Monday, January 31, 2011
CR04
Last week I missed Monday's class, so once again it was a short week for me. On Wednesday, however, I really enjoyed the scavenger hunt activity. It got us up and out of the class room and we even finished early. I had never been in the Knowlton library before and actually I have once been in that building once for a midterm. It was really cool the design of the it and the concrete everywhere. I thought the ramps were sweet too. The chairs in the library were interesting, some looked super comfy while others did not. And it was cool to recognize some that we talked about in class instead of just seeing it as a chair. All of our other photos were outside of the buildings and then we got to go home. It was also really cool to work with someone else and get to know someone in the class a little bit better.
Monday, January 24, 2011
CR03, RR03
CR:
Last week was a weird week, only one class. The design process slides were interesting. I liked how we went over all of the basic elements to coming up with a good design. I also thought it was funny that someone actually needs to end the process for designers since they can always keep finding ways to make their design better. I can relate to this because I procrastinate, do the minimum requirements for projects and papers and after turning them in at the deadline, I wish I could have made it better. I know that is not the same, but its similar. Also the whole thinking of every single possible idea you have before starting to work on one doesn't sit well with me. I would much rather start with one thing and work on it and then continue to modify it until it is the best it can be.
The video we watched was interesting. Ideo's workplace looked like a very entertaining and carefree office. The method behind the madness is crazy and they have come up with really strange things before. The shopping cart they just made though didn't really impress me. Where was the strap to hold children in? And for that to come out about 12 years ago and still haven't any of that be adopted into major grocery stores is kind of annoying, specially because now we have the technology to do so, but I guess the process was still really neat.
RR:
These chapters were more interesting to me. I found the chapter about objects to be totally true. As consumers we pay more for something that is less functional but more expensive. We also buy a lot of objects simply because of the designer name that is attached to them. Also before reading chapter five I haven't really ever thought of communication in the form of illustration, websites, typefaces, documentation, forms, etc. to be the work of designers. It just never really crossed my mind that they really do all of the work to display directions, instructions, and information that are all extremely important to everyday life. Lastly, I never thought about the environment of an object playing a huge roll in the experience. The shops in most of the hotel and casinos in Las Vegas give you the experience of being outside and the lights dim as the sun sets and there are little houses and what not that line the "streets" but the fact that it is inside give it a whole different experience. I honestly just thought the idea was really cool and it is almost standard out there now, didn't really consider the fact that while it would be a cute street outside with shops, its extremely cool just because it is inside.
Last week was a weird week, only one class. The design process slides were interesting. I liked how we went over all of the basic elements to coming up with a good design. I also thought it was funny that someone actually needs to end the process for designers since they can always keep finding ways to make their design better. I can relate to this because I procrastinate, do the minimum requirements for projects and papers and after turning them in at the deadline, I wish I could have made it better. I know that is not the same, but its similar. Also the whole thinking of every single possible idea you have before starting to work on one doesn't sit well with me. I would much rather start with one thing and work on it and then continue to modify it until it is the best it can be.
The video we watched was interesting. Ideo's workplace looked like a very entertaining and carefree office. The method behind the madness is crazy and they have come up with really strange things before. The shopping cart they just made though didn't really impress me. Where was the strap to hold children in? And for that to come out about 12 years ago and still haven't any of that be adopted into major grocery stores is kind of annoying, specially because now we have the technology to do so, but I guess the process was still really neat.
RR:
These chapters were more interesting to me. I found the chapter about objects to be totally true. As consumers we pay more for something that is less functional but more expensive. We also buy a lot of objects simply because of the designer name that is attached to them. Also before reading chapter five I haven't really ever thought of communication in the form of illustration, websites, typefaces, documentation, forms, etc. to be the work of designers. It just never really crossed my mind that they really do all of the work to display directions, instructions, and information that are all extremely important to everyday life. Lastly, I never thought about the environment of an object playing a huge roll in the experience. The shops in most of the hotel and casinos in Las Vegas give you the experience of being outside and the lights dim as the sun sets and there are little houses and what not that line the "streets" but the fact that it is inside give it a whole different experience. I honestly just thought the idea was really cool and it is almost standard out there now, didn't really consider the fact that while it would be a cute street outside with shops, its extremely cool just because it is inside.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Designer Investigation
David Carson:
Eileen Gray:
Eileen is regarded as one of the most important architects and furniture designers of modern times after being neglected for most of her career. She usually worked independently because a majority of designers at that time were male. She studied art in London and then began to study lacquer. In 1968, her work is the topic of an article in Domus magazine, which got her recognition for her accomplishments.
Eileen Gray Biography. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. <http://www.gray-eileen.com/>.
"Eileen Gray / Design Museum Collection : - Design/Designer Information." Design Museum London.
Web. 23 Jan. 2011. <http://designmuseum.org/design/eileen-gray>.
David Carson is an American graphic designer, who runs David Carson Design, Inc. The company has offices in Del Mar, California and Zurich, Switzerland. He is best known for his magazine designs and experimental typography. He attended San Diego State University where he majored in sociology. He has been featured in over 180 newspaper and magazine articles. He was named "art director of the era" by a London Review magazine. He has also been named "the most famous graphic designer on the planet", "designer of the year", and a "master of typography" in the past. His first book, The End of Print is the best selling graphic design book of all time and sold over 200,000 copies and is printed in 5 languages. Two other books by David have been released recently. In the past couple years, he has branched out to film and tv and has directed commercials and videos. He has an extensive client list both here in the U.S. and internationally. He does work for Xerox, Mazda, Bose, Nike, MTV, Sony, American Express, and Warner Brothers, just to name a few.
The David Carson Documentary. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. <http://www.thedavidcarsonproject.com/>.
Dcd. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. <http://www.davidcarsondesign.com>.
Jonathan Ive:
Jonathan is senior vice-president of design at Apple. He grew up in London. By the age of 13 or 14 he was pretty sure he wanted to "draw and make stuff" but didn't decide on product design until visiting design consultancies. His innovations include the iMac and iPod. He studies art and design at Newcastle Polytechnic. He began working for Apple in 1992. He received the MDA Personal Achievement Award after designing the iPhone. In 2003, he was named "Designer of the year".
"Jonathan Ive / 25/25 - Celebrating 25 Years of Design : - Design/Designer Information."Design
Museum London. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. <http://designmuseum.org/design/jonathan-ive>.
"Press Info - Bios - Jonathan Ive." Apple. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. <http://www.apple.com/pr/bios/ive.html>.
Eileen Gray:
Eileen is regarded as one of the most important architects and furniture designers of modern times after being neglected for most of her career. She usually worked independently because a majority of designers at that time were male. She studied art in London and then began to study lacquer. In 1968, her work is the topic of an article in Domus magazine, which got her recognition for her accomplishments.
Eileen Gray Biography. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. <http://www.gray-eileen.com/>.
"Eileen Gray / Design Museum Collection : - Design/Designer Information." Design Museum London.
Web. 23 Jan. 2011. <http://designmuseum.org/design/eileen-gray>.
Survey J03
The simple survey was given to 9 of my closest friends over the weekend. Four were girls, and five were guys. The girls all live in one house and the guys live in another and are from around the same area.
Where do you call home?
What is your favorite season?
What color are your eyes?
Are you a mac or pc?
What is your favorite pizza?
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
CR02, RR02
Last week was really interesting. Though the PowerPoints were not the most thrilling things to look at, it was really cool how we went through each area of design at OSU. Out of the history slides, I really liked the chairs. I didn't know that every big designer has made a chair at some point and all of the thought and design that goes into one. I now have a new appreciation for things I sit on and all of the weird things that are sold at Ikea. The next class was cool though. I quite honestly had no idea what interior space designers or industrial designers did until we went over them a little bit. I didn't even think of the thought that goes into a bank to give it a "safe" feeling or the hospital colors in the ER. It all makes sense, just not something I would have thought about otherwise. Also I was really intrigued by the medical part of the industrial design section. I wonder why no one has ever worked on a design that would help put an end to the problems obese people face when going to the hospital. I found it all really interesting and I hope to learn more about each throughout the quarter.
The readings for this week were a little dry. The book is a little too wordy for my liking but thats okay. It went into a lot of detail explaining what design is and why there is no set definition because of everything the word takes into effect. It also went on to talk about the evolution of design and making tools weapons, but also making things pretty. Lastly, we read about the reason we design something is for it to serve a purpose and/or solve a problem. "Form follows function" basically means without a functional design to do something in someway, its pretty much useless.
The readings for this week were a little dry. The book is a little too wordy for my liking but thats okay. It went into a lot of detail explaining what design is and why there is no set definition because of everything the word takes into effect. It also went on to talk about the evolution of design and making tools weapons, but also making things pretty. Lastly, we read about the reason we design something is for it to serve a purpose and/or solve a problem. "Form follows function" basically means without a functional design to do something in someway, its pretty much useless.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Patterns
I came home for the long weekend and decided to look for patterns inside my house. All of these were taken on Sunday and are kind of random. I wish I could have gone around campus but didn't want to rush the project.
This first pattern is the paisley design on a pillow in our living room.
This one is a photo of the carpet in my bedroom. It has a pattern of how the fibers are laid, but just happens to look completely random and depends how someone steps on it or vacuums it, etc.
The hardwood floors in our kitchen also have a pattern. I like this one because the slats are parallel to each other and the wood grain is unique to each board.
The granite on the counter tops is also interesting to me. Depending where you stand and what piece of the slab is exposed, the pattern can be different in each area but it is all part of a whole.
This is the brick on the fireplace in the family room. I took a picture of this pattern of and color because it reminds me the most of home since it matches the brick on the outside too.
I think this is actually my favorite thing I took a picture of in my house. This was just the open Cheerios box and shows a bunch of the O-shaped cereal in a random order. I guess it is not a pattern by definition but I liked it anyway.
This is a close-up of the white, wicker vanity set in my bathroom. The way the pieces are woven together just looked cool.
This is the wire on the outside of my hamper in my room. The way you can pick out different shapes within the design is kinda cool.
This is the floor tile in my shower. They always remind me of the geometric shaped pieces we played and made designs with in grade school. I also like it because they are larger hexagons and typically you see small ones or squares in bathroom tile.
This one of my mom's favorite things. My sister and I call it the "ugly" chair. It doesn't really go with anything else we have in the house but it has a sweet swirly pattern nonetheless.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Simple Packaging
So I read this article on Dezeen about simplifying product packaging and how people would respond to it. It took different products like nutella, nesquik, redbull, and pringles and stripped them of designs, colors, and pictures on the package and asked people to pick which variation they liked the best.
I thought it was interesting because some of them look better the more plain they are. While, something like cornflakes or nesquik look less appetizing because they don't show you what you are getting inside of the box or tin. I also thought it was interesting because of my major. Certain products would probably sell more with a simpler package design than they would with a bunch of graphics on it. Other ones probably wouldn't do so well. Lindt, for instance, in the simple version, not the simplest looks more like a carton of cigarettes than a box of chocolates. I personally like packaging to be more simple and clean looking. The difference between old Pepsi cans, ones from 10 years, and then recent ones seem to support this idea. They used to be really plain, then got more graphic and now are simple in font and logo again. Advertising agencies would probably find an article like this interesting for all the same reasons I did.
http://www.dezeen.com/2010/12/22/minimalist-effect-in-the-maximalist-market-by-antrepo/
I thought it was interesting because some of them look better the more plain they are. While, something like cornflakes or nesquik look less appetizing because they don't show you what you are getting inside of the box or tin. I also thought it was interesting because of my major. Certain products would probably sell more with a simpler package design than they would with a bunch of graphics on it. Other ones probably wouldn't do so well. Lindt, for instance, in the simple version, not the simplest looks more like a carton of cigarettes than a box of chocolates. I personally like packaging to be more simple and clean looking. The difference between old Pepsi cans, ones from 10 years, and then recent ones seem to support this idea. They used to be really plain, then got more graphic and now are simple in font and logo again. Advertising agencies would probably find an article like this interesting for all the same reasons I did.
http://www.dezeen.com/2010/12/22/minimalist-effect-in-the-maximalist-market-by-antrepo/
Me
I'm Megan. Here is a bunch of random facts about me: I'm a sophomore, from a town named after a fruit, about a half hour north of Pittsburgh. I have a younger sister who is probably going to come to Ohio State next year because she's a little copycat. I also have a little white fluffy puppy named Murphy and he is adorable and awesome. My favorite color is purple, I'm a Mac, pizza is my favorite food. In my opinion, Super Mario 64 is the greatest game ever created. Factory Girl, Girl Interrupted, Blow, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are some of my favorite movies. I love Ari Gold from Entourage. I hate cold weather unless I'm snowboarding, and until I came to college and had to walk everywhere, I loved rainy days.
My major is marketing and I'm minoring in women's studies and hopefully in design as well. In high school my favorite classes were marketing/advertising and graphic arts, which is kinda what I'm in now. I am super excited to take this class along because I think it will be fun and a good break from my accounting, and business management courses this quarter. I actually wanted to take this course sooner but I wasn't looking in the right place while trying to schedule until I talked to my friend who is in the major. This is one of the courses I'm really looking forward to.
My major is marketing and I'm minoring in women's studies and hopefully in design as well. In high school my favorite classes were marketing/advertising and graphic arts, which is kinda what I'm in now. I am super excited to take this class along because I think it will be fun and a good break from my accounting, and business management courses this quarter. I actually wanted to take this course sooner but I wasn't looking in the right place while trying to schedule until I talked to my friend who is in the major. This is one of the courses I'm really looking forward to.
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