VW Poster Part 2

Well, I couldn't help it, but at least I can cross something off my to do list. Here's my informational poster (pre-critique) on The Science of Cute:

VW Poster

I've been working on ideas for my final poster for the project, and have come up with the idea of showing one of my case studies. It was important for me to show a product as opposed to a baby or animal, as this is for a design studio. And it was also imperative that I use a popular product, one that people have seen often, in order to be familiar with its cute features.

So, I decided on the VW Bug. I wanted to show it extra large, front and center, but couldn't find an image large enough, so I decided to make one myself, using Illustrator:



And here it is in a few choice colors.

Book Layout

This is an updated book layout. As I continue to complete my literature review, it will become more detailed, but this is the basic format.

• Title Page
  
• Contents
  
• Introduction
  
• PART I: What is Cute? The History of Cute.
  
  • Brief history of how we evolved into cuteness. Survival of the Cutest.
    
  • Konrad Lorenz; Evolution and Biology of Cute
    
  • Stephen Hamann; Psychology of cute
    
  • Stephen Jay Gould; Evolution of Mickey mouse
• (Transition: How Cuteness has evolved from theory into a modern cultural phenomenon.)
  
• PART II: Cuteness Today. Cute Takes on Culture.
  
  • American Culture of Cute
    
  • Japanese Culture of Cute: Kawaii
    
  • Cuteness merges with other characteristics
• (Transition: Taking mass trends and observing individual opinions.)
  
• PART III: Observing Cute. Trends in Cute Design.
  
  • Survey Results
    
  • Reaction Observations
    
  • List of Cute Cues
    
  • Case Studies
• (Transition: Taking these studies and applying them to design.)
  
• PART IV: The Future of Cute
  
  • Marketing and Cuteness (Cuteness and the Economic Crisis)
    
  • Developing a Case for Cuteness (Defending against the anti-cute)
    
  • Using What I’ve Learned (Future Cute Projects)
• Conclusion

Research Methods

Completed and turned in October 16th, 2008.

My research methods rely first and foremost on the process I have laid out for my project, which can be compared, simply, to the scientific method. (While this method seems obvious, it is important to complete each step fully before proceeding in order to achieve a full scope on my topic.)

1. Ask a Question: This was completed early on, during my preliminary proposal. Basically, I am asking “How does cuteness affect people?”
   
2. Do Background Research: This comprises much of my project and involves searching written sources
   
3. Construct a Hypothesis: From my research, I have been developing theories to test.
   
4. Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment: I begin testing my theories using surveys, observations, and case studies.
   
5. Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion: I then pool my data and draw conclusions. This is the final step for me this semester, resulting in a finished book and presentation.
   
6. Communicate Your Results: Loosely interpreted, this would mean creating furniture prototypes based on my conclusions.

By relating my process to the scientific method, I have been able to list five research methods for my project:

• Literature Search:
  
  • As stated above, this step constitutes much of my research. Many studies have been done on how cuteness affects people, and in order to develop my later research methods in a way that will be useful, I have to devote a lot of time not only gathering and reading as much information as I can, but also connecting information across sources and topics.
    
  • My sources range from internet and magazine articles to books and scientific studies. Topics are equally diverse: psychology, sociology, evolution and Darwinism, popular culture, product design, biology, aesthetics, art and graphics, consumerism, and cultural studies.
    
  • As I am not using the interview process for my project, it is absolutely necessary that I fully explore all written sources to gain opinions of experts in each field.
    
  • From my research, I can develop a list of cute cues
  
  
• Survey:
  
  • This is a type of quantitative method. Through interviewing a large number of people, I can extract information about the typical consumer. From my results, I can create graphs, charts, and statistics that will communicate my findings.
    
  • My list of cute cues is refined in this stage, omitting and adding new ones according to mass opinion.
  
  
• Observation:
  
  • This is a type of qualitative method, focusing on cultural studies. Specifically, I will be gathering information on people’s reactions to a staged object. The results of this study will give me an idea of the type of reactions I hope to invoke in the prototyping stage.
  
  
• Case Studies:
  
  • This is where I will utilize all my theories gleaned from my literature search and surveys.
    
  • Essentially, I will study each subject, attaching to it appropriate cute cues. If I am studying a consumer product, statistics in sales and popularity will help to support my findings.
  
  
• Prototyping/Mock-Up
  
  • When all my research has been gathered, I can begin to interpret my findings and translate them into furniture products.

10 Minute Meeting

What methods are you proposing to use to gather research and analyze the data gathered? How are you progressing on the methods you intend to use–this includes status of your contacting people, timing happenings, any results you may have collected to date, and plans for future work needed.

My two methods of research include a written survey, to be administered on campus the week of October 20th through 24th as well as throughout the semester via e-mail, and a reaction observation study, to be completed Saturday, October 18th.

The survey consists of 5 questions. After completing the surveys, I will organize appropriate data into spreadsheets, pie charts, and bar charts. The information provided will help me understand the general public's idea of what "CUTE" is and how these responses match up with demography. I can then begin to connect my results with previous scientific studies, comparing and contrasting findings.

The reaction observation study involves installing over-sized eyeballs in the trees of Kansas State's campus. After installation, I will observe and record reactions from passersby.

Ultimately, results from both studies will help me create a design brief for my furniture project.

Where are you in gathering information and writing your Literature Review/Design Brief? How are you proposing to meet the deadline for the Final Literature Review/Design Brief due on November 4th?

I have been proceeding through my book sources, extracting important facts and quotations, as well as trying to connect information across studies. I am beginning to compile a rough list of "cute cues," specific features of a human, animal, or object considered to be "CUTE."

I have also been compiling a list of case studies and started to list cute cues for each precedent. When I have completed with this, I will start to go more in depth, connecting my own interpretations with scientific studies.

Preliminary Literature Review

Completed and turned in October 9th, 2008. A preview of what the final literature review will look like.

Intention

This paper is written with translation to book and presentation in mind. Intended audience is also an important factor and results in a unique voice for the narrative. As the audience consists of mostly designers with no scientific background, subtopics are brief and interconnected, flowing easily and providing step-by-step comprehension. Each scientific topic is mirrored by a real world example, creating memorable connections. This excerpt comprises two sections of the larger book, one a scientific history on the study of cuteness and the other an opinion piece on the utilization of cute design by student designers.

Overall Organization (* = Discussed in the following paragraphs)

• What is cute? (Cute through history. Cites scientific studies and writings on cute.)
  
  • * Brief history of how we evolved into cuteness
    
  • * Konrad Lorenz; evolution and biology of cute
    
  • Stephen Hamann; psychology of cute
    
  • Stephen Jay Gould; evolution of Mickey mouse
  
  
• Cute takes on culture. (How we have infused cuteness into our lives.)
  
  • Examples of cuteness in modern culture (American and Japanese)
    
  • List of cute characteristics
    
  • In-depth case studies
    
  • Survey results
    
  • Reaction Obbservation results
    
  • Variations on cute; combining cuteness with other features
  
  
• The future of cute. (Utilizing cute design. Timelessness)
  
  • Cute as a marketing strategy.
    
  • What does this mean for designers today?
    
  • * Developing a case for cuteness. The future of cute.
    
  • Cute furniture design. A series of sketches.

What is Cute?

The history of cuteness begins several million years ago. As humans were developing, brain size began to increase dramatically. This, however, created a problem as childbirth became very painful for women, who have narrow birth canals. The solution was to give birth to babies with smaller, highly undeveloped brains (Miles), leaving a child helpless and completely dependant upon adult care during its early months. But what makes parents devote so much time and energy into the care of their children? Cuteness appears to play an important role.

Konrad Lorenz, an Austrian Nobel Prize winner, was the first to publish his theories on the cuteness in the 1940s. In his essay on the components of human society, he observed that infantile features triggered a nurturing response in adults, a process that he called the Innate Releasing Mechanism (IRM). IRM refers to any instinctive behavioral pattern shared amongst a species. In this case, he argued that the ‘cuddly’ and ‘loveable’ features of infants were an evolutionary adaptation ensuring that adults would care for and protect their offspring. He went on to list specific physical traits common to most species that would trigger the nurturing effect in their adult counterparts: “a relatively large head, predominance of the brain capsule, large and low-lying eyes, bulging cheek region, short and thick extremities, a springy elastic consistency, and clumsy movements” (Lorenz, 154).


(pg. 155) Infant head proportions vs. Adult head proportions.

He coined the term kindchenschema for this phenomenon, loosely meaning baby pattern. The German syllable ”chen,” which doesn’t have a literal translation in English, is a diminutive suffix found in the names of many animals popularly considered cute, such as rotkehlchen (robin), Eichhörnchen (squirrel), and Kaninchen (rabbit). “In all of these cases, the final syllable does not express the smallness but definitely the ‘loveable’ nature of the animals concerned” (154).

Lorenz noted that even inanimate objects displaying cute features triggered the innate releasing mechanism in adults. He further attempted to explain why we respond to these cute cues:

“The so-called process of ‘physiognomic experience’, even where inanimate environmental objects are concerned, is… based upon a sharply-defined process of biologically erroneous response[s] to releasing mechanisms, whose actual species-preserving function is the understanding of specific human motor display patterns. …In this way, the most amazing objects can acquire remarkable, highly specific emotional values by ‘experiential attachment’ of human properties” (156).

Basically, our eyes observe the many physical features of a person, animal, or object. Our brain then automatically interprets these visual signals in a way that promotes a response. This process is known as physiognomy, the interpretation of facial features and overall appearance in order to determine one’s character or temper (156). This ability to predict what another is feeling or thinking is an evolutionary trait that was adapted for our survival.

Lorenz suggests that when we see typically cute features in an infant, we subconsciously associate them with ‘helplessness,’ therefore triggering our instinct to nurture and protect. But why, then, do we see baby animals and inanimate objects as cute? After all, wanting to care for an inanimate object does note promote human survival. The reason he gives for this is ”experiential attachment,” the tendency to link current experiences with previous experiences, even in abstract and imaginative ways. The easiest way to look at it is to use an example of the transitive property:

If A=B and B=C, then A=C.

If a bunny has the same features as a baby, and babies are cute, then a bunny is cute.

Lorenz believed that our proclivity towards experiential attachment is incredibly high; so high that we often make mistakes. Stephen Spielberg capitalized on this tendency with his 1984 movie, entitled “Gremlins.” Everything about Gizmo (pictured below) tells us that he is cute: his large, low-sitting eyes, disproportionately large head and ears, round body, and stubby appendages. But what you soon find out is that Gizmo is anything but cute. He and his friends disarm all with an adorable smile, only to unleash terror on a small town.



This is a non-factual but telling example of how our innate biological responses can get the better of us. When an object is cute, we are more likely to overlook its faults. And while this is an extreme and tragic case of misplaced affection, it is important to note that this predisposition helped ensure our survival millions of years ago.

Developing a Case for Cuteness

As much as some of us would like to believe that we are “looks blind,” it appears that there is a mountain of evidence that would prove otherwise. Scientists have thoroughly studied the role of aesthetics in our everyday lives, and beautiful or cute objects have dominated the marketplace. But beauty and cuteness differ in very fundamental ways:

“[Cuteness] emphasizes rounded over sculptured, soft over refined, clumsy over quick. Beauty attracts admiration and demands a pedestal; cuteness attracts affection and demands a lap. Beauty is rare and brutal, despoiled by a single pimple. Cuteness is commonplace and generous, content on occasion to cosegregate with homeliness (Angier).

The design profession has capitalized on each of these essential elements. We are bombarded on several fronts, from magazines to television to film, with beautiful models and cute cartoons, selling everything from clothing to perfume and comic books to toys.

If student designers are to thrive in their profession today, they must appeal to these sensitivities. Beauty in design has received much attention, and the elements of beauty adorn every designer’s rulebook. But cuteness has been overlooked in our schooling. The use of cute cues provides a strong psychological and aesthetic impact, and students utilizing them will quickly realize their power.

Works Cited

Angier, Natalie. “The Cute Factor.” New York Times. 3 January 2006.
Lorenz, Konrad. Studies in Human and Animal Behavior. “Part and Parcel in Animal and Human Societies” Harvard University Press. Cambridge, MA; 1971.
Miles, Naomi. “Science of Cuteness.” First Science. 27 April 2007.

Final Proposal

Completed and turned in: September 30, 2008

My general goal for this project is to gain a new understanding of design aesthetics, their use in the design process, and their effect on consumerism. In particular, I will be investigating the psychology and science behind why humans feel an initial and subconscious attraction to objects defined as “cute.” Intermediate goals include an increased knowledge of the research done on “evolutionary adaptations,” “visual signaling,” and “Darwinian aesthetics.” I wish to perform precedent studies on objects and living beings already defined as cute, as well as perform surveys and field observations. This will aid the final design process for my furniture design studio in the spring.

A previous class undertaken at Kansas State entitled “Theory of Product Design” first provoked my interest in the psychology of design--why consumers buy certain products and the three levels of design: visceral, behavioral and reflective. The College of Interior Architecture and Product Design bases much study on functional design. I wish to delve further into the study of form design. With a stronger knowledge base on this topic, I can design a product that will create an initial attraction (via form) as well as nurture a lasting relationship (via function).

My findings can further the connection between design and psychology. The subject of “beauty” in design has been widely studied. But “beauty” and “cuteness” are two very different topics, involving very different design decisions, approaches, and audiences. Studying the psychology behind “cuteness,” a topic that transcends culture, can also help to connect different cultures in new ways. My findings can be used as a marketing tool for sustainable technologies, a way to persuade consumers who are reluctant to adopt new green methods, consumers who are more likely to stick to tradition and habit.

I would like to take a special look at the Japanese kawaii (meaning “cute”) culture—it’s history, trends, products, and possible reasons behind this cultural movement. I would also like to study what effect that the use of “cute” advertising and marketing has on consumers and the consumer market. While “cuteness” has been shown to increase sales, there is also an alternate side effect: some consumers have expressed the feeling of being “tricked” into purchasing a product when its usefulness has not equaled its visceral appeal.

[Contact and professor information omitted.]

Proposed Case Studies: The Mini Cooper, Volkswagen Beetle, Toyota Prius and Yaris, and smart cars, Apple products, such as the iBook and iPod, Furby and Cabbage Patch Doll toys, Mickey Mouse and Hello Kitty cartoon characters, and manatees, koalas, and panda bears.

Possible Questionnaires: While a survey may not provide me very scientific information, it may give me an idea about what the average person finds to be cute. An example of a survey would include showing random participants pictures of different products and asking a series of questions, such as:

• What is your definition of “cute”?
  
• Do you consider this object to be “cute”? Or ask participants to rate an object’s “cuteness” on a number scale.
  
• What makes this object “cute” or not “cute” to you?

The answers given may give me better insight into which “cute cues” are routinely recognized and which are secondary, meaning which are more obviously cute traits and which are more subtle or subconscious. Gauging and recording participants’ initial responses to pictures (verbal and facial) could also give me a secondary source of information.

Possible Projects: (1) The aging of furniture. What if your furniture aged as you do? If it began as an infant, matured through adolescence, all the way to adulthood? What features would change, getting smaller or larger, altering shape? How would your interaction with each piece differ? Create a series of furniture, 3 to 4 pieces, the first with overly cute features, the last devoid of these features, and the middle piece(s) the process of “growing out” of these cute attributes. (2) An evolution of design. Create a series of furniture that begins with a simple aesthetics that evolve from piece to piece, utilizing more and more “cute” visual cues. (3) A statement on “beauty” and “cuteness.” Create two pieces of furniture, both stylistically similar, but taking my findings and making one more “cute” and one more “beautiful”. Both achieve the same function in the same way, but with different aesthetics. (4) Utilizing the characteristics of cuteness to make a series of sustainable furniture that is more attractive to consumers.

Inquiry Approach: Integration. This project will involve various scientific subjects as mentioned before, all in relation to design. I hope to pool research in all topics into a new understanding of visceral design, to make new connections across these seemingly distinct fields. I would like to deepen other designers’ understanding and increase their knowledge on the topic, to give them better tools and resources for their designs. Eventually, I will apply my findings to my own piece or pieces of furniture.

Books

• The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman; A look into aesthetics in design
  
• Emotional Design by Donald A. Norman; The psychology behind why we love and hate everyday objects
  
• The Aesthetic Object by Michael H Mitias
  
• The Panda’s Thumb by Stephen Jay Gould; An essay about the evolution of Mickey Mouse over his first 50 years
  
• Studies in Animal and Human Behavior by Konrad Lorenz ; The first occurrence in a study of “cuteness” as a biological and evolutionary trait; Speaks of the “Innate Releasing Mechanism,” a natural, nurturing response to infantile features.
  
• Beauty: The Invisible Embrace by John O’Donohue
  
• Beauty and the Brain: Biological Aspects of Aesthetics by Rentschler, Herzberger, & Epstein
  
• Evolutionary Aesthetics by Voland and Grammer; Visual signaling and Darwinian theory
  
• Emerging Visions of the Aesthetic Process by Cupchik and Laszlo
  
• A Transformational Theory of Aesthetics by Michael Stephan
  
• Concept of Creativity in Science and Art by Denis Dutton
  
• Graphic Japan: From Woodblock to Zen and Manga to Kawaii by Natalie Avelia
  
• Cute, Quaint, Hungry & Romantic: The Aesthetics of Consumerism by Daniel Harris
  
• Reading Faces: Window to the Soul? by Leslie Zebrowitz; A study on how looks can elicit specific responses

Articles

• “Hello Kitty: One Nation Under Cute” by Ilya Garger from Psychology Today
  
• “The Science of Cuteness” by Jeanne Moos on CNN
  
• “The Cute Factor” by Natalie Angier from The New York Times
  
• “Hello Kawaii” by Sharon Steel from The Boston Pheonix
  
• “Why are Panda’s so Cute?” by Sam Howe Verhovek from The New York Times
  
• “The First Impression” and “Cute on the Brain” by Carlin Flora from Psychology Today
  
• “The Cute quotient” by Zenaida Serrano
  
• “Too Cute for Words” by Mia Lee from The Stanford Daily
  
• “Pandamania: Hard Wired” by Meaghan Wolff from The Washington Post
  
• All previous articles are an introduction to studies on “cuteness.”

Scientific Studies

• “The Functional Neuroanatomy of Maternal Love: Mother’s Response to Infant’s Attachment Behaviors” by Madoka Noriuchi, Yoshiaki Kikuchi, Atsushi Senoo from Biological Psychiatry; A study done at the University of Oxford involving MRI measurements.
  
• “Natures and Cultures of Cuteness” by Gary Genosko from Invisible Culture; An article on how and why cuteness transcends culture.
  
• “The Biology of Cuteness” by D. Balasubramanian from The Hindu
  
• “Amygdala Activity Related to Enhanced Memory for Pleasant and Aversive Stimuli” by Stephan Hamann from Nature Neuroscience; MRI studies and study on how the brain responds to different stimuli; Useful in my study on the utilization of “cuteness” as a marketing tool.
  
• “Ecstasy and Agony: Activation of the Human Amygdala in Positive and Negative Emotion” by Stephan Hamann from Psychological Science; Connects different stimuli with similar brain patterns; Useful for pairing “cuteness” with other factors in design.

Websites

• Cute Overload (www.cuteoverload.com)
  
• The Cute Project (www.thecuteproject.com)
  
• I Can Has Cheezburger (www.icanhascheezburger.com)
  
• All previous website sources will be used as case studies. Each of the three sites is created simply to house pictures of “cute” objects or animals. The incredible amount of hits that these sites receive proves that “cuteness” has a place in culture and consumerism.

When my research nears completion, I will begin to draw connections between various topics and sciences. I would like to take both my case studies and surveys and break down each product into its “cute cues,” creating a unique icon for each cue. From that, I can chart which products utilized more “cute cues” and designate a points system. This visual chart will be a great way to summarize my survey in an easy-to-understand manner.

When I move into the schematic design and design development stage, my illustrated chart will give me an idea of which “cute cues” I want to utilize in my furniture design. It will also allow me to see which combination of “cute cues” produced a closer connection between consumer and product. I can then begin sketching and producing study models according to my findings. These will be shown to a random assortment of people in order to gauge individual “cuteness” factors. As I continue developing a more detailed design, through prototyping, sketching, computer modeling, I will rely less on my research and more on human response, as my aim is to increase consumer connection to my product.

Work presentation: (1) Begin with a history of the study of cuteness, early findings by Konrad Lorenz, Stephan Hamann, etc. and move towards modern studies in psychology, sociology, evolution, etc. (2) List the “cute cues” that scientists have shown to illicit an initial attraction to infants, animals, and objects. (3) Introduce the visual chart with these “cute cues” and my case studies. (4) Present each case study individually, which “cute cues” they employ, sales stats. (5) Shift into the subject of consumerism and popular culture, how far “cute” reaches, and my survey findings. (6) Move into what my study means for designers and for the future of design.

Timeline: (There are roughly 8 weeks left in the semester.) 1: Final accumulation of resources. Complete research. Begin surveys, if applicable. 2: Turn notes and research into individual index cards. Meet with mentors about future direction. Finish up surveys, if applicable. 3: Reorder index cards. Create an outline for my book and presentation. 4: Start writing book, gather necessary images. 5: Continue writing book. Begin to translate book into presentation. Meet with mentors about current progress. 6: Create “Cute Cue” Chart/Poster. Begin to finalize book. Continue creating presentation. 7: Finalize book, final editing with mentors, make final changes. Finalize presentation. 8: Get book printed and add final touches to presentation. Practice presentation and timing.