blog 5

Paul Rand was an American graphic designer who is said to be possibly one of the most influential of his time. He was one of the founders of Swiss Style design, which emphasized cleanliness and readability. He grew up as an Orthodox Jew originally named Peretz Rosenbaum. Although he later changed his name to move away from his heritage and used the name as a symbol for himself. He worked early on creating stock images for a syndicate. Later he taught at Yale University.

He is most famous for his branding logos for some of the most prominent corporations for even today.  What is told of most of his branding designs was his ability to meet the needs and desires of the companies’ goals through his logos. On his bibliography on http://www.paul-rand.com Mark Favermann states about his IBM branding identity “was not just an identity but a basic design philosophy that permeated corporate consciousness and public awareness.”

Much of his philosophy of design was based around idea of keeping with “utmost simplicity and restraint”.  Along with this Rand based much of his branding identities with the idea of keeping the brand recognizable even after the image had been “blurred or mutilated”. Much of his own influence though had been from other artists/designers from the same time such as Jan Tschichold and Paul Cezanne. Which most of Rand’s works had similar qualities such as Tschicholds legible yet wildly interesting typography. Obviously much of his work is based on modernist ideas which he saw as “it means integrity; it means honesty; … it means simplicity; it means clarity.” These ideas carry over in the sense in which his work consisted of a simple shape and typography such a great example of which is the abc logo which incorporates a simple circle, with nice typographic abc overlaid in white above it. Much of this came from his need to “defamiliarizing the ordinary”.

Later when he began producing books about his design theory he drew from John Dewey (an American philosopher who helped found functional psychology) whose philosophy for “functional-aesthetic perfection” obviously drew from modernist ideals.

            

Blog #5 : Saul Bass

"Design is thinking made visual."-Saul Bass

Saul Bass is a huge part of design, he’s always one designer I like to look at when I have no idea’s, I choose this designer because I find no matter how much I already know about him, I always am learning more every time I study him.

One of the most influential places he has affected would be motion title sequence, his sequences have spurred a line of titles that are still being used today. Works from such movies as Catch me if you can (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaLDyrun_Cc) Duplicate Saul Bass style opening credits.

The idea Saul Bass lived by was “symbolize and summarize” since he used very simple graphics, he chose not to clutter the stage with things that didn’t matter. Instead focusing on drawing the users attention by using pictures that people would associate with certain elements that conveyed the story quickly, such as The Man with the Golden Arm (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGnpJ_KdqZE) where he draws the focus of the viewers to the crooked arm to convey the drug addict’s arm who the movie is focused on.

Along with the motion titles and movie posters he was also well known for graphic design long before these, designing such famous logo’s as AT&T, United Airlines and Girls scouts of USA (http://cineleet.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/bass-logos.jpg).

After all of this he also is said to have helped Alfred Hitchcock with the famous shower scene in Psycho, though there are some that dispute this claim, I think there’s no doubt there is a touch of Saul Bass in this scene when we are catapulted through the drain of the shower in the movie, just like his vertigo poster, the same type of imagery is used in my opinion. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH5r_Kenaes)

Content, The next big thing

We are interdependent, from our city block and parks to the world wide web in a Facebook group, our actions affect the community at large. With the emergence of new media and our dependence on the screen in mainly graphical user interface systems we are spending more time in front of a single sensory medium. We are limited in digital design in the most part by the screen and its low resolution. The lack of interactivity is a major detractor to emerging technologies there is no texture, smell and most of us aren’t expecting sound, so basically this interacyive platform is a glorified piece of moving paper. You see nice beautiful pictures of the desert or the rainforest without the experience of having sand everywhere, taking a bite of a sandwich and getting a mouth full of sand, or being in the rainforest drenched freezing from a typhoon rainstorm that last for months. The screen environment takes the world boxes it up, throws a cup of bleach on it and makes the world seem sterile. The increasingly global community has the ability to open the flood gates and access to things we could never dream of, but somehow make the world fit into 2 square feet of pixels. the PC needs to be an ancillary tool to the greater word of design rather than the entire focus.

New media has boundless potential, the ability to create anything digital or motion graphic related from your laptop in the comfort of your own bed or on a bench in a third world country, access to creation has never been more instantaneous and available to the creative mind. The access and immersive ability provided is the direction of the future. Instead of having to shoot a film and travel around the world and edit in a world that has none of the qualities experienced during production, you can hunker down and do your postproduction on location. New media is enabling a Swiss army approach to design, the designers who stretch the limits of the possibilities, will possess the qualities necessary to apply design to all fields of study enabling a proactive approach to the worlds needs.

I think designers should be outgoing people and work with the community at large. I think it is essential to good design to be immersed in your community and interact with everyone, service workers, business leaders, locals visitors and children. It is one thing to have the technical expertise but it is another to know how the same expertise aid in your community. I think working with materials will also help immensely the feel of clay or a paintbrush ingrain the theories much better than clicking a mouse. I think getting back to the basics of mastery and mastering your craft is the key to bringing design to new heights. The technology is now here with dual core processors and software that we only scratch the surface of its potential, to create anything we can dream of.

The future is now, the next big thing in according to Rudy Vanderlans is content, the ability to convey the most applicable content and have it absorbable. I believe this is half the battle, this needs to happen with an increasingly educated population we need to focus on our future and allow people the skills to interpolate the content being thrown at us and have the ability make an educated decision. I agree whole heartedly with Vanderlans, we need to get back to our roots, become, a society that strives on quality content something that is positive and community educating. Content is not how many people were shot, content is how many people are making a positive influence in their community. I think the key to this essay is where he says “ this combined knowledge must be able to generate a visual language capable of being both legible and engaging”. The audience needs to be able to read, absorb and act on content to retain the message.

Blog 6

• In an interconnected world, what are the limitations of design when cultural, political, economic biological and environmental systems are increasingly open?

A designer's job becomes increasingly harder as different systems become increasingly open. It is hard to try and address one issue without referring to or making a connection to something else which you may not want to. All these systems are beginning to overlap and being able to target specific audiences becomes harder.

• Does new media present the “new” direction for design? Describe how new media does or does not present “new “ directions in design and provide an examples (links or screen grabs) to support your assertion.

The "new" direction for design, as it states in the reading, "might have less to do with anything visual than with how design is produced and who it is produced by." It seems as if we are running out of ideas for good design, and so instead of design being based on what it looks like, it is now more about who made it, how famous they are and how the reader/viewer is supposed to experience it. For example, take Yugo Nakamura (yugop) his work is far from the epitome of beautiful and modern design. It has become popular because of him and because of the way that the user interacts with his designs.

• Is it time for designers to reintegrate disparate fields in order to consider new directions in design? Give examples (with links or screen grabs) of some new ways that design might be considered. These do not have to be existing ways, just ways that might yield some new and interesting results.

I think the comic book field of design is one that's going to be around for a long time. It is reusable over and over, because you can't change the style much and keep the original feel. Take the new Watchmen movie (watchmen), it is reusing the old 50's comic book style but using it in a new modern 2009 way. It seems that as long you change it a little and give it a slightly new meaning, you can have a whole new design.

• What is the next “big thing in design”? Why do you think so and based on what criteria? Provide examples to support your assertion.

I am going to agree with the reading which states that "The world wide web is often hailed as the next big thing in graphic design." The world wide web has been a huge success and opened up a whole new world of design. The next step appears to be touch screens and with the unveiling of new touch screen computers this will lead way to the need for new computer designs that work the best with the touch screen capabilities. (HP touchsmart PC)

Cool posters!

I found this website, http://www.typographicposters.com/ where you can find all kinds of typographic posters, whether historical or inspirational. Thought I'd share!

Blog 6

In an interconnected world, what are the limitations of design when cultural, political, economical, biological, and environmental systems are increasingly open?
Being able to remain competitive at a global level is one of the challenges designers have to face in an increasingly interconnected world. Now more than ever, designers are expected to wear many hats and step into the shoes of different disciplines. Being technically savvy or having some knowledge of marketing always helps. We have to do our best and try to keep up to speed with the always evolving art/design world and the job market.

Does new media present the “new” direction for design? Describe how new media does or does not present “new” directions in design and provide examples (links or screen grabs) to support your assertion.
If the “new” directions for design are interconnectedness, interactivity, and mobility, then absolutely. One example of this new direction in design is the iPhone. Besides offering all the interactive features, the iPhone also provides designers with the opportunity to combine and apply their motion graphics, interactive, and programming skills by making use of its graphic and audio capabilities for gaming (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn83wizEMAw).

Is it time for designers to reintegrate disparate fields in order to consider new directions in design? Give examples (with links or screen grabs) of some new ways that design might be considered . These do not have to be existing ways, just ways that might yield some new and interesting results.
It would be easier to say that everything has already been done, and that “we reached the saturation point quite some time ago.” But thanks to the random effects of digital tools, the creative process becomes more interesting and even unpredictable, making room for new ideas. Scott Draves’ Electric Sheep is a good example of how different fields such as computer science, biology, and digital art can converge and provide new directions in design (http://electricsheep.org/).

What is the next big thing in design? Why do you think so and based on what criteria? Provide examples to support your assertion.
Mobile technology has changed the way we communicate, interact, and consume information/products. It also has provided a new venue for artistic expression and advertisement. The next generation of mobile devices will offer higher speeds for quicker and easier browsing. The future of graphic/digital design couldn’t look better since “in the coming years mobile advertising is poised to be the next major digital media platform for brands to reach customers” (http://www.adl.com/128.html?&no_cache=1&page=1).

Erin Lee Blog 6

In this interconnected world of today the limitations are immense, but “if designers enjoy giving form to ideas” then there is always a solution to those barriers. So many possibilities add to the creative thought process of designers that they begin to serve the audience more. “If designers were made of ideas, they’d be their own clients. Creativity is difficult to obtain when a client has no idea what they want. We not only have to be creative on the spot but designers have to educate clients on quality and all the details to better serve their needs.
New media does present the “new” direction. Pleasing readers and the new generation suffering from attention deficiency order may be annoying and difficult for older people to grasp, but younger people will always risk it. The youth of today will be the first to jump on the wave of experiences of experimentation and discovery. But with any good idea comes history. A variation of a pre-existing idea, for example I just did a simple Google search on the Mona Lisa. The result was 155,000 different variations of the same painting, the same idea. Many designers and creator have taken this 16th century painting by da Vinci and re-created it to be amusing, or to fit the popular look for women today.
Absolutely designers need to reintegrate disparate fields to push ideas and results to the next level. People want to be visually entertained. It is a daunting task but someone has to do it. The New Media Reader contains a chapter titled The End of Books. The internet has taken on such a large part society. I’m struggling to recall he last time I cracked open a dictionary. This computer technology has amazing possibilities. The “incredible diversity of information available gives great credit to the creativity and ingenuity providers, and points to a very exciting future.” Damn straight! But where are we going to draw the line on technology? How much is too much? All these possibilities bring out a whole new issue with media.

The next big thing is unknown. Who knows where designers and the creative world will be in ten years, even in a matter of days it’s out with the old and in with the new. As an artist and designer I could care less about the next big thing. It is too exhausting to try and keep up all the time. Staying educated on the issues and possibilities at hand is important because we have to keep an open mind. I stop and think what is right for me to do and I stick by my choices.

Blog #6

• In an interconnected world, what are the limitations of design when cultural, political, economic biological and environmental systems are increasingly open?

As all of these systems become increasingly open and recognized by people, one of the limitations we have as designers is reaching a larger audience. In this information age, where its so much easier for anyone to learn about so many different cultures and become informed, it becomes harder to narrow down audiences in design. 50 or so years ago, if you were to try to target an audience of 18-24 year old men in America, you would be able to generalize what would appeal to them much more than you would today. As all of these systems become more open, we become more limited in who we can target and still create succinct design.

• Does new media present the “new” direction for design? Describe how new media does or does not present “new “ directions in design and provide an examples (links or screen grabs) to support your assertion.

I think this depends on how new “new direction for design” is. Right now, as was said in the reading, people demand information to be quick and easy because we face information overload these days. For a person to read a book now is much less common than before with the advent of YouTube, MySpace, Twitter, text messaging, and the like. These new forms of media communication have absolutely presented new directions in design. Not too long ago, NPR was talking about how a new Panic! at the Disco music video was made to cater more towards small screens such as the iPhone and low resolution video such as YouTube. In the video, there are many more close-up shots and high contrast imagery that will be clear on these small, low-res screens. They went on to describe how much of a change this was compared to something like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video, which featured very dark, low contrast imagery and wider shots overall. When you look at this video on an iPhone or on YouTube, you can barely tell what’s going on. This trend of designing for these new mediums will no doubt continue as the iPhone and other similar mediums become standard.

• Is it time for designers to reintegrate disparate fields in order to consider new directions in design? Give examples (with links or screen grabs) of some new ways that design might be considered. These do not have to be existing ways, just ways that might yield some new and interesting results.

The idea of bringing ideas and styles from different fields together can be seen in many ways already. For instance, many web sites try to make videos that are very similar in style to television (such as this site) to give users information in a way that has been long established and that they’re used to seeing. Another example of this is podcasting; it’s essentially bringing talk radio to the web. I think an interesting application of this idea would be to turn the tables on what’s been done already and bring interactivity to a medium such as television. Bringing a non-interactive medium such as television or radio to the web to allow for interaction seems like a natural progression, but I think doing the reverse would be even more revolutionary.

• What is the next “big thing in design”? Why do you think so and based on what criteria? Provide examples to support your assertion.

I think the next big thing in design is going to be completely eliminating physical, tangible medium. The iPhone is a perfect example of the success and ease in dissemination of new media. Now anyone can make and post an app on the iTunes App Store and can become an instant success because of how fast their app can spread. The video game industry is taking a similar path and is taking steps towards eliminating games being released on discs in stores and distributing them online only. I think this could happen for almost every physical medium out there now. Not too long ago, a school district in Florida went completely paperless, so now all of their text is distributed digitally. I think that the next big thing is designing for non-physical mediums exclusively.

• In an interconnected world, what are the limitations of design when cultural, political, economic biological and environmental systems are increasingly open?

Well, it seems like the biggest limitation would have to be the creative minds designers. For a long time, information about other cultures was hard to find, but now with the advent of the internet, and the connectivity involved, even a 3 year old can hop on the web and learn everything about world cultures. Because our systems are becoming more and more open, cultural ideas are starting to blend, and with that, the blending of ideas, beliefs, and ultimately: designs. So the limitation lies in the fact that designers now have to gear their work towards a mixture of culture and political ideas, all blended into one. Conflicts are bound to arise.

• Does new media present the “new” direction for design? Describe how new media does or does not present “new “ directions in design and provide an examples (links or screen grabs) to support your assertion.

Absolutely. Our society has drastically changed over the last century alone. Media is constantly becoming quicker, more eye-catching, and effective, all in order to fulfill the needs of a modern society. This is present in television and movies. Back in the day, the level of suspense and drama a movie had to offer would appear to be a lame rendition in today's society. Also, with the advent of the internet, cell phones, and other portable devices, designers are constantly having to change directions and push the edge of "new" design. And quite frankly, humans get bored. If a webpage doesn't load within 6 seconds, we're usually off to a new page Also, within the last decade, networking sites, such as Facebook, Myspaceand Twitter have really pushed the edge as far as "new" media. These sites have really defined a new generation of media-goers.

• Is it time for designers to reintegrate disparate fields in order to consider new directions in design? Give examples (with links or screen grabs) of some new ways that design might be considered. These do not have to be existing ways, just ways that might yield some new and interesting results.

Yes, I believe that designs will always benefit from reintegration of older work. I don't know if I fully agree with the idea that "everything has been done before", if that were the case, why are we all studying design? I think there are still a ton of creative ideas yet to be explored. But yes, the reintegration of older designs would definitely help as a jumping off point.
Lessons about TypeThis is a good example of the combination of older designs and new technique. It has a very old-time feel to it, but uses brand new technology.


• What is the next “big thing in design”? Why do you think so and based on what criteria? Provide examples to support your assertion.

Well, I definitely think the biggest leaps are being made in the world of 3D animation. Technology is becoming so advanced, and CGI actors are popping up in movies all over the place, so I would think that more realistic facial animation would be the next big thing.
This is a good example of new technology.

Also, I think interactivity is growing in many ways. I heard about microsoft'sTable Top Computer a few years ago. I definitely think its ground breaking technology, and I envision the future using lots of hands-on interactivity.

Blog 6

• In an interconnected world, what are the limitations of design when cultural, political, economic biological and environmental systems are increasingly open?
Well, in a digital world we run into digital problems as designers. We must work within the platforms and within the paramaters that we are instructed. As we become more connected and more and more ideas and design are exposed to the world, the world becomes saturated with overlapping content and the threshold of new design seems to be reaches. So with the world connected, we have the issues that we must face in a digital world. Not everyone staring at a computer screen worldwide has the same resolution as the designer had when they created the design. Political and economic barriers seems to as well seem to make it difficult for everyone world wide the ability to see content on a level playing field.
Does new media present the “new” direction for design? Describe how new media does or does not present “new “directions in design and provide an examples (links or screen grabs) to support your assertion.
New media certainly does provide an additional platform to display design. But as the article suggest, with the limitations of screen resolution on a plethora of devices nowadays, content becomes more important than how the design may look on a digital device. Screen resolution is no match for real life design so every though there may be more platforms to display design, those platform may inhibit design, forcing design to conform to the more limiting requirements. http://www.theloopdesign.com/images/Medias.jpg. Web design can be beautiful, but it is still content on a flat screen.
• Is it time for designers to reintegrate disparate fields in order to consider new directions in design? Give examples (with links or screen grabs) of some new ways that design might be considered. These do not have to be existing ways, just ways that might yield some new and interesting results.
I would think that it is always time to integrate disparate fields of design, especially now as there are so many different types of platform to work with and fuse to create new design. Even though technology may present some issues with how the end products due to screen limitations, video worked into any other media can generally be interesting. I like the idea of creating motion projects that are set up for a dome projection, like at the planetarium. The dome I would thing would create some interesting challenges for designers display their message.
• What is the next “big thing in design”? Why do you think so and based on what criteria? Provide examples to support your assertion.
I think Flash is going to take us as designers in an interesting direction. It used to be that flash websites were cumbersome and slow and just about the “eye candy”. But with the way software like Dreamweaver and Flash are more seamlessly bridging the gap between website and full on interactive experience, The new flash sites are becoming more than just great eye candy, and providing a structurally immersive experience supported by appropriate and interesting content.

Blog # 6

• In an interconnected world, what are the limitations of design when cultural, political, economic biological and environmental systems are increasingly open?

According to Graphic Design and the Next Big Thing, the limitations of design are in the communication of the meaning. He says “designers are visual types who have a
tendency to either obsessively reduce or overly complicate the ideas of their clients,
often without much concern for what is actually communicated.” In other words Designers become so wrapped up in the design in loose the meaning that they where striving for to begin with. In the world we live in, the people are so bombarded with design and image that the meaning of image can be lost.

• Does new media present the “new” direction for design? Describe how new media does or does not present “new “ directions in design and provide an examples (links or screen grabs) to support your assertion.
The world of design has been flipped over. New media creates new ways to experience design. In the past couple of years the world has connected through the internet. Design become more toward new media. The reading explain his distaste for the limitations of the internet But I think sites can only become more innovative and interactive. Site like youtube and facebook have create a new way to present media to the world. Although I can see what Rudy VanderLans is say, One problem is that it has limited graphic possibilities. The coarse resolution of the computer screen, the inability to fix layouts and typefaces, and the overpowering presence of the browser's interface all restrict the designer's ability to impart a specific visual character to a Web site.” Most site can only be contain the grid structure that limits the imitation. The Cheetos website push the envelope int ways of design. It create a new experience with its product that the fun and interactive. http://cheetos.com/

• Is it time for designers to reintegrate disparate fields in order to consider new directions in design? Give examples (with links or screen grabs) of some new ways that design might be considered. These do not have to be existing ways, just ways that might yield some new and interesting results.
I think that designers have started to be reintegrating into the new direction of design. Design is exploring it potential for bigger and better thing in the world. The world is becoming more and more digital and thus so does design.

• What is the next “big thing in design”? Why do you think so and based on what criteria?

I think that next Big Thing in Design is web design. The design possibilities of web are boundless. The internet creates a place that can innovate as well as inspire new thought. The design can influence people to create more interesting ideas. As was stated before the in the reading the structure of website have been stagnant and dull. The more creative a website is the more response from the user. In the eassy is stated by Paul Roberts that "The irony of the information revolution is that consumers neither like nor expect long texts on their computer screens" suggests a radical shift in people's reading habits. In true I hat website the make me read so much crap that I end hating the site and never returning to it. Although design site are supposed to be cool looking they are some of the more cutting edge in terms of future of web. http://www.stardust.tv/ http://www.psyop.tv/ http://www.shilo.tv/#/work/guinness/

BLOG 6: NOTHING ORIGINAL IN SIGHT!

1) We would like to think that in such an interconnected world that having open systems of information will lead to open design. But, having all this information so open and accessible limits how concise and what we design. Instead of having meaning and simplicity we have to shout to the audience for attention with a gimmick, shock, or over complicated design just to engage.
2) I don’t think new media presents a “new” direction for design, however I think new media provides a new way to present good design or design that has been done before. Like we have all seen time and time again, good screen based design is simply print design done on a computer. All the old tried and true methods, grids, color theory, patterns still are relevant and in practice with new media. Just look at http://www.us.playstation.com/ its all a grid of thirds.
3) I believe designers have already begun to do so, integrating the old with the new. As for giving design a new direction I don’t think I have not seen anything that has surprised me as completely new or unseen in my life. It seems I can always find something to reference it to or compare to. The integration of old and new yields great products though like this Kanye West Video that fuses live action with cartooning by keying out and overlaying color on the live video. Yet once again I’ve seen this done before…. Nothing original anymore…?
4) The next big thing huh…. Well as always we are trying to push computer graphics closer to reality. Check out this Interview about Image Metrics and see for yourself. Besides that Im not terribly sure. I notice a lot of rehashing of the past as always but I really do think with information at everyone’s fingertips vying for our attention we’re going to revert back to good meaningful design not just oversaturated bs. Until that day I’ll be happy to be paid to make that bs and hopefully try to create some meaningful work on my off time.

Blog 6

• In an interconnected world, what are the limitations of design when cultural, political, economic biological and environmental systems are increasingly open?

Personally I would believe that the limitations would derive strait from the designers themselves. By this, I mean that our own experiences and knowledge about these subjects would determine our capabilities to design projects about them. One designer may know more about the economy than another and thus can make a more convincing argument or narrative through their design. I believe Tarkovsky mentions in a documentary interview that creating something we know on a personal level is the only true form of art no matter the medium. Another limitation could be overexposure to such easily accessed knowledge such that designs begin to meld or look similar. By living in a generation that is dominated by such connectivity we sometimes have more trouble finding uniqueness. Our minds cannot expand beyond what we believe is already known.

• Does new media present the “new” direction for design? Describe how new media does or does not present “new “ directions in design and provide an examples (links or screen grabs) to support your assertion.

Yes, new media does present “new” directions in design. As mentioned in the reading it is very hard for us to think of any of the new possibilities for design after seeing everything that is already created. But when a new form of media or, in a more general sense, reforming of an old media occurs many times a revolutionary designs can emerge from the investigation. For example, typography for a very long time was always associated with print or still based graphics. When motion design took off a wave of new typographic motion designs began to pop up. (Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVPfTlpCKaw&feature=related) While this may not be professionally made it opens the doors for so many other possibilities for the way we imagine the movement of type.

• Is it time for designers to reintegrate disparate fields in order to consider new directions in design? Give examples (with links or screen grabs) of some new ways that design might be considered. These do not have to be existing ways, just ways that might yield some new and interesting results.

I personally do not think that there is any wrong or right time for designers to reintegrate disparate fields. Any time we can be influenced or reinvent older fields to create something new is great. It lets us continue to let be inventive but also pay respect to designs we find influential or the ones that worked. A topic I feel very relevant to this discussion is newspapers because as we know they have been in decline since the introduction of web based news and blogs. As discussed in this video http://www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector a designer took it upon himself to redesign a newspaper in a smaller country with quite miraculous results. While the design in some ways resembles a magazine the idea of creating a design solely for the weekly newspaper shatters the image we associate with them. Overall, this yields new and interesting results because it creates a design focused paper that still delivers news but appeals to the consumer who wants a more interesting medium for news that is not online.

• What is the next “big thing in design”? Why do you think so and based on what criteria? Provide examples to support your assertion.

I really feel that with when these computer surfaces, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89sz8ExZndc & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKgU6ubBgJA&feature=related become a everyday household technology it will reinvent not only the way we design objects, website, pictures and all our forms of media for viewing but how we actually create them. I do understand that this is quite focused on the technology but interactivity is also part of our job as digital designers. We will change the way people interact with their media via these devices because it will take into account how people will access our work with something as personal as a hand instead of a mouse.

Graphic Design and the Next Big Thing (Blog 6)

1.
The limitations of design are based purely on the necessity to convey a specific message to be vehicle that bring meaning to an audience. Contrary to what the Graphic Design and the Next Big Thing article was imagining about design being judged on the message that it conveys, design is judged by its ability to communicate a certain message clearly and concisely. This limits the design to serving that message with all it's aesthetic and design elements being present for only one purpose: to support the message.

2.
New media, web and flash specifically, provides a new direction in design by allowing a grater capacity for interactivity. Interactivity allows for the design to capitalize on playing with layering and juxtaposition of images and text in real time to portray a deeper meaning to the viewer. Though the Graphic Design and the Next Big Thing reading may be slightly out of date it is on point when it says, "If there were ever an opportunity for graphic design to be more involved with content, the World Wide Web is it," because the web is an evolution of print that gives designers the ability to make the viewer move and interact with content. The ability to interact with content gives the designers the power to compress design into a succinct interface rather than just a layout, a prime example of this can be seen here. This website features a designers portfolio compressed into the space of a browser window with the help of the interaction provided to him by the use of flash.

3.
I don't think so, it seems that people are just trying to integrate different styles in a random fashion, which may or may not yield effective results. The reason that reintegrating different styles is not effective is that they may be being combined without deep enough understanding being present to predict the outcome, one such failed attempt is the recent Comcast commercial. This commercial combines live action with extremely unrealistic isometric projections of a 3d environment, which creates a style so distracting that it takes all of the viewer's attention away from the message. (not to forget the fact that this commercial doesn't remotely resemble any of the previous Comcast commercial styles) So perhaps we need to explore individual fields more, so that more meaningful integration can occur in the future.

4.
The next big thing in design is interface design with a modular approach. Most popular websites like Facebook, Gmail and iGoogle use a modular design, allowing the user to be able to customize what they see in the interface, such as weather forecast module, a calendar module or a module showing the latest videos on Youtube. (which is also customizable since it's designed with a modular approach) This approach to interface design can also be seen in the two most popular operating systems Mac OS and Windows Vista, with their widgets and gadgets, respectively. I think this is the next biggest trend because it allows for customization, which appeals to the consumer.

Blog 6

• In an interconnected world, what are the limitations of design when cultural, political, economic biological and environmental systems are increasingly open?

When reading the article it seemed like it was all about listening to the people ad somehow converting their needs with our design. Though it mostly talks about how difficult that really is and designers usually will ignore the people if it means cutting out a big part of their personal style or their stamp as designers. Another way is how to put our stamp of our work when everything is so increasingly limited by our customers wants and other people's designs around us, we have to advertise to people what we do and how we do it so that they will want us in the future while not seeming to familiar to another designer. He talks about how people will not read large lump sums of text anymore, so we the designers have to figure out how to deliver the information we need to deliver in a smaller bundle while still getting out what we need. As the people become more busy and less focused on design and more on just getting what they need and out, we need to think around the customers.



• Does new media present the “new” direction for design? Describe how new media does or does not present “new “ directions in design and provide an examples (links or screen grabs) to support your assertion.

Certainly new media is a good representation for where design is at right now, people are always thinking of new things and new places for designers to work at or on. I think just like computers are seemingly out of date in a few years, so is a design for certain areas. Every semester of school seems to bring out a new version of design from younger people, it's all you can do to keep up with the changes in media. There is always a newer version of something to design for, like right now everything is all about Green Design and designing everything over again to be more green, all the technology is redesigning and so must we the designers.


• Is it time for designers to reintegrate disparate fields in order to consider new directions in design? Give examples (with links or screen grabs) of some new ways that design might be considered. These do not have to be existing ways, just ways that might yield some new and interesting results.

I think as designers we are always having to reinvent ourselves and our medium so this is a definite yes. The question for everyone will be what is next and how can we change things that have already been done, sure we have tons of new applications coming out to create things we never have before. I think in a way though we are always coping things and simply re-doing everything that has already been done, all we do is add a very minor thing that maybe these past people couldn't do, but after taking art history classes throughout the years you find yourself always relating back to something else.



• What is the next “big thing in design”? Why do you think so and based on what criteria? Provide examples to support your assertion.

I think the next big thing in design is going to be more based on advertising than anything else, with the inventions of DVR's and TiVo things, more and more people are able to avoid advertisements. So designers will now be forced to figure out ways to get people's attention. Another adjustments I think designers will be forced to make is the move from all still and non-static design to very active, everything is being replaced with digital things, inventions of digital paper where ads could be possibly integrated and switches over to electronic billboards(Which we have recently had one added at Colorado and I-25 if you look for it!) instead of paper, where things will be forced to always be moving to keep the viewers attention. We are always searching for more and more ways to reduce how much paper we use and the switch over to everything digital is just something I see that is bound to happen, so designers will need to think of everything as moving and how it can be displayed properly or where for that matter.

Blog 6

As designers we are communicators and storytellers, as much as we are designers, if not more. In a global world we have to deal with language barriers, technological barriers and cultural barriers. We are still trying to jump the hurdle of slow internet connections, outdated technology that requires the designer to make accommodations to those within this realm. As designers we must ensure that we have the mastery of technical skills, as well as having an understanding of the needs of the business, organizations and individuals. We need to have an awareness of human behavior, an understanding of sociology, psychology, economics, physics, ergonomics, science and many other areas. Design requires acute perception and erudition. These are all limitations of design and good design requires many of these skills/knowledge to succeed.

Over the last few years we have really hit a ‘digital revolution’, with Youtube, Myspace, Facebook, iTunes, Blackberrys, twitter, Skype, Digg and the other forms of new media. Our current culture is based around fast information. We are no longer in a world where people sit and listen to the radio, have family dinners, and read the newspaper. Time is everything now, there is a demand for instant information that can be received and absorbed quickly, ie. Twitter, blackberrys, text messaging, iPhone, etc.

These forms of ‘new media’ have really changed the way design is approached. Much of design has become a template that gives the freedom to individuals to create their own content and share it with others, mostly via the networking sites. New media is pointing us in a direction where content rules over the appearance, that design can be simple and clean, but at the same time functional. We can see this in Myspace, Twitter, iPhones, Skype and Facebook to name a few.

I think the best example of this can be seen with Adobe products over the years, especially with the recent release of CS4. Designers have the ability to fully integrate their designs if it may be photograph, Flash animations, motion graphics, print, web, JavaScript, and the list goes on. Designers can storyboard an idea in Photoshop, pitch the idea to a client, take it from Photoshop, bring it to illustrator, Flash, After Effects, Fireworks, and Dreamweaver. The amalgamation of images and hand illustrations has recently and will continue to play a large role in design, as it offers for a simple, visually strong message.

The next big thing in design is re-branding. With today’s current economic climate and the current brands not being fully realized by the consumers. There is a need to create a discourse between the consumer and the brand. If you take a look at the Big 3 car companies there is this disconnect, this lack of understanding and communication with the consumer. Companies are becoming more efficient and greener in their attempt to drop the glitz and attract the consumer. The Big 3 are restructuring their entire company and are beginning to communicate to the consumer. Many companies are shifting their advertising methods, in order to get fresh and new ideas, by opting for freelancers rather than big agencies. As well as receive new ideas and a fresh perspective, companies are saving money by paying for freelance, instead of the higher cost design firms.

GM
Ford
GM
FORD

Blog #6

• In an interconnected world, what are the limitations of design when cultural, political, economic biological and environmental systems are increasingly open?

Well, it seems more so than not the limitations have to do with that of getting across to the end user. As the reading stated is it the fault of the designer or the reader or does it even matter when coming to terms if that user gets "it". I think the biggest limitation is the same one no matter what medium you would work with whether it be web, print, video, that the limitation comes to finding the audience of which your work is catered around, in order to communicate to them. Otherwise if the designer tries to cater to the larger scale in which on the web (where you can virtually find anything, ranging from a wide array of cultural, political, etc systems) I believe they won't communicate effectively and will limit themselves from anything but a bland design.

• Does new media present the “new” direction for design? Describe how new media does or does not present “new “ directions in design and provide an examples (links or screen grabs) to support your assertion.

I don't know if new media really puts a "new" direction on deign but it just changes the playing field a bit. I think that in actual design we still do crave a lot of the older ideals we have with design on how things should look and feel, although with the web we put more of a spin on it through connectivity and interaction. I think for designers a lot of the base principles of design are still being used although, we have things that aren't static and can interact with the user. I think we still try to adhere to the grid because it is a nice way to organize our information and an easier way to navigate. Although on top of that I believe we are at a point in which we are trying to capture the user's attention especially since we have come to a point of such media bombardment, where if we don't come up with something that really captures the user it is tossed aside from the rest of the media. I think a good example of this is http://www.minusthebear.com/index2.html. This site utilizes a very simple design that has a grid, structure, although puts a nice twist to the navigation bar that I haven't seen used before. I think it captures the user with something that is different but doesn't take away from the actual navigation or the bands site.

• Is it time for designers to reintegrate disparate fields in order to consider new directions in design? Give examples (with links or screen grabs) of some new ways that design might be considered. These do not have to be existing ways, just ways that might yield some new and interesting results.

I think for the most part that this has happened. I think for the most part a lot of new media tries to imitate print and many other mediums. Just like all other design websites use hierarchy, grid, structure such with print but at the same way I think a lot of the design used is trying to imitate art in many ways and forms.

• What is the next “big thing in design”? Why do you think so and based on what criteria? Provide examples to support your assertion.

To be honest, I have no freakin clue. As we are going right now technology is developing much faster than most of us can keep up with, and we are coming to such a point of instant gradification with our society that I think it will come across to something of that sort. I think we'll start seeing a lot more designers self-taught, which might bring some more ideas from other fields, although I think the new big thing in design will come from some sort of new medium, rather than web, or video. As Avery and Jeff said it may come from a truer 3D, as it seems like we are working more towards that but I think as we go we are trying to make things come faster.

• In an interconnected world, what are the limitations of design when cultural, political, economic biological and environmental systems are increasingly open? 

Based on the reading, the limitations of design have to do with the ability of the designer to communicate an increasing amount of information with meanings on an increasing number of levels while avoiding unnecessary aspects of personal style which may obscure the message(s). Designers will have to determine the amount of information that is necessary to establish meaning, while minding the reader's willingness (or lack of) to make any special attempts to decipher meaning.

• Does new media present the “new” direction for design?  Describe how new media does or does not present “new “ directions in design and provide an examples (links or screen grabs) to support your assertion.

I think new media definitely presents a new direction for design. In a discussion between Bruce Nussbaum and Industrial Designers Society of America executive director Frank Tyneski, they talk about how "everything" is converging on "variations of a rectangle", meaning screen based media. Tyneski talks about how designers now attempt to affect the users' experiences on deeper and more meaningful levels than ever before. They discuss the recent evolution of design education, which is producing designers who devote far more time to researching and problem solving their client's unique position.

http://feedroom.businessweek.com/index.jsp?fr_story=cf5ca714c35c3d963987713f02116b283610d593

• Is it time for designers to reintegrate disparate fields in order to consider new directions in design?  Give examples (with links or screen grabs) of some new ways that design might be considered.  These do not have to be existing ways, just ways that might yield some new and interesting results.

I think design should and to an extent already has begun to appropriate from different forms, media, styles, etc. Post-modern art and design borrow heavily from countless other disciplines, adding and changing the meaning of the referenced works. The ability of the reader/decipherer of the message to recognize these references serves as a sort of intellectual reward for the viewer.

• What is the next “big thing in design”?  Why do you think so and based on what criteria? Provide examples to support your assertion.

I don't know what the next big thing in design is, i'm not psychic. I think technology is developing at an unprecedented rate and the future of design and technology are somewhat interconnected. An example is nanotechnology. The link below discusses how "nanotechnology “is likely to change the way almost everything - from vaccines to computers to automobile tires to objects not yet imagined - is designed and made." For now I believe the future is screen based media and the designer's ability to communicate visual messages "in the briefest, simplest, most urgent form."

http://www.nsti.org/Nanotech2006/showabstract.html?absno=1094

• In an interconnected world, what are the limitations of design when cultural, political, economic biological and environmental systems are increasingly open? This is a tricky question. Things get interpreted differently depending on the culture that surrounds you. What is politically correct in one part of the world could have the complete opeset reaction on the other side of the world. There are so many duiffrent cultures and diffrent poltecal points of view that there are a lot of limtations. As designers I feel that it is our responsibility to try and understand as many different cultures as possible so when we do design it can relate to the entire world not just a section of it. That way there is very little limitations to what we design when our designs can relate to everyone.


• Does new media present the “new” direction for design? Describe how new media does or does not present “new “ directions in design and provide an examples (links or screen grabs) to support your assertion. The answer lies within the internet and our cultures desire for fresh entertainment! Networking and video-sharing websites are the biggest thing happening within the web. These internet phenomenons have bet set-up to target consumer groups such as students and other young adults. Networking website like Myspace and Facebook have caught people’s attention day after day. The world wide web presents not only new channels to old media, but because it changes the controls held over distribution for most traditional media. I do not feel these are new forms of media just a new reworked pakage for a older form of media. And lastly media is no longer onesided. Now any yahoo can add his own opinon to pretty much any thing via Blogs. the perfect exampl is what we are all posting on now.

• Is it time for designers to reintegrate disparate fields in order to consider new directions in design? Give examples (with links or screen grabs) of some new ways that design might be considered. These do not have to be existing ways, just ways that might yield some new and interesting results.
I think as designers we need to have design containing or made up of fundamentally different and often incongruous elements. that is what keeps things fresh and new. For the most part everey thing has been done. Bu that is not saying that the same thing cant be done agaain with a new twist. The mojority of ideas are the same but as designers it is our job to add that twist with what ever new tools we have at our disposole. with such tools as phtoshop illastrater flash etc.

• What is the next “big thing in design”? Why do you think so and based on what criteria? Provide examples to support your assertion. As Averey stated I think the next big thin will be the world of 3D. I feel that media shod feel more interactive then it has been in the past. Gaining the feeling of having media suround you would give art and media a diffrent feel. A company I feel that is trail blazing this idea is called real D. "The impact of digital 3D on today's moviemaking has been compared to the introduction of color film when there was only black and white. To make this a reality, RealD pioneered the first wide commercial deployment of stereoscopic projection systems for digital cinema and works with partners worldwide to create the most powerful 3D experience audiences have ever seen." http://www.reald.com/

Blog #6

• In an interconnected world, what are the limitations of design when cultural, political, economic biological and environmental systems are increasingly open?
In an interconnected world, one must take into account the difference of cultures and languages when thinking about design. A symbol in one culture may not mean the same thing in another and one should design accordingly. However, because of the increase of sharing and interconnectivity, more things are becoming common between cultures, including structure and symbolism. I believe that with this increasing openness there are fewer limitations of design.

• Does new media present the “new” direction for design? Describe how new media does or does not present “new “ directions in design and provide an examples (links or screen grabs) to support your assertion.
New media definitely presents the “new” direction for design. As things become faster and more immediate, the absorption of content and visuals must be faster and “bite-sized” as well. Our society has become one of ADD, and new media must account for that. For example, Twitter (www.twitter.com) limits the user to only 140 characters to say what’s on his/her mind. Another example of new media conforming to our rapid modern lifestyle is the “thumbnail” website design as seen on www.notcot.org:


This common blog layout is appealing to the modern Internet user because it allows one to quickly sift through what may be uninteresting and go straight for what catches his/her eye.

• Is it time for designers to reintegrate disparate fields in order to consider new directions in design? Give examples (with links or screen grabs) of some new ways that design might be considered. These do not have to be existing ways, just ways that might yield some new and interesting results.
I believe this has already happened. Designers have had to conform to the established structure of the internet and new media foundations, whilst finding ways to push the envelope with Flash, CSS, etc. (for example, this Flash site: http://studio.barliesque.com/). Going from print to code is quite a jump, but with the development of artists’ tools such as the Adobe Suite, it has become easier. Perhaps the next step in integration would be to explore the 3D realm (which has already been undertaken… for an example, visit here: http://www.digitalmagic.com.hk/images/3d_Anaglyph/004.jpg ).

• What is the next “big thing in design”? Why do you think so and based on what criteria? Provide examples to support your assertion.
I honestly believe that the “next big thing” is the 3D TV technology (not stereoscopic, but rather 3D without glasses: http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/04/mitsubishi-shows-off-3d-tv-technology-no-glasses-needed/ ). Designing for 3D is quite different than designing in 2D as one must take into account the z-axis, or 3rd dimension. I think this technology could unlock potential in art that hasn’t been seen before, such as the feeling of walking through a painting or having something be interactive to movement and touch. Since we live in a 3D world, 3D art will become more tangible and perhaps affect the viewer in a way that art hasn’t been able to before.

Joshua Davis

Joshua Davis uses generative composition programs written in Flash, Python, and JavaScript. He says his main creative input is the code behind his artwork. His Random Controlled Color application enables him to edit out colors singly or generate new iterations. He is into free-flowing consciousness, and he tends to never sketch—planning and sketching is too rigid for his taste. Like many artists, he lets the work lead him instead of the other way around
(http://www.designmuseum.org/design/joshua-davis).

One of his major influences is Jackson Pollock. Davis is not a fan of Pollock’s style per se, but he is interested in the painter’s process. He identifies himself as a painter and admires Pollock’s use of chance and randomness in his work. "I'm going to take that idea further: The painting is never the same from one second to the next." This is a short video of the artist at The Getty Lecture Design Conference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rCO4pcFsfw
(http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.03/joshdavis.html?pg=2&topic=joshdavis&topic_set=).

Joshua Davis doesn’t find inspiration on the net, but from "observations in life." He explains how the urban life shapes its own environment and creates symbiotic relationships between its elements. He gives the following example,"The tree[s] know [their] boundaries and the trucks make sure they remember them. Creating objects or relationships in art, design or programming are no different. I’m inspired by these systems and relationships and try to bring them to my work" (http://www.designmuseum.org/design/joshua-davis).

Despite the apparently unstructured and chaotic nature of his work, Joshua Davis has many corporate clients. According to him, his clients want to use his applications because they are "constantly morphing... so the content always appears to be fresh" (http://www.id-mag.com/article/FlashForward). Each year Joshua Davis Studios accepts a limited number of projects. His main goal is to merge his theories of generative art with commerce and design to create infinite compositions,each "as unique as your fingerprint." Among his clients are: BMW, Kanye West, Motorola, Nike, Volkswagen, Sony, Motown Records, Barneys, Puff Daddy, Bad Boy Entertainment, Universal Records, Atlantic Records, HBO, Canon, Nokia, Charles Schwab and others (http://www.joshuadavis.com/).

Joshua Davis’ personal sites like praystation.com, once-upon-a-forest.com, and Dreamless were crucial to establish his reputation in the design community. "He was no longer viewed as just a clever Web designer, but as an artist using code as a medium" (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.03/joshdavis.html).

Yugo Nakamura

Yugo Nakamura is one of Japan’s leading web designers who is gaining recognition more and more from around the world. The thing that is getting him recognized is his unique and seamless interface design for websites. He has won various awards for his work in Flash web design and is continuing to find ways to streamline the interface environment.

His approach to creating his sites is to develop alternative methods of visual communication on the web. His interfaces are far from traditional, saying that, “I’d like my work to be a filter that lets the interesting parts of the new media environments – the computers and the people who are involved – become more alive.” His designs force users to reconsider the limits of the online environment. Not only is his work in interface design for websites, but it is also in creating works of art through Flash programming, such as his piece “Entropy”. In this work, he delves into the concept of complexity and how complex things can happen from a large number of very basic things. The piece starts with a single entity that becomes connected to another one similar to it every second and eventually becomes very large and complex. It is also interactive in that users are able to change the way the entity grows by clicking the mouse as it expands.

Another project that he collaborated with another designer named Keita Kitamura is called AmazType. It is a completely new way to browse Amazon.com in which the user inputs their search criteria into the program and then dynamically explores the content that is gathered from Amazon.com. Instead of viewing the results in a particular order, they are all spread out across the screen in a myriad of images that the search brings up. The user can then click on one of the pictures and get more information on the product and even go directly to the Amazon website for more information or to purchase the item. On top of all of this, the images actually spell out the word that you searched for. It’s a truly unique and amazing way to shop on Amazon.

He says that much of his influence is the nature. To get people to reconsider the limits of online environments, he says he “utilizes simple mathematics underlying natural complexity to create online interactions that are useable and familiar because their behavior is modeled on the natural world.”

Paul Rand

Paul Rand was an extremely influential graphic designer, starting his career in the early 1930’s and continuing to design until his death in 1996. He was one of the originators of the Swiss style of design.

http://www.paul-rand.com/index.shtml
http://www.artandculture.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/ACLive.woa/wa/artist?id=40

Growing up in a Jewish household and attending a strict Orthodox school, the creation of images or objects could be worshiped was forbidden. It’s ironic however, that Rand’s career would focus mainly on the creation of logos and corporate identities. At an early age, Rand began painting signs for his father’s grocery store. In an attempt to conceal his Jewish heritage, he alerted his name from Peretz Rosenbaum. Discovering the unity and balance of his new name, “Paul Rand” would become his first true identity, or logo if you will. His career took off and he would soon create some of the most recognizable logos in the last 100 years. After the creation of the IMB logo, impressions that his work was “too simple” began to rise. In his defense, Rand described in his book A Designer’s Art, that “ideas do not need to be esoteric to be original or exciting.”

Rand began to research the philosophies and ideologies of famous artists including Roger Fry, Alfred North Whitehead, and John Dewey. It was noted by many that Rand’s drew the most inspiration from Dewey. Stretching from Dewey’s ideas, Rand felt the need for “functional-aesthetic perfection”. More modern inspiration came from other artists including Jan Tschichold and Paul Cezanne. He desperately tried to find connections between their work, and his design ideas. Quoting Rand:

“From Impressionism to Pop Art, the commonplace and even the comic strip have become ingredients for the artist’s caldron. What Cezanne did with apples, Picasso with guitars, Leger with machines, Schwitters with rubbish, and Duchamp with urinals makes it clear that revelation does not depend upon grandiose concepts. The problem of the artist is to defamiliarize the ordinary.”

In one of Rand’s writings about design and communication, Rand explains some more of his ideas:
“The lament of the graphic designer that he is not permitted to do good work because good work is neither wanted nor understood by his employers is universal. It is indeed very often true. But if the artist honestly evaluates his work he will frequently find that the ‘good work’ the businessman has rejected is really not so ‘good’. Many times when the ‘square’ client says ‘it’s too far out’, he may be unconsciously reacting to inappropriate symbolism, obscure interpretation of an idea, poor typography, an inadequate display of his product, or simply bad communication.”

Laszo Moholy-Nagy

"My belief is that mathematically harmonious shapes, executed precisely, are filled with emotional quality, and that they represent the perfect balance between feeling and intellect."

Laszo Moholy-Nagy is an iconic figure in graphic design. The Hungarian born artist is synonymous with the Bauhaus, and was at various times a painter, photographer, sculptor, teacher, typographer, printmaker, and industrial designer. Innovative and experimental, he worked with new synthetic materials such as Rhodoid, Galalith and Perspex, and took up color photography when it was in its infancy.

As a painter, he developed an abstract style influenced by Kasimir Malewitsch and El Lissitzky, and is considered one of the most important artists of Constructivism. His paintings imply movement through layering and spatial effects. He uses straight lines and regular shapes in mostly black, grey and red with an occasional blue or yellow. Many of his early paintings appear inspired by mechanical shapes, gears, levers, and typographical characters. Combining Constructivism and Dadaism, he imbues controlled geometric forms with a playful, improvised quality.




Fascinated with the fusion of art and technology, he and his Bauhaus cohorts considered the machine to be a positive instrument for society. An instrument in need of well-considered design at both the industrial and product levels.
Moholy-Nagy apparently considered himself, as an artist, to be primarily a photographer. He said “photography could create a whole new way of seeing the outside world that the human eye could not,” and “it is not the person ignorant of writing but the one ignorant of photography who will be illiterate of the future.”

He experimented with a light-sensitive photo technique, the photogram, in the early twenties. Placing objects on light sensitive paper and exposing the paper to light; the objects on the paper keep the paper from being exposed, and reveal a shape. This experimentation was concerned with the interplay between light, dark, and the two-dimensional paper, creating depth and motion.


Moholy-Nagy’s legacy of surrealism is evident in his photomontages featuring human and animal figures in strange formations, and his black and white Bauhaus balcony photos.

He founded the Chicago Institute of Design in 1938, bringing Bauhaus methodologies to the USA. These methodologies are the modern day Basic Design course that have become some of the key foundational courses offered in architectural and design schools all over the world.

http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2007/foto/fullscreen/fig_3.shtm
http://www.artnet.com/artwork/425308900/116447/landscape.html

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/20532

Graphic Thought Facility

Graphic Thought Facility – GTF

Founders: Paul Neale and Andy Stevens
Partner: Huw Morgan

The company’s works are focused around developing and executing their graphic projects. The company is well known for the eclecticism of their works over many off their other aspects. Eclecticism is an approach that considers multiple theories, styles or ideas rather than just one insight on a project. Considering Neale, Stevens and Morgan’s opinions of what has influenced or inspired them this approach is not surprising.
Eclecticism


- Huw Morgan considers his greatest influence to be his mother’s work in artistic print-making he grew up watching. They used the technique of lithography which is a process of print making using wax or similar substance to separate forms on a stone into hydrophobic, which will accept the applied ink, or hydrophilic, which will deter the ink.
- Neale is a bit more simplistic and believe he was drawn to graphic design by his children’s books and toys and that those items continue to influence his work. This form of simple influence can be a positive by keeping the style simple but entertaining and effective, much like how children’s toys and books are designed for their simpler minds.
- Stevens believes that Malcolm Garrett’s sleeve and cassette packaging designs of the 70’s and 80’s were a large influence on him. Garrett was originally trained in typography but later became a fully rounded graphic artist creating album covers for groups like Duran Duran and Simple Minds. With these three styles and influences its easy to see how the works can come out very diversified and not focused around only one central design aspect. Stevens also mentions Derek Birdsall as an important figure head while he was the Royal College of Art. Birdsall’s focus was essentially around hand lettering. He had no real affinity for schooling like his grandfather but had a natural talent for hand drawn letters. He learned typography and had many jobs involved in its stylization.

Graphic Thought Facility
This is Graphic Thought Facility’s main site which contains all of their works, both current and past.

Graphic Thought Facility has created works for many different British companies such as Shakespeare’s Globe Theater Theater Poster

The Design Museum in London for the Peter Saville Show Poster for Peter Saville Show

And the re-branding of the company Habitat
Habitat Bag

Each design serves a different purpose, one is to rejuvenate a theater’s patrons, the second is to promote one of the upcoming artists at the Design Museum and the last is to re-create a theme and “brand” for a company. Each focuses on different emphases of design and does not lend itself to repetition of style, which is probably why this firm is very successful.

Overall, with the wide variety of influences and abilities contributing to the Graphic Thought Facility’s range of designers the firms potential to please their clients seems boundless. In addition it must create a great team full of different processes and opinions that the firm as a team can bounce off each other to achieve their desired end result.

Assa Ashuach Blog 5: Erin Lee

Assa Ashuach was born in Israel and seems to have a very intriguing style because he deploys stress analysis software to optimize the object’s structural strength using minimal material sculpted into a seductive form. “I try to reduce design to its essential points. You can’t take from it and you can’t add to it. If a few millimeters of surface changed, it would collapse.”(Ashuach). I find this interesting because it reminds me so much of Martin Pierce who looks at trees, roots and leaves and then he begins to design ways that these organic forms can be re-styled to make decorative door handles and such. He takes the beauty he sees in nature and uses it to create functional art like Assa. Both Pierce and Assa use very organic, flowing shapes to create their works. (Image #1)
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://martinpiercedoorhardware.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/hrowloc-pwy-lvr-bp72-dpi.jpg&imgrefurl=http://martinpiercedoorhardware.com/2008/12/04/organic-themes-become-functional-art/&usg=__-4mssz-sTDef3z4OyKi0bF6x_-I=&h=4183&w=4169&sz=6730&hl=en&start=39&um=1&tbnid=tZ2PifmC2GMa9M:&tbnh=150&tbnw=149&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfunctional%2Bart%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7DMUS_en%26sa%3DNefurl=http://martinpiercedoorhardware.com/2008/12/04/organic-themes-become-functional-art/&usg=__-4mssz-sTDef3z4OyKi0bF6x_-I=&h=4183&w=4169&sz=6730&hl=en&start=39&um=1&tbnid=tZ2PifmC2GMa9M:&tbnh=150&tbnw=149&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfunctional%2Bart%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7DMUS_en%26sa%3DN
Omi by Assa looks very similar to Alexander Calder’s Lobster Trap and Fish Tail. Comparing them side by side I see definite relationships between form and style. Both are balanced and reduced to simple shapes to create an overall unique quality of form and function. Although Calder’s piece was from 1939 and did not contain a light function, both pieces have kinetic energy that incorporates the space, both solid and empty that is occupied by the works.
(Image #2-3) http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm1.static.flickr.com/83/275160491_cb074a4ef0.jpg%3Fv%3D0&imgrefurl=http://flickr.com/photos/10049648%40N00/275160491&usg=__ZbuYMv4jgPFOWA6OB6KFwMs0RJA=&h=500&w=375&sz=55&hl=en&start=23&um=1&tbnid=z7Zh4s4AyuSroM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=98&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAssa%2BAshuach%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7DMUS_en%26sa%3DN
This is a very dynamic and energetic piece by Assa. The nonobjective forms give this piece a life of their own through this animated arrangement. Much like Celebraciones by Leonardo Nierman both works of art transform the space they occupy. These free-flowing shapes are transformed into an exciting style continuously moving perceptually. The bright orange helps draw attention to the spikes protruding outwards similar to Celebraciones sharp angles towards the sky. Both are very dynamic and well put together.
(Image #4-5) http://www.britishcouncil.org/kh/cubed-intelligent-interiors-main-image-255x352 http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3060/2629977875_1dc14af5fa.jpg%3Fv%3D0&imgrefurl=http://flickr.com/photos/9061377%40N05/2629977875&usg=__XP86ic8HAmfBc5D7hya4T5J6_Zo=&h=500&w=346&sz=101&hl=en&start=79&um=1&tbnid=IZ4gfYoXRQ7P6M:&tbnh=130&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dleonardo%2Bnierman%2Bart%26start%3D60%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7DMUS_en%26sa%3DN Chez Banc is the “embodiment of seductive feminine curves and designs for pleasure” according to the State of Design website. “The sensual essence of the human form into furniture creates the ultimate ménage e trois between human form, functional design and sculptural art.” It is a sculptural piece to not only serve as a chair, but much like Assa’s 501 Chair both chairs entice the viewer to explore the many curvaceous shapes. Highly simplified shapes allow the imagination of the viewer to wander over the chairs with curiosity and ambition. The negative space produced by both chairs is an interesting and provocative space as well. Both chairs seem to dominate their positions in space regardless. Banc’s chair is very relaxed. It appears to be laying back into space where as the 501 Chair looks as though it is about to stand up. I’m sure it is better for the back to have better posture while sitting in the 501 Chair. After a long day of work and what not, I would prefer Banc’s design because it is very appealing to sit and layback. There is a link to his website at the bottom of the page that contains a chair entitled “The Naked Chair” that is made of acrylic, so check it out!
(Image #6-7) http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.stateofdesign.com.au/sodwr/_assets/main/lib90002/chezbanc%2520image%25204.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.stateofdesign.com.au/FestivalProgram/designmadetrade/chez_banc%3Fs%3D0&usg=__lq9yaBfePTAm3A5ZuGGlT-501G8=&h=164&w=164&sz=32&hl=en&start=24&um=1&tbnid=fqauM6zlqPPVgM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=98&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dseductive%2Bform%2Bart%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7DMUS_en%26sa%3DN Assa cares very deeply for perception and use, which influences his art in a different way than Nierman’s or even Calder. What Assa realizes is “that as creators of new things, we have to question design each time again and again.” He is absolutely right, artists and designers are pushing the bar in this society with materials. Humans have the technology to create fantastic things; all it takes is a little imagination.

JOSHUA DAVIS

Joshua Davis is one of the pioneers or fore fathers of web design as an art form. Josh is continually pushing the medium to new limits in a fast evolving media. A unique aspect about Joshua Davis as an artist in the web design field is his eagerness to reveal and share his methods and techniques. Go to the following sites to see some of his works:
praystation.com
once-upon-a-forest.com
cyphen.com
antiweb-chaos.com
kioken.com

In his works Joshua Davis is known to use systems of randomization also known as the chaos theory stemming from a mathematical equation. This chaotic randomization can attribute to his many spiraling and asymmetrical shapes and patterns he uses in his works. I like this a lot about him because he can often go past traditional grid structures and systems to create his designs and patterns. Davis explains his theory or “grid structure” for some of his designs as a systematic yet organic growth or evolution based of a starting shape or pattern. For instance, if he were to start with a oval or circle he would build up a grid off the building up or spiraling out of that circle or oval. From that basic pattern Davis would find a grid to exploit. It is a bit complicated to me, but this is why he is so famous.
From what I gathered Joshua Davis has a couple of major influence for his art style and love for technology. The first is his love for classic video games. The types of classic video games that he mostly is inspired by are sprite based and simplistic like PONG, PAC MAN, or SPACE INVADERS. His second major influence is the modern artist popularized from in the 1940’s and 1950’s Jackson Pollock. The “painter that rarely touched the canvas” used action painting and movement as emphasis to his creative endeavors. Davis admits that he admires Pollock’s artistry in this quote: “Among modern artists, I conceptually identify with Jackson Pollock — not that I'm a particular fan of his visual style, but because he always identified himself as a painter, even though a lot of the time his brush never hit the canvas. There's something in that disconnect — not using a brush or tool in traditional methods.” I belief that is how Joshua Davis views himself as still a sort of painter or illustrator even though his most acclaimed works have no true brushstrokes and are all digital.
Davis’ influences can be seen everywhere on the web and in print design. A few years back a lot of commercial seemed to have a good deal asymmetrical dynamic patterns that can be easily related back to Davis. Also I have noticed that websites seem to move away from the hard mechanically color palettes like black silver grey (“futuristic colors”) toward softer color palettes, and I see that Davis has done that since his earliest designs, which are most vividly captured at once upon a forest and to a lesser extend praystation. I admire his work a lot because what he does seems so fresh and timeless, they’re good designs that would stand alone even if not on the web.

Amit Pitaru

Amit Pitaru is an Israeli born artist, designer and researcher of Human Machine Interaction (HCI). Born in Jerusalem and raised in Tel-Aviv, he has played instruments since the age of 5. At the age of 23 he moved to New York and began to play in clubs. Pitaru took a loving to the Hammond Organ and it was through this admiration that the Hammond Flower Organ came about. The organ is an alternative interface that lets users interact with the instrument, allowing for a new and unique way of using the instrument. Pitaru does explorations in new forms of musical expression, while at the same time not discarding the overall notions that have revealed themselves over centuries, as to how and why music is listened to.
He began as a musician, but became interested in computers when he had downtime in the studio. He learned Flash first and that has no grown to other languages, including Processing. Being a musician first and then a programmer allows Pitaru to have a great feel for the sound and visuals that he uses. Pitaru has been inspired by conversations he has with people, drawing more from a simple conversation then from their work. He draws this inspiration from conversations with other artists, his father who’s a scientist, and his mother who is also an artist.
As a designer Pitaru’s focus is on assistive technologies. He tries to create new solutions to old problems. His latest project is an attempt at making a game that children with disabilities can play. According to Pitaru games are meant to motivate and challenge us to think, which in the case for children with disabilities games put their disabilities front and center. Through design itself, with a little bit of thought, the barriers can be overcome. His work examines the manner in which our current technologies have hindered our ability to learn and communicate.
By using processing/coding/programming Pitaru is able to create his own tools from scratch which allows for the most freedom. These skills allow for easy adjustment and to reapply of musical knowledge into the medium. Although Pitaru’s work primarily deals with games, his ideas and notions are applicable to other mediums. His work has the potential to change the way we teach children, with or without disabilities, and with that would require a change in design practice. User interface design, game design, computer systems, and teaching methods would all potentially be altered.

http://www.pitaru.com/