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Blog # 2: Add everything you need

I only started cooking last year when the quarantine began. The first dish that I learned to cook was fried rice, the second was miswa soup with meatballs, and the third was beef broccoli. In my experience, I thouroughly followed what was written on the recipe and I made sure that all the ingredients that I use were just the right amount. However, as I became more experienced with cooking, I found myself not following the recipes anymore and just adding a bit of everything else in what I cook depending on what I think tasted good. When the recipe said to only use one clove of garlic, I used two. When the recipe said that I only have to put two tablespoons of oyster sauce, I put three. When the recipe said to only let the dish boil for 20 minutes, I boiled it for 30 until I got the consistency that I was looking for. With this experience, I think I could relate communication design with cooking.

According to Mark Aakhus (2007), "design is an activity of transforming something given into something preferred through intervention and invention". Transforming the ingredients that I have into something that satisfy my tastebuds is the same with using different tools and techniques in communication to satisfy a certain purpose. Since communication design is particular and not universal, it is normal that what works for one situation may not work for the other, just like how one recipe may taste good to someone but tastes bland for another. Using and modifying the things that we have in order to improve a dish or a communication situation is beneficial not only to us but to those who will taste our cooking or interact with us as well.

References: Mark Aakhus (2007) Communication as Design, Communication Monographs, 74:1, 112-117, DOI: 10.1080/03637750701196383

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Blog # 1: When you hit a wall

Last week, my classmate sent me a picture of a useless object she found in her house. It was a three way charger cable that looked 1.5 meters long, if my estimation was correct. To be honest, I had a hard time thinking of how I could turn this useless object into something that has purpose again. I thought of turning it into a cup holder, but the cord was too short and wouldn't even cover an inch of a cup's height if it were to be twisted around one. I thought of turning it into a necklace, but it doesn't seem to look good or fashionable in my imagination. I even thought of turning it into a leash, but then again, it was too short. Running out of creative ideas, it seemed to me that I've already hit a wall with this project. Then suddenly, just as the word "wall" entered my mind, an idea sparked as well. 

You see, when you hit a wall, it meant that you've already reached the point wherein there seem to be no progress beyond that point anymore and the wall is the dead end for your plans and your goals. However, I thought of that wall as the thing that I am exactly looking for to move forward. 

Hitting the metaphorical wall is exactly what gave me the idea of turning the useless cord into a useful as well as aesthetically pleasing wall decoration.

When the idea of turning the useless cord into a wall decor came into my mind, I immediately looked for pegs online even though I already envisioned how it would look like. Of course, what I saw online were more aesthetically pleasing since they really had polaroid pictures, colorful clips, and even fairy lights.

What I had in my room were enough to bring my idea into life. I had a one meter charger cable (almost similar to what my classmate sent me except for the other three wires from the other end), wooden clips that I bought months ago for my room makeover that I wasn’t able to finish, and attack on titan stickers that were given to me as a gift by one of my friends. Putting them all together, I was able to repurpose the useless cord and turn it into a useful and (somehow) pretty decor.

Design, for me, is the actualization of ideas, concepts, and visions into a useful and functional object or system. With this definition in mind, I can say that I am satisfied with how I repurposed the useless cord into something useful, functional, and aesthetically pleasing.