Monday, 28 January 2013

Design for web//History of link

Development for web 

http://e-james1114-historyof.blogspot.co.uk/

Level 5 Essay//Draft


Focussing on specific examples, describe the way advertising has been influenced by Psychoanalysis and ‘The Gaze’?


The Gaze display women as objects, ‘Objectification is the accomplished fact: an internalized, nearly invariable response by the male to a form that is, in his estimation and experience, sufficiently what he needs to provoke arousal’ (Dworkin 1979, 113) [1]. Influenced by advertising, magazines and film, this vulnerable imagery of women allows men to perceive females in an inequality way. It is often an area of the female body that is being focussed on that gives men the satisfaction of their sexuality. But what is it that caused this male power? Areas are looked into ‘that is explored using the psychoanalytical writings of Sigmund Freud’[2].

In the late 1890’s Sigmund Freud introduced the theory of Psychoanalysis in Vienna after much human observation and research, which was originally rejected by the society. At the time it was unknown that Freud’s theory would contribute to the Western Worlds consumer culture. Freud faced criticism of his discovery for many years. Within the theory itself, there is even more expanding ideas on the development of the cognition in the human mind. He treated hysteria patients using psychoanalysis by guiding them to discover and accept repressed thoughts and events. The ‘Dynamic Unconsciousness’ is an element of the psychoanalysis structure, which suggests that by repressing thoughts and feelings, the conscious self would become protected. This part of the mind could also uncover hidden phobias, desires and complexes. The unconsciousness was suggested to be chaotic, without order or language. Freud has a psychodynamic approach to explain personality, which is spilt into three sections; the ID determines the instinct, the Ego is organized and realistic and the Superego can stop the instincts that the ID might have. This structural model is about the behaviour of the psyche rather than supporting the science of the brain.

It was the ‘Dynamic Unconsciousness’ that drove Freud’s nephew; Edward Bernay’s to experiment with how the public was influenced by advertising. In return for Freud’s book on his theory, Bernay gave him a box of cigars.  Known as the ‘Godfather of PR’, Bernay applied the knowledge of the unconscious desire to campaigns, gaining the power to revolutionise advertising by manipulation. Bernay’s was originally employed to advertise working at war; it became apparent that through the representation of Nazi Propaganda, Bernay could control a crowd of people and how they respond to advertisement. Selling a product is the epitome of advertising. Without it, objects would be undesired and more or less unknown that they even exist. As time has gone on advertising has be captured in all different kinds of media. Freud and his psychoanalysis theories influenced Barneys to manipulate the power of advertising within the masses. His first conquer was the use of Propaganda in 1928. ‘The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government, which is the true ruling power of our country…’[3]. This confidence in Bernay’s theory implies a strategy that has been addressed and put into action.
With Bernay’s epiphany of manipulation, he took these skills and applied it to other political and social contexts. Little was it known that Bernay’s strategies, based on his Uncles psychoanalysis theory would influence the world of promotion for decades. In the 1920’s, Bernay’s began working for a tobacco company, based in America. Seen by society, smoking was a habit mainly adopted by the male gender. The act suggested power, authority and control. To break this taboo, ‘Bernays hypothesized that by understanding the group mind, it would be possible to manipulate people's behaviour without their even realizing it. To test this hypothesis, Bernays launched one of his most famous public relations campaigns: convincing women to smoke’. Encouraging women to smoke would represent the power that they had and therefore challenging the male power and how they were perceived. A lucky strike advert recited ‘Reach for a lucky instead of a sweet’. This loaded phrase suggests a more feminine take on cigarette promotion. Another advert uses the tagline ‘To keep a slender figure, no one can deny….’. This link to body image promotes what they think is an attainable figure with this cigarette in their lives, which is in fact the opposite of what this product would do to a human being. However, relatable and inspiring images are enough to trick the minds of young women. The women on the Lucky Strike adverts portrayed a sense of sophistication, style and power, which of course is what the onlookers strived to be. The symbolic meaning of a single product created the illusion of this glamorous lifestyle. The way Bernay increased the sales of a product that can in fact cause illness and death through manipulation of the cognitive process on an individual, is a skill that led to advertising evolving.

In contrast to this, a lot of advertising in the twentieth century was aimed at men portraying women in a controversial way. ‘The Gaze’ looked at women in an objective sense, allowing society to peruse this way of thinking. Manipulation of words and images in campaigns uncovered a clear target audience; for example, a 1950’s ‘Vue’ magazine cover saw the picture of a young woman, proposing the tagline ‘My hobby is men’. This delicate gaze is appealing to the male gender. Edward Bernay persuaded women to smoke in a new trend of adverts however, some cigarette companies responded to this power battle by reminding men they still embodied control. Tipalet tobacco used the phrase ‘blow on her face and she will follow you everywhere’, undercutting a background image of a man breathing cigarette smoke into glamorous women’s face. Not only is this advert insulting to women, it is also suggesting that if men smoke then they will gain the power of an unattainable female. Referred to as an object, this advert implies an irrational message that women will act as told by a man. This way of perceiving women actually goes back to the fifteenth century when painting the female body was a hobby. Han's Memling 'vanity' (1485) represents social and cultural power. All artists at this point were men until about the late twentieth century. This image would have been painted for men and therefore created a fantasy. The painting sees a naked women gazing at herself in her reflection of a mirror, she is aware she is being gazed at and revels in it. The woman is also aware she is a sexual object. Men for men create the femininity of this woman. Viewing a nude painting of women is a way men can gaze with no feeling of guilt and retaining class. This concept is something that has followed through to advertising today. Even television programmes reveal this idea of women through personalities like Katie Price. It comes across that women are easily controlled and have it in their aim to appeal to the male audience by revealing themselves in a sexual way.

The power of the gaze, suggests that the women can take can control of a male. Here the role is reversed. It reflects an assertive femininity. If successful women are advertised in a provocative way, it is a way of females confronting the theory of women being objectified by men. A semi naked women looking at a male saying she 'can't cook' therefore proposes disappointment. Either being a domestic wife or a sexual object, here are two different male fantasies being displayed. The Wonder bra advert also saw this theory put into action with they ‘Hello boys’ campaign (1994). One of the most iconic adverts led the male into a distraction of female advertising. Instead of women being objectified by men, they are allowing themselves to be objectified by each other. This manipulation allows females to gain control, domination and power. 'Women is flesh, often feel embarrassed, irritated or downright angered by men's persistent gaze...those women on billboards, though; they look back.' [4] This observation implies that women in the street often don't appreciate the gaze of the male; it can make them feel objectified and uncomfortable. Therefore this kind of behaviour is made less sociably acceptable. However women in the images of billboards and adverts can be noticed, as their purpose is to appeal to men. They offer engaging looks back, which fulfil the male fantasy. This idea looms that initially it is the appearance of a male and female that draws an attraction. The society has become overly concerned with appearance rather than someone views and personality traits. However even though women may feel as though they have gained power 'Advertising in this society builds precisely on the creation of an anxiety to the effect that, unless we measure up, we will not be loved.' [5] Women spend too much time and effort trying to meet societies expectations. However men and their fantasies created these expectations. So even though females may have attempted to take the gaze into their own hands, in fact it is males that manipulated the theory in the first place. Therefore women have created pressure on themselves. Another view of the theory is suggesting that nowadays the women's behaviour is now controlled by their own decisions and there mind based on the images that media expose them to. The way women have been perceived in the media for decades has produced two kind of outcomes, or it could be said, two types of women. Some women see unattainable images of other women that make them feel inadequate and not attractive and others see it as unrealistic for the average women but in a positive way.

These days it isn’t just companies that have sexual connotation that display this in there advertising. Some shops and businesses simply adopt a more provocative identity to increase sales and attract more customers. However there are multiple views on the weather this is a positive thing is inappropriate on some levels. For example ‘American Apparel’s marketing strategy has brought the brand mainstream attention ever since they implemented it years ago’. [6] American apparel, an American clothing brand that promotes their products in a racy, fetish like manner. Its controversial advertising has set them apart from their high street competitors. Using female models that are quirky yet display sexiness in a ‘bad girl’ ideal, influences not only what people wear but also what kind of girl they want to become. Using taglines such as ‘Cotton. You can feel how good it looks’ [7] with an image of a half naked girl looking rebellious suggests that with the products, young girls can aspire to look good, effortlessly. Over the years, American Apparel has caused uproar forcing some adverts to even be banned. ‘The ASA said that it was “offensive and irresponsible” to use some of the images as they sexualised a model that looked under-16 and that these could be viewed by minors. Elsewhere, some other ads for hosiery website were deemed “unnecessarily sexual and inappropriate”, “sexually suggestive and gratuitous” and “submissive and sexually suggestive.’ Allowing young girls to be promoted this way, allows males to objectify them in an inappropriate manner. However, some people think that American Apparels way of advertising is revolutionary and should be encouraged. Are the adverts only seen as sexual because of people’s assumption of the brand or is they’re more to it than that? If anything this manipulated strategy has created a lot of press around the brand and enhanced their presence. ‘The attention the new campaign is attracting online is exactly what American Apparel wants. The brand has worked hard at creating an image for itself that is "soaked in youth and sex". Provocative advertising is their artillery. Their site even has a special section labelled "provocative ads’. This analysis implies that has objectifying women become a trend, and if so, are women accepting it and taking advantage of the power of advertising? Similarly to this hipster, rebellious advertising, vice magazine portrays this sort of imagery conveying women. 'Vice' magazine has been redefining style and pushing back the frontiers of taste for 15 years with images of nudity, death, drugs, war and more. Its creators say they're in the great tradition of satire – telling their readers what the mainstream media won't dare to’. [8] This implies that beauty has a new look and it may be more attainable than the latest supermodels figure and skin. Vice magazine communicates a beauty to teenage girls that is grungy and almost sinful. The outrageous stories twinned with an image that can only be described as controversial, displays somehow an inspiring lifestyle. Brands like this show how just like everything else, advertising works on a trend basis. Depending on who the latest role model is and the style that that they exude, determines the inspiration. For example, Kate Moss did a campaign for ‘Obsession’ a fragrance from Calvin Klein for men where she was photographed naked with her arms covering you breasts. In this image she looks particularly skinny rather than a healthy, glowing women. Her hair is slicked back forming a more masculine look. This boyish style that Kate Moss is portraying in the advert is somehow influential to females even though it is essentially aimed at men. Instantly this advert has the power to encourage women to adopt a look that they wouldn’t necessary class as attractive but because a celebrity is displaying this certain identity, it becomes more appealing. Additionally, because the product being sold is actually for men, female onlookers assume that this is the kind of woman that a male desires. Obviously this way of thinking is false but the power of advertising has manipulated the observers so that their products will not only sell more successfully but give them control on people may buy into the future.
           
Other brands including these, display how women, after decades, are still used and photographed in provocative ways. However, manipulation and the gaze influenced this approach to advertising. Even though it is sometime more obvious than others, the cognition of a human being has been greatly considered when brands and companies are evaluating their target audience. Predicting how an advert can be received, whether it is for men or women, is a skill that can allow a business to make the most money. Even if a product isn’t a necessity essential or aesthetically pleasing, the power of advertising has become so strong that practically anything can be sold with the right strategy. Many aspects make up a successful advert, but it has been apparent that women have played a crucial part in this. Some females may take offence to this observation; others may think it shows power and domination. Either way, this technique will continue to evolve and create controversy on the way. ‘The first thing that advertisers do is surround us with the image of ideal female beauty, so we all learn how important it is for a woman to be beautiful, and exactly what it takes.’ [9] In the words of Jean Kilbourne, this statement sums up the effects of women advertising.





           


[1] Dworkin, A (1979) Pornography, Men Possessing Women (The Woman's Press Ltd, Great Britain)


[2] Coward, R (1984) The Look IN: Female Desire: Women's Sexuality Today (Paladin: London)


[3] http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/481391-propaganda
[4] [4] Coward, R (1984) The Look IN: Female Desire: Women's Sexuality Today (Paladin: London)

[5] [5] Coward, R (1984) The Look IN: Female Desire: Women's Sexuality Today (Paladin: London)

[6] http://english.mashkulture.net/American apparel

[7] http://english.mashkulture.net/American apparel
[8] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/
[9] http://www.john-wright.net/2009/08/18/response-to-jean-kilbourne-women-in-advertising/

Thursday, 24 January 2013

ISTD//Research boards

Here are two research boards that have got the main pieces of research on. 




Lecture 12//Globalisation & the media

Definitions of Globalisation
•Socialist

The process of transformation of local or regional phenomena into global ones. It can be described as a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society and function together. This process is a combination of economic, technological, sociocultural and political forces.

•Capitalist

The elimination of state-enforced restrictions on exchanges across borders and the increasingly integrated and complex global system of production and exchange that has emerged as a result




‘American sociologist George Ritzer coined the term “McDonaldization” to describe the wide- ranging sociocultural processes by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world’

Manfred B. Steger, Globalization: A very Short Introduction, page 71

Marshall McLuhan  




‘Today, after more than a century of electric technology, we have extended our central nervous system in a global embrace, abolishing both space and time as far as our planet is concerned’ (1964: p.3)

Rapidity of Communication echoes the senses

We can experience instantly the effects of our actions on a global scale



Cultural Imperialism
•If the 'global village' is run with a certain set of values then it would not be so much an integrated community as an assimilated one.
•Key thinkers-
–Schiller
–Chomsky


US MEDIA POWER CAN BE THOUGHT OF AS A NEW FORM OF IMPERIALISM
•Local cultures destroyed in this process and new forms of cultural dependency shaped, mirroring old school colonialism.
•Schiller- dominance of US driven commercial media forces US model of broadcasting onto the rest of world but also inculcates US style consumerism in societies that can ill afford it!


Sustainable
•‘sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’

Brundtland Commission, (1987) ‘Our Common Future’


•Needs (particularly of the worlds poor)
•Limitations of technology

ISTD//Logo design

As surfing was first seen as a male dominated sport it is understandable that logos and brands were first created to reach out to men. However as the sport has developed, global surf companies have built a women version to expand and promote on the  revolution of women's surfing. 

Here on the left is one of the biggest surfing and snowboarding companies logo; Quicksilver. The logo is simple and the imagery reflects the surf and snow aspect. On the right is the women's surf logo. It still displays the same imagery but it has been mirrored which gives is a heart like shape therefore looks more girly. 



www.roxy.com

Overtime the logo has been used in different colours along with different typefaces. The pink obviously adds femininity and the type is lowercase which communicates a friendly vibe. 

Billabong and rip-curl also did the same thing. Creating a women's version of a surfboard expands the company and widens the target audience. It also encourages the sport and often a certain type of  lifestyle. 





www.billabong.com







www.ripcurl.com



Another thing noticed about all these logos is that without the text, the imagery still communicates the company. It is simple are relevant. 

Monday, 21 January 2013

ISTD//Surf tricks

Here are some descriptions of surf tricks to educate beginners or help experience surfers improve on their moves. 

http://www.relentlessenergy.com/features/ben-skinner-top-5-surf-tricks-how-to-guide.html

TUBE RIDING

Only a surfer knows the feeling. Time stands still. This is probably one of the best feelings you could ever have in any situation. To get inside a tube, first you need a hollow wave. That can be hard this time of year, but if you’re keen, you'll find one! It is important to remember when you pull into a barrel, whether you stall to get in, snap into it or speed into it; be sure to have your shoulders parallel with the wave face to hold your line. Try to shape yourself to the barrel to avoid getting a lip to the head and to ensure a clean exit.

AIRS

Airs on a shortboard are all about speed and timing. The same thing applies on a longboard. It's a strange feeling doing an air on a longboard but not much comes close to it. Get as much speed as possible and head towards the section of your choice, gaining as much speed as possible on your way. When you get to the section, stay nice and low and compress into it, as you hit the section. Keep pushing right through the turn until you get to the tail. You want to connect the tail with the lip and come out of your compression as you do so, but keeping your knees bent enough so your board sticks to your feet and you can land comfortably. This is a challenge, but when you pull it off, it is worth all the effort.

HANG 10

Hanging 10 is the ultimate feeling on a longboard. It really does feel amazing, there is nothing between the water and your toes and is one of the hardest things you can do on a longboard. The same applies with this as you have to be in a hang 5 before you move up to your 10 - again, slow right down to the wave pace and put yourself as tight in the pocket as you can to be able to hold the 10 for a long time. Get this right and it will blow your mind.

HANG 5

Hanging 5 on a longboard is one of my favourite things about surfing. Not only does it feel really good to be stood on the nose of your board, but it is also very functional. It is something we use when in between turns to link everything together and flow. It also leads to hanging 10. It's important to remember when doing a noseride that you set it up first. It is key to be going the same speed as the wave and to be as tight in the pocket as possible. The more of the tail of your board is in the curl, the more stable you will be and the more critical your hang five and the more speed you will have when you step back from it for your next turn.

Saturday, 19 January 2013

ISTD//Surf tips

As the publication is going to contain a section on surf tips, its made sense to find some research on this. 



One of the most difficult challenges to face any athlete is finding a way to improve your surfing. It’s no easy feat. It takes a commitment to spending time in the water and using the right equipment. Beyond those factors, there are no obvious actions you can take to improve surfing performance. The Scientists at SurfScience.com want to help. Read our tips below.

Surf Lessons

Taking a surf lesson is a great way to improve your surfing and feel more comfortable in the water. Beginners will quickly learn some of the fundamentals that are usually learned only through experience and time.  Surf lessons also help you avoid beginner surfing mistakes that new surfers might not have thought about. Who has time for that? Quicken that learning curve and get better faster.

Challenge Yourself

This tip could apply to any sport. Don’t allow yourself to feel too comfortable. Once you master the 2-3 foot mushy beach break, then it’s time to paddle out on the 5-6 foot days. You will be surprised how your instincts and muscle memory will take over, allowing you to make key maneuvers in critical sections of the wave. A little more size will also provide more speed. This will facilitate your surfing improvement.

Surf Around

Surfing is a dynamic sport where you must adjust to your surroundings. Traveling to an unfamiliar break with different conditions will show you how much you can improve your surfing and how quickly you must react to unexpected shifts in the wave’s surface. Surfing fast and steep waves for the first time will be a real learning experience. Be safe by paddling out with a mate who knows the break.

Surf Trip

Going on a surf trip will open your eyes up to a different way of life. It can also drastically improve your surfing. It’s easy for the average weekend warrior’s skills to plateau when you surf only once or twice each week. If the conditions aren’t epic (likely) or if there is a good crowd in the water (also likely), then it can be difficult to get your wave count up or score some long rides. The cure: surfing good conditions with no crowds for several consecutive days. You will have time to work on your mechanics, catch a lot of waves, and elevate your surfing. You will feel like a different surfer when you return home.

http://www.surfscience.com/topics/surfing-tips/intermediate-tips/five-tips-to-improve-your-surfing

Thursday, 17 January 2013

ISTD//Surfing websites continued

After deciding that the website was going to have products on, it made sense to look at surfing websites that did this. 


1. www.roxy.com

  • Simple navigation
  • White space
  • Clear type
  • Space between the products







2. www.billabong.com/girls

  • Feminine aesthetics
  • Too many colours
  • Clear navigation






Lecture 11//Censorship & 'Truth'

Overview
•Notions of censorship and truth
•The indexical qualities of photography in rendering truth
•Photographic manipulation and the documentation of truth
•Censorship in advertising
•Censorship in art and photography



‘Five years before coming to power in the 1917 October revolution, the Soviets established the newspaper Pravda. For more than seven Decades,until the fall of Communism, Pravda, which Ironically means “truth”, served the Soviet Communist party by censoring and filtering the news presented to Russian and Eastern Europeans’

Aronson, E. and Pratkanis, A., 1992, Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion, New York, Henry Holt & Co., pages 269 - 270




Kate Winslet on cover of GQ Magazine, with legs elongated in photoshop.






‘At that time [World War II], I fervently believed just about everything I was exposed to in school and in the media. For example, I knew that all Germans were evil and that all Japanese were sneaky and treacherous, while all white Americans were clean-cut, honest, fair-minded, and trusting’

Elliot Aronson in Pratkanis and Aronson, (1992), Age of Propaganda, p. xii 


Censorship
The practice or policy of censoring films, letters, or publications

Treffry, D. (ed.) (2001), Paperback English Dictionary, Glasgow: Harper Collins


Censor
1.A person authorised to examine films, letters, or publications, in order to ban or cut anything considered obscene or objectionable

2.To ban or cut portions of (a film, letter or publication)



Morals
Principles of behaviour in accordance with standards of right and wrong.


Ethics
1.A code of behaviour, especially of a particular group, profession or individual.

2.The moral fitness of a decision, course of action etc.

3.The study of the moral value of human conduct.






Wednesday, 16 January 2013

ISTD//Laser cutting//The process

What is laser cutting? Laser cutting is a precise method of cutting a design from a given material using a CAD file to guide it. There are three main types of lasers used in the industry: CO2 lasers Nd and Nd-YAG. We use CO 2 machines. This involves firing a laser which cuts by melting, burning or vaporizing your material. You can achieve a really fine level of cutting detail on with a wide variety of materials. Bare in mind that CO 2 lasers can’t cut metals and hard materials, they can however engrave them.

http://www.cutlasercut.com/getting-started/what-is-laser-cutting-laser-cutting-process




www.imagesignsystems.co.uK

www.scrye.com 

Monday, 14 January 2013

ISTD//Surfing Websites

Existing surf websites

1. http://www.carissamoore.com/

In terms of aesthetics  I was really inspired by surfer, Carissa Moore's website. It acts as more of a blog but the design is feminine yet powerful  The hand rendered illustrations layered with digital imagery keep it current, colourful and vibrant. It has more of a personal touch to it. The surfing images also give inspiration. 






2. http://www.surfline.com/womens/

This website is more general and has communicates information on women's surfing around the world. It has areas that are really well laid out and the navigation is pretty easy. However it doesn't come across very feminine as the blue is quite dull. 





Sunday, 13 January 2013

ISTD//Duckdiving

Here is a short video of how to duck dive a more detailed explanation of how to do it. Duck diving is a skill that is going to be mentioned in the publication. 



Duckdiving 101: How to Duckdive

Duckdiving tends to be a difficult thing to learn for many surfers. I think the hardest thing is learning to time it right, although there are a few other steps where people often have trouble.
Here’s how you do it:
  • As a wave approaches, take a few hard paddles directly at the wave to build speed.When the wave is a few feet away, grab the rails at your chest and push down on the front of the board. Get the board as deep as you can. Once it’s as deep as it will go, submerge your body after it.
  • Right after you begin to follow your board underwater and just as the wave is about to pass over you, push down on the tail of the board with your knee or foot to get the board fully underwater as far as it will go. You can pull yourself toward the board to get your body under, but don’t pull so hard that you cause the board to surface too quickly.
  • Your other leg will bend up behind you like a scorpion. The last thing you should see when a surfer duckdives is his or her foot disappearing into the sea. It’s a funny thing to watch, but very graceful when done right.
  • As the wave passes over you, pull up on the nose of the board and allow yourself to float up to the surface. If you’re especially deep, a frog kick can propel you back up.
The motions of the duckdive should be smooth as all the moves flow into each other. Timing is a huge part of a successful duckdive, and this is where experience will be your friend. Only practicing will help you acquire the subconscious “feel” that will let you know when precisely you should begin your dive. For instance, you want to start your duckdive early enough so that you have time to fully submerge the board, but not so early that you float back up before the wave gets to you.
I learned to duckdive my bodyboard before I even owned a surfboard, and this helped a lot with learning some wave timing and the motions of a duckdive. It’s easier to duck a bodyboard because it’s a lot smaller than a surfboard. If you have access to a bodyboard I highly recommend taking it out for a few duckdives just to get comfortable with the motions and the act of diving under a wave with a board.
http://www.surfinghandbook.com/knowledge/duckdive/



Responsive//Batiste//Cosmic Print

Cosmic Prints

Here are some products with cosmic print. Currently it is a very big trend being seen in many high street shops on a lot of various products. 






http://www.polyvore.com/


Saturday, 12 January 2013

Responsive//Batiste//Existing products

Batiste dry shampoo currently has quite strong aesthetics.On each bottle their is a lot going on. The colours are mainly bold and vibrant. Even though the bottles may stand out on a shelf, it might not be for the right reasons.  Also, as the target audience is actually broader than what you'd expect, their doesn't seem to be any bottle designs that would attract an older woman. 














Friday, 11 January 2013

Responsive//Batiste//Artist Research

Claire Acton

Beginning her education at London College of Fashion, Claire studied Fashion Portfolio where she gained skills in all areas including pattern cutting, design, photography, Photoshop and Illustrator. She then gained a BA Hons in fashion Design from the university of Central Lancashire.

During her placement year she worked for up-and-coming East End fashion label 18 and East, where she was a design assistant and took part in all areas of the design studio.

Recently, her final collection - It's One Big Hair Show - was chosen for Graduate Fashion Week and nominated for George's Gala Gold Award and Womenswear Award. After this showcase her work was heavily featured in print and online publications such as Vogue, Drapers, WGSN, StyleSite, Grazia, I-D Magazine, Evening Standard, Telegraph and many more.

Grazia: "Sureal womenswear featuring dresses printed with faces layered under bright jackets forming 'hair' - a very clever take on fringing - and one that Elsa Schiaparelli would have been proud of!"







http://www.claireacton.com/collections.html