n9948856-blog

[n9948856-blog]

Blog#8: Changes in the Self as a Designer

Bit by bit, throughout the entirety of this course, I gradually gained a better understanding over not only myself as a person but also, my identity as a designer.

“What is design?”

This was the question that we were asked in the very beginning- and of course, being a first-year student who had little to no designing experience hidden in a crowd of others in the exact same position; we had come up with an extremely broad, all-encompassing definition to please the people.

“Design is a multi-interpretative, creative, collaborative process of conceptualizing ideas to communicate, express and solve problems to make improvements on the quality of life”. Despite being such a lengthy explanation…now that I look back at it, I can only react in bemusement.

What.

What does this even mean? Jaz always said to ‘find comfort in the confusion’, but not like this. The ambiguity and expanse of the phrase chips away at my thoughts. While I admit that design is ‘all-encompassing’, isn’t the important factor to the me typing away at the computer right now, how I define design?

After much ‘soul-searching’ conducted in the duration of this semester, I had finally found it. Design to me is the creative process that targets the complexities in life to improve upon a situation. Whether it be the refurbishing of a daily appliance or a silly scribble to make the day better- personally, I believe that design is a means to communicate and express oneself.

Although I put it like this, DXB101 has truly allowed me to expand my horizons on the different kinds of sectors and categories that there are in types of design. To illustrate my overall comprehension and growth on the topic, here is a slightly disturbing visual that I composed.

The first, half-baked-looking smiley is indicative of my rough, wobbly and horribly basic understanding of design merely as an act conducted with a paper and pen. “Ah yes, design is simply the phase of drawing out an idea”- is what I foolishly used to think. WRONG. After listening to Julie Connolly’s lecture in week 2 and undergoing the minor and major charrettes, I had finally opened my eyes to the various applications in which design surrounds-no, supports the world around us. Design is a tool that can be used to tell stories, help those in need and overall make the world a more enjoyable or even horrible place to be.

Absorbing all of this new information on the various implementations of design resulted in the creation of the more fleshed-out smiley. There is greater dimension in my actual understanding of design that I now realize that it’s more than a two-dimensional concept (like the first smiley), that it impacts the world more significantly than I originally thought. Design is great.

To further prove my evolution after undergoing DXB101, I redrew my tattoo to represent the changes and realizations that I had made. On the left, we have my old tattoo and on the right, I present to you- the new me!

“But hold on…”, you might be thinking, yep it’s a baby! I do feel kind of bad that other people may have drawn extremely aesthetic or symbolic tattoos for their blogs, but this is the true representation that I feel depicts my state after coming out of this course. While my first blog talked about the fox symbolizing my ability to swiftly navigate myself out of sticky situations easily, I realize that I am a lot more clumsier than I thought. This isn’t just any stumbling baby though, if you look closer, you can see that it’s a standing baby! This is supposed to indicate that I have gained more stability in managing myself, the effort that it took for this baby to get up on its own feet is representative of my own efforts being recognized in recent achievements rather than covered up like the mask on the fox. What’s more is the seemingly lifeless expression that this baby wears, it is meant to reflect the number of elements that I’ve been exposed to- that now, I’m even unfazed by some of the most horrendous things in this world.

Nevertheless, a baby is still a baby- I don’t have an exact direction that I’m going, but I’ve still got a lot more room to grow and the potential to shift from a completely different study to what I’m doing now. One of the questions that we were asked in the latest tutorial was where we could see ourselves in five years- and to be completely honest, I have no idea. For now, however, I can only see myself continuing my pursuits in graphic design- I want to work towards a future where I can deliver powerful messages through my art and inspire change through raising awareness over our sociological and environmental issues of society. To do so, I could involve myself with these groups through joining or partaking in the activities of a supporting organization to gain background and establish a reputation with the issue at hand .

Thanks for sticking with me in my blogging journey!

[n9948856-blog]

Blog #7: Reflection  & Strategies to Address Tutor Feedback

With the major charrette brief addressing the issue of homelessness, our team formed the general concept of the design through narrowing down our demographic to that of the homeless female population. To specify, our goal was to resolve, or at least, raise awareness over the fact that while women already struggle to cope with their periods; the homeless are forced to choose between hygiene and hunger. In pinpointing this flaw, we chose to make up for the lack of sanitary products through providing a service that caters to our demographic by encapsulating functions such as showers, built-in washing appliances, toilets, sanitary kits and even counselling in the portable form of a truck. We called this the “Bluebird Project”- an icon that would symbolize the peace, hope and comfort that we intend to bring to women in need.

This week, we brought our concept to our tutor, Carly. While note was taken that we were heading in the right direction ‘idea-wise’, we primarily needed to refine our execution further. Our predominant concern that was highlighted in our consultation session, pertained to the methods in which we would attract our sponsors and stakeholders. How could we appeal to the allowance of our project to the government? How could we make our project attractive to potential sanitary resource providers like Libra, Wonder or Cotton? And most importantly, how could we get the word out to those who truly need our services?

After some discussion, we took our project over to the library where we could iterate further on our methods. In our session, we had come up with a number of mediums that we could use to advertise the Bluebird Project- most predominantly, social media. Through some research, we had discovered that social media was in fact one of the most effective methods of advertisement- although you wouldn’t expect most homeless women to have access to the internet; there are at least 1.15 billion users on Facebook alone (Gossipgenie, 2016) and 76% of businesses are already reliant on marketing via social networking (MDGadvertising, 2014)- we could exploit this massive userbase to not only attract potential volunteers but also a following of supporters who would spread news of our cause whilst serving as a communication medium.  

(Gossipgenie, 2016)

Using this evidence to back our decisions, a Facebook mock-up of our project was created. Taking on a more practical approach, the point was also made that incentives would be provided to our potential sponsors (Libra, Wonder, Cotton) in the form of advertisement and reputation- in the fact that these brands would be supporting a positive cause. Although this was true, it was merely ‘assumed’ that we would be provided support from these companies; I believe we could have elaborated on this more in the end-product.

Appealing to the government to take action on this particular issue. on the other hand, was another case entirely. This was something to be done after the project had been kickstarted. Beginning with the basics, the Bluebird Project is almost entirely dependent on public support. If we could somehow harness the attention drawn to our cause through petitioning or writing letters to ultimately deliver our message to an official power- we could essentially instigate change through the popularity garnered in our support. As a result, our gains would not only be limited to increased funding and resources but public awareness over homelessness would also be raised as a whole, it could just be the push that the government needs to highlight this ever-predominant issue in society. Below, I’ve created the animation to be used in our final presentation to summarize the general concepts of our project.

Thanks for tuning in! 

References

Gossipgenie. (2016). Worst social media advice, ever. Gossip Genie. Retrieved 25 May 2017, from http://gossipgenie.com/worst-social-media-advice-ever/

MDGadvertising. (2014). Social Media ROI Statistics (Social Media Infographics). Designinfographics.com. Retrieved 25 May 2017, from http://www.designinfographics.com/social-media-infographics/social-media-roi-statistics

[n9948856-blog]

Blog #6: Minor Charrette Reflection

With week 7 being the week of the minor charrette, all had been very, very uncertain.

Initially, I had been quite worried over the fact that we had to spontaneously form groups out of a crowd that consisted of the entirety of DXB101 students- only to cram and generate the solution to a design brief within a span of 2 hours. From ideating to developing a promotional video, preparing our slides and finally presenting our concept in the lecture where it all came together; the process was extremely grueling and rushed.

The brief that we were tasked with was to design “…an innovative concept [based within the Botanic Gardens] to meaningfully engage people into sharing stories…” (Choi, 2017). The context behind the project was inspired by Brisbane’s metaphorical status as a ‘melting pot’ of cultures; from the beginning to the end, everyone is shaped by a collection of tales that essentially defines their existence and being as a person (Choi, 2017). Our design needed to serve as an accessible platform to convey some form of storytelling- be it a person’s life story or a simple, everyday experience.

When I had met up with my party, we made our way into the Botanic Gardens to enrich ourselves in the atmosphere of the area where the project would actually take place. Finding a bench, we sat ourselves down, commencing our preparation for the oncoming storm.

(Diagram of the Designing Process, Lee, 2012)

Following the general designing process above, we had automatically assigned ourselves several questions that we could centre our project around and effectively narrow our focuses on. Evolving from the most basic of queries, we were able to identify two significant factors that were vital to the project.

· How would one define storytelling?

· What were the different forms of storytelling that we could concentrate on?

These key points played a core role in shaping the foundations of our outcome. To us, we defined storytelling as both a combination of personal history as well as a creative outlet manifested from fantasy- both of which we used as the basis of our design. What we needed to research however, concerned the cultural background of the gardens themselves- something that had embedded itself into the area over the years.  

(Botanic Gardens,Brisbane Marketing, 2017)

Unfortunately, I do believe that the amount of time dedicated to research was lacking- this meant that some of the decisions that we had implemented into our final design were unrealistic or even uninformed.  The research conducted was more quantitative and practically obtained in contrast to the boring old look-up-and-record method that I was used to, but that didn’t make the data gathered any less valuable. Again, we generated several questions that we wanted answered.

· What will be the project’s targeted demographic?

· Who are the primary visitors of the botanic gardens?

· How might we make this an interactive and accessible experience for          those involved?

· What other projects have been held in the botanic gardens?

Observing our surroundings, it was apparent that the majority of garden-goers were either families, joggers or cyclists- perhaps this was a hint to our potential demographic? No. Unfortunately, not. Although these groups were identified, I believe that the audience that we had set for our concept had been far too broad. The consumers came under an expansion of ‘all those who would visit the gardens’- which of course, was our first mistake. It essentially meant that our targeted demographic was ‘everyone’ and it is impossible to specifically design something that could cater to this limitless crowd.

We did however, try to place emphasis on making the project easily accessible. Judging from the previous events that were held in the Botanic Gardens, most of them were usually to do with strolling the area. We thought that perhaps we could combine both physical elements such as the garden landscape- with digital trends that could make the project appealing to younger audiences who were ‘in the times’.

From there, we began to brainstorm some concepts that played with gimmicks such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), QR codes, geocaching, social media and app development. All of which were functions that were heavily inspired from existing media like Pokémon Go, Bitmoji, Instagram, mapping apps and Snapchat.      

Using a number of bases, we generated several design proposals. The first involving no digital implementation, was a fun run that would take place through a circuit in the gardens- several question booths asking about a particular memory would be set out along the way. As participants reach each booth, they can choose to record their past experiences according to the question prompt, the memories are then given to staff to be pasted into a collaborative collage wall. Through gathering these memories and interweaving them with others, a large collection of tales can be amassed and shared to the public.

The issues that we had identified in this method however, was the sustainability of the project- would the usage of paper notes be damaging to the environment? Would people be willing to continue the event? How would we cater to those cannot or don’t want to run?

The concept needed to be altered, this is where the digital component came in- but we had to compromise the accessibility of the project as not everyone would possess the necessary equipment to participate.

Instead of using the fun run mechanic, we chose to install semi-permanent geocache points in the form of QR codes. Though developing a compatible mobile app to use as a platform, users could engage in a pleasant stroll-like, scavenger hunt whilst enjoying the scenery; to find and scan the scattered codes which would be pasted onto random fixtures such as the billboards found in the gardens. After scanning, an augmented interface would appear on the phone’s camera; prompting the users to record a memory.

In terms of the previous idea, the QR codes would serve the same purpose as the question booths from before. Differing prompts would be hidden in different spots but if the user preferred not to record anything, they could also view the stories that had been recorded by others beforehand. The saved stories would ‘project’ from the fixture that the QR code is pasted onto, as a collage from through augmented reality. It was also proposed that each user could be assigned an avatar similar to Bitmoji, to encourage an interpersonal bond with the project and promote the visual execution of the concept’s design. Every so often the memories would be archived and moderated to avoid clutter and the sharing of inappropriate content.

The name that we chose to give to our project was ‘Sonder’. Sonder defines the very realization that each passerby possesses a life so vibrant, so complex that may either contrast or even blend with your own- whether it be dreams, fears, bonds and emotions, everyone has their own story. This was it. A name suiting of our project. This was the chosen design.

All was well until the presentation itself, while we had planned and completed all of the assigned content, we underestimated how little time we would have to present the material that we had amassed. I did suggest that a script should be written beforehand but most of the group agreed that there wouldn’t be enough time to do so- thus relying on their abilities to spontaneously dictate and elaborate on the information posted onto each slide. This, unfortunately, was one of my worst fields- being the shaky, nervous wreck that I am, I regret not pressing the matter with my team mates.

What made things worse was that we were not allocated any particular slide to speak from, and more- there had hardly been any time to review our content. As it was time to present, I found that there appeared to be additional slides and repeated content that was added without the knowledge of the group- making it quite difficult for me to speak without preparation. A lot of time was wasted in the presentation- so much so that there had been none left to present the promotional video. Although this was the case, we were able to convey our solution of the brief to the lecture.

The feedback received required us to narrow our demographic and justify our reasoning behind the digitalization of the project. We needed to consider the accessibility factor of our project more in the fact that some phones may not even possess the technological assets needed to participate in our design idea. A more obvious flaw in our work was definitely our time management- if only we could prepare our material more efficiently then we would have been able to fully convey ‘Sonder’.

Nevertheless, I do believe that this was a very valuable experience that allowed me to get a taste of the frantic hustle and bustle of developing a design response under a limited time frame. I hope that it’ll serve as a warning to the oncoming major charrette.

References

Brisbane Marketing. (2017). City Botanic Gardens - Brisbane Tourist Guide - Brisbane Australia. Brisbane-australia.com. Retrieved 22 April 2017, from http://www.brisbane-australia.com/city-botanic-gardens.html

Choi, J. (2017). “UrBNE Stories” – Sharing Stories in the City (1st ed.). Retrieved from https://blackboard.qut.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-6777445-dt-content-rid-8245953_1/courses/DXB101_17se1/DXB101_Mini-charrette_Brief%281%29.pdf

Lee, M. (2012). DESIGNING A LOGO FROM START TO FINISH. Michelle Lee Photography. Retrieved 23 April 2017, from http://michellerlee.com/2012/10/05/designing-a-logo-from-start-to-finish/

[n9948856-blog]

Blog #5: Ideation and Prototyping

In week six’s session, we learnt about the various ideation techniques that could be used to smooth out the kinks of the designing process, or otherwise represented as the previously touched-upon research area of the “Design Squiggle” as depicted by David Newman (2009).

In the lecture, there were a total of four organizational tools that were explored- the TILMAG Matrix, the HIT Matrix, SCAMPER and finally General Morphological Analysis. Below, I’ve tried to briefly summarize the overall concepts and mechanics of each method to look back on for reference material heheh. 

TILMAG! It stands for a rather (unnecessarily) lengthy German term that translates to the “transformation of ideal solution elements with a common associations matrix” (Mycoted, 2014).  The TILMAG matrix defines the process of pairing features and functions in hand with solution ideas. When presented a scenario to counter, TILMAG aids in dividing and executing the characteristics of the prototype.

The HIT matrix on the other hand, is an abbreviation of the “Heuristic Ideation Technique” (BMGI, 2017). It combines and tests the compatibility of a number of pre-existing functions to meet the goals of a project- for example achieving a certain experience as the end outcome.

While both of the prior mentioned techniques are centred on pairing functions, SCAMPER is essentially a breakdown of options in the creative process; the label expands to detail the types of adjustments that can be made to a project. Spanning from substituting, combining, adapting, modifying, putting to other uses, eliminating and elaborating as well as rearranging components- SCAMPER tackles the manners in which a concept can be altered to accomplish its set resolutions.

While it may sound complex and all, General Morphological Analysis operates in a simplified level through conjoining values and parameters in a table. Take for instance, the design of a chair- the parameters may dictate the categorical factors such as the material, shape, size or targeted demographics whereas the values would specify possible options for each sector.

After absorbing all the techniques, we were advised to migrate to a different tutorial than usual. Hesitant but armed with the intention to meet new people (or as I like to call them, allies of design hell), I made my way into Jaz’s class where I found myself seated with surprisingly, familiar faces. In the tutorial, we were to form groups of four to five with the people around us to develop a solution to a design brief.

The brief, of course, being Brisbane-centric, was to design a “food box” that could be sold within the cultural precinct to promote the local image and effectively become an icon that would be representative of how wonderful the Brisbane experience is.

(Brisbane Cultural Precinct, Cheng, 2014)

Before we could delve into using one of the four ideation techniques from before, we desperately needed to sort our thoughts.

Where to begin?

We were so lost that we didn’t even know where we were lost, a hopeless case- but Jaz’s wise words echoed, “find comfort in the confusion…confusion…confusion…!”.

We needed to develop a design question that we could centre our concept on.

After moments of deep thought, the group decided to base the food box on our experiences during the little excursion to South Bank from the previous week. Something that made a significant impact on our impressions was that there were a lot of tourists in the area- this prompted our initial idea of targeting this particular demographic. The Cultural Precinct, being a feature that was already made with the intention to attract tourists and visitors (Queensland Government, 2013), was perfect for the selected audience. This also means that funding would primarily stem from the government as the project would also fulfil their goals.       

Through hops and leaps, our focus shifted to and fro in attempts to narrow the goal:

How might we encapsulate Brisbane in a food box?

How might tourists perceive Brisbane?

How might the food box appeal to tourists?

How might we make this food box unique?

And finally, we came to our conclusion, “how might we design an interactive food box that defines Brisbane?”

Now that we had decided on our focus, we veered our attention towards recording our ideas using the general morphological analysis. 

There was an insufficient amount of time for us to continue working together as a group to progress to the prototyping stage so we decided to continue the project individually. We did, however, use the data in the table to come up with a basic idea of how this food box would answer the design question.

In order to create an ‘interactive’ experience, those that would have purchased the box in the cultural precinct would start out with nothing inside but a map of the area. On the map, points are marked where there are information booths docked outside of each prominent feature of interest- including the Gallery of Modern Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland Museum, Performing Arts Centre and Queensland Theatre Company.

Users of the box would need to travel to these points to collect information cards whilst learning more about Brisbane. As the key points are fairly close in proximity, the map caters to the needs of those who cannot transport themselves over long distances as easily (e.g. disabled or the elderly). While it is not compulsory to complete the course, the cards that are collected at each function can be exchanged at a central booth for certain consumables. The prizes would include non-perishables that can be stored in the box and taken back- such as teas and spices which convey Brisbane’s multiculturalism or iconic Australian foods like sausage sizzles, lamingtons or meat pies that can be eaten at the time.

One of the major worries though, is the fact that the prize stock may be insufficient or over calculated for attendance, the expenses needed for the project also appear to be... in another sense, major.   

In my own time, I concentrated more on the design of the box. What the group had agreed upon was that its manufacturing shouldn’t be too taxing on the environment- it should be something that is either recyclable or reusable; something that people would want to keep and look back on in nostalgia. So! I tried my hand at illustrating a rough outline of what could have been.

Exhibit A, a transparent box made of recycled plastic that’s branded with the Queensland Coat of Arms and bordered by the Cooktown Orchid, the state’s floral emblem. The lid is slotted with a narrow opening where the information cards can be slipped through easily- if it is reused it can be used as a money box. While the material is sturdy enough to be kept, it may be overly bland in a visual sense for people to ‘want’ to keep. There may also be the issue that more waste is generated through its creation as it may not be disposed properly by consumers even if it is made of recycled plastic. Concept scrapped.      

Exhibit B, a box made of recycled wood embellished a laser-burned version of the Brisbane City logo and bordered with an illustration of the story bridge. The fact that the box is wooden may influence consumers to be more reluctant in discarding it- coupled with the decorative components, it may also be more desirable to keep. While recycled wood is biodegradable in contrasts to most plastics and generally cheaper than your usual wood, production expenses are likely to be quite high. Additionally, being wood; there can be quality issues pertaining to storage conditions such as moisture or breakage that need to be monitored before sales. The idea is appealing but it is difficult to determine whether or not it is realistic.

While there are many, many, factors to consider in kickstarting such a project, I found this activity to be pretty enlightening as to demonstrate the ideation and prototyping process. In fact, it was quite engaging to participate in the mock session as it gave me a rough idea of how concepts are actually formed in response to a brief.

References

BMGI. (2017). Heuristic Ideation Technique (HIT) Matrix | BMGI.org. Bmgi.org. Retrieved 19 April 2017, from http://bmgi.org/tools-templates/heuristic-ideation-technique-hit-matrix

Cheng, L. (2014). Bid to save Queensland's Cultural Precinct. ArchitectureAU. Retrieved 21 April 2017, from http://architectureau.com/articles/bid-to-save-queenslands-cultural-precinct/

Mycoted. (2014). TILMAG - Mycoted. Mycoted.com. Retrieved 21 April 2017, from https://www.mycoted.com/TILMAG

Newman, D. (2009). That Squiggle of the Design Process. ReVision Lab. Retrieved 21 April 2017, from https://revisionlab.wordpress.com/that-squiggle-of-the-design-process/

Queensland Government. (2013). Arts Queensland Cultural Precinct Strategy. The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory. Retrieved 20 April 2017, from https://cabinet.qld.gov.au/documents/2013/may/cultural%20precinct/Attachments/Cultural%20Precinct%20Strategy%20Attachment.PDF

[n9948856-blog]

Blog #4: Thoughtless Acts

Have you ever considered the manner in which we interact with the world around us?

Whether it be the embedded reaction to automatically avoid a puddle on the ground or the compelling intention to slot some trash into a secluded corner; the world forces us to respond to its elements and structures in a multitude of wonderful and sometimes, inexplicable ways- without us even realizing it!

This is something that is critical in the field of design. Design isn’t about designing ‘things’- it’s about creating experiences. Our behaviors, emotions and responses to our environment is what builds up the foundations of design. According to the latest lecture based on a book detailing “Thoughtless Acts” by Jane Fulton Suri (2005), how we interact with a situation or opportunity can be categorized in seven different areas.

The Adventure:

In the following studio session, a little expedition was taken to the Southbank Parklands- where many instances of these thoughtless acts could be seen in action. As it was fairly muggy and rainy that day, there were less people than usual but that also meant that there were quite a number of circumstances that presented themselves where they normally wouldn’t on a regular, sunny day. The examples that were of interest to me were captured on my potato-quality camera. (Please forgive the quality, this is what you get when you pair a bad phone with perpetually shaky hands and 50+ takes)   

So as to minimise the clutter of all the pictures taken, you can keep reading under the cut :>

Reacting:

An opportunistic child climbs and sits down in the spiderweb structure at the playground. 

Birds find a container full of food to eat from. Interactions with the environment are definitely not limited to humans.

Responding:

People automatically evade a puddle without even thinking about it. 

A vehicle causes everyone to open up a path in the centre of the road for fear of being knocked over. 

Co-opting:

A container is discarded into a blind spot- the crows also use this opportunity to socket the food into the roots of the tree so that it does not move away; this is also an example of exploitation. 

A couple in the distance seat themselves at the pool ledge; they escape the heat and humidity of this muggy day by dipping their legs in the water.

Exploiting:

A pillar of a building is conveniently used to support part of a fence.

A building hose is twisted to drain the water down into a grate, the traffic cone is used to weigh down the hose so that puddles don’t spout everywhere.

Adaptation:

A shovel is used to riskily hold up a levelling indicator or a base of some sort of a post.

A cautionary tape is used to hold up a gate instead of bordering up an area.

Conforming:

A group of people take the left path and follow the direction of those in front of them. 

The majority of tourists on the bridge rest closer to the right ledge instead of the left.

Signalling: 

A signpost depicts the various risks and precautions of swimming in the water, in visual form.

An icon is painted onto the ground to convey the ban of cycling in the area.

Sketches:

The second task was then to sketch out actions, items, spaces, people and places that piqued my interests! There were actually many curious little dots and pieces scattered around the park lands that caught my notice but I decided to pick three of the fifty-something that I saw. With the return of my trusty potato-camera, I snapped up my drawings. 

The first sketch depicts the iconic, flower-adorned pathway of South Bank- the “Grand Arbour”. What made me think that this structure was intriguing, was that it serves several purposes all while being aesthetically pleasing! The implementation of the flowers allows for there to be a environmentally friendly source of shade whilst promoting the immersion of a ‘natural’ environment- something that the area seems to boast as its botanical image. The pathway itself, of course, is for leading sightseers and the like through the precinct    

The second sketch was of a man-made block covered in fake turf. Its purpose appeared to be for seating. The fact that it was even coated by this grassy, green imitation at all, is evidence of the natural image that the area targeted to impose despite being situated in the very heart of the urban city. 

The final sketch, is of something that I found to be quite...unique- for the area at least. This statue(?) was hanging from the conjoined electrical wires above the cafe and restaurant area of South Bank, it was centred in the plaza. After much exploration I had found myself somewhat lost (for a suburban country bumpkin) until I had spotted something still and unwavering floating in the air, that was- this man! For someone who was lost, he appeared like some sort of messiah dangling in the sky- coupled with a backdrop of a dismal yet blinding, grey cloudscape, his presence was exemplified as if he was positioned to peer down at the plebeians below. I ended up taking a photo for reference purposes.

Upon closer inspection it was just a decorative structure of a street performer of some kind. I don’t know whether or not my fascination was situational but needless to say, I found this fixture quite pleasing to the eye as it added flare to an area that people would otherwise pay no heed to. 

Observations and Last Notes

I documented some of the other memorable sensorial experiences that I had went through and observed whilst taking a stroll through the greenery. While people-watching, I had noticed that the vast majority of South Bank goers were either:

A- Tourists- taking pictures and recording their travels through their devices.

B- Families and their children having a nice (humid) day out in the park.

C- Other design students hovering around and taking pictures. 

D- Lone wanderers either waiting for a friend or eating their lunch at a cafe and sometimes spotted orbiting around a pole or bin.

The faint scent of rain wafted in the air occasionally mixing itself with the pleasant fragrance of grounded coffee in the plaza and the not so pleasant pungency of chlorine, grilled meat and mysterious substance X (maybe fertilizer) in the park lands. The contrast was kind of repulsive. The wind would often betray me by introducing me to an undesirable smell every so often. It did however, offer moderate relief from the humidity and exhaustion of the long trek I had taken. 

I could hear the indistinct strumming of a guitar as a male’s voice sung in an elevated bar, the sizzling of a barbecue and the laughter of children as their parents attempted to coax them to get off the playground after what I could tell was a very long time. A burble of conversation often followed wherever I went, in more tree-coated areas, the cacophony of the cawing of crows and the clanging of building equipment made my head hurt a little.

At the end of the session, I returned to uni kind of sweaty and aching- I conclude that the people at South Bank are probably very active and healthy compared to me.      

References

Suri, J. (2005). Thoughtless acts? (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

[n9948856-blog]

Blog #3: Designer Sandwich

(Photograph of Milton Glaser, French-sorgini, 2016)

In the third tutorial, we were all tasked with exploring the characteristics and history of a famous designer to work for a brief. The selected graphics producer was the one and only Milton Glaser! If you’re unaware of who he really is, he’s one of the most influential artists that has inspired a significant movement in the evolution of design aesthetics in the 1950s (French-sorgini, 2016). Having worked in the marketing industry for over 50 years, Glaser’s most iconic works are characteristically defined by their playful- and sometimes psychedelic visuals (Milton Glaser inc, 2017). Although this may only be one of the more outstanding qualities of his creations, he has also been described to possess an almost chameleonic-like ability (Ryan & Conover, p.556, 2004) to apply an absurd sort of versatility to his designs so that he can constantly produce timeless pieces which never lose their originality. An example of such, may be the ‘I ❤ NY’ logo which has been continually reprinted and replicated through time. 

The novelty of Glaser’s most famed works, ranging from branding to print-making can be seen below.

(Works of Milton Glaser, Milton Glaser Inc., 2017)

What we were then assigned to do was to create a sandwich based off of our designers, I lovingly call this- the “Glaser Sandwich” (very creative, I know), it’s a small twist on the classic BLT sandwich that we all love.

Ingredients

·         Bacon x2

·         Lettuce

·         Truss tomatoes x3

·         Beetroot pancake bun x2

·         Mustard

Aesthetics! I wanted to make the sandwich representative of his philosophy of originality. Glaser’s work’s often have this unique charm embedded into them which give him the edge presenting new aspects in every creation. The reinvention of the traditional BLT with the addition of the highly-saturated beetroot bun was meant to be reflective of Glaser’s fresh approaches to redesigning and rebranding older works as an experienced designer. The combination of the bun and mustard was also to pay a little homage to the palette that Glaser seems to favour.

In emphasizing Glaser’s endless storage of ideas, the lettuce and tomato was presented to ‘overflow’ out of the sandwich to represent the designer’s avant-garde style of thinking outside of the box and visual preferences for his time. The bird’s eye angle of the sandwich was also intended to give the impression of a ‘psychadelic’ wave-like patterning that was iconic of Glaser’s older works (such as his Bob Dylan print).

Another reason as to why a regular bun was not used was due to the texture, the malleability of the egg, flour and beetroot juice mixture used for the bun was needed in order to reflect Glaser’s adaptability. Through time and time again, it can be seen in his works that his design style is highly adaptable for whatever purpose it is intended for. For example, if you contrast his branding for the Stony Brook University and the Bread Alone Bakery, it can be observed that an intellectual and more professional approach was taken with sharper and finer lines rather than the playful and rounded font that was used for the bakery.  

This in particular, is what I ultimately think makes a designer impressive. The pliability to conform to the demands of a consumer is an incredibly valuable asset to possess as a designer.

References

French-Sorgini, B. (2016). Creative Corner: The Man of Manhattan, Milton Glaser - Village Print & Media. Village Print & Media. Retrieved 20 March 2017, from http://www.villageprint.com/creative-corner-milton-glaser/

Milton Glaser Inc.,. (2017). Milton Glaser | Biography. Milton Glaser | Biography. Retrieved 20 March 2017, from https://www.miltonglaser.com/milton/

Ryan, W., & Conover, T. (2004). Graphic communications today (1st ed., p. 556). Clifton Park, NY: Thomson/Delmar Learning.

[n9948856-blog]

Blog #2: Design and Advocacy

Unbeknownst to some, like the me of blog post #1, design plays a vital role in the structure of advocacy. In the week 2 lecture, we had Dr. Julie Connolly from Multicultural Development Australia (MDA) as a guest speaker to tell us the importance of how both design and advocacy could work in hand to create a better society.

In this lecture, there were a few valuable aspects that I had picked up on, some of them being the terms ‘individual advocacy’- where one demonstrates support for a minority or cause; and ‘collective advocacy’- where an organization is formed to counteract societal inequalities. In a multicultural country such as Australia, which continues to grow in population; the relevance of advocacy is becoming ever apparent with the influx of refugees and a number of other matters. A key point in how design connects to all of this is the fact that the industry thrives on the needs of others as well as the trust that is built between the community.

Design is formed on the basis to overcome challenges, some being ethically or politically related. In order to create something to fulfill the desires of others and aid in the cause to build onto our culture, it is essential that the voices of the demographic are understood and that there are various perspectives available. For the minorities who cannot be heard, design is used as a tool to communicate their presence in society and provoke change in their circumstances. Effectively, design has the potential to make negative situations into more favourable ones. With this, I realise the power that is contained in the expression of something through design.

(Sourced from guest lecture, Julie Connolly, 2017)

The main challenges that were presented in the lecture included obliquity, charisma, reactivity and capture. Of what I found the most interesting, was the concept of ‘obliquity’- solving problems indirectly. It’s almost a given that to make something memorable, one would need to have the charisma to capture the interests of the audience and essentially gauge the reactivity of how well their presentation was received but what about obliquity?

Obliquity refers to the achievement of tackling an issue efficiently without actually probing it head-on. for instance, an example that was given during one of the lectures was that a hospital’s patients may not be eating their food, instead of improving its quality, the problem may lie with the fact that they are not surrounded by their friends and family at the dinner table- thus causing them to lose their appetites. To resolve this complication, they could be allowed to video call their families during meal times. The answer isn’t so complicated after all.

In the same way, this kind of thinking could also be applied to design. What made this lecture remarkable overall was that it really allowed me to broaden my horizons as to where and how design could be embedded into our culture to direct our steps forward in advancing our standards of society

(Multicultural Development Australia, 2017) 

References:

Multicultural Development Australia,. (2017). Home. MDA Ltd. Retrieved 20 March 2017, from https://mdaltd.org.au/

[n9948856-blog]

Blog #1: To Define Design

Defining design can prove to be quite the task as it is a topic that is often open to individual interpretation. Some may simply associate design with the appearance of a product whereas others believe that it is something that encapsulates the entire process of creation- essentially, the manifestation and revision of concepts to animate an idea. In the words of Steve Jobs, “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works,” (Shedd, 2010); it is the ability to communicate (Ye, 2015) and express the competence to solve a problem. Design is but a series of complex steps established through uncertainty.

(“The Squiggle of the Design Process” by Damien Newman, 2009)

In this week’s tutorial, a collective definition was put together dictating that “design is the multi-interpretative, creative, collaborative process of conceptualizing ideas to communicate, express and solve problems to make improvements on the quality of life”. Although my initial definition was generally the same as the group statement, I believe that design does not necessarily need to apply to problem solving. Upon reflection, ‘design’ can merely refer to the aesthetics of a lousy scribble created out of boredom- in a scenario where it is merely existing. Design may simply be an element that is present everywhere- in a manner, similar to how mathematics is expressed nature. Though, in more industrial circumstances, I believe in the interpretations drawn from the class- that design is more than just the end-product. The definition established in the tutorial further corroborates with the opinions of figures such as renowned graphic designer, Milton Glaser- that design is predominantly used as a communicative tool (KREATIVE, 2015) to express oneself.

Moving on! The tutorial also explored the key skills needed to survive as a designer. The class was divided into smaller groups to brainstorm. The three significant points that my group believed to be the most important included:

·         Idea Development- to implement new material and improve on previous concepts

·         Cooperation- to ensure efficiency in group work and receive constructive criticism positively

·         Flexibility- to work in trends and adapt to sudden changes in a project

As depicted in my notes below, the skills were compiled into a larger chart after discussion with the other groups.

Unfortunately, time management appears to be one of my biggest weaknesses. In order to allow myself more freedom to build on my projects, it is ideal that I should set up a schedule and isolate myself from distractions. Additionally, my abilities in verbal communication can sometimes be lacking; I would recommend talking to and meeting more people to improve my conversational skills. Through doing so, I can also enhance my experience in participating in collaborative work. On the bright side, I make up for what I am currently lacking through my abilities in visual communication, creativity and my ability to implement ideas.

Considering our identities as designers, we were then instructed to create a tattoo that was reflective of our aesthetics and preferences. Illustrated below are my drafts, the masked fox in the middle ended up being chosen as the final design.

Currently, I have no exact path regarding what I wish to become in the future; I am however, /somewhat/ interested in pursuing the career of a concept artist. As you may be able to tell from my tattoo, playful and simple designs are what I enjoy creating the most. Minimalistic compositions are memorable because they are capable of effectively delivering messages without overloading one’s visual senses. The reason that a fox was chosen as the main icon was not because they are cunning or deceptive but rather, because they have the ability to navigate out of troublesome matters easily and swiftly. This is also reflective of one of my own assets. The mask donned by the fox is symbolic of the hard work invested into a project behind the scenes; something that may be unknown to others.

The homework task that was assigned for class was to create a sandwich representative of our identities as designers. I call the masterpiece that I concocted,  “The Acquired Taste Sandwich”! Or otherwise known as the confused sandwich. 

Ingredients

·         Royal gala apple x1

·         Curried egg x1

·         Chilli tuna mayo x1 can

·         Coriander

·         Truss tomatoes x2

·         Bread slice x1

·         Seaweed sheet x1 (for garnish)

All served in a terracotta pot! Now you must be wondering what part of this makes it a sandwich? The truth is, sometimes I like to make some compromises for the sake of aesthetics, it’s part of who I am really; I ended up creating something that could barely pass the criteria. After all, albeit unconventional, when you break it all down, it still is some form of filling squished between two surfaces- a slice of bread, and a wall of terracotta. The planning of the sandwich had been done beforehand with the intention of using two slices of bread but after much deliberating I decided to go with one, for presentation purposes. With the absence of the other slice, it means that I am open to change and improvement as an incomplete sandwich. Depicted below is the the somewhat uninspiring draft of my creation. 

Unlike the tattoo beforehand, my sandwich is quite the opposite of minimalistic. Take it more for my mind than my preferences. The overflow of highly saturated, colour-contrasting fillings is indicative of the somewhat chaotic, hustle and bustle of my thoughts. It is the kind of sandwich that needs to be slowly dissected to be eaten gracefully in public- much like how I need to sort through all of my ideas to truly make sense of them. The addition of the question mark garnish was inspired by the mystery boxes seen in the Super Mario franchise, figurative of how the exact outcome of my work can sometimes be unpredictable. On another note, much of my inspiration was also drawn from videogames, the symbol is a little nod to where my interest in graphic design originated from.

Scent-wise, the creation gave of a mild, spicy fragrance with the mixture of chilli tuna and curried egg. The oddly-harmonic taste of the sweetness of the apples in combination with the spicier components gave a unique but mellow impact, representative of my preferences in minimalistic yet distinct designs. In general, I am quite content with the colourful presentation of my sandwich but if I were to make further changes, I would reduce the number of fillings to focus on the focal point of the structure. I’m still glad that the photo was taken on a plain, contrasting background though, otherwise the image would had too much happening aha, but other than that, that’s all for the sandwich.

Studying design for even just the first two weeks has given me quite the insight into thinking creatively. Previously, the whole process of even “designing” was not something that I took into thought ‘step by step’- it just occurred to me as a linear procedure where the input of what I thought looked good came out as the product. Thanks to the lectures and tutorials, I have learnt that design involves the entirety of the making of a product rather than the outer layers of what it simply appears to be. I’m looking forward to continuing my studies as a DXB101 student from now on! :>

References

KREATIVE,. (2015). To Communicate Clearly .... KREATIVE. Retrieved 13 March 2017, from http://www.kreative.com/blog/to-communicate-clearly-milton-glaser

Newman, D. (2009). That Squiggle of the Design Process. ReVision Lab. Retrieved 13 March 2017, from https://revisionlab.wordpress.com/that-squiggle-of-the-design-process/

Shedd, C. (2010). Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.. inspireUX. Retrieved 12 March 2017, from http://www.inspireux.com/2010/01/20/design-is-not-just-what-it-looks-like-and-feels-like-design-is-how-it-works/

Simon, H. (1988). The Science of Design: Creating the Artificial on JSTOR. Jstor.org. Retrieved 12 March 2017, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/1511391

Ye, C. (2015). Defining Design – HH Design. Medium. Retrieved 13 March 2017, from https://medium.com/hh-design/defining-the-big-d-afc856b4b8d#.aq1i5idma