Design Synthesis

Design in Context has helped bring together my theories, thoughts and design practice I have learnt over my first year studying design. Something I found really useful was learning about past designs and designers and finding out how it influenced future design. As my classmates and I move into an increasingly more technological contemporary society, I believe that historic design references (such as the Bauhaus) will be looked upon and reformed using the accessible technologies of today.

I have found the design and context class helpful in forming my own personal opinion about design and what I care about in design today. The design in context class has formed my many ideas into a distinct productive output as I now feel drivin to portray my work as I want and compete against others.

Postmodernism + Remix

Image from: http://www.e-flux.com/shows/views/7627

In the reading "Pop to Postmodernism" by Jonathan Woodham we are told of the historical development leading to the remixed and postmodernist design culture today. The introduction of mass media and communication, technology and cultural pluralism has enabled postmodernist design to develop into what it is today. These have enabled information to be shared around the world, between groups and also enabled people to exchange ideas. In the short clip "RIP: A Remix Manifesto" a key idea that is noted is this idea of people exchanging ideas through the internet and then remixing these ideas to create new works. I think this is particularly relevant to the postmodernist design culture as we constantly take inspiration and ideas from others work to then create our own. Mass media and communications have helped us to share works and ideas between one another. It is no wonder that artists such as Yayoi Kusama appear to have works that can be related back to historically significant styles, such as the pop art period.

A good example of postmodernist influences on design in the contemporary society is the work of Yayoi Kusama and in particular her installation using the Wellington City Gallery (Dot for Love and Peace). The transferral of two-dimensional brightly coloured spots onto a large scale three-dimensional object (the building) is something of wonder. I believe Yayoi Kusama, as a well known postmodernist artist has used a variety of design techniques in all of her works as well as in Dots for Love and Peace. The use of large scale and ornamental eclecticism is evident throughout her past and previous works and this shows how she has physically remixed the pop-art of the past into interactive and intriguing environments. In the reading pop-culture in Britain is described as the beginning of a noticeably throw away culture and this is evident in Yayoi Kusama's work, where large installations are produced but only for a limited time. It is also similar to the pop-culture of the past because of the use of the bright colours and eclectic patterns. Whilst Yayoi Kusama only uses dots or spots in her works she remixes her own technique and ideas to create a new aesthetic experience or feeling for each work, and this helps to animate her works. As mass media and communications increase between people, I feel that sharing of ideas or conceptual remixes will increase, especially as postmodernist designers are in societies where technology is constantly developing and influencing the way in which we project our ideas.

Politics of Design

Image from: http://www.smeguk.com

Considering the reading "Design and the Democratic Ideal" by Jane Pavitt I think the political and ideological messages that inform design today are also similiar to those of the past. This particularly refers to the ideas that influenced design and were formed because of the social and political reformation of Europe after the Second World War. The reading explains of the first stage of redevelopment in Europe as one of redevelopment and immediate alleviation of suffering which influenced design, but more importantly soon after it was argued that consumerism would provide an answer to the reformation of ideas and ideas in design. We still see the effects of the introduction of consumerism (a highly americanized approach) into the European design culture today, something that was fiercely debated at the time. The Smeg Designs are a good example of European products that reflect both the americanized nature of products and the influence of consumerism from the past to present.

Smeg is an Italian brand that has been producing high quality appliances since 1948, around the time of the political and social reformation of Europe. Over time Smeg has become a successful brand throughout many different countries, partly due to the design of its products and no doubt it's consumerist vision of material abundence and luxury that the brand and its products offer (such as the fridge/freezer seen above). As the political and ideology of the consumer have changed over the years, so too has Smeg. With an increased awareness of environmental issues and the global climate change, Smeg has catered to the change in opinions. Smeg has continued to offer more sustainable and environmentally friendly products whilst also of high quality and good looks, this is consistant with Smeg's mission statement "Technology with Style". In my opinion it is the the politics and ideology about sustainable living that most influences design today and this was seen as the Smeg brand evolved over the years. I believe that design that encourages or includes the use of sustainable living and products is what will shape design ideology and consumer choice in the coming years, just as the Second World War influenced design ideology and consumer choice in the past.

Cultural Context in Design

Image from: http://craftism.wordpress.com/2009/01/09/knitting-all-over/

In the "Kaupapa Maori Design" lecture guest lecturer Tracey Gardner discussed her findings between design, Maori culture and her own cultural background as a designer. Whilst Tracey Gardner was very thorough with her study into the Maori culture, I think the study of the social circumstances as well as the context of designers would have also been relevant. As a designer I would consider the social circumstances surrounding me as I grew up to be of major significance to my perspectives on design. Many of the opinions I have about my own and others work have been influenced by being introduced to arts and crafts at a young age. Throughout my family, I think the values from being of European descent have been translated through the generations through both beliefs and crafts, particularly through the females. Learning crafts has been of high importance, which is particularly relevant to the times my older relatives grew up in, where crafts were considered necessities not hobbies.

Like the Maori weaving and carving, crafts and skills such as sewing and knitting have been passed down to me. From an early age my mother and grandmothers encouraged me to create and explore these crafts and I believe this has made me appreciate the detail and craft of the handmade and in turn changed how I think about design. I think that this is also relevant to the modern Maori artists that Tracey Gardner talked about, as they too would've been encouraged to explore Maori crafts as they grew up, no doubt influenced by their family. The return to traditional crafts indicates the significance of our social circumstances from when we were younger to now, as these skills help to form and reflect on our surrounding culture. The above image shows the combination of craft and social commentary, a skill important to today's designers and our merging cultures. As a designer, I enjoy being able to combine these traditional crafts such as knitting with new and innovative ideas.

Technology + Progress

From the readings "The Werkbund Debates" and "Technology and Progress at the Bauhaus" several similarities in the method and philosophy of modern design education between Bauhaus and the First Year Design programme become obvious. One of the most important similarities is the importance placed on workshop based learning. The readings also debate between handcraft and design, something still of relevance today.

In "Technology and Progress at the Bauhaus" it is said that Maholy-Nagy agreed with the social mission of the Bauhaus but thought that versatility and open-ended experimentation with materials and technology led to greater creativity in design as well. I think this is an idea that is particularly relevant to First Year Design as in many of core course subjects we are expected to explore, experiment and abstract compositions, materials and technology in order to create visually appealing and interesting work. More examples of First Year Design sharing similarities with Bauhaus's methods and philosophies can be seen in design papers such as 104. The paper enables us to explore the virtual world of building 3D objects whilst we are encouraged to also experiment with models and drawings.

I believe First Year Design has used methods and philosophies such as those from Bauhaus effectively to creat a general first year course in which we can fully explore our potential both on our own and signify our style as a group of designers together.

Modern Vision

Image from: www.gooddesignbaddesign.com/?p=310

In consideration to the reading "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" by Walter Benjamin I disagree with his statement, "To an even greater degree the work of art produced becomes the work of art designed for reproducibility. From a photographic negative, for example, one can make any number of prints; to ask for the authentic print makes no sense". However, I believe in a contemporary society with an emphasis on digital design and manufacture, authenticity plays a large role on the values we give design. This value for the authentic has also started to move into other areas of design, such as graphic and industrial as well as many others. I think a good example of this is the recent reformation of packaging in the music industry. Physical releases for music are becoming less and less popular because of online music stores and alike. To counteract this, the music industry has begun to make collectables, with the aim that the extras will make the music authentic and desirable, so infact more valuable.

The above image shows the packaging for the disco pop group Grum, the bright graphics and patterns appear to make an artwork, with the aim that the packaging will make the C.D. a collectable and appear authentic in comparison to buying a file from an online store. This is a case where the music by the artist is not treated as a mass reproduction but as a valued or authentic piece of work. The reading also states that "the technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced object from the domain of tradition", however I think that recently society has shifted its values and considers things that are authentic, collectable or different in comparison to the normal to be of more value. Therefore it it would appear that our views on value and authenticity have returned to those of traditional beliefs before us. The fact that we are able to readily reproduce objects and digital forms as we please in today's society means we often strive to have one offs, originals, or authentic items because we consider them to hold more value.

Design + Craft

Image from: http://deputy-dog.com

The reading "The Revival of Handicraft" by William Morris defines handicraft as "all products of labour which have any claims to be considered beautiful", which incinuates that any and all handmade products/arts are of a certain aesthetic appeal. It also states that handicraft is often considered to be of greater value. In consideration to today's society, I think that this statement is of significant relevance, particularly in relation to activites such as urban knitting or graffiti knitting. Graffiti knitting involves incorporating the skills needed for the craft of knitting and installs these within urban environments; whilst this is not a traditional use for the craft it does revive our opinions about how we use both a combination of design and craft.

As we have become more aware of our environment, I find it interesting that we are using it in conjunction with our craft and arts. I find graffiti knitting to be a good example of contemporary expression as it shows how our values about the world and society are changing just as William Morris predicted. In the images above we see the knitting intertwining the brances of trees, lamp post, chains and handrails giving these everyday objects an element of surprise and adding value. Handicraft is considered to be beautiful so it is no surprise that we want to make our environment beautiful by incorporating the graffiti knitting into it therefore indicating how we value both the environment and craft more. I think that our use of craft as an art form, such as that in graffiti knitting, represents the rivival of the value and significance of craft in a contemporary society, particularly as place emphasis on aestheics and quality.

Beauty + Utility

Image taken from www.dezeen.com.

In "The Grammar of Ornament" (1856), Owen Jones argued that construction should be decorated and that decoration should never be purposely constructed, however I believe that in todays contemporary society both sides of this statement can work together. In the above image we see the combination of these in the product (clock) part of a series of works by Giha Woo and Shingouen. The clock is made of two revolving discs where the hands are the batteries which enable the clock to move whilst also providing an innovative way in which to read time. In contemporary design we often see objects such as this clock as a combination of beauty and utility particularly as we have more conceptual thought behind objects and products. I also think that conceptual ideas are a form of contemporary decoration while the actual aesthetics are kept simple and plain so a veiwer of the object may make their own opinion about it.

The clock above is a clear example of how we may use conceptual ideas as decoration and keep the aesthetics plain. It appears simple but when looked at closely the use of the batteries for the hands give the clock an interesting and intruiging appeal whether intended or not. In consideration to "Design, society and standards" by David Raizman (from The History of Modern Design) it becomes obvious of this evolution of design ideas, especially the transformation from decorative or ornamental design to functional as the reformation occurred. Just like that reformation of design ideas, it is natural that we as a contemporary society have moved away from purely functional design (with a focus on utility) to design which incorporates conceptual ideas (with a focus on beauty aswell), particularly as education is more valued in a contemporary world.

Sensuous Impulse in Design

Sensuous impulse has played a large role in design and is particularly evident in the styles of art such as Rococo and Art Nouveau. The reading (The Continuing Curve by Penelope Hunter-Stieber) described sensuous impulse in design as decorative or feminine, howeve I think that in today's design a more accurate description of sensuous impulse is how incorporate ergonomics into furniture design, product design and alike. Instead of sensuous impulse in design being purely aesthetic as it used to be, now it is incorporated into the things we use and interact with. A good example of how ergonomic design and sensuous impulse combine is in furniture design and how many designs factor in the shape of the human body, how it feels and its aesthetic appeal. For example 'The Orchid Chair' designed by Sebastian Gronemeyer, it is a chair which considers ergonomics (with an emphasis on comfort) while still including the detail and fluency of the organic forms that influence its design. I would consider design such as this today to demonstrate how sensuous impulse is still very much evident in today's society due to the increasing way we want to interact with the the objects around us.

The Influences of the Gramophone

The invention and design of the gramophone(phonograph) is important design as it has influenced the way in which we record and reproduce sound, particularly because of the audio disc(or phonograph record). The gramophone was patented by Emile Berliner in 1887 and the invention of disc records for the gramophone then developed into electrical and magnetic recording. This not only enhanced the quality and reproduction of sound but also influenced the aesthetics of the developing technology so that it became easier to transport and to share media. Some examples of recent items that have developed from the gramophone are records, cassette taps, compact discs and ipods, it is interesting to note that circular elements are still evident in the design of these devices just like original discs from the gramophone.