Brief  of the Final Design Project (Part 5)
The design objectives, purpose and the reasons

The main Proposition

Hobby clubs
Hobbies are practiced for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward. Examples include science fiction clubs, ham radio, Model Railroading, collecting, creative and artistic pursuits, making, tinkering, sports and adult education. Engaging in a hobby can lead to acquiring substantial skill, knowledge, and experience. However, personal fulfilment is the aim.

Social activities clubs
Social activities clubs are a modern combination of several other types of clubs and reflect today’s more eclectic and varied society. These clubs are centered around the activities available to the club members in the city or area in which the club is located. Because the purpose of these clubs is split between general social interaction and taking part in the events themselves, clubs tend to have more single members than married ones; some clubs restrict their membership to one of the other, and some are for gays and lesbians.

Membership can be limited or open to the general public, as can the events. Most clubs have a limited membership based upon specific criteria, and limit the events to members to increase the security of the members, thus creating an increased sense of cameradery and belonging. Social activities clubs can be for profit or not for profit, and some are a mix of the two (a for-profit club with a non-profit charitable arm, for instance). The Inter-Varsity Club (IVC) is the biggest British non-profit club.

Social clubs
Some social clubs are organized around competitive games, such as chess and bridge. Other clubs are designed to encourage membership of certain social classes. In the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s social clubs were the precursor name of gangs like the infamous Hamburgs of Chicago. Latino immigrant adult and youth groups organized themselves as social clubs like: Black Eagles, Flaming Arrows, Paragons and Young Lords. Those made up of the elite are best known as gentlemen's clubs (not to be confused with strip clubs) and country clubs (though these also have an athletic function, see below). Less elitist, but still in some cases exclusive, are working men's clubs. Clubs restricted to either officers or enlisted men exist on military bases.

The modern gentlemen's club, sometimes proprietary, i.e. owned by an individual or private syndicate, but more frequently owned by the members who delegate to a committee the management of its affairs, first reached its highest development in London, where the district of St. James's has long been known as "Clubland". Current London clubs include Soho's Groucho Club, which opened in 1985 as "the antidote to the traditional club." In this spirit, the club was named for Groucho Marx because of his famous remark that he would not wish to join any club that would have him as a member.

According to the definitions of different clubs as above as the Hobby club, the Social Club, and the Social Activities Club, I decide to launch a Collecting Tattoos Hobby Social Activities Club which is focus on the theme of Horiyoshi Ⅲ’s artistic spirit and his art works. The Zen base spirit is the central mind in Horiyoshi Ⅲ’s arts and designs. In details, it inspires people to reconsider the loyalty, dutifulness, egolessness as the important characters in human nature. Therefore, to spread out such a spirit and unite the people who is interested in and loves the Horiyoshi genre tattoos would be the Club’s main proposition.

reference from http://www.wikipedia.org/

The overall goal and communicated objects

The overall goal of the design project is that representing the Horiyoshi genre and its artistic aspiring in every details within the Club. It is trying to communicate the highest Japanese tattoo art crafts and the traditional Japanese culture to the western society. Because there is not much people know about Japanese tattoo and the deep meaning about it in the western society. Even the one who loves the style, in many cases, he does not know about the traditional cultural meaning or story details behind the works. Therefore, setting up a club is not only for letting people who likes the Horiyoshi Ⅲ’s work joining together, and also spread out the spirit and his artistic aspiring to the public in the West.

The service and related business

In order to achieve the purpose, the Club will try to gain members as many as it can but still be strict with the interests in Horiyoshi gener tattoos. For the reason that such a Club would be a completely reinvent for the Horiyoshi family and also for the Western Society, it will be a tough adventure, but with a big ambition. However, we can find a lightening future within it, such as in its popular related business line in Clothing and Accessory, the collection sale and the Publications.   

The Differ from competitors

As the research going on, I find that there are so many tattoo clubs or parties existed in United Kingdom. Mostly, their main business is tattooing for customers as they join as members. However, the Club I prefer to launch is totally different from them. As it is mentioned before, the Club will not focus on tattooing on members, but let them communicate with each others about the tattoos they got or like, as the background history stories and spirits, or the traditional Japanese Culture they learnt. To be specifici, the activities will be the beer party with telling the story of the Japanese tattoo characters, visiting the London Tattoo Convention every year, or gathering for the collective photography exhibition. Hence, it is not a Club tend to be profitable, but a happy spot for the people who loves Japanese tattoo in London, even in UK or Europe. Of course, if there is a need, the Club will organize the contribution for any disaster country or person at anytime.

Partly Conclusion

To partly conclude, for the background study so far, I learnt a lot about the Horiyoshi III and his genre’s tattoo style and aesthetic spirits. The research recognizes that there is a deep meaningful artistic aspiring inside Horiyoshi Ⅲ’s arts and it is a really wealthy world to the Japanese traditional tattoos realm.

In practicality, Horiyoshi family already extends its art works into comercial industry and the market. At the same time, it keeps its own history for holding and spreading out the Zen spirit of their art works in the family running Museum. The living legent is not only a speech but works in reality. Furthermore, Horiyoshi III’s influence has extended to the West by his only european student Alex Reinke. He and his genre has been known to the West. Therefore, it is a good idea to launch a fans club for Horiyoshi family in the West. The first reason is that the fans club can be a good place for the fans of Japanese tattoos and Horiyoshi family hang out. The second, there is already a demand for uniting the fans to communicate each others. Finally, I believe, following Horiyoshi’s steps, the club I planed to launch has a predicable bright future and a good perspective. Baside on the Zen base spirit, and developing within the free mind environment of London, the club will have a chance to rise up and spread out widely.


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