Mind Map

LOGOS!

First impression is everything. Every product and design around us has a logo associated with it. We either love these logos or hate them, but despite which, we know them and that is what is most important. Logos are so important that a product that otherwise would not be bought by someone will be simply because of the logo or brand that it is. We can see any logo and without the name of the company being spelled out, have a mental image of what the business is, what they sell, how we view them etc. Logos are a great marketing tool but much more then that. Having the ability to show an entire culture in one little icon or symbol, and having it mean something to everyone that sees it daily is quite an undertaking. Designers are very aware of this and logo designers who do create an amazing logo that becomes a success for a company open doors and opportunities that they would have other wise never have had. When designing logos the designer has to take many things into consideration starting with the theme they want to use, the color, the complexity of the logo or the simplicity. Every element is extremely important and it is truly amazing in the end. The ideal that a simple "swish" of a check mark for Nike can mean an entire world for people all in one little symbol. Other logos that have the names are also just as important. The design, the font, the form of that logo is everything. Once a name is stylized a certain way, even if the same style is used for a different name, we can recognize that and say...there is something weird about that, oh yeah it is the same as this other logo but a different word. The logos of our society are critical to companies all over the world to help people pinpoint their brands and their style and to refer back to it and remember it. It is a giant marketing scheme in its simplest form.

Want to see some great blog websites??

Here is a list of some of the webpages i have found very interesting and diverse.

Design Observer

http://www.designobserver.com/

I love this site because it is filled with everything and anything from all different sorts of people. Topics range all the way from design technology to history to religion to sustainability. There are thousands of different blogs to follow on this site and i just couldnt choose one. Great page with so many different beliefs and ideals.

Fuel Your Creativity

http://www.fuelyourcreativity.com/

BEST BLOG TO FOLLOW! This blog is definetly geared toward todays society and my ideals which is what i love about it. Learn about EVERYTHING from principles of design to design processes to finding your inner artist and using your imagination. Some people are born creative...if you are me then that isnt true for you. This blog is a great source for inspiration and awesome ideas from others. They also have a lot of other links to great websites and blogs to spark that need to design.

The Design Cubicle

http://www.thedesigncubicle.com/

The main function behind this blog is graphic design. It is great for those that need services in this field with tips for logo design, branding, web design and advertising and marketing. If ever you needed to design anything whether it be a brochure or even a buisiness card, this is the place to go.

Design, Culture & Language

Design is basically the planning or originating of anything such as a piece of artwork, a product or a system. What it will look like, what its function will be, who will use it etc.

Culture is characteristics such as customs and/or beliefs of a group of people identified by either there age, there ethnicity or race and much much more.

Language is a way of communicating thoughts, feelings and ideas with others through the use of symbols, signals, gestures or sounds.

These three concepets are related in every aspect of life. The design process for an idea is dictated by the culture it is being made for. Each culture has a language with which it communicates to the world. Therefore when wanting to express ideas to a different culture one would have to design a product or piece of art that speaks in that language of the culture. With out this influence that each of these has on the other there really would be very little differenciation of anything. Everything would be the same, and would really be made or one person, not a large quantity of individuals and their beliefs and personal ideals as well. Design, culture and language interact in every level of production and conception.

"It is what it is" Artist Video

Mark Romanek

As the director of music videos from Faint by Linkin Park to Closer by Nine Inch Nails all the way to 99 Problems by Jay Z, Mark Romanek has simple ideas on design created by very complicated and difficult means. Is work is to create illusions of realness through film. He believes that his designs should feel natural and normal. He achieves this through trial and error. Embrassing accidents and doing little planning are techniques of his. He believes incompleteness is key to producing the finished product. He states about his work that "it is what it is". It is simple and easy. He believes his works should be interpretive. Everything can have potential meaning to different people. In the end all that matters is to engage audiences emotionally. This is what defines his design and encompasses his pholosophy.

Helvetica

The typeface i chose is Helvetica not so much because of what it creates with relation to the meaning but insead of what it doesnt say. Helvetica is simplistic and legible. It is authoritative and humanistic. It is rigid and casual at the same time. In a sense it is the perfect typeface for everything one would ever want to say. It has been around for years on billboards, posters, government papers, public information signs, shop signs, cards and everywhere in between and yet we almost dont notice it, yet we recongize it anywhere. It has been around forever just looking for someone to make it better or another typeface that becomes more popular or well known all over the world and to date it has not happened.

"I Dont Work, I Dream" Philippe Starck

Philippe Starck is truly a master of design. Born in 1949 in Paris France he has grown up to become known as not only a French product designer but also a creator as well as an architect. Starck’s father was an engineer and architect who Starck attributes to giving him the ability and desire to design and dream that anything is possible. He designs everything from interior decorating and furniture to consumer goods. Starck has truly lived up to this idea and has accomplished more then he ever believed he would and is still going strong

Starck went to school in Paris and started out with his first design firm which was focused on inflatable objects and soon after became art director of said firm. It wasn’t until about 13 years later when Starck got the opportunity to design the interior of the apartment for the French President which sent his career into the fast track.

He is best known for his Juicy Salif (essentially the lemon squeezer) which he created in 1990 which has been called an icon of industrial design and was even displayed in New York’s Museum of Modern Art. In America he is known for his product design which he created in 2002 for Target. He has worked with many different companies and people and has created objects of all different uses and functions. His most recent designs include many different yachts, the optical mouse for Microsoft and even a brand new packaging for a beer company.

As far as more of his products go he has created a stylized toothbrush, the first toothbrush sterilizer and wireless speakers for the ipod and iphone just to name a few.
He is also famous for his furniture for the Italian manufacture Kartell. His Bubble Club sofa and Ghost Chair are world famous. His Bubble Club Chair in particular is seen on the TV series Boston Legal on the outside balcony of Denny Cranes office where every episode ends.

He has also produced many interior designs. His restaurant designs include The Peninsula Hong Kong as well as the Café Costes in Paris. He has redesigned the Royalton Hotel as well as the Paramount in New York City the Delano Hotel in Miami, the Mondrian Hotel in Los Angeles, the St. Martins Lane Hotel and the Sanderson Hotel both in London and the Clift hotel in San Francisco. He has also created Jia his first boutique hotel in Asia. He has also designed his own properties featuring solely his interiors as well has having redecorated public places like Le Meurice in Paris which he did along side of his daughter.

But that is not were it ends. Starck had designed a whole line of watches with Fossil, has an entire design of windmills for energy saving, all products from the kitchen to the bathroom to baby monitors. He has designed motorcycles to luggage and clothes to food products. Truly there is nothing this man cannot do.

What sets Starck apart from the rest is not only his chic products and looks but the economically availability of his products as well. He strives for his products to be affordable, efficient and environmentally safe. He prides himself on not producing single objects of great expense but usable objects that he helps mass produce.

Now at 61 years old and with four children and now his fourth wife Philippe is not close to slowing down. He takes care of public relations in Paris, works in New York City and spends the rest of his time between Burano Italy and London. With more than 14 design awards under his belt he is continuing to revolutionize the world of design and function.

Bibliography

Alix, Browne. “Profile in Style: Philippe Starck.” New York Times Magazine (2008): 134. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 18 Feb. 2010

“Philippe Starck on Design and Politics.” BusinessWeek Online (2008): 15. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 18 Feb. 2010

Starck, Philippe. Philippe Stark Network. Markus Kern. Web. 15 Feb. 2010

Visual Metaphor

Being married and a mom this visual meant something to me immediatly. This metaphor is clearly showing the adolecence of being a teenager, being in school and just living ones life just being a kid. The vocal point ofthe picture which is the pregnancy test is a clear departure from that high school attitude of no responsiblity and a care free life. The pregancy test is positive meaning this person is pregnant. This metaphor would most likely be taken as a negative image since getting pregnant at a young age is looked down on in most cases. Though i did not have my child in highschool i am still young and therefore can relate to the image. For me this metaphor is very powerful and could mean different things to many different people. For most it would be their worst dreams and to others who have been there it is more of a "oh yeah, been there". Either way most American teenagers would have a very strong opinion of the metaphor and know immediately what it is simbolizing. This makes this an excellent visual metaphor in my mind because no words are needed what so ever. An entire book could be wrote about this one image.

Communist Propoganda poster

This is an interesting poster by the Communist party as a play on the American U.S. Army recruiting posters. In this message they are showing a clear message of how they view the U.S. government and the basically what the military will do to you.

Response to Incomplete Manifesto for Growth by Bruce Mau

Ask Stupid Questions.

I felt that this statement from Bruce Mau as a personal belief was very important in not only the approach to projects but in many aspects of life. It is A useful point for this purpose. I think that for most of us as we go through life we have these moments when we feel like we should already know something even though we don't and even feel embarrassed that maybe everyone else understands except for us. So instead of asking what we thought was a "stupid question" we keep silent, losing out on the opportunity to truly understand and learn something new. Most of the time as we usually find out after the opportunity has passed that we were far from alone and really many others are just as lost with unanswered questions due to the pressure of society that has told us to not show our weaknesses, don't let people know we don't understand everything and if you don't understand just act like you do. So many things would be clearer and more thought out if only we took the time to ask questions instead of pretending like we already know, or don't want to know.

When pursuing a new project this point is especially valuable. Asking stupid questions can not only open the problem up fully to one's mind but can also open a whole realm of questions that previously were unanswered. This could change the aspect of the project completely to something maybe not thought of before. Asking the stupid questions also allows you to slow down and look at your project from other points of view. Yes, you made the project so of course you know about it, but have you made it easy to understand for someone who knows nothing of what you know. Can everyone relate to it? Do other people understand what the heck you are getting at? Asking not only makes your work more complete but also makes it more available to others that otherwise may not have understood or cared about it.

In our lives we are told by people of authority over and over to not ask stupid questions. Who decides what a stupid question is? Are there really different levels of questions that we need to be aware of when asking them. My opinion on this is really...who cares! Ask all the questions you want especially when someone tells you not to. We should focus on learning all we can whenever possible. Another great side of asking stupid questions, which is probably my favorite part of it is the answers you get, or don't get in return. More than ever before it is important to ask stupid questions because today more then ever, people who we have put in authority over us whether personally, professionally, academically or even politically either don't have the answers for us or more importantly don't want us asking or knowing the answers to those questions. We should never settle with others thoughts and answers, we should never stop asking questions.