Design Perspective Media

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Design Perspective

As I was sitting in an Airport terminal at Philadelphia International reading John Maeda’s book Simplicity I realized a new aspect of design that I had never really thought of before. Maeda writes “The average person spends at least an hour a day waiting in line. Add to this the uncountable seconds, minutes, weeks spent waiting for something that may have no line at all… As a child the idea of waiting is something foreign and simply intolerable. But waiting is what we do in the adult world. We do it all the time” (30.) I, at the time was doing just that, waiting for my plane to arrive, waiting to be in Providence, waiting to see all of my friends, and waiting for classes to start back up. The idea of waiting is an integral part of our lives, which drives us to search for the next event than might come our way.

As the speed of the Internet increases and digital media becomes more efficient we expect to find all information in a moment’s notice, we are in a search to reduce the amount of time we spend waiting for answers. You can type in a topic on Google search and a second later have ten thousand websites with different solutions. With such efficient delivery of information available to the masses we have become a fast paced and impatient society, always looking for the next thing to conquer.

The field of design has also become very fast paced. Last year in design principles studio the most played song on everyone’s computers and iPods was Kanye West’s “Stronger.” This song very much encapsulates the current popular approach to design. The opening of the song reads “Work it harder, make it better, do it faster, makes us stronger” The concept that good design is being able to design in the least amount of time possible and it must improve upon the existing design. The mental attitude towards the design process has become fueled by this fast paced attitude. This attitude has greatly been influenced by mass production of products. As the time it takes to design a product is reduced in order to make cost points, larger corporations are not so much concerned if their products are good but rather how much they are going to make per unit. This assembly line attitude had pervaded into the design.

While it is important to design for manufacturability, and affordability, I believe that is also important to keep in mind the Avant Guard aspects of design as well. Together they fuel each other. High end design often leads to the exploration of new forms and materials that otherwise may not have been seen. Right now many products using smart materials are being developed but because the technology is relatively new and unknown the products are in a very high price range. The introduction to these smart materials is at a high cost, but the more and more the materials become used in products the cheaper the that material will become, and eventually that technology will be available for everyone.

The touch screen is a part of technology that has done just that. When the touch screen was first evolved it was used mostly by larger corporations that could afford to buy touch screens to replace the traditional cash register. I good example of commercial use of a touch screen Is Wawa’s intuitive touch screen ordering system in which you can order and customize your own deli sandwich. The use of this system, installed in 1999, has increased the efficiency of the Wawa deli nearly doubling their sales and efficiency. As the common person became more familiar with using the intuitive touch screen menu touch screen technology began to develop for personal use. HP has come out with the new Touch Smart PC which is a computer run by touching the screen of the computer. This technology is still not affordable to everyone, as this computer at base cost will set you back $1300. The touch screen has become more affordable in the apple Iphone. At a reasonable price it has become available to the masses. When designing, it is important to keep in mind both designing for the masses and designing for the Avant Guard. However as a designer it is important to make a distinction as to which you are designing for.

In my current advanced studio, service design, we have been designing concepts of how a specific service would work to enhance the users experience. The idea of designing not only objects but of designing the use of a service and the different touch points that influence the users opinion has become our focus of design. As a designer I am just beginning to contemplate, how I design, and what aspects are the most important to me. I have realized that to me this idea of human interaction and experience has always been very important to me. My first taste of designing truly on a larger scale for human interaction was last year in the Exhibit design project. In which we were asked to research a design history object, and create an experience that clearly modeled the and presented information in a understandable way. The idea of how someone would interact with a display and how to gain a viewers attention was something we had not covered previously in DP.

As far as my own design perspective is considered I am a young designer and have not fully had a chance to define my role as designer. I know that I like to design more abstractly for experience, because at the end of the day, if the experience that a user has with any product is not a good one then they are extremely unlikely to actually buy that product, or use that service again. The idea of designing more of an idea, something that you cannot physically touch is intriguing and inspiring. How can I as a designer make the waiting and experiences one has more enjoyable?

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The Folding Chair

In this assignment I focused on the folding chair because of its functionality and because of its easy portability. The folding mechanism allows seating to be portable and more accessible. The first folding stools were reserved for royalty and army officials. The folding chair was a symbol of authority as only the more wealthy would have time fore leisure. In the middle ages the folding chair becomes more easily available to more people. It is often used for banquets to seat large numbers of people. The functional use of folding chairs is still the primary reason we use them today. Their design allows for the chair to be stored in little space while not in use.Folding Stool: Thebes, 1450-1400 B.C.
This stool is from the Egyptian time period and would have had a leather cover across the top. A folding chair was a symbol of authority and usually reserved for military officials or royalty.
Throne of Dagobert , 13th century
For the first time the folding stool evolves to also to have a folding back and arms, much like a stationary chair. This chair is also made out of iron as opposed to the normal wood. Intricate patterns also arise as furniture becomes more elaborate and more a sign of one’s status.

Renaissance' style folding chair, late 16th century
During the renaissance time period folding chairs become more of a commonplace item in most household. The ornate wood working is reminiscent of the renaissance style. This age marks the change of the folding chair as a status symbol to a merely an everyday object.

Triangle shape beach chair with armrests in canvas by Vico Magistretti Italy, 1950
The beach chair become an iconic part in beach life. Seating becomes readily portable and becomes more a form of relaxation as the seat becomes more reclined and the fabric is a more playful stripe.

'Torsion' by Giancarlo Piretti for Haworth, USA, 2001
This chair is a modern spin on the bulky office chair. Its x design calls on the shape of the very first chairs. This chair allows for comfort in the work place as well as an easy storage solution.

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Lighting

Lighting is seen as such an elementary part of everyday life. I focused on the form of the light bulb and how the light bulb influenced design, from Edison’s first working light bulb, to the current standard 60 watt bulb. How can we change the meaning of lighting to also satisfy emotional as well as basic needs? Lucellino is a simple form that as playful wings to the form of the light bulb to make a lamp. this lamp admired the form of the modern day lamp, and instead of hiding the bulb with a bulky lamp, It celebrates the round form, and puts the light bulb onto display. A more modern take on the emotional side of lighting design is Soft Glow by Droog. It is a larger "light bulb" with a small light bulb inside which is encased by vegetable fat. As the light is turned on the fat melts and the light becomes increasingly brighter end brighter. This light really plays with the emotional effects of light, as the light quality changes. It's a playful and interactive design.

December 31, 1879Thomas Edison

creates the first light bulb, harnessing the power of electricity in a sphere like glass structure with filaments to conduct electrical current. This structure was not only the source of light in the modern age its pure form has become an inspiration for designersLucellino, Ingo Maurer 1992
This lamp is as fantastical play on the form of the light bulb it brings a sort of playful aspect to the concept of the light bulb it is simple, and instead of hiding the form of the light bulb with a shade, it becomes the center of attention.

Melting bulb lamp 2001
The melting bulb lamp is a modern take on the form or the light bulb from propaganda. I really like how it plays on the idea of heat generated by light bulb. Its melting form implies that it is a heated object not to be touched.

Soft Glow Lamp Droog 2004
This lamp is emerged in vegetable fat, as the inner light bulb heats up the fat heats up and becomes translucent allowing more glow.

Oyula lamps by Sergio Silva, 2006
This lamp is a play on the origin of the light bulb. The clever use of oil to light the lamp changes it purpose. It is so clever a take on the lamp.

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The Past

Quo Quo Cave Drawings
The first form of recording by humans took place in dark, dry caves of Europe by some of the very first humans during the Stone Age. The Quo Quo Cave Drawings they depicted life as they knew it. The scene above depicts warriors taking on the strong cattle. The cattle became source of food, clothing, and weaponry.

The Vitruvian Man (1492) by Leonardo Da Vinci explores the proportions of the human body in great detail. It is a great example of drawing and writing’s role in recording history. Not only is drawing used but so is writing used in recording ideas.
The Cassette tape was first released in 1962 by the Philips Company. It is a way of recording sound, although there have been many I chose this because as a child I recorded my favorite songs from the radio on to this device. Only 15 years ago they were commonly used and are now obsolete as music is now recorded in digital files.

The VHS tape was developed by JVC and was released in 1976.we recorded movies, for entertainment, but we recorded mostly what our lives and cultures were like. As we videotaped the high points in our lives we also caught the lows and those then present moments so quickly become the past.

The small and affordable digital camera became a large part of many of our live allowing anyone to take a snap shot of time down to thousandths of a second. All these items are forms of recording.

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