One of the goals of my 4th semester's class "Contemporary Design Theory" is to develop and analyze the meaning of "DESIGN". Analyze what it actually means in the business, and develop my own opinion/statement/theory.
Of course "design" has an official and technical definition to it, but it is true as well that there is actually no wrong or right answer, that design is subjective and each individual sees or think of it in a different way.
It is also true that design encompasses a wide range of facets, and combining all of them in only one definition is reductive and incomplete.
This week I started my personal process of developing my own theory of what design is, and to do it I started thinking of what I am personally looking from a design in order to consider it a good work; what is the actual element that makes it interesting, working and successful.
It actually didn't take me too long to understand and answer that question and I articulated the following statement:
"Design is... communicating something ordinary in an extraordinary way"
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
How today's 'Global Village' affects my personal 'Distraction Factory'
I've been given an assignment where I had to keep track of how much time I spend on media and technological means of communication. The cultural critic Goodwin calls the global media entertainment industry the 'Distraction Factory'. I thought that this name couldn't have been more appropriate. It actually doesn't signify the 'use' or 'purpose' of the media itself, but 'how' the modern mediated world is actually influencing people's lives, perspectives and habits.
The asignment required me to break it down, basically, into music, television, reading, internet/socializing, and interactive media (like video games).
Interestinlgy enough, but this was not a big surprise, you can easily spot that the time given to what was once considered as the main and most important thing to do to keep your brain trained and elastic, that is 'reading', has been reduced, in my case of course, to a ridiculous weekly time amount of approximately 3 hrs.
In this regard I have to say that, when I personally (and finally) get some sort of break from my frenetic life of student and worker, the only think I ALWAYS carry with me (being in holiday or just around), is a book, one of those that I finally get the chance to read after I bought it maybe 2 or 3 years earlier!
Scaring? Depressing? Wrong?
For sure we compensate by reading while surfing on the web... the experience that only the paper can give is definitely not the same, but the purpose of keeping your brain working is 'somehow' achieved.
I spotted another interesting thing looking at my data: time dedicated to movies/DVDs is a drastic zero. I concluded that, when it comes to the decision of how to spend my spare time, I always decide for the social communications instead of relaxing and spending my time in front of... ANOTHER screen! At least, on the other side, there's someone else interacting with me.
It's time now to show my weekly media usage. I decided to create and display the results on a chart in order to make it easier for comparisons and relationships.
There you go... (click here or on the preview to see it bigger)
The asignment required me to break it down, basically, into music, television, reading, internet/socializing, and interactive media (like video games).
Interestinlgy enough, but this was not a big surprise, you can easily spot that the time given to what was once considered as the main and most important thing to do to keep your brain trained and elastic, that is 'reading', has been reduced, in my case of course, to a ridiculous weekly time amount of approximately 3 hrs.
In this regard I have to say that, when I personally (and finally) get some sort of break from my frenetic life of student and worker, the only think I ALWAYS carry with me (being in holiday or just around), is a book, one of those that I finally get the chance to read after I bought it maybe 2 or 3 years earlier!
Scaring? Depressing? Wrong?
For sure we compensate by reading while surfing on the web... the experience that only the paper can give is definitely not the same, but the purpose of keeping your brain working is 'somehow' achieved.
I spotted another interesting thing looking at my data: time dedicated to movies/DVDs is a drastic zero. I concluded that, when it comes to the decision of how to spend my spare time, I always decide for the social communications instead of relaxing and spending my time in front of... ANOTHER screen! At least, on the other side, there's someone else interacting with me.
It's time now to show my weekly media usage. I decided to create and display the results on a chart in order to make it easier for comparisons and relationships.
There you go... (click here or on the preview to see it bigger)
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Get it done... think, process, create...
What's the process I go through when I have to create and develop a new project??
Finding the "good" idea is the most exciting stage you go through when you have a new project assigned... exciting? well, if you get to HAVE the idea definitely yes! If you don't get to have it, then it becomes the most stressing, depressing and anxious giving stage of a creative process.
But in the moment you get it... then your work becomes fluid and smooth... and fun!
I will talk about the evolution I went through while developing and creating a design for the new Humber Studio Jazz Ensemble's album.
This project has been for me an exciting challenge from the completely "unknown" topic of jazz music, to the title given ("Prologue"), from the load of type to be incorporated, to the restricted time given... and not to be forgotten the knowledge that the design would have been presented to the Director of the Humber College's Music Program, close to a real job/real client approach.
When the assignment has been given I started to think about ideas, related visuals to represent the title "Prologue"... oh, that was hard, how can you visualize something that is merely a concept... I was stranded! Nothing, nothing really worth to stand out... so?? do I have to go with the regular and well known symbols that everyone relates to Jazz?
Ok, let's try to get inspired by doing some research on Jazz... listen to music (that will give me inspiration... if not it will be anyway a nice and pleasant background while working), navigate and look around the Humber's music department website, what do they do? where do they put more emphasis? what do they like? google anything related to jazz (soul, previous cd covers, rythm, beat, etc).
Nothing, nothing... ok, ok, I give up, I have to start somehow, I'm late, I'm always late... I have to come up with something!
So, no big choices, I decide to give it a try in rendering one of the stereotypes related to Jazz music in a different way, trying to keep the design clean, modern, captivating and... somehow different? yes sure, at the end still a stereotype it is, right? No choice guys, days are flying and the due date is close... sooo close!
So I start sketching few thumbnails, very very few, I'm not really good at this (and I'm so grateful to the school because they are teaching and forcing us to do them, I now realize how useful they are)...
I start researching on the web and downloading some good pictures to help me get more inspiration on my design... and I'm starting to see it, the design... I'm already thinking on the digitalising step!!
I'm almost ready to start, I've done my research, I almost have the picture clear in my head... I just have to start... but I also have other projects due; ok, it's not bad to have a break from one project and leave it "alone" for a while... while working on my Mac I start chatting, through Skype, with an old friend in Nebraska... so long we were not talking... nice... and, boom... out of the blue we are talking about metaphors... he was trying to cheer me up telling me that out of the "tracks" of your life's journey there are always beautiful and coloured flowers... always look around yourself... yes, right! I know that... open your mind... and my brain starts flying, actually running...
Tracks? the journey of your life?? tracks bring you somewhere, and they ALL have a start and an end... and where they start it is the beginning of something... an introduction... a prologue!
There you go, I love the idea... I'm just afraid that it might not be that clear to everyone...
At that point I am excited, I got a new verve, and the creativeness in my brain was like having a party.... so many pictures were taking shape in my mind!
The biggest challenge left was to render it properly... clear, not too busy, communicating the concept I had in my mind to ANYONE... not that easy either...
I start my digitals files... hours and hours... I'm pretty satisfied with the result, still perfectly aware that that was just the first render, that it would have gone under millions of further changes... but the concept was there, proud to have found a unique and uncommon idea...
That's at the end what I was looking for... we are creative, and even if the design is not going to be chosen by the client, we do not want to JUST render something "nicely"... we want to bring a concept, an idea.
I think I did it, I hope so, and that means a lot to me, to my creative ego!
Finding the "good" idea is the most exciting stage you go through when you have a new project assigned... exciting? well, if you get to HAVE the idea definitely yes! If you don't get to have it, then it becomes the most stressing, depressing and anxious giving stage of a creative process.
But in the moment you get it... then your work becomes fluid and smooth... and fun!
I will talk about the evolution I went through while developing and creating a design for the new Humber Studio Jazz Ensemble's album.
This project has been for me an exciting challenge from the completely "unknown" topic of jazz music, to the title given ("Prologue"), from the load of type to be incorporated, to the restricted time given... and not to be forgotten the knowledge that the design would have been presented to the Director of the Humber College's Music Program, close to a real job/real client approach.
When the assignment has been given I started to think about ideas, related visuals to represent the title "Prologue"... oh, that was hard, how can you visualize something that is merely a concept... I was stranded! Nothing, nothing really worth to stand out... so?? do I have to go with the regular and well known symbols that everyone relates to Jazz?
Ok, let's try to get inspired by doing some research on Jazz... listen to music (that will give me inspiration... if not it will be anyway a nice and pleasant background while working), navigate and look around the Humber's music department website, what do they do? where do they put more emphasis? what do they like? google anything related to jazz (soul, previous cd covers, rythm, beat, etc).
Nothing, nothing... ok, ok, I give up, I have to start somehow, I'm late, I'm always late... I have to come up with something!
So, no big choices, I decide to give it a try in rendering one of the stereotypes related to Jazz music in a different way, trying to keep the design clean, modern, captivating and... somehow different? yes sure, at the end still a stereotype it is, right? No choice guys, days are flying and the due date is close... sooo close!
So I start sketching few thumbnails, very very few, I'm not really good at this (and I'm so grateful to the school because they are teaching and forcing us to do them, I now realize how useful they are)...
I start researching on the web and downloading some good pictures to help me get more inspiration on my design... and I'm starting to see it, the design... I'm already thinking on the digitalising step!!
I'm almost ready to start, I've done my research, I almost have the picture clear in my head... I just have to start... but I also have other projects due; ok, it's not bad to have a break from one project and leave it "alone" for a while... while working on my Mac I start chatting, through Skype, with an old friend in Nebraska... so long we were not talking... nice... and, boom... out of the blue we are talking about metaphors... he was trying to cheer me up telling me that out of the "tracks" of your life's journey there are always beautiful and coloured flowers... always look around yourself... yes, right! I know that... open your mind... and my brain starts flying, actually running...
Tracks? the journey of your life?? tracks bring you somewhere, and they ALL have a start and an end... and where they start it is the beginning of something... an introduction... a prologue!
There you go, I love the idea... I'm just afraid that it might not be that clear to everyone...
At that point I am excited, I got a new verve, and the creativeness in my brain was like having a party.... so many pictures were taking shape in my mind!
The biggest challenge left was to render it properly... clear, not too busy, communicating the concept I had in my mind to ANYONE... not that easy either...
I start my digitals files... hours and hours... I'm pretty satisfied with the result, still perfectly aware that that was just the first render, that it would have gone under millions of further changes... but the concept was there, proud to have found a unique and uncommon idea...
That's at the end what I was looking for... we are creative, and even if the design is not going to be chosen by the client, we do not want to JUST render something "nicely"... we want to bring a concept, an idea.
I think I did it, I hope so, and that means a lot to me, to my creative ego!
Monday, January 26, 2009
...down to the point!
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.
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.
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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