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.