During our second class of Contemporary Design Theory we watched a talk of Ken Robinson at TED Shows where he pointed out the difficulties and challenges in the educational system.
That was not my first time watching that talk and since the first time I watched it I thought that his arguments are worth a deeper analysis.
I think that it is really important to help children to be more open and wide in their thoughts, too many times their creativity and imagination is blocked by conventional and structured way of teaching and from the expectations that our educational system requires.
This said I still think that literature and math is fundamental in our education, but it is yet true that creativity should be considered of the same importance.
Relating these thoughts to what my educational background has been I feel having had quite a bit of art classes and formation, but the creative aspect of them has not been pushed or taken into consideration enough. Today I am enrolled in this graphic design program and I am really trying to take all the best I can from any aspect of it, but all the creative aspects and learning outcomes that arise from it are my focal points on where to get the most.
While discussing in class we also went through few of the 100 Habits of Successful Graphic Designers. These tips, specifically created and thought for our profession, should actually be related to anyone, somehow brought also into the structure of the earlier educational process. Teaching children to see the world around them with different eyes, which they already do in their need and curiosity of getting to know the world around them, could help them in growing up with this attitude of seeing things not as they look at first sight, but to create things from things, see things from things.
I think that all the "habits" read in class can be related to the will of knowing things, broaden your knowledge with anything you have around and do your best to always learn something new, that is not only around you, but opening your mind to the world and the load of differences that the world where we are living is offering us.
It's hard for me to shortly give an answer to the question of "Who am I, in the context of creativity and design?", the point is that the world around us is so diverse and multi-faceted that I feel not being the same creative and designer everyday, I go with the moods of the moment, with the experiences of the day, with the inspirations of the hour and the knowledge of the minute...
The work I create is always down to the point... but it reflects all the changes and inspirations that my life brings me along with.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Design is ...
mumble mumble... finding a way to answer to this question makes me feel like choosing stereotypical definitions or concepts. During our first class of Contemporary Design Theory we had to answer to a question that actually dazzled me more: What is Design NOT?
It was surprising how I could not find an answer to that question! As a formal and professional definition we learnt that design is NOT art, nature, or anything coming from an evolutionary process.
But there are still a lot of controversies about this definition, arisen in class as well.
Books and theorists wants us to embrace the definition that design is ONLY what has been created by a human, on a client driven purpose with an end result of earning money.
Definitely nothing to do with art ... many of us, future graphic designers, don't really agree with this strict and dry definition.
Personally, when I think of what design is, I can see and feel it everywhere.
I look at a skyline and I know it has been designed by humans to convey order, balance, beauty, emotions. Then I look at a natural landscape and it conveys me exactly the same things, even though no human being created it.
This is only one of many examples of where I can see and FEEL Design even though it doesn't belong to the official definition of it.
As I said looking at skylines, or landscapes, or architecture, or interior design, or typography, or colours—anything related to "Design"—makes me feel good inside and I start seeing different things from what I am actually seeing and I start thinking of how I can use a certain detail or a certain combination of colours.
I guess that's why I decided to make Graphic Design not only my passion and my hobby, but also my profession. But this leads me to my second disagreement on the definition of Design: I am here to become a Designer and create after a client driven request but also for personal pleasure of creating, just for the sake of expressing myself.
I think that Design is not just balanced and elegant combination of elements (the "artistic" point of view) but also a very important tool able to communicate and convey information (Graphic Design in particular). This tool gives Design a very important role of responsability and power. Design is able to deeply influence society, costumes, tendencies, ideas, style, etc.
All the above makes me love Design, whether it being art or not, whether it being created by a human being or not, Design IS all of the above ... and more!
It was surprising how I could not find an answer to that question! As a formal and professional definition we learnt that design is NOT art, nature, or anything coming from an evolutionary process.
But there are still a lot of controversies about this definition, arisen in class as well.
Books and theorists wants us to embrace the definition that design is ONLY what has been created by a human, on a client driven purpose with an end result of earning money.
Definitely nothing to do with art ... many of us, future graphic designers, don't really agree with this strict and dry definition.
Personally, when I think of what design is, I can see and feel it everywhere.
I look at a skyline and I know it has been designed by humans to convey order, balance, beauty, emotions. Then I look at a natural landscape and it conveys me exactly the same things, even though no human being created it.
This is only one of many examples of where I can see and FEEL Design even though it doesn't belong to the official definition of it.
As I said looking at skylines, or landscapes, or architecture, or interior design, or typography, or colours—anything related to "Design"—makes me feel good inside and I start seeing different things from what I am actually seeing and I start thinking of how I can use a certain detail or a certain combination of colours.
I guess that's why I decided to make Graphic Design not only my passion and my hobby, but also my profession. But this leads me to my second disagreement on the definition of Design: I am here to become a Designer and create after a client driven request but also for personal pleasure of creating, just for the sake of expressing myself.
I think that Design is not just balanced and elegant combination of elements (the "artistic" point of view) but also a very important tool able to communicate and convey information (Graphic Design in particular). This tool gives Design a very important role of responsability and power. Design is able to deeply influence society, costumes, tendencies, ideas, style, etc.
All the above makes me love Design, whether it being art or not, whether it being created by a human being or not, Design IS all of the above ... and more!
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