I have been looking around on the internet for topics about sustainability and earth preservation. And while procrastinating on you tube i came across a few really good clips. They dealt with sustainability in a new way. We are currently living in a world that is becoming more and more conscious about sustainability and preservation. Well this is the main stream view of where we as a race are at right now. The clips that i have been looking at deal with sustainability as a conspiracy.
So i did quite a bit of looking around and seeing where this has come from. And what i have found is a large following of this conspiracy theory. That there is a small group of people that control most of the worlds wealth. And these are the people that are dealing with things on a global scale, for example the Twin Towers. Is the new drive for sustainability just another layer to the conspiracy's? There are quite a few clips of this online.
I think that this is a really interesting way to look at things . . .
Maybe sustainability for us is to have freedom of mind. Or total control of mind.(When i use "Mind" i mean thoughts and ideas). I think that the people of this earth are already slaves to the system, "The Man". Maybe sustainable design is freeing peoples minds of what they already know or what they think they know. Perhaps sustainable design is keeping people inline with what the main stream wants. Are we as designers just designing ways to control or persuade the masses. I really like the frog idea; If you have a frog and place that frog into a boiling pot of water the frog will jump straight out. But if you place that frog into a pot of cool water and gently heat up the water to boiling, the frog will eventually cook itself. The frog thinks that the small changes are nothing to be concerned about, until all the small changes add up, and its dead. (Are our lecturers and tutors just teaching us the skills or the mindset to fit into the lie? Is Doug teaching us how to be leaders in rhetoric, and control people?)
This i think will be the drive to my project. What i need to think about now is what / who am i designing for? And are there sides and where do i sit as a designer?
(I am also not sure how to take these clips and ideas. Are they just another way to control us? How reliable are these sources? Why do i want to believe them? Why do i think the way i think? Have i already been converted into a puppet? Much like the matrix. Am i just being used by the machines? And if i am whats wrong with being a puppet? If i am happy with the way things are going for me whats the issue? Is truth law? Why should truth rule my life? Do i want to be "enlightened". Is living a lie or false existence so bad ???)
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Design is a Waste of Space - Essay
Design is a Waste of Space
By Jeff Cochrane
Design is a waste of space! We as designers need to cull a large number of our darlings! What exactly does design do? It creates useless objects that go about cluttering the world. Design is a waste of space. So many designs lack the extra depth, that is vital to be considered great. These designs are just like babies crawling down the street. Not really sure where they are going or what they are doing, just there to be there. Design by itself is nothing with out theory.
What is Theory? Theory is the glue that holds great designs together. Theory is like the mud in the Great Wall of China, the bolts in the Eiffel Tower, the cheese on a great cheese lover’s pizza, all very essential to a great design. Theory in design is very much the opposite of the baby crawling down the street. It is more like an elderly person, full to the brim with memories and experiences. They know what it is like to love, to lose or to live. They are the true gems of our society, and not just because their grey hair sparkles under lights or the way they enjoy the country side much more than the rest of us as they are driving so slow that they see it all. They provide the base of great design, a guiding light for the rest of us. Theory enriches design.
In a disposable society that we live in today, theory is a pillar that remains unchanged and strong. People are sick of looking at things that are just what they appear to be. To be taken at face value only. People want more out of their designs! Designs that benefit both the designer and the consumer. In the book “Emotionally durable design” Jonathan Chapman states the theory of “Sustainability through complexity”. Great designs stay alive by the complexity of a design that continues to reveal itself to the consumer. The many layers that the design has keeps the consumer interested. But as soon as the consumer mines their way to the core / bottom of the design it is thrown out and a new design is brought or consumed. This is what theory brings to design, complexity and sustainability.
But how do designers design for complexity and sustainability. It’s a matter of looking around and finding what is right in front of their eyes. Personality in design has huge potential. It is virtually an untapped recourse. Designing for personalities is always going to be a challenge. Personality changes and is never the same. Personality is a part of every design, whether the designer knows it or not. It is the hidden tapestry in design and in every designers work. They cannot escape or evade it. Personality invades them. The question to the designer is how to best use the massive potential of personality. Even in the smallest common denominators personality thrives. Digital, physical, numbers or drawings all contain personality.
Design is taking an area of “Grey” and turning it into something worth being experienced and absorbed. We are the creative warriors, fighting a never-ending battle with “The Grey”! A never-ending battle with monotone in a bland world of boredom. We combat “The Grey” by asking questions. Questions about the way things are, the way things where, and the way things will become. Design is different and diverse. Designers are different and diverse, and so we should be. If we weren't “The Grey” would win.
“The Grey” is strong in this world and some designer’s work to further “the Grey”. But with theory, true designers can win. “I don’t design with theory in mind. I create theories with my hands. I sculpt and create theories within my work.” Bland designs clutter the world, a complete waste of space. With the knowledge base of the elderly, and the flair of the creative warriors, potentials like personality, sustainability and complexity, “the Grey“ has no chance.
By Jeff Cochrane
Design is a waste of space! We as designers need to cull a large number of our darlings! What exactly does design do? It creates useless objects that go about cluttering the world. Design is a waste of space. So many designs lack the extra depth, that is vital to be considered great. These designs are just like babies crawling down the street. Not really sure where they are going or what they are doing, just there to be there. Design by itself is nothing with out theory.
What is Theory? Theory is the glue that holds great designs together. Theory is like the mud in the Great Wall of China, the bolts in the Eiffel Tower, the cheese on a great cheese lover’s pizza, all very essential to a great design. Theory in design is very much the opposite of the baby crawling down the street. It is more like an elderly person, full to the brim with memories and experiences. They know what it is like to love, to lose or to live. They are the true gems of our society, and not just because their grey hair sparkles under lights or the way they enjoy the country side much more than the rest of us as they are driving so slow that they see it all. They provide the base of great design, a guiding light for the rest of us. Theory enriches design.
In a disposable society that we live in today, theory is a pillar that remains unchanged and strong. People are sick of looking at things that are just what they appear to be. To be taken at face value only. People want more out of their designs! Designs that benefit both the designer and the consumer. In the book “Emotionally durable design” Jonathan Chapman states the theory of “Sustainability through complexity”. Great designs stay alive by the complexity of a design that continues to reveal itself to the consumer. The many layers that the design has keeps the consumer interested. But as soon as the consumer mines their way to the core / bottom of the design it is thrown out and a new design is brought or consumed. This is what theory brings to design, complexity and sustainability.
But how do designers design for complexity and sustainability. It’s a matter of looking around and finding what is right in front of their eyes. Personality in design has huge potential. It is virtually an untapped recourse. Designing for personalities is always going to be a challenge. Personality changes and is never the same. Personality is a part of every design, whether the designer knows it or not. It is the hidden tapestry in design and in every designers work. They cannot escape or evade it. Personality invades them. The question to the designer is how to best use the massive potential of personality. Even in the smallest common denominators personality thrives. Digital, physical, numbers or drawings all contain personality.
Design is taking an area of “Grey” and turning it into something worth being experienced and absorbed. We are the creative warriors, fighting a never-ending battle with “The Grey”! A never-ending battle with monotone in a bland world of boredom. We combat “The Grey” by asking questions. Questions about the way things are, the way things where, and the way things will become. Design is different and diverse. Designers are different and diverse, and so we should be. If we weren't “The Grey” would win.
“The Grey” is strong in this world and some designer’s work to further “the Grey”. But with theory, true designers can win. “I don’t design with theory in mind. I create theories with my hands. I sculpt and create theories within my work.” Bland designs clutter the world, a complete waste of space. With the knowledge base of the elderly, and the flair of the creative warriors, potentials like personality, sustainability and complexity, “the Grey“ has no chance.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
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