Saturday, May 29, 2010

Visual execution for playing cards

To establish a style for our playing cards we each visualized how we thought the cards should look and what elements needed to the be included.






































Initial mind map

This mind map illustrates how we came to discover the area of play from our initial theme of community.




Competitors

Kaz Cooke - author of female literature:


























Dummies Guide - series of how-to guides:















Instruction Manual - series of manuals:



























Bar Secrets Melbourne - deck of 52 cards that expose all the best places to eat and drink in Melbourne:






Tim Brown on Creativity and play - TED Video

We found this TED video really interesting and relevant to our topic, plus it's lots of fun to watch.
Check it out

http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_brown_on_creativity_and_play.html

Play Knows No Age Proposal

Faculty of Design, Swinburne University of Technology

HDG407 Social Patterns Research

Project 2: Developing a Design Research Proposal Brief

Topic: Reinvigorating Play in the Lives of Midlife Women

Students: Melissa Beel 6149391

Melissa Chubb 6146635

Chloe Dam 6146716

Justine Fotia 5691435

Lecturer: Dr Keith Robertson

Class: Tuesday, 7.30pm, PA 402

Submission Date: 14/05/2010

Abstract

For some, play can simply be defined as the opposite of work, but many are unaware of its great importance in our lives. Play, by its very nature, is designed to make us happy and active, benefiting both our physical and mental health. As children, play helps us to explore the world and our place in it as well as allowing us to build strong friendships (Elkind, D. 1970). But, if play has such a positive affect on who we are, why do we forgo the ability to play as adults? Some believe there is a stigma attached to adult play, that it is no longer socially acceptable to engage in child-like play. Instead we must recommit the time that we devoted to play during childhood to our careers and our families.

For middle-aged women this is often true as they devoted much of their twenties and thirties to their careers and the needs of loved ones, forcing play to take a back seat. It is when they reach this midlife stage, usually 45-55, that many transitions begin to occur and a woman might begin to question her place in the world (Vickers-Willis, R., 2009). Not always classified as a midlife crisis, this period of increased self-awareness can bring with it emotional turmoil and life changing transitions. Play has been proven to be a coping mechanism when dealing with such changes (National Institute of Play, 2010), but it also brings a heightened sense of self-awareness and produces a deeper connection with those around (Elkind, D. 1970). Therefore, it is essential that play and its many proven benefits be promoted to women as a tool to cope with this period of transitions and self-assessment.

To address this issue and gain a greater understanding we used three forms of primary and secondary research. The two surveys conducted allowed us to understand a small proportion of the Australian communities opinion on the topic of play as well as if and how they engage in play. A detailed literature review was also undertaken, with the key texts forming the basis of a content analysis that compared the representation of women in academic texts with that of the media. Through completing this content analysis we were able to produce visual personas that helped to inform our final outcome by connecting with our target demographic. All this research led to one clear point, the issue of play in the lives of adult women must be addressed in a sensitive manner that engages and enlightens. The outcome we saw fit to promote what we think is a serious issue is a set of playing cards. Specifically directed at women aged 45-55, this card set will offer informative advice in a humorous manner. A woman will be able to shuffle through the cards at any place or time to access a range of strategies designed to help her cope with the difficult midlife transition she is facing.

Introduction

Proven to be an essential part of life, play has been genetically hardwired into us, as humans, from birth. Participating in the many forms of play aids and promotes good physical, emotional and mental well-being. Studies have also shown that those children who actively participate in play are better at socialising, building relationships, are more productive at school (Elkind, D. 1970) and better able to cope with life’s twists and turns.(National Institute of Play, 2010) Other studies have also shown that the role play has in our lives steadily decreases as we age. (Baptiste, N., 1995) Time normally spent engaging in the beneficial act of play is taken over by commitments to family and work (Baptiste, N., 1995). Essentially we forget the pleasure that pure unadulterated play brings us, therefore we are unable to reap its many benefits.

Objectives

It is clear that play is a key factor in having a fulfilling and happy life, but the lack of play within the lives of adults and the belief within this age group that play is just for children must be addressed. For women in the midlife stage of adulthood, usually around 45-55 years, there is a distinct lack of play within their lives. Play becomes non-existent as they devote much of their adult life to their careers and attending to the needs of their families. In her article, Welcome to the age of change, Bronwyn McNulty states that ‘…there are several things that typically happen somewhere around life's halfway point: physical attractiveness begins to wane; energy levels drop; health problems arise; parents are ageing; responsibility at work increases; children are becoming more independent; and relationships often break down’ (McNulty, B., 2009). Women begin to enter a stage of increased self-awareness, questioning their choices in life and even the roles they play in their career and their family unit. Robyn Vickers-Willis states that if a woman is ‘…experiencing uncharacteristic feelings, thoughts and behaviours which may include a sense of a loss of meaning, feelings of being trapped and overburdened by responsibility, depression, boredom, anxiety and dissatisfaction with work, then (they) are likely to be experiencing a midlife crisis’ (Vickers-Willis, R., 2009). It is our aim to identify a way of reinjecting play into the lives of middle-aged women to help them navigate this stage of midlife transition. Through research using primary and secondary resources, we aim to produce an outcome that will provide guidance and ideas as to how our target audience can engage in playful exploration and enjoyable activities. By acknowledging this demographics tendency for a busy lifestyle, we will tailor our outcome to be simple and accessible, with a combination of informative details and a humorous undertone that mimics the fun that can be had when engaging in play.

Research Methodologies

To get a better understanding of the role of play and the issues Australian women are facing at midlife, we undertook three forms of primary and secondary research. Our first was an online survey directed specifically at our target demographic. This led to a second survey that was broadly directed at all age groups. Our final research method was a content analysis of the academic texts and the media, which led to a series of “personas”.

As a starting point we felt we needed primary research that would better inform us of the opinions of our target demographic. We directly questioned our sample demographic, collecting their opinions about health issues, relationships, work, free time/leisure and self-image. We opted to produce a survey for our first research method as it appeared to us to be a better alternative than face-to-face interviews or a focus group, which may lead some people to be more hesitant about disclosing personal details. Because of this issue of maintaining anonymity and privacy at all times we felt using an online platform in which they could respond to our survey would be most appropriate. By approaching members of our immediate family and our friends to fill out this survey we were able to get 20 detailed responses.

Over the five day period that this first survey was being conducted we also ran a second survey directly targeting a broader demographic. By using ten of the more general play related questions from the first survey, we were able to gage the opinions of both males and females of all ages. We asked them to define play, to tell us what their favourite childhood activities were, along with other play related questions. We decided that conducting two separate surveys would allow us to explore the stigma of play in all demographics comparative to our sample demographic. By using the social networking site Facebook we were able to invite over 300 of our friends to an event that directed them to our online survey. Of the 300 people invited we received responses from over 160 people.

Points of interest from both surveys

Participation

All Ages Survey

• 69% women but only 31% men completed the survey, indicating that women found this topic more engaging than men.

Target Demographic Survey

We had 20 responses from women, 90% of these women were aged 45-55.

Relationships

Target Demographic Survey

• 58% of participants indicated they were married, 21% were divorced.

• 86% of women lived with the ‘spouse or partner’ and/or ‘children’.

• 89% of these women indicated they had children, but none disclosed age.

Health

Target Demographic Survey

• The majority maintained good health by walking and eating healthily.

Free time

All Ages Survey

• 45% of participants indicated that they devote 7-15 hours of their week to leisure, while 27% indicated 16-25 hours.

• When asked in the general survey what they did in their leisure time the ‘Internet’ and ‘social gatherings’ were tied in first place at 11%, at 10% were ‘television’ and ‘music’.

Target Demographic survey

• When asked what they did in their leisure time most answers involved walking or watching television.

• 53% said they devoted 7-15 hours to leisure each week, but 42% said they only devoted 1-6 hours.

• When asked how they spent their leisure time ‘read’ and ‘television’ were equal first at 12%.

General thoughts on play from both surveys

• When asked what forms of play participants participated in when they were children most were quite innocent and child-like in nature, having a distinctly reminiscent tone.

• When questioned what form of play they would participate in if they knew they were ‘free from judgement’ answers were simple nostalgic games from their past like tiggy, juggling, splashing in puddles, dress ups and hide and seek. In the target demographic survey, one woman responded with “I don't care what people think, I do what I want”.

• For the all ages survey, 34% of people indicated that play made them feel happy.
• 58% answers from the target demographic survey believed play brought them happiness.

Content Analysis

To conduct a content analysis we used the broad themes of health, relationships, work, free time and self-image that were raised and valued as significant by participants of the first survey. The purpose of conducting a content analysis was to compare perceptions of women in midlife from both a scholarly and pop-culture perspective. Through the analysis of journals, texts, articles and images we sought to find inconsistencies and gaps in perceptions to establish whether the needs, desires and roles of women at midlife are being addressed, underestimated or overlooked.

Scholarly content analysis

We collated information from disciplines of psychology, sociology, health and feminism and drew on relevant data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics to seek a more objective insight into Australian women in midlife.

Midlife

Joseph Campbell, an American mythologist heavily influenced by Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, described midlife as the moment when ‘you reach the top of the ladder and find out that it was against the wrong wall.’ (McNulty, B. 2009) However Sydney psychologist and author of Change your Thinking, Dr. Sarah Edelman believes that midlife is not simply a moment of crisis, but rather a stage of deep transition. (McNulty, B. 2009) Denise Charman, director of clinical psychology at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia, describes midlife transition as the stage in which a person becomes more focused on who they are in the world, reflecting on more transcendental matters. (Dennerstein, L. 2009) This viewpoint was first put forward by Carl Jung who theorised that for the first half of our life we create a lifestyle and understanding of who we are based on expectations of parents, peers, partners and society. In the second half of life Jung theorised that we begin to explore and establish our true identity by reclaiming repressed ambitions, dreams and traits. By doing this and establishing a lifestyle based on new understanding, humans remain optimistic about the future. If humans neglect their true identity and do not reclaim repressed ambitions, dreams and traits they will forever struggle to find satisfaction and purpose in their life. (Vickers-Willis, R. 2009)

Women in midlife

Roby Vickers-Willis, psychologist and author of Navigating midlife: women becoming themselves supports Carl Jung’s theory, describing midlife transition as a stage in which a female should find her true voice and start putting her needs ahead of others. In the first half of life, Vickers-Willis believes women are conditioned not to ‘rock the boat’. When encountering the midlife transition, Vickers-Willis believes many women continue to conform to this condition and confront new unsettling realities in an invisible fashion. (Vickers-Willis, R. 2009) This invisibility starkly contrasts to the widely accepted social myth where a man is ‘seen’ to change his career and purchase rather impulsively a brand new red sports car. In mentioning this, we do not suggest a males’ transition into midlife is less challenging or at times as transparent as a females, rather we wish to highlight the fact that there appears to be a significant lack of scholarly texts that confront issues pertaining to women. It appears their struggles or new encounters are invisible or underestimated.

Dr. Sarah Elderman agrees with Vickers-Willis on how women in midlife need to find their voice and reclaim repressed identities. She also highlights how women in midlife also need to develop skills to help confront other significant changes that typically occur at this stage of their human development. It is common in midlife for a woman’s physical attractiveness to begin to wane, with their energy levels and personal health reaching new lows. A great sense of loss often enters their lives during midlife, triggered when their parents become ill, in need of care and their children begin to leave home. Responsibility at work of tends to increase at this age and can coincide with significant relationships breaking down. (McNulty, B. 2009) All of these encounters or realities can trigger a range of unsettling new feelings and thoughts for a woman in midlife. Many become considerably conscious of their own mortality and unsure about their place and purpose in the future.

Neil Langer, a graduate from the School of Human Services in USA believes that for some women in midlife, spending time and money to reverse or postpone the natural aging process may fulfil an immediate need, however, they may soon discover they are missing the beauty found in less feverish living. (Langer, N. 2008) He believes if women chose to go with the midlife tide, instead of raging against it, they can continue to lead creative, joyful, and productive lives. Sue Ellen Cooper, founder of the Red Hat Society, the world's largest social networking community for women, also believes there is some light in what appears to be all doom and gloom. Although agreeing that in Western society women in midlife are encouraged to ‘get off the stage’ and become invisible, she argues that by doing so they simultaneously gain greater freedom. (Mackay-Yarnal, C. 2006 p.52) The beginning of this greater freedom, according to Australian feminist writer Germaine Greer, is signified with ‘the end of apologizing’. The ‘chrysalis of conditioning’ breaks down and the inner woman finally emerges. (Langer, N. 2008) Neil Langer concurs that although women cannot know how midlife will affect them, they can prepare for it and use their new found voice and actions to show younger women how healthy and powerful the later years can be. (Langer, N. 2008) By doing this, the stigma of midlife doom and gloom for a female can be broken and transformed into a transition period seen to enlighten, renew and empower.

Pop culture content analysis

Due to time restrictions we were forced to conduct the pop culture analysis in a narrow light, looking at the media’s perception of midlife women and our main themes through magazines only. Looking at the responses to the first survey we found that 68% of women in midlife read magazines, with 92% indicating that they read between one and four magazines each month. We also asked for the titles of magazines they tended to read and complied a list of eight popular magazines; The Australian Women’s Weekly, Marie Claire, Take 5, Women’s Health and Fitness, Australian Women’s Health, Better Homes and Gardens, Ok! Magazine and Vogue Living. Each magazine targeted a specific area of interest, be it home and lifestyle, fitness and health or general interest stories, but all overlapped and shared further insights into our broad themes of health, relationships, work, free time and self-image. These five themes underpinned our media content analysis strategy. We decided to count the number of times a theme was addressed by a magazine advertisement or article providing numerical data that we could more clearly compare with scholarly findings. To ensure the data was more insightful, we subdivided the main themes into smaller categories as follows:

Health: Fitness, nutrition/diet, mental health, lethargy/sleep, alcohol/addictions, hygiene, physical health, contraception/STDs/fertility.

Relationship: Lovers, family, friends, pets, sex, role models/celebrities/status/biographies.

Work: Paid, unpaid (eg. housework), volunteer (community, clubs), finance.

Free Time: Gardening, renovations/furnish/décor, arts/crafts, cooking, puzzles, travel/adventure, music/books/DVDs/TV/subscriptions, theatre/festivals/events/outings, education, social networking/technology.

Self Image: Beauty/therapy/spa/sauna, fashion, cars, make up/perfume/cosmetics, skin care, hair care, footwear/foot care.

599 articles and 705 advertisements were subjected to analysis, a total of 1,304. Creating clear distinction between advertising content and articles was difficult and remained highly subjective throughout the process, however any difficulty that arose in regards to categorising data was discussed between us and resolved carefully to minimise grey areas. Before the analysis we hypothesised that we would find a huge amount of content regarding relationships, self-image and health. It turns out we were a mistaken and by turning magazine content into data we were able to access some very surprising findings.

The first and most interesting finding was that only two of the eight selected magazines specifically targeted women in our target demographic. After this was revealed, we visited the websites of both Pacific Magazines and ACP Magazines to view the full range of magazines distributed by both companies. It became quite apparent there is a distinct lack of material targeted specifically at Australian women over the age of 40.

Findings from media content analysis

Key themes in order of most to least addressed
Free Time 45.3%

Self Image 34.7%

Health 27.6%

Relationships 14%

Work 4.5%

Top three subthemes

Free time Renovations/Furnishing/Décor 17.3%

Health Nutrition/Diet 11.3%

Self Image Fashion 11.1%
Bottom three subthemes

Relationships Friends 0.4%

Relationships Sex 0.4%

Work Volunteer (community, clubs) 0.2%

Visual analysis

As communication designers, we couldn’t help but to conclude our content analysis by conducting a small visual analysis of each magazine utilised in the study. Again we underpinned this process by referring to the five key themes. For each of the eight magazines we created a set of five collages. The purpose behind this methodology was to gain a quick insight into how Australian woman are visually depicted. It was not the most insightful and comprehensive process however the results indicated that there appeared to be a consistent playful tone across all eight magazines in the selection the imagery and text. Women were always seen to be smiling, laughing, making silly faces, racing each other in sleeping bags, salsa dancing, serenading their lovers, taking a gamble and approaching tasks with an almost childlike spirit. Age did not seem to faze them and the world appeared to be in their hands.

See blog for collages http://playknowsnoage.blogspot.com

Summarise research triangulation findings

The most common theme addressed in the media content analysis was that of free time. This indicated to us that free time is considerably valuable to the magazine readers, advertisers and women of Australia. According to our survey and the media content analysis, Australian women value free time because it is not work, and is generally a time in which they can express their individuality. Advertisers value free time because they know women will spend money seeking out opportunities to express themselves and pursue playful, social, creative and carefree endeavours. In fact it seems advertisers know what the scholarly analysis confirmed, that free time is actually a rarity, a time women yearn for and will spend a lot of money pursuing.

Personas

The personas we developed aim to reflect the strong character of the woman as she approaches midlife. As the scholarly texts confirm, in a traditional mindset the midlife was a time where the woman would feel a need to go into ‘hiding’, forming characteristics of invisibility, as she felt detachment from her identity and purpose. Instead, the modern woman approaching this life-stage should feel empowered, and renewed to embrace life and each new challenge with her own voice and distinct identity.

Based on the discoveries from our research, we have developed six character types, which focus on the essence of a leisure activity, suggesting actions the modern woman might engage in, rather than a personal characteristic or trait. These character categories are defined as; Fashionista, Explorer, Performer, Runner, Socialite, and Performer. The characters who represent each category are defined by a name; derived from childhood games mentioned in the surveys responses. These are loaded with metaphorical associations as a visual reference guide, such as shoes and bras along with a phrase which encapsulates the different modes of childhood play, such as an imitative, exploratory and locomotive play.

Introducing the Personas

Isla Spieze represents the Fashionista. Her colour is red. Her objects are the stiletto, leopard print bra, and diamonte handbag. Isla Spieze with her sparkling eyes, anything that begins with fabulous.

Heidi Seek represents the Explorer. Her colour is neutral skin tone. Her objects are the hiking boot, camouflage canvas bra, compass. Heidi Seek, dares to peek, and explore the world around her.

Imogen Ation represents the Performer. Her colour is purple. Her objects are ballet flats, satin push up bra, and feather boa. Imogen Ation is quite a sensation, immersed in make believe.

Simona Szes represents the Socialite. Her colour is yellow. Her objects are pumps or wedges, a lacy bra with bows and frills, and a cocktail glass. Simona Szes, or often begs, “Come out and join the party!”

Wendy Settego represents the Runner. Her colour is green. Her objects are sneakers or runners, a sports bra, and a towel. Wendy Settego, never says no, she is ready to make her move.

Eeana Mena-Mina-Moe represents the Puzzler. Her colour is blue. Her objects are slippers, seamless T-shirt bra and a pen or glasses. Eeana Mena-Mina-Moe, thinks and does while on the go, she never looks behind her.

Proposed outcome

For our finished outcome we propose to create a set of playing cards designed and directed at this specific selection of women, age 45-55. Using the personas as a basis for cards categories, the audience will be guided through the play activities prompted by certain topics relevant to the life-transitions we have identified. The playing cards will offer information and advice as to how they can re-engage with playful exploration and enjoyable activities in these areas and situations in their lives. The tone of the playing cards will be quite humorous, in a personalised, almost colloquial theme of visual language. With respect for the women’s ‘on the go’ lifestyle, the playing cards will feature in a ‘pocket’ size, a quick tool that would be appropriate to be carried around in her handbag, so that it could be utilised in a spontaneous manner. As women of this age demographic experienced their most initial play phases through the 1950s to 1970s, we intend to replicate styles from this era to, in a sense, transport their mindset in a reminiscent form, back to a time where play was second nature, allowing them to adopt this uninhibited mode of thinking into their current behaviours. We also aim to launch the cards into a public domain through a media campaign and possible website.

Product Audience

The target market for our playing cards is 45 - 55 year old Australian women. During this phase of life women of this demographic typically experience many major life transitions. These may include divorce, children leaving home, depression, career changes, retirement, illness and so on. Adaptive skills, relaxation and being able to enjoy oneself through laughter and fun are all coping mechanisms to successfully help deal with the major issues that occur during midlife. Plays power to help harvest these coping mechanisms within an individual gives the concept of our playing cards merit and justification.

Product Competition

Shopping Secrets - Deck of Secrets: Bar Secrets Cards

Shuffle Deck of Secrets: Bar Secrets cards and take off on a surprising night out in Melbourne’s CBD. Bar Secrets is a compact deck of 52 cards profiling the best of Melbourne’s bars, taverns, pubs and nightclubs. With one card for every week of the year, choosing between a relaxed pub, chic cocktail bar or exciting nightclub destination has never been easier or more exciting. Melbourne’s CBD is the ultimate shopping, dinning and entertainment destination and Bar Secrets is the perfect quick reference guide to knowing what’s hot - the cards offer a sneak peak into a venues vibe and its location on a detailed map, to ensure easy navigation through Melbourne’s network of laneways. Bar Secrets was partly funded by the City of Melbourne and created by author Michelle Matthews as part of a campaign to expose the exciting nightlife Melbourne has to offer.

Quirks’ -Owner’s and Instruction Manuals

Quirk's series of owner's and instruction manuals look at a broad range of topics from marriage and sex, pregnancy to babies and a guide on bringing up toddlers. The style of these manuals consists of a mixture of humour, information, and signature clean graphics and design, with a mix of text and information graphics. They are the sort of manual that could be purchased as a gift, or self help section of stores, and so would be a direct competitor of our proposed design outcome. They already have a popular name with more than 2 million copies sold worldwide.

For Dummies

For Dummies is an extensive series of instructional books, which are intended to present non-intimidating guides for readers new to the various topics covered. Despite the title, their publisher takes pain to emphasize that the books are not literally for dummies. The subtitle for every book is "A Reference for the Rest of Us." To date, over 1,700 For Dummies titles have been published. The series has been a worldwide success with editions in numerous other languages. The books consistently sport a distinctive cover — usually yellow and black, with a triangular-headed cartoon figure known as "Dummies Man", and an informal, hand-writing style logo. Almost all Dummies books are organized around sections called "parts," which are groups of related chapters. Parts are almost always preceded by a Rich Tennant comic that refers to some part of the subject under discussion, to add a personal and light-heartened tune to the manual.

These ‘how to’ handbooks aim to inspire, as a reference to initiate projects and provide instruction through basic steps. They include a series of top ten lists, usually resources for further study and sometimes also include amusing bits of information as secondary facts, as well as insiders tips. This method of integrating facts and references, in a structured and developmental mode throughout the book, with a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ style, are properties we rate as an important values. We will ensure our card set will become an additional source of beneficial information, delivered in a manner which is engaging and not offensive.

Kaz Cooke

Kaz Cooke is one of Australia's best-known humorist, cartoonist, writer and author, and is often found on the radio. She is the inventor of the cartoon character Hermoine the ‘Modern Girl’. Her literature engages both genders of all ages, as her funny and sensible approach takes on everything from starting puberty to menopause, and from fashion disasters to self esteem, pregnancy, and new age madness, to puberty, to motherhood and then menopause.

Cooke uses humour and fun to deliver clear, important information about the major health and development challenges women face through the different stage of their life. This technique successfully gives previously awkward, sensitive content a vehicle for accessibility and understanding. Cooke’s best known book, Up the Duff: the Real Guide to Pregnancy, continues to be the pregnancy best-seller after ten years in print. As our topic of play can incorporate some of these almost taboo topics, it’s interesting to note Cooke’s more accessible approach of humour to desensitise and be open about these stigmas.

The reoccurring trend and key to success of our competitors seems to be their blend of humour and fun to start conversations. The publications teach people how to learn something new or inform them of important information about sensitive topics, with the stigma of humiliation which once surrounded being broken down through discussion, personal experience and simple explanation. While a distinctive visual style and language that is appealing to the demographic helps create a non-intimidating environment for sensitive content matter to be explored.

Marketing advantages

The reoccurring trend and key to success of our competitors seems to be their use of humour and fun to start conversations and teach people new things. These publications are also very successful at informing their demographics about sensitive information, making it accessible and expectable. The adoption of a distinctive visual style and tonality that appeals to the target audience helps these publications deliver their message about sensitive content matter in a non-intimidating manner that encourages exploration of the topic, free from speculation.

There are many forms of literature written by psychologists, sociologists, health professionals and academics that explore the issues women face as they age and negative effects they can have on their physical, emotional and mental health. Numerous studies have been conducted since the theories of Freud and Piaget that have proven exposure to play throughout life can have powerful and have a positive effect on an individual during times of great transition in their life. Our combined research and the logical link between these topics has lead to the development of our idea to design a set of playing cards that teach real Australian women in the midlife stage how to inject play back into their lives. The demographics interaction with our cards will assist them in developing coping mechanisms to help them overcome issues that affect their midlife.

Brand vision

We intend to use a unique blend of humour and nostalgia to appeal to our target audience and deliver our informed message about the power of play. Our combination of traditional references and bright amusing quirkiness will create a highly engaging set of playing cards that speaks to the user in unique tone and engages them through a visually rich and emotive graphic style.

In text References

Baptiste, N., 1995, Adults Need to Paly Too, Early Childhood Education, Volume 23, Issue 1, pp. 33-35

Cooke, K., 2009, Kaz Cooke: About, viewed April 2010, http://www.kazcooke.com.au/kazcooke/about/

Elkind, D., 1970, Erik Erikson’s Eight Ages of Man, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Company, pp. 1-27.

Erikson’s Stages of Development, 2008, Learning-Theories, viewed 1 March 2010,
www.learning-theories.com/eriksons-stages-of-development.html

McNulty, B., 2009, Welcome to the age of change, Fairfax Digital, The Age Lifestyle, viewed April 2010, http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/lifematters/welcome-to-the-age-of-change-20090407-9x0f.html

National Institute for Play, 2010. Accessed March 2010, www.nifplay.org

Vickers-Willis, R., 2009, Living Now: Ten tips for navigating midlife crisis, viewed April 2010,
http://www.livingnow.com.au/articles/18-health-and-healing/2536-ten-tips-for-navigating-midlife-crisis

Wikipedia, For Dummies, viewed April 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Dummies

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Books and websites

Ageing Well, 2010, Nutrition through life, The Jean Hailes Foundation
for Women Health, accessed April 2010,
http://www.ageingwell.org.au/content/view/18/49/



Beyond Blue 2009, Separated parents and tough times, Fact sheet 29,
accessed April 2010, www.beyondblue.org.au

Dennerstein, L. (2009) The menopause: a time of transition, Australian
Prescriber, accessed April 2010,
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Elderman, S. (2006) Change Your Thinking, Australian Broadcasting
Corporation, Australia

Langer, N. (2008) Women’s Midlife Journey: If not now, when…?,
Educational Gerontology, Vol. 34
pp. 663–669



McNulty, B. (2009) Welcome to the age of change, Fairfax Digital, The
Age Lifestyle, accessed April 2010,
http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/lifematters/welcome-to-the-age-of-change-20090407-9x0f.html



Mackay Yarnal, C, (2006) The Red Hat Society®: Exploring the Role of
Play, Liminality,
and Communitas in Older Women’s Lives,
Journal of
Women and Ageing, Vol. 18. pp.51-73



Shellenbarger, S. (2005) The Breaking Point: How today’s women are
navigating midlife crisis,
Owl Books, Henry Holt and Company, LLC, New
York. pp. 3-267

Vickers-Willis, R. (2009) Living Now: Ten tips for navigating midlife
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http://www.livingnow.com.au/articles/18-health-and-healing/2536-ten-tips-for-navigating-midlife-crisis



Magazines

ACP Magazines Pty. Ltd.
(2010) The Australian Women’s Weekly, Vol. May, magazine.

ACP Magazines Pty. Ltd.
(2010) Ok! Magazine, Vol. May, Issue 203, magazine.

ACP Magazines Pty. Ltd.
(2010) Take Five, Vol. May, Issue 18, magazine.

Blitz Publications (2010) Women’s Health and Fitness, Vol. May, Issue 5, magazine.

News Magazines Pty. Ltd.
(2010) Vogue Living, Vol. May/June 2010, magazine.

Pacific Magazines Pty. Ltd.
(2010) Australian Women's Health, Vol. May Issue 5, magazine.

Pacific Magazines Pty. Ltd.
(2010) Better Homes and Gardens, Vol. June, Issue 6, magazine.

Pacific Magazines Pty. Ltd.
(2010) Marie Claire, Vol. May, Issue 177, magazine.