CR05

One thing that struck me as interesting in the lecture this week was that all the different colors have a different meaning.  I knew that stop signs were red at that it had an association with a warning and danger, but I did not know that red was the color that people are able to see from the farthest distance away.  I also found that when green words are placed on a red background they seem to vibrate, which I had noticed before, but never really thought about.

J04



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RR05

I've only read the introduction, but I am already intrigued and interested by this book.  Helping the environment has always been a passion of mine, and I can tell that in Cradle to Cradle the author's concern mirrors my own.  One point that jumped out at me was on page six: "For the environment to be healthy...industries must be regulated and restrained.  For industries to fatten, nature cannot take precedence."  These two viewpoints are those expressed by almost everyone, and I feel that there must be a way to break the barrier that separates industry and environment, and the new generation of designers just might be the answer.  Another thing that struck me hard was the last paragraph in the introduction, which I will not write out in its entirity.  However, I suggest that everyone read it and contemplate the fact that we must attempt to realize the impact we are having on the earth, and think of a way to reverse the damage we have done. 

RR04

I find it somewhat interesting, and incredibly true, that we as a society are losing our identites.  As described in chapter 7, people can change themselves in a variety of ways, whether through cosmetic surgery, or in adapting to what the world portrays as ideal.  The modular systems discussed in chapter 8 show that our world moves only toward one thing: simplicity.  We want things to be made well, and to be made quickly.  The modular designs allow both of these things to be achieved. 

CR04

I think that designing for those with phsyical impairments is an amazing thing.  It would make me feel so incredibly fulfilled to know that I created something that will make people's lives easier, especially when those people have many obstacles to overcome anyway.  Knowing that I could be one of those people at any time makes it even more important to think about the future, for myself and for others.  Everyone should be able to experience things easily, and in designing it can be made possible.

A03

My amazing team included:
Jessica Kline - http://jklinedesign200.blogspot.com/
Zachary Bergman - http://dsgnproberg.blogspot.com/

We started out by heading for the one clue we were certain of: the Barcelona Chair at the Fine Arts Library.  Once there, we all worked together to research what the other clues were referring to.  We set up a course around campus that ensured we wouldn't do any backtracking, and set off on our mission.  We all worked together to come up with various pictures that would display what we needed to show in interesting and efficient ways.

The Barcelona Chair by Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe.  Interesting fact: this chair can be bought for a MINIMUM of $5,000.

The Wexner Center for the Arts was designed by Peter Eisenman.  In his project, Eisenman designed the white scaffolding metal grid to give the building an aura of incompleteness, which adds to the interesting look of the place.

The Science and Engineerying Library designed by Philip Johnson.



The Science and Engineering Library; this picture shows the interestingly designed arches and rounded edges of the building.



I am in the Pastil Chair designed by Eero Aarino in 1967, reading DAMN 24, a magazine on contemporary culture.  Many of Aarino's designs were seen as parts of sets in science fiction films, mostly for their contemporary look. 

The Thompson Library, designed by local architects Acock & Associates.  This library holds the largest collection of books on campus, and was recently renovated, reopening in August of 2009.

J03

College Noms



CR03

I did not know there were so many steps to the design process, but I suppose it makes sense.  The video "The Deep Dive" was so interesting; it seems like working at that place would be the most entertaining job around.  I especially appreciated their stance on making sure that no one was given a title.  Everyone was given an equal chance to share their ideas, regardless of who they were or how long they had been working there.  I feel as if they should repeat the project again, because in this day and age with the greater technology and modernized way of life they could come up with something truly spectacular.

A02

 

Frank Gehry

A native of Canada, Frank Gehry was born Ephraim Owen Goldberg, but after immigrating to the United States early in life his father changed the family name to “Gehry,” and Frank adopted his current name in his early twenties.  Unsure of himself, he began studying architecture at the University of Southern California and fell in love with it, despite his less than prestigious skill at drawing.  After graduation he worked as a student for several firms, but was drafted for United States Military for a year.  Upon his return, he dedicated himself to receiving a degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.  However, he was unsuccessful and instead moved with his family to France to work for a French architect.

                His return to America in the 1960s and opened his own firm, now known as Gehry Partners, LLP.  Gehry began to design buildings with a whole new perspective; houses he would create started to take on distorted shapes and allowed the client to view the structures in the completed projects.  Gehry used simple organic materials in his creations, such as plywood, chain linked fences, and metal, which made the buildings and homes all the more interesting and beautiful.  He is well known for designing many homes, all uniquely different from those which came before it.  His larger scale buildings, as well are famous and have a look of modernism and beauty that is unmatchable.

Frank Gehry's home

   

                Among Gehry’s most notable creations can be found his furniture made out of cardboard.  This industrial corrugated cardboard was used to create his line called “Experimental Edges,” and became popular.  This furniture had rough, shaggy edges and kept up with Gehry’s architectural designs as well.  Some sheets of cardboard in this line were intentionally misaligned which created an interesting look that encompassed ripples with the cardboard folds.  Along with his cardboard furniture another distinguished creation is his fish and snake lamps; in 1983 a new laminate product allowed Gehry to create a lamp that would highlight the translucency the laminate’s color.  He fashioned his lamps into fish and snake shapes that have an elegance and colorful modernism.

A chair from Gehry's "Experimental Edges"

One of Gehry's fish and snake lamps

                One of Gehry’s most amazing buildings created is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.  Through new computer software he was able to create increasingly eccentric and new shapes that were reminiscent of the International style.  Some of Gehry’s latest work includes the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, a sports arena in Brooklyn, and another addition to the Guggenheim museum.  I believe Frank Gehry is one of the most innovative and creative architectures today, and I also think that his genius will continue to astound the world for years to come.

The Guggenheim at Bilbao, Spain

The Walt Disney Concert Hall

"Frank Owen Gehry : Architect Biography." Famous Architects. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://architect.architecture.sk/frank-owen-gehry-architect/frank-owen-gehry-architect.php>.

"Frank Gehry Biography." Academy of Achievement. 7 July 2010. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/geh0bio-1>.

Ragheb, J. Fiona, ed. Frank Gehry, Architect. New York: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, 2001. Print.

 

Eva Zeisel

Eva Zeisel, a Hungarian industrial designer, is best known for her work with ceramics.  At the young age of eighteen, she became the first female potter of the Hungarian Guild.  Her exquisite work and talent led to her rise to become the artistic director of the China and Glass Industry.  Despite the numerous achievements that had played out in her youth, in 1936 one of the biggest obstacles in Zeisel’s life came about.  She was arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate Stalin, and for many months she was held in various prisons.  After being released she journeyed to the United States, where she rose in the ranks once again and came to be an esteemed teacher of ceramics at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.  She asked her students to imagine “how a handle would feel, how a pot would balance in the hand,” and other questions that I believe intended her pupils to think more about the objects purpose than its look.  Zeisel brought her own feel to American ceramics, using her creativity to design dinnerware for the home.  Some of her work shown at the Museum of Modern Art was the first one-woman show ever to be seen at the museum.  Almost a century after Zeisel was born, she still works at her trade, as well as being inspiration for young designers and artists.  Her view on her own artwork has been generosity; “I hoped my designs would give pleasure to the user when he had time to notice them, and yet recede when he was too busy or too tired.”  I believe Zeisel’s many achievements and breakthrough’s allowed her to become a purposeful and beneficial designer to our society, both past and present, and that her work will continue to inspire people of all ages for years to come.

 Some dinnerware designed by Zeisel

"The Shape of Life by Eva Zeisel." Erie Art Museum. Web. 18 Jan. 2011. <http://www.erieartmuseum.org/exhibits/exhibits2005/zeisel/index.html>.

Young, Lucie, Eva Zeisel, Marisa Bartolucci, and Raul Cabra. Eva Zeisel. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2003. Print.

 

Michael Graves

Michael Graves obtained his degree in architecture from The University of Cincinnati.  His interest in design allowed him to continue his education at Harvard, and under the instruction of the architect George Nelson, his interests in furniture design began to grow.  His well known drawings and sketches aided him in his rise as a famous architect, leading him to create some acclaimed buildings, such as Portland Building in Oregon, the Humana Building, the San Juan Capistrano Library, the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the expansion of the Newark Museum.  Among Graves work, one of his personal favorites is the Alessi teapot, which can still be bought today.  A great accomplishment, Graves was given the title as one of the “New York Five,” five architects given credit for rooting their ideas in modernism.  “Finding people to make products isn’t hard.  Finding people to make them well is something else,” says the architect.  His ingenuity and modern use of color have made him one of the most illustrious architects of his time, and I feel he will continue his legacy for years to come.

  The Alessi teapot

"Michael Graves : Architect Biography." Famous Architects. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://architect.architecture.sk/michael-graves-architect/michael-graves-architect.php>.

Lobiondo, Maria. "Michael Graves." Princeton Online. Spring 1995. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://www.princetonol.com/patron/mgraves.html>.

J02

In this assignment I decided to look for patters that I see everyday but don't honestly really look at;  in visualizing them in a different way I found them a lot more interesting and realized that the patterns I take for granted were designed for a specific purpose.

The ugliest carpet I have ever seen, on our common room floor.  It is hard and rough and I feel that it was chosen to serve as the similar floor pattern on my floor for its cheap and easy production.

A flannel shirt that I sometimes wear.  Looking closer I can really get a sense of all the different stitches and colors that serve within the full visual.

The generic floor looks almost attractive when seen this way.  Viewing it close up makes me visualize it in a whole new way rather than just as the hard white tile that I walk on everyday.

My snuggie: a simply meaningless pattern that encompases the blanket seems to be a lot less complicated than I think it really is (or I could be totally wrong)

I had never really appreciated the precise pattern that went into my laundry basket.  The accuracy makes it interesting to look at and makes me want to find out more about how it was made.

What can be more simple than a sheet?  However, someone took the time to come up with a pattern that emits attractiveness along with a sense of security and comfort.

This wall has perhaps the most uncomfortable texture in the room.  When whomever designed this started their project, I wonder what made them decide to use scratchy beige squares.

This is one of my rain boots.  I feel that the pattern here serves no other purpose than to make the shoe better to look at, but in that sense it sold the shoe; well done, designer.

This bag has a shiny, smooth texture.  The pattern on it, I feel, almost shows me the texture of the bag, even if I couldn't feel it.  The circles simply create a look of smoothness and ease.

The ceiling pattern of my room does itself justice.  It looks just as bland and mundane in person as it does in a photograph.  However, someone did put thought into making it look the way it does, maybe for reasons of comfort and security.

RR02

While reading the first several chapters of Heskett's book, I was reminded constantly of the material discussed in the lectures.  The brief history of design and its origins were interesting and in chapter three the detail about culture and what type of design was needed for what region was fascinating.  I would have never know that the logo Coca-Cola was translated in Chinese as "bite the wax tadpole."  Designers must continuously be thinking about the client and must adapt whatever product they are making to fit that client. 

CR02

One aspect of the lectures this week that I found interesting was the new definition of Interior Design that I was introduced to.  Prior to wednesday's lecture, I had viewed interior design as what was referred to in class as "Interior Decorating."  I thought that being an Interior Designer meant decorating and designing residential and public places;  I am now more intrigued, however, about the real motivation of Interior Design.  Interior Design is used to benefit public places, not just the individual.  This new knowledge has allowed me to become a great deal more interested in the aspects of design. 

I read an interview with James Victore, and I enjoyed it immensely.  Victore is a hard worker, who stresses throughout the article that the key to design is not the time spent in the studio, but observing and using what we experience in our free time.  I like to agree with this, because as Victore said, "how many great architecture ideas have been drawn on napkins?"
I feel that a lot of students, even those who have graduated should look at design and art the way Victore does.  It has already impacted the way I view design, because until now I had been prepared to arduously spend time thinking about what I want to do.  I will now focus more on drawing ideas from what I experience outside the classroom.  An inspiring quote I read in the article was "It’s the work you do before you ever put pen to paper. That’s the important part."

http://the99percent.com/articles/6944/James-Victore-Dont-Be-A-Design-Zombie

CR01

As I stated before, I am considering Interior Design for my major.  I have always loved art, and maybe this aspect of the many different areas will be the most interesting to me.  I am hoping that this class will give me a brief background that will help influence my decision about either continuing to pursue design, or figuring out that this isn't for me.

J01

Hi, I'm Breanna and am currently a freshman here at OSU.  Originally I am from New Jersey, but I moved to a small town in upper Ohio when I was little.  Regardless of the move, I continue to love big cities and hate small towns.  
I am still searching for my major at the moment; my first intention was to become a surgeon, but after Chemistry 121, I think not.  I feel like I am now heading towards Animal Sciences, Interior Design, or maybe something completely different that I haven't even discovered yet.
I have spent the last 16 years dedicating my life to dance, and I still hold the possibility in my mind that I may move forward in that direction.  Dance being my main passion, I also enjoy drawing, painting, any kind of music (except country music, which makes me furious), watching movies, laughing with friends, sleeping, and I absolutely love animals (if you hunt, my apologies in advance for not liking you).