screen shot

i was working. i was zoomed in to see type. i looked at my screen, shifted it a bit and took a screen capture. what a lovely little visual moment replete with text.

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design for the people with a capital D

I have been reading over the new online design journal “re-public.gr/en” The content is thought provoking and interesting, and especially poignant for me as I search for what to do next with my newly minted degree and abundance of idealistic enthusiasm for design’s potential application to environmental policy, services and products.

Here is a quote from Dori Tunstall’s contribution to the writing on the site in her article The future of politics: Distributed creativity and DIY policy design:

“On a recent government project of mine, the creative director did not
want the team to ask people to evaluate whether the type was too big or
too small on a brochure. The argument was that people always say that
it is too small and that they don’t understand all the reasons why
something may be easy or difficult to read. My counter argument was
that while designers are the experts in design, the people are the
experts in their experiences with designed artifacts. The desire to not
solicit certain types of design feedback from people has to do with the
designer’s need to maintain control over the expert domain of design,
with lowercase d.”

Definitions to note before continuing (per Dori):
design with a lowercase d: “…design, with lowercase d, is its complement – tangible,
improvisational, reality creations that is the mostly professionalized
and within the intellectual domains of design, communication, and
usability.”

Design with an uppercase D: “Design, with an uppercase D, is the processes of abstract, strategic,
ideal creation that is open to everyone. In the context of policy, it
is often the intellectual domain of the political science and
economics.”

I want to call attention to the following statement and make a note on it:
“My counter argument was
that while designers are the experts in design, the people are the
experts in their experiences with designed artifacts.”

This statement falls neatly into messy business that my graduate class at NCSU was trying to tackle and provoke discussion around in our symposium OptionShiftControl last fall. I agree that the end user must have control of the design project outcome in that it suits the needs of the group that the project was created to address. However, the people may be experts in their experiences with the artifact, but are they cognizant of the reasons that they find them acceptable or unacceptable? Habit forms a strong bond with comfort and sometimes an experience that registers as “right” is an unexamined opportunity to make a significant change for the better in the people’s lifestyle. Doing things the way they are done because it is the way that it has always been done is a common and seemingly human way to live through daily tasks. I do believe that when partnered with other disciplines that specialize in Observation, designers can offer ideas to the people that they may have rejected on the notion that it is not the way that things have always been done, but are not recognizing that comfort may be a cause in marking or discarding an idea. Involve, observe, offer and interject with the people. Heck, designers ARE the people in most cases. However, have we nothing to offer as experts in awareness of the experience and the ability to deconstruct it and see opportunity in places that the people don’t, not that they cannot, but maybe they just do not have the time nor energy to do so.

The article is not all about this statement, my rant spawned from the singular sentence but does not reflect the overall theme of the piece. The rest of the writing, especially the five aspects of policy design, was insightful and interesting. I would like to take one of the five and pick it apart further and find out what its principles were.

But that, my readers, is a rant for another time.

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jenny holzer on twitter

i have always loved jenny holzer for her quipsolgies and phrases in addition to her public posting of these cryptic morsels in a public space. now, she enters the very private sphere, the mobile device, through the public manifestation of a twitter feed. such lovely crossover, imho.

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Green Patriot Bus Ads

I have been on the bus in Cleveland. It often smelled like pee. However, this was a few years ago and maybe times have changed and the odor has improved. When I lived in Cleveland I did notice that the public transit system was largely overlooked and underutilized. I tried to take it when I could and it was on time and went to helpful places. It did not run late enough, but otherwise, pretty good. I was intrigued by this campaign designed by Michael Beirut.

But what is a green patriot? Will the bus riders look online to find out when they get in front of a computer? Is the message reaching those who are taking the bus because they HAVE to and providing feedback that they are also doing a service to the environment? I would like to think so, but I would also like to know. A follow-up project with some impromptu interviews perhaps, would stats tracking on the site do anything? What about asking some kids who ride the bus once they are in school? I know Pentagram has probably already thought of these things, I just hope that if any of this occurs it gets the press that the initial action did. Its not just the object, its the effect it has on the community ot was intended for.

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flatlanders 2

last night i attended the opening of flatlanders 2 at the uc davis nelson gallery. the curator did a nice job of interspersing various media types and styles with some continuity from one to the other, without it being an overly linear experience. i was there to support my friend gioia fonda and the selection of her series of hand-drawn pattern studies for inclusion in the show. her pieces are amazing in their intricacy and vibrant color selection. she uses frisket and gel pens, airbrush and paint to create the detailed pattern-based narratives. how would you know they were a narrative? just look at the titles. if you ask her, their is a fascinating story behind every one. she considers someone or an event that has transpired in her life and then creates the image as an interpretation of the event. but to hear her describe it is truly a treat. she is a consummate observer/story collector and her unique perspective on life makes mundane things like a visit to the dentist an opportunity to talk to someone and understand their life.

other highlights included the ceramic work of james aarons. His plate/bowl titles “Part Way” was breathtaking. What an amazing and well crafted artifact! I am really enjoying getting out to see and to think about art in the local context again.

Persnickety was She. Her Passions were Oral Hygiene and Crime Dramas of TV.
Ink, watercolor, gouache & acrylic
14″ x 17″

The white spots are from the glass, not on the art. It was great to see people studying the detail. Many think her work is digital, until they see it up close!

This one clearly had a cereal theme. The Trix were excellent. 

Part Way, by James Aarons 

Close up of the plate. The line work was wonderful. 

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did i mis something? ny times using photos from flickr

i eat a lot of tomatoes and peppers and food quality and safety concerns me as much as the next person, but that is not why i am posting this screen capture. look closely at the lovely shot of the peppers. what’s the credit say? is that FLICKR? now i have been living in cave called “graduate school” for a few years so maybe i missed something, or maybe we discussed this shift in copyright and control IN graduate school and i didn’t but hadn’t seen this particular use prior to today. so the NYT is now using images found on flickr to illustrate their stories. did they contact the creator? i did, i have no trouble finding his blog through his flickr pages where he posted the link to it. maybe this image will bring him some business in some way. he was easy to find. it seems photography is not his major source of income though, he is in marketing. does this make him an amateur? he has a pro account and a lot of fans in the flickr community. my my, the lines are getting harder and harder to distinguish.

i am thinking back now to a campaign i worked on two years ago for a small t-com company (yes, there was such a thing) and used a photo from istock. i contacted the photographer for a larger size and more of that model. turns out the model was his sister and it would be a bit of work to get any more shots for the larger campaign. it wasn’t quite what i would have had, response wise, from a photographer with an established methodology like former roomie bryan rinnert, in terms of professionalism. who knows, maybe the kid was just starting out. none the less i couldn’t get more than what was up on istock, quickly. and at a bigger agency, that was critical.

so yes, in my opinion flickr and contributions to image making through web based exchange from people of all walks of life and levels of experience is here to stay. and when major news hubs start shopping for their images on these sites, i think this reinforces this. but it is still to be determined what this means in terms of image value as culture capital and image making skill as a way to make a living. the discussion continues …

article:
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/the-salmonella-outbreak-hits-1000-cases-with-a-new-culprit/index.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

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Solar Wearables

i came across this while thinking about distance and technology and so on:
http://www.distancelab.org/projects/solarvintage/

i have to admit, it seems a bit ornamental over functional at its current state but if it is about exposing potential rather than acting as a be-all-end-all then it does that. its an interesting juxtaposition of what is traditionally “women’s handiwork” surrounds the perceived masculine domain of “TECHNOLOGY” (dun dun duuuuuun).

could i work with materials like this? where can i work on such things? to what end? … post graduate school non-schedule fall out. i have so many ideas but lack the timetable structure. must make one … i digress, this post was about this interesting juxtaposition of craft and solar cells. let’s bring it back around and ponder:

Elena Corchero

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the visual vernacular of the american holiday

i wonder … has there been much writing on the semiotics of american holiday ephemera and visual vocabulary? sure the lowly (literally) american flag swim short may be a joke to the design aesthete, but to the person who proudly displays them coupled with flag do-rag, lanyard and polarized sunglasses (shirtless, tan and barrel-chested of course) river side while picnicking on the fourth of july did not make his wardrobe selection to be ironic. i also doubt the snickering passer-by would espouse his critique to flag-man in person. okay, so the flag may be an easy target. but why on shorts? and what of other holiday paraphernalia? what of greeting cards and banners, packaging and newspaper insert clip-art? i think i am on to something here… or maybe i am in it. happy 4th.

(and yes, i am being ironic here) 

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mmmmm: the its’-it

at the end of a fabulous 25 mile down the american river trail with gioia and eric, we enjoyed this delicious california treat:

i had never heard of them, but they are AWESOME. the oatmeal cookie with cinnamon makes it. the site and the branding holds true to its claim to fame—an experience. and i guess they have been bringing the experience since 1928. yum yum!

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some pretty interesting copy writing in the greyhound shipping policy

ok, there has to be a story behind this “exception” in the greyhound freight shipping policy:
“Animal Heads, consisting of decapitated animals for the purpose of
medical testing only will be permitted when properly containerized and
not in conflict with bio-hazardous materials handling policy.”

under most circumstances, animal heads are apparently not allowed. unless … as specified. interesting.

also, how many phrases were tested before settling on the following as the description for smelly things in the “prohibited” category:
Materials Having a Disagreeable Odor

does this mean i can ship candles that smell like jelly donuts and cut grass? men like that smell, right? who decides what disagreeable is? i know this writer had a tough job to do … but its still funny.

in case you have need, here’s the whole policy.

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