Basis of Design Criticism: Hair Dryer

               Every day we go through several products, but how many of us actually think about how each is designed? The products that we use should follow an Ergonomic model. Ergonomics is a human centered design. It is made to be task appropriate and user centered. However, sometimes products don’t follow the ergonomic model, which is why there is a basis of design criticism. It consists of 5 stages: safety, comfort, ease of use, performance, and aesthetics. I will be criticizing something that I use on a daily basis, The Revlon Shine Boosting Hair Dryer.

                                                           Picture from Google images

                So normally when we shop for hair dryers, we normally don’t second guess if it’s safe or not, we just assume it should be made safe for us to use. Well, that’s how I normally am. This hair dryer is actually very safe. There are frames in the front and back, to ensure nothing gets caught or sucked in. It is also detachable in the back, so you can clean it, to ensure nothing will burn while you dry your hair. The exterior is smooth, no harmful edges. And, there are no complicated wires and parts that will harm you. The safety of this hair dryer is well thought about, and will only cause harm if it’s in contact with water; and it already has a warning sign attached to the wire to let the user know.

                The comfort of this hair dryer is simple. It’s lightweight, so it eases strain on your hand while drying your hair. The different settings allow you to set it to your liking, from hot, warm, or cool temperature; and low or high pressure. When you use it, it never gets heated from the interior. It is easy to use, which allows you to be comfortable with using it daily.

                Many of use buy products to make our lives easier. So, the hair dryer is very easy. You plug it in to get power. Then you have two choices of setting, temperature, and pressure. There is one switch for warm and hot. Then one button you hold onto, if you would like cool air. And, then you have low or high, it’s simple as that. When you’re done, you just switch it off. As you can see, it’s not complicated at all to use this hair dryer.

                I believe the number one thing we all look for in products is the performance. We buy a certain product to achieve what it is advertised for, and when we use it, we expect those results. So this hair dryer is supposed to have a shine boosting effect. From my experience, I believe it does make my hair shiny. It definitely doesn’t dry out my hair, so that’s good. The heat settings are what I expect from most hair dryers. The pressure setting are great, because sometimes the high setting for dryers disappoint me, but this one works very well. This hair dryer was built very efficiently with the user in mind.

Aside from performance, what gets most users is the aesthetics. We enjoy have and looking at beautiful things, therefore the products we search for should we beautiful, too. This hair dryer is actually in the design series. So, it has a design on it compared to more simple hair dryers.  It is all black, and in the center it has a black and white abstract design. The areas around the buttons are white, while the buttons are black. It’s not too designed, but has enough design to catch your eye. This hair dryer is beautiful and efficient, what more can a customer ask for.

                From all of the 5 stages that I used to criticize the Revlon Shine Boosting hair dryer, I would conclude this hair dyer was in fact a very good design. It follows the ergonomic model, and is definitely user centered. It works great and looks great.

Words and Images: Advertisement

                When it comes to advertising, like any combination of words and images, they are meant to interpret a message. When you look at the picture there is one part of the message, then the words also give us another message. Both messages are meant together and give the audience an impact from the advertisement. For example I wanted to analyze Nike’s advertisement.

                Nike has a famous slogan, “Just Do It.” It is the philosophy of grit, determination, and passion, but also infused with a little humor. Look at this ad below.

                                                        Picture from Yahoo Images

       

                The point of this ad is to suggest wearing Nike shoes when doing a certain activity. More, specifically, the message is that you can wear Nike shoes when skateboarding. The phrase, “Just Do It,” suggests that you can be like the guy in the picture, wearing the cool Nike shoes and skateboarding. It may also suggest to people who have in interest in skateboarding, should just do it. The advertisement, is appealing, short and simple, and sends the message they want. The image shows a cool guy in the Nike shoes skateboarding which is appealing. And the Words suggest words of advice, to be like this guy if you want to, and become cool. Then the phrase, “My Assault,” is making a suggestion toward his activity of skateboarding. The only problem with this advertisement is that it is not appealing to everyone, only to those who are interested in skateboarding. But, overall, the use of words and image come across effectively for the right audience.

                The use of words and images together has to be thought about. You have to think about your message, the appeal, and the audience; how you want it to be portrayed, and how you want it to impact your audience. When you achieve the right use of words and images, you will have an effective advertisement.

Words and Images

                                                       Pictures from Google Images

                 In one of class lectures, we had a guest speaker, Brian Flies, come to our class. He spoke about his two books, Mom’s Cancer, and, What Happened to the World of Tomorrow? In his lecture, he explained his design process and the importance of image and words. Image and words are two things that make up comics, and without them, well there would be no comic.

                Words always go before the image. The words explain what is happening and the main point, while the image follows it and shows us what is happening, or what you are describing. When you are thinking about the words to use, you have to remember to not write too much. It is easy to write with no limit, but the test is to write with very little words and go straight to the point. Brian Flies explained the importance of removing information. It is better to get to the main idea out, than drown it in words that are irrelevant to the point. The key is the write what you want to say and remove what is not needed.

                When you are choosing your image, there’s a lot of trial and error. Sometimes it works with what you’re writing, but sometimes it doesn’t. You have to make sure the image is expressing your writing and what you want to show to your audience. It’s almost the same as words, you try not to put irrelevant things, but you make sure it comes across the way you want it to. Once you have your image, try to remove any unnecessary things. The words and image should have gestalt, unity. Like Brian mentioned in class, the words should have a nice flow across the page and the images is what ties the comic together.

                So the importance of words and images are explained through Brian Fies’ comic, but it is just important anywhere else that involves words and images.

Make Up is Art

               So, many don’t know, but I am someone who loves make-up. I find it so amazing how you can do so much with make-up, creating depth, and just how it enhances your look. Make-up is art on the face or body. One of my favorite make up lines is MAC, Make-Up Art Cosmetics. Two years ago, I remember I came across one of their collections where they had an artist, Richard Phillip, create a work of art using the company’s latest pigments and products.

                                             Richard Phillip, Vain Glorious, from Google images

                Phillip’s works is mostly inspired by fashion and he used 24 different products to create a retouched version of “Der Bodensee,” of one of his recent paintings, also known as, Vain Glorious. He shows that painting and make-up are very much the same, the only thing different is the canvas.

                I think it’s pretty amazing what you can do with make-up. Make-up has been around for centuries and has been around since Egyptian times. In modern day, many people, women and men, use make-up for many reasons; for personal enhancement, for their profession, for art, and design. Make- up is used professionally for movies, display art, and for the runway. It is universally used. Make-up as an art can transform you, and it has become a common product in the daily life of many people. It has expanded into a huge beauty industry, and along with it, are the professions of a make-up artist. They see the face and body like artist see a blank canvas. You become inspired, and create something that is exquisite. Make-up is beauty, creativity, uniqueness, boldness, and the possibilities are endless.

 Pictures from Google images: MAC make-up

                Design in society can come in all kinds of mediums. Media is what you create design with. Just like paint is a medium of art, so is make-up.

The Phone

                                               Pictures from Google images:

                The phone has been an industrialized product for many years. It has taken many forms and shapes in order to make our lives better.

                The phone is used for communication, in order to contact a person from a distance where you cannot reach them. It has been used universally for many purposes, such as socially. Its production changes from its appearance and how it functions. Phones are created for a home, for personal uses, and even for different ages. The different form caters to a certain consumer.

                For homes, phone are made wireless, in order to talk within your house without having to stay in one place. For personal uses, phones are created small and the functions apply to what type of communicator the consumer is, such as email, texting, and talking. For different ages, little kids have basic functions, and less functions because it is normally used for emergency communication. The adult phones have more functions, such as smart phones. The older consumer phones may be different by size and the appearance of the digits because of bad eyes.

All these types of problems connect to how these phones came into production. In order to have a good functioning phone, content and form must be part of the design process. The signals of the phones are also important, because that helps the function of the phone. The function and appearance must be appealing to the consumer because the point of the phone is to help make their lives better. The material is also important. The phone must be environmentally safe, many phone that are mass produced end up in landfills. If the phone is created without thoughtfulness, then the product loses its purpose and value.

When the phone is created, the communication has to improve. Its purpose is the make communicating with others easier, that is its most important purpose. Its shape, material, size, and function, are constantly changing. The industrialization of phones will continue to be improved as long as our needs continue to change.

Interaction of Form and Content: Objectified

                                                           Picture from Google images

               In the movie, Objectified, many artist and designers explain how form and content interact. Every object tells a story. Everything in the world is designed one way or another. We see design everywhere. Our minds process design quickly. When we see an object, we automatically make assumptions. How it’s used, why it is created, what it is and what it should look like. We design for a better life, to improve our daily lives, but there is so much more too it, than just its form.

                For example, in order to tell a story, the form must be processed thoughtfully. Good design has to be functional. The process that goes into creating an object is so much more than its appearance. We have to ask ourselves, who is it for, how do we make it for this person, how can it be environmentally friendly, how does it work, how does it function, and how it should look? All of these questions are part of the content. Content gives guidance of how form should be. Some examples from the movie were chairs, toothbrushes, the phone, and computers.

                                                     Picture from Google images

                After being able to process all these questions, then form starts to take its appearance in an object. Form lately does not follow function, but our minds process it as what it is made for. For example the Iphone, it does not look like it does all the things it does, such as apps and all those sorts of things, but we somehow just assume it should do those things. The apple notebook is also an example of thoughtful designing, making sure it is working to its full potential, and at the same time it is sleek and simple.

                                                        Picture from Google images
An object gives an emotion, it gives us a story. Without content and form, there is nothing.  Content is research, making solutions, and answering questions. Form is the production and process. In the end, your get an object, a story, a purpose.

Happy Halloween

                                                               Picture from Google images

                Isn’t it interesting how once someone dresses up in a certain way we can assume they are portraying a certain person. Halloween is all about being someone else, or in other cases, something else. We dress up to play a part, to act like someone other than ourselves for a day. It’s interesting how one simple change can make you appear differently.

                Costumes play a role in our subjective mind. Because we have experience with certain characters, things and people; when a person is dressed a certain way, our mind automatically makes connection so we can assume what it is they are dressed up as. Our perspective changes because we make that connection to our experience. Our minds know that it is a costume, and that they are not really who they are portraying. The connection between costume and person shows a conversation between who looks at it. Design as a conversation. The design sends a message and the interaction from who looks at it creates a conversation. Here, an example of a baby dressed as a monkey; he's not really a monkey, but by the way he is dressed, we know he is a monkey.

                Halloween is like everyday life. We dress a certain way to portray a certain person, which is ourselves. We dress for our personality, our current success, our goal for success, or our way of life. We see people on the streets we don’t know, and make assumptions automatically because of their appearance. Fashion and design help us show a hint of who we are. Although it may not apply to everyone, our appearance plays a role in our minds because we make connections and assumptions through our past experiences of what we know.