Wealth of Information

I love books. When I saw this photograph in a class lecture last week, I fell in love with it. This is an image of George Lucas' personal library at Skywalker Ranch. I hadn't pictured George Lucas to be a bookish type. I had always seen him as a technology genius and the mastermind behind the Star Wars saga. I have to say, I am envious of his ornate sanctuary. The atmosphere is restful. It looks like a place where time stands still.

My other initial reaction when I saw this image went in a completely different direction. This room reminded me of Professor Henry Higgins' library, as portrayed in the 1964 film My Fair Lady. To confirm this, I searched YouTube for a clip from the movie. The resemblance is remarkable. The basic layout of the two libraries are very similar, though Lucas' is more modern in certain respects. But the spiral staircase, vaulted ceiling, and wooden rows of bookshelves are alike. Check out the link to see for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSjjO7hgQDM

Striking Similarities

I work in a bookstore. I see a vast number of covers, and I store those images in my mind - somewhere. And sometimes, seeing a design on a book triggers a memory. In these instances, I attach meaning to an image. Today, as I was browsing through our cd selection, I was particularly struck by an album cover. Caedmon's Call's simple, stark design featured an upside down fig leaf, green in color. The background was white. It was entitled Overdressed, and the font was grey. Obviously, the album was conveying religious sybolism by using a fig leaf. But the reason that the cd cover made me stop in my tracks had to do with the fact that I had seen it before. Recently. On something else.

This was a new release that I had shelved. I remembered the cover because it was unique. The front cover was printed on clear plastic, and the Table on Contents was visible beneath the sheer slip. A fig leaf graced the front, and the book was titled The Naked Gospel.

The cd was released in 2007. The book came out in 2009. Two different meduims. Same basic design.

Car Culture

Americans drive big cars. We take it for granted that there is a lot of open space on our highways and streets, and most of us do not give much thought to the way that our culture affects the design of our vehicles. Let us take a moment to consider the importance that location and practicality have on the design of cars. Occasionally, as you are driving along with the windows rolled down and your music blaring in your ears, you pass up a tiny international car on the road. They draw your attention, not because they are big, but because they are tiny. Small vehicles seem slightly out of place in America. Why is that?

In Europe and Asia, tiny vehicles are perfectly natural. Take a look at the photograph below:

This is a scene that you would never see in America. Even our worst traffic jams are nothing in comparison. Just think, this is a typical morning commute in India. Can you imagine trying to maneuver a Cadillac Escalade through these streets? Or how about a semi? With the sheer number of people, and the amount of space they have to work with, designers have fashioned a means of transportation that fits inside the context of Indian culture. Small, compact vehicles are the perfect solution for Indian masses.

In America, these tiny cars feel out of place. They are dwarfed by our standard sized vehicles and spacious highways. Our cultural mindset plays a huge part in our auto industry. If other countries want to market vehicles to Americans, they create spacious vehicles, because those are the automobiles that Americans gravitate towards.

When designers create products, they are driven by marketability. They look for the needs, and they meet those needs. Their products must deliver what the consumer demands. Right now in America, there is not a huge demand for compact International cars. While they are a novelty, the general public is not making the switch to tiny vehicles. The same holds true for Indians. There are prominent Indians who own luxury cars, or American vehicles, but the majority of the population in India drive the small vehicles that best suit their needs.

Design is not simply about designing cool products. It is about finding a market for the cool designed products. Study cultures to understand the people for whom you are designing.

Soundtrack of My Life

We all have a personal 'soundtrack' to our lives. Mine is different than yours. From the time of our childhood, we have stored up memories. Each of our five senses contribute to the memory pool. Sight: vivid imagery, like photographs, conjure up memories of the past. Smell: aromas can trigger memories. [I know you know where I'm going with this...] Taste: sinking your teeth into a pumpkin pie can catapult your thoughts back to a Thanksgiving dinner, and begin a whole train of thoughts that leave you reminiscing about 'the way things were.' Touch: this sense transcends words, and opens up whole new realms of feeling. And then there is Hearing. This is where the soundtrack of my life comes into play. If you are really honest with yourself, you will agree that people associate memories with songs.

This association has been attributed to sentimentality. But I think it is more than that. People can listen to the same exact song, and be sitting in the same room, yet each persons' thoughts will wander to a different place. They are not remembering the same things. Their past experiences are flashing through their minds, resurrected momentarily by the strains of music that hang suspended in the air.

Music is powerful. It is one language that unites all of humanity. Even deaf people can feel the pulsating movement. So perhaps I was over generalizing when I stated that each of us has a soundtrack. There are always going to be exceptions. But I think it is safe to say that most of us have one. Songs that mean something to us - beyond just the lyrics or notes - because memories are attached to them.

I wonder, are you thinking about your soundtrack? Because I am thinking about mine. There are some songs that I don't want to remember. That are painful to hear. I don't orchestrate my soundtrack. I don't always choose the music. But once it is recorded, it is almost impossible to forget.

Subtle Changes

IKEA is a popular European furniture company that showcases sleek, modernist design at affordable prices. The store's catalog is the world's most-published non-fiction work, with more than 175 million copies printed each year. The standard blue and yellow logo has come to represent innovative design.

This year, IKEA's 2010 catalog underwent one subtle change. Instead of having the logo set in the typical Futura font - as it had been since its inception - IKEA changed the font to verdana. Criticisms flew fast and furious, as the public fumed about the affront to design.

"With Futura, we really could believe that IKEA was offering us great design at affordable prices. Now, they are nothing more than a blue warehouse with cheap things to put in your house."

Designers feel betrayed and dissatisfied with IKEA's motive. "They went cheap," said designer Iancu Barbarasa. "Designers have always thought of IKEA as one of their own, so now, in a way, the design community feels betrayed."

So why the switch? "It's more efficient and cost-effective," said IKEA's spokeswoman Monika Gocic. Since Verdana is a universal font, and IKEA's decision enable the company consistency in both online and print versions of their products.

I have shopped at IKEA for several years, and am a huge fan of their creative furniture design. Call me crazy, but I'm not up-in-arms against the company's subtle logo alteration. I must not be a design purist, because I cannot see how IKEA's decision to choose a more practical, widely accepted font demeans the product that they create. I do not believe that their business move compromises their essential design. Rather, they are making a statement: We are offering you universally affordable design. What's wrong with that? Modern, stylish, affordable design. This is IKEA

source:
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1919127,00.html

Clarity

Another passion of mine is words. Understanding their meanings, what defines them, comprehending their essence. By focusing on the meaning of words, I can use them more effectively. So I decided that, seeing as I am creating a design blog, I wanted to blog about design. In order to fully understand what it means, I went back to the roots and found the Merriam-Webster's online definition:

Etymology: Middle English, to outline, indicate, mean, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French designer to designate, from Medieval Latin designare, from Latin, to mark out, from de- + signare to mark.

transitive verb

1 : to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to plan : devise, contrive
2 a : to conceive and plan out in the mind b : to have as a purpose : intend c : to devise for a specific function or end
3 archaic : to indicate with a distinctive mark, sign, or name
4 a : to make a drawing, pattern, or sketch of b : to draw the plans for

intransitive verb

1 : to conceive or execute a plan
2 : to draw, lay out, or prepare a design

But it didn't stop there. Design is also a noun:

1 a : a particular purpose held in view by an individual or group b : deliberate purposive planning
2 : a mental project or scheme in which means to an end are laid down
3 a : a deliberate undercover project or scheme : plot. b plural : aggressive or evil intent —used with on or against
4 : a preliminary sketch or outline showing the main features of something to be executed
5 a : an underlying scheme that governs functioning, developing, or unfolding : pattern, motif b : a plan or protocol for carrying out or accomplishing something (as a scientific experiment); also : the process of preparing this
6 : the arrangement of elements or details in a product or work of art
7 : a decorative pattern
8 : the creative art of executing aesthetic or functional designs

There was also a definition of intelligent design [the theory that matter, the various forms of life, and the world were created by a designing intelligence]...

Design is a broad term. Art is interwoven into the essence of it's meaning, and by it's very definition, design is not abstract but created with a purpose in mind.

Who knows what direction this blog of mine will take? Apparently, I do. I am creating design with every stroke of my fingers. Bits and pieces. I am weaving them together into a tapestry of design...

Effective Covers

Since I first laid eyes on these book covers, the images have been stamped into my memory. The first thing that struck me was the title. Who names their work of fiction RED ? Then my mind began playing tricks with me. Why do you think the book is red when it is clearly Black? I was even more befuddled when I came to rest upon BLACK , for I was seeing green. The third book in the series, WHITE , is actually crimson. Red. How intriguing. My initial thought was, How ridiculous, to give a book such a dumb title. But the more I considered the matter, I came to the conclusion that it was a brilliant ploy. These books catch people's attention. They spark immediate interest, and one can hardly resist picking up a copy and leafing through the pages. The story is fast-paced, bizarre, and lives up to the cover.

Mr. Ted Dekker's books are a prime example of effective design. People are drawn to the merchandise without even fully understanding the reason.

A Walk in the Park

Photography is something of a passion of mine. When going on rambling walks through fields, cities, or parks, I typically have a camera handy so that I can snap photographs of whatever catches my fancy. I am fascinated by the tiny details. In a sense, I am allowing people to see things through my eyes, or lens, as it were. When I look at flowers, I see design elements. I see beauty. By capturing these images, I am taking time to notice the simple pleasures in life. These flowers will fade, but the photographs will last. I encourage people to realize the beauty in the ordinary.

Georgia O'keeffe was of the same mindset. An American artist renowned for her large-scale paintings of flowers, rocks, landscapes, and other natural elements, she blended concrete reality with abstraction and representation. Her watercolor paintings of poppies, morning glories, lilies, and hosts of other flowers now hang in prestigious Museums, on display for everyone to see.

Nobody sees a flower, really, it is so small. We haven't time - and to see takes time like to have a friend takes time. If I could paint the flower exactly as I see it no one would see what I see because I would paint it small like the flower is small. So I said to myself - I'll paint what I see - what the flower is to me but I'll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking time to look at it - I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers. ...Well, I made you take time to look at what I saw and when you took time to really notice my flower you hung all your own associations with flowers on my flower and you write about my flower as if I think and see what you think and see of the flower - and I don't.

- Georgia O'Keeffe

So take the time to observe the tiny details in life. Be inspired.

The Talking Timepiece

I never imagined that I would ever see one of these. But wonder of wonders, my eyes do not deceive me. LG has actually created a Watch Phone. This incredible piece of technology even has a built-in music player, thus making it possibly one of the first MP3 player watches around. It also has stereo Bluetooth, which makes listening to the music easier. Talk about tricked out.

Yet for all of the bells and whistles, I am not sure that I would desire to own one. Though I have to say, it could prove to be interesting. I can just picture myself chatting with an acquaintance, and in the midst of the conversation hearing a familiar ring-tone. "Gee, I'm awfully sorry, but I've gotta answer my watch. I mean, take this call."

Bottom line: I would like for my watch to remain a timepiece. While this is an unique concept, I'm not sure that the LG Watch Phones will have a huge following...

Of Oudin and Jimmy Choo

With all of the recent hype about the amazing tennis match between seventeen-year-old Melanie Oudin and Nadia Petrova, I was surprised to find the web is buzzing about the young teen's shoes. Admittedly, it is an incredible feat that Oudin triumphed at the 2009 U.S. Open, but that she achieved her victory in a pair of shoes that she personally designed renders Oudin to an even higher level of awe. The pink and yellow Adidas sneakers are fast becoming a fashion icon. Who would have imagined? Is the trend of the future to be personally designed footwear? Popular athletic brands are increasingly offering options that allow prospective buyers to 'customize your shoe.' Miadidas.com states it well:

Every foot is different. Even your own two feet are not alike.

So instead of making your feet fit into some average shoes,

why not make the shoes fit your feet?

Getting started is easy. Just select your gender and size

and start tweaking your creation.

How incredibly cool is that? I've always been a big fan of Adidas, and I really like the idea of customizing my sneakers - created for me, by Adidas, for my feet.

On the other hand [or foot?], I have never seen the sense in high heeled shoes. In my mind, they were created to plague and torture women. They may look like all that, but they're not. The design is not practical, and even Hollywood starlets cannot endure to walk in them for long periods of time.

However, Jimmy Choo's are iconic in their own right. Elegant and sophisticated, no fashionable lady's closet is complete without at least one pair of these stilettos.

Here we have two examples of design. Jimmy Choo's are all about the designer. But Melanie Oudin has started something, and I like the direction she's going. Shoes can be designed by you.

The Bagmane techpark

image is no longer available

This is an example of the sophisticated technology that Bangalore has now embraced. I chose this particular picture because I am fascinated by the unique design. It utterly captured my attention. The lines direct the eyes upwards and outwards, toward the heavens. The building is both artistic and functional, and is breath-taking when mirrored by the clear water, glowing brilliantly against the night sky.

I am truly amazed by the advancements made in architecture. And as technology continues to progress, the engineering will come ever closer to breaching 'the impossible'. As they say, the sky's the limit.

Modern Metropolis & the Rurual Rustic

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to spend a week in Bangalore, India. Upon my arrival, I was struck by the stark contrasts that flowed harmoniously in Indian culture. The skyline that greeted my eyes was a mixture of sleek urban architecture - incredible feats of modern design - and old, dilapidated structures that had been a part of the city for centuries. It was remarkable to behold a place where ancient buildings and state-of-the-art skyscrapers sat side by side. To the Indian people, it was a perfectly natural concept. In their culture, the changes brought on by modern technology were integrated into the already existing society. Their pluralistic mindset accepted the new, but did not discard the old.

It dawned on me how very interesting design is. The modern structures popped, placed as they were against such a uniform background. Here was a sprawling metropolis, both historical and technologically savvy.