Utopia in Dubai....who knew???

Utopia?

What is Utopia and where can I get one???

Not so easy to find and acquire.

One definition of Utopia is, according to Mirriam-Webster:

uto·pia

noun \yu̇-ˈtō-pē-ə\

Definition of UTOPIA

1

: an imaginary and indefinitely remote place

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/utopia

Sounds like the place we all dream of.  You know....the one we mentally escape to when we have piles of to-do and honey lists....where we go when we don't want to be "mom" or "sugar" or "student" or "employee"....a place that is designed completely and exclusively for our absolute pleasure.

Utopian design , on the other hand, is,a bit more complex:

"We are firm believers in the utopian dimension of design. It's something we're absolutely convinced of. It's our main drive. But we aren't sure if this utopian dimension can be found in utilitarianism, or social messages. Those particular forms of engagement can be strong sources of inspiration for the designer, and in that sense they certainly play an important role, but they often lack a real dialectical potential. In our view, a true utopian design should change people's way of thinking, not just their opinions.
If we are indeed living in a fragmented society (and we believe we are) then perhaps the only way to shock us out of this alienation is to counter the fragmentation of society with the wholeness of design. In that sense, the utopian dimension is to be found in the internal organization of the designed object, its inner-logic. Which brings us back to the idiosyncratic quality of Crouwel's work which we mentioned earlier, or the example of Rietveld's chair as an embodiment of ideology. You can define it in many different ways: Herbert Marcuse speaks of 'the aesthetic dimension' (in a very good essay of the same name, 'The Aesthetic Dimension', published by Beacon Press, 1978), you can also refer to it as the dialectical dimension, or the critical dimension, or the inner-logic, or the internal whole. In our view, these are all names for the same thing.

We recently stumbled across a quote by the artist John McCracken, who said "I've always felt that it was possible that a piece could change or transform reality, or the world. A work being so tuned that it somehow alters the constitution of things". This almost musical idea of 'tuning' is precisely where we locate the utopian potential of design. (We know, this probably sounds hopelessly idealistic, but that's exactly what we are)."

http://www.experimentaljetset.nl/archive/documents.html

I have found a place where utopian design creates Utopia.

Burj Al Arab in Dubai

Touted as the world's only 7 Star hotel, the Burj Al Arab is also known as the world's most luxurious hotel.  From the sweeping causeway leading up to the equally curving profile of this hotel constructed on a man made island, the architecture of this hotel is reminescent of a boat, full sails to the winds, with promises of taking you to your far away Utopia.

Amenities include: a full fleet of Rolls Royces; a helicopter; a receptionist and lobby on every floor; full concierge services; 6 restaurants on site- including an "under the sea" and "beneath the stars" experience; a luxurious spa; yacht charters; a private beach; an infinity pool....the list goes on and on and on.

All yours for only $25,000.00 a night.  Well, if you're going the cheap route, soom economy rooms are available for only $2800.00 a night.  But, when you are staying in Utopia, why skimp?

You, my friends, can book today:

http://www.jumeirah.com/hotels-and-resorts/destinations/dubai/burj-al-arab/

While I, my friends, am calling the Holiday Inn....

 

WARNING!....Dangerous Design

If it weren't for a word count quota, I could sum it up in ONE word:

LimeWire

Enough said.

Or is it???
Maybe the temptation of sharing and accumulating free MP3 files is too irresistible and you find yourself unable to stop from accumulating the most amazing music collection ever amassed.
Well, you are not only infringing on copyrights, you are potentially, inadvertently, sharing ALL of your files.
 In fact, by default, the LimeWire 5 shares sensitive file types, user-originated files and recursively shares folders.

Music.  Photos.  Videos.  Documents.

All of your personal life out there for all to see and share.

This program design violates eight industry "best practices".
These practices include:
Compliance “Best Practices” Blocked File Sharing

•

Authorized Use Policy

•

Restricted Access to Sensitive Data

•

Authentication

•

Non-repudiation

•

Confidentiality of Data

•

Monitoring & Auditing

•

Secure Logging and Audit Trails

•

Tamper Proof Environments

•

Content Scanning & Keyword Matching

•

User Awareness
Limewire 5 has intentionally designed, ambiguous features, such as "share all" that not only shares your music files, but all of the above mentioned as well.



Other ambiguous features include:

• automatic settings that allow LimeWire to add your personal files to LimeWire folders that are shared by millions.
• nonsensical warnings with no clear reasons as to why configuring would be dangerous with several conflicting directives
• the inability to completely "uninstall" the LimeWire 5 program
• installing the newer, upgraded version of LimeWire 5 does not allow users to keep their settings and configurations

The list goes on and on and on.  More, detailed and legally documented information can be found within this PDF:
http://www.pff.org/issues-pubs/pops/2009/pop16.14-inadvertent-file-sharing-reinvented-limewire-5.pdf


What is even scarier, more horrifying, is that LimeWire is a filesharing program with a huge attraction to children and teens, in search of free music and whatnot.  Not only are they NOT educated enough to understand the implications of installing a program such as this where copyright infringements are involved and the security of their whole family is at stake, but they are the prime target of the worst kind of predators.

Stalkers, rapists, and child molesters count on the loopholes within this dangerous design to find children, ferret out the information needed to locate their prey, and pounce.

One example, (graphic in nature, be forewarned):
"...unsophisticated children will tend to unwittingly "share" their downloaded files and, perhaps, their family’s entire collections of media files. Not only can these Prey-on-the-Weak tactics endanger children and families, they can also grant reduced jail sentences to dangerous pedophiles—like the LimeWire user convicted for "sharing" the video of the rape of a little girl "bound with a rope and being choked with a belt by what appeared to be an adult male.’"
LimeWire 5 also perpetuates the Prey-on-the-Weak model of file-sharing reflected in prior versions of LimeWire and similar programs. New users of these programs are often preteen or teenage children. Nevertheless, these programs’ default settings tend to be dangerous—and changing them can be more dangerous. Such programs thus ensure that
http://www.pff.org/issues-pubs/pops/2009/pop16.14-inadvertent-file-sharing-reinvented-limewire-5.pdf

Now that I have scared you, here's a light:

"In a major victory for the music industry, a New York federal judge has ordered embattled P2P software maker LimeWire to immediately and permanently stop distributing and supporting its filesharing software. In a 17-page injunction (PDF document) issued on Tuesday, Judge Kimba Wood of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York ordered LimeWire to cease the searching, downloading, uploading, file trading and file distribution functionality of LimeWire's P2P filesharing software."
http://news.techworld.com/sme/3246052/limewire-ordered-to-shut-down-p2p-file-sharing/

Please share with all your family and friends, (ESPECIALLY your children, teens, and their friends as well), this document that details the outcome and consequence of dangerous design.

 

•

Color Transformations...how color effects affect....

"Color is the most relative medium in art"
-Josef Albers

Josef Albers, a German-born, American artist, was one of the most influential educators of the 20th century, developing color theories that, to this day,shape the way artists and designer see, use and understand color.

Color is not only the most relative medium in art, meaning that color is perceived only in relation to what other colors are around it.  Color consistently deceives us, seeming to be one hue to one person, and either darker or lighter hue to another.  Against a white (back)ground, a grey figure is darker.  Against a black background, that same grey figure is lighter.  Same color.  Two different readings.

Color can not only change its appearance, it can evoke associations and reactions-either emotionally, psychologically, or as stated above, physically.

For instance, let us consider one of the most famous and influential art pieces of the 50s movement known as "Pop Art".  Pop art is defined as "a form of art that depicts objects or scenes from everyday life and employs techniques from commercial art and popular illustration"-http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pop+art.

 Andy Warhol, a New York commercial artist as well as the "father" of the East Coast pop art movement, took everyday iconic images of the 50s such as Campbell's soup cans, Marilyn Monroe and Mickey Mouse, and turned it into art, much to the dismay of art critics who found it "banal and vulgar" http://nga.gov.au/warhol/Kinsman.cfm

What is interesting is not only the larger-than-life depiction of a can of Chicken Noodle Soup, an iconic image of the convenience needed in a post-war country where women were now at work, but the variants of the can that followed.

To see how important color is in marketing, branding and design, as well as the subjective quality of such colors, let us look at two examples of Warhol's soup cans.

Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup

In this piece, we see the classic Tomato soup can that we all know and have grown up with.  The 4 different fonts- 1 script, 1 sans-serif, 1serif- are familiar and comforting.  The colors of the label, red, black and white, are all equally strong and dominant.  The neutrality of white only emphasizes the bold,red "Tomato" lettering, the white, script "Campbell's"  is highlighted even more against the red ground. All of these colors are strong, with psychological meaning as well.  Black is known to be perceived psychologically as ""sophisticated" or "glamorous".  White is "clean, sterile, pure".  Red is the color of "courage,strength, energy". The gold, circular medal and fleur de lis border is an elegant addition to the design of the product, psychologically implying a hierarchy of the product as perhaps superior or of elite value.(http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours)

Appetizing, familiar, comforting, All-American.

Then, Warhol experiments with repetition and variants of the iconic can and underlines the effect color has on the eye and the subjectiveness of such.

First and foremost,  consider the psychological effects of the label and how color COMPLETELY transforms the design.  Are any of these cans appetizing or appealing to you?  Would we still purchase tomato soup in a pink and blue can?  Or the yellow and brown can?  Pink and blue, perhaps, reminds us of baby items and the yellow and brown can could possibly remind us of other foods...macaroni and cheese products?  Bread?  Certainly not the same effect that the classical red, black, and white has on our consumer senses.  Would we buy black butter?  Or blue milk?  Purple Oreos?  Color can transform a design, either successfully or failing by not meeting the challenges and constraints that the product and the market imposes on it.  Funny, though, Warhol's pieces became so popular and infamous, not only boosting sales, that the company, in 2004, released a limited-edition tribute to Warhol with these cans....

Now, look above, again, to the Warhol painting.  Looking closely at the red "Campbell's" in the top, two images in comparison with the red label and "TOMATO" in the bottom two images.  In the top, left image, we can see how a red figure on a pink ground, (pink, being red mixed with white to make a "tint" of red), becomes warm and almost changes to an orange hue against the coolness of pink.  In the top, right corner, the red logo figure is against a yellow ground.  Yellow, a lighter and warmer color than the red, makes the logo "pop" out, appear darker, and appear a little cooler.  The bottom, left image utilizes the same red as the image on the bottom, right image as well, but optically deceives us.  Against the drab brown, red seems lighter in value, but against its complimentary green, there is an optic competition, both colors equal in value and intensity.  

This bottom, right image is almost an illusion, a simultaneous contrast similar to that of the "after-image" effect in which one can stare at the color red for 30 seconds , then look at a white piece of paper and see the color green- its after-image.  The theory, as explained in "Interaction of Color" by Josef Albers, maintains "that the nerve ends on the human retina...are tuned to receive any of the 3 primary colors ( red, yellow, and blue)..." and that "staring at red will fatigue the red-sensitive parts, so that a sudden shift to white...only the mixture of yellow and blue occurs.  'and this is green, the compliment of red."

These manipulations, as well as several others, and the image of the Campbell's soup can were not the only subjective color experiments Warhol experimented with and exploited.

 Albers was religiously methodical in his color exercises and studies, insisting on using the almost exclusive use of colored paper and mathematical precision in the size of his favored geometric square and rectangle compositions. Warhol, as you can see above, in contrast, used frivolous, whimsical and iconic images. 

Homage to Josef Alber's Works- Gabriel Ross

Either way, you can see the interaction of color and it subjectivity in relation to the colors surrounding it and how color can completely change, transform, and affect design.



 

Eames Chair...from inspiration to inspiration

From my previously posted blog on Herman Miller, (http://nadjaon.blogspot.com/2010/11/on-herman-millerwhat-is-there-to.html), the focus in that post was more on Herman Miller and the company's iconic stature in the world of office design, as well as Herman Miller's insistence and dedication to innovation of design, superior ergonomic manufacturing and sustainable practices.

This "One of 6 in 2010" company ( Fortune 500's "Best Company To Work For"; "Most Admired" and "Most Advanced"), as a further example, boasts several other distinctive awards,including:
 In 2008:

• Herman Miller named to Fast Company magazine's "Fast 50" list of the world's most innovative companies.
• The company ranked 26th this year and was the only representative of the contract furniture industry. The "Fast 50" highlights how innovation can drive economic growth.

• Herman Miller achieves placement in the fourth-annual Sustainable Asset Management (SAM) Sustainability Yearbook. It is recognized as SAM Sector Leader and Sector Mover for the Furnishing category.

• Herman Miller receives Best of Michigan Business award from Corp! magazine. Nominated by Corp! readers, it is one of six manufacturers regarded as top in its category.

• Herman Miller is selected to receive a Great Place to Work Award from the Great Place to Work Institute (GPTW). This award recognizes the accomplishments of organizations that have implemented creative and effective approaches to developing trust, pride, and camaraderie within their unique workplaces.

• Herman Miller shares the distinction of Fortune magazine's "Coolest Corporate Headquarters" with Microsoft and S.C. Johnson & Son.

• Herman Miller ranks 96th on Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list.

(http://www.hermanmiller.com.br/our-business/awards-and-recognition/)

What fascinates me, as a student of design and of life in general, is that this seems to be the epitome of the challenge of modern designers.   A designer, a design firm,  and/or companies that manufacture anything at all that has to do with any given designed product, MUST be concerned with...
1) The design process itself, from inspiration to production, and all the steps in between
2) The engagement of the product, aesthetically, to all the senses
3) The responsibility of the product to be concerned with the environment, not only in production, but in post-production, consumer usage and inevitable disposal of.
...and...
4) The benefits of the product to the consumer's health, lifestyle, and world/society in which they live.

No small task.

Herman Miller was known for his insistence on staffing only the best of the best:

"It was Eames’ way of developing a group of multi-talented designers for his multi-faceted operation."
The Story of Eames, November 18th, 2010, Perrin Drumm

Design solves problems, answers questions, and brings aesthetic pleasure.

The part I find most fascinating of the Eames chair process is the longevity and classicism that the chair has maintained since it's innovation in 1956. 

The Herman Miller company has manufactured millions of chairs in different fabrications and material handlings since then, but the Eames chair, Miller's collaborative design with internationally-known Ray and Charles Eames, holds my personal interest and affection. 

Perhaps it is that my earliest memories of the Eames chair that give way to nostalgic fondness: citrus orange, sunshiney yellow, groovy aqua and avocado green colors....curvilinear lines and plastic seating molded to the curves of one's "bottom", making them so much fun to sit in; shiney chrome legs that cross-cross eachother in a balanced and symetrical fashion.

 Detailings that were not only popular for that era, but remain popular today with this generation of design enthusiatists who are looking to the past to make what once was, now IS, again.

A classic Eames 1956 chair and ottoman set, in it's vintage authentic state, can be bought for $6,900.00, if you so desire....

http://www.rubylane.com/item/201779-TF2285500/Original-1956-Eames-Chair-Ottoman

Made as simple as possible, with the bare minimalism that resurfaces in design over and over again, the "Chair" of all chairs asks the question "Which came first? The Function or  the Form?"

Eames himself said, “If it isn’t functional, it isn’t beautiful.”

The Eames chair is BOTH , and an inspiration to designers today.

In fact, recently in the news, 20 of the most celebrated grafitti and street artist took on the challenge of using the iconic chair and make it over with their own unique vision and flavor. The end result being that these chairs would then be sold on eBay.  These chairs, on display at Barney's in New York, showcase the marked individuality and distinct creativity and have a minimum starting bid of $1000.00.

Funds raised will benefit New York public schools.  Operation Design, a non-profit group of designers and architects, teamed up with students from one such school to work with them and give them a hands-on experience.  In turn, students have the ownership of choosing colors, materials and imagination in re-inventing their schools.  This gives the students a rare opprotunity to learn from professional desigers and architects whichallows them experience firsthand what it takes, from start to finish, to be inspired, formulate ideas, reshape the ideas into a working and functional form, and then watch them come to life.

http://www.redlasso.com/ClipPlayer.aspx?id=653e1b31-3e26-4b56-94d5-289a3db09287



From the Miller/Eames inspiration to create a chair...to the inspiration to use this chair and become re-invented by current atists - reinterpreted for the "now"....to the inspiration of students that can see the passion of working artists, designers and architects  gift them with their talents and experience....again and again, the process coming full circle....THAT, my friends, is what I call true design.

As brought to my attention by D.Hall of Monarchy...N°A Runway Presentation A/W 2011

...One of my friends from long, long ago in a time of punk, new wave and "Sk8 or Die" era, Dax Hall, part of the Monarchy brand clothing company in LA, is well aquainted with design. 

	http://www.MONARCHYCOLLECTION.com

Involved and designing in a company that is well known for being a trendsetter in the male/female ecclectic apparel arena and most famous, since its inception, for their premium construction jeans. These jeans, constructed through a process using finely milled Japanese, European and American denim, are considered luxurious and are sought after. This fabrication and attention to pocket detailing has Ashton Kutcher, Rob Lowe, Jamie Kennedy, Jack and Kelly Osbourne and Good Charlotte as fans of Monarchy. Uniquely designed in its aesthetics, the use of quality materials, and comfort of fit are essential in the construction of a pair of well-loved jeans.

Dax is an inspiration to me, not only because he is a long-time friend and artist that is actually working in the field, but because he has an eye for design, as posted recently on Facebook.

N°A Runway Presentation A/W 2011





This collection by NoA is a nod to the 60s in its geometric, cutout construction as well as its contrasting collars, sleeves and seams.  The color palette of yellow, black, white, grey and tan also alludes to this time era of go-go dancers and mod Vespa -riding youth .  Soft fabrication, clean simple lines...A-Line coats with big, oversized buttons, motorcycle jackets and blazers with diagonals....a very focused and distinctive statement indeed.

As a side note, this 2011 collection seems to be in contrast of what was going on in London Fashion Week, 2011.  There, 70s type ruffles, soft pastels, metallics and beading were the trend.  An interesting contrast to this collection and outlines how globally and even locally, trends can vary .
Kudos, Dax, for the post.

On Herman Miller...What Is There To Criticize?

Not a part of the corporate culture, I had no idea about the importance of a well designed office chair.  I might have an ignorant derriere, but I have very intuitive ears and when they hear friends espouse the name "Herman Miller" with much enthusiasm, they take note.

Herman Miller, now known throughout the world as THE pre-iminent office chair design house, is not just a brand name in excellence, but is an undisputed leader in the industry of office furniture in many ways.

Forming the company in the 1930s but not involved in office design until the 1960s, Herman Miller began his significant career by famously inventing the "office cube" of that time period, and only grew from there.  His next move was to collaborate with Ray and Charles Eames ( the beloved design powerhouse couple of the 1972 documentary, "Design Q&A") on the Eames chair, considered one of the most exclusive recliners in the world.  Trends may come and go, but the sustainability and timelessness of the Eames chair has yet to go out of style.

http://www.hermanmiller.com/Products/Seating

 

As part of the internet boom of the 80s, Herman Miller chairs had dot-com-ers waiting for months to be able to boast one in the new, booming and exploding industry.  As the dot-com industry failed, Herman Miller chairs were sold off as unnecessary "extras" for much less than what they were paid for and considered an unnecessary expenditure.

Moving into the 21st century where we telecommute, socialize and pay bills at home, in addition to working inside office walls, Herman Miller has maintained the respect of being a leader in the industry. By designing office chairs that are not only beautiful to look at aesthetically, but are also ergonomically minded,  created "green" for sustainability, and actually affordable to the general public, Herman Miller shines and has more than met the "5 demands" of Design criticism.

http://www.hermanmiller.com/Products/Seating

In regards to the aesthetics, Herman Miller plays close attention to details...the clean, strong lines that remain organic to the human body in it's sitting state...the sleekest, newest materials...and the classic formation that never seems to go out of style...all of this and the fact that its eternal moderninity can ease itself into anyone's office decor makes the Herman Miller a must have.

In regards to comfort Herman Miller company has done much in regards to research in the comfort, safety, and ergonomics of its design.  With more and more of the public working and playing from home, in their office chairs, and therefore spending so much time on its "rear", much concern and concentration must be paid attention to in regards to its design.

Diagram of how the Mirra Chair echoes , or mirrors, the natural points of the human body

http://www.hermanmiller.com/Research/Ergonomics

Some of the articles that show how much attention to research in these areas that I found on the website,
hermanmiller.com, give much information and analysis of these topics...
For example:
Ergonomic Articles & ResearchA Field Evaluation of Two Split Keyboards An Estimation of Lumbar Height and Depth for the Design of Seating Comparisons of Seated Postures Creating Human Figure Models for Ergonomic Analysis from Body Scans Laptop Configuration in Offices- Effects on Posture and Comfort Office Seating Behaviors- An Investigation of Posture, Task, and Job Type Screen Distance and Seated Posture Sitter-Selected Postures in an Office Chair The Effect of Mouse Location on Seated Posture Why and How We Meet Patient Rooms: A Changing Scene of Healing Adaptable Spaces and Their Impact on Learning The Outlook for Learning: Views on the Future The Private-to-Open Spectrum Anthropometrics of Fit Improving Oxygen Flow While Seated Maintainng Concordance as Seated Postures Change Promoting Healthy Movement and Natural Alignment Supporting the Spine When Seated Sitting Can Be Good for the Circulatory System The Art and Science of Pressure Distribution

Articles
Research Summaries
Solution Essays





















The concern of the company is not just a beautiful timeless office chair, but the comfort and ultimate benefit of good health of its consumer.

For an unbiased, research-based approach on the superiority of Herman Miller to these topics, a good website to visit is:
http://www.office-chair-reviews.com/4/herman-miller-office-chairs/

 The Herman Miller company is also a leader in the industry in sustainable design and uses a very green approach to design.  According to the LEEDS Report, points were awarded to H. Miller in regards to:  Returnable and recyclable packaging, construction waste management, materials reuse and recycled content, and innovation in design.

See:

http://www.hermanmiller.com/MarketFacingTech/hmc/product_downloads/lcs/LEED_NC_AER_2009.pdf

With such attention to the safety to its end-user and the environment, the ultimate in ergonomic use and comfort, and aesthetic approach to beautiful and modern design, I can see, now, why my friend is such a "Herman Miller" enthusiast.

"Word & Image" in Art, Life and Whatnot

The importance of word and image in the world of communication and design extends beyond what we think of when we see those two words juxtaposed.  "Word" and "Image", when seen together, might make you think of comic books, where the image and words are interlocked together in a harmonious relationship where the words and image by themselves work, but together, do what the other one cannot alone.

For example:

Our earliest recollection of word and images...

http://comics.com/peanuts/2010-06-06/

Peanuts is THE Number One Comic of all time, recognizable all over the world and across many generations.  Perhaps those of us born after the baby boomer age do not remember alot about World War II, and perhaps do not even remember ever reading Peanuts in the Sunday funnies ( the internet the source of news for most of this generation, has left the tradition of reading the Sunday funnies while eating breakfast is a huge question mark). We do, however recognize a phot of war when we see it.  and we do, however, recognize the cartoon in it's reverance to the photo.  But until we read "June 6, 1944- to Remember-", do the words become part of the image and are integral to the message.

Another example of words and images working together to convey a message:

A children's book, using words and pictures together to implant images and  begin the first, primary steps of word recognition.  Just the picture of the pipe is abstract to a child in their very first books, but, when reinforced with the parent reading the words in specific sentences? The concept becomes clear.

Rene Magritte, Belgian Surrealist, "The Treason of Images"

This painting, familiar by now to Design 001 students, confronts us with the image of a briar pipe.  We KNOW it to be a pipe, and yet, the words "This Is Not A Pipe", (in French) begs to differ.  It, in fact, is NOT a pipe, but the image of such and we have this see-saw experience of cognitive dissonance.  We know what the we see, and yet the words tell us that this is not what we see.  We must then come to new terms with what we see and what we know.

One of my favorite examples I have found of Word & Image in art:

This sculpture  is by the artist Jean-Luc Cornec is called Scheiterhaufen-Zungenbrecher, which means funeral pyre of tongue-twisters. courtesy of http://wordandimage.wordpress.com/, this sculpture is a literal example of "Word & Image".  The title of the piece alone lets us know exactly what we are dealing with, but there's the fact that the artist chose to use cursive words, which in their curvilinear forms are more complicated a font to read than, lets say, Franklin Gothic, a bold, san-serif font that is extremely easy to read.  That in itself reinforces the tongue-twister title.  Then, the artist Cornec throws into the colorful pile words that leave the human organ, the tongue, working overtime in their pronounciation.  Especially those of us who are native English speakers.  Go on, I dare YOU: try it, 3 times fast, "Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz...(just kidding...that word isn't in there, which means "Cattle marking and beef labeling supervision duties delegation law",  but I promise you that there are plenty others to choose from)

So, perhaps in art and comics, word and image are non-necessities....just yet another way to use a medium to cleverly speak in ways that perhaps one or the other , alone, cannot.
But, in advertising? Well, THAT's a WHOLE NEW BLOG....
http://nadjaon.blogspot.com/2010/11/words-images-in-advertising.html

Words & Images in Advertising

SO...... what about words and image in advertising?

We see, around the time of the Art Nouveau period, artists and designers using images and words (in enticing fonts that accentuated the elegant swirls and slightly erotic feminine imagery that, say Jules Cheret, was famous for) in posters to advertise shows, conventions, plays, and cabaret.  The more of an audience you can entice with words and images in a harmonious voice, the more money there is to be made.

Cheret's use of women as the primary figureswere the idealized beauty of that time period and embodied a feminist spirtit in that the women were "neither prude nor prostitute".  This spoke to a wide audience, as did the his craft.  Working from stone lithographs, Cheret utilized an astonishing range of crosshatching, stippling, watercolor washes, scratching and splattering, all to add texture and an energy movement that captured the vitality of the subject within.

Recent example? An article I read on cranbrookdesign.com, highlighting artist/designer Cleon Peterson and his recent advertising campaign for Saks Fifth Avenue.  Cleon, an artist , graphic designer, and Senior Art Director with a for-profit design firm,Studio Number One,chose to use a Russian propaganda style in the marketing materials designed for Saks at an time when , Cleon says, "the economy and the country was in the shitter."

Collaborating with Shepard Fairey (  of the Obama campaign poster fame), both designers utilized a Russian propaganda-inspired theme.  The suprematism/constuctivism/modernisitic feel of the design work lends itself to the posters of the era- specifically the early 1900's- when posters and art were pushing a military and communist idealism on the public.  The picture planes are flat and one-dimensional with strong geometric and a  a dynamic diagonal axis that kept individuality and humanism at a minimum while promoting political symbolism.  The red, black and white colors in this marketing campaign echo the use of such in Communist posters and the iconic Russian flag of that time.  Even the use of a lean, and expression-less woman photographed in black and white, gives the poster the continuity of a cold soldier-of-fashion/fortune message. Slogans on the posters and bags at Saks encourage, nay, DEMAND, you to "WANT IT", "BUY IT" AND "ARM YOURSELF", much as the poster of El Lissitsky" Beat The Whites with the Red Wedge" encouraged the "red" Bolsheviks to stand against the "white" Kerenski sympathizers.

At a time when the public is afraid to spend in a weakening economy, Fairey and Peterson treat the shopping public at large, not with begging and flattery, but a with a militant , impersonal, sans-serif Russian font: "DO THIS NOW, YOU CONSUMER SHEEP!!!!!".  Well, maybe not...but, you can almost feel the pressure to spend before you are sent off to some unfashionable Serbia somewhere. ;)

Words, images, and even history, all at work to try and get us to march to a capitalist tune. Clever.

Patrick & Brigette...Sebastapol treasures

One of my favorite things to do, especially when I have had a really extraordinarily horrible day, week, or moment, is to drive.  Just drive.  Drive and get into that headspace where you can separate yourself from the world, and within the interior of your car, sift out insignificant problems from the real issue at hand and save the world- at least yours- with one genius idea and a little inspiration.

Inspiration is easy to find on the road....little roadside cafes with old, rusted Chevys and wooden signs advertising "Fried Pie"....beautifully detailed, stone-walled wineries with gardens for picnics and huge iron gates....and sometimes, if you have a great friend who can lead the way through backroads to true treasure, examples of local, homegrown and creative art.

Off of the road well traveled, and into the heart of downtown Sebastapol, you are bound to find clues that this isn't just any little town.  One such clue?...a giant metal Holstein cow, made of what appears to be bits and pieces of scrap metal and recycled parts, stands guard in the field of a local dairy.

Next clue?...a fisherman, rusty parts and all, sits atop a giant equally rusty fish with hubcap eyeballs....Local quaintness is not out of place in a town with organic coffeeshops and herb farms galore.  But there's more.

My musey-type friend, OF COURSE, had the answer.  On a lazy Sunday afternoon, he leads me and my daughters on a little neighborhood drive, down Florence Avenue, where on almost every lawn, metal sculptures beg for you to drive 2 miles an hour and simply admire the thoughtfulness of craft and design.

Every yard filled with metal sculptures...brightly painted examples of folk art made from recycle/reused/reinvented junk and turned into caricatures of animals, people and even dinosaurs, embraced in the yards of the neighborhood where local artists Patrick Amiot and Brigette Laurent live. 

Patrick Amiot & Brigette Laurent

Amidst these charming 1940s-style bungalow homes, the house with a minimum of  at least 7 sculptures (at least the ones that I can see from my car window) HAD to be the artists-in-residence....brochures waited for me to grab, self-serve style, at the front of their house-so of course I did- and that's where information on the artists and their web site was found.
http://www.patrickamiot.com/index.html

To find inspiration in discarded and old pieces of junkyard-bound materials is unique, and then to have a wife and creative partner that then takes the sculptures and paints them in bright-kitschy and novel ways that brings out the character in the larger than life and whimsical pieces is endearing.

"The whole purpose of my work is to glorify these objects, because they have their own spirit," Amiot enthuses. "When a hubcap has traveled on a truck for millions of miles, and has seen the prairies in the winter and the hot summer asphalt, when it's done traveling with that truck and finds itself in the scrap yard and I find it, I kind of like to use that. This hubcap, or whatever piece of metal, from the day it was manufactured until now, has an important history. And I like to think the spirit of all these things lived incredible lives. If they could talk to you, they could tell amazing stories. That's something I don't want to hide." Patrick Amiot

Patrick, once a gallery ceramicist, inspired by the everyday and the spirit that lies within it then takes home the sculptures and lets his talented wife, Brigette then bring out the rest of the character from there.

The two are not only known for their sculptures on Florence street, they are known in the community for their giving.  As a fund raiser for local schools, Patrick and Brigette made a calender of the sculptures and local-wonder-moms then sold them to raise over a quarter million dollars.

This kind of inspiration where junk can be lovingly crafted and designed into little  abstract personalities that bring joy into a neighborhood and gives beyond the smiles of the community is well worth witnessing, and makes a roadtrip on a Sunday afternoon even more satisfying  beyond the drive itself.

Oh Iphone, How Lovely Are Your Features....

My new favorite movie has got to be "Objectified". 



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0fe800C2CU


Directed by Gary Hustwit, and shown in Design 001 this past Thursday, this film answers the big questions about what design is(and isn't) and through interviews and sample shots of design within the planning and producing stages with some of the top designers at some of the top design firms in the world, we get a big picture....from the mundaneness of a toothbrush to the grandeur of Apple, we see that EVERYTHING is by design, nothing by accident, and that it takes an immense amount of thought, ideas, research, planning,  and designing. And then redesigning.  Did I mention redesigning?

Back to the grandeur of Apple.  Back in one of my previous blogs, "Michael Beirut and Design, described in simple terms", I mentioned that one of my favorite ideas of "good" design  (nay, not just good design...f'ing
BRILLIANT design) was my new love, the Apple iPhone 4. 

http://nadjaon.blogspot.com/2010/10/michael-beirut-and-design-described-in.html



After watching Objectified and watching the portion of the movie where Jonathan Ive of Apple describes what brought him to Apple and what they do and why they do it, I am humbled and in awe and am COMPLETELY inspired as a design student.

"A lot of what we are doing is getting design out of the way." -Jonathan Ive, Senior Vice President, Inustrial Design, Apple

I haven't had the chance yet to revisit this movie, particularly this portion, but there is way too much important and relevant information NOT to go back over and over again.  Ives desciribes in detail the excruciating ( he uses the word "obsessive", actually, and laughs a bit maniacally as well) planning that goes into the planning of an Apple product that is SO well designed, you don't even NOTICE it's designed.  Features that are intrinsic to the product, especially on a touch interface product - a product that relies on the consumer constantly touching, interacting and viewing the product-like the latest iPhone, should be such an organic part of the design, that you don't even notice that they're there.

Apps like you've never dreamed of and maps and camera and video and internet and ipod and phone and more more more more more!!!!...

On the technical side, a few examples of why my iPhone is so well designed, as best described by the creators themselves...
http://www.apple.com/iphone/design/

All the breakthrough technology in iPhone 4 is situated between two glossy panels of aluminosilicate glass — the same type of glass used in the windshields of helicopters and high-speed trains. Chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic, the glass is ultradurable and more scratch resistant than ever. It’s also recyclable.

Created from our own alloy, then forged to be five times stronger than standard steel, the CNC-machined band is the mounting point for all the components of iPhone 4. The band provides impressive structural rigidity and allows for its incredibly thin, refined design. It also functions as both iPhone 4 antennas.

While most phones have only one microphone, iPhone 4 has two. The main mic, located on the bottom next to the dock connector, is for phone calls, voice commands, and memos. The second mic, built into the top near the headphone jack, is for FaceTime calls and for making your phone calls better. It works with the main mic to suppress unwanted and distracting background sounds, such as music and loud conversations. This dual-mic noise suppression helps make every conversation a quiet one.

With its large Multi-Touch display and innovative software, iPhone lets you control everything using just your fingers. How does it work? A panel laminated on the glass senses your touch using electrical fields. It can register multiple touches at once to support advanced gestures such as pinch to zoom, two-finger tap, and more. The panel then transmits the information to the Retina display below it.

Every detail has been thought through, not only fron the end-users perspective - the form-, but from the engineers point of view- the materials-.  All while using the most efficient of environmental design construction methods such as using the same sheet of metal for several Unibody products versus one.....Ive wonders: "Can we do the job of several parts with just one?" when producing the product.

I love this guy. I love my phone. Isn't that the point???

Here, a quote from the Apple website itself that reinforces our learned design models from  Lauer, McCloud and IDEO this Quarter:

..."When creating iPhone 4, Apple designers and engineers didn’t start with a clean sheet of paper. They started with three years of experience designing and building the phones that redefined what a phone can do. iPhone 4 is the result of everything they’ve learned so far. And it’s all contained in a beautiful enclosure a mere 9.3 millimeters thin, making iPhone 4 the world’s thinnest smartphone...." apple.com/iphone/design

Ideas and notes and indentification and conceptualization.....mindmaps and fieldresearch and craft and structure and materials....feedback and redesign and finalllly....production!

And then you start all over again. always searching for the Utopian design dream of the perfect product that never really exists because  time and consumer drive is speeding at a pace that design is always striving to go faster than.

Plans for the new iPhone 5 to be released next spring are the proof.

But until then, Oh iPhone, How Lovely are your Features.....