A03

For the scavenger hunt, I worked with fellow Jack, Payton F-L. Our other two "Jack" friends worked with us as well, and we all brainstormed and helped rotate taking pictures. 

Clue 1

This is me snoozin on a Barcelona chair in the Knowlton Library. The designer of the Barcelona chair is Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich. I found it interesting that the chair was designed based off of the folding chairs in the ancient times. It became known to have a reputation "worthy of the kings". 

Clue 2

Here is Payton reading a Harvard Design Magazine in the Pastil Chair designed by Eero Aarino. We liked this chair right away because of its smooth, round shape and bright eye-catching color. This chair is made of fibreglass and therefore is a great outdoor chair since it can not be ruined by the weather. It can also float on water!

Clue 3

Here is a picture of Audra and I high-fiving (because it was our final picture) in front of the Wexner Center, which was designed by Peter Eisenman. The large white metal grid outside of the Wexner center is supposed to represent the street grids of campus and Columbus. I thought that was both extremely interestingly and probably something few people actually know.

Clue 4

This is a photo of Audra and Payton standing in front of the Science and Engineering Library. This library was designed by Phillip Johnson. I was surprised this was a building that had one of our "clues" attached to it, but once I noticed the seemingly sky-high arches and over all open walkway appeal, I now have greater appreciation for the SEL. The description of Johnson's work in New York city match the height and enormousness of these arches. 

 Clue 5

Here is Payton touching the very top of the Thompson Library! This building was a design by Acock & Associates. The library was built in three phases and the goal of the designers was to combine modern, Second Italian Renaissance revival and stacked level design. It took only three years to renovate but 30 to originally build. 

CR02

I have LOVED the videos we have been watching the past two weeks in class! Where to start? The shopping cart video completely amazed me. I thought they were putting way too much effort and though into something as simple as a shopping cart. But once I saw the final design and what each part of the model represented, it was awesome. The way they worked around the entire cart being a useful thing to steal, and how they created the removable baskets so you could travel through the skinny aisles without getting in the way was so incredible. I really liked how they ran their office as an open thinking environment where goofing off and crazy ideas were welcome and even encouraged. This past week though, the environment and design videos were simply inspiring. I have always been a huge nature buff and love anything and everything that is working to support a greener lifestyle and help planet earth. The video on Biomimicry taught me so much about where product design, architecture and technologies today are going! I loved the idea that nature, with all its complex systems and organs, can run smoothly and functionally and still survive. So why not model our own designs off their natural creations? The bug that lived in an environment with no water, but collected the molecules from fog off of its body to turn into drinking water was something I had never learned or heard about before. But the fact that designers are working to create entire buildings to do this type of water collection for a city of humans is fascinating. The other mimicry I liked was the shark. The evolution of his skin and having the uneven pattern of diamonds which helps him stay sanitary and disinfect himself from the constant flow of bacteria, which in turn designers have now mimicked in hospital floors too battle the use of antibacterial sprays which are becoming less effective. All the inventions and ideas at the environmental TED conference were outrageously cool.

J04

This smiley face I happened to see when passing the magnetic calender on my fridge. The two circle magnents (one representing a family member's birthday) happened to sit above a smudged line from a note that my mom had written but got partially erased. 

This face I found on the center piece on my dining room table. I like how its nose is connected to its eyes and it has a huge smile.

This one is hard to see at first but once you see it, it almost looks like a dog face. I found it on the fridge as well. 

This face looks like a little robot face to me. It is a timer for the easter lights my mom had hanging across our kitchen window. 

This one is a bit of a stretch, but I noticed it unintentionally when getting lost in one of my sister's paintings we have hanging in our family room. I kept looking at all the circle designs and smiley faces started popping out everywhere to me!

These baskets hold shoes in my family room but if you look closely, you see a sort of block-head "monsterish" face.

Simple, yet obvious. This little face on every outlet I notice every time I plug something in. He looks frightened. 

Another one that is somewhat of a stretch but I couldn't help taking a picture! It is a frowning face, but the sugar and cream containers along with the edge of the center table cloth on my kitchen table looked like a sad but colorful face to me. 

This one is extremely goofy. It is a clay pot I made in first grade and at the time had just drawn and placed random clay chunks and designs everywhere. When I passed it on display in my mom's office I noticed a cooky little face on the side. 

Assignment 02

Milton Glaser- Short Bio

      Milton Glaser very well may be one of the most simplistic and straightforward designers to ever make it famous. Although his name is not nationally recognizable or particularly well-known, one of his pieces is distinguishable worldwide. The "I Love NY" symbol is a creation of Milton Glaser's and is just one of his many iconic graphic designs. Glaser attended the High School of Music and Art in New York and furthered his education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Italy. In 1958 Glaser became a founder and later a president of Push Pin Studios. In 1968, Glaser became the co-founder of New York Magazine along side Clay Felker. Along with his noteworthy logo design, Glaser also designed the famous Bob Dylan poster and the "DC bullet" logo.

       Glaser is best known for being authentic, uncomplicated and direct. He works with various mediums and multiple styles and has been known to use or work with anything to get the message across to the viewer. He is seen as one of history's most hard working graphic designers and has won multiple awards from distinct establishments such as the Art Directors Clubs, the American Institute of Graphic Arts, and the Society of Illustrators. Glaser designs everything form advertisements to book covers to drawings and illustrations in newspapers or magazines.

      What intrigued me the most about Glaser was how easy his work seems but how difficult I know it had to be to come up with. The "I Love NY" symbol does not even seem like something that would need to actually be designed and up until this day I had no idea it actually even had a designer attached to it. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Its simple, eye-catching and laid out in a such a way that it can be used on t-shirts, coffee mugs and various other usable and wearable consumer products. Only a strategic and communicative designer could come up with a design that could become that outrageously popular and spread like rapid fire.

Works Cited:

 "Milton Glaser Biography and Artwork - MetroArtWork." MetroArtWork - MetroArtWork. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. <http://metroartwork.com/milton-glaser-biography-artwork-m-218.html>.

"Milton Glaser - Biography." RoGallery.com - Online Auctions & Select Artworks Online. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. <http://rogallery.com/Glaser_Milton/Glaser-bio.htm>.

"Google Images." Google. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. <http://www.google.com/images?hl=en>. 



Nate Duval - Short Bio

       Nate Duval is a poster artist for many popular, alternative bands today such as Phish, Broken Social Scene, Wilco and Spoon. Growing up a huge music fan, Duval sees this artistic outlet as the closest he can get to being a rock-star. Although that career goal never seemed to work out, it was always a dream of his to make it in the music world.  With album covers and CD art becoming an obviously less needed artistic field, promotional band posters for both new songs and music tours are becoming all the rage. Along with these posters come fan memorbilia such as t-shirts and bumper stickers which contain the same poster art.
   
       The posters that Duval design are usually a limited edition, created specifically for the release of an artist or band's latest project. Since the posters are limited editions, they are a lot more likely to be considered collectors items by fans. This also means that the posters are a lot more intricate in design and work, and take a unique and creative twist by the artist that will specify the image to the work of music by the musician. With music being so quick and available to listeners via the internet and programs such as iTunes, the artwork that consumers used to see coincide with the music is almost lost with the advancement of technology today. Which is why these hip, trendy and visually appealing posters are a huge outlet for artists to get their piece of the puzzle shown in the music business shown.

      What I enjoyed most about Duval's work was the uniqueness of his field in the artistic genre and how he has made a career out of interacting and working for the people he admires most. He saw a need for the promotion and creative aspect of music today and ran with it. Duval's work is eye-catching and intricate. It is not so simple where the objective of the poster is straightforward, but rather leaves you looking at the artwork for awhile seeing if there is anything you may have missed. His style is interesting to me as well because he uses paper and layers, sort of like a collage, then makes prints of his work. Everything is done by hand and then he sort of captures it in a picture. His patterns and color-use are appealing and visually pleasing.

 Works Cited:

"Post Master - Boston.com." Featured Articles From Boston.com. 03 Mar. 2011. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. <http://articles.boston.com/2011-03-03/ae/29340497_1_posters-small-stakes-phish>.

"Google Images." Google. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. <http://www.google.com/images?hl=en>.


James Dyson - Long Bio

    
         James Dyson is one of those designers who you see on television commercials and use their products almost daily, but never realize how big of an impact they have on the evolution of product design. Born in England, Dyson attended the Royal College of Art and majored in interior design, engineering and also studied furniture. Dyson based many of his inventions off the movement and mobility of the sphere, or ball. His brother is the one who originally thought of changing everyday objects with wheels into ones which used a singular ball. His first invention was in 1970 and was called the Sea Truck. The Sea Truck is a fast moving, boat like watercraft created to move equipment and supplies on water between plots of land or islands. The Ballbarrow, his first invention using his sphere concept, came about later on in life and was a wheelbarrow that used a large ball instead of wheels.

        When in his Ballbarrow factory, Dyson became increasingly frustrated with the dust and filth that accumulated when using his standard Hoover vacuum. Although there was a huge market for vacuum filters and bags, Dyson knew there had to be a better way for the suction to occur within a vacuum. Therefore, he created the idea of cyclonic separation. The combination of centrifugal force and the small cyclones inside the vacuum enhanced suction without having a bag to cause clogging. In order to better market his product against the usual vacuum products he created the slogan "lose the bag" and attracted consumers who desired a fuss-free cleaning experience.
   
      Many of the competing vacuum companies attempted to copy his seemingly amazing "bag-less" invention, but Dyson sued and won in both cases. Another extremely popular and fairly modern design of Dyson's is the Dyson Airblade hand dryer, which is actually seen here in many Ohio State University restrooms. It is both extremely functional compared to the typical hand dryer and very sustainable because of its replacement of paper towels. Instead of hot air simply blowing on the hands like a standard hand dryer, the airblade is unheated (energy efficient) and acts like a sheet of air wiping across the hands.

        My favorite creation of Dyson's is the replacement of wheels with the ball. It amazes me that someone could think of a way for a product to move better than wheels. The wheel and axis is a fairly standard invention which has never failed and always is able to solve the problem of making a sedentary object have the ability to move. For an invention such as the automobile, wheels obviously are working fine. But Dyson saw a problem with the small scale version of four standard wheels on a vacuum cleaner. When cleaning the house and turning sharp corners around a table or couch, it is oftentimes difficult and a pain to clean every nook and cranny. A ball, on the other hand, as Dyson puts it, can turn on the spot. Although this seems incredibly simple and small scale, it works exponentially better and makes the weekly chore of vacuuming that much easier and enjoyable.

      I personally enjoyed Dyson's work because of how he takes a product that is already created and even mass-produced and knows he can some how make it better. To me, that is not only difficult and challenging, but it takes a very marketable and confident person who knows they can change the mind and way of thinking of consumers across the board. This also impresses me because many of his inventions not only make products more usable, but more environmental. Less energy, less waste, less work. Dyson is the type of inventor who takes his own issues with products and improves them. He did not just let his own personal vacuum spit dust out and do a poor job at suctioning up the dirt on his floor, he saw the problem at hand and created a solution.

 Works Cited:


Design_at_the_edge. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. <http://ic-pod.typepad.com/design_at_the_edge/2008/04/index.html>.

"James Dyson Biography - Life, Children, Wife, School, Son, Born, College, Husband, House, Time - Newsmakers Cumulation." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2005-A-Fi/Dyson-James.html>.

"Google Images." Google. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. <http://www.google.com/images?hl=en>.

RR01

     Design: A Very Short Introduction by John Heskett has taught me not only what designers see and create but what users and consumers look for in products as well. Right off the bat I found it interesting how simplistic design was and how it first began to take shape. I honestly did not even realize you could consider some of the prehistoric creations that the so-called "cavemen" put together designs. The tools they created to better dig and carve the land were all based around the shape of the hand and the work that needed to be done. True, they were not technically designing these objects for appearance or style, but rather for function. Yet this is still considered design. Today there are similar products that I would have not previously considered being much of a design until reading this book. Such as a hair dryer or a toaster. Someone still had to design this very straightforward and uncomplicated product to make it easy to use and understand. I particularly liked the metaphor by German designer Dieter Rams, "products should provide quiet, efficient service when required and otherwise fade unobtrusively into the background" (43). I also liked how Heskett continued to reference inventions that involve contemporary design with the advancements in technology. For example the ATM machine. Again, I would never in my life consider this a design element, but contemporary designers had the challenge of keeping up with the changing times and the shift from bank tellers doing the job to a machine sitting in the wall of a building. The entire system of obtaining cash switched to an automatic and electronic system and designers had to make it functional, secure and essentially flawless. Lastly, the example of the Japanese toothpick struck me as insanely creative. Again, a simple, tiny little object that is thrown in the trash after use and not ever given extreme attention still must involve design; "It demonstrates how even the smallest utilitarian objects are capable of simultaneously embodying values" (28). Product design as a whole is a new concept to me and I like how the comfort, security and ease for the user is put into mind first and foremost before anything else.

J03

       So many awesome patterns! I loved looking at all the different patterns my classmates were able to find. I found it most interesting when they were actual pictures taken specifically for this assignment and not just found on Google or anywhere online. I especially liked Payton's patterns which all came from somewhere outside, whether along a sidewalk or the side of a dorm building where the space between windows and blocks makes a design in itself (Payton's Patterns). These pictures up close looked like such cool patterns that I feel like I would never notice when passing by. Kudos, Payton! When I was finding my own patterns for the assignment, I relied mainly on fabrics in my closet, on my pillows, table cloths, or sheets. Yet nature has so many patterns I wish I would have taken my camera outside! David also found some amazing patterns that would never have struck me as an artistic pattern before; such as a telephone pole's wires with the blue sky as a background or the tiny hexagons in a screen door.
        As I was reading everyone's opinions on the first few lectures and videos we have experienced in class, I could not help but agree with Audra about the video we watched on Paul Rand. In my own post I mentioned how it was interesting that he wanted to change the UPS logo as time went on and styles evolved, yet I liked how Audra stated here, (Audra's take on logos), the idea that a designer's job is never really finished. What a fascinating way of thinking about it. Styles and design itself are always changing and enhancing so is the work of a designer ever actually completed? I guess everyone could have their own answer, but in Paul Rand's case we saw that he constantly wanted to tweak his famous logo. Payton's opinion on Tim Brown was intriguing as well. The big ideas from back in the day compared to the big ideas designers worry about today are extremely different. I had not picked up on this as much when watching the video in class and thought it was a great point. Both the design of trains and the Eiffel Tower are considered BIG, yet so is designing a way to help people in Africa retrieve safe drinking water. Both big design ideas, but different ways of thinking about design for the times.

CR01

I can not believe we are already into our third week of spring quarter. Time is flying! In only the four classes we have had in Design 200, I have already learned so much about the design world that I never knew before. During the first day of class when we were discussing the historical overview of design, I was amazed at how much work and creativity goes into the design of products that I never really thought much about. For example, the steam engine, the telephone, sewing machine and even the chair. I found it extremely interesting that designers tried to think up different ways to make these somewhat simple machines more appealing to the user's eye. Even with logos and corporate identity. The fact that AIG changed its logo continually over the years to evolve with the changing styles of the times is intriguing but also makes me wonder what effect this had on consumers. Did this appeal to them or were they turned off by the unrecognizable company logo? I guess when thinking about design I never once thought of the more "boring" objects in our daily life that need designed just so we pick them out to purchase at the store instead of the others. The video on Paul Rand added to this question of mine. He wanted to change his UPS logo from the original that made it famous. Yet the original logo was so well known that the company wanted to keep it untouched. So even though the times were changing and the style of the old logo was becoming more and more "old school", customers were comfortable with the symbol that saw representing UPS. What amazed me is how much comfort and trust consumers have with something like a logo. I now know that design (whether designing an actual product or simply a logo) has a huge impact on the market and users' decisions on what to buy, where to buy and who to trust.

Journal 02

Finding patterns throughout the week was fun and a mix up from my usual homework assignments. By the end of the week  I was seeing patterns everywhere, even places I would have never noticed before.

 

1. This first pattern I found was actually from a painting my sister did that is hanging in my room. Every morning I wake up and look right at it, and I love the repeating lines and the colors she chose to use. I think this pattern is interesting because the lines go thick then thin, then sort of uneven and imperfect.

2.  This second pattern is a cover for my couch. I bought it from Urban Outfitters last year, and it caught my eye cause of the repeating patterns and colorful prints. It is actually a table cloth (...I think) but I wanted to use it as a couch cover instead!  The shapes and overall design just feels unique and warm at the same time.

3. My third pattern is one of my all time favorites, especially for clothing these days. I am obsessed with horizontal navy and white stripes. Although the pattern is simple, it somehow remains classic to me. I find that amazing in itself, that a simple pattern like a strip can come across as "classic". I found this pattern on my own body when I wore it to class on Tuesday!

4. This pattern is bright, cheery and sort of 3-D. This is actually one of my roommate's bath towels that I found laying in the bathroom this past week. Right when I saw it I thought of how it was such an "in your face" pattern and how odd it is that such fun and colorful patterns are even used for things as simple as a bath towel. The flowers in this pattern also reminded me that patterns can be found in nature as well, such as on leaves or on the bark of trees. This basically caught my eye because of the color use and the overlapping repetition of the shapes. 

5. I was drawn to this pattern right away. It is black and white which is simple, but in this case still very striking. The design itself is something unlike anything I've ever seen and I do not even know something I could label it as. It almost looks like what you see when you look in kaleidoscope. This pattern I found

on a dress when shopping last weekend. 

6. Paisley! I adore it. This is a pillow from my room which repeats this paisley design all over. I love the curve and feel of the leafy objects. Paisley is elegant and calming. I was drawn to this pillow at Target this past summer and planned my entire room around the soft colors of yellow, green and blue. 

7. As ugly as this pattern is, I obviously was drawn to it! This is a chair at the Student Union. When I first saw it I thought it was made up of seat belts woven together, but I think it was just similar material. Obviously these chairs were designed to have some sort of modern or hip appeal, why wouldn't Ohio State have just chosen wooden chairs then? It was functional, comfortable and a little fashionable! The checkerboard pattern was appealing and fit with the design and decor of the room I was in very nicely.

7. Plaid! This pattern is an American classic and almost a visual comfort. Although this pattern just seems cozy (probably because the material is obviously flannel) the pattern adds to its appeal as well. The consistency of the little squares and the uncomplicated nature of the thin and thick lines caught my eye. This pattern was found on my pajama shirt that I found laying with my winter stuff. 

8. This pattern actually from a tablecloth. When I was home two weeks ago I found this new tablecloth in our kitchen drawer and remember tracing the intricate design with my finger all the way around the edges. When reading this assignment, it came back to my mind and I had my mom send me a picture! That how appealing and striking it was to me the first time I saw it. It is so intricate and detailed, yet repetitive consistent .

9. This is a zoomed in picture of a sock! This sock had these little colorful zig-zags across the ankle and I thought it was adorable! It is such a sweet, mini-pattern that is not in your face or significant in anyway. I feel like zig-zags were extremely popular when I was little (the 90's) and I have not seen this pattern in a while. I think the nostalgic feel of this pattern is what drew me to it.

10. This pattern was found in a rather humorous matter. As I began to search for patterns I was sitting on my couch wondering what I could snap pictures of. Then I looked down and realized this crazy cool pattern on my couch that I never really looked at. Yes, I always knew it had some sort of old-school appearance, but these little square hatch mark type lines are so interesting! Who would ever think to put this pattern on an entire (and rather large) couch? I was drawn to the incompleteness of the lines and the way they are not straight, but almost squiggly.

Hello!

Hello everyone!

My name is Kylie and I am a sophomore marketing major from a suburb of Akron, Ohio. I love breakfast, camping, biking, boating, tennis, baking, scrabble and Cleveland sports (... and obviously the buckeyes). I also love music and some of my favorite artists include Radiohead, Tom Petty, Modest Mouse, Zero 7, John Mayer and Beck. There is nothing I enjoy more than being outside and relaxing with my friends and family. I do have the intention of minoring in Design, yet this is my first class so I am still testing the waters! Art has always been a huge part of my family. My mom is an art teacher and my sister is a graphic design major. Since I am a business major, there is not one point in my day when I get the opportunity to be creative. I took art every year in high school and always used to look forward to that hour of time where I could paint, sketch or design. I chose marketing as my major because I like the creative quality that it can have. Unfortunately the business school is full of required courses that are extremely unappealing to me. Which is why I am thrilled to be taking design this quarter! I heard about Design 200 from my friend who is also a design minor and marketing major. I am excited to learn about artists, concepts and techniques within the design world that I have never previously heard of. As thrilled as I am to start a minor in design, I am also intimidated and a little nervous since I have been in an art class environment in two years! However, I can not wait to get started and look forward to a more innovative and imaginative quarter.