From observing the things around us to realising whats inside ourselves, design is a more then just a extension of a practical job, it is an outlet for our imagination, for our emotions and thoughts. We put a bit of ourselves in our work, and from our labour do we grow as we learn about ourselves and the world around us.
We note the way the world moves, from people walking to lizards crawling, the movement of the branches in a tree to the movement of the clouds, storing for later use such as an animation. I looked at some of Lev Yilmaz’s The Tale of Mere Existence and found that he to puts a bit of himself into his work, his animations relate to real life, perhaps his own. Looking at the work of others is like looking into a window into their mind as parts of them come out in there work, who they are, what they are like, were they came from and where they are going.
Though important, design is more then just finding an adequate solution to a problem, its further then analysis and research of the environment its our expression of our creativity.
This semester we have learnt more then how to do the work, but why to do the work. We have gained an understanding on whats ahead and what we will need to overcome, and we have been given the tools to overcome the challenges.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Design
The dictionary definition of design is:
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' to draw the outline of; to plan; to sketch in outline; a pattern; scheme'
(Webster's English Dictionary)
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To use the mind, ones imagination to create, to invent is the raw idea of design but it goes deeper then that, its the ability of a man to mould his environment to suit not only his material needs but also his emotional, a design is an extension of a persons inner-self.
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Having read the extract from Lewis's book I find it is true that I do not truly find flow when doing things that seem like work, I have to struggle for an idea, but if it is something I did out of choice, something that I truly want to do, then ideas will come easily, I will have flow in my designs because I see it as more then just something that just has to be done, I see it as an extension of my imagination, my ideas freely created without limits put on by others, no rules that need to be conformed to. I can choose to do what i like, and take the design in any direction I want because it is my design.
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People need to release there creativity because on the practical side if one does it can lead to things like obsessive compulsive disorder , because of a lake of creative use, the mind becomes preoccupied. The other reason is because that it allows you to grow as a person, it gives form to thoughts.
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I do not worry that if i get a job that has many constraints because there is all ways a chance to put a bit of yourself into the work, no matter what it is.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Movement
Process is more important then outcome
This in a way goes back to the idea behind The Ramble by Tom Hodgkinson, but in a different sense, The Ramble was about observing everything around you during a journey, this idea is the same but refers to the process to a goal, the feeling rather then an actual physical environment. The idea is to learn from the process, from the success as well as the failures. In most things i do i enjoy the journey more then the achieving the goal, because every time i do it is accompanied by not only elation but a bit of sadness as well, this is because that is the end of a journey that cant be repeated. This sadness id because in my opinion no matter what people do in life, we are all creatures of action, we have to keep going and not sit in one spot for to long, we have to keep reaching higher no matter how fearful of falling from such a height.
Capture accidents
In my opinion this has two levels, first is that more often then not a mistake can lead to a more suitable find, in that what at first seems wrong could be a perfect fit for that design.
Second a 100 wrong ways to find a fitting design for whatever purpose is not a 100 failures but an understanding of 100 ways not to make that design. These 100 ways though could also be useful for other design purposes, for other products or ideas.
Stand on someones shoulder's
There is nothing wrong by being influenced by other people's work,it does not mean you are copying, just that you share similar principles, ideas or techniques. Many artists like Hiroshige, who fooled the footsteps of Hokusai which lead him to become one of the last great ukiyo-e artists, looked up to someone else, learnt from someone else, emulated someone else.
Most designs today are reworks of work from a day gone past, everything is recycled again and again, its how it is reformed that truly makes a piece interesting. I have used many other pieces of works to influence my work, its from others after all, that you find inspiration.
This in a way goes back to the idea behind The Ramble by Tom Hodgkinson, but in a different sense, The Ramble was about observing everything around you during a journey, this idea is the same but refers to the process to a goal, the feeling rather then an actual physical environment. The idea is to learn from the process, from the success as well as the failures. In most things i do i enjoy the journey more then the achieving the goal, because every time i do it is accompanied by not only elation but a bit of sadness as well, this is because that is the end of a journey that cant be repeated. This sadness id because in my opinion no matter what people do in life, we are all creatures of action, we have to keep going and not sit in one spot for to long, we have to keep reaching higher no matter how fearful of falling from such a height.
Capture accidents
In my opinion this has two levels, first is that more often then not a mistake can lead to a more suitable find, in that what at first seems wrong could be a perfect fit for that design.
Second a 100 wrong ways to find a fitting design for whatever purpose is not a 100 failures but an understanding of 100 ways not to make that design. These 100 ways though could also be useful for other design purposes, for other products or ideas.
Stand on someones shoulder's
There is nothing wrong by being influenced by other people's work,it does not mean you are copying, just that you share similar principles, ideas or techniques. Many artists like Hiroshige, who fooled the footsteps of Hokusai which lead him to become one of the last great ukiyo-e artists, looked up to someone else, learnt from someone else, emulated someone else.
Most designs today are reworks of work from a day gone past, everything is recycled again and again, its how it is reformed that truly makes a piece interesting. I have used many other pieces of works to influence my work, its from others after all, that you find inspiration.
Transformation
The film is set in Los Angeles in November 2019. Manufactured human beings called replicants, these replicants are used for dangerous and undignified work on off-world colonies. Replicants became illegal on Earth after a small rebellion which caused the creation of specialist police units called "blade runners" who were trained to hunt down and kill escaped replicants on Earth. The film details the story of a former blade runner hunting a of replicants hiding in Los Angeles.
http://www.impawards.com/1982/blade_runner.html
In Blade Runner the design combines what we know now with the directors view of the future to make it seem believable, for instance the gritty streets despite belching smoke and fire still in a way resemble city streets today especially in crowded backstreets with many milling around and doing shady deals. Places there are representative of today such as there being a Chinatown in the movie. Neon lights though seemingly more advanced in the movie are here today.
http://www.etext.org/Politics/MIM/movies/long/bladerunner1992.html
http://www.etext.org/Politics/MIM/movies/long/bladerunner1992.html
Small crowded food stores, dark rubbish littered streets, giant billboards, there is much in common with today that the design almost can make the audience feel that they are there.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Dream
Surrealism feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur (or absurdity to the point of being humorous or confusing)
The Persistence of Memory
by Salvador Dalí
http://www.moma.org/collection
Salvador Dalí has made a representation of time bending in a dream through the limp image of clocks. The apparently dead creature in the middle of the painting is meant to represent the artists own face, as on can see eyelashes, nose and tongue.
Neo-classicism is a movement that went through music, visual art, architecture, literature and theatre. Any neo classicism work depends on a body of work that is generally accepted as representing a field, which is were the classicism comes into the name of the movement . Neo-classicism is essentially an art of an ideal, an artist does not repeat it in lifeless reproductions, but synthesizes the tradition anew in each work. This means a set standard, but though a neoclassical artist who fails to achieve it may create works that are inane, vacuous or even mediocre, failures of craftsmanship are not commonly neoclassical failings because improvisation, self-expression, and inspiration are not neo-classical virtues but that of modernism.
This image I made is the photo of my front gate, overlaid with another photo of arm, then run through several filters in photo shop. I am not entirely sure why I did it other then I suppose I believe our dreams represent a door to parts of our mind that is not normally know when we are awake, a place were a imagination can run wild without the limitation of logic. That and the fact I am often opening doors in my dreams as though I am looking for something.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Proportion
I chose to do a work from Nakamura's second site. Nakamura’s linear time flow graphic is smooth and graceful, and the user can follow through the history of Mono Crafts and Nakumura, and though still under construction, the idea allows for continues updating, meaning that the site and the time line is always progressing.
By moving the mouse the user can interact by moving along the time line, or zooming in or out. This movement adds to the idea of linear progression of time, the user zooms through the months. The typography is key aspect of the design, that being the focus of the website, it creates a set atmosphere along with the colour and background image, which suggests a cool and sleek feel to the work of Nakamura. All his work goes along with grids giving a neat look and understandable structure.
As you can see in the shot below of his website, the website is structured yet free flowing because there is lot in what the user can interact with, and because this website is designed to show the work of mono crafts it demonstrates the professionalism of the company and the work of Nakamura.
http://www.g-marketing-blog.com/
Having looked at his other work such as entropy which has matched motion logic with geometric progression one can learn a lot about design and apply these lessons in their work.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Persuasion
Optical illusions have a lot to do with what people expect to see, but given time there people can see that there is a whole new meaning to an image then first thought. Take the example of the bird holding a man, or is it a man in a boat catching a large fish? Simply flipping the image changes the whole meaning of the image.
Perfect Squares
To be honest i am not totally sure on how this works, but if take the focus of the squares the lines form crosses and other squares besides the obvious ones, the boundaries of the squares are formed by the corners of the crosses and these hidden squares. Because of the fact that the boundaries of the squares are made from corners of other shapes, the squares are askew.
Stare at the black dot long enough and the grey starts to disappear.This optical illusion uses focus of a persons eye, as a person looks more and more intently at an object, the dimmer and out of focus everything else becomes, thus the appearance that the grey is fading away.
How many legs can you see?www.freewebs.com/diamondfites/
Optical illusion has everything to do with tricking the eye, four legs are expected on an elephant, the shading on the empty spaces were the legs would usually be, but the legs are actually in the spaces between were the legs would usually be giving the impression of many legs.
An optical illusion like this takes practice and planning to create, it is not a simple as at first seems and is not a product of luck, the creator as to constantly check to see if both sides of the image make sense.
What do you see, 13 or B?www.freewebs.com/diamondfites/
This optical illusion uses numbers and text to trick the eye, what people expect to see in reading across is a B, when they read down a 13. People see what they want to see, they expect what is normal, and only notice what truly is if they look closely.
This optical illusion uses numbers and text to trick the eye, what people expect to see in reading across is a B, when they read down a 13. People see what they want to see, they expect what is normal, and only notice what truly is if they look closely.
Dimensions
Euclidean geometry is an system, in which all true statements are derived from a finite number of axioms. Five axioms that Euclid suggests is:
- Any two points can be joined by a straight line.
- Any straight line segment can be extended indefinitely in a straight line.
- Given any straight line segment, a circle can be drawn having the segment as radius and one endpoint as center.
- All right angles are congruent.
- Parallel Postulate If two lines intersect a third in such a way that the sum of the inner angles on one side is less than two right angles, then the two lines inevitably must intersect each other on that side if extended far enough.
In fractal geometry, the fractal dimension is a statistical quantity that gives an indication of how completely a fractal appears to fill space, as one zooms down to finer and finer scales. This relates to the power of ten because of how much more or less fills within each scale. We zoom out and it may seem we see more, but in truth we do not see the finer detail that makes up the overall picture, because as we zoom in on a plant we see more and more from the leaves to the stem to the cells.
As you zoom in closer and closer the focus changes, objects that were once in the middle ground become the background and objects that were in the foreground become the centre of focus, taking up the majority of the viewers concentration, allowing the photographer to direct the audiences attention wherever the want it to lead.
- Any two points can be joined by a straight line.
- Any straight line segment can be extended indefinitely in a straight line.
- Given any straight line segment, a circle can be drawn having the segment as radius and one endpoint as center.
- All right angles are congruent.
- Parallel Postulate If two lines intersect a third in such a way that the sum of the inner angles on one side is less than two right angles, then the two lines inevitably must intersect each other on that side if extended far enough.
In fractal geometry, the fractal dimension is a statistical quantity that gives an indication of how completely a fractal appears to fill space, as one zooms down to finer and finer scales. This relates to the power of ten because of how much more or less fills within each scale. We zoom out and it may seem we see more, but in truth we do not see the finer detail that makes up the overall picture, because as we zoom in on a plant we see more and more from the leaves to the stem to the cells.
As you zoom in closer and closer the focus changes, objects that were once in the middle ground become the background and objects that were in the foreground become the centre of focus, taking up the majority of the viewers concentration, allowing the photographer to direct the audiences attention wherever the want it to lead.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Grids
The golden ratio is the relationship that the sum of two quantities is to the larger quantity as the larger is to the smaller. 1.618033989 is the approximate number of the golden ratio.
Many artists and architectures have proportioned their works to approximate the golden ratio,especially in the form of the golden rectangle which is when the ratio of the longer side to the shorter is the golden ratio. Its used because it is believed that the proportion is pleasing to the eye. Many mathematicians have studied the golden ratio because of its unique and interesting properties which can be found all around us in nature, even in ourselves.
One relationship of the golden section to the design of the human body is that there are:
- 5 appendages to the torso, in the arms, leg and head.
- 5 appendages on each of these, in the fingers and toes and 5 openings on the face.
- 5 senses in sight, sound, touch, taste and smell.
Elam, Kimberly, 2001, Geometry of Design: Studies in Proportion and Composition, Princeton Architectural Press, New York
The golden section in turn, is also based on 5, number 1.618033989, is found by using 5's, as follows:
I looked at Hokusai Katsushika's 'The Great Wave Off Kanagawa' and the concept of the golden section.
The Great Wave Off Kanagawa,
Hokusai Katsushika, 1780-1849
http://www.liquidknowledge.info/
Hokusai used compass and ruler to create this well known woodcut, as well as the concept of the golden sector also known as the most proportional and beautiful section.
The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, Hokusai Katsushika, 1780-1849 http://www.liquidknowledge.info/ (edited)
You can see in this image with the use of the grids Hokusai adds depth to the image and makes aspects of the wave more prominent then others.
Among the various cultures from the Roman to the Egyptian traditions; the harmonic proportions, human proportions, astronomical proportions , and various aspects of what was considered sacred cometary ( such as pentagram, golden ratio, and small whole-number ratios) were all applied as part design. So no one culture alone used grids in their designs, it was widespread because perhaps it is the way human beings see things as rather then just the different cultures, because to the human eye the neat order provided by a grid is is more beautiful to the eye.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Seeing
Yann Arthus-Bertrand is a famous French photographer who specialized in animal photography but then began to do aerial photography of places around the world. He has produced many books of his landscape photographs taken from helicopter and even balloon. His work often was related both politically and aesthetically. He wrote a book called '365 days: Earth from the Air' which this image was a part of:
This park is the largest protected space of Africa, it surrounds the Etosha Pan a great basin covered in salt, which transforms into a lake for a few weeks out of each year. Its water, although a repellent to mammals, allows growth of a blue-green algae, which attracts tens of thousands of flamingos. When the basin dries up, it is covered with grass on which the parks herbivores feed. Many areas such as this are protected in name only and are still exploited, as agriculture is practiced in nearly have of the protected areas in the world.
Arthus-Bertrand use the aerial shot to show the majesty of nature, and beauty in the startling shapes of bizarre plants and animals formed by the shoreline of this lake, which can be seen from the sky.
Shots like the photo of the lake and this of the Gorge of Bras de Caverne on the island of Reunion which was taken to show what was being lost to agricultural or urban use.
This photographer shows what's lost and leaves it to you to decide if it matters to you and if you will do anything about it.
This photographer shows what's lost and leaves it to you to decide if it matters to you and if you will do anything about it.
Thesis is a proposed idea, anti-thesis is the conflicting idea. The synthesis is the answer, a solution by reconciling the common truths at a higher level, therefore a stronger, newer thesis is made some examples are:
'Being / Non-being / Becoming,
subjective / objective / absolute, or
symbolic / classical / romantic.'
subjective / objective / absolute, or
symbolic / classical / romantic.'
The thesis of Yann Arthus-Bertrand's work is that the destruction of nature is detrimental to deeper needs of people, such as the need for a sunrise, a natural beauty around them, while the anti-thesis of this is that the forests have to be cleared and rivers tamed for expansion of cities and towns. The synthesis is for each person to decide, how far do you go for expansion, and how much do we need of nature?
Monday, March 5, 2007
Drawing from Life/ Observations
Observing the world around long enough you start to see patterns you didn't notice before, and we can take down these patterns to use later by daily recording what we see in the people, and the environment around us. Looking back at the recordings we begin to see cycles and a variety of patterns that we can use in our work.
Gestalt psychology is a theory that describes the brain as organised and parallel, taking in smaller parts of information such as lines and curves in a drawing and combining them to form an image, to see whole figures and forms rather then broken down aspects. The problem with this theory is that there is no explanation for it, why people see objects that logically have nothing to do with each other as more then they are, as a whole object.
Cognitive psychology is the study of the mental processes of problem solving, memory, and language, which stems from Gestalt psychology. In away it is the study of how the Gestalt theory works.
Through a journal people look to more then just note events and experiences, but actually try to comprehend what they are seeing and add meaning to whats around them. After looking at the extract from Jennifer New, it comes to my my mind that everyone who uses a journal for whatever reason reaches the same end use, and that is to express ones feelings through words to see not only how they view the world, but how they view themselves.
Observations
A Tree with Eyes
Don't really know why i noticed this, just thought it looked like a giant man looking over my house, kind of like the marshmallow man from ghost busters. What people see depends on the person and their own experiences, it for instance it will determine what they see in the shape of cloud, or what pattern in the pavement. Like the Gestalt psychology i guess i did not see the smaller parts of the whole, instead of the leaves, the branches and sky i saw a man.
My Dog
Patterns can be found all around in nature, including animals, for example, the colour of animals from dogs to parrots. Animals use patterns to survive, like a leopard who's coat allows it to hide in the grass.
Abstraction is the process of reducing an observation to retain only information which is relevant for a particular purpose, for instance abstracting a corgi cross with a beagle to simply a dog strips the traits of the that specific dog to the general traits of all dogs.
Perspective
The point of this photo is to show the vanishing point, as the the bricks seem to grow smaller in the distance, and the angles of objects like the tables, pots and chairs. You can use the environment to influence drawing from 1st to 3rd perspective, as its all around us.
In the studio we looked at perspective drawing, and at looking at the results of different techniques at drawing perspective and comparing them to real life you can get a real understanding of how it works, and advance in skill.
Depth
What i find interesting is how the wallpaper gives depth to the image, the balloons at different distances though its all on the same layer. This can be used as an example in drawing perspective.
Perspective has everything to with the focus of the eye, the variation in size of the balloon causes us to not balloons s different sizes but balloons at different distances, and in this way it acts like an optical illusion.
Patterns
There are patterns everywhere made made and natural, on purpose or accidental. Patterns in themselves are no more then connected lines and curves, but our mind makes them into something more, into shapes, and from shapes into patterns. This is in my opinion the base of the Gestalt theory, our mind abstracts the smaller specific detail to create something greater, to put meaning were there is none.
Gestalt psychology is a theory that describes the brain as organised and parallel, taking in smaller parts of information such as lines and curves in a drawing and combining them to form an image, to see whole figures and forms rather then broken down aspects. The problem with this theory is that there is no explanation for it, why people see objects that logically have nothing to do with each other as more then they are, as a whole object.
Cognitive psychology is the study of the mental processes of problem solving, memory, and language, which stems from Gestalt psychology. In away it is the study of how the Gestalt theory works.
Through a journal people look to more then just note events and experiences, but actually try to comprehend what they are seeing and add meaning to whats around them. After looking at the extract from Jennifer New, it comes to my my mind that everyone who uses a journal for whatever reason reaches the same end use, and that is to express ones feelings through words to see not only how they view the world, but how they view themselves.
Observations
A Tree with Eyes
Don't really know why i noticed this, just thought it looked like a giant man looking over my house, kind of like the marshmallow man from ghost busters. What people see depends on the person and their own experiences, it for instance it will determine what they see in the shape of cloud, or what pattern in the pavement. Like the Gestalt psychology i guess i did not see the smaller parts of the whole, instead of the leaves, the branches and sky i saw a man.
My Dog
Patterns can be found all around in nature, including animals, for example, the colour of animals from dogs to parrots. Animals use patterns to survive, like a leopard who's coat allows it to hide in the grass.
Abstraction is the process of reducing an observation to retain only information which is relevant for a particular purpose, for instance abstracting a corgi cross with a beagle to simply a dog strips the traits of the that specific dog to the general traits of all dogs.
Perspective
The point of this photo is to show the vanishing point, as the the bricks seem to grow smaller in the distance, and the angles of objects like the tables, pots and chairs. You can use the environment to influence drawing from 1st to 3rd perspective, as its all around us.
In the studio we looked at perspective drawing, and at looking at the results of different techniques at drawing perspective and comparing them to real life you can get a real understanding of how it works, and advance in skill.
Depth
What i find interesting is how the wallpaper gives depth to the image, the balloons at different distances though its all on the same layer. This can be used as an example in drawing perspective.
Perspective has everything to with the focus of the eye, the variation in size of the balloon causes us to not balloons s different sizes but balloons at different distances, and in this way it acts like an optical illusion.
Patterns
There are patterns everywhere made made and natural, on purpose or accidental. Patterns in themselves are no more then connected lines and curves, but our mind makes them into something more, into shapes, and from shapes into patterns. This is in my opinion the base of the Gestalt theory, our mind abstracts the smaller specific detail to create something greater, to put meaning were there is none.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Ramble
There has to be a time to take a break, to just walk for the pleasure of walking, its in these moments that we open our eyes to things around us, we notice objects and patterns in the area around us that we didn't see before because we are to busy walking from a to b, resenting the journey rather then enjoying as a moment to think.
I started to notice things on the way home that i never noticed before, most things that are man made have someones personality behind them, they put themselves in their work, from the design of a house, to advertisement billboards and even graffiti.
I have noticed how most people, for instance people on the bus, are lost in their own thoughts, distant from everyone else, looking through the window into their own little world.
Looking at the 1000 journals project it is amazing how many are doing it, putting their thoughts to paper, in a growing journal traveling around the world, more then a thousand of them now due the new 1001 project were people can now submit their own journals and send them around to others. This allows you to see the thoughts of other people, it is a medium for people to put their creativity, their thoughts to paper.
A journal is like a release for creativity, primal and unaltered thought. It allows people, especially adults, to put their thoughts down without criticism, the project allows them to do the same, but not just keeping it to themselves but show it to others, and taking comfort that thousands of people are doing the same.
I started to notice things on the way home that i never noticed before, most things that are man made have someones personality behind them, they put themselves in their work, from the design of a house, to advertisement billboards and even graffiti.
I have noticed how most people, for instance people on the bus, are lost in their own thoughts, distant from everyone else, looking through the window into their own little world.
Looking at the 1000 journals project it is amazing how many are doing it, putting their thoughts to paper, in a growing journal traveling around the world, more then a thousand of them now due the new 1001 project were people can now submit their own journals and send them around to others. This allows you to see the thoughts of other people, it is a medium for people to put their creativity, their thoughts to paper.
A journal is like a release for creativity, primal and unaltered thought. It allows people, especially adults, to put their thoughts down without criticism, the project allows them to do the same, but not just keeping it to themselves but show it to others, and taking comfort that thousands of people are doing the same.
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