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Final Day 7!

As I was going to blow dry my hair the other morning, I thought I would document our outlets that we have in our household. Yes, they are very much the same in most households but what I thought of was when I went over to Europe last summer and how different they looked! They almost look like a sad face over there, but it’s cool to think about how design can be different over here versus somewhere else in the world!

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Day 6!

I’m not sure how we got on the subject of toothbrushes, I think it’s because I needed a new one? Anyways, I found these toothbrushes online and thought they were very interesting looking, they don’t even resemble an actual toothbrush! Check them out on this website! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/issa-by-foreo-reinvents-the-electric-toothbrush#/

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Day 5!

For the last two years I’ve gotten more into cars just because my boyfriend is a total car junky, which is why I now have been a proud owner of a 2012 Volkswagen Passat! The emblem for Volkswagen is very simple so I thought that I would try and find some cool design twists to their emblem! 

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Day 4!

What’s better than posting an object of design that I tend to use on a daily basis? Looking at how Mac itself has evolved over the years is amazing. This here is my most prized possession, something I worked extremely hard to get: my MacBook Pro!

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Day 3!

Today my boyfriend and I were talking about our future investment in a home, and I told him that my dream would be to have a window on the ceiling so we would be able to look at the stars every night. While on Pinterest, I came across this awesome stained glass dome in a house! Not only does the lighting itself look amazing, but the spiral view it has as it’s going up the dome of the house!

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Day 2!

This here is one of my favorite purchases yet! I recently just bought this Fitbit Charge HR! A newer design upgrade from the Fitbit Charge, with new technology of the heart rate monitor. This is by far one of my favorite designs yet!

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Week 14 - Design Awareness - DAY ONE!

^^ So, today I had lunch with one of my best friends Evan Sears who is actually graduating this May from MATC’s design program! For one of his final showcases he had to create a website( www.evandsears.com ) which he told me to check out! His designs are out of this world crazy with all his drag queen characters but they most definitely reflect his personality which is why I enjoyed taking the time to check out what he has to show. Everyone should check it out! His work may be a little out there but, that’s what makes Evan, Evan, and I love him so much for that. xo. 

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Week 13 - New Media

For week 13's blog post we were asked to expand on the concept of “digital aesthetic” as well as provide contemporary examples. My prior definition of what digital aesthetic meant was that it was any design that has to deal with a computer. What I have learned now is that it's a part of the increasing visual aspect of digital technology, including the internet merging virtual and physical through computer processing. The textbook states that “the digital aesthetic of the 1990's was quickly adopted by commercial forces that wanted to appear futuristic to consumers”(p.392). The picture that was on page 393 that was produced by the Me Company based in London, advertising Nike in a futuristic way with many geometric forms of a man who almost resembles a robot. This picture also made me think of photoshopping. A contemporary example would be Photoshop used by many consumers all over the world on a personal level to a business level. My boyfriends mom LOVES using photoshop, which allows her to crop her photos and edit them in the way that she wants. The same goes for companies like Me. In their advertisement for Nike, they clearly used photoshop techniques to achieve their futuristic look of a man with a robot-like body. This program is utilized as a manipulation tool. Photoshop can be used for many different things, such as airbrushing, teeth whitening, and color correction techniques. As time has gone on, Photoshop has evolved into something much bigger, tools used to manipulate digital images, making them unable to duplicate in a physical sense. With these new updates to such a program, it fosters artists and even non artists to put forth some great creativity!

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Week 12 - New Media!

This week's topic of discussion was New Media and what fields are of greatest impact on interactive design. Over all, I don't believe that there is ONE single field that has the greatest impact on interactive design, but improvements and alterations of products over a span of time seem to all have at least some impact on design. There were three elements within the fields that have a large impact on interactive design: Broadband Internet, Social Media, and Industrial Design.

The internet was one of the largest fields to impact interactive design, taking it to a whole new level. Web 1.0 and 2.0 was created in a way that it shifted the need for personal/traditional interactions such as news papers, radio, TV, brochures, billboards, and direct mail to a “new media” social web that included google, yahoo, and bing making it easier to search on the internet and connect with others. The introduction of broadband internet connection enabled a quicker connection to communication with the internet, making it a necessity for almost everyone as much of our daily lives became more intertwined in the web and all it has to offer.

Social media has been around since the first creations of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0, but over the coarse of many years it has evolved to something fantastic. The creation of Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and Youtube made it easier for many businesses, artists, and citizens to communicate with one another from all around the world. If you think about it, how many people today have a Facebook or Twitter account? In my opinion, almost everyone does, in the sense that they can communicate with friends, family members, and people the associate themselves with in a professional matter. Many also use these social media websites for pure entertainment as well! I can't tell you how many times a day I should be productive with homework but instead I find myself looking at the newest status update my best friend posted on Facebook along with all the comical memes you see.

Industrial Design has transformed over decades from cars to computers and it doesn't stop there! Products like iPads, tablets, and smart phones made it easier for people who couldn't afford a brand new MacBook or Dell computer to access the internet and what it had to offer. If you think about the very first cell phone that was created, it looked like a wireless cord phone with a huge antenna. Cell phones have evolved in a way to make it easier to communicate with people who are nearby and far away with the shoot a text message instead of a phone call, something that was impossible to do back in the day. A good example from our lecture from this week was the mens watches and what they used to be and what they are now. A watch was considered a way to tell time, and recently has turned into a cell phone on your wrist with all of the functions of a phones (including internet access) along with the telling time feature a standard watch has.

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Week 11 - Graphic Design

This week we were asked to identify what being a “citizen designer” really means on top of why it's relevant. The term “citizen designer” is the name for a group of artists who create art in a way that it confronts real life issues such as global climate change and treating/preventing HIV/AIDS. With this, the artists are attempting to make people more aware of social issues and giving possible remedies to solve these issues. The earliest “citizen designer” is traced all the way back to chapter one, where we learned about William Morris who was the leader of the Arts and Crafts movement. William Morris questioned why art had become more profit-making based and no longer considered a “reforming influence” with any major meaning behind their art work.

I believe that a citizen designer has been and still is relevant in today's societies. With on going social issues such as global climate change and facing the epidemic of HIV/AIDS as stated above, artists are able to use their work to express their position and feelings on the societal issues that we are enduring as a nation. Designers have the power to influence the people around them by designing the products they buy, what they shop for, etc. Citizen designers can use this tool of influence to change the world around them and possibly help find remedies for our societal problems.

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Week 10 - Graphic Design

For this weeks blog post we were asked to expand on some of the most interesting ideas in our typography readings. I chose to expand on two specific typefaces: Blackletter and Art Deco Type Design. After reading over these two sections in the textbook, I found them to be most fascinating me!

Typography played a vital role in European culture before it even became a professional practice during the 19th century. Typography was the “development of moveable type during the 15th century that allowed the widespread printing of works in the Latin alphabet during the time of the Renaissance in Europe”(p.12). Johann Gutenberg (1398-1468) combined the printing press, oil based inks, and caste metal type to manufacture books. This technique then allowed for mass production of printed materials and eventually replaced the slow process of block printing and hand copying that was most popular around that period of time.

Blackletter, which is a traditional German script, is a “catch-all term for scripted lettering rooted in the Middle Ages in which the darkness of the characters overpowers the whiteness of the page” (p.97) stated Peter Bain. This type resembles letters formed by a blunt-edged quill pen used to write manuscripts, and can also be referred to as Franktur. When in comparison to well known Roman faces, Blackletter may appear unclear and even unreadable to people that are unfamiliar with the typeface itself. On page 96 there is a giant poster with the title “Jugend”, which is typical of German Art Nouveau that incorporates black letters with curvilinear decorative elements of contemporary hand drawing lettering. Compared to most elements that are prevail in Art Nouveau, Blackletter is generally spikier and more angular as opposed to the extended wavy elements you see in Art Nouveau. One of the more important designers during this time was Otto Eckmann (1865-1902). Otto Eckmann focussed his work mainly on decorative graphics like boarders and headings. Eckmann joined together with  the foundry owner Karl Kingspor (1868-1950) to create Eckmann, an exquisite typeface who's styling acquires specific elements from both Blackletter and Art Nouveau customs.

When we get into the Art Deco Design Type, there were two specific people that were introduced to us: Cassandre and Morris Fuller Benton. Cassandre was responsible for designing many typeface designs beginning with Bifur in 1929 which was introduced by influential French foundry Deberny and Peignot. Bifur is a perfect example of “the stylized reductive geometric abstraction characteristic of Art Deco”(pg.169). Bifur is considered a geometric typeface. He designed the broad streamline curves of the letter with attention to fancy ornamentations. Bifur is visually bound to Cassandre's poster aesthetic which grabs the viewer in the “blink of an eye”. Cassandre's greatest success as a type designer was with all purpose face Peignot which was bound to become an icon of the Art Deco era. This typeface was the most typical visual symbol of Art Deco style and still predominated twelve years after the first appearance that took place in Paris. Piegnot intended to be legible while keeping some of the unique geometric styling of Art Deco. Another familiar typeface of the Art Deco era was designed by American Typographer Morris Fuller Benton (1872-1948) known as Broadway. His typeface is titled to convey a link between the stylized letters and New York City's notable entertainment community. Broadway became immediately declarative of the beauty of the modern city, New York. “During this period, European graphic designers idealized New York City as the pinnacle of urban modernism” (p.169). Although this specific typeface was not intended for general use because of it's low readability and dangerous legibility, type uses striking diversity in order to call close attention to itself. Broadway was also the preferred 21st century lettering for nightclubs and restaurants that wanted to project an light of elegance.

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Week 9 Industrial Design

Over the last two weeks, we have been going over industrial design and one major contributor to Milwaukee's industrial design movement. Clifford Brooks Stevens was a Milwaukee born native who right off the bat loved to design and build. His father was one of his biggest motivators and pushed him  to exceed his limits, even after he was diagnosed with a severe case of polio at the age of eight. After his diagnosis, Steven's limbs stiffened, his right arm became useless, and doctors predicted to never be able to walk again. Anyone who receives this news would slump down and forget about their long lived dreams, but not Brooks Stevens. His father didn't believe in bed rest and was constantly giving Stevens different challenges on a daily basis. For example, his father constantly encouraged him to build miniature airplanes and boats, challenged him to ride a bicycle, and to swim a mile pool. After many short failed attempts, he succeeded and the promise was to buy him a Model T Ford which he received! His father gave him the motivation to succeed and this is where it all began. He pursued architecture at Cornell University, but shortly after finding out it wasn't quite for him Stevens moved back to Milwaukee becoming an inventory manager for a soap company and then later a grocery supply firm Jewett and Sherman. After time at the new firm, he convinced the head of the company to let him redesign a few product labels on top of winning a contest to design the new company logo at his fathers place of work, Cutler-Hammer. Steven's could have taken his talent any where in the world he wanted and could have been the successful man his father knew he could be, but he chose to stay in Milwaukee because Milwaukee was where the business was. Stevens opened up his first office on July 1st, 1935 on North Milwaukee Street and by 1939 his company grew to a staff of five with thirty three accounts to his name. Over the following year, his company then grew to over fifty accounts! Newly married to Alice Kopmeier, they built their forever home in Fox Point known to be one of Milwaukee's most significant examples of modernist domestic architecture. Steven's real success story comes out of World War 2 when he converted military manufacturing into civilian consumer products. Examples of such would be how he turned the army jeep into a station wagon, and eventually a stylish touring car into what is known as the jeepster. Steven's stated that “design would pay for itself many times over” and with his industrial design he proved just that. Stevens also built relationships with some of Milwaukee's most prominent manufactures such as Miller Brewing, Allen Bradley, Outboard Marine Company, and Harley Davidson. In 1947, Steven's came up with a new design for a train called Olympian Hiawatha that was operated by the Milwaukee Road. What was so unique and intriguing about this design was that it included a glass-enclosed observation car known as the Sky Top Lounge and this was one of the last great “streamliner” trains to have traveled across the United States. One of the last legacies known to Steven's name was creating this idea of “planned obsolescence”. The definition in his own words is “instilling in the buyer the desire to own something a little newer, a little better, a littler sooner than is necessary”. This absolutely holds true and many companies hold their near and dear to their hearts. Look at Apple for instance. When they release a new phone such as the Iphone 6s, shortly after they are already promoting a new design known as the Iphone 7, making consumers want to upgrade right after many switched to what was considered the “new and improved”.

Clifford Brooks Stevens was many of the most profound industrial designers that has contributed to design and has made what Milwaukee what it is known for today!  

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Week 8 - Industrial Design

This week we were asked to post some photographs, notes, or sketches of design observations we see in the world around us every day. Here are a couple photographs of what I see on a day to day basis! Check it out!

This here is a photo of our Universities stunning water fountain we have located next to the library! 

The three photographs above were taken at Bravo! Cucina in Brookfield. For those who do not know, Bravo is an italian restaurant. The first two photographs are of the beautiful pillars located next to the bar with some intricate design details to them. The third photograph is of a huge light fixture which looks very modern design and fitting for the italian environment! (don’t mind my best friend Robby, he’s very photogenic ;) ) 

This next image is of the North Face store at Brookfield Square mall. The logo for North Face is definitely a unique graphic design for their company, seen on the outside of their building and also on everything they have to sell like their clothing! 

Red Robin has a unique architectural design aspect to it. You don’t see any other buildings that look like their design! Even the inside of their building is being completely renovated to a sleek modern design, it is absolutely beautiful!

The Octagon House located in my home town of Watertown Wi is a very historical piece of design to my community. You don’t really see many houses that have eight sides to it, and better yet the inside has a spiral staircase directly in the middle going up to several different floors with many different rooms and spaces. 

This here is inside the Milwaukee Art Museum, right when you walk through the doors, and what a stunning view it gives right over Lake Michigan! Totally breath taking every time I visit!

The Milwaukee Public Market has a unique design inside and out, it’s one to definitely go out and see!

This Nike design is a element of graphic design. This is one of my work out shirts and I absolutely fell in love with the vibrant colors and the “splash” effect it has! Pretty cool if you ask me!

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Week 7 - Architecture!

This weeks content was based on principles of universal design. To start off I'd like to give a basic definition for the term. Universal Design is “the design of products and environments to be useable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without adaptation or specialized design”(NC State University College of Design). Out of seven principles of design, we were asked to pick two and explain their definitions and also apply them to examples of both objects and environments around us in our every day lives. One key principle I found in every day life is Equitable Use. This universal design principle is useful and targeted to people with diverse abilities. The guidelines listed under this principle states that it must render the same implementation of use for all users, avert separatism or stigmatizing any users, make provisions for isolation, security, and safety evenly accessible to all users, and make the design “attention-getting” to all users. A great example for this principle would be power doors with sensors, doors you see at the entrances of Walmart, Kohl's, Pick n' Save, etc that are convenient for all users walking through those doors. Secondly, the principle of simple and intuitive use is a design that is easy to comprehend, irrespective of the user's prior experience, knowledge, language skills, or current academic level. This design must remove complexity, be consistent with user expectations and intuition, accommodate a wide range of literacy and language skills, arrange information consistent with its importance, and provide affective prompting and feedback during and after task completion (NC State University College of Design). You can see this principle of universal design in airports all over the world that have moving “sidewalks” that are almost like flat escalators, escalators in malls or business buildings, or even instructions that are drawing based included in boxes of bookshelves and vanities.

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Week 6 - Architecture!

This week we were asked to find architectural elements of design in Milwaukee's architecture! I've had quite the busy week with school and work like usual, but with the spare moments I had I tried my hardest to wander around Milwaukee with my wonderful partner in crime to find some unique Milwaukee architecture to display architectural elements of the design itself! Here is what I came up with! One particular place I was directed to go to by my boyfriends parents was La Lune Collection on Burleigh Street in Milwaukee. La Lune Collection is known for their unique and rustic furniture but that's not all that they have to offer! The interior designer at La Lune Collection does custom seating, cabinets, tables, beds, AND custom architectural elements. After taking a peek at their gallery they have on their website, he offers custom shutters to go in hand with windows of buildings, custom door signage, and customs wooden doors! Here are some picture I took from his gallery. (source: http://www.lalunecollection.com/custom-furniture/custom-architectural-elements.html) 

Prior to proceeding my adventure, I did some research on specific architecture to see around Milwaukee with beautiful and intricate design. One of my favorites I went to visit was St. Luke Emanuel Baptist Church on Highland Boulevard in Milwaukee. This building was just breath taking and the time and effort put into each and every element is extremely clear in it's beauty! Take a look!

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Week 5 - History of Design

In this weeks content we were presented with a plethora of information in regards to the “new history” of graphic design.  A couple of things I took away from this weeks content related to every day examples of design we see around us on a daily basis was photomontage, typography, and the “Machine Art” aesthetic. For each example I've included two or three photographs to demonstrate this type of design.

Photomontage was extremely popular in the 1920's with art and even advertisements and posters. In short, photomontage is “a composite image made up of a variety of photographic source materials”(Eskilson, 196). Photomontage is usually made up of images cut and glued together to form a collage. For our older generations, photomontage served as a propaganda tool by totalitarian regimes, where are for younger generations, it's merely used as a tool of what is known as “photoshopping”. (source: http://www.disphotic.com/use-photographs-weapons-value-photomontage/)

Throughout the history portion of our design class, we've been introduced to typography many times. Typography influences user perception of a product. Drastic differences in typefaces have the potential to make a design look professional or it can reduce the quality of the design by making it look a bit less sophisticated. As for our current generation (as well as the past generations), what I found was interesting was how many focus on how it plays a roll in visual communication. In every day life we see typography in such things like magazines, advertisements, newspapers, etc. On this website I found, the author mentioned that you can find all sorts of typography in every day life just by walking down the street on street signs, bus stops, billboards, and the typography itself can be bland or extremely creative. With every “type” comes along a variety of meanings (e.g visual puns). A really cool example I found on this website was a photograph of three movie posters depicting “western iconography- slab serif typeface, bullet holes, splashes of blood, and faded photographs”. Not only can you find visual typography outside on the streets but you can also find in today in our magazines, surfing the web, and even on the book jacket of a book! (source: http://jonahschrogin.blogspot.com/)

Out of the three, the Machine Art aesthetic was probably my most favorite to learn about, just because visiting the Milwaukee Art Museum's “The Shapes of Modern Design” exhibit was extremely fascinating! When you first enter this part of the museum, on the wall it says “By the later 1920's, streamlining, skyscrapers, and Cubist-inspired geometric forms were emblems of progress and defined the new Machine Age aesthetic that had made it's way into many American's homes”(Milwaukee Art Museum). When I walked through the exhibit, it had an industrial feel with all of the cool modern industrial designs from generations behind. As for todays “machine aesthetic” we could correlate it to the creation of our computers and laptops we use on a daily basis, our coffee machines we use to brew our morning go-go juice, and even our camera that have evolved to be extremely efficient to capture our special moments!

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WEEK 4 - FOUND OBJECT!

I went back to my hometown of Watertown, Wi this past weekend just to take a break from the big city life here in Milwaukee. While I was on my run in a near by neighborhood to my parents house, I came across my town's my most prized possession of local history, the Octagon House. This eight sided beautiful construction has a lot of history and meaning to the state of Wisconsin. This is a five floor solid brick home that was built in 1854 by a pioneer settler of Watertown named John Richards. He met the love of his life, Eliza Forbes and promised to build her the finest home in Wisconsin if she would give him her hand in marriage. John built his wife this home that included central heat and running water, something that was considered very rare back in the 1800's. Right in the center of the Octagon house is spiral stair case which is absolutely breath taking when you stand at the bottom and look straight up to the tower room, but is very scary walking up! What is amazing about this construction is that John built this home with fifty seven rooms which include halls and closets! With John owning many many mills that were in the area at the time, the third floor was made to house the men who worked in his mills. Another great wonder of Watertown Wi is that on the grounds of this house, the very first kindergarden was established. One of the most outstanding design details put into this house was the water system John had created. The roof was made with a define position in the center of the construction where the gutter carried the rain water. From there it was funneled to a big tank that was located on the third floor of the home. I remember being in elementary school just down the road from this piece of history and taking field trips there just being amazed at the design of this construction. When John designed this house, he designed it to house not only his family and descendants but even the men who worked for them.  Want to know another fun fact? Watertown was supposed to be the capital of Wisconsin! :D When I compare this design of a building to many other buildings in the area I compare it to the design of the Milwaukee Art Museum because like John created the water system in their house, the designer of the Milwaukee Art Museum created the only “living” building in Wisconsin by making the wings on the building open and close depending on the position of the sun to protect the art work! Such a cool fact that my Milwaukee native boyfriend told me when I was discussing this blog post with him!