A 6000 word essay on sustainability in packaging design

Deadline: A draft (or work-in-progress report) - 8th January Final submission (refined according to feedback on draft) - 15th February Essay subject: How are companies using design to convince us of their green practices (focusing on packaging design, green design)? Possible discussions in the essay: -How design is used to look like green packaging? -Are all green looking packaging sustainable in reality? -How design affects people’s buying habits? -How do you incorporate sustainability in design? -Investigate the territory between material quality and aesthetic perception in sustainable packaging ... Requirements: • The essay should be between 5,000 and 7,000 words, not including contents, list of illustrations, footnotes, bibliography or appendices. • Contents • List of Illustrations • Essay – broken into chapters and including an introduction and conclusion • Bibliography • The essay must be fully referenced according to academic convention, using footnotes, quote marks and a bibliography Structure: Introduction: Introduce your study. It must address your question/argument. It must identify, define and clarify key terms. Outline what you are attempting to demonstrate in your essay. Chapter 1: Contextualise your study and/or give a review of the key literature about it. Give an overview of debates, and historical and/or cultural backgrounds. What have other writers written about your topic and/or the wider issues that it brings up? Chapters 2 – 3(or 4): Think about writing across two or three manageable chapters, which you can then interrelate and link together as the study develops (for example, you might say ‘this is further explored in chapter one’). Consider using comparative case studies, introducing other writers, designers, photographers or artists with a differing viewpoint on your subject in order to develop a richer analysis. (For example, if your essay is on an issue in contemporary design, Chapter Two might look at one designer whose work is relevant to the topic as a case study, and Chapter Three might look at a second, contrasting approach taken by another designer to the same issue.) Make sure throughout that you are still exploring your title and not deviating from your questions/argument. Keep your focus. Your writing will be more interesting if it can develop ideas, debates, discussions and arguments. Conclusion: The conclusion is as important as the introduction as it indicates how well you have grasped your topic. A study must not come to an abrupt end. You must show how each chapter has developed your topic and argument, and offer an analysis that displays thought and considered ideas, and may even pose further questions. The conclusion shows the relevance of your study.