Thursday 29 October 2009

Brainstorming and Design Solutions

Whilst brainstorming ideas from the 'Tipping Point' and linking it's content to the design world, we focused on three chapters: 'The Stickiness Factor", "The Law of the Few" and "The Power of Context". After brainstorming ideas and reviewing we began adding and expanding to our first thoughts.



We then explored possible design solutions to social issues in a spider diagram. We split our ideas into the three chapters and came up with issues we believe are not yet fully solved.







Our further brainstorming on "The Stickiness Factor" focused on how to help combat smoking and drink driving. We came up with some solutions which included a cigarette with internal dye which caused your skin to gradually change colour the more frequently you smoke. For the drink driving issue we began exploring the possibilities of built-in eye scanners to check for dilated pupils and a breathalyser which was essential for starting the car engine. We also discussed the idea of a super vaccine or mask which could combat all diseases and shield the wearer from all threats.

For "The Law of the Few" chapter after previously discovering that the internet although being a huge benefit is also the root cause of many of society's problems. With this in mind we explored ways in which social networking sites could be monitored and limited to help prevent people becoming contained within this 'virtual bubble' and bring them back to reality. Limiting login time and and specific counselling could help reduce time spent online and deter online predators.

Finally our ideas for "The Power of Context" included integration of reflective devices into all outdoor clothing to help help keep pedestrians safe at night. Another more textile orientated idea was hidden protection for security guards such as night club bouncers which could put them at ease and limit the amount of violence used in self defence. Another problem raised was theft and in particular car theft. The idea of finger print recognition or another eye scanner which was essential to gain access to the vehicle was discussed.



We then assigned each member of our group discussion an idea we believed had potential to be researched further. I have decided to look into car theft under the crime section of "The Power of Context". I decided to explore car theft as my dad runs a car sales and repairs business and I am aware of how security has a huge impact on the running of his business, and the measures he has to take to prevent theft. I am currently exploring the issue further and researching into possible solutions and contemporary security designs.

Friday 16 October 2009

Good Design / Bad Design Lecture

Yesterday, I attended the 'Good Design/ Bad Design' lecture and found it very thought provoking. The lecture highlighted for me how people interpret what they see and how influential visuals can be on the viewer, shaping our ideas of what is "the norm". It made me realise that when designing I should be thinking about how my designs could affect others and trying to create designs which have a positive outcome. Thinking about visual literacy made me realise that I must think of my designs in context and how they will be portrayed by others and how they can be used to better peoples situations. I must understand who I am designing for and whether my designs are relevant. I feel it is important to design for the present whilst also thinking about how my designs will fair in the future. There is no point in wasting time trying to do what others have done before: I should be thinking innovatively. Design must be put into perspective and all elements considered otherwise the outcome will inevitably be irrelevant. Understanding the world around us as designers is extremely important if we are to create useful designs.


Well, I hope what I've just blogged about does link back to the message intended in the lecture and I've not just rambled on about something entirely off topic. I feel like these lectures make me think about so many different things which I never usually pay attention to, which can really only be a good thing !

Design for Life

Recently I have been watching the 'Design for Life' series on BBC2. I've really enjoyed watching the designers progress with their designs (or not so much on certain occasions). Whilst tuning in I feel I have learnt some interesting facts about previous design (such as where inspiration for certain designs originated from) and have had a good insight into the design world. Seeing how design presentations to clients should be constructed has given me a better idea of how I should plan out my work and thought processes in a coherent way. It has helped me to understand which aspects are important to consider whilst designing and how simple designs can on many occaisions be just as successful or even more so than intricate designs.

Watching the hopefuls has made me very jealous of the opportunities they've had and made me even more driven to continue pursuing a career in design. Even though Phillipe Starck is a highly regarded designer, I have to admit sometimes I can't help but disagree with some of his comments. For example when he labels some of the hopefuls design's as useless, when clearly they do have the potential to help those in certain situations. Anyway, I'm not sure I'm really in any position to judge any of his opinions, so I'll move on quickly. I defininately recommend catching up with 'Design for Life' if you're not already watching !

Thursday 15 October 2009

Digital Develoment of Mark Making

Today, I finshed a project I have been working on for the past few days. We were told to complete a set of three A4 compositions by developing some of our previous pieces of work on Photoshop. Using our mark making drawings we were told to digitally manipulate them to create further designs. These are my three final compositions:





Sunday 11 October 2009

'The Tipping Point' - My Mind Map



I have summarised each chapter of Malcolm Gladwell's 'The Tipping Point' in a mind map. I decided to go into more detail on the first Power of Context Chapter as i found this chapter one of the most interesting. I enjoyed discovering how people's surrounding enviroment can have an affect on how they behave. Completing this mind map gave me a better understanding of the book as a whole and the world around me that I hope to design for.

Thursday 1 October 2009

'Cultures' Project Brief...

Well, I think i’ve put off writing on this for long enough now, so I suppose I better get started. I’m going to start off by writing a bit about the first Textiles brief of the year. Our first brief is called ‘Cultures’ , and although I struggled to decide how exactly I was going to approach the topic, I think I’m finally getting somewhere.
I am interested in why people have certain beliefs whether it be religious or personal. With this idea in mind I began by researching into religion and the way being part of a religion or a set of beliefs can provide a sense of belonging. This idea quickly led on to me thinking about people’s belief in a god and their perceptions of a “heaven”. I really struggled to find imagery for my first idea, so i have decided to focus on Roman Catholic religious art and more specifically shrines and the embellishment, iconography and rich textures found within churches. Here is some of my visual research so far from my sketchbook :