemagraphs, gifs, illustrations, animations, audio files, podcasts etc to take advantage of the fact that this is a virtual space. The point is to involve the viewer in a more immersive experience that convinces them that organic is a more engaging solution to base their lifestyle choices and cosmetic beauty selections on - and this means that you have to acquire a more sophisticated method of translating your ideas beyond the 'model holding dead flowers'. This also appears to be trend led, without any reference to specific products/organic materials for the reader to aspire to attain, which is partly the point of this area of the cosmetic industry and the direction of the project as outlined on page 4 of your proposal "there is still more to be done to educate".
Your production schedule does not fully take into account the time it will take to develop a site that appeals to your target market - and a lot of the schedule you have outlined appears to be spent shooting images, with little consideration of the time required for post-production/editing, particularly as it appears that you will be attempting to do all of this on your own (I would have liked some indication of the team you intend to work with here). There is also little consideration of how the website/exhibition will be promoted to potential viewers to support your launch in April.
The premise of this project proposal is a good one, but more exploration of its possibilities, how it fits in to advances in this field and how it could apply to its target market would have provided a more considered presentation. What is admirable is your attempt to conceive a project that contributes to the area of trend forecasting by developing this niche concept. Please take note of the comments provided, they are there to help you move on with the project so that it can develop to its fullest potential.
Agreed second marker Jane de Teliga'
The feedback given from the proposal I put forward to look into Organic Beauty has helped me to understand and further my research into my chosen project. I have realised from the feedback received that I need to look further into who my target market is and why I have chosen to aim the website at them. In order to do this I think I would need to do some more market research, such as surveys to find out what people really know about organic beauty and what they use already. This research will then help me create a visual platform that will really engage the consumer. I agree that I need to adopt a more sophisticated method of translating my ideas, which is something that I have always struggled with. This project will hopefully teach me how to convey my ideas in a better fashion. I think that I struggled to decide on what I wanted to make this project on, which is apparent from the feedback I have received. I wanted to touch on the current trend of Organic Beauty but did not want to base a whole project around this as I didn't want to make a trend forecast. Following the feedback I have decided not to make an online exhibition because I didn't want the project to be so formal, I wanted it to be perceived as more of a experimental photographic series. The exhibition would have had to have been formal and clean, I think that creating a photo series gives me more free reign to create different content, whereas I think with an exhibition I would have been restricted to what I originally stated that I would be doing. The photographic series would allow me to change my ideas as I went along.
The feedback about the production schedule is accurate. I didn't take into consideration the amount of time that it would take to create a successful website.I also didn't leave much time to edit the images and I didn't state who I intended to work with because at that time, I did not know myself.
I agree that it is a niche concept which requires a lot of work in order for it to be achieved. I hope that I achieve what I intend to set out to do. The feedback I received has helped me to realise how much I need to do in order to make this project work.
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