Bright Idea

 Much of what is mass produced by industrial designers can go unnoticed. The spoon for example may have a different design on the handle but the fundamental shape must stay the same because in this case form fallows function. The light bulb however, is a great example of a mass produced object that can often go unnoticed, that is until you don't have one and aren't able to see where your going. The shape of the light bulb has varied only slightly over the many years since it has been a part of our daily lives and the most iconic shape is that of the typical globe style with an upside down pear shape. This is a case where form does not fallow function and actually has very little to do with it. The components of an incandescent light could be fit into an array of different shapes yet the same one is used and accepted over and over. Along with the rise of florescent bulbs  and their energy saving technology comes shape of their two coils of glass    tubes spiraling together and meeting at a fused point at the top.  The shape is cylindrical and even rectangular. It seems masculine compared to feminine curves of the traditional bulb.  These "bulbs" have been manufactured on a huge scale in this form and until recently it seemed like we had all but forgotten the upside down pear.  But while walking the isles of the local hardware store I saw someone had designed a florescent bulb encased in a incandescent-style bulb housing. Apparently people could not get used to the new shape as easily as the new technology. So while bills have been written to ilegalize the use of incandescent light bulbs all in light (no pun intended) of our efforts to conserve energy and help balance the environmental cost of our lifestyles, humanity may not be willing to give up our ides of what a light bulb should look like.

Interaction of Content and Form

            
             Form interacts closely with content in design. The two are not often seeing independent of each other. In art there are many examples where form can stand alone as a purely aesthetically pleasing piece or content can overshadow form as seeing in the conceptual art of artists such as Tom Friedman.  Modern design is made up of different approaches that work together to make the design successful. The first approach uses formal logic used in the act of form-giving. The second incorporates symbolism and content that is effected by all kinds of factors, culture being one of the biggest and most influential. Lastly is the contextual sense, where we as designers examine the bigger picture such as human object relationships.  These steps to approaching design are not sequential but merely perspectives that need to be looked at in order for the design to achieve its full potential. The function of design depends strongly on the improvement of life through improvement of our everyday objects. This improvement can be visually or functionally as in ease of use and ideally a good design will incorporate both.  According to Dieter Rams, former design director for Braun, good design is innovative, useful, aesthetic, understandable, honest, unobtrusive, long-lived, consistent in every detail, environmentally friendly, and last but not least, as little design as possible. I think he hit the nail on the head.

Think-Look-Do.....repeat

         
  The design process can be defined in many different ways consisting of innumerable steps depending on what you constitute as "step-worthy". I think you could explain the phone call process in either 2 steps: 1) Dial number 2) press send or 10 steps: 1) pick up phone 2) dial first digit in telephone number 3) dial second digit in telephone number etc. etc. etc.  The latter while easier to fallow with perhaps fewer opportunities for foul ups is lengthy and wordy and well, boring.  The design process should be streamlined so as to give the designer guidelines as to how to get their creative juices flowing while allowing plenty of room for them to explore different possible avenues and yes, make some mistakes along the way.
Mistakes after all can lead to better engineering and durability. For example while working on a prototype say you accidentally break a piece and you notice that that particular are absorbs more tension than the others. You can then go back and find a material that is flexible so that that particular piece can move under tension giving the whole design more integrity.  What seemed like an "Oh S#!%" moment can actually save you from having to deal with this problem in the post production stage of the design.  So if we keep our design process to Think, Look, Do , repeat. We can encompass all the other useful steps that go into design.  As long as we never give up on thinking, looking, or doing and we are not afraid to make mistakes we can conquer all the obstacles that come between us and our objective. Who knows, we might stumble upon something even bigger than we ever dreamed of. Alexander Fleming did when he accidentally invented penicillin in 1928.

Think

Look

Do

Talking fonts...

Poster for the 2007 film Helvetica

Some people see a word as a word and a letter as a letter, but those who work in typeface design know that a word can be used in many different ways and communicate different feelings and meanings depending on the typeface that it is written in. In the 2007 film Helvetica named for the typeface designed by the Swiss designer Max Meidinger in 1957, shows how this font alone revolutionized graphic design in the 1960's and became the symbol for modernity and the single most popular typeface still used today.  Quite an accomplishment especially considering the methods and tools Meidinger had to work with. Today we can scroll through our computer's font list and choose whatever looks appropriate. By doing exactly that I want to compare and contrast a few fonts to show the way they affect the words they write.

The phrase I'm going to use is a common one with a loaded meaning, written in four different fonts.     I Love You, I Love You, I Love You, I Love You.  Although the phrase is the same every time, looking at them alongside each other, we can almost determine the different ages, genders, and even intentions of the writers based solely on the fonts. For example the first “I Love You” looks very feminine with its curly ends compared to the more masculine squared off and straight forward font next to it. The third “I Love You” seems very sensual with its deeply italicized cursive like the kind that lovers would exchange, while the last one looks young and fun like the kind a child would write to their mommy or daddy.   The fact that this much information can be assumed using the typeface is HUGE for the world of design. It reinforces one of the core goals of good design which is to communicate a lot with very little effort. We want to use design to express ideas, visions, passions, insights , and messages to our market.  With all the resources that we have to do so, it is good to take a minute to appreciate all the hard work and long hours spent at the drawing board typeface designers spent, and how much easier it makes our job.

Design as conversation

               What is design? What is conversation?  In my effort of capture these elusive terms and hold them down long enough to have a look inside, I have found that they are similar in both function (what they do)  and purpose (why they do it).  Let’s begin with a look at the function of conversation. Conversation is used as a means of sharing information. Weather is it "casual conversation" about the weather, conversation during an interview where you are sharing your strengths and qualifications, or a deep existential conversation where you are using abstract thought to get to the core of what makes us tic. All we are really doing is sharing info. So, why we constantly exchange info?  The answer really depends on the type of conversation and the individual motives of the people engaged in it. For example, Bill is talking to Mary about the strange weather. Bill's purpose is to look smart so Mary will want to go out with him. Mary is engaging in this conversation simply because she feels like silence between two people in an elevator is awkward.  This shows the same conversation has two different purposes working simultaneously.   Now let’s juxtapose this with the function and purpose of design.  According to David Lauer's book Design Basics design functions to organize something visually. This applies to the entire realm of two and three dimensional human production. This too works as a way of sharing info visually rather than using spoken word. In Steve Chambers Math Rules! Poster we see how his design communicates the idea of bringing numbers to life by personifying the numbers in the image of a man. You almost don’t even need the heading to get the message.  Just like the purpose of conversation, design may be driven by many different reasons from aesthetics, to ease of use, to monetary gain depending on the type of design and the people engaged in it.  Because of the fundamental similarities in the nature of design and conversation, we also see the same characteristics of a good conversation are found in good design.  Such characteristics include clarity, so that your audience can understand what you are trying to say.  In conversation this is done with a well-developed vocabulary, in design our vocab. has more to do with expressing ourselves well within a certain medium.   Another key to good conversation/ design is brevity. When a conversation rambles on, the mind shuts off and the eyes start to wander in search of something more interesting. The same happens when a design has so much flare that it overshadows its own point. The eyes of the viewer start wandering around forgetting what it was we were looking at in the first place.  Lastly, I would say that both good design and good conversation must be informed. In other words know what you are talking about before you say it and know your market, medium, and limitations before you design it.  

Creativity from without

Many times I have it said " you're the creative type" or " I don't have a creative bone in my body" makeing creativity sound like some kind of genetic trait or hereditary condition, as if your born with the ability to be inspired or creative the same as you were born with brown hair and blue eyes.  I disagree with this definition. I think it is possible for inspiration to come from outside sources such as nature, science, and even media. (Nature being the easiest and most obvious) Once inspired, you have the drive to create whatever it is that will represent your inspiration and the passion that it gives you. After all, passion is the most common side effect of inspiration. Musicians are a great example because they often will be inspired by someone to write a love song. They might be later inspired by the same person to write a sad song about loneliness and deceit.  While the source of inspiration stayed the same, the passion turned from love to hate.  This sets up design to function as the vehicle that delivers your passion from it's point A (inspiration) to point B (audience).  These are not an abstract concept, but a simple illustration of how anyone who is capable of extreme feelings aka (passion), may be influenced by a source from without them aka (inspiration), and use any of the unlimited outlets of expression aka (design).  Living in the digital age where you don't even have to think because you have several devices to think and be creative for you, it is very important that we take the time to look around us, mute our devices, and receive inspiration from where ever it comes from naturally.

ephemeral vs eternal

               The more I learn about design concepts, the more I begin to see elements of design in everything around me. Some of the designs I see are large reinforced infrastructure that have weathered decades, others are unintentional and temporary, like a row of trees all blushing with the leaves of fall whose colors compliment each other with our even knowing it. Both ephemeral design, that is created to exist in only a brief parenthesis of time, and eternal design that seems to be ageless and endless have a certain charm all their own. Recently two good examples of each have crossed my path. Both while walking my dog Clover. The first was in the ally behind my apartment. While throwing out the trash I noticed that someone had tossed out a black and white photo taken of some while roses that was developed on a thin metal plate in using a method called daguerreotype that was popular in the 1800's. I could not bring myself to throw my trash on top of such an obvious gem, so I moved it from the dumpster to the outside of a windowsill I passed on my way back home. Later, I noticed it was gone and even though I have no way of knowing where that photo went or of what use or message it is now has, I can't help but delight at the romance that it is in motion, being passed from hand to hand. This unknown cycle along with nature of these photos to last for hundreds of years gives it a very charming, eternal feel.
On yet another voyage with Clover, this time along the American river bank, I stumbled upon a pile of lumber cut to different sizes ranging from 1'-2' long. I carefully balanced these pieces to build an obelisk-like monument about 5' tall. With no camera on hand to capture my amateur architecture debut, I knew as I walked away that all it would take was a spontaneous gust of wind or a wagging tail to reduce this creation to is previous status (pile of junk). That ephemeral state gave it so much more importance for those lucky enough to stumble upon this geometric structure standing proud and erect contrasting the peaceful organic shapes of the river bank. just like the line of line of fall trees only around to enjoy until the leaves inevitably fall, it seems that the fleeting nature of this piece seems to say "this was made for your eyes only" giving it a heightened sense of value.
I think that both these examples show how both eternal, and ephemeral design can move the viewer to a heightened sense of beauty and value in oneself and the world around.

Stone Soup

            Our Stone Soup project was based on a book by Marcia Brown where a pot of boiling water with stones inside slowly become a feast as everyone in a small village contributes bit of various meats and veggies to the water. This story is meant to show how generosity and cooperation combine to create something that everyone can enjoy.
On Tuesday our class separated into small groups. Each member of the group was asked to bring an object or two that could be combined to create a sort of non-soup version of this. With a pile of mostly cardboard and magazines, some cotton balls, colored plastic and ribbon, we began to brainstorm on ways that we could create interesting and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. This proved to be quite the challenge. Where as a soup can usually be made using what ever ingredients are lying around the fridge and look and taste pretty good, design of random objects proved to be a lot trickier. We started off well but after not too long it seemed like the design would take sharp turns and change in ways that seemed to contradict itself. For example, what was going to be a snowy mountain became a headless body. I began to understand why they say "too many cooks spoil the broth", because in the end we could all agree that it looked a lot like a pile of trash. In fact a few other students were walking around and looking at the designs and stopped to observe the design we had laying in the middle of the grass. We had to alert them that that actually was a pile of trash and out design was on the sidewalk behind them.  This project showed me that there is a fine line between a well seasoned stew and an over seasoned goulash. The secret to staying on one side of that line is haw well you are able to work with other people toward a goal that is loosely defined.

My design style may be too minimalistic, and I might have to try to incorporate more "jazz" into a design in order to please a client or my associates. But for now, I'll take a nice bowl of tomato basil bisque over a 12 bean chili any day of the week.

Design. Is it the doughnut or the hole?

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While contemplating the etymology of design and all the implications that come with it, I found myself taking what I took to be the main point or even the "moral" of Michael Bierut's essay: "Warning, May Contain Non-Design Content," and applying it to a more familiar scenario I think we all can relate with. Bierut explains that not everything is design but Rather design is about everything. Furthermore, he says that we as designers do our best work when it is related to something we are at least  interested if not passionate about. So I took this concept and applied it to something as American as Homer Simpson. The doughnut. And so I ask you, my fellow creative/critical thinkers. Is design the doughnut or the hole? One might argue it is the doughnut with it's shiny glaze or colorful sprinkles that appeals to several of our senses and invokes desire. Is that not the essence of design? We want our designs to appeal to people so we can get their attention and send our message weather its buy me, read me, or eat me.  One may also argue that design is better translated through the unique design of the doughnut's form. It is the hole in a round piece of bread that defines the doughnut, and sets it apart from other rolls and pastries.  The images at the top are the same black circle only one has a hole in the middle. The one on the left could translate to many as a variety of things. The one on the right however, would get recognized by many as a doughnut.  As designers we want our designs to define the product so people get familiar and comfortable with them. Band-Aids and Q-tips are just sticky bandages and cotton swabs but design has made these terms synonymous with their labels.
I'd  say there is enough evidence to prove that design is both the doughnut AND the hole. Just as a words typeface can have as much of an impact on our emotions through the way they rest on our eyes as the words themselves emotionally move us by the way they rest in our minds, so does the doughnut accomplish our desire through it's decoration and it's iconic shape. Design is meant to impact the masses in appealing to the senses with the goal of some improvement on life. This can be achieved through endless mediums, be it metal or plastic, doughnut or Twinky.

Not just a spoon with holes...a friend.

Objects have been known to hold sentimental value. This ability for a design to evoke pleasant feelings or nostalgia is very subjective and therefore something that can be very complicated for a designer to intentionally work into their design. In my experience one particular object gained my affections at a very young age. Growing up on a farm in New Mexico, with no cable television, and home schooled gave my imagination little to want for. Socially however, I had little interaction with other kids aside from my sisters. This whole scenario did make it easy for me to form a sort of bond with an in-animate object or two. The one that stands out as my first positive design related memory was with a metal tea filter. It was the size and shape of a spoon with two scoops joined on one side by a hinge that allowed it to swing open. On the other side there was a latch that would secure with a click to lock closed. Small holes allowed for the tea to infuse into the hot water with allowing any leaf to escape it's vessel. There was something about this object I was drawn to. It might have been the way the metal always felt cold in my hand, or it's kinetic ability to swing back and forth. I remember how I enjoyed the tapping sound it made when it opened and closed and would play a game to see how many times I could swing it on it's hinge with out it latching.
My family was never big on drinking tea and I'm sure that it never served it's intended purpose. To me however, this simple object, was more than a utensil, or even a toy, I really felt like it was my first friend. As a designer this amazes me because I would never put the two together, as I'm sure the designer of the teaspoon filter never took sentimental value into consideration during the design process. However unintentional, through a simple and obsolete design, that person was able to bring joy to a little farm girl in New Mexico and again to this California city girl too.