Re interpretation of idea (so far):
Here's my understanding at the moment. have a read and let me know if you think anything should be added or changed?
Target audience:
college students that are taking Japanese and are wanting to travel overseas to Japan.
are the students wanting to go to japan? or have they already decided?
-It will be in classrooms for those interested in Japanese to play with. It will be more useful to those who have already decided on/are going to Japan already as well a perspective students that will go to Japan in the future.
Location of installation:
A kit that is produced and installed in Japanese classrooms with the okay from the school.
Who provides this?:
Our brand creates the kit to be installed in classrooms. Funded by schools.
Why?
Through learning the dos and don't of dining etiquette students can learn more about Japanese Culture. This is because Dining etiquette is influenced by the old traditions of Japan. The rituals from Buddhism and Shinto continue to be incorporated in the way Japanese people dine. A consequence of this is there are some taboos that have symbolic references that are seen as bad and are never to be used. An example is the passing of food using chopsticks, this has a symbolic reference to the passing of bones of a deceased relative in funerals.
With ethic cuisines being introduced people unknowingly assume that all Asian cuisines are eaten in the same way. However this is not the case because gestures such as passing food in Chinese culture is completely fine but in Japanese culture it isn't. This is because there is a difference in values and beliefs between cultures.
A student that is unaware of these taboos may unintentionally shock their host family. On the other hand it is good to learn through mistakes but it isn't very respectful to make others feel uncomfortable through performing cultural taboos.
What?
There is so much that you can learn about Japan's values through an everyday activity such as Japanese dining. Our kit engages students through a playful installation and helps them discover more about Japanese culture through engaging in dining etiquette. This with help students get a snippet of Japan's values before venturing there themselves.
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Notes from interim:
How do you know this idea will work? Can wish but it is tricky.
-test the idea?
Learning through doing is a good idea.
The Japanese Embassy is not practical. People go there to approve visas and would be unwilling to engage in the installation.
Could be a portable kit that's packaged in a box that's available. -has a formal attitude?
Can be contemporary as well as historical
Could acknowledge the different levels of politeness- in book or installation somehow
Needs a scope?
express the shifts and changes somehow?
How does the display translate to the book?
Display needs prompts for people to interact with it. Maybe on table?
The display could represent a full course meal? (indicate)
Book needs the playful aspect.
-Shape of book (square? etc.)
-Be more engaging (through folds?)
-How do we connect the two?
-The big blocks of text is bad. College students wouldn't read it. Design for a 5 sec attention span.
-bring in illustrations that look like origami
- we might have to be careful with this one. mark was suggesting photography in the first critique.
-illustrations with photos can make the imagery more playful- also have a link to the origami display
-Visually connect things
-Careful about images over spreads
-too much text
-A smaller size (A5)
-Shapes (triangles, squares)
-Book that is origami?
The readability of the taboos is obscured and is too small in the display.
Could have indicators on the table of where to put the tableware back. (place drawings)
Could be a game? with players? Childlike?
The display looks curated to look at. So people assume not to touch it.
We need to commit to a tone of voice (consistent with it)
Rewrite the taboos to be more encouraging and less punishing.
Food could be like fortune cookies that you open?
We need to think more into interactive methods (we need a takeaway component, what form?)
Table is not worth displaying because it can't stand, could wire the edges. At the moment it distacts from the beauty of the display.
The display and book needs to be more surprising?
Could turn the takeaway aspect into an App? Augmented reality? So that the information is already there?
How do we make the book more engaging?
issue of origami breaking? students could be too rough?
why four seasons? why seasonal food?
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What now? (things to try and experiment with over the break)
-Need to try out some techniques to make the takeaway component as engaging and playful as the display table.
-Let me know what you reckon the form of the takeaway component should be? (I'm not sure)
-Experiment with imagery and type. Draw some illustrations (origami) to accompany text.
-Fold, colour and scan in origami to experiment with text placement on origami tableware.
(illustrations showing actions, reduce about of text displayed, increase the size of the typography)
-Reword the text in both the takeaway component and also on the origami. Aim to be encouraging!
-And anything else you think we should do, just add to the list! and do!
