Ding Ning

How can communication design help people develop compassion for people with comfort objects

Abstract

In the contemporary world, while people are facing a number of pressures, they are also paying more and more attention to mental health. Comfort objects are influential in bringing emotional securities. However, misunderstandings about comfort objects may exist. Thus, this practice based research project is to design a zine which includes various collage works that are based on the experiences of the author and comfort objects as well as different situations related to comfort objects. Through the focus on the communication design of storytelling and emotional connections, this project is to provide a chance to let people have a much more comprehensive understanding about comfort objects. Moreover, it is to further raise the awareness of comfort objects and encourage people to take a positive attitude towards mental health.

The purpose of this phase was to initially explore the role of comfort objects and related situations through the chosen research methods and the way of storytelling to convey those insights. This phase revealed how collage could be a medium to present emotions and the remarkable significances of comfort objects for different ages. This was important to having a deep direction for investigating the role of comfort objects in contemporary world and the power of building storytelling and emotional connections through communication design.

The purpose of this phase was to have a deeper research on the complexity of the role of comfort objects in different time periods and efficient ways through collage to build resultful storytelling and resonances. This phase revealed diverse significances of comfort objects and how collage could achieve effective storytelling with different design considerations to build emotional connections for showing the different meanings of comfort objects. This was important to bringing out a comprehensive understanding about comfort objects and knowing the resonating storytelling ability of collage.

The purpose of this phase was to apply the explored insights to complete the final collage zine. This phase revealed how collage could effectively convey different abstract things about comfort objects such as various emotional supports brought by them as a storytelling tool with building emotional connections. This was important to providing a chance for understanding the significance of comfort objects through communication design from a comprehensive perspective.

Artefacts

Select Bibliography

Burke V M. (1959) ‘Why Not Try Collage?’, Collage Composition and Communication, 10(4):231-234, doi: 10.2307/355097.

McBride P C. (2016) ‘Weimar-Era Montage: Perception, Expression, Storytelling’, The Chatter of the Visible: Montage and Narrative in Weimar Germany, University of Michigan Press, United States.

O’Shaughnessy R, Berry K, Dallos R and Bateson K (2023) Attachment Theory: The Basics, Oxford: Routledge, doi:10.4324/9780203703878.