Reading Reflection

In the final two chapters of the book, heskett discusses design in a professional sense: how it is understood, how it is evolving, and how it is interpreted in different contexts by individuals, companies, and countries themselves. I found that these two chapters really helped to complete my basic knowledge of the subject, and sparked my curiosity to take my understanding a step further. The final chapter about the future of design was one that also contained a lot of important information in regards to my future career and involvement in the field. I'm excited to see the types of ways that design evolves as i continue to grow in the field. 

Journal 08

Links to other team members blogs:


http://dsgnstudent.blogspot.com/
http://kursinskis.blogspot.com/
http://efdsgnw11.blogspot.com/
http://kabauer.tumblr.com/
http://marshmallowdesign200.blogspot.com/


Thus far our project as been progressing quite well. We've decided that we're going to make a product aimed at the college student, as camping can be compared, at least in a small way, to the adventure of going out on one's own to live away from home for the first time in one's life. We discussed three potential products, those being a loftable bed/desk area, a couch that could be folded into a backpack, and a small personal washing unit. Over the weekend we worked individually on sketches and concepts to be presented to each other today in class. 
      
My personal contribution to the group has been in the discussion and brainstorming of our ideas, and in several conceptual sketches on the washing unit development. I have been focusing most intensely on this aspect because i feel like it has the most room for original and unique design as opposed to the first two of our ideas. 


I'm feeling confident on our progress so far, and know that after a few more meetings and discussions we'll be well on our way to successfully completing the assignment.


No scans of my work yet, still just some rough sketches. 

reading reflection

Chapter four talked a lot about waste, and how industry has created waste which can't be recycled as opposed to that of nature, which is in a constant process of reusing and reinventing itself. To expect humans to be able to function as efficiently as the processes of nature seems a little lofty of a goal, but at least trying to come close is admirable, and necessary if the environment is to be saved! The following chapters also placed a heavy focus on environmental issues, such as the diversity which exists around the world and how products should be tailored to the needs of specific people in their respective locations. Finally, this part of the book stressed the ways that this could actually be put into action. I felt like this was the most important section of the three chapters because it allows readers/designers to take ideas from the text and apply them to their own work/lives.

course reflection

I was really interested by the guest speakers who came in from Cobego this past week. Being able to listen to recent graduates from the program really gave me a lot of motivation to continue in the field and apply to the program next year. It was also nice to be able to hear from someone who had gone through the exact process pretty much, and it gave me a much clearer idea of what I would be getting into. They provided a lot of great information about traveling abroad as well, something that I definitely want to do. The fact that one of the students had studied in Helsinki I found particularly applicable because I traveled through Finland and Helsinki last summer. Even though he said everyone there pretty much spoke english, i can only imagine how difficult it might have been to survive in such a foreign place especially while taking design classes. Overall, the presentation they gave made for one of my favorite class periods so far in the class because it was filled with so much information that applied directly to me and my future.

online scavenger hunt

Outdoor camping and recreation gear:

http://www.cabelas.com/

http://www.campmor.com/

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/home/index.jsp

http://www.outdoorrecwarehouse.com/

http://www.rei.com/

Indoor homegoods:

http://www.waterloogardens.com/products/indoor-decor

http://www.homegoods.com/index.asp

http://www.ikea.com/

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/default.asp?

http://www.lnt.com/

An "indoor home good" is an object found in a house which can add to either the form or functionality of the living environment. 

examples:

letterform

course reflection

The film that we watched in class last week raised a lot of good points, but also made many arguments which I did not agree with. While I've been familiar with, and am a big fan of Girl Talk, a lot of the ideas and facts purported in the movie actually made me respect him less as an artist. I disagree with the point that copyrights are too strict in many areas; why shouldn't artists and musicians be able to protect their own works and the profit which they make off of them? I feel like its hard enough for a musician to support him or herself without being able to protect their original songs and make money from them. While I don't think Girl Talk should be stopped from creating his music, I do feel that credit and perhaps even a portion of his profits should go to the artists whose songs he sampled. And while I understand that the filmmaker was more anti big business which can monopolize on music copyrights, i feel like the problem has more to do with the relationship between musician and record label/company than it does the public. The extreme bias of the movie is perhaps what annoyed me the most with the film: record companies being portrayed as giant evil corporations which ruthlessly abuse their powers. People should realize that they are businesses, trying to make money like any other industry. If they just freely allowed people to download music off the internet, no money would be made, including that for the musicians. These record companies are what allow musicians to be so successful, by providing them with producers, equipment, exposure, venues, and connections. They are an important part of the music industry, and its inevitable that certain companies will be dominant like in any other industry. Anyway, enough ranting about areas which i disagreed about. The film made a lot of good points about companies going to extremes to prosecute random average citizens for illegal downloads etc. and was quite informative overall. I just wish it had been presented with less bias, and less of a condescending attitude.

Design and the Environment

Environmentally conscious design is one of the areas which has interested me the most thus far in this class, and is an aspect of design that has been growing in significance over the past several decades. Because designers has such profound influence on how the world we live in is affected by their products, it is really the duty of designers to create products/buildings that reflect this responsibility. Huge strides have been made over the past twenty years to improve in the field, as we've been reading about in Cradle to Cradle, and will only continue to get better and better in the future. The following links all relate to the topic of design and the environment, and the different ways that it is being manifested currently in the world.

Industrial Renovation:

This article describes the renovation of old, out of use gasometers in Vienna into apartments and shops. I found it applicable to the topic because it is taking buildings from the Industrial revolution, a time particularly environmentally unfriendly, and reusing them in an innovative way. They architects that redesigned the structures created quite beautiful living areas in buildings that were originally designed for a completely different purpose. 

Roadless Village:

This village in Holland was designed completely without roads, and instead utilizes waterways between the houses for resident transportation. Citizens can boat around the community, eliminating the need for cars which produce environmentally harmful emissions. It also makes the town immensely beautiful, a reason why the article caught my eye. Although not practical for all parts of the world, this example of an automobile-less community was inspiring, and made me think of a Tolkienesque hobbit village.

All Natural Swimming Pool:

This swimming pool which looks more like a natural pond is a design which is becoming more and more popular throughout Europe and the United States. Instead of a traditional outdoor swimming pool which uses chlorine and other chemicals to clean the water, this "self cleansing mini environment"relies on vegetation and pumps to help clean the water. It is a beautiful example of nature and design coming together to produce an environmentally conscious creation.

Green Homes:

Green buildings are perhaps on of the largest ways in which environmental design is being taken into consideration. Examples such as that in the linked video show how designers and architects are creating structures which utilize the environment instead of harming it. Innovations like solar panels, recycled building materials, and super efficient home systems are helping to lead the way in green design and architecture. 

Ferrari:

Environmentally friendly car design is another area where designers are focusing huge amounts of energy. Obviously, hybrid cars help to reduce harmful emissions, and examples such as those at companies like Ferrari show how serious this field is, and how quickly it is growing. When automobiles traditionally built for performance and style are looking at ways to go green and be environmentally conscious, one knows that its an important aspect of remaining a competitive company. Because consumers are now concerned about a company's willingness to provide products which will not harm the environment, strides are being made in nearly all areas of design.

course response

The lecture about color got me really interested in taking design 310, so i rearranged my schedule to fit it for next quarter. Its an area where I feel my knowledge is really lacking, and it would help me improve my design work and art a ton. I've pretty much stuck with drawing in black and white for the past year or so, so I'm glad there's a course here dedicated completely to color. The TED talks that we watched were also quite interesting, though I shouldn't be surprised because they always seem to hold my attention. The sheer number or quality of improvements that can be made on products to help developing countries was exemplified by the water filtration bottle that was designed to allow for much cheaper clean water to be accessed in impoverished areas. Design of such products is always inspiring, and will no doubt lead to even further improvements to help those in need. Such examples also speak to the range of areas in which design is involved- its almost overwhelming in fact. I thought that now that I had narrowed my major to a design field I would have a much better idea about career paths, but I'm coming to realize that the design profession is extremely diverse in itself.

reading response

The introduction to "cradle to cradle" raised a lot of good questions about the state of design in regards to waste, hazardous materials, and recyclability. Both of the authors seems to have a genuine interest in furthering discussion and research about the subject, and the combination of their backgrounds in architecture and chemistry is a strong basis for expertise in the area. I'm really interested to see what the book holds in store, and am sure I'll gain a lot of good information from further reading.

50 Things

A trip to the grocery store:

1. staircase outside of apartment smells like stale beer
-wood is stained black in many places
-ice and slush cover the ground
-drain is frozen over
-a page from a phone book is stuck under siding, flapping in the wind
-many of the cars in the lot are covered in ice
-bum hops in and out of dumpsters
-inside of car is very chilly, but a comfortable break from the wind
-little traffic
10. construction outside grocery store is a hassle
-park in nearby lot and walked through more ice to get inside
-cramped in store
-police standing idly at entrance
-woman struggling with two kids leaves with groceries
-fresh fruits and vegetables at first display
-some ripe bananas and clementines
-other fruit and veggies unappealing
-old man inspecting onions
-bell peppers seem overpriced
20 head towards bread isle
-frustrated by set up of store
-hopefully new store will be better organized
-bagels, bread, decision between quality vs price
-worker stocking buns behind me
-little kid runs by
-too many cereals
-stick with classic cheerios
-think about the rather odd name "cheerio"
-v8 fusion on sale! yum
30. pasta and pasta sauce
-ridiculous number of types of ragu: recall a TED talk about marketing which referenced ragu's strategy
-frozen foods sections, pick up some pierogies
-light above is flickering
-man stocks frozen veggies by standing inside refrigerator
-congested aisle!
-get some dairy products
-wait five minutes at deli
-one pound of thinly sliced chicken breast should last me a week of lunch
-pick up a couple more items then head for checkout
40. fairly long lines
-stop behind an older woman with fewer items
-drop more money then i had expected or wanted to
-exit store, cops still standing idly
-push shopping cart to car and fill back seat
-return cart to disorganized group of others
-drive back home, in chilly car once again
-bags nearly rip while dragging them back inside
-little dry patches on ground provide some footing
-arrive at dingy apartment door
50 unlock and get out of the cold