DSDN 171 - Blog Assignment 10

Nicely rounding off my blog assignments with the one piece of design work I started my blog posts for DSDN171 with, The Tripod from Weta.

The Weta ‘Tripod’ has many techniques and references hidden within its construction. One of the many cultural references in this piece of design is War of the Worlds. I think it was designed this way to keep it in line with the sort of things that Weta make. The War of the Worlds styling makes this piece so much more visually striking than if it were a plain, large tripod. It very much looks like it could have come straight out of War of the Worlds, and onto the streets of wellington. A technique that was used in this alien like construction was a manipulation of scale. Tripods, if they are made to be functionally used by a human, are never that large. The size of this has been exaggerated to make it a spectacle, something to walk under and around. Finally, there is also a very large amount of ornamentation on the Tripod. The ornamentation serves no helpful purpose to the structure, but definitely adds to the visual value, making it appear more striking, and alien like to the beholder.

References
[Figure 1] From flickr. Retrieved from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/deadpossum/469780589/

DSDN 171 - Blog Assignment 9

‘The need to have’ is a huge message that informs the branding of design today. I am focusing mainly on Apple and their ad campaigns and product cycles. Each year a refresh is brought out and a new campaign started to get you to ‘need’ a new mac or ipod etc. This video is from the Mac vs PC campaign and shows the benefits of a mac over a PC.

Video Below

The idea shown in this video is loosely tied to the political idea of newer is better. Consumerism is another name for this state of mind. These ads by Apple make the viewer’s believe that their macs are better than PCs though in reality the PC has a far larger reach and can do much more. Their Macs do possess a few benefits such as being largely virus free, as shown in another ad from the campaign but the ads play on the geeky nature of a PC and make the audience believe that if you buy a Mac, you will be cool, and have the latest and greatest technology has to offer. They also play on the Mac being easier to use, which is true of the older version of windows, but the latest windows is, in my opinion, better.

References:

(2007, 15, April) [video file] Retrieved from :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ1AWw8ktLQ

DSDN 171 - Blog Assignment 8

When Meyer argued that ‘design [is] synonymous with man made things and [is] a product of “function x economy” ’ in chapter 9 of ‘The “First Machine Age” in Europe’ I felt like I disagreed. I then thought about the statement more and realised that it has some truth to it. I now agree with Meyer when he says that because many things that are around today are there in the standard, and with the functions they have, to help us do things based on the current economy and needs of the targeted audience.

I think design today can be both an art and a science. There is no rule that design is there to make art and art only, or that design has to be scientific. Design can contribute to both art and science. Take for example the iPhone 4. I have mentioned it in another post previous to this but I think it a good example of something that is well designed and looks nice, but could not have been achieved without science.

References:

Figure 1, From Technorati website. Retireived from (http://scm-l3.technorati.com/11/06/01/44109/iphone4changeseverything1.jpg?t=20110601135413)

DSDN 171 - Blog Assignment 7

P. Berger, T. Luckmann says of the symbolic universe: “the symbolic universe links men with their successors in a meaningful totality, serving to transcend the finitude of individual existence and bestowing meaning upon the individual’s death. All members of society can now conceive of themselves as belonging to a meaningful universe, which was there before they were born and will be there after they die.”

The digital world can be seen in today’s time as an identifiable ‘symbolic universe’.  The digital world was born before I was and will continue after I die. It has helped link my generation with its parents and will help the transition to the next generation. Any imprint we make on the digital ‘symbolic universe’ now will remain till after we are gone, and will be added to, or changed by our successors in the future.

Media and design in my opinion won’t be impacted in the construction of the digital social universe, but helped to progress through and into this digital era. The fine arts, like painting and creation from solid materials by hand will still exist, but the majority of design will become digital. From 3d modelling and printing to motion picture productions, to even writing letters, all these will during my lifetime pass on almost entirely to the digital realm. These will continue in the digital world and last past out generation through the digital ‘symbolic universe’.