Course Reflection

As we approach the last two classes for the quarter, I feel that taking this course has really opened my eyes to the world of design. As for the last four classes, I really enjoyed being able to actually design something. Being able to collaborate with my group members to come up with something that has not been done before really felt great and allowed me to really get a chance to see what it is like to be involved in the design process with others. Being able to come into class, sit down, and just brainstorm with Bridget, Gered, and Zack was really fun. I was also able to get my hands on some photoshop experience (I purchased it over spring break, but haven't really had a chance to use it until now) throughout the design process, as I was tasked with coming up with a logo and the box design for our product. In my opinion, there is no better way to learn a program than just diving into it and experimenting, which is what this project allowed me to do. While all of my buddies are sitting there complaining about their math homework, or their upcoming chemistry test, I get to tell them that in my class I'm designing something unheard of and get to use some creativity in the process. It's great! I know now that taking this course was a great idea not only for all the knowledge I gained, but for the fun I had while doing it. I find myself looking forward to the next two classes and to seeing everyones presentations!

JO8 - Design & Accessibility

I chose to pick the topic of accessibility in design mainly because I feel that it is one of the more important features of design in terms of designing for the greater good of all people. I could have chose color, or legal issues, but I felt that accessibility in design pertains more to the one of the main concepts of design itself: finding a problem (accesible areas for the handicapped is a very large problem in society today) and developing a solution through design. The topic itself deals with how designers today are designing buildings and products to help the handicapped navigate their daily routines in much easier ways. Handicap ramps and designated parking spots are just some of the solutions thought up to help.

http://www.disaboom.com/accessible-homes-general/thinking-bigger-making-an-accessible-home-out-of-a-small-house

My first post shed light on the process of designing a small home to be handicap accessible. Basically, it is a list of questions that designers believe handicapped people should ask themselves when thinking of making their home more accessible. This includes clearing up closet space, replacing bath tubs with roll in showers, and making sure the floor plan of the home is simple and easy to navigate. A great post for anyone who is thinking about making their home more accessible for the disabled.

This next one is a video from one of my favorite shows, Top Gear. It is a british television show that deals mainly with cars, but in this episode they travelled to Japan to test out a high-tech wheelchair. This wheelchair is sleek, fast, and comfortable, and is equipped with an array of high-tech features, such as a computer where you can connect with others who own the iReal (the name of the chair). I think this is a great way to bring the wheelchair into the modern age.

http://www.asktooltalk.com/articles/construction/accessibility/accessible_kitchens/barrier.php

This post deals with the idea of building a handicap accessible kitchen. Basically, the article breaks down the concept of designing a kitchen into three concepts; making it a barrier free environment (meaning that there are limited obstacles that the disabled user needs to overcome in order to make use of the kitchen), the design of the kitchen itself (as in all the technical aspects such as the dimensions of the doors and countertops), and the placement of appliances. An article that is a little technical, but informative about the process of design nonetheless.

http://www.studygs.net/accessibility.htm

This website talks more about designing a website to be accessible for the visually impaired and anyone else in general. I thought it had a pretty cool design by supplying a more interactive approach to getting its point across. It talks about everything from font design to links and images to testing the website's colors to make sure it is accessible for people with color blindness. A very informative and interactive website for those who wish to learn more about website design.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/web-design-web-accessibility-design-guidelines/5112995

This last website also deals with the concept of designing a website to be accessible. This one is a little more straightforward, outlining some tips and no-no's for designing a website to be accessible for all people. A slightly older post, but still relevant I believe.

Peer Dialogue Number Three

Well, here we are at the last peer dialogue. It's been a great experience to do these blogs, and while the laziness inside of me is happy to be getting closer to the summer time, I feel that having a homework structure such as this makes doing these assignments fairly more enjoyable. So without further ado, I'll start the assignment off with Zack's blog.

I have to say that I enjoyed your home goods post the most out of your recent posts. Unfortunately, that journal had skipped my mind and I forgot to even attempt it before it was due, hence the short supply of new material on my blog. But yeah, I thought your simple explainations for what makes a microwave, stove, and washer a home good were cool. I never thought of exactly why people use washers or indoor stoves, or what makes them so special, until you kind of took a step back and analyzed their simple intentions. Very cool and interesting. As for your reflection on the whole copyright scenario, I agree with you about how copyrighting itself is beginning to get a little bit ridiculous, where people hold the copyrights to certain information that could save lives and cure diseases. Great blog and, as always, keep up the good work!
http://dsgn200spof2011.blogspot.com/

Now onto Bridget's blog:

You found faces blog was probably my favorite out of all of them. I think I liked the first picture the most, I think because it looked hilarious. The bacon and eggs pics were a great idea too; I don't think I would have thought of going to Sloopy's to find faces. Definitely an A+ for exploration! I know I definitely enjoyed the scavenger hunt assignment, and it looked as you did too. I even recall taking some of those pictures, specifically the one of you posing in front of the SEL. I remember we had to do a few takes cause I couldn't take a good picture at all haha. I was definitely grateful, though, that you had your iPhone or else we would have had much more trouble finding our destinations.
http://bridgetmears.blogspot.com/


Overall, I'm going to continue to follow both of your blogs until the end of the quarter, even if I don't need to. They are great and I'm looking forward to following them further. Keep up the great work guys!

Letterform Assignment

I was walking through the Oval and saw the letter "O" in one of the trees.




The letter "J" on a railing outside of Stradley Hall.

 




The same railing also had an uppercase "P" attached to it

This one is a little shaky but it should be a lowercase "i" on my Xbox 360.

A wooden "X" on one of my smaller clothes hampers.

A "J" that I found when turning one of my clothes hangers upside down.

A longer "C" shaped toilet seat in my dorm bathroom.

An "O" that I found when looking at the side of a roll of toiler paper.

Course Reflection

These last 4 classes have been, in my opinion, the most informative about the design field after college. Having the guest speakers in from both the Design Circle and Cobego were my two of my favorite classes of the quarter. Throughout the quarter I have been frequently wondering about the career field for design outside of college, so the Cobego lecture was great for me. I thought it was really cool how they just decided to create their own firm out of college, instead of looking to join an already established one. I feel that it was a good lecture because it showed students that in a business atmosphere, designers definitely require some people skills in order to connect with their clients. It brought to light that not all designers can just make whatever THEY want, but rather they have to walk a fine line between being creative and satifsying the clients specifications.

I also enjoyed having some members of the Design Circle in to talk about design at OSU. I had never heard of the Design Circle, but now that I do I feel that it would be a great organization to get acquainted with. I liked how they elaborated more on the workload when you get into the major. The long hours in the studio seem like a daunting task, but it is obviously a good thing to devote such time to the major, because in the end you will only come out more experienced. It was good to know that the OSU design program is one of the better programs out of all the public schools, and that it is going very strong. I look forward to continuing with the design program and am extremely excited to get back here next fall and start getting ready for the application process!

Peer Dialogue Number 2

With only 8 actual classes left in this course, I would just like to start this blog off by saying that I have thoroughly enjoyed both this class, this blog, and also the people I have gotten to know throughout all the activities. I really enjoy having the opportunity to do these blog reviews (in the place of midterms and quizzes, these are like a vacation!) and I love reading what both Zack and Bridget post. So now, without further ado, I will present my dialogue.

First off is Zack. I gotta say, I thought your letterform assignment was pretty damn good. It was great to see that you went out and got all 26 letters, all while managing to make each picture unique and intriguing in its composition. Out of all of them, I thought that your letter "E" was the coolest. Your "Found Faces" journal was also well done, with my favorite being the picture of the wooden bedpost. It was definitely unique and the slightly skewed aspect of it seemed cool to me for some reason. I liked the layout of your designer investigation too, with you getting a large variety of designers. Throwing Zuckerberg in there was pretty cool too; something I wouldn't have thought of, thats for sure. As for the question you posed at the end of your peer dialogue, I would have to agree with you and pick function over form. Obviously, you can make something look as cool as you want, but if it doesn't serve its intended purpose, then there is no use to keep it around.

http://dsgn200spof2011.blogspot.com/

Next up is Bridget.

I enjoyed your designer investigation as well. You covered a variety of designers who I have never heard of but seem to have contributed a lot to the field of design and architecture. I enjoyed your article on Michael Arad the most. I have never heard of him before, so I never knew that he was the designer of the World Trade Center Memorial. The design of the memorial is really, really cool. I like how he brings a tranquil, green environment to a portion of the city where traffic is always bustling and huge skyscrapers stand out above the streets. I was also intrigued with his use of water, with the recessed pools placed there to (as I would imagine) provide a very serene, almost zen-like environment to allow citizens to pay their respects to the victims of the terrible disaster that occurred.

http://bridgetmears.blogspot.com/

I'm looking forward to following both of your blogs in the future! Keep up the good work!

RR02 Reading Reflection

Cradle to Cradle Introduction:

I really enjoyed the intro chapter of this book, mainly because of all the interesting environmental tidbits that Bill and Michael throw in there. I have never really been a "green" man but this book along with the recent environmental lectures has kind of opened my eyes a bit. The thing I enjoyed about this chapter was reading the different ideas that Bill and Mike threw around (for instance, the seed in the can seemed like a cool idea, albeit a tad out there). I like how they don't just try and get things done by sitting around and protesting, but rather, they have the means to design and implement new products and structures in order to realize their vision of getting everyone to go green and make our cities and environments healthier.

Heskett Chapter 7:

In this chapter, Heskett elaborates on the concept of identity, including both national and corporate identity. It was very interesting to hear his perspective on globalization and how businesses really struggle when it comes to designing products for other cultures. I never really thought of how different the cultures of the world are from ours in terms of the products they use and the way they use them. For instance, when Whirlpool was designing a new washer for the overseas markets, they had to take into consideration that people in India need to be able to wash their 18-foot long pieces of clothing, while people in Brazil need to be able to have a soak cycle or else they won't believe that the washer will yield a clean wash. As for corporate identities, I agree with Heskett's idea that corporations can spend all the money they want on new logos and advertising campaigns, but if their products and services do not back up their new image, then all that money was spent for nothing. Without quality goods and services, a company will not be able to change their image and reflect efficiency, great service, or any other trait that they wish to accommodate.

Heskett Chapter 8:

This chapter focused mainly on systems, which I really didn't know much about before reading. I didn't really see how systems pertained to the field of design until Heskett started talking about the transportation systems around the world. I found it really interesting how much work is put into street, freeway, and all the other roadway signs that I have seen everyday for 19 years. I could see, then, how these systems pertained to designers, as it is the designers goal to make sure that these signs are made properly in order for the public to be able to navigate such roadways with ease. This section of the chapter reminded me of a field of engineering that I was looking into studying more; industrial and systems engineering, where a large portion of work is dedicated to helping a company run more efficiently in order to minimize costs and make the company run smoother. A very interesting connection which, at least for me, once again shed light on how wide the field of design stretches and how designers are pretty much involved in just about everything we see in our environment.