Comparison and Contrast

In order to see relation and or see a difference, you have to compare and contrast. It requires more than one thing to compare and contrast. It can be anything you want. When you compare and contrast you find how things are the same, or different. You make a connection between them. Even certain things can be completely different, but there is always some sort of similarity, even if it’s not a major similarity. It can be change over time, or 2 different objects.

Today, I want to compare and contrast something we actually sketched in class, the iconic character of Hello Kitty.

Compare from the first picture of Hello Kitty from 1974 to present year, 2010. You can easily see they are the same character. They have the same basic shape of the kitty in overalls, and the bow. Hello kitty became popular when it first came out, and it still is the most recognized character. They both still holds the same purpose. Hello Kitty has always been an iconic image that is most popular amongst girls.

Contrasting both Hello Kitty then and now, you can easily see a difference of how the character is designed from the past, and then altered a little now. It has definitely become more appealing to the audience and more simplified, as we became more modern. The iconic image of Hello Kitty has expanded universally, and she has become appealing to all types of ages now. From little girls, to adult women, she is an icon that has changed a little over the years. But, her character is still the same no matter how different she may seem to look, compared to the first images of her.

The relation between time and change, to compare and contrast, is finding a connection. You can always find similarities and differences in things, it just takes a little bit of thinking.

Design As A Conversation

                                               Picture from Google

How can design be a conversation? It can be defined as a conversation when there is communication between the creator and the audience. It does not need to be direct, but it’s a message portrayed by the creator. If the message is read by the audience, that means there is conversation between the two.

Conversation happens quickly, when the message of the creator is understandable. When there is connection and relation between the audience and the creator, then the creator has done their job. The audience learns something, they understand, and gain knowledge of a different point of view. It is important for the message or conversation to be effective. Design as a conversation should make an impact. Design has a purpose, and when the purpose is achieved, the audience leaves with the impact from the conversation.

A painting, a sculpture, a clothing collection, a song, and many more design examples; they all hold different conversation between their audiences. The audience will be impacted somehow, when there is conversation with the design. It can send a message of happiness, sadness, time, change; anything. Design as a conversation gives a designer the ability to create their own display of the message they want to portray, without having to be obvious. You have a conversation from your senses, the more the message is portrayed through the audiences senses, the more of an impact the message will have. Through seeing, observing, hearing, and feeling are some examples of how you can interact with design and have a conversation.

For example, when Lady Gaga and Yoko One sing for an audience, the song, "The Sun is Down," they have a conversation with the audience. Lady Gaga shows her message through her outfit, her song, her emotions and expressions. She is sending a message to connect with her audience. She has a conversation with her audience through her performance.

                                         Pictures from Google images

So, design as a conversation can be read universally. It doesn’t have a specific language. As long as the design gives the audience the message the creator wants to give, then it is all the matters. The audience has to be interested, and it has to effectively impact them somehow. Being able to have a conversation with your audience is very important to the creator, you want them to be intrigued and understand your point of view. So when you look at a design, have a conversation.

Cookie Anyone?

                                                  Picture from Google images

                Have you ever thought of your food as art? More specifically, your favorite cookie? This weekend I decided to bake cookies and I thought, are there any art pieces that are of cookies? Surprisingly, there are.

                The chocolate chip cookie is pretty universal, and it has been around since 1930. It was created by Ruth Walkfield at the Toll House Inn, where of course that’s where Toll House cookies came to be. Ever since then, chocolate chip cookies have become the most popular cookie in America.

                I came across this art piece, “Eat Your Heart Out,” by Tim Berg and Rebekah Myers, 2008. It shows a series of 4 pieces. The 4 pieces shows a giant ice cream sandwich being eaten. In the end, you just have the wrapper.

                                                Picture from Google images

                But, Tim and Rebekah, is using this of many other art pieces to represent disconnect between our reassuring fantasies of nature and the much more alarming reality. They present sculptural installations of childhood language, such as toys. They turn the message of comfortable accommodation upside down. The use highly glazed clay, fiberglass, plastic, wood, and Styrofoam to show their fragility. Their previous works include shiny pink penguins set on eroding ceramic ice floes and inflatable plastic killer whales resting on ornamental wooden bases. They juxtapose these creatures against fabricated ice cream sandwiches, half eaten popsicle and ice cream cones. They are symbols of our mindless consumption. These sculptures show our careless disregard for nature’s fate and suggest a similarity of the way we treat our personal possessions, such as the natural world. The show is titled “All good things…,” a phrase whose unstated ending is, “must come to an end.”

                So there is more to a cookie than just its taste. When you look paste it as just a dessert, you find a big representation of our consuming world. Although we have many good things in our lives, they are all being mass produced and are very harmful to our natural world. We must understand that eventually, all good things must come to an end.

The Creative Process

                According to Goldsworthy, the creative process consists of three simple words; thinking, looking, and doing. These are the basics of design.

                To get started, you should think about the problem. You have to know what you are doing before you do it. Ask yourself what you want to achieve. How do you want to style it, what medium, size and color? Then, you think about how to go about this, and solve it. Think about how your idea should be represented and how to communicate it to the people looking at it. After, you think about your audience. Think about how you want to address them, what content, and function.

                Next, there is looking. This is an important part to any artist. We use looking to observe things around us such as nature or human artifacts. We look at our surroundings to learn and possibly help us with our own designs. There is history and culture, visual training and retraining. We see art and design through television, film, internet, and print images. These can influence us to see relationship and examine the works of art and what they address.

                Finally, there is doing. It starts with visual experimentation and revising yourself. Usually, it is thinking with materials. The process is trial and error.  The idea takes form in a sketch, or in final materials. When you are doing and re doing, you take the idea into a life of its own. You are the creator, and you give the design its shape. In, the end, it shows your experiences, and your work is rewarding. Your design will tell a story.

Creativity From Without

                 Where do you get your inspiration? From your surroundings, your experiences, or maybe just one item you are drawn to? Your creativity sometimes requires you to look outside the box, and find your inspiration in unexpected places or things. When you find inspiration, it is something that catches your attention and gives you ideas, which influence your designs.

                When I have to look outside the box, I look through my surroundings.  My creativity comes from the scenery, the season, a flower, or the ambiance of my favorite spot at the park. It’s what inspires me to create something in my designs. It is the unexpected feeling of influence and idea.

                For example, this scene I photographed.

                In the scenery, the textures of the rocks are very rough and the waves are harsh. But, there is also the light fog in the back, and the softness of the greens. My influence would be the contrast in textures. From this, I can create an outfit that is edgy and soft, and use the colors of the scenery as my palette.

                Creativity from without isn’t hard if you find inspiration. If something catches your attention, try to view it in a different perspective. From there, it can lead you to new ideas and you’ll view it as something more than what it really is. It is the essence of creation when you find something that triggers your attention, something that makes you want to use what you see as an influence in your designs. It’s is something that you’re passionate about creating. The end result is something unpredictably beautiful.

Stone Soup

So, our class did an activity based around the book, Stone Soup. Just to summarize what Stone Soup is about. It starts with a poor village, and soldiers from the war. So, the soldiers travel by these villages and they always take the food from the poor. This time, the village doesn’t want to give up their food, so they tell the soldiers they have no food. The soldiers announce they will be making stone soup, but they need a few garnishes. Then, eventually the whole village contributes and makes a whole meal for the village.

Our activity was similar to Stone Soup, except for the food. Each group brought their own supplies they already owned, to create something; and brought it to their group. From the materials, we created something from the contribution of every group member. It became a collaboration to create an ephemeral piece of art. The outcome was spontaneous and unpredictable.

From our activity, we learn that design and creation does not always require one mind, it can require many. The collaboration of our group created something unique and interesting. We have no name for it, but it is definitely something no one has ever created.

Some think you need a tremendous amount of talent in order for it to be called a design. But, if you’re working with multiple people, you have different perspectives and each talent varies in each person. That’s why it’s so interesting to work with multiple people, because what you have, another person might not have. And, it balances out because they too, have another talent of their own.The concept of Stone Soup is teamwork, and contribution from everyone, the outcome is better when you have more help.

The contribution in Stone Soup and the contribution of our group members are both similar. It doesn’t matter what you’re making, just like in society, many designs/creations require collaboration and multiple minds. In the end, the outcome is one whole, and it is eye catching.

What Is The Place Of Design In Our Society?

              

                Design is very important in our society.  It’s everywhere. It’s in your homes, your city, the streets, the stores, etc. You encounter design everywhere, everyday. Without design, we will never have growth, advancement, or innovation.

                Everything that has been created by man is design. Our society is living in design. It’s the houses you walk past, the streets, the park, the clothes you wear, and even the bed you sleep on.

                You see, in order to progress in our society, we have to bring new ideas to life, create new things to help our everyday lives, and to help us in the future. Designs’ place in society is one of the most important. We have progressed through life with changes in design; through our technology, clothes, our homes, etc. We have improved through design. If we didn’t look for new ways to design things, we would never move forward. Our society would never change.

                Design is media, visual, architecture, fashion, and invention. It has great impact on everyone and everything. It helps the flow of our society, and makes our lives better. So, if we take time to think about the things we use or see, you’ll realize how much of our lives are affected by design. Amazing isn’t it?

Images from Google images

Is Design A Noun Or A Verb?

                                                      A picture from Google images

                How many views can you have on design? It’s endless. Is Design a noun or a verb? My answer is both. Design can be a noun and a verb. Why? Depending on your view or situation, design can be seen as a thing, or an action.

                When design is seen as a noun, it is something you view. A sketch, a sculpture, a work of art, a project, a building; it is design.  When you see design as a thing, it is the work result. After it has been processed, created, invented; it is design. It is something that has been created a certain way, with a purpose. It can be as simple as how pictures are put together, the way a house is built, or how your computer looks.

                When design is a verb, it is the action of designing. When you design, you are bringing something to a new beginning. It is introducing something into existence; growth, innovation, and advancement. You are bringing an idea into real work.
                For example, when design is a verb; sketching a dress, then making the dress. In the end, you have a designed dress. Designing, and having a design.

                So, design is not only a noun, or only a verb; it’s both. It is creating something, and it is a creation. Design as a noun and verb go together, you cannot have one without the other. You start with designing, and end with a design.

My First Encounter of Design

                                            A picture of Barbie from Google images.

   

 

                We all encounter design day in and day out. But, how do you define your first encounters of design? Is it something that inspires, or triggers your sight for creativity? Or, is it something discreet, that you didn’t notice, but made an impact on you later on in life?

                My first encounter of design was actually, my childhood doll, a Barbie. She was so perfect. She was a reflection of every girls dream. She was beautiful, perfect at everything, had a big house, a car, and tons of clothes. She was designed to have the perfect features. She had long beautiful hair, she was tall, and proportioned in a way that was what everyone perceived as perfect. She could be and do anything. The designer that created Barbie, was someone who definitely wanted every girl to have a desire to be like Barbie. She was an icon and a role model. She was designed to be appealing to girls, which is why she is mostly pink, or her things were. She is  a simple doll that is safe, and just embodies perfection, and the perfect doll.

                                                      Images from Google images
                 I loved to dress her up. When I received her, she had a couple of outfits, but not a whole lot. I loved putting together outfits for her for any occasion. Because she was beautiful and perfect, her outfits had to be, too.  Funny thing is, when I didn’t feel like dressing her up in the clothes I already owned for her; I would make outfits out of tissue and tape. Later on, Instead of using tissue, I started looking for small pieces of fabric around the house, and I would cut the fabric and use tape to make more outfits. Doing this made me happy; it was my own personal design just for her. Then, my sister actually taught me how to hand sew, for craft activities. So, being taught how to sew, I used that ability with my Barbie, and started to sew my first outfits for her. I was really proud of myself; I made a jacket, top, and jeans. Of course when I was young, I didn’t understand what I was doing, and how it would impact me later on, but looking back, it was an important part of my life that reflects me now.

                Being able to see my Barbie wear something that I made myself, it was an amazing feeling. Sewing, making sure it’s cut right so it can fit her correctly; it was all about precision. My Barbie was my reflection of creativity. She was a canvas, and I was the artist.

Little did I know, this hobby of mines became more than just something I did for fun, it became my passion. I grew more interested in art and fashion. I taught myself how to sketch designs, and every day I improved. It became something I started to think about for my future. I dreamt of having a career in the fashion industry, and better yet, to own my own clothing line. So now I have come to the point where I’m making a decision on my future, to study design. I will become a fashion designer, because it’s my passion, it’s in my heart to do it.

                The impact from your first encounter of design has, or slowly changed, your perception on design. So whatever your first encounters of design are, it is always something that opens your mind to another world, a world of imagination and creation. Whether it’s a doll, your first drawing, or your favorite cartoon; it has an impact on you, or even your future.