Can Nostalgia Influence Creativityfor a Commercial Audience?

Analytical ReportMA Visual Communication

Sara Truckel

Student Number Q11676710Unit Code VIC704

August 2016

Contents

1. Introduction 2 1.2. Aims 2 1.3. Objectives 2

2. Context Review 3

2.2 Nostalgia 3 2.3 Music Nostalgia 4 2.4 Record Buying 4 2.5 Album Cover Artists 5

3. Methodology 6

3.1 Phase One 6 3.2 Phase Two 7 3.3 Phase Three 8

4. Critical Reflection 9 References 11

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Can Nostalgia Influence Creativity for a Commercial Audience?

1. Introduction The original research question of “ Is the new found appetite for record buying due to a collective nostalgia in society or are we simply rebelling against the pace of technology? ” was to ascertain whether collective nostalgia was the driving force behind a regressive outlook, especially in the creative industries. The aims and objectives changed once it was concluded that nostalgia was personal rather than collective. The project then became a practice led research task using personal nostalgia to experiment, document, trial and develop commercial art works. With many creative industries using a retrospective vision to their advantage, the research was to gain a deeper understanding in the chosen field of study of graphic design and illustration, specifically album cover design. Therefore the chosen output was to produce a series of complete album covers, inner sleeves and label designs to be used as part of a professional portfolio. 1.2 Aims The aim of this project is to explore the use of nostalgia to influence creativity in the production of commercially attractive work. Album covers are to be used as the vehicle for the creative work which will in turn contribute to the development of professional practice. 1.3 Objectives

● Examine research into nostalgia ● Explore research into the target market of record buyers ● Research album cover designers ● Create a volume of work for a professional portfolio

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2. Context Review The research focussed on nostalgia in the early stages, as a comprehension of the reasons and effects of nostalgia was needed to even start to creatively answer the research question. As the research was taking place there was a move towards more specific research, namely that of music nostalgia and why music from the teenage years is more potent than any other time in adult life. It was during this research that it became apparent nostalgia can only be a personal experience and therefore can never be perceived collectively. Within the speciality of album cover design, a deeper understanding of the design process and relationships with designers and musicians was also an important field of research.

2.2 Nostalgia In modern times nostalgia is classified as a temporary condition which invokes a “wistful pining for a halcyon lost time in one’s own life.” ( Reynolds, 2012 ).

Nostalgia is much more than just remembering or reminiscing, it’s a feeling, an emotion explains Erica Hepper, Ph.D., a lecturer of Psychology at the University of Surrey, “Nostalgia is the warm, fuzzy emotion that we feel when we think about fond memories from our past, …..it often feels bittersweet — mostly happy and comforting, but with a tinge of sadness that whatever we’re remembering is lost in some way.” ( Erica Hepper, Ph.D, 2013 ).

Reminiscing is the act of reflecting or remembering your past and nostalgia is the emotional response that it often triggers. Nostalgia is usually triggered by sensory inputs such as sounds and smells but can also come from looking at things like old photos.

Why do humans experience nostalgia? Nostalgia is thought to be made up of memories that focus around self, meaningful places and events, close friends and relatives and chapters in life. Nostalgia mostly generates positive emotions from a negative emotion like loneliness, anxiety, stress or mortality.

Nostalgia also has serious role in society. Clay Routledge Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology at North Dakota State University stated in a 2102 study published in the Journal of Memory that “Nostalgia increases feelings of social connectedness to others…..Nostalgia makes people feel loved and valued and increases perceptions of social support when people are lonely” ( Routledge et al, 2012 ). Routledge explains that experiencing nostalgia can help people encountering loneliness to feel socially connected to others by making them feel loved and valued and in turn raising their self esteem by recalling loved ones. Nostalgia is important in times of negative emotion as it can lead to an increased optimism about the future.

Nostalgic episodes are most common in the late teens and early twenties when this age group is trying to cope with large life changes such as leaving home or starting work but episodes are also common in adults over 50 years of age as a reevaluation of life commonly happens around this time according to both Routledge and Hepper.

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If, according to Routledge, nostalgia can increase optimism about the future, is that what is happening in the creative industries? Are the creative industries playing an important role in making society feel better about the future? 2.3 Music Nostalgia The involuntary response of nostalgia when hearing a familiar song is linked strongly with the field of study for the output. Music features heavily in many people's lives and certain pieces often have an emotional response attached to them whether that be happiness, sadness or anger. This occurrence is never more prominent than in music heard between the ages of 12 and 22.

Researchers at Leeds University conclude that the ages between 12 and 22 correspond with the “emergence of a stable and enduring self” ( Stern, 2014 ), meaning it is when humans become themselves. Memories formed during these formative years do not just contribute to the development of self images, they become part of the self image.

Daniel J. Levitin, a neuroscientist at the McGill University in Canada, explains in his 2007 book This is Your Brain on Music , “we are discovering music on our own for the first time when we’re young, often through friends. We listen to the music they listen to as a badge, as a way of belonging to a certain social group. That melds the music to our sense of identity” ( Levitin and Herrmann 2007 ).

Therefore this research concludes that music nostalgia is a neurological command rather than merely a cultural phenomenon. Further research findings on music nostalgia can be found on page 23 of the Visual Summary.

During this research it was concluded that as a neurological command, nostalgia cannot be experienced as a collective. Even people who have had the same life experience will more than likely process and memorise their emotions in very different ways. 2.4 Record Buying Research conducted at the beginning of 2016 by the BBC concluded that the biggest purchasers of vinyl records were 25 to 34 year olds with the next biggest buyers being people aged between 35 and 44. Apart from the upper end of the second age category, neither of these age groups would have been around during the heyday of vinyl record buying before the compact disc took over in the mid 1990s. The same research also discovered that nearly half (48%) of record buyers did not play the record they bought, opting for using the download code within the packaging to listen via electronic devices. So the question arising from this research was why were these people purchasing the physical record if the intention was not to play it? Was it the artwork that was the driving sales force? Was it the tactile nature of a physical object? Was it seen as a fashionable “relic” but not worthy of the additional time needed to play the record? Or was it all of those things?

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New research released in August 2016 conducted by YouGov suggests a very different set of statistics and ones that are more easy to comprehend. This new research concludes that record buyers are in fact between the ages of 45 and 54, an age group able to remember vinyl records and record shops before the days of CDs. This research also ties in with a 2016 marketing campaign by the supermarket chain, Tesco. In the second quarter of 2016, after a successful trial over the 2015 Christmas period, Tesco announced the return of vinyl records in 40 selected stores across the UK. Supporting this was a printed advertising campaign with strong links to middle aged nostalgia. The first poster in the series featured an image reminiscent of the 1967 The Velvet Underground & Nico Andy Warhol banana album cover.

With the research suggesting 2016 record buyers are between 45 and 54 there is a strong connection with the previous research into nostalgia and when humans are more likely to experience episodes of nostalgia: in the teens and early twenties, and in the over fifties. Therefore is it personal nostalgia driving the resurgence of vinyl, especially when retailers such as Tesco are clearly marketing records to a more mature buyer? The age of a supermarket shopper, according to YouGov and reported by Catherine Neilan on the City AM website in November 2014, is over 40, the perfect age group, it would seem, for the marketing of vinyl records.

A personal online poll asking why people buy records was conducted as well as asking a high profile record collector within the target age range. The answers to both of these concluded the cover artwork was one of the biggest influences in the purchase of vinyl over compact discs or downloaded music as illustrated on pages 112 to 113 of the Visual Summary. 2.5 Album Cover Artists Along with the theoretical research on nostalgia, another field of research was to gain a deeper understanding of the art of album cover design. Although the project supervisor, Chris Bigg, an album cover designer himself, was of immense help in this area, a broader knowledge of other artists in this field was also required. Seven artists were researched for this part of the project all with very differing styles and practices: Kate Gibb, Ian Anderson, Stanley Donwood, Peter Saville, Rick Myers, Storm Thorgerson and Chris Bilheimer, with the outcome of this research on pages 115 to 121 of the Visual Summary. What was evident from all artists was a strong

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relationship with the musicians. Although the artists do not work exclusively with one musician, the musicians work exclusively with one artist. This way the artist has a much more complex understanding of the musicians and their music and is therefore more able to create a piece of art that will satisfy all parties. 3. Methodology 3.1 Phase One The first phase of my primary research was to depict nostalgia through art. During the Project Development stage I had studied some other artists working in the field of nostalgia and I revisited these artists to assist my experimentation. I was mindful not to research other artists at this stage as I did not want their work to directly influence the work I was producing. At the end of the Project Development phase the decision was made to use artistic methods of an analogue nature to produce work such as film photography, hand printing, painting, collage, photocopying and typewriter text.

I used a disposable camera as I did not have access to any other film camera and visited places of nostalgia e.g. the beach, seaside and souvenir shops and a train station. After many years of shooting photography using a digital camera, it took a long while to become reaccustomed to not being able to instantly see the results which led to some shots being quite out of focus. I did enjoy the look and feel of the physical photos after they were developed. The images had a grainy, muted and low resolution feel to them which is very different from the crisp sharp shots from a digital camera. The next part of the experimentation was to use an instant camera such as a Polaroid. After much research into the purchase or loan of a Polaroid camera I had to be satisfied with the next best thing, an instant Polaroid printer. Once again the outcome of this experimentation was very appealing. Although the images were taken on a modern digital device, the printer captured the crude, faded and low quality processing that was the beauty of a Polaroid camera. After other experiments using painting and collage I finally moved onto printmaking. I experimented with printing over photography and other media and overlaying images onto the prints with varying degrees of success. At this stage I began to be pulled into personal nostalgia, as while I was experimenting with depicting nostalgia through art, I was drawing on many of my own memories and past events to help shape this. I began looking at old photographs and other memorabilia from my youth such as concert tickets. ( see pages 49-55 for research)

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Although, looking once again at the samples of work produced during this phase, I can see the merit in many, at the time I was experiencing a creative block that refused to lift. I felt as though I had limited myself by cutting out the ability to use any of the computer editing software I frequently use to edit, manipulate and overlay my hand produced artworks. It was also at this stage I concluded within the theoretical research that nostalgia cannot possibly be experienced as a collective. I took a step back and reevaluated the project as a whole and drew up the new set of aims and objectives based on the new research question. 3.2 Phase Two With the new question I explored my own memories and nostalgic experiences. I began by reflecting on the experiences of my childhood and established a link between many of these memories and the art of creating dioramas. My exploration of the history of the diorama can be viewed on page 63 of the Visual Summary along with research into diorama artists on pages 64 to 69. Two artists I researched during this phase, Victoria Ricks and Geoffery Farmer, provided the inspiration I needed to once again proceed with the practical aspect of the project.

I built a small maquette of an interior scene using old photographs. Pleased with the results I began to consider what scenes or memories I could use as subject matter for the dioramas ( see page 78 of the Visual Summary ). I initially reduced the list to six scenes but condensed this further to four to follow the formula of a square record cover. ( The development stage of this phase of the project can be viewed on pages 79 to 85 of the Visual Summary ).

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The next question: how was I going to display the dioramas? After a group discussion with my tutor, supervisor and fellow students I decided to build a large box to display all four dioramas. As I was building the scenes I was regularly viewing them at eye level so I decided the box should be hung from above with a hole in the underside so all could be viewed from below. This would offer an all immersive experience ( please see pages 87-91 of the Visual Summary ).

The next stage was building of the dioramas within the box with revisions and alterations as it progressed ( refer to page 92 of the Visual Summary for more details ). 3.3 Phase Three This phase was the design of the album covers.

As stated in sections 2.3 and 2.4 of this document, I had already undertaken research into the record buying public as well as album cover designers. This research gave me not only inspiration for the designs but also the target market for the output. Since the 45-54 age group is the biggest purchaser of vinyl records, this would be my target for the designs.

The first stage of this phase was to take photographs of the diorama to use as the imagery for the record covers, inner sleeves and labels. My DSLR camera was too large to get close enough to the dioramas to take the photographs so I used my phone camera as an alternative ( see pages 100-107 of the Visual Summary ). It became apparent these photographs would not be of a quality suitable to use on their own. I therefore referred back to the digital manipulation experiments I had undertaken during the Project Development stage of the project as well as producing further experiments with the images recently taken ( refer to pages 129-135 of the Visual Summary ).

As referred to at the beginning of the Project Development ( VIC704 Visual Summary, p.6 ) stage I see the beauty in the used and worn rather than in the new and pristine. I enjoy the texture and history suggested by these items. I therefore continued with further development of the images seen on 130 and 131 of the Visual Summary.

Using the best photograph from each diorama I manipulated the colour, texture and finish of each image to produce an entirely new piece of art based on the original photograph. The outer cover, inner sleeve and label were all produced from the same photograph ( please see pages 140-181 of the Visual Summary ). I felt the design needed some text to give it the feel of a record sleeve but didn't want to use a known band or a fantasy band. The decision to use single words to represent the memory and the year was made after discussion with my supervisor. My original idea of using a typewriter, coupled with Myers’ use of the typewriter in his work for the Lamb album cover, inspired me to also use that style of text on my finished covers. Although I did have access to a typewriter, once scanned in the text was illegible so I had to revert to a digital font but searched for one that was very close to the original.

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4. Critical Reflection Early on in the research stage I concluded that my original question “ Is the new found appetite for record buying due to a collective nostalgia in society or are we simply rebelling against the pace of technology? ” was no longer valid I discovered nostalgia could not be experienced collectively. Although the question of record buying being a rebellion against the pace of technology was still valid, it was too far removed from my practice led research and experimentation. Nostalgia was my main focus and I resolved to progress along that path. I originally asked friends to offer thoughts on what made them feel nostalgic but I struggled with that as I could not seem to visualise their thoughts. It was not long after this I discovered how nostalgia could not be felt collectively which made complete sense as to why I struggled recording other people’s nostalgic experiences. During the initial primary research phase the printmaking work I was producing was not offering me the response I was looking for. At that point I had to refocus as the prints were not taking me any closer to answering the question of depicting nostalgia in art. Once I made the connection with my own nostalgia and dioramas I had found a new energy and started to produce work that I found challenging and exciting. The research into dioramas and artists led me to discover the work of Victoria Ricks and Geoffery Farmer, both of whom had used flat images to create 3D artwork. This discovery led to not only the way my diorama was built, but also how it was arranged and photographed, pulling large influence from Victoria Ricks “ Cityscape ” piece. I feel my finished diorama is of a high professional standard and I will further develop this style of work in the future. I benefitted from my reflection in practice and gained confidence in my work as it progressed. The finished piece is much larger and more ambitious than my original models and I understood the need to create a scene rather than re-create a scene from my memory. The completion of the diorama was key to the development of the final record covers. The results exceeded my expectations. The preparatory studies and the undertaking of a large amount of digital image manipulation and experimentation during the Project Development stage was of enormous benefit for this phase as it meant I already had knowledge and experience of the processes. The research into the work of other artists was also valuable in the creation of my own pieces. The inner sleeve designs of my final pieces were heavily influenced by Kate Gibb’s printmaking. Although I did not have the facilities to screen print, I used digital methods to give that quality to the highlighted figure. The black and white background and block colour was also a draw on Gibb’s work. The outer cover was influenced by Rick Myers’ early hand produced work. I wanted the cover, inner sleeve and label to all flow together; using the same image for all three helped create this link. Using the photograph in its entirety for the inner sleeve put the outer cover image into context and created the flow I was aiming for. This project has not only contributed to my personal development in that I learned the ability to refocus and reflect in practice to rediscover my interests and excitements in the subject matter,

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but it has also made an important contribution to my professional development. I hope that the knowledge and experience I have gained alongside my artwork will benefit my professional portfolio. To conclude, there is a positive response to the research question “ Can nostalgia influence creativity for a commercial audience ”. However the evidence of my research into other artists working with musicians demonstrates that there are several ways to produce album cover designs; I therefore reach the conclusion that it is possible to use personal nostalgia as a starting point for visually pleasing and commercially appealing artwork.

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References Books BURGESS, T., 2016. Tim: Vinyl adventures from Istanbul to San Francisco: Book Two. United Kingdom: Faber & Faber HOLT, M. and H. MUIR, 2005. 8vo - on the outside. Switzerland: Lars Muller Publishers LONG, N., 2004. Graphic design book Two music industry. Sheffield, United Kingdom: Art Books International MILES, B., G. SCOTT and J. MORGAN, 2008. The greatest album covers of all time. London, United Kingdom: Collins & Brown NOBLE, I. and R. BESTLEY, 2005. Visual research: An introduction to research methodologies in graphic design. Lausanne, Switzerland: Distributed by Thames and Hudson STOLTZE, C., 2008. 1, 000 music graphics: A compilation of packaging, posters, and other sound solutions. United States: Rockport Publishers STORMSTUDIOS, 2013. The gathering storm: The album art of storm Thorgerson. London, United Kingdom: De Milo and StormStudios (2013)

Journals ANDERSSON, J., J. ANNETT and K. VALLI, 2011. DEFINING NOSTALGIA AND ITS FUNCTIONS A review bachelor degree project in cognitive Neuroscience 15 ECTS spring term year 2011. [viewed 4 May 2016]. Available from: http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:431783/FULLTEXT01.pdf BARRON, L., 2015. Why vinyl has made a comeback. 18 April Viewed 30/3/16 LLC, S., 2006. Nostalgia: What, when, and why? [viewed 4 May 2016]. Available from: http://scienceblogs.com/mixingmemory/2006/11/10/nostalgia-what-when-and-why/ SAVAGE, M., 2016. Music streaming boosts sales of vinyl. BBC Entertainment & Arts, 14 April STERN, M.J., 2014. Why are we so nostalgic for music we loved as teenagers? [viewed 10 August 2016]. Available from: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/08/musical_nostalgia_the_psychology_and_neuroscience_for_song_preference_and.html TOBIN, B., 2016. Music: The vinyl frontier [viewed 10 August 2016]. Available from: https://yougov.co.uk/news/2016/08/08/vinyls-rebirth-fuelled-music-obsessives/ Websites and Online Articles ANON., 2016a. 6 reasons why people are buying vinyl records again [viewed 16 May 2016]. Available from: https://www.facebook.com/notes/vinylicious-records/6-reasons-why-people-are-buying-vinyl-records-again/314862691954687/ 2016, C.G.L., 2016. Creative work of the week: Tesco takes cues from classic albums as vinyl returns to stores | advertising [viewed 10 August 2016]. Available from: http://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/05/30/creative-work-week-tesco-takes-cues-classic-albums-vinyl-returns-stores ANON., 2016b. Buying vinyl for the First time: What’s with all the Elitism? [viewed 20 August 2016]. Available from: https://www.thefourohfive.com/music/article/buying-vinyl-for-the-first-time-what-s-with-all-the-elitism-145 ANON., 2014. Did vinyl really die in the ’90s? Well, sort Of… [viewed 30 March 2016]. Available from: http://www.spin.com/2014/05/did-vinyl-really-die-in-the-90s-death-resurgence-sales/ FACTORY, T.V., 2016. It’s 2016 – of course streaming is driving vinyl sales [viewed 20 August 2016]. Available from: http://www.thevinylfactory.com/vinyl-factory-releases/streaming-vinyl-sales/ MARTIN, L., 2014. The science behind nostalgia and why we’re so obsessed with the past [viewed 21 March 2016]. Available from: http://elitedaily.com/life/science-behind-nostalgia-love-much/673184/

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Mighty Media Discs, n.d. Vinyl Templates [viewed 19 August 2016]. Available from: http://www.mightymediadiscs.co.uk/vinylsup.html ANON., n.d. The nostalgia effect: Do consumers spend more when thinking about the past? [viewed 13 April 2016]. Available from: http://press.uchicago.edu/pressReleases/2014/July/140730_JCR_lasaleta.html

Other References TRUCKEL, S., (2016). Research Methods VIC700 TRUCKEL, S., (2016). Project Development - Visual Summary VIC703

Images Page 5 TESCO. 2016, C.G.L., 2016. Creative work of the week: Tesco takes cues from classic albums

as vinyl returns to stores | advertising [viewed 10 August 2016]. Available from: http://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/05/30/creative-work-week-tesco-takes-cues-classic-albums-vinyl-returns-stores Page 5 ANON., 2012. The velvet underground: The velvet underground & Nico  [viewed 27 August 2016]. Available from: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17129­the­velvet­underground­nico/  All other images author's own. Available from: TRUCKEL, S., (2016). Masters Project ­ Visual Summary VIC704 

 

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