currently

Fall 2007

• Design Workshop
• MC Magazine Internship
• Redial
• Show/Tell Studio

Cocurricular

• ITP Radio
• Stuff for Kids
• The Half Hour Cozy
• Thesis

archived

Spring 2007

• Designing for Constraints
• GUI in AJAX

Fall 2006

• Physical Computing

Other Projects

• Graphics
• Video
• Web

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I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary. It was well filmed and the interviewees balanced each other nicely. In addition, the cinematography was beautiful. I wish more women were featured, there were only two interviewed among about seven men. The documentary addressed the ubiquity of the Helvetica typeface, and since seeing it I have been paying attention to typeface everywhere. Helvetica is about globalization. It is about a Western hegemonic visual culture. The documentary links the spread of Helvetica to the personal computer. Some of the interviewees mourn the loss of local typefaces, but remain hopeful of their return.

 

At Parsons/New School, September 12

I went to see Anthony Dunne speak at Parsons. He is partner of the design outfit Dunne & Raby and head of the Design Interactions Department at the Royal College of Art in London. During his presentation he talked about his early work as a PhD student, he showcased some of his current students’ work and then showed some recent work by Dunne and Raby.

I was most interested in his early work where he explored Hertzian Space. It’s an interesting concept, as I understand it, electromagnetic energy as an environment for design. And I liked the design for the Faraday Chair, a chair that seals out all electromagnetic energy. It is really just a rectangular Faraday cage on legs and looks very uncomfortable, but with this design he talked about design moving away from physical comfort and toward psychological comfort. Along these lines he mentions the placebo affect, and using design to change the way you think about reality.

I don’t necessarily agree with him about psychological comfort supplanting physical comfort. I also wished he talked more about designing for debate and less about “negotiating the relationship between the product and consumption.” This talk of designing for consumption turns me off to design.

His student works examples were okay. I felt indifferent about the “designing for the meat of the future” project and the “wedding ring made out of human bone” project. Eating meat and getting married… what could be more status quo? I want to design that which challenges conventions and creates new traditions.

I did like the Evidence Dolls. Also, he touched (again, but did not explore to my liking,) the topic of DNA and knowing our genetic futures. If we know what our children will be like, how would we proceed with procreation? Then I started to think about Casandra, the Greek mythological figure who knew the future but was powerless to alter it. But like I said before, eating meat, getting married, making babies… Frankly these are things I want to see less of in the future. I think I will start designing for that.

 

What is important to me as a designer? Some things to think about:

Image, Identity, Ease, Aesthetics, Control, Customization, Time, Location, Mobility, Communication, Engagement, Discussion, Debate.

Assignment: Come up with a concept for what the next design icon should or will be.