Yesterday was the last class before finals. Class got out early again, but we talked about a few different things before it did. Jimmy gave us all a copy of the Journal of Business and design. I had never seen it before, but it contained some interesting articles. Lauren told us about the AIGA panel, and how the speakers there talked about internships, salaries, and a few other things. I wish I had gone, but I was not on campus at the time. After that, Jimmy talked to us about being proactive and entrepreneurial. We should be out own boss, even if we work for someone else, find work instead of waiting for it to come to us, and challenge yourself. I think that these are all helpful, and my parents have always told me to be proactive in my life. After this, we all gave pros and cons of things about the class that we did over the quarter. I learned a few different things from the class, although there were one or two projects that I did not like. I will be spending the rest of my weekend working on my final project video for the class.
Last wednesday, class was very short. Jimmy talked for a few minutes about things and then told us that we could leave. I stayed in the class for a while and wrote out some ideas for my video, and then ended up leaving to go visit the anthropology office. I liked having the free time, but wish that I would have known ahead of time that class was going to be so short.
So today we started off with a game. It was alright, but got a little annoying after playing for a long time. The gist of the game was saying "This is a what, a what? A what. Oh a what!, and then continuing on and asking each previous person, a what? When the person you were telling asked what it was. Its a little confusing at first, and gets even harder when you include two objects instead of just one. In fact, we could not successfully finish the game with two objects.
Once we gave up on the game, we watched a hammer lecture on Sir Ken Robinson. I really did not want to watch it at first, but I ended up liking it. He included some humor, and it kept me interested in watching more. He talked about how finding your element makes life fulfilling, and how most adults never find out where their true talents lie. I have heard this so many times in the past two months. One of the things that kept distracting me throughout the talk, was that from where I was sitting, his suit blended into the background and he looked like a disembodied head, hands and a strip of his chest. Not really relevant at all, but I found it amusing. Some of the other things he talked about were how there are two climate crisis's, one in national resources and one in personal resources. He also talked about how standardized testing is ruining our education system, and not helping people to discover their personal talents. According to him the economy needs three things; to think differently, communicate, and work in groups. I think that these are great idea. Not many people know how to communicate well anymore, because so many things are electronic. I know a lot of people who prefer to text, over speaking to people in real life. Technology is a great thing, but I don't think that people should prefer it over actual human interaction. Overall, he had a lot of good things to say, and it was a good way to spend class.
This week, I finally reached the last chapter in our book, about production. A designer has to be available at the stage of production in case any last minute problems arise. Production requires working with a production team. The chapter talks about the different values that a designer should have while working with them, such as respect, listening to opinions, motivating the team, diplomacy and good communication. I think that these are all great, and people should always try to get along as best as they can at work. The book also talks about being able to get feedback. I always love to get positive feedback about my work, but usually it is the negative feedback that is more useful. It points out the problems in my work so that I can go back and fix it, and make it the best that it can be. The book points out that a designer should not be pressured into making changes that they are not happy with.
The next part of production after meeting with a design team is to make a prototype of the design. In the prototype stage, a designer can experiment with different materials to see which one is the best for the final product. The book talks about throwaway prototyping, which I had never heard of before. It is when a designer tests out a certain aspect of the design that could potentially ruin it or work out great. Another type that I had never heard of was evolutionary prototyping. It is when a design needs further exploration to make it finished. I think that both of these are good ideas, and I will try them out in the future.
Another part of the production process is making decisions. Some things that have to be decided are budgets, scheduling, materials and sustainability. After learning about creative briefs in class, I would have thought that a few of those such as budget and scheduling, would be decided early on in the project, not in the production stage. The last thing that the chapter discusses is documenting your work. I would have thought that this did not even need a part in the book, as documenting my work is something that I always do. I always like to have a record or some kind of copy of my work that I can keep.
The perspective section in the book is about Palmi Einarsson, who is the design director of Ossur which is an international manufacturer. He discusses how there are five basic steps that designs go through at the company. They are, a brief introduction to the design, all of the numbers for the project are presented in detail (budget, target market, net value, etc...), the prototyping is done and the design is handed over to production. A set number of the product is then produced and are tested in the market for about two months. If a product reaches this point, then all of the information is reviewed again and any problems are fixed. If there are no problems, then the project is then closed. I would not have expected this to be the process for a large company, but it does make a lot of sense and seems to work really well. The rest of his story did not interest me as much as learning about the process did.
Posted by
Lindsay
12:03 AM
In class on wednesday, Jimmy started off by splitting the class into two groups, of the women against the men. He wrote a pattern on the board, which was
1
10
11
100
-------
We were supposed to come up with an answer and all agree on it. Astrid and I came up with the same answer of 111. I had noticed almost immediately that there was a pattern of adding an extra one and an extra zero each time. Astrid had come to this conclusion in a similar way, so we used that as our explanation. The mens team had come up with a different answer using the binary system, but I do not know the binary system. Our team explained it pretty well, while their team had to have three different speakers to explain it correctly. Overall, I enjoyed having a group project to do during class.
In class yesterday, we watched Akira Kurosawa's Dreams. It was a very strange movie, and I personally didn't like it very much. I recognized the first story about the legend of the foxes, and found it to be interesting. The movie was a series of eight stories that were supposed to be different dreams. None of the stories really had a set ending, and left off at odd points, much like dreams do. We were supposed to think about how inspiration, creation, conceptualization and ideation relate to dreams and sleep. I have personally had several dreams that have led to ideas to stories and to drawings. Often times though, I won't remember the dream unless it was really vivid or memorable. I might remember it right when I wake up, but forget it as a little bit of time passes. I have always considered the possibility of keeping a notepad next to my bed to write down ideas, but never have. A lot of times while we sleep, we think of things that would be impossible in real life, and are generally more creative. We are free to think of anything while we sleep.
The next chapter in our book contains information about communication. This is something that Jimmy has talked to us several times about, since we need to be able to communicate well in our careers. The section begins with the book breaking down communication into three parts, encoding, the message itself, and decoding. I think that it would be helpful to keep these parts in mind, while constructing a project. It also says that as a designer, we have to tell our client what they need, which could be different from what they want. This was a point that was brought up by Seth Johnson, at the beginning of the quarter. There are several people that a designer has to work with, and consider them as an audience. There is the client, the corporation, manufacturing, and associates. A designer will not always have to work with all of them, but it is important to consider each one as they apply to the project.
I think that the next section of the book was very helpful. It broke down the information stages into statement, concept, detail and planning. I normally do this, but not as in detail. I think that it would help me communicate my ideas more clearly if i tried to work with these stages. Another section that I found to be helpful was the one on organization and quality. It talks about determining the relevancy of the information, determining the immediacy of what the client needs to know, and the scope of the information. A lot of times I include unnecessary information in my projects, and I need to work on compressing it into the important details.
Presentation of information is also very important to communication. A project will not go well, if the presentation does not communicate the idea clearly. The book re-visits the idea of setting aside plenty of time for a project. Time management is something that I constantly struggle with, but have gotten better at in more recent years. The next few sections compare the basic patterns of presentation to classical music terms. Having played the flute for around nine years, I am quite familiar with the terms so they made a lot of sense to me. Another important part of presentation is choosing the illustration technique. A designer can utilize various medias such as pencil, color pencil, pens and inks, markers, pastels and crayons, watercolors, photoshop, CAD programs, web pages, powerpoint, books and boards, CD's and models. I have been working with different medias, and trying to gain better experience with them, so that I can utilize them more in the future.
The last section before the perspective, the author compares a designer preparing to give a presentation to an actor preparing for his role. I have never been wonderful at public speaking, and I hope that these will be helpful in the future. The books talks about knowing your lines, knowing your props and setting, knowing the direction you are headed in, and knowing your motivation. It is hard to present anything without being motivated to do it. The perspective section in this chapter is about Mark Zeff, a designer and architect. I am very interested in architecture, so I was interested in reading about what he had to say. He starts off with saying that the most important ability, is to be able to communicate with a client. A project can not be run well if there is not a great understanding between the designer and client. Zeff says that they developed a series of processes to take their clients through to weed out any problems. He talks about how a way they do this, is through design briefs. Our class just spent a few class periods working on talking about how to make a good design brief. The next thing Zeff talks about is how when he is looking to hire people, he looks for people who are good at communication, and who are tenacious and brave. One final point that he brought up, is something that I really like and is something I hear a lot. He talked about how his personal interests are what inspires him in his work and helps him when he is creating things. I am always finding things in my life that inspire different works, and they always come out the best because I am passionate about them. Zeff's perspective section reiterated a lot of the ideas from the chapter, and has confirmed the idea that communication is one of the most important things.
Thursday night, our class attended a talk by the designer John Coy. It was supposed to begin at 7, but did not start until almost 8 because of technical difficulties, that continued thorough the presentation. It was a little distracting from his speaking. It was an enjoyable presentation though, and I heard a few things that I have heard several times before, and a few new things that I had not. One of the main points that stood out to me was to find what we are good at, and work at it. This is something that I have heard before, and he reiterated it in a large portion of his presentation. It seems that this is a point that I really need to take into consideration before I start my professional career, and figure out what is unique to me. Another thing that he said that I have heard many times before, is to explore an assignment for myself and not just do the project. I have been working at that lately, and really trying to get into assignments that I did not like at first. So far, it has been partially working. I have been really trying to learn from everything.
One point that I had not heard before, stood out in his presentation. It was that thoughts are like magnets, and they send out vibrations that attract similar thoughts. I have never heard a metaphor like that before, and it made sense to me. People who have similar thoughts and values, generally end up gravitating towards each other at some point in time. Another point that I had never considered is that there is a little kid inside each of us, and that we have to find out what is important to the kid. We should find out what is interesting to us. I think that it would be helpful to consider this the next time I have to do a project, so that I can try to enjoy that project more. I do not want to do something that I will end up being unhappy about.
John Coy also went over some parts of his creative process in his speech. He mentioned how he would make a lot of ideas for something before he would finally happen to get one that he really liked. That is generally what I end up doing for most of my projects. He also mentioned that in his designs, he likes to blend fine arts with graphic arts. I think that is a great idea because they are two different areas, but could be mixed nicely if done well. I liked some of the work John Coy presented, especially the paper cut out projects. I would really like to try doing paper cut outs when I have some spare time. I think that they make a design more interesting. All in all, I took a lot from his speech and am glad that I attended it. It was helpful to hear some ideas from someone who has obviously had a lot of experience in the field, and I am hoping that what I learned will be useful in any future endeavors.
Yesterday I went to a Japanese Calligraphy workshop at calstate. I had a good time there, and learned how to write the kanji (symbol) for flower. We got to practice all of the basic strokes first, which is actually harder than it looks. After we had practiced all of them, we had to choose a symbol to practice over and over. I chose mine, and kept practicing. It was hard to get it right at first, but eventually it got better. I ended up doing a practice one that I had liked more than the final one I had done. I have a few of the brushes and ink at home that I have never used, and I am really looking forward to trying it on my own in my art. It is a lot harder than it looks to do.
My final try at the kanji
Posted by
Lindsay
2:35 PM
So usually I'm in the classroom around 6:30, and Jimmy shows up around 7:30 to put out the sign in sheet. He didn't show up though, and I was wondering where he was at. Turns out, he was sick and class was canceled. We all stayed around 20 minutes extra to discuss our creative brief for the final project. Dustin went and wrote all of the information we came up with on the board, and we took role and collected our creative briefs.
The info for the creative brief we all came up with
I think that we did a pretty good job managing everything even though Jimmy was not there. I didn't have class again until around 1:30 though, so I ended up doing some reading, and going to the gym for a little bit. It would have been too far of a drive for me to go home, only to come back later.
Creative briefs are an important part of our future careers, so we spent the entire class learning about them. A few tips we were given were to communicate clearly and to be brief in them. We should be able to write a great objective in three sentences. Some things that should be included are target audience, objective, competitors, differentiates, design considerations, deliverables, time budget, etc... We also talked about ROI (representamen, interpretent and object). I learned a lot of useful information that will be very helpful in the future. We also learned about what we should be charging for our work, which is something that I have always wondered about. Altogether, it was a very useful class.
This most recent chapter in the book is about definition and modeling. It starts off with saying, "Reality is tricky." We have to deal with constraints and compromises in order to get things done. Because of this, we might not always be happy with our final project. This happens to me sometimes, when I run out of time and have to quickly finish a project. I am most likely not satisfied with it, because I know that It could have been better. The book gives a hierarchy of design's needs. Level 1 is functionality, which I think is probably the most important. Level 2 is reliability, which is also important. Level 3 is usability, Level 4 is proficiency, and Level 5 is creativity. These are all important parts of design, because an object is useless if it is not functioning or usable. Creativity is important because it leads to innovative thinking and new ideas.
The next part of the chapter talks about breaking up the anatomy of the idea. An artist has to be able to eliminate un-needed parts, and make different parts better. This is something that I have to work on, because I often include things that clutter the design. Designers have to also be able to look at detail, and decide which is functional, and which is for aesthetic purposes. The next section talks about the actual creation of a model. Models should be seen as sketching exercises, for the designer to explore with different ideas. I think that it is a really good idea to view modeling like that, rather than as something that can't be changed easily. A model helps clients to see ideas clearly, and includes them in the design process. Showing ideas clearly is something that is important, and something that I would like to learn how to do better. One problem that is important to think about with models is making sure that they scale well in real life. A few things to consider when making models is deciding whether to make them 2D or 3D, and if they should be done virtually or an actual physical model. Choosing a scale for the model is also important, and so is choosing materials. Real materials might not be practical to use, so finding different materials to use helps, and some research might have to be done. The last thing to consider is time management, which I think is probably the biggest thing to remember. Time management is something that I always struggle with, no matter how much I plan in advance. At the end of all of this, it is also important to re-inspire yourself, and to remember why you liked the idea in the first place.
The perspective section in this chapter is about Ian Cunningham, who is a design director. He talks about how getting excited over your job as a designer is really important. He also talks about how as a consultant, he might spend 6 months researching and designing something, only to have it not designed or have it possibly produced later on. He guides projects, more than actually doing them since he is a design manager. I think out of all the perspective sections so far, I have found his to be the least-interesting. It did not interest me like the other ones had.
We spent a lot of time in class yesterday going over presentation in terms of our work, and our body language. I had personally taken the time to try out a few different layouts on my board, and used the one that fit all the information I had the best. My main concern had been for the game idea itself though, and not the board. A lot of people had left the stickers on the back of their board's, and I know from now on to print a label to put on the back of mine, instead of just writing my name on the back. We should also make sure our papers are glued on flat, with no corners sticking up. I would have thought that making sure they were all flat was common sense. After this, a few of us presented our projects to the class, and we had to watch for body language. I was pretty nervous when I went up there, but I enjoyed explaining my project. Apparently, my hands gave it away that I was nervous. I'll have to remember that the next time I'm presenting. For the next class, we have to create a creative brief for our game, and one for the short film, The Power of 10. I have no idea where to start in writing one, so I really hope that they come out alright.
Yesterdays class was mainly about portfolios and our game designs. Over the weekend, we each had to come up with nine game designs. Mine were alright, but I had a hard time coming up with nine good ones, so some of them were no so great. Jimmy told us a few things at the beginning of class that would help us be successful in the future. We should be able to apply our designs to a breadth of applications, such as on tv, on print, etc... We should also have works in our portfolio that show our personal passion, not just works from classes. It shows that we have initiative and self motivation. We should also have a mastery of our tools. We need to be able to design for the technology, and be able to work with people who can do things that we do not know how to do. I think that these are all very good ideas, and I plan on working on a personal project over the summer. After this, we all shared our game ideas. Some people had ok ideas, and some people had some not-so-great ones. It will be interesting to see the different fully-developed games that everyone brings in.
For those of you who are interested, there is a pretty cool exhibit going on at the Geffen right now. It's all about street art, and you can find more information here. There is works by Banksy, Mister Cartoon, Swoon, Shepard Fairey, and many other artists. There was a nice mix of photography, paintings, and many other things.
According to our book, the exploration stage of the creative process can be compared to alchemists. Our process should be methodical while being impulsive, and we have to turn a basic idea into a golden one. I thought that it was a clever analogy to use, and it does make sense. It cautions the artist to not rush through the process, and to brainstorm and observe the idea from different angles. It also suggests to refine the idea until you get exactly what you want. The next section suggests to think about how the design will interact with its environment, and to sketch out various different possibilities. This is a good idea, and I will try to use it on my next project. Designs should be re-worked until they impact the environment as minimally as possible.
The next section states that the stereotype of artists always sketching is true. I also have found this, for the most part, to be true. Sketches are a great way of sharing ideas if you are not good at communicating them through words. It is said that everyone learns another language when they are children, of being able to create and recognize representation of objects. Because of this, we also tend to look for meaning where there is none, such as seeing faces and shapes in clouds. I used to love watching the clouds for things when I was in the car. Most children sketch when they are young but as they get older, they are criticized more, and most people generally stop while others go on to learn harder techniques. This happened to my little sister. She was always the better artist than I was when we were young but as we got older, she stopped drawing and I did not. The section goes on to list a few do's and dont's of sketching. A few do's are: Sketch quickly and repeatedly, sketch constantly, avoid limitations and use different media, sketch large and small, and consider the purpose of your sketch. These all seem like helpful ideas. There are only two dont's; Edit yourself, and keep your sketches to yourself. I have a problem with both of those, and will try to stop in the future. After sketching, forming a model should be done, or use computer-aided design to make one. Computer design offers more detail and speed. It also suggests saving a file after every large change when working with computers. This is a huge help, and I learned the hard way a few years ago to save after my changes. The section states that one of the only problems with creating designs on the computer, is that some of them can not exist in real life.
The next section is all about dialogue. It says to discuss ideas with everyone involved, and get feedback from them. It also says that getting from people not involved can also provide valuable feedback. I try to do this when I can, usually getting opinions from my sister. Reflection of a project at the end of the concept stage helps to figure out things when you are stuck, and it is recommended to sometimes just "sleep on it."
The perspective section of this chapter is about the artist and designer Leifur Breidfjord. He starts off by talking about how he first goes and scouts out the location of his project, to see how it will affect the environment around it. For example, if there is stained glass, he has to work around how that will change how the design will look. He has to consider many things from the outside and inside of the building, such as light, space, scale, and if the work should be abstract or figurative. He also considers color, and how it can change the space. He gives an example of a building that used yellow glass except for one small spot of a clear window that showed the sky outside. I have seen church's that have done things like that, and it has a really interesting effect. He starts off his projects by sketching in pencil, then making ones in gouache with a drawing of a person on the side so that he can keep the scale in mind. I think this is a really good idea. He tweaks it a little bit, then shows it to his client. If they agree on it, then he creates a full scale design in color. He only shows them one design, and works with them to change it. I found this interesting, because most people I have met suggested that it was better to show a few different options. He suggests to not limit yourself to one discipline, which i think is a good idea. I enjoy trying new things, such as sewing, sculpting and painting. If a person is having trouble finding inspiration, he suggests taking a break, or going to work on another project you have. I have started doing this recently, and it has helped more. I thought that his chapter on perspective has been one of the best ones so far. The last part of the chapter gives the previous exercises, but says to refine the ideas more, and sketch the idea out this time using different methods. It seems like it would be interesting to try.
Todays class was entertaining. It was game day, and we all brought in games to play. I brought in my old decks of pokemon cards, and a set of rules for them, since it has been many years since I have used them. I ended up playing connect four, and win lose or draw. Connect four is a good game, but it was much too early for me to pay a lot of attention to the different moves, and as a result, I kept losing. It also gets old after you play it 10+ times. Win lose or draw was a better game. We split up into two teams, and had a good time drawing out phrases and trying to have our partner guess the answer. My team ended up winning by one point. We had to think about what made these games good, and have to make 9 game ideas this weekend. I already have a few, but I am hoping that I can come up with some really good ones when I put more time into it.
Yesterdays class was mostly about games. Jimmy asked the question, what is design? And no one could give an answer. Tomorrows class is going to be Game day, and we are all supposed to bring in a game. It should be a pretty good class. We all listed games that we knew of, and then discussed a few of them, such as monopoly and risk. Monopoly is all about capitalism, and a few people didn't know what that was, so we had another talk explaining what that is. Capitalism is an economic system in which all of the means of production are privately owned and used for profit. After this, we went over our seven deadly sins project. A lot of people had duplicate images, so we could not use them. Altogether, it was an interesting day.
The books next chapter is about the third stage of design, conceptualization. It begins with an idea that has been stressed throughout the book; sustainability. It gives the many questions that a designer should think of in terms of creating an environmentally sustainable project. The next section states the four steps that help a person conceptualize information. They are: 1) Fill in as many gaps as you can, 2) Ground concepts into a logical reality, 3) Presenting your concept in a clear manner, 4) Must be familiar with the inner workings on a project so that you can change it easily. Number two did not make much sense to me. The section also goes on to talk about how the word Gestalt is German for shape, pattern, or form. There was a school of thought called the Gestalt school, and they created a belief that the "whole is greater than the sum of its parts." I think that in most cases, this is true, although there are certain exceptions. There are five rules that are attached to the law of the school, and I found them to be correct. It also talks about how there are open and closed gestalt. Open gestalt is when there are enough elements to suggest a whole, but not enough to create an entire design. Closed gestalt is when all significant positions are taken.
The next section of the chapter is about brainstorming. It begins with talking about keeping a design sketchbook and journal with you at all times. I think this is a great idea, and I always have my small notebook with me to write stuff down on. It helps me remember things, and to write down ideas I have for projects. The rules of brainstorming are given next, and there are a lot so I won't list them here. They are very helpful though, and the few that I liked were to set an agenda, set a time limit, write down all ideas and encourage freewheeling.
I found the next section of the chapter to be pretty interesting. It talks about using simile, metaphor, and analogy while creating concepts. The book says that similes are useful because they lead to questions that are helpful in brainstorming. It says that metaphors are helpful because they create a mental image, and create an understanding of the concept of it. The last term, analogy, is said to be useful because it helps to point out relationships that may not have been previously visible. The next section talks about more brainstorming tools. We created mind maps previously in class, and this part talks about creating them. It says to describe, compare, associate, construct, use, and troubleshoot different parts of your design on the map. It also gave different ideas of how to make the maps, most of them I had already heard about in class. The next part talks about analyzing concepts. One way to analyze is by listing the pros and cons of the ideas. Another way is to visualize and sketch out different ideas. The last idea is to use the SCAMPER process. It stands for substitute, combine, adapt, minimize/magnify, put to other uses, eliminate/elaborate, and reverse/rearrange. The next section talks about presenting ideas. There was a large list of do's and dont's given, and they all seem very helpful.
The last section of the chapter is about an interior designer and professor named Jill Pable. She begins by talking about her background with different majors before she got to interior design, and how they all helped her see the connections with design in the world. I agree with her when she said that a well-rounded approach is never a waste. It is great to have a different insight on things based on different experiences. She recently has been researching homeless people, and has been looking in different places for solutions to their problems, including in wellness psychology. She talks about a few of her ideas, and they are actually very interesting. I haven't heard of anything like them before. She also talks about how people need to intuitively think about sustainability in design, not look at it as a separate idea. Design school is held with a higher regard and has high standards than when she went through it. She ends with talking about how she feels that we should have a holistic approach to the challenges that arise. Altogether, I agreed with most of the things that she talked about. I really do think that designers should have a better background in other subjects, it helps a lot. The chapter ends with giving two small ideas for brainstorming and making a concept board.
Yesterdays class started out with everyone re-arranging the tables so that we had a large open space in the middle of the room. Everyone laid out their projects of coming up with three images that told a story. We were told to pick our favorite project as a class, so we all nominated projects and then voted. The winning pictures were one of a little girl gazing at a barbie doll section in a store, a woman with her face marked up for plastic surgery, and then a woman who has had a lot of plastic surgery and looked bad. After we decided on it, we discussed it, and talked about what we thought it was all about. Once we picked it, Jimmy talked about the different good and bad projects. The bad ones weren't necessarily bad, we just could not figure out the story they told and needed to be changed. My favorite one out of those was a fish with drugs and a desert. I would have never guessed the actual story if I had not been told.
After we finished discussing the projects on the board, Jimmy laid out all of the images on two or three tables and we all were told to mix and match the images to make stories on the board. There were a few good ones, and it was a nice group project. After this, we all watched a TED talk but John Maeda. He talked about his laws of simplicity, and how both simplicity and complexity could be found in life. He seemed like a very intelligent man, and was entertaining while presenting. At the end of class, we were given our next project which is to come up with seven images to represent the seven deadly sins. I think that it will be a great project to do, and it will be interesting to see what everyone picked out.
Class yesterday started off with everyone arranging themselves by their birthdays instead of by last name like we did before. We got it done pretty quickly, and after that were put into groups of four. We each had to contribute two items that we had on us, and had to create a story with the objects. I had a Romanian and a Czech Republic coin that I contributed, and I liked how our story about a man that steals a purse came out. I liked having a group assignment like that.
After we all shared our stories, Jimmy started talking about the essential story elements, such as who, what, when, where, etc... He also talked about the expression of a story, such as in a movie, song, play, etc... and related it to how we all chose to tell our stories. Some groups used different ways of reading it, such as acting it out with the items (using visual aids and personification), having group members take turns reading and just having one person read. This discussion led into one about using visual communication to show a story, and about how a poster or flyer can tell a story using the graphics it has on it. One of the things that I got out of class today is that stories change while there being written, and that group storytelling helps because you have someone else to share ideas with.
Yesterday, I found this pretty cool blog on green design, and I figured that I would share it here for anyone who is interested. I thought that this article about turning an old factory into a school was pretty great, you can find it
here. It reminded me of the section we just read on sustainable design.
The chapter I read is all about the identification step in the creative process. It starts out talking about how designers need to identify a projects needs and limits, also known as its constraints. A design project is seen as a problem that needs to be solved, and the designer has to follow the different constraints that come up at different stages in order to keep the project going in the right direction. The book mentions two different types of constraints, inherent and imposed. Inherent constraints are constraints that are connected to the nature of the object being designed that are needed, and imposed constraints are characteristics that are desired but not essential to it.
The next section is about the end user constraints. The end user constraints are the constraints that the client imposes. The main rule for this is that an objects functionality should come first, and that its form should come second. The section goes on to talk about how a designer should not assume that people in society will have common sense, while they are designing something for the public. It also ties in how safety is something that needs to be considered. A design cannot be shown if it is not safe for the consumer. I think that the most important rule of design would be that it should serve its function first, and that design should come second.
The section after that, is about the constraints in production. The constraints in production are some of the most important constraints. Materials and capabilities are things that need to be considered right away, to make sure that the designs can even be made. An important point that the author makes is that as the designer, we should know how the manufacturing process of our designs works. The next section concerns the constraints of the designer. It states that a designer should know everything concerning a project and plan for a best case and worse case scenario. It also talks about how a designer should know how long everything will take, do the math for how long everything will take, and plan for interruptions. Designers also have to worry about what materials will be used, and how much everything will cost. Designers have to plan out the bad consequences of a design, so that problems do not arise later on. If you do not know enough about something to fix problems, then it is best to find someone that does.
The next section in the chapter is about sustainability. Products need to be designed that have less of an effect on the environment, to help raise awareness about the environment. Sustainability becomes a constraint in the project. People need to start making more out of less. The book gives three constraints that a designer should consider: A product should involve the greatest conservation of energy, a product has a greater efficient use of energy, and uses a renewable source of energy. I think that more people should pay attention to sustainable design, because the earth keeps getting worse and worse, and no one seems to care. Everyone thinks that it won't have any effect on them, so why help change the world for future generations? The chapter talks about how toxic chemicals should not be used, and durability and reusability should be increased. Those are both great ideas. An issue is given, about how developed countries rely too heavily on the cheap labor given by lesser developed countries, and in the future, the cheap labor is going to run out and everyone will be out of luck. It also talks about how the future generations will feel the effects of global warming and abuse from people, but the current generation does not seem to care. I completely agree with this, and think that its an issue that more people need to think about.
The second to last section in the chapter is about Brower Hatcher, an artist. He talks about how he is like a sponge, and absorbs a lot of knowledge. After that, he makes models, and clarification happens. After that, he has to build the final version of his project, and decide what materials to use. He likes to work with a team, and prefers it to the solitary work he used to do. He states that a work is not complete until it enters the world. I really like that statement. A person can look at and enjoy their art, but I do not think that it becomes great until It can be shown and enjoyed by others.
The last part of the chapter gives different exercises to do. It talks about doing a design thesis, and considering the following things: What will you design? What is its nature? Who is it for? Why is it needed? What are the benefits of it? Why is this interesting? How will you proceed? The next part talks about identifying the constraints of the project. I think that these are interesting exercises, and would help in the future when actually starting a project.
At the end of our last class, we were given an assignment to pick an image, and come up with ten different words and phrases that changed the meaning of it. Today, we presented about half of the classes images, and did a small critique for each one. I thought that mine was good until we started presenting, and I realized that my words should have been better. It would have been an easier project if we had been given more time, or a partner to work with.
When we finished the reviews for the day, Jimmy put out a few different advertisements on the tables and one up on the board of what appeared to be the Hulks hand with a bandaid. After a group discussion, we finally reached the conclusion that the hand was very reminiscent of the hand of god, because of the positioning that is much like Michaelangelo's sistine chapel work. The advertisements that he had put out all had unique images that caught the viewers attention. We also had a long talk about how more people need to voice there opinions and participate. I do think that more people should participate, including myself. I have started to participate more than I had originally, but still need to do more.
Class yesterday was pretty good. We started off the class talking about Disney, and how they became so popular. They control the storyline, and make everything appeal to younger children. The only kissing in it is shown as romantic, and it is often about princesses. This led into a discussion about storytelling, and what makes a story. We all contributed to a list on the board, some of them included: Beginning, middle, end, viewpoints, conflict, climax, resolution, rising action, setting, characters, themes, morals, etc... I had heard of all of these from various english classes.
After this discussion, we watched two more TED talks by Amy Tan and Elizabeth Gilbert, both writers. I found Amy Tans talk to be a little boring, but I enjoyed Elizabeth Gilberts. Amy Tan talked about creating something out of nothing. She talked about how nature, nurture and nightmares help us figure out our creative processes. She also talked about how experiences in life have an effect on our creative process, and how she found hints from the universe by gaining focus on her work. Elizabeth Gilbert talked about the muses (daemons) in Greek mythology, and how great it would be to have them. Then, if we created something that was bad, we could blame them, and if we created something great, we would not get all the credit and would not be expected to create something great again. She also spoke about how you can't be tormented about gaining ideas, and can pull yourself back and say that you have to work through it, even if no ideas are coming. They both talked about how artists have an image of being mentally unstable, which is not always true. I really liked Elizabeth Gilberts idea of working through things, to enjoy it, and not be worried about it.
"The word inspiration is derived from the Latin verb inspirare-to breathe into- as in the action of gods breathing life into their creations, a scene found in creation myths worldwide." -The Design Process by Karl Aspelund
This weeks chapter in the book was about inspiration. It begins with talking about how inspiration is what motivates the designer and how, without joy, working on a design can prove to be tedious. The book talks about how inspiration needs to be sought out, not waited for, like in the stories of the Greek Muses. It was said that without being visited by the Muses, you would not be inspired to create. A quote that really stuck with me in this section was, "Inspiration is attainable when we can follow our emotions, control them, and rein them in when necessary." I thought that was an interesting thing to say, but it also seems to be true. Almost everyone is inspired by their emotions. The next section in the chapter talks about how, once we look at a certain source, we create a momentum that will lead us through the project. Sometimes it takes us in the direction we want, and other times it does not and we have to start over. It cautions to be vigilant about where your idea is heading. It is recommended to seek inspiration everywhere, to broaden your horizons, and learn everything that you can. This idea of always being curious has been repeated several times throughout the past two weeks.
I enjoyed the next section of the chapter. It talked about how an artist needs playtime, much like children do. It offers a new way of looking at things, and most people lose touch with this ability when they become adults. The sections talks about being able to imagine a stick as a guitar, sword or a magic wand. Being able to see the world like this would definitely help people find inspiration for their work. The section also talks about how getting 8 hours of sleep helps the brain process information better, rather than staying up all night studying. I think I might try that next time I have a large test to take.
The next section talks about a problem that I often have. It talks about avoiding getting lost in the research part of the project, and taking a long time in moving on in a project. This happens to me a lot; I take a lot of time to research, and end up putting everything else off until the last moment. It is something that I've been working on, and have been getting better at.
A whole section of the chapter is dedicated to the fashion designer, Yeohlee Teng. I had never heard of her before today. She came to New York from Malaysia. She begins by talking about how she thrives on information, and is constantly asking different people, like taxi drivers, questions about the local economy, and how the fashion industry is doing. She then talks about how design should be efficient, and sustainable. She trys to make one-size-fits-all garments or when using expensive fabric, trys to construct the look with minimal amounts of time and labor to even the costs. I think these are both great ideas, and not enough people take the time to consider these aspects. She goes on to talk about how she gets various ideas throughout the process, and uses some, throws away others, or saves them for later. She finds inspiration through travel, architecture, and other life experiences. She learned through experience (another topic that has been discussed various times in the past few weeks) and thinks that a design should have universal appeal. I like her idea that her designs are validated by how many people wear it, not who. The section ends with talking about how designing requires a strong personal involvement and how they have to find inspiration to help them through various problems that are encountered.
The chapter ends with a few different exercises. It gives thirteen different topics of things to consider and reflect on to help you understand the chapters ideas better. They seem to be interesting, and the questions are probably helpful. So far, this has been my favorite chapter out of the book.
Posted by
Lindsay
9:27 PM
In class the other day, we watched a short film of Scott McCloud. He is a cartoonist, and gave a speech through TED (Technology entertainment and design) that was made available over the internet. It was an enjoyable speech, and talked about different things relating to comics. He speaks very quickly, and covers a large amount of information in a short amount of time. In a 17 minute speech, there were about ten things that I had never heard of.
I went home, re-watched his video, and looked up the people and things I had never heard of. Three of the things that I found the most interesting, were Raytheon, Paul Baran, and Moore's law. The first was the company his father had worked for, Raytheon. They are a defense contractor for the US, and they manufacture in weapons, military and commercial electronics. They are also the largest producer of guided missiles. Paul Baran was the next person I found the most interesting. He was a pioneer in the development of computer networks, and was one of the early researchers on packet switching. Packet switching is when groups of transmitted data are sorted into packets of smaller data. The last thing that I looked up was Moore's law, which says that the number of transistors (a transistor is used to amplify and switch electronic signals) that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles every two years. I would have liked to find out what a temporal map was, but could not find much information explaining what they are.
I learned a lot of things from McClouds speech, and he seems to be a very intelligent person. After looking up all of those people and concepts, I gained a clearer understanding of everything that he was talking about. One of the things that he mentioned that I liked, was the four rules that a person should always follow. They are:
1) Learn from everyone
2) Follow no one
3) Watch for patterns
4) Work like hell
He especially stressed the importance of watching for patterns. Patterns can be found in many aspects of life. McCloud discussed faith, and how there are three types (faith in which one cannot see, faith in which has already been proven, and faith in which may be but is yet to be proven). Another thing that he mentioned that I liked, was the idea of looking at a monitor as a window instead of a canvas. I think that it would be pretty cool to create things and have them shown across the screen, rather than have it fit onto the screen entirely. McCloud also discussed how comics use vision to help the four other senses, which I thought was interesting. Comics do engage the other senses with vision, by using text to portray sound, and using several other techniques. I thoroughly enjoyed his speech, and was glad that I could learn from it.
We started off the class by re-arranging all of the tables, so that we could all sit in the front of the class, and listening to a short speech given by another student about GAUGE, which is the student group at cal state for AIGA. He talked about all of the events, and we listened to all the benefits of joining AIGA. I have been to a GAUGE meeting before, and it was a good experience.
After the short speech, the class was mainly about mind maps. Mind maps help to visualize, structure and classify ideas. They encourage brainstorming by using a non-linear manner. One of the suggestions that was given was that time and space have to be allowed for quality thoughts to flow. We were given a powerpoint of different examples of mind maps. They were all very colorful, and included images. My favorites were one of a rabid carrot, and of an alien in a bed. We were all asked to take 30 minutes and create a mind map of a "what if." I chose mine to be "what if time travel existed." This is what it looked like at the end:
My mind-map
After we finished, we went around and looked at other peoples. My favorite was Jacqueline's, she did one of "what if I was a vampire." During this time, Jimmy had put up a few of the diagrams we had done as homework the night before, about our creative processes. They all seemed to have been thought out, and a few had been nicely designed. After we finished talking about mind maps, we watched a video about Scott McCloud. I would tell you more about him, but he is going to get a separate entry. Altogether, I enjoyed class today.
After doing my book readings for the day, I read a few things that stuck with me after. A quote that stood out was, "Designing is about forming ideas, planning and explaining the execution of those ideas, and making choices based on the evolution of those ideas that will lead to an end result. Designing is a journey that has a number of stops and detours along the way." It basically outlined what the whole chapter was about, and what the rest of the book would entail. The chapter talked about how designing is a personal experience, and compared the design process to a romantic relationship. It went into further detail about how each stage compared to the stages in a relationship, and I found it amusing. It basically said that you start off excited about a project, then the needs and constraints become clear. Afterwards, you have to establish boundaries, and then you build on what you have. Finally, you communicate your design to others and lead it to production.
The chapter continues and talks about designing responsibly. It says that as a designer, you have to think about how your design will affect the environment. It also says that, "A designer's job begins with a problem that requires a solution." That reminded me of some of the previous things that we have discussed in class. The book also makes a point that designers are not just concerned with the aesthetics of the design, but have many other concerns to think about. They have to continually help their design evolve, and solve different problems that occur along the way until they have a final, finished project that fulfills the original solution.
The next section of the chapter begins to outline the design process. It begins with finding inspiration, then going on to define the project as much as possible, and identifying the constraints. The next step is to visualize the idea without considering the problems, to give an impression for the idea. At the next stage, the designer has to work out all of the problems, and may have to re-do the previous idea. The next stage is said to be the most difficult stage, because they have to commit to the design. Often, a designer has to find the inspiration that they originally had in order to get through the stage. After the designer has committed to the design, they have to present the design. Communication is crucial, as we were previously told. The final stage is when the design is produced. Generally, the designer has to work with several different people, and the designer has to get various feedback. The design may have to have a final revision before it is fully produced, but the whole process can help the designer gain new knowledge.
The next section of the book gave some background information on the author. It talked about how he gained years of experience and knowledge from various jobs. At the end of the chapter, there is exercises for us to complete. This one wants us to establish a design journal and as a first project reverse-design something (figure out the steps for designing it, starting at the final step).
Class today was pretty good, in my opinion. Jimmy started off the class by talking to us about how everyone has different experiences, and different perspectives. I think that tied into the exercise we did later on in class, when we were given 15 minutes to organize all of our comics from best to worst. We came up with a voting system to get it over with quickly, and did not have much of a discussion about it. Not everyone was happy with how we voted. I agree that it would have been better to have a long discussion about it, but it would have taken much too long, trying to get everyone to agree. Everyone has there own opinions and perspectives on the comics, and what one person might really like, another person might hate. We never were given a criteria on what we were supposed to judge them by, but I think we should have based it equally on content and design, not just its design.
One of the things that we talked about in class that I really liked, was that we should find an aspect that helps us to enjoy our projects and find the passion to make our project great. Everyone gets artists or writers block at times, and it would be better to find a new perspective on it so that you can enjoy the project and come up with fresh ideas. Another thing we were told, was that we should always know our criteria on a project. This is important, because we cannot start on a project, or solve problems in it, without knowing where to start and what the limits are. Altogether, the class was good, and I learned new things from it.
Posted by
Lindsay
9:50 PM
On Friday, I went back to Cal state to go hear Seth Johnson speak. Now normally, I hate listening to people speak for long amounts of time, but I really enjoyed listening to him. I have never learned much about the business aspect about design, and some of the things he said really stuck with me. He gave a little bit of background info on himself, and talked about how having experience in the graphic design field made it easy for him to get a job, even though he had only taken one graphic design class in his life. He had experiential learning, which our class had discussed on the first day. One of the interesting things he said was, "I tell my clients what to say, how to say it, and to whom." Seth mentioned the team he utilizes during his projects. His team contains a copyrighter, client, vendor, web, marketing, and imagery. He stated that we should, "let the plumbers do the plumbing," meaning that if we cannot do it well, then have someone who can do it. After, he listed six points of things that he has learned and thought that we needed to learn by the end.
1) It's your job to tell your clients what you think they need
2) Make your own work
3) Do a lot with a little
4) Shut up and listen
5) You have an obligation to make things better
6) Always be curious, never be satisfied
To me, number six was the best piece of advice that I could have been given. Seth gave an example of number six when he was talking about his job at a small design company. He had learned all that he could from them, and could not move up in the company, so it was time for him to move on. I have never learned much from the jobs I have had. I only had taken them for the money, and I love the idea of being able to learn new things as I work. The other points he made were also great. Numbers one and four talk about how, as the designer, you should give your client direction and tell them what you think would be the best thing to do. Sometimes though, you need to listen to the clients opinions, and work with them to create better designs that please them. Number two on the list was talking about how a designer should not wait around for work to come to them. You should make a project that says something about you, and shows the passion you have for it. It will set your portfolio apart from others. Number three referred to the fact that not all clients have a lot of money to spend. As the designer, you really have to learn to come up with great things on a tight budget. The last topic, number five, talked about how designers have an obligation to make things better than they already are. If there is a problem in a design, its our job to fix it. All in all, i gained a lot from going to hear this speech. I plan on utilizing these points in the future, when it is time for me to join the workforce as a designer.
My textbook arrived in the mail yesterday. It is called The Design Process, by Karl Aspelund. It uses a lot of bright colors, and caught my attention easily. The book begins with a quote by Nietzsche, which I thought was an interesting choice. It says, "I shall join the creators, the harvesters, the celebrants: I shall show them the rainbow and all the steps…" I'm assuming that the quote will make more sense after I have read the book. I think it relates though because the book is supposed to teach the reader the different steps in the design process.
The preface begins with the author explaining how the design industry has changed, and how the design industry requires more skills than it did 20 years ago. It talks about how manufacturing methods have changed, and everything is more fast paced than it was. The author talks about his background in different fields, such as costumes, sets, couture, art direction of fashion layouts, etc… He relates this to the book by saying that it has "confirmed the similarities of their processes." He says that the goal of the book is to "guide designers through the stages in which they will find themselves and give them the cognitive tools and examples so they can move to each subsequent stage."
The preface goes on to talk about how the book is organized into the seven stages of design, which are:
-Inspiration
-Identification
-Conceptualization
-Exploration/Refinement
-Defenition/Modeling
-Communication
-Production
It goes on to give a short explanation for each one, and talks about how each step includes different parts. It says that the book is intended for design students, and can be used as an independent project or in a classroom. Apparently it will be beneficial, and it will be useful after I graduate. I hope that it will be, and so far it seems like it will be an interesting read. The preface ends with the different acknowledgments. There are a lot of them, and I found it interesting that the author had taught at the Reykjavik Technical College. I'm interested in reading the rest of the book now as the quarter goes on.
Today began a little bit differently than Monday. I got to school at 6:30, and was the first person in class. When everyone else started showing up, including Jimmy, we switched classrooms. He pointed out that the new classroom gave a new perspective on things, and changed up the daily routine. I personally do not think that it makes too much of a difference, when we still will learn the same things no matter what the setting is. We began the class by Rudy talking about child templates. I did not know about them, and had no clue what they are. I still am a little fuzzy on the whole idea of them. I did learn more about web servers, ip addresses, templates and CMS.
After a long discussion about these different terms, and there relation to the blogs we have all started, we began discussing the process of coming up with ideas and concepts. This involves methodology (methodology being the study or description of methods). Jimmy gave an example using Fed Ex, and how they use certain methods in the way they deliver parcels. If a person knows their methodology, they can fix their problems better. On a side note, a great point that was brought up is that design is when art meets industry. I have heard it before, and I think it is a wonderful description of design.
A class activity that we did today, was organizing ourselves by our first names alphabetically. It helped to demonstrate that when given a problem, there is a process, and a solution. We organized ourselves rather slowly, but we got it done. An activity that we did after this one, was the "what if" exercise. We had to make different "what if" statements, and it was enjoyable. The point of it was to show that innovation does not occur from the same daily ideas and tasks. People should dream big, and think positively about their ideas. One point that was brought up was that the entertainment industry is all about "what ifs."
After the "what ifs," we had a long discussion about time, after time travel was brought up. It was pointed out that time is a construction we agree upon. Time does not have to be linear, but time is a solution to a problem that humans had. We ended the class after showing a few different pictures, and having Jimmy explain to us the difference between thinking and actually seeing. In the first picture, of 3 people, I thought that there were actually 4 people. In reality, it was just the weird angle I was seeing it from, and part of the persons coat appeared to be another, shorter person. The other pictures portrayed different emotions, and they showed how artists get people to think different things by what they are showing. I agree that it is a useful skill to learn. All in all, it was a pretty interesting class.
Posted by
Lindsay
6:25 PM
This is my orange for the quarter
The end of spring break has brought the start of a new quarter. My first class of the quarter was concept development, at 8:00am. I got there on time, and our new professor, Jimmy Moss, was already there. He was very bright and energetic for it being so early. We had a discussion about being late, after a few people walked into class after it had started. We were given a notecard, and asked to write down what we thought we would learn in the class, and what concept development is all about. I thought that the class would be about further developing ideas and concepts so that they would be complete and developed final products. The class is about this, but it also goes into detail on the process and conception involved in it.
Jimmy then went on to explain that the class would use a lot of critical thinking, and experiential learning (learning by experience). I prefer experiential learning to most other kinds, because I learn more when I am actually doing something, rather than reading about it. He also talked about the development of the concept of the cell phone, and how it has progressed. It all started with the idea of communication, and was developed continually until it has become what it is today. It helped me understand the idea of concept development better.
About halfway through the class, we were given mandarin oranges to do an exercise on description and perception with. I described mine in detail, and got all of them except for the most basic detail; the size. I am not sure how I forgot that, but it seemed more important to me to get all of the other details than that one. Afterwards, we switched oranges, and I was given one to take home. I have to render five days a week. The new one I received definetly has more character than the other one, containing green instead of being all orange. I think that this class will definitely help me grow as an artist, as developing concepts for projects is one of the main parts in coming up with projects. The class will likely be a lot of work, but in the end, it will be worth it.
