Design Quote

Design is in a great transition, thankfully. Traditionally, design has been practiced with a focus on appearance, whether it is represented in graphic, interior, industrial, fashion, furniture, automotive, marine or any other kind of design. In truth, design has never been merely about a appearance, although that's been the most prominent phenomenon throughout its history. In addition, other disciplines use the word "design" to describe other functions, such as structuring databases, systems, services, or organizations (further confusing its use and meaning). But there have been moments in design's past where truly great designers showed us that design was also connected with performance, understanding, communication, emotion, desire, meaning, and humanity itself, even though these haven't  been the most lasting movements.

Ultimately, this is the design that I want to speak about in this book - design that encompasses the synthesis of usefulness, usability, desirability, appropriateness, balance, and systems that lead to better solutions, more opportunities, and better conditions, no matter what the endeavor or domain.

-Nathan Shedroff, Design Is The Problem

 

 

Quotes

Last week Friday, I stopped by the "Designing for Billions" conference happening at Parsons. I was casually introduced to Neville Roy Singham while chit-chatting with some of my lovely professors. He is Vice President and Executive Chairman of ThoughtWorks and an islander himself.

While we didn't talk much, he left me with a really good quote that I have come to appreciate. He told me he was from Jamaica and was an Engineer attending this conference to see a new perspective. The design perspective. He was kinda on a quest it seems...

After identifying myself as an islander raised on Guam he told me, "The smaller the island, the bigger the thinker."

While this quote seems charming, I have mentally been digesting it while washing dishes (and I wash a lot of dishes) and realized there is an undeniable truth there. I'm pretty sure other islanders will realize that too.

"Luckily," I told him, "I'm from a really small island." We laughed.

Halloween Typography Challenge

Um yes: http://vimeo.com/632802

As some of you may know, I really enjoy making home-made Halloween costumes. I always make them night-of, but nonetheless, I enjoy my one-hour craft.

This year Professor Robinson is hosting a Halloween Typography Challenge. So please come! Find the info here.

 

I am already very excited about starting my creation and hope I can get something going in the coming week. If not, I will be cutting cardboard day-of.... And we'll just have to judge my Olfa knife cutting skillz.

Some costumes from the past. Exhibit A, B & C:

Here, a specialty costume made by a talented friend [Alana R.]:

If someone (or a lot of you) are interested in doing the whole alphabet. Hit me up.

 

 

Branding for wines, spirits, and beers... Part II.

This past summer, I stumbled upon CF Napa [whole portfolio here] and was really impressed. A firm that designs exclusively for wines, spirits, and beers? HOW GREAT! But look at the pretty things I have stumbled upon since then!! Check out these great labels by the New Zealand firm Supply.

The first one is so simple and smart, I barely think I could have ever thought of something so punny. I love punny things.

The use of botany-style illustrations in these ciders is so beautiful. Classy. I really wanna try making something this one day.

This American Life = Ethnographic Research

Today, I finished wrapping up a long good weekend by listening to This American Life.  The segment I listened to was on "Gossip" and it shared so many parallels with design and ethnographic research.  Act I was about Gossip, AIDS, and Malawi. The segment critically proved how vital design research is in providing effective NGOs and programs for people. Here is a little blurb from the website:

In Malawi, in southeast Africa, not gossiping can be worse than gossiping. Sarah interviews a young Malawian woman named Hazel Namandingo, who explains that because so many people have HIV and AIDS in Malawi, they often rely on gossip to figure out who's safe to date or marry. It turns out this kind of gossip is the basis for a huge research project about AIDS in Malawi. For 10 years, a sociologist named Susan Watkins has been collecting journals filled with gossip about AIDS. Watkins hired local people to write the journals—to just listen to what people were saying in their communities about the virus, and then write it down. What Watkins learned from reading them bucked much of the conventional wisdom about how rural Africans were dealing with the epidemic. (Plus, they're really entertaining.)

There's a U Penn website that explains the Malawi Journals Project. And an NGO in Malawi called Invest in Knowledge has catalogued the journals.

I deeply encourage anyone who has the time to listen. Susan Watkins' research is so natural and intrinsic it is amazing how often innitiatives, much like hers, are overlooked. Smart and simple research is better than lots of research.

Listen Here.

 

The Envisioning Development Toolkit

Gosh, I wish I could pace myself with these amazing web finds but they all sprang up on me today, on a Sunday! Well, this one is slightly more digestible (compared to THE UNIVERSE down below). You can click on neighborhoods in New York and see an interactive breakdown of incomes (divided into categories: Extremely Low, Very Low, Low, Moderate, Middle and High). Its pretty spectacular.

Tip: Click on a neighborhood. In the little black box where is shows statistics, click "Who can afford to live here?" and some awesome rent sliders come out. You'll understand what I'm talking about... When you do it.

http://envisioningdevelopment.net/map

Some fantastic ads I've stumbled upon...

If you like Risky Business, socks, and smooth wooden floors this is for you: Tabio Slide Show Continuing with the Japanese, if you like wood I highly recommend this [helpful hint, stick it out until the end]: Docomo

For my cat friends, you deserve this: Skittles Touch The Rainbow

For my other, more reasonable friends, who enjoy markers and highlighters as much as I do: Edding Highlighter and Edding Wall of Fame

This is for all of you who are into narcotics (specifically pill taking) and music (double whammy): The Human Jukebox

 

Enjoy!