Contextual Studies - Guidelines

Guidelines for 2,000 Word Report

Write a 2,000-word research report that considers how a specific part of the graphic design industry has responded/will respond to political, economic, social, and technological change.

The report will consist of:

1. 1)  Introduction (ca. 200 words)
   
2. 2)  Political Section (ca. 400 words)
   
3. 3)  Economic Section (ca. 400 words)
   
4. 4)  Social Section (ca. 400 words)
   
5. 5)  Technological Section (ca. 400 words)
   
6. 6)  Conclusion (ca. 200 words)
   
7. 7)  Bibliography (20-30 industry sources; not included in word count)
   

Sample PEST Analysis:
Topic: the future of the newspaper
P: political (e.g. changes in legislation, government reviews of industry practices) E: economic (e.g. recent economic down turn, legislation, etc.)
S: social (e.g. changes in reading habits)
T: technological (e.g. mobile devices, printing presses, software)

Questions you might focus on:
the effect of the economy
the effect of digital technology
the influence of globalisation (travel, electronic communication, etc.)
reaction to legislation, etc. (censorship, etc.)
social trends (the trend towards getting married later, rates of divorce, immigration, etc.)

Possible Topics
the influence of e-books on layout
the future of the newspaper
data mining and its impact on data visualization the role of sustainable inks in packaging

Examples of topics you might explore:
-how publishers (of newspapers, books, or magazines) are responding to changes in digital technology (e.g. e-readers, tablets on the book publishing industry.)
-how the design industry has responded to changes in equality legislation (gender/race/disability/sexual orientation, for ex.)
-how brands have responded to change (i.e. health trends, globalization, commercial competition, sustainability, etc.)
-how advertising has responded to government legislation (smoking ad ban, alcohol ad restrictions, shock advertising, etc.).
-how packaging has responded to environmental legislation/trends (green washing, for ex.) - the digital shift in music distribution and it’s packaging from physical (tactile, large-scale, i.e. 12 inch, paper, print) to digital (screen-based images, links, and little or no material packaging) and now a return to physical again.

-how websites have responded to technology (e.g. different mobile devices, blurring of boundaries between types of media – is it a newspaper or website?), user experience / feedback / interaction, accessibility (e.g. ageing population), web advertising, template-based website design and the role of (threat to) the graphic designer, etc.

The basic PEST analysis includes four factors:

Political factors are basically to what degree the government intervenes in the economy. Specifically, political factors include areas such as tax policy, labor law, environmental law, trade restrictions, tariffs, and political stability. Furthermore, governments have great influence on the health, education, and infrastructure of a nation.

Economic factors include cost of goods, impact of the economy, expendable income of consumer, etc. In addition you may consider economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates and the inflation rate. These factors have major impacts on how businesses operate and make decisions.

Social factors: We are interested in demographic trends and realities: (e.g. how age of your market group influences your product, industry, service, medium, etc.) . Think about your target market group and consider the influence of cultural aspects, health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes or emphasis on safety. Trends in social factors affect the demand for a company's products and how that company operates. For example, an aging population may more accessible design such as larger print; more single women in work may result in increased advertising for a wider range of products than historically targeted at women; a trend in healthy eating may influence images and copy on packaging. Furthermore, companies may change various branding and marketing strategies to adapt to these social trends.

Technological factors can range from software innovation (Photoshop filters and tools) to new apps that aid the distribution of photography (Flickr, Instagram, etc.). Wider technological shifts (outsourcing, new inventions, etc.) can affect costs and quality. In graphic design technological issues may be a result of designing for different proportioned mobile devices or new printing technology may have an impact on a publishing-related product. New materials (paper, board, ink) in packaging may influence design. Touch screens in mobile technology affects interface design and user experience, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEST_analysis