Design is Dangerous: Just in the back of your minds...

I remember when I was about eight years old 'Heelys' were all the rage in my hometown. These shoes jumped to the top of every kid's christmas list in 2000-1 including my own. All of my friends wore there Heelys everyday, the neighbor kids would be whooping and hollering next door as they would pop the wheels out from the soles of their sneakers and glide across the ground.
In the beginning, the fad seemed harmless and a good new way for children to have fun. However, as I look back on it now, I wonder if there really was no damage done with these fun little rolly-shoes. If done at all, it's true the damage was not catastrophic. The kids didn't really know any better, they only saw a fun and faster way of getting from point 'A' to point 'B'. But these shoe-toys provided an excuse for laziness. No longer needing to walk along with their parents in the mall, the kids could roll alongside and not exert themselves at all.
Many may see this as an overreaction, and I acknowledge the seemingly silly idea I'm bringing forward, but I also see that with this huge surge in children's need for this way to keep themselves from working their legs even the slightest, a seed was planted in their minds.
With the creation of these Heelys, my generation was shown that with the right mindset, we could create anything we wanted to keep ourselves from exerting too much energy. And how much is “too much”? Who decides how lazy we get to become? With that memory wheeling through our head, in the future we might design the long-awaited hover chair! Heelys showed that creating a way to nix all physical exertion was just a little too easy.
Alright, so it's a little extreme, but the clip shown above from the Disney movie Wall-E just shows how design could hurt us if we don't show the proper restraint.

Design in Society: Harry Potter and the People Tree!

Here ye! Here ye! The Harry Potter franchise has performed a service to its audience (that is, apart from the fantastic entertainment that is already served up, if I do say so myself!)! By hiring an actress that shows an environmental and social conscious, the films have provided a link for die-hard fans between the world of Harry Potter and that of eco-consciousness.
I was viewing actress Emma Watson's official website (http://www.emmawatson.com/) earlier this week because I wanted to see what her next acting project would be after the Harry Potter series was officially wrapped up. I came across a link that showed all the 'projects' Watson actively involves herself in. Mostly related to fashion, this actress gets involved in a multitude of projects and doesn't just lie around or wait for things to happen. She gets things done!
Her collaboration with People Tree, the sustainable and fair trade clothing brand, was her effort to open a few more of the eyes of the younger generation to the benefits of buying from brands that show consciousness of the problems in the world and have a mind to fix it.
“People Tree is a Fair Trade fashion line whose focus is to bring global awareness to fair trade practices. Eighty percent of the collection uses 100 percent organic, fair trade certified cotton coming from disadvantaged communities in Bangladesh and Nepal. The royalties made from the collection will be donated to the People Tree Foundation, an independent charity working with People Tree” (http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2010/02/03/emma-watsons-eco-clothing-line-for-uks-people-tree-premieres-this-week/).

In case you're unaware, Fair Trade Certification is a series of hoops that manufacturing companies have to jump through if they wish to sell their wares with the stamp that says they were made in a way that treated workers and the environment in a courteous and fair way (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairtrade_certification#Fairtrade_standards).

With the fame she attained through her lengthy participation in the Harry Potter film franchise, Miss Watson has found the funds and attention needed to partake in a project that she believes is important, with the added bonus of being able to utilize her creative/artistic side as a “creative advisor” on the project.“I wanted to help People Tree produce a younger range because I was excited by the idea of using fashion as a tool to alleviate poverty and knew it was something I could help make a difference with. I think young people like me are becoming increasingly aware of the humanitarian and environmental issues surrounding fast fashion and want to make good choices but there aren’t many options out there” (http://www.emmawatson.com/en/Projects/People-Tree/).

Color Transforms: The Tie-dye Shirt Phenomenon

Color has a rather under-glorified role in society today. Many think of it as something that would definitely be noticed if absent from every day life, but certainly not a thing to be marveled at from day to day. Perhaps to marvel would be a bit much, but surely a bit of notice is merited to the noble form of expression that is color.
Lauer and Pentak discuss in their book Design Basics the importance that color holds for us in the world, saying “color appeals to our emotions and feelings”. With design being a form of communication between multiple parties, it makes sense that no way of expression would be left unused by the designer in his/her attempt to bring an idea to light or across the space between the producer and consumer of the design. Color is one of those methods of expression. And it may mean different things for different cultures or generations, but without color, we as players in the game of life would have a more difficult time expressing how we feel, what we see, not to mention combining the two to make art. Plus, the world would be a pretty boring one if washed in grayscale!

Color and design can also be a form of communication from person to person not only in the professional setting of producer/consumer. Between one generation and another, color can be an explosion of opinion and voice for those who need a way to express frustration or even dissension. The tie-dye shirt was an outburst from the younger generation in the late 1960s, as a visual way of communicating opinions and the belief that they needed to shake things up!
“Tie-dye came back in style in the 1960's when a great movement emerged among young people that emphasized individuality. It was time to "do your own thing." Each person could make a statement by tie-dyeing clothes with a personal combination. Tie-dyed sheets were used as room dividers and wall hangings. Silk and cotton banners were used as backdrops for rock and roll concerts” (http://www.harmonytie-dyes.com/_special/history.html)

Colors evoke and inspire communication, but they can also be the form it takes. For some who have a quieter voice than others in this world, color can be the most important thing; the thing that enables them to show their true selves,beliefs, and thoughts to the rest of humanity. Design and color can work together to reach a mutual goal, but can also work separately. Either way, both can be a method of expressing freedom!

Have fun, designers! Have fun!

Sometimes the industrial design of an object becomes unnecessary in larger society, this happens rarely, but I noticed it one day when I was visiting my mom's office. On one of the buildings' walls was a clock that had the standard minute and second hand tic-tic-ticking away the time, but the numbers were all piled at the bottom and a big "Whatever!" was plastered across the face of the clock.

This mass produced product shows that in some social environments the designs that we thought hold us afloat every day, when replaced with a new witty or ironic design, may be able to be put to the same use but with a fresh look and design.

Now to be fair, when I was younger this clock always frustrated me to no end. I would walk past it and each time look up with confusion. I wondered, why would someone make such a useless object?! For a fourth grader, who has enough trouble telling time on one of those darn round clocks anyway, this little creation here was simply preposterous, though the bold expletive I found enjoyable even through my irritation!

This proves that the usefulness of industrial design will never really go out of style, due to the need of the simple and practical in various stages of life. These industrial designers were probably the ones behind the design of the digital clock anyway, due to their understanding of the need of some for a simpler way of telling time.

However, as the setting  matures, there is certainly  no problem with throwing in a little humor in to replace something that has been rendered unnecessary in the current environment! Have fun, designers! Have fun!

Ergonomics

The car company Toyota has built up a loyal and supportive crowd of followers over the years. With their reliable cars, efficiency, and constant innovation, Toyota quickly lured many car-buying-hopefuls to its dealerships. This was a company trusted and respected by its consumers. That was all good and well, until 2007 hit.

If Toyota was planning to produce reliable products with the ability to be put to good use by the public, they should have gone down the check list of everyday ergonomics one more time. A hierarchy of rules is useful in order to build a profitable product, and starting in the 1930s "Toyoda", the company's initial title, was the automotive star everyone wanted to hitch their bandwagon to.

The original heads of the company valued the organized system of following the basics of ergonomics, and the profit that naturally followed. With 'safety' as a solid base-rule for building its vehicles, its no wonder Toyota rose to power and popularity so quickly. First building trust with consumers in Japan, Toyota didn't skip steps for company quick saves or cut any corners. The original bosses understood the design conversation between producer and consumer and built their vehicles in accordance to the ergonomic expectations of their buyers.

With 'safety' as the number one prioritized thought behind building all of their cars, all cars were sold with the assurance that the families entrusted to their automobiles would be in good seats. With 'comfort' as the next area of ergonomic necessity, Toyota also made sure that those seats were made in the most comfortable form possible. Showing consideration for their buyers, Toyota never made a drivers seat out of a plank of plywood, but cushioned and formed to fit the contours of a human body, their cars were made with thought of what would be most comfortable to the driver and passengers.

'Ease of use' and 'performance' were obviously key ingredients in the Toyota stew of success back in the day, but perhaps, more recognizable to consumers today is the incorporation of those next rules of ergonomics in their famous (soon to become infamous) Toyota Prius. A button to start the car's engines made the use of the car key virtually obsolete, and this  nifty little detail sparked consumers' interest and left other car companies in the dust. Adding GPS systems in the cars was just icing on the 'ease of use' cake.

The 'performance' step of ergonomics (a step that I believe should be a little further down towards the base of the ergonomics pyramid) was the real draw for Toyota consumers when the first prius came out on the market. The fact that the car was a new model hybrid  showed ultimate attention paid to the nations growing environmental concerns. With extremely high fuel efficiency and millage, this car had eco-conscious car buyers flocking to the Toyota dealerships. And Toyota didn't fall short in the 'aesthetics' department of ergonomics, with their continuous attempt to make their efficient car no slacker in the sleek and modern appearance category.

However, in 2007 it was in these steps of 'performance' and 'ease of use' that had really had a vital hand in rocketing Toyota's pride and joy, the Prius into fame, that resulted in the  company's plummet back down to earthly levels of inadequacy. By a simple error, for which I'm sure all of Toyota car makers are smacking themselves in the head, of a floor mat that proves to have to much traction on the drivers side, Toyota's reign came crashing down. "Toyota recalled 55,000 Camry and Lexus ES 350 models in 2007 because of complaints of unintended acceleration caused by the mats sticking under the accelerator pedal. The NHTSA said consumers continued to report instances of uncontrolled acceleration in Toyota models after that recall."

Read more: http://www.evolvingexcellence.com/blog/2009/09/toyotas-inexcusable-failure.html#ixzz15Pb0gEXB
at Evolving Excellence

This recall showed that in the 2000s, Toyota was cutting a few corners in ergonomics, sidestepping 'safety', 'performance', and even 'ease of use', with the unbelievable error of sticky mats. However, perhaps even more embarrassing and inexcusable than this 2007 failure to follow the basic rules of designing a consumer friendly car based in ergonomic reason is the fact that Toyota had to recall millions of cars again in 2010 due to an acceleration pedal issue once again. If a company finds fault in a product, it stands to reason that this company would and should do everything in its power to then follow the 5 areas of ergonomics research to the letter in order to create a sound product for their buyers. For these consumers are putting their safety, the number one priority and base in the ergonomics pyramid, in Toyota's hands. Now, Toyota is trying to backpedal and salvage the  loyal consumer base of its past with documentary-style commercials showcasing the loyal Toyota customer and his continued use of and faith in the Toyota vehicle.

Design in a Poem

Weave thread through a pattern,

Splash vibrant paint on an urn.

Meld metal into a swirling ring,

Combine colors that make a heart sing.

Construct a building; curved and tall,

Hang unique lanterns to light the hall.

Make  a wooden toothbrush handle,

To never throw away.

And stick a tall wax candle

On a spike to make it stay.

This thread, paint, lantern, and wooden handle

Show that people in the world care.

We put thought into every couch, nail, and sandal;

Now look! See design everywhere.

Understanding the Partnership: Word & Image

The designers of the catalog for the clothing line Anthropologie, are famous for their unique photography and layout. I’ve mentioned in a previous blog my belief that this unprecedented page design spikes interest in viewers and does a very successful job of luring in shoppers and their money. But with this weeks interest in how words and images can work together in a design, I want to bring notice to the detail that the layout designers of this magazine do a fine job in combining word and image to create a successful and edgy look for the catalog. The layout design shows a turn for the modern age, with combination of lettering layered on top of an image in the catalog. This gives the magazine a scrapbook-like feel, appealing to moms and teens alike.

Anthropologie

Along with beautiful photographs and clothing that makes an impression, the company Anthropologie chose to collaborate with some artists who really know what they’re doing in terms of catchy new layout design.

The photographer captures words and letters as a dynamic way to create dimension within the photo. By stepping away from the old Walmart and GAP photos of attempting to draw attention to the clothing by shooting it against a dull backdrop, Anthropologie’s photographer incorporates many different elements of expression in the photos, including the use of letters as a partner in creating a fresh view for the fresh look of the season’s clothing line.

Wal-mart image

Anthropologie

Anthropologie