Questionnaire Feedback + Analysis

COP Briefing 

PART 1 5,000 word Essay with primary research and literature 

Research should come from a range of places: wider academic contexts including media, cultural studies, politics, economics, sociology, etc

PART 2 Practical Outcome that responds to the research in the essay 

PART 3 Project Statement 

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS NEED TO BE MADE!

1. You should seek tutor advice and approval before doing any work with human participants. 2. You must obtain informed consent (using an information sheet and obtaining their signed consent) from your participants before involving them in any way. 3. Their participation must be voluntary and not coerced in any way. 4. You should consult a tutor in advance to discuss the nature of your questioning. 5. Any data that you collect must be stored securely and you must maintain your participants' anonymity using appropriate pseudonyms.

1. Any design work presented publicly must not impose any harm on members of the public. 2. Design work must not coerce, manipulate or mislead members of the public. 3. Design work presented publicly must not intentionally cause offence. 4. Steps should be taken to prevent children or vulnerable audiences coming into contact with sensitive or potentially offensive/harmful imagery. 5. Design work presented publicly must not bring the University or any of its staff under disrepute

i) You should try to identify problems with existing work and approaches to your subject. These will form the basis for your practical experimentation. 

ii) You should also try to establish useful or effective communications strategies and approaches by examining good examples.

CoP3 Presentations 

1. RESEARCH QUESTION 

2. RATIONALE (Why do you want to research this topic? What impact will this have on your practice?)

3. CONTEXTS (What are the immediate contexts in which your theoretical and practical research will be situated? Political? Social? Technological? Aesthetic? Cultural?) 

4. THEORETICAL APPROACH (What theoretical approach have you established since the summer) 

5. METHODS (Secondary: theorisation, semiotic analysis, textual analysis, content analysis, discourse analysis / Primary: surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations) 

6. PRACTICAL OUTCOME (what do you plan to produce/develop?)

7. RESOURCES (what resources will you need to access?) 

8. SUMMER READING LIST (What have you read and what have you learned from this?) 

9. TIME MANAGEMENT

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Cis-Male, Straight, White 

Questionnaire  

PERSONAL

How would you describe your gender identity? 

Male

How do you feel about the attitudes towards gender today?

I feel people should be allowed to express themselves freely when it comes to gender

What steps do you think are important for society to take to become more gender inclusive?

Start educating people on gender from a young age, similar to in Scandinavian countries where enforcing gender stereotypes is not allowed in schools

 

BRANDING

On scale of 1 to 10, how inclusive do you feel branding (packaging design, logos etc.) is in today's western world? 

  /10

6

Why have you chosen this score?

Beauty brands have started to become more inclusive and generally brands are more careful about marketing to genders nowadays too but the fashion world still has a long way to go.

What form of branding would you like to see more of?

Gender neutral clothing from high street brands to make it more accessible to those who want it

Do you feel there has been progress towards branding with a more gender inclusive direction? How?

Yes in the beauty industry they have started marketing products less towards women and to a more open demographic

 

Below are images of different types of branding for skincare products.

(image of products) 

 Which appeal to you and why?

Left two as they don't seem to girly and feel more preimuim

Are there any brands you have strong loyalty with and like to buy from that consciously follow a more gender inclusive direction?

Not beauty brands but clothing brands I do wish they did more female inclusive items

 

FASHION

How would you describe your style?

Streetwear

When you dress, what are the main factors that direct your choices of outfit (eg. comfort)?

How sexy I look in my fit

What clothing makes you feel confident?

Black baggy clothing

On scale of 1 to 10, how inclusive do you feel fashion (clothing, accessories etc.) is in today's western world? 

4  /10

 Why have you chosen this score?

Because especially in high fashion there is a certain build that looks good with the clothes and if your not that build you can't wear it

What form of fashion would you like to see more of (such as gender neutral, more bold colours, more skirts for men and so on)?

More effort into aven Garde accessible men's clothing as jeans and shirts are boring even if you stick a funky pattern on them

Do you feel there has been progress towards fashion with a more gender inclusive direction? How?

Yes and no, I feel like male fashion is more inclusive of women than female fashion is inclusive of males

USER EXPERIENCE

[ Definition the overall experience of a person using a product such as a website or computer application, especially in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use ]

What has your experience been with websites and social media platforms when choosing your gender?

Male or female or other

Do you feel like social media is gender inclusive?

 No

Do you feel there has been progress towards user experience with a more gender inclusive direction? How?

 No not really

From best to worse, how would you compare gender inclusivity in branding, fashion and user experience?

Branding best, fashion then user experience

Which has progressed the most?

Branding

Which has the most potential to progress?

User experience

ANALYSIS 

= Less girly is more premium

= The range of builds clothes are made for need to be more diverse

= male fashion is more inclusive of women than female fashion is inclusive of males

= More effort into aven Garde accessible men's clothing

= Baggy clothes most comfortable 

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CIS-FEMALE, BI-SEXUAL, WHITE 

Questionnaire  

PERSONAL 

How would you describe your gender identity?  

I identify as a woman

How do you feel about the attitudes towards gender today?

I feel very open minded and happy for people to identify with whatever they like and whatever makes them feel confident and the most authentic version of themselves! I feel sad that a lot of people have a very closed mind and attack the gender spectrum or feel very confined to gender roles etc.

What steps do you think are important for society to take to become more gender inclusive? 

Probably a more wider representation of the trans community within media; educating younger people on gender rights and politics around this; the media being honest about trans murders and hate motivated attacks on LBGT community - and condemning this!! I think just lots more conversation and platform for the community to speak on their thoughts and help us become more aware… this sort of open attitude from young may encourage less hate

BRANDING

On scale of 1 to 10, how inclusive do you feel branding (packaging design, logos etc.) is in today's western world? 

5/10

Why have you chosen this score?

I think due to the brands that I personally buy into do make a conscious effort to be forward thinking within their branding. I like to indulge in ethical brands and boycott those who are problematic within this area (victorias secret as an example) However, I must recognise my privilege and recognise my judgement is very blurred as I am a white woman and so I feel very represented and subconsciously not pick up on a lot of misrepresentation - I am also aware that big corporations are not yet on the vibe of wider representation because maybe they dont like it and theyre just catering to the masses! however - I am hopeful that young forward thinking brands as mentioned are very much on the up and this will the new norm.

What form of branding would you like to see more of? 

a lot more campaigns and products for different gender communities that represents these people accurately and not as part of a ‘woke box ticking’ thing. Also branding that makes the communities feel included and not isolated as a different breed of people! just a lot more gender neutral products, images, things like this. An integration of all sorts of people as opposed to everyone being in their little boxes. 

Do you feel there has been progress towards branding with a more gender inclusive direction? How?

I think in this world we see a lot of brands taking two steps forward and three steps back… theres also a lot of grey areas. for example; chanel brought out a makeup line for men called ‘chanel boy’ and at first glance you think thats v cool, but then you think why can’t they just buy the regular makeup that they produce… (predominantly for women). Then you have Victorias secret CEO making transphobic comments about including transwomen within their fashion show, they took a big hit and now they represented a transwoman.. so it very much swings back and forth with these massive brands who are unethical in my opinion. But as I keep on mentioning, I see a lot of new, smaller millennial brands who authentically represent everybody in their branding and campaigns! all is v neutral and vegan lol

Below are images of different types of branding for skincare products. 

Which appeal to you and why?

Asop, glossier and kheils are top tier brands for me. I know its about the quality of the products that i’m interested in not the packaging (it is v pretty but v simple which is great)

Are there any brands you have strong loyalty with and like to buy from that consciously follow a more gender inclusive direction? 

Theres a really cool brand called ‘organic basics’ who’s branding is very very neural and features a variety of people. Along with the aforementioned aesop - I love their stuff. I’m really not into sparkly pink lingerie and unicorn flavoured face cream. I just really appreciate simplicity and earthy products and versatile clothing.

FASHION 

How would you describe your style? 

For me - comfort is number one. I need to have peak comfort items such as tracksuit joggers, cargo pants and vintage jeans. I like wearing very simple clothes which make me feel cosy but also sexy! I like to do my makeup and hair but I don't want to appear dolled up! effortless vibes are the one...

When you dress, what are the main factors that direct your choices of outfit (eg. comfort)? 

I like to feel comfy and I like to feel the correct temperature lol . I wear clothes that I am free to move about in if I ever want to have a dance throughout the day x

What clothing makes you feel confident? 

I like clothes that hug my body in the right places so are sexy, but can also be pyjamas. I feel most confident in trainers, a little top and some vintage pants, dungarees, boiler suits, sportsware, old tshirts ... I actually feel very insecure wearing a dress and heels etc makes me cringe!

On scale of 1 to 10, how inclusive do you feel fashion (clothing, accessories etc.) is in today's western world? 

 5 /10

Why have you chosen this score?

I think the same reasons as before! However I shop in a lot of vintage stores where everything is versatile to all… I think vintage and ethical clothing (which is very non gender focused) is on the up

What form of fashion would you like to see more of (such as gender neutral, more bold colours, more skirts for men and so on)?

I think brands need to make more of an effort just serving amazing garments which can be for all! so in the images, there isn't a man or woman model wearing it, its simply just the skirt in ALL sizes. The brand Uniqlo do this quite well… everything is just neutral and open to all. maybe brands try too hard addressing products for specifically men and women within their advertising, perhaps the product should just speak for itself instead of kendall jenner wearing it or whatever

Do you feel there has been progress towards fashion with a more gender inclusive direction? How?

We see a lot less of blue and pink which is always cool… but to be honest it’s difficult to tell as you look at fast fashion brands such as missguided for example; who’s clothing and branding is small minded societies version of ‘hyper feminine’ everything is pink and unicorny.. but then brands like Balenciaga and haute couture deliver extremely simple and versatile vibes. But generally I think brands nowadays are trying hard to be ‘woke’ and not cancelled! I just hope this isn't just to look good as a brand as opposed to actually catering for this demographic of people.

USER EXPERIENCE 

[ Definition the overall experience of a person using a product such as a website or computer application, especially in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use ]

What has your experience been with websites and social media platforms when choosing your gender? 

Back in the day… it was simply man or woman, but there's now options such as non binary and also prefer not to say, or other etc… I always wonder why they want to know; like why does it matter

Do you feel like social media is gender inclusive?

This is difficult as I think it definitely depends who you follow. Social media is such an echo chamber.. Like i know i follow like minded individuals to myself, I have a lot of transgender friends and cool open minded people - So i get back a lot of positivity and inclusivity on my feed regarding this, and adverts for these aforementioned open minded brands that I like - but I know this probably really isn't the case for a lot of other people who follow different shit

Do you feel there has been progress towards user experience with a more gender inclusive direction? How?

I actually don’t know the answer to this question … I think its all pretty neutral but I'm a cis woman so what the hell do I know, another person may feel very differently.. I just know that social media (should be) designed for you to express yourself and just be who you are.. or pretend to be someone you're not. Its all a massive grey area in my opinion! but I see a lot of good stuff which makes me feel hopeful.

From best to worse, how would you compare gender inclusivity in branding, fashion and user experience? 

Probably - user experience, fashion, branding… this may change the more I think about it...

Which has progressed the most? 

Probably fashion! considering women couldn’t wear trousers at one point

Which has the most potential to progress? 

I think there's room for all of it to progress <3

ANALYSIS

= Lack of genuine effort put into making things inclusive

= Gives examples of large brands being pushed into a more inclusive direction as a result of customer pressure but the smaller brands created with a conscience ethos have these values intrinsically in place to create more positive change 

= Unnecessary focus on gender in all areas of design directs branding fashion and UI towards the less inclusive direction

= Although there are efforts made to include other genders other than male and female, but asserting the need for there to be a gender in the first place reasserts the boundaries 

= Simplicity + earthy tones make for good inclusive products

= Baggy clothes and comfortable clothes also (like Daniel) make her feel comfortable 

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Non-conforming gender, Queer, Mixed race  

PERSONAL

How would you describe your gender identity? 

Male but lowkey gender non-conforming

How do you feel about the attitudes towards gender today?

It’s great that in so many ways there are huge improvements to mainstream attitudes towards gender and that lots of positive discussion is happening, but at the same time the hate and discrimination and toxic gender ideologies are growing even stronger in response to the positive discussions. So it’s an incredibly difficult battle to break down the gender stereotypes and ideologies that plague society today, but a very worthwhile battle.

What steps do you think are important for society to take to become more gender inclusive?

Taking away the rules that society has constructed for gender and embracing fluidity in marketing and representation in the media. Uplifting trans and queer voices. Giving trans* people the equal rights they deserve and easier access to medical transitioning. Better mental health support for all. Better gender representation in government and the workplace.

BRANDING

On scale of 1 to 10, how inclusive do you feel branding (packaging design, logos etc.) is in today's western world? 

  6/10

Why have you chosen this score?

I feel like inclusive branding is on the rise and things like food products, alcohol, technology, are all becoming a lot less gendered, but generally it is still really bad, girls things are still ‘pink’ and boys ‘blue’. Packaging and branding is particularly gendered in children’s products still which is the worst place as it deeply internalises these ideas of gender within children  and can imprison their sense of self in ideas of how they think they should act.

What form of branding would you like to see more of?

Children’s branding!

Do you feel there has been progress towards branding with a more gender inclusive direction? How?

I feel like inclusive branding is on the rise and things like food products, alcohol, technology, are all becoming a lot less gendered, but generally it is still really bad, girls things are still ‘pink’ and boys ‘blue’. Packaging and branding is particularly gendered in children’s products still which is the worst place as it deeply internalises these ideas of gender within children and can imprison their sense of self in ideas of how they think they should act.

Below are images of different types of branding for skincare products.

 

Which appeal to you and why?

Aesop appeals to me as it’s minimal packaging makes it look very medical and expensive, it reminds me of The Ordinary which is a brand I already use, therefore it reminds me of good quality product. I also really like Basik, the colour blocking and the pastels are really nice, it reminds me of pottery and stones and the sea which makes it feel very earthy and the pop of colour compared to the other packaging makes it look a bit more high quality. The other packaging less so, the serif font ones look old and the colour palettes are a lot more feminine, so naturally I think my mind just ignores them? And Kiehl’s looks like an old man brand which I don’t fuck with.

Are there any brands you have strong loyalty with and like to buy from that consciously follow a more gender inclusive direction?

ASOS is probably the one brand I follow that actually does anything remotely inclusive as it does a lot of LGBT+ marketed clothing, has lots of positive body representation in their modelling, I guess I also follow FENTY Beauty, the record label Discwoman I’m a huge fan of too for their inclusive work in the dance music industry.

FASHION

How would you describe your style?

Relaxed, 90’s and 00’s inspired, vibrant, lots of colour blocking, minimal, like a working class dad who loves a funky pattern and raves on weekends.

When you dress, what are the main factors that direct your choices of outfit (eg. comfort)?

First is always comfortability in how I look in the clothing as I’m self-conscious about my body shape a lot, secondly how comfy it is to wear for what I’m doing today, thirdly if I’ve worn it recently, and if the outfit goes together is always on my mind. I try and balance all of these for day to day outfits, and sometimes like to be a bit more experimental and vibrant for nights out.

What clothing makes you feel confident?

Really cool patterns, nice relaxed fits which hang off my body well, an outfit with consistency and consideration, usually a good shirt is all I need to feel good

On scale of 1 to 10, how inclusive do you feel fashion (clothing, accessories etc.) is in today's western world? 

 7 /10

Why have you chosen this score?

Fashion is taking more leaps towards inclusivity than most other industries, particularly in terms of runways and model representation, but this is only on the fringes of the industry whilst the giants make next to no effort, so I’d place it higher than branding. I think intrinsically fashion [as an industry] would always be more inclusive as it is rooted in self-identity.

What form of fashion would you like to see more of (such as gender neutral, more bold colours, more skirts for men and so on)?

I want to see more inventive fashion on the high street as it’s all so boring! More colour! More prints! More interesting silhouettes for masculine presenting people as just wearing a top and trousers all the time is boring. And of course lots more gender neutral fashion options!

USER EXPERIENCE

[ Definition the overall experience of a person using a product such as a website or computer application, especially in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use ]

What has your experience been with websites and social media platforms when choosing your gender?

Almost always limited to certain checkboxes with an ‘other’ category if lucky

Do you feel like social media is gender inclusive?

No I think at it’s core it’s not, social media’s intention is to define people into a set of information and photos and to force people into binary options, a bit like dating sites do too, you judge someone straight away by their Instagram bio and photos. Although people use it expressively and have created amazing inclusive social media platforms, I think the intention behind social media is counterintuitive to genders outside of the binary. And with stuff like shadow banning, nudity bans, and hateful voices being left unchecked to spill vitriol, the teams behind these social medias are clearly anti-inclusivity.

Do you feel there has been progress towards user experience with a more gender inclusive direction? How?

Barely, forms and UX are getting a little better but that’s because of people advocating for it, I’m not sure how though.

From best to worse, how would you compare gender inclusivity in branding, fashion and user experience?

1.    Fashion

2.    Branding

3.    UX

Which has the most potential to progress?

Fashion

 ANALYSIS 

- fashion shows the most progression as it is rooted in self-identity, and as more customers and the general public show a desire for more inclusive and genuine clothing, this shift will occur within large brands and companies as they are forced to respond to these consumer changes. Smaller brands established with this ethos central to their values will also increase and attract this group of consumers. This will further exacerbate positive change within the larger, more commercial brands

- more silhouettes for men's clothing

- social media can never be fully inclusive with the direction it is created with, as it relies on putting people into boxes for advertising purposes 

- earthy tones and colour pop both liked 

- everyone feels confident in comfy loose fitting clothes 

- children's products need to be evaluated for the impact they have on children in internalising gender (focus on children's clothes for physical outcome? create piece that is applicable to all ages? and all genders?)

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TRANS, QUEER, WHITE

Questionnaire  

PERSONAL

How would you describe your gender identity? 

Trans

How do you feel about the attitudes towards gender today?

I think that’s broad but I think attitudes towards gender is regressive.

 

What steps do you think are important for society to take to become more gender inclusive?

- remove gender binary

- allow for all genders to perform all roles

- fair treatment towards all genders and needs

 

BRANDING

On scale of 1 to 10, how inclusive do you feel branding (packaging design, logos etc.) is in today's western world? 

  ?/10 maybe like 6

 

Why have you chosen this score?

I'm not sure what inclusive branding is I think to be inclusive they would have to be inclusive in who they hire and what they are representing. I don’t think this is the case.

What form of branding would you like to see more of?

I'm not too informed on forms of branding but I would like to see more positive representation and more brands with an ethos which is carried through to their branding.

 

Do you feel there has been progress towards branding with a more gender inclusive direction? How?

I think branding isn’t gender inclusive as a lot of packaging is very gendered and like seemingly made for certain people. E.G. nivia men i think there are brands that are more gender neutral but im not even sure how i feel about that i definitely think its better but i think society has to change so like the values change so business changes cause that is how i see capitalism to work.

Are there any brands you have strong loyalty with and like to buy from that consciously follow a more gender inclusive direction?

Yeah a lot of the products i use happen to be (imo) and not really intentionally gender inclusive i use cetaphil and aloe vera gel and astral all of which don’t overly gender the clothing.

 

FASHION

How would you describe your style?

trying my best with second hand / vintage clothes

 

When you dress, what are the main factors that direct your choices of outfit (eg. comfort)?

comfort / style / communicating a mood or an idea which is like the mood i have in the moment the person i feel like i am that day

 

What clothing makes you feel confident?

yeah dressing well makes me feel right

 

On scale of 1 to 10, how inclusive do you feel fashion (clothing, accessories etc.) is in today's western world? 

  6/10

 

Why have you chosen this score?

I’m not sure i feel like it is becoming better but that isn’t good enough !!!!!

 

What form of fashion would you like to see more of (such as gender neutral, more bold colours, more skirts for men and so on)?

I think i would like gender ideas and clothing to be completely removed and people to just wear whatever they felt

 

Do you feel there has been progress towards fashion with a more gender inclusive direction? How?

yeah definitely with casting and general fashion choices pointing to more gender inclusivity

 

USER EXPERIENCE

[ Definition the overall experience of a person using a product such as a website or computer application, especially in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use ]

 

What has your experience been with websites and social media platforms when choosing your gender?

i don’t think about it too much and its very varied depending on the website i think the more option the better

 

Do you feel like social media is gender inclusive?

no i think social media naturally enforces societal ideas i think there are spaces in social media that promote gender inclusivity but the system as a whole doesn’t.

 

Do you feel there has been progress towards user experience with a more gender inclusive direction? How?

maybe you do have more click options but is this where gender inclusivity is needed? I’m not sure i think it is important for the user experience to be inclusive and to be aware that all experiences exist but I’m not sure.

From best to worse, how would you compare gender inclusivity in branding, fashion and user experience?

fashion - branding - user experience

 

Which has the most potential to progress?

fashion always 

ANALYSIS

= Strong comments on the importance and progression of fashion, just like everyone else interviewed 

= A lot of people interviewed pointed out the importance of models within the representation in fashion 

= This was a strong positive example of how the fashion industry shows it's changing

= Whilst the clothes are still being made in a gendered way, the diversity within their representation has aided their progression and helped customers who were becoming disenfranchised with the brand stay loyal (or continue being consumers) 

= It's important that within the editorial video that this representation and inclusivity is present

OVERALL ANALYSIS 

> Men's fashion seems to be falling behind in what is available to those who want to dress differently to the conventional masculine standards 

> If my designs are gender inclusive in all sizes and builds, this could tackle this issue with interesting more 'feminine' silhouettes and forms that are not available in most men's lines 

> Approaching it in a comfortable way is priority (everyone needs to feel this way as a priority in the clothes) 

> Keeping it to a line for young people rather than trying to approach it for all ages (children was an idea) keeps it simple and more focussed and will allow me do to further research and therefore make something higher quality 

> Previous research into other gender inclusive brands showed the importance of a range in art least one area (eg clothing styles): These individuals show an interest in clothing that is both dark, monotone clothing and bright colourful and interesting

> What if the designs are translated into both these aesthetics? 

> This would also be authentic to me as the designer as I like both graphic black clothing and more colourful bright stuff