Sustainable Innovation

             Nathan Shedroff’s Sustainable Innovation lecture discussed the shift in American values away from a sustainable society. Design, sustainability, and business must equally be understood in order for either of them to be successful. For the business world it has been a challenge for designers to effectively get the message across to the businessmen in a way that would seem more relative to their nature of work. The business world is looking to design more services rather than objects to work towards this ideal sustainable society. The iPhone for example is extremely popular to say the least, but this popularity isn’t because of the physical phone itself, but because of the services it provides. It has taken place of several objects including watches, alarm clocks, GPS systems, and much more. The fact that an individual can purchase this one object to take place of multiple ones, directs us towards a less consumerist society, which in turn is favored from a sustainability standpoint. It is unfortunate to know that America was more sustainable in the 1960’s than it is now. Back then society reused objects and recycled more. The good news knowing that our values have obviously shifted is that they can shift back leading us to a better place in terms of financial, social, and ecological sustainability. Shedroff’s lecture was effective because he used familiar examples and simplified language in which we could all understand without having to think so hard.

The Bauhaus

  
             The Bauhaus “House of Building” was a German school which combined crafts and fine arts and was largely known for its publicized approach to design.  Founded by Walter Gropius in 1919, the idea of it was to create a “total” work of art in which all arts would be brought together.  The style of Bauhaus had a great influence on modern design and developments in art, architecture, and much more.  Gropius wanted to create a new group of artists who weren’t concerned with class distinctions thus having no barriers between the artists.  Architecture became a large focus at the Bauhaus in which it was to be new, functional, and cheap.  Eventually the school changed its name to Technical University of Architecture and Civil Engineering as it seemed to revolve more around the architectural department as opposed to the various arts once before.  Art and architectural trends have been impacted by the Bauhaus across Western Europe, America, and other various places.  In fact, some American art schools such as Harvard School of Design and Florida State University base their philosophies on Bauhaus theory and practice.  It is astounding that a school built and developed so long ago still has its presence in the world of art today.

Objectified by Hustwit

             Objectified by Hustwit argues that designers, whether simple or complicated put a lot of time and effort into their designs.  One designer stated that a lot goes into even the simplest designs, such as an apple peeler.  Before the newly designed apple peeler was one not useful for those with arthritis.  To come up with a new prototype they tried many different ways until they made use of a bike handle.  Throughout the video many statements are made about design and designers.  The content can be largely explained by words, yet the form takes place through visual examples.  Instead of just telling us, “form doesn’t follow function,” he shows us how an Apple Iphone is very functional but looks rather simple.  His video also shows the relationship between form and content with certain objects.  A chair and a spoon can be easily understood as far as their use, as opposed to a computer.  Some forms do follow their function, or content, and others do not.  Design is the search for form, according to one designer, and that form must be something new.  In order to come up with the new, designers must look into the future, not the past.  One designer from Paris claimed that people want new things.  Mobile phones have been around for a while and in the past three years we’ve been through about five of them.  This is right on target and shows that designers are constantly being challenged to put old things and their content into a new and exciting form.

Fly Air France...if you're into fashion

             Upon traveling home this past weekend to Southern California I happened to analyze the Southwest Airlines stewardess uniform. They were rather distasteful and non- flattering to the female body. While searching for information on the internet regarding flight crew uniforms I came upon an article, “Dressed for Success: the right uniforms can sell an airline’s brand.” The article speaks of the chairman and CEO of Air France making a decision to renew their uniforms. In the past Air France has had their uniforms designed by Dior and Balenciaga. This time they chose Christian LaCroix to come up with their new look. I would never imagine that an airline company would ever invest such a large amount of money to have a famous designer create their new uniforms. Personally I would not choose an airline based on how stylish their flight attendants looked, rather, which airline is the cheapest. However Air France believes that fashionable clothing is vital to its overall branding and marketing and with such a famous designer they would get more PR leverage. Air France is not alone. Delta Air Lines, British Airways, Air Canada, and Korean Air are also resorting to this form of branding through fashion.

Design on the Runway

             Runway and runway shows are a vital component in a designer’s career.  Designer’s put in much time and effort to earn those good reviews, resulting in large sales.  If you’ve ever seen a runway show, whether it is in real life or on television, have you ever said, “Gosh I have to get that outfit ASAP!”  Never!  Every time I’ve seen a runway show all that runs through my head is, what are they wearing and why?  The outfits on the models are outrageous to say the least.  One would find it odd that such a look would want people to buy from that designer who put those clothes as they did on the models.  The image above is from a Japanese runway show.  Japan has a culture in its own so it does vary largely from here in the U.S., however the same idea can be seen here.  The models look like clowns.  No one would ever be seen walking down the street in such an outfit.  However, the purposes of runway shows are to be over the top and outrageous.  If the viewers see certain clothing in a store without seeing the runway show, they will most likely think that it’s too much and will refuse to live on the edge and be creative with their style.  Those who see runway shows prior to seeing similar “looks” in the stores will be more open to the idea of wearing it simply because they have already seen the look in a crazy way and will feel comfortable in their version of it because compared to the runway look it is very tamed.

High Priced Repetition

             Several high- priced brands use repetition in the majority of their designs, more specifically in handbags.  Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Coach, Dooney & Bourke are a few brands who use repetition as their main design.  Repetition is a valuable and widely used device for achieving visual unity (Lauer, Chapter 2).  Takashi Murakami, a designer who can be compared to Claes Oldenberg, on the basis of selling low art to cultures of higher standards.   Murakami’s work is used for Louis Vuitton handbags makes use of repetition.  In Killer Pink, 2002, Murakami uses many animated looking flowers with happy faces on them as his design.  Granted they are all bright and different colors, this repetition provides a counterpoint to the various colors.  Louis Vuitton has several different yet similar bags with different repetitive looks.  Some consist of these animated flowers, others consist of red cherries.  The majority of their bags are simply designed with their logo LV all over the place.  Perhaps their goal isn’t to achieve a look of unity for their bags, but more so that their customers want everyone to know that they can afford a Louis Vuitton so they may as well make it obvious that it is a Louis Vuitton.  Why not buy a Louis Vuitton handbag that isn’t so obvious?  

Images from http://www.schwimmerlegal.com/images/murakami.jpg, 

Black Bears Ride Bicycles?

             Driving though Davis today I passed by Black Bear Diner and noticed that their signs and decorations on the outside of the restaurant consisted of a black bear riding a bicycle, as you can see in the above image.  I thought to myself how clever it was to make this restaurant unique to Davis being that there are several of these same restaurants elsewhere.  I did some research and found that the bear riding a bicycle is not used for marketing at the other Black Bear Diner restaurants, only in Davis.  Clearly Davis is known for being a bike town and it would make sense for any business to incorporate community relevance and interest in their marketing design to potentially attract more customers.  When designing logos or any sort of branding images, it is important to think of who the buyer is.  Several factors go in to the marketing process when developing the image of a restaurant in a new location.  Recognizing a unique characteristic of the location and acting upon that takes the image to the next level.  Who knows if the bear riding a bicycle will actually attract more customers in there, but whoever was in charge of the design of Black Bear Diner in Davis did not forget the residents who live there and what they spend much time doing. 

Photo from http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/PXz1zMm-RjTY_aYGF-14Dw?select=i-OuZ_QSS6nONxOI-jtJUQ

African American Quilts

             Upon visiting the African American Quilt Exhibit at the Nelson Art Gallery there were several quilts which exemplified rhythm and pattern in design. Rhythm, a design principle not only based on repetition, but on clear repetitions of elements that are the same or slightly modified (Lauer Chapter 6) is greatly apparent in Sharecropper’s Masterpiece, by Avis Collins Robinson. In each square of the quilt were either vertical or horizontal lines of different fabrics. Each square contained the same colors, just in various orders. Alternating rhythm, rhythm consisting of successive patterns in which the same elements reappear in a regular order, is apparent being that the lines, being horizontal or vertical, alternate every other square. In recognition of the pattern of this quilt, which also consists of repetition of a reoccurring design, again the vertical and horizontal lines make up the entire piece of work. The second quilt, Untitled by an unknown has various repeating elements. The background itself has an exact repetitive pattern. The pink vertical stripes/rectangles are consistent throughout the quilt and are placed equal distances from each other. On top of those rectangles are yellow diamonds which continue vertically along the rectangles, each diamond touching the end of the next. The final layer consists of the squares on top of the diamonds which vary in color with no apparent color scheme. With pattern and rhythm, the repetition of various motifs creates a spark of interest for the viewer.

The Dependence Between Social Media and Design

             Social media, which is media that depends upon social interaction has recently become the best and cheapest marketing route for entrepreneurs, more specifically, designers.  Designers trying to break through and be noticed must find creative ways to get their name and work to the rest of the world.  Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter are among a few forms of social media which aid in marketing for these designers.  It would be apt to say that designers may depend on social media in some way.  I came across a blog with a blog titled, “How Design Impacts Social Media.”  It states that in order to achieve high traffic in a blog, the design of it must be thoughtfully planned out.  In other words blogs, another form of social media, depends on design.  Don’t you find it interesting that these two means of expression depend on each other to be successful?  In this particular blog it gives 8 ways that design influences social media users.  A couple “ways” include things such as first impression, and branding.  These both play a significant role in social media success, as well as design success.  I would have never known social media and design would have much in common but after reading this blog I have found the connection between the two, as well as their dependence on each other.

A New Appreciation of Comics as Art

          
             I never really understood what comics were. Growing up I was never interested in them but was exposed to them through my brother. All I associated with comics was colorful pictures of superheroes. I also made fun of my brother because I thought it was a dorky hobby. After reading McCloud’s Understanding Comics: the Invisible Art, my perceptions on comics has greatly changed. Comics really are more complex than what our ideologies say they are, such as childish. They allow the reader to be imaginative in their thinking as they read the comic, thus completing it. Other mediums don’t leave the gap for the reader to create their own stories within the story. Comics are art and should be accredit as such. A lot of time and effort is put into the creation of comics and it is unjust for them to go unnoticed simply because they are “just comics.” I’m glad that I am now informed of the true meaning behind comics which allows me to appreciate another thing in life rather than looking past it. I can’t say that reading comics will become a hobby, however when I see a comic strip in the newspaper I will read it and think further into what is in front of me. I hope that others who have never appreciated comics will have the chance to learn more about the mysterious and magical part of them.

Goethe Steals the Attention

             Painted by Tischbein in 1787, the Portrait of Goethe in the Roman Campagna has an established focal point, directing all of the attention to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  The focal point, Goethe himself, is emphasized by contrast and isolation.  Relating to contrast, the cream white smock stands out from the remaining dark elements, focusing the attention to the light form.  In relation to establishing the focal point by isolation, Goethe is the only human in sight among the ruins of ancient Rome.  If there were others lying beside him, he would no longer be the focal point.  In this painting however, he is.  The distance of objects in the painting also emphasizes the focal point.  Notice how Goethe is the largest object in the painting.  Tischbein wouldn’t dare paint him closer to the mountains because the mountains would be too large, stealing the attention away from Goethe.  Instead, the mountain was drawn further away so it would look small and dainty.  This would include the buildings in the background as well.  The focal point is also close to the left side which could potentially draw the viewer’s attention out of the picture.  However, Goethe’s head and eye contact looking to the right side of the painting keeps the attention in the picture.  Tischbein did an excellent job in keeping Goethe as the focal point while keeping the attention in the picture.

Styrofoam Sky

            

          
             Tara Donovan, a respected artist from Nyack, New York creates her large-scale masterpieces out of various every day materials. Scotch tape, Styrofoam cups, and drinking straws have all been a part of Donovan’s sculptures, which frequently have biomorphic qualities. Biomorphic art focuses on organic shapes with shapeless hints of the forms of biology, connecting with surrealism. As seen in Donovan’s work above, we can connect these Styrofoam cups with the softness and full appearance of the clouds in the sky. Working with such small materials and large canvas must be quite challenging. I would expect physical exhaustion upon completion of this sculpture. Donovan’s inspiration keeps her on track. Her source of inspiration is similar to that of Andy Goldsworthy and Jackson Pollock. The three of them respond to the materials as they work instead of controlling what the materials do. Donovan stated “she chooses the material before she decides what can be done with it (Wikipedia, June 20, 2009).” She also thinks in terms of the materials expanding. Her intention of her work is to mimic nature referring to the way things actually grow. Thus connecting to the expanding of the materials. Things start small and grow larger. She has a unique approach to design and for that she is noted as a truly innovative artist.

Is Less Really More?

             Modern art follows the trend that “less is more.”  This is in regards not only to art but also the amount of clothing one wears, makeup, weight, etc.  I am trying to decide is less really is more?  As far as makeup goes, I will agree that the more natural, the more beautiful.  The amount of clothing however, should not be reduced to the bare minimum.  It is not classy, only tacky.  Weight is a large issue in today’s society considering the large population has been battling with obesity.  In this case, less is more.  What about art?  Is simplicity the epitome of beautiful art?  I don’t believe so.  Simplicity can be beautiful art, yes, but being very detailed and dramatic can be beautiful as well.  Obviously it is possible to go over the top, but many of the old European Baroque works of art competes just as well.  Shown above are two examples, one is modern style and the other Baroque.  The modern art appears more abstract.  They are both equally as beautiful but quite frankly I am almost bored with the modern work.   Every one is entitled to their own opinion and many will argue Baroque is better while others prefer the modern art.  All in all, they are both products of time, feelings, and hard work.  They equally exemplify what design is.

The Ultimate Dream Catcher

             Today, we were to get into groups and create something out of materials each of us brought. Our source of inspiration…the materials we were working with. Our group had no idea what we were going to create prior to the final product. We just put things here and there and kept moving forward. It would most definitely be classified as abstract art. We called it, The Ultimate Dream Catcher. As seen above it is constructed of various everyday materials. We managed to make a hot air balloon out of a plastic carton, string, and a plastic grocery bag. Another portion of our creation appears similar to that of a squid, not realistically of course. We worked with the materials, responded to them. A famous artist has a source of inspiration similar to ours. Painter Jackson Pollock creates his art with lines. He “responds to the materials to express something rather than illustrate.” He has control over the paint, and nothing is an accident. Many say that good artists seek inspiration outside of themselves. Pollock claims that his source of inspiration is completely internal and isn’t found outside of himself; his feelings and emotions are his inspiration. However, Pollock responds to the materials, therefore the materials are his inspiration. In many cases, whether artists agree or not, inspiration is found outside oneself.

Claude Monet : Inspired by Inspiration

            Clause Monet, a founder of French impressionist painting, practiced the philosophy of expressing one’s perceptions before nature.  Born in Paris, Monet and his family moved to Normandy, where he attended Le Havre secondary school of the arts.  When Monet traveled to Paris to visit the Louvre, he noticed several painters copying the works of previous grand artists.  He decided that instead of conforming to such unoriginal artwork, he would instead sit somewhere and paint what he saw.  The image shown above, On the Bank of the Seine, Bennecourt, exemplifies this work of impressionist art that Monet practiced.  He literally sat at a window, observed what he saw, and painted just that.  His inspiration came from traveling to the Louvre in Paris, and his desire to be unique and original.  Inspiration can transpire from anything.  Traveling and viewing the world will open up an artist’s eyes and expand his imagination.  However, Monet wasn’t inspired by the physical view of the Louvre; he was inspired by what occurred there, the actions of those artists surrounding him.  It was after this inspiration to be original that Monet became inspired by the physical view of the world and those living in it.  I suppose we could say his inspiration transpired from his inspiration. 

A Rainbow: the ironic slippage

 A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. They take the form of a multicoloured arc, with red on the outer part of the arch and violet on the inner section of the arch. (Wikipedia, 2009)  In today’s society, when people see a rainbow, they think “gay”.  How did such slippage occur?  At what point did society decide to agree that a rainbow would suddenly symbolize homosexuals?  Growing up, rainbows were aesthetically pleasing to look at.  All of the vibrant colors captured the observers’ attention.  As from the image above, rainbows are now gay.  Homosexuals, in the eyes of many, are not aesthetically pleasing.  The meaning/representation of a rainbow has shifted from one extreme, to another.  From being completely innocent, to “utterly unreasonable,” society has allowed the true meaning of a rainbow, slip to the complete opposite.  What is even more ironic is that in religious beliefs, the rainbow is a promise from God that the terrestrial world will never be destroyed by flood again, as stated in the Bible.  It represents a sacred promise.  Many Christians believe that homosexuals will go to hell based on the word of the Bible.  This shows a large contrast between the light and dark side.  It’s just odd how this one image can have such drastic meanings and relationships.  What once was an icon is now a symbol.  This is bound to occur given that society has the ability to create their own meanings of images, so long as everyone else agrees. 

The Works of Cy Twombly

           

       Artist Cy Twombly exemplifies the Latin etymology of design through his works.  Signare is the Latin term used for design, meaning to mark, or mark making.  By analyzing Twombly’s work, including this piece shown above, Untitled (Rome), it is apparent that he uses non- iconic symbols, and drastic and distinct marks.  This artwork is elusive in that one can not positively say that this piece has a distinct meaning.  To construe the meaning of this art depends on how each individual perceives it.  Some question whether this is art.  Who is to say that this kindergarten work is art?  By definition art is the product of human creativity.  Therefore, this is in fact art.  One may not think a great amount of time and thought went into this project but who really knows how much effort was actually put into it?  The artwork seems as though it has unintentional markings.  Again, who is to say they were unintentional?  Maybe the point of those marks was to allow the perceivers to perceive the work in a different way the artist had wished for.  Twombly’s work is similar to the work of Ric, which I analyzed earlier.  Both artists make use of non- iconic symbols allowing our imaginations to be creative as we perceive their work.  Making aesthetic judgments on this form of abstract work will vary among individuals as everyone has different meanings of what beauty is to them.  That is what makes this abstract art so fascinating; it means something different to everyone.

Fell's Point Festival Baltimore, Maryland

http://www.RicFineArts.com

            This past weekend I had the pleasure of traveling to Baltimore, Maryland.  Luckily, the annual Fell's Point Festival happened to be there the same time I was.  Several artists had their art displayed for pleasure and purchase.  The work of Ric captured my attention over the other art showcased.  He uses bright, vibrant colors for his pieces to capture the beauty of the universe.  This piece, Peacock, among all the others in his collection is composed of unique shapes.  These abstract, non-iconic shapes and lines allow us to concur that this artist creates art in the range of "the picture plane," in accordance to the pictorial vocabulary of visual arts.  In this particular style, the odd shapes and colors aren't clearly representative of anything.  They are merely ink on paper.  This type of art allows the imagination of each individual to decide what it wants the piece to mean; to each their own.  As for Ric, it states on his website that his work represents spiritual reflection.  However, without an individual reading such information, they could have interpreted this artwork in a completely different way.  When I first set sight on Peacock and observed it, it appeared to me as people dancing in the wind.  I suppose my interpretation is in the general area of spiritual reflection.  By refusing formal training, Ric's art is absolutely one of a kind.