The Concepts of Design

What is the definition of design? When I looked up “design” in the Oxford dictionary, seven different definitions, including when it is a noun and when it is a verb, from in terms of arrangement to in terms of intention, are present. Charles Eames defined “design” as “a plan for arranging elements in such a way as to best accomplish a particular purpose. (Eames)” Broadly, design is often connected with “arrange”; this is also the one big difference between “design” and “invention”. Design is not a “craft for industrial purposes” according to Charles Eames; for example, we can say that the design of Apple is innovative, but Steven Jobs did not invent the computer or the mp3. Design is taking what was created before and adding to it, hopefully in order to make it more convenient for use or more aesthetic; the latter is what we are learning to achieve in art schools and what artists usually talk about. Of course, often artistic beauty does not conflict with convenience, as Eames pointed out, “Who would say that pleasure is not useful?”



Below is Alphonse Mucha’s poster design, Gismonda. Highly realistic and splendid, the design serves to attract people to the play, as an advertisement.








The design here is sophisticated but its purpose, to attract people, has been successfully achieved.



Below is a very different, yet also successful design, the iPod shuffle.

Instead of being attracted by the colors, patterns, and elaborateness, people are attracted by the simplicity and small size of the iPod shuffle.

There is, therefore, no simple conclusion of what is a “good” design; the design that adds to a piece that already exists may add to its beauty or usefulness, without crossing the “constraints” of possibility.

Work Cited:

Eames, Charles. "What Is Design?" Interview. 1972.

Hornby, A. S. Oxford Advanced Learner's English Chinese Dictionary. 7th ed. England: Oxford, 2009. Print.

Pictures:

Mucha, Alphonse. Gismonda. Paintinghere.com. Web. 26 Aug. 2011. .

Apple IPod Shuffle 4GB - Size Comparison - II. Photograph. Softpedia. Softpedia. Web. 26 Aug. 2011.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After discussing the interview with the class, several points may be added. Both pictures above are designs bearing strong "trademarks" of the designer or the "research office", but some designers, such as Philippe Starck, designs in various fields; their work is, as well, brilliant designs if the "elements" are cleverly arranged.

Stefan G Bucher Book Signing

Monica and I had a great time attending Stefan G Buchers book signing on February 25th 2011. Skylight books was packed with fans, artists, photographers, journalists and random passerby's interested in free food. Regardless of what brought you to the signing, it was unanimous that You Deserve A Medal had something for everyone. Bucher created this book in order to reward the everyday person for personal affairs. This book commends those who struggle in the battle for true love through highlighting 40 different ‘stops’ along the way. With actual medals along side the book and available for purchase, Bucher took the ever touchy subject of lost love and broken hearts to a comedic level, awarding everyone within a stones throw a medal for something. To aid in your reward, Bucher broke down the medals to 4 categories- Breakup, Singlehood, Relationship, and True Love. He then broke it down even further to topics such as Fool Me Once, Kiss and Tell, Let’s Go Over This Again, and Love Medal Nomination Form. Overall an extremely entertaining book and one which has seen much praise in its short time on the shelves.

Stefan G Bucher Book Signing

Being that I had just finished a presentation on the designer, I was more than thrilled to attendStefan G. Bucher's book signing, on February 15th, 2011, only a few blocks from campus at Skylight Books in Los Angeles. I went alongside my classmate Alexandra, and we both were very excited to meet the designer/writer, and take a look at his book. The event was for Stefan's most recent book, You Deserve A Medal, a book with the most obscure awards, leaving something for every individual. When we arrived, Stefan was deep in a conversation with a few of the other guests, so we slid around the group towards the back of the bookstore. The guests were dining on wine, crackers, cheese and vegetables, and reading through Stefan's book, in addition to the different entertainment books throughout the store. Alexandra and I read through multiple books & magazines that sparked our interests. I hadn't been to many bookstores in Los Angeles, but after seeing what all they had to offer at Skylight Books, I have since then decided to venture to others around town. Being that there were so many people at the event, we weren't able to get a conversation in with Stefan, but I was still a great experience to see the live personality behind his eccentric books and designs.

Written By Monica Ahanonu

Bring It, Make It, Swap It, Take It! Roski Art Swap

March 29, 2011
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
University Park Campus, South Lawn

Make mono-prints
Model in clay
Generate buttons and books with AIGA
Create ink drawings
Answer the SOFA challenge—sidewalk chalk drawing
Bring art to trade
Pluto is not a planet t-shirts

Popcorn · soft drinks · music · Let's Be Frank turkey, beef, and vegan hot dogs

Trade art with your classmates at the Swap Tarp! 

Lupton DIY talk - Extra Credit

Design Your Life featuring Julia Lupton Visions and Voices
	Friday, March 25, 2011 : 2:00pm University Park Campus Doheny Memorial Library (DML) Friends Lecture Hall, Room 240 Admission is free. Reception to follow.
While pundits worry about the increasing amount of time young people spend online in dematerialized virtual spaces, we have also witnessed an explosion of practices and devices that return our attention to the hand. From the online craft vendor Etsy to the tactile interfaces of our iPhones, the body and the digital are deeply interlaced. The Touch of the Hand in the Digital Era is a two-part series that will consider the particular roles that touch and the emotions play in our sense of self and the world. Julia Lupton will offer a wide-ranging exploration of the D.I.Y. impulse of the past decade. The do-it-yourself movement, which signals the resurgence of craft and the handmade in contemporary life, exists in interesting tension with the widespread use of digital media. Julia Lupton is ideally poised to address this seeming paradox. She is a noted Shakespearean scholar who has published a series of popular books focused on design and everyday life, including Design Your Life, D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself and D.I.Y. Kids. She will also engage the audience in a hands-on D.I.Y. experience. Related Event: Feeling the Screen: Tactility and Emotion in the Digital AgeMonday, October 4, 4 p.m. Doheny Memorial Library, Friends Lecture Hall, Room 240 For more info, click here. Organized by Philip Ethington (History and Political Science) and Tara McPherson (Cinematic Arts). Co-sponsored by the Center for Transformative Scholarship. Image: Ellen Lupton For further information on this event: visionsandvoices@usc.edu

TONIGHT!! Stefan Bucher Book Signing @ Skylight books

You Deserve a Medal Book Launch and Party

Tuesday 2/15 7-10pm, at Skylight Books in Silver Lake

What better way to distract yourself from your spiritual or actual Valentine's Day hangover than by helping me celebrate the launch of my new book "YOU DESERVE A MEDAL - Honors on the Path to True Love" at Skylight? Sip some wine, nibble on the finest cheeses, crackers, and cookies, meet some new people!


What's the book about? It's a collection of medals that recognize achievements in the fields of dating, relationships, and love. Heartbreak? Anxiety? Casual sex? It's all in there. Romance? Butterflies? Meeting the parents? Yes, indeed. 

This book is my way of processing the last ten years of looking for love, dating online, being on both sides of too many heartbreaks, and generally losing my mind in the process.

The writing? Funny (I hope). The illustrations? Sumptuous. The binding? Case. And hey: It's my first embossed cover! With a foil stamp, no less. (Look out, Robert Ludlum!)

If you've been to the launch parties for my first three books -- All Access, 100 Days of Monsters, and The Graphic Eye -- you know it'll be fun, and the company will be excellent! See you on the 15th!

differences.

i know they don't really look like 20 of the same object, but they are all writing utensils. i thought it would be interesting to see how different things can be that are used for the same purpose.

differences.

-range from 2 in. to 6 in. long

-some use lead

-some use ink, or some kind of fluid

-some have lids

-others you can click or twist open

-different color exterior

-different purposes (coloring, writing, highlighting, etc.)

-some you can refill

-some will run out and be useless

-different colors when used

-different thicknesses when used

-some can be erased

-some are permanent

-some have writing on the covering either indicating its qualities, or advertising.

-some indicate writing color by exterior color

-some can be taken a part and put back together

-some require sharpening

-some are used to compliment others

-different exterior designs

-some have rubber grips

-made with different materials (wood, plastic, etc.)

-some are more fragile than others

-some have been used, others are new

-came from different places

-even though some look different the writing will be the same

that's what i observed.