A QUESTION OF DESIGN

The industrial revolution wasn’t designed; it gradually evolved over time. It was driven by the desire for capital. Products were made as efficiently as possible, and many of these products followed the cradle to grave model. They are used for some time, then thrown away. However, there is no such thing as away. We pump pollutants and industrial waste into our environment while making the initial product, and then throw in back in a worthless heap of poor design. Our environment has been abused because of the demands our human population put on it. From cutting trees for lumber to mining for coal, these resources were thought to be regenerative. In fact, they are not. I disagreed with many of the motives behind the Industrial Revolution. Although it was considered a time of great change, I feel it started a never ending struggle between our natural environment and the human race. It has been difficult for us to find solutions to its many drawbacks such as waste disposal, land contamination, and health concerns. Creative minds, engineers, and designers of our era should consider the wellbeing of future generations. We need an efficient cradle to cradle system.

The Sincerest Form Of Flattery

According to Janine Benyus Biomimicry is the practice of borrowing nature’s design principles to create more-sustainable products and processes. It is an interesting concept for designers, engineers, and architects. Like Benyus said, we stumbled upon fossil fuels and used our natural resources before we were able to consciously understand the consequences of our usage. As humans we use way too much energy. Life in the natural world operates on small amounts of energy without using high heats or toxic chemicals. We need to start finding ways to appreciate and use the subtle amount of energy already provided. I think it is interesting to find though that we are already mimicking nature in some sense. Benyus says that the humpback whale’s flipper is being mimicked in wind-turbine design, as well as having dye-sensitized solar cells mimic photosynthesis. There are many other examples of Biomimicry that are already being implemented, or are developing in society. I agree with Benyus and think it is really important to teach students at an early age on how to learn from nature instead of learning about nature. If the natural world has been successful so far at using and recycling resources, then as a human race we should be learning from what nature and executing as much as we can of what we learn into new designs. Sustainability is not as simple as it sounds however. It would take the support from the masses to successfully make a change for the better. We are so used to doing things the way we always have that convenience triumphs over sustainable practices. Biomimicry has been around since ancient times, we need to spread the practices of this concept and make people fully aware of it’s benefits.

American Apparel

This essay expresses a concept in advertising that is well known and over used. Yes, we know that sex sells. We also know that photographing young women in sexy clothing is going to boost the sales of their product. Females in the United States are obsessed with body image and will stop at nothing to look like the models in advertisements. Again, this is not something new. Kealey is acknowledging the fact that many companies use overly sexualized advertisements to sell their product, she however is pointing out the key differences between other companies and American Apparel. For example, a company such as Calvin Klein may shoot a highly sexualized AD to put in a magazine, however Klein has a team of people who work with the models and coordinate the photo shoot. Dov Charney, the CEO at American Apparel shoots all of the ADs himself, which means he chooses the models, he chooses what they will wear, and he choosing how sexually they are going to pose. The amount of harassment lawsuits against him is disgusting. One of the most interesting points Kealey makes Dov's choice of models he uses to promote his company. To quote her she says, "There are also negative connotations relating to his choice to use a large number of Asian and black models, as the sexual nature of the imagery can be seen to encourage the belief that non-white women are more sexualized and/or submissive." Throughout history and especially in art, an image of a black woman symbolized being barbaric and sexual, so is it true that Dov uses these models to be even MORE sexualized? Ah, I guess we'll never know the truth.

Does Design = Art?

According to Kees Dorst’s article “But, is it art?” “An artist determines his or her own goals” whereas a graphic designer’s goals are “partly determined by others.” This statement is very true in a sense. However, I do agree with her last two sentences which says, “a designer who develops his own goals […] is something of an artist, as far as I’m concerned. The medium may be a little odd, but still.” Designers use every project as way of developing who they are as a designer. Every designer wants to “reach his ideal” which is why different projects contribute to their personal development. As a designer working on my thesis right now, I can completely see how design can be art. A design thesis is conceptual and designed upon something personal the individual wants to explore. There are no clients involved; therefore thesis work is a great example of how a project can contribute to ones personal development. On the other hand, I partly agree with Rick Poynor in his article “Art’s Little Brother” where he says that design is meant to be functional and serve a purpose whereas artists are free to do what they want “in pursuit of their self-chosen goals.” When working for a client, a designer ultimately has to do what the client wants. However, to argue Dorst’s point again, there is always a personal relationship between a designer and any given project.

Poynor also brings up the argument that, “There are more passionate, less detached designers just as there are highly cerebral artists.” He goes on to say that many artists (like designers) use other means to create their art; whether it is photography, computers, video, or any other means. The key difference however is that design again is meant to be practical and functional. So there is this split between function and vision. Also, according to M/M in “Royal College of Art discussion with David Blamey” designers are very much engaged with society, whereas artists can use their work to detach from society. “Art isn’t supposed to be practical or even sensible.” This statement, as sad as it may sound, is true. Artists can create whatever they please and call it “contemporary art” but designers have to stay true to their function, which is creating something that is practical and ironically has a function.

Speculative Prehistory of Humanity

In Fuller’s article he discuses the advance and efficiency of technology in industrial design. He also makes a point to let society know that we are wasteful of our energy (which most of us already know) he states, “we have on average of two million automobiles standing in front of red spotlights with their engines going, the energy for which amounts to that generated by the full efforts of 200 million horses being completed wasted as they jump up and down going nowhere.” Besides humans being wasteful of energy, Fuller states, “"The architectural profession-civil, naval, aeronautical, and astronautical-has always been the place where the most competent thinking is conducted regarding livingry, as opposed to weaponry." He is referring to livingry as human-life advantaging and environment-controlling. Humans should be using their resources (naval, aeronautical, etc.) to enhance living on Earth. Humans should be using such ideas as spherical buildings which are environment-controlling buildings, instead of using tall vertical buildings which have the maximum possible energy losing capability. Fuller states that war is obsolete, meaning that we should no longer be using the military’s and NASA’s competent thinking individuals to create weapons, instead we should be collaborating on how to use what we know about energy to improve human life, which will give humanity the option of becoming “enduringly successful.” We have the knowledge and technology to shift design in a more useful direction, we just need society to take part in it.

Oh, Helvetica, I love you so.

Ever since we watched Helvetica in class I have been seeing the typeface everywhere! It’s used in television advertisements, billboards, and magazine layouts. It really is everywhere. Everywhere except in Adobe CS4 (on my computer that is) I was actually stunned to find that the typeface wasn’t standard on the CS4 applications. I am definitely a Helvetica fan. It is a strong and sleek typeface that is so versatile. It is a simple yet bold typeface. I personally use it in a lot of my work because the space in between the actual letter forms seems so concrete and confident. Yes, Helvetica maybe be overused, but when used properly it dominates other typefaces. I don’t associate the typeface with any brand or company in particular. Some people do, which is why they may hate the typeface. I found a couple of blogs online with strong arguments for and against the typeface, whoever reads this blog should check them out. They are quite amusing.

http://www.lovehelvetica.com/

http://www.nikibrown.com/designoblog/2009/01/23/do-you-hate-helvetica/

Byker Wall

The Byker Wall video was hard to take seriously due to Beatrix’s heavy accent. Epic music played in the background as the camera angled up towards Byker Wall. The video montages were almost humorous. All joking aside, the Byker Wall did not look too interesting to me. Maybe it was the specific footage in the movie, or maybe it really isn’t good design. I was expecting something more grand, (maybe because of the music!) than what I saw in the video. The Byker Wall is an interesting concept so that people can view something better than tall high rises, but the design was just not up to par with the concept. The clip from the destruction of the Pruitt Igoe helped me realize how easily a “modern style” apartment complex could fail; especially in the location it was built. Again, I think the concept of these modern apartment complexes is refreshing in regards to architecture now, but they concept and design need to be coherent.