studio four week two lecture notes

generative metaphor in design

everyday actions are also design in a way

“a good designer is a good decision maker”

a designer deals with both precise and vague ideas, there is both imagination and technical issues going on simultaneously

how to come up with ideas?
-learn by doing

the consideration of the end user: design cannot be for design’s sake unlike art

every project is unique: don’t do what you have always done!!!!

Project:
-The set up:
what am I dealing with? (research)
What are the parameters? (set the scope)
What is the problem (define and analyse)
How will I look at it, test it, and incorporate new ideas? (generative metaphor, looking through new eyes)

-The problem solving
what are my possibilities?
What are my limits?
What materials?
What environmental or aesthetic issues do I have to consider?

"generative metaphor is the scaffolding that supports the design process."

how to create one?
be open to surprises, embrace confusion, suspend judgment, consider non-solutions


tulip chair and egg chair:
all the design decisions revolve around the metaphor
-ergonomics
-must be durable, functional, beautiful etc

war memorial:
-pragmatic, cultural, spatial, spiritual aspects

frank gehry fish lamp and guggenheim
-personal memories reflected on the design

liebskind war museum and jewish museum
-shattered pieces
-deconstructed star of david

studio 4 week 2 reading

semiotics: science of signs

drawing: system of signs

how would semiotics be studied on a general level? if it's the study of signs, it must take into account the time, place, culture, and several other factors into mind. a sign that means A in one culture might mean B in another.

"semiotics covers many fields ranging from linguistics to film theory and cultural history."

what is seen vs what is meant: signifier and signified

this applies to so many things! it's in visual arts, in our everyday life, and also in language. mankind created and grouped signs and attribute certain sounds to them, and those sounds meant ideas, objects, emotions, and so on.

logo: a symbol of both the company and its mission/character

symbols in design: shape, colour, line, etc etc

different kinds of signs:

-open to only one interpretation

-open to more than one interpretation

-open to unlimited interpretations

the six functions of communication

drawing in fine arts vs drawing in design: must keep in mind the conative function

shahzia sikander: a master of symbols

studio 4: northern italy vs southern italy collage

studio 4: northern italy vs southern italy

north:

rich

industrialised

more liberal

urban

claims more sophisticated culture, cities such as torino, venice, milan etc

'cold'

smoother lines

sleek

south:

less prosperous

'rustic'

greater rural areas

less liberal

only one big economic and cultural centre (naples)

'warm'

ornate

textured

images of northern italy:

images of southern italy

studio 4: deconstruct, reconstruct

this exercise was great to understand the inner system of a simple object like a torch (free thanks to vivid sydney), even though it's transparent. so, something to keep in mind when designing an object, a space, or anything: there is a lot of engineering that goes on behind the doors, so it's essential to keep it in mind otherwise from a design point of view it will be a beautiful piece of junk.

cute little torch

oops

the end

studio 4 week 1 reading and lecture notes

coffee maker - caffettiera

design process:
-8 years to complete
-designer's relationship with the object
-personality
-animated (several of the prototypes have arms and legs etc)
-personal investment and history
-design language (the big challenge, how does a designer go about reflecting their design language and approach to design within the constraints of a project?)
-northern italy vs southern italy
-individual craftsmanship vs mass production
-playfulness
-irony/parody
-emotional attachment (this is like an artist or musician and their relationship with their work; the result is not solely that of creativity and labour, it is also something that reveals the creator's character and their personal history. the same goes for a designer too; a designer without too many constraints creates an 'artwork' in its own sense that is part of the designer)
-media frenzy
-anticipation
-intermediate person
-elements of deconstructionism (eg zaha hadid)