Thursday, May 7, 2009
Inspiration!
It's kind of hard to think of just one thing that inspired me so I'll have to go with the Jesus video! :) Really though, I think that this semester was a lot better than last, it just seemed more relaxed and even though there should have been more stress and pressure because of review coming up (which there was) it was a completely different feeling in class. I'm not sure if it was just because it was that much closer to being over the hump, or the teacher or me just being more comfortable with everything...but it seemed a lot more...friendly lets say. Because of that I was able to get more into the projects (or maybe it was just the nature of the projects) I was able to have more fun working on them, and to me that's when I'm at my best, or anybody really. Work you hate working on doesn't have much potential to be great, so I was greatful that I didn't have to try as hard to make the projects more enjoyable. For the most part, I think that's really what inspired me, was just being able to relax a little and get more involved....most of the stress came all at once at the end... If you're looking more of a solid thing that inspired me, I was really intrigued by panton's work, that's the reason i picked him for my project, but I'm really into colors and how they interact and look together and apart and he just goes crazy with them, it's...crazy...a whole new look on life! (That or make your head spin, so you think it's new) :)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Lessig
First of all, the Jesus I Will Survive Video is my new favorite music video! hahaha.
But really, I thought that he had a really good point because I remember as a kid grabbing stuff off of the internet and creating things, anything, everything...photos to make a collage, music to make a slideshow. When you're young you don't know about copyright laws and then you're in school, especially in the art and design field and they slap it all on you at once and you freak out...wondering if you had broken the law by doing all of that stuff. I like his idea of opening non comercial use of work up, I just think that if no profit is being made off of your work, then it shouldn't really matter if it's being used, either way, when people "steal" your work it should be a compliment...so if a kid thinks the photo you took is awesome, then they should be able to use it to make a collage and not have to worry about breaking the law. I completely agree with the copy right laws of someone taking your work and making money from it, that is completely wrong, but there should be more freedom for those who just enjoy creating for fun.
But really, I thought that he had a really good point because I remember as a kid grabbing stuff off of the internet and creating things, anything, everything...photos to make a collage, music to make a slideshow. When you're young you don't know about copyright laws and then you're in school, especially in the art and design field and they slap it all on you at once and you freak out...wondering if you had broken the law by doing all of that stuff. I like his idea of opening non comercial use of work up, I just think that if no profit is being made off of your work, then it shouldn't really matter if it's being used, either way, when people "steal" your work it should be a compliment...so if a kid thinks the photo you took is awesome, then they should be able to use it to make a collage and not have to worry about breaking the law. I completely agree with the copy right laws of someone taking your work and making money from it, that is completely wrong, but there should be more freedom for those who just enjoy creating for fun.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
verner panton
The reason I was interested in Panton was first, his wide variety of work, ranging from space to design to color to light, which are all highlighted on his website, which I also found quite nice. He's designed chairs and other seating, lamps, wall decorations, room designs, and fabrics, plus more, but his website is not complete yet. I'm very much into the use of colors, it seems he has a passion for every color. He was very much involved in experimenting in the design of "normal" things, such as chairs and lamps. He also indulged himself in various aspects of "design," not just architecture, which is where he began.
"You can sit in an idea"
The three images I chose represent basically what he did. The first wire chair I chose because he did a lot of variations using the wire-frame look. The red plastic chair he was known for using that form (and slight variations of it) over and over for his many chairs. The brown textile I chose to use because it highlights the fact that he overwhelmingly used geometric shapes to form his work, especially the circle.
Biography:
Like many of his colleagues, Panton, who was born on the Danish island of FŸnen in 1926, found his way to design via architecture. After studying at the Academy of Art in Copenhagen, he worked from 1950-52 in the office of Arne Jacobsen, where he was involved in the design of the legendary "Ant Chair". Working as an independent architect and designer in many European countries from the mid-fifties onward, Panton first attracted international attention with furniture based on geometric forms and manufactured by the company Plus-linje ("Cone Chairs"). These designs are distinguished by their extravagant forms and a keen interest in new plastic materials produced industrially at the time. Simultaneously, they are evidence of an unfettered joy of experimentation, which can be regarded as a central characteristic of Panton's work. Over the following decades, numerous designs for seating furniture and lamps were produced together with renowned manufacturers such as Fritz Hansen, Louis Poulsen, Thonet, Herman Miller/Vitra, Royal Copenhagen, and Rosenthal, some of which are still in production. Among these are true "bestsellers" such as the "Flowerpot" lamp and design icons like the Panton Chair, which immediately garnered international accolades upon its presentation to the public in 1967 after a long and intensive development process. In addition, Panton distinguished himself as a textile designer. His close collaboration with the company Mira-X, for whom he designed an extensive collection of domestic textiles from the end of the Sixties onward, clearly exhibits his preference for intense colours and geometric shapes. Of central importance within the context of his oeuvre are Panton's room designs. His comprehensive design philosophy was already evident in early interior designs for the restaurants "Komigen" (Langsš, 1958) and "Astoria" (Trondheim, 1960). He was particulary skillful in fusing disparate elements - floor, wall and ceiling treatments, furniture, lighting elements, textiles, and plastic or enamel wall panels - into a consummate and indivisible spatial unit. The "Visiona" ships for the Cologne Furniture Fair (1968 and 1970), the offices of the Spiegel publishers in Hamburg (1969), and the restaurant "Varna" in Aarhus (1970) are the best-known examples of this.
Residing in Basle from the beginning of the Sixties and having received many international design awards, Panton remained active until his death in September 1998. Re-editions of his works and, in addition, an exhibition overseen by the designer himself in Kolding, Denmark, are evidence of the increasingly growing interest in Panton's oeuvre over recent years. In spite of its undisputed importance, until now it has neither been the subject of a design-historical retrospective, nor received comprehensive monographic treatment in a publication.
"You can sit in an idea"
The three images I chose represent basically what he did. The first wire chair I chose because he did a lot of variations using the wire-frame look. The red plastic chair he was known for using that form (and slight variations of it) over and over for his many chairs. The brown textile I chose to use because it highlights the fact that he overwhelmingly used geometric shapes to form his work, especially the circle.
Biography:
Like many of his colleagues, Panton, who was born on the Danish island of FŸnen in 1926, found his way to design via architecture. After studying at the Academy of Art in Copenhagen, he worked from 1950-52 in the office of Arne Jacobsen, where he was involved in the design of the legendary "Ant Chair". Working as an independent architect and designer in many European countries from the mid-fifties onward, Panton first attracted international attention with furniture based on geometric forms and manufactured by the company Plus-linje ("Cone Chairs"). These designs are distinguished by their extravagant forms and a keen interest in new plastic materials produced industrially at the time. Simultaneously, they are evidence of an unfettered joy of experimentation, which can be regarded as a central characteristic of Panton's work. Over the following decades, numerous designs for seating furniture and lamps were produced together with renowned manufacturers such as Fritz Hansen, Louis Poulsen, Thonet, Herman Miller/Vitra, Royal Copenhagen, and Rosenthal, some of which are still in production. Among these are true "bestsellers" such as the "Flowerpot" lamp and design icons like the Panton Chair, which immediately garnered international accolades upon its presentation to the public in 1967 after a long and intensive development process. In addition, Panton distinguished himself as a textile designer. His close collaboration with the company Mira-X, for whom he designed an extensive collection of domestic textiles from the end of the Sixties onward, clearly exhibits his preference for intense colours and geometric shapes. Of central importance within the context of his oeuvre are Panton's room designs. His comprehensive design philosophy was already evident in early interior designs for the restaurants "Komigen" (Langsš, 1958) and "Astoria" (Trondheim, 1960). He was particulary skillful in fusing disparate elements - floor, wall and ceiling treatments, furniture, lighting elements, textiles, and plastic or enamel wall panels - into a consummate and indivisible spatial unit. The "Visiona" ships for the Cologne Furniture Fair (1968 and 1970), the offices of the Spiegel publishers in Hamburg (1969), and the restaurant "Varna" in Aarhus (1970) are the best-known examples of this.
Residing in Basle from the beginning of the Sixties and having received many international design awards, Panton remained active until his death in September 1998. Re-editions of his works and, in addition, an exhibition overseen by the designer himself in Kolding, Denmark, are evidence of the increasingly growing interest in Panton's oeuvre over recent years. In spite of its undisputed importance, until now it has neither been the subject of a design-historical retrospective, nor received comprehensive monographic treatment in a publication.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Hilman Curtis
Paula Scher:
The thing that interested me most about what she said was when she was talking about process, and that her best stuff comes to her really quick and that she is not a refiner. I think just about everything we've ever learned about designing and creating things is about the initial idea, but then refining, refining, and refining more until it's perfect. I like the fact that she can come up with something and it be gold without making adjustments...like the citi bank logo she drew on a napkin. A lot of people need those refinements to produce their best work. I can kind of relate it to poetry because in every poetry class i've been in, they want you to edit and revise and blah blah blah, but for me, when i write, my mind is editing at the same time, so most of the time its near perfect when i write it down...at least perfect for me. So I guess it just depends on the person, and the project, about how many times its going to need to be refined.
David Carson:
I think that it's really important to put yourself into your work, because especially if you're not as interested in a particular project, if you put who you are into it, it automatically becomes more interesting, and you want to become more invested in it, because human beings love themselves. And I have always believed that people's best work is done when they themselves are interested and into the subject, or project. I thought he made another good point about the starting point being to interpret, not to make it pretty, ugly, amazing, or anything. First you have to understand it, and determine how to interpret everything so the audience will see it too. That means, you have to understand it first. Way before you decide how its going to look.
Milton Glaser:
This one was kind of like a philosophical one, when he said that "art brings people together so they have something in common, which keeps them from killing each other" which I have to kind of agree. Art is its own special little animal that a lot of people don't understand. Someone has to keep it alive so that the world's cultures survive. Like he said art is the "gift." Everyone should embrace it, not just those who create it. The last point he said about if you can sustain interest in what you're doing for your whole life, you're lucky because a lot of people get tired, and bored. I think that's the goal and hope of everyone, to find something that won't ever dry up.
The thing that interested me most about what she said was when she was talking about process, and that her best stuff comes to her really quick and that she is not a refiner. I think just about everything we've ever learned about designing and creating things is about the initial idea, but then refining, refining, and refining more until it's perfect. I like the fact that she can come up with something and it be gold without making adjustments...like the citi bank logo she drew on a napkin. A lot of people need those refinements to produce their best work. I can kind of relate it to poetry because in every poetry class i've been in, they want you to edit and revise and blah blah blah, but for me, when i write, my mind is editing at the same time, so most of the time its near perfect when i write it down...at least perfect for me. So I guess it just depends on the person, and the project, about how many times its going to need to be refined.
David Carson:
I think that it's really important to put yourself into your work, because especially if you're not as interested in a particular project, if you put who you are into it, it automatically becomes more interesting, and you want to become more invested in it, because human beings love themselves. And I have always believed that people's best work is done when they themselves are interested and into the subject, or project. I thought he made another good point about the starting point being to interpret, not to make it pretty, ugly, amazing, or anything. First you have to understand it, and determine how to interpret everything so the audience will see it too. That means, you have to understand it first. Way before you decide how its going to look.
Milton Glaser:
This one was kind of like a philosophical one, when he said that "art brings people together so they have something in common, which keeps them from killing each other" which I have to kind of agree. Art is its own special little animal that a lot of people don't understand. Someone has to keep it alive so that the world's cultures survive. Like he said art is the "gift." Everyone should embrace it, not just those who create it. The last point he said about if you can sustain interest in what you're doing for your whole life, you're lucky because a lot of people get tired, and bored. I think that's the goal and hope of everyone, to find something that won't ever dry up.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Design Observer
Futura:
This article is similar to the 2nd one that I read, now coming back to it, in that just saying that you used the typeface isn't a good enough reason. I'm not sure why students supposedly love Futura, as I haven't found any strong attraction to it. I think that design in general, a lot of people don't realize, always has (or should have) some kind of purpose or reasoning behind it, other than because I like it, or wanted to. It what makes design good, having meaning. Otherwise, why does it even exist? Why should anyone care? Other fonts to use instead of Futura...Personally, I've been drawn to Fruitger. It's an interesting font in that the different types aren't all the same. The Extra black has some different characters which keeps it interesting. Of course also there is Helvetica, can't go wrong with that one.13 ways:
This article was pretty interesting, the 13 ways he explained I thought were unique. One that stuck out to me was 'Because its ugly.' It doesn't really make sense at first glance. Why would you want to use a typeface that you know looks ugly? Most would say you wouldn't. But Bierut apparently can find beauty in even an ugly typeface. I guess it would really expand a designer's mind to be able to see and accept an ugly typeface if used corectly, as beautiful. Reminds me of "beauty and the beast" somehow...The one I didn't really like was 'because you like its name' I really don't think a typeface's name should have any influence in a decision to use it in a piece of work. It has nothing to do with whether or not it looks good, works for what is trying to be communicated, or is even appropriate. The description under that one sort of made it seem like he was making fun of that reason...but he still put it on his list so who knows...For the most part I think the list is fairly appropriate, and seems to make sense for the most part.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)