Since beginning this subject I always had a high interest in investigating the branding & design strategies of Asian countries compared to what I personally know/encounter/experience in every day life. I saw it as an opportunity to broaden my cultural understandings and gain a better knowledge of the world around me (specifically in design). When it came to identifying a specific individual task topic it didn’t occur to me until a fellow classmate brought in a variety of Japanese treats all interestingly, yet beautifully packaged in a playful yet enticing nature that I may be able to delve into the way Asian countries (I have now specifically chosen Japan) have developed their unique design styles within the marketing culture & industry.

After investigating the small packets of treats and goodies (delivered in a beautiful neatly compacted box by a company called “Tokyo Treat”) first hand I straight away recognised a…

Being introduced to the term “Autoethnography” has opened new doors to the way I understand research and the value that personal experience can withhold over the way culture can be understood. After examining the provided reading and attending each tutorial I have found myself analysing the 1954 film ‘Godzilla’ in an unfamiliar yet interestingly intimate way.  As Ellis (2011) explains “Authethnography is an approach to research and writing that seeks to describe and systematically analyse personal experience in order to understand cultural experience”I saw myself delving into my own encounters that completely related to scenes within ‘Godzilla’ that I would’ve missed before.

My initial thought as we began to watch the 1954 black and white film based on a large fire breathing dragon swamp monster all in Japanese (might I add) has me questioning how the hell i’m going to relate my personal experiences to the cultural understanding of such an old and seemingly irrelevant…