RR04

I thought some of the points brought up about the context of design were interesting.  How design is so diverse that it is hard to place standards on it in a professional sense, but how it can also be the only thing that unifies a large corporation like McDonald's through branding.  I also found how some businesses utilize designers in their companies to improve products while other businesses outsource their designs strange.  It seems that having in-house designers would be much more efficient and beneficial for a company.  This chapter also focused on the differences between design organization in America versus Europe and the rest of the world.  The future chapter analyses the way design will evolve in the future and how it has the potential to create freedom and to limit information to the consumer depending on how it is applied.  The importance of designing flexible solutions to technological problems is also going to be increasing in the future as consumers look for personalized technologies.  I think it's interesting that in the  future designers are going to have to design products that can then be re-designed by the consumer as unique and personalized products become more popular and feasible.

CR05

The final classes of Design 200 were really interesting.  I liked seeing how other groups approached the issue of transforming Coleman into a home goods distributor.  I also liked how we had to grade each other's projects, it actually forced people to pay attention to the presentations.  Normally I wouldn't like 2 entire days of presentations because they tend to get boring and you start to zone out, but by having to grade everyone it actually made you pay attention and the presentations were actually really creative and interesting.  Some of my favorites were the App for smart phones to manage your electricity, the smart top table you can cook on, and the tent bed for kids.  I was really impressed with some of the ideas people came up with.

J10

I really enjoyed the class Design 200.  It was refreshing to have a class with no midterms or finals and I felt that what I was studying was actually sticking with me more because I wasn't trying to cram and memorize everything, I just learned it.  The use of groups was interesting, it definitely helped me get to know my teammates, but I wonder if switching around a bit would have been beneficial for getting to know the rest of the class too.  I really liked the Coleman project, that was probably my favorite part of the class, I also liked the scavenger hunt too though.  Every time I walk past the Wexner Center I think of the fact that it was built on an angle, which I never would have known if I hadn't taken this class!  The hardest thing about this class was keeping track of assignments, it would have been helpful if on the description of each journal or reading reflexion the date it was due was also included.  Some descriptions included the due dates, but for others you had to search the website to find the assignments tab and then look it up.  Other than that I thought the class was pretty awesome!

J09

Group: 4's
Erica
Jonathan 
Lindsay
me.

Our group had a lot of ideas about how to bring Coleman into the home.  Originally we thought of making some kind of portable energy device, then a solar table, and even fabric that can be powered and heat and cool surfaces, but eventually we decided on solar curtains that powered a portable outlet.  I personally really like the idea of solar curtains and if they existed and I had my own house, I would probably look into buying them.  I think in design, the best products are probably ones that the designers themselves would use, because if the designer won't use the product why should anyone else? I think that's one reason why our project turned out so well, we all actually liked the idea and thought of it as something we would be using.

Another reason why our project went so well was because everyone put a lot of work into it.  We all designed 4 possible curtains and looked into how the solar power could be wirelessly transported to the box.  We also messed around a lot with the branding and packaging, coming up with a name that was relevant but also creative and working out how to keep packaging ecofriendly but cheap.  We finally settled on one set of curtains, the name "Solar Shades", a circular package and a design for the box.  After that I sketched out a lot of logo options and we decided on one and I incorporated that into a package for the customer.

In the beginning phases of the project I think I was probably the person who was most concerned with making sure the product was enough of a "home good" to avoid any confusion.  It was really easy to think of ideas for how to make a product for Coleman that could be both indoor and outdoor, but I wanted our group to try to make something that was clearly a home good.  After we came up with our idea though, we had a lot of fun being creative with it and researching realistic ways it could be made.  I personally really liked our product and presentation (but I guess I'm a little biased).

J08

I chose to research Design & the Environment.  Taking the environment into consideration when designing products is very important because we don't have unlimited resources and the products we use have an impact on the world around us.  For a long time people designed and consumed as if they could do so forever without any negative side effects, but we have realized that this is not true.  Everything we use comes from somewhere and after we use it, it has to go somewhere.  So designing with the environment in mind helps to decrease the amount of materials that need to be newly introduced into each product and considers where the product will end up after its intended use.  It also tries to decrease the amount of harmful materials the consumer, workers, and environment are exposed to.

1) http://www.epa.gov/dfe/
This website, Design for the Environment, is a partnership with the EPA that has information for consumers and producers about environmentally friendly products and how to find them.  The DfE logo is a guarantee that the chemicals in the product have been approved as safe for the environment and the consumer.  There is also information on this website about global climate change and why designing for the environment is important.

2) http://www.dceplanning.com/
Design, Community, & Environment is an organization designed to organize communities around the idea of trying to "work in concert with the natural environment." They work with government agencies, urban planners, and landscape architecture.  Their website is intended to connect designers with clients who are looking for environmental solutions to their community's needs.

3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNudnI5tzf
This youtube video shows the effect of sustainable energy on a local community.  The use of a wind turbine for alternative energy is an example of how design can work with the environment rather than against it and still serve the community.  A new design for the wind turbines also allows for versatility in placement, making them easy to add to a more urban setting as well as in rural areas.

4) http://www.wbdg.org/design/sustainable.php
The Whole Building Design Guide offers codes and resources for builders, as well as an overview of sustainable building practices.  The guide also emphasizes the importance of decreasing the environmental impact of buildings by pointing out the energy use, waste production, and CO2 emissions of all the buildings in the USA.  

5) http://www.lanl.gov/environment/risk/p2_sd.shtml
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a lab working on sustainable solutions to the problems of environmental management, pollution prevention, and risk reduction.  The website offers links to carbon footprint calculators, hot topics in the environment, and public involvement opportunities.  The website has descriptions of previous environmental projects done by the lab and lots of information about environmental threats and what can be done to reduce them.

CR04

In the past few classes we've been working on our Coleman for the Home projects.  I've found this very interesting because it allowed everyone to look at the whole process from designing a product to marketing/packaging and designing a kiosk to appeal to the consumer.  I think this really reflects how an actual businesses would go about this process (except they would be meeting a lot more frequently).  But I liked the work and if I ended up in a career in business I think I could be pretty happy.  I designed the logo for our Coleman for the Home project and I really liked doing that too, which could work with design and marketing if I wanted to do something like that for a career.  Basically I learned a lot from this project over the past few classes and I really enjoyed everything my group worked on.

J07

Lindsay    http://design200lm.blogspot.com/
Lindsay found the letter F in her letterform search and for some reason that really surprised me.  I realized that I could have used the same object I used for H to make F if I took the picture at a different angle, but it had never occurred to me to do that.  Im not really sure why the letter F wasn't as obvious to me as other letters were; this is really interesting me for some reason. Lindsay also found some really good trade show pictures, her IKEA picture actually gave me some ideas for how to organize our potential booth.

Erica   http://design200spring.blogspot.com/

I liked Erica's letterform entry.  She had some letters found in common items that I had never noticed before, like how an iPod earbud looks like a P.  It really does but I hadn't thought of it before I saw her picture.  She also looked up some of the same companies as I did for the online scavenger hunt which I thought was kinda funny.  We both looked up North Face, IKEA, Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn so I guess those are all fairly successful brands because they're what people think of what they think outdoor and indoor home goods. 


Jonathan    http://design200.wordpress.com/
Jonathan had some really cool links on his blog- not surprising.  The one about the "paper computer" was so cool! If phones could get that on their screens instead of the glass they currently use, I wouldn't have to worry about shattering my screen if I were to drop my phone.  The fact that we could also eventually have phones and computers that are super thin and flexible is crazy! Jonathan's scavenger hunt pictures were really good too, his trade show picture of the window display will be useful when designing our window blinds and shades display.  

RR03

I've really enjoyed reading Cradle to Cradle so far.  The other day I sat outside and read it, and even though I was hot and sweaty I didn't have to worry about messing up the book because it is waterproof!  I think the way the authors present the information is interesting and holds your attention a lot better than Design: A Very Short Introduction did.  I actually keep thinking about some of what I've read, like when I was using my blow-drier and started thinking about all the chemicals it was probably pumping into the air that I was then breathing.  Pretty disturbing stuff.  But I also thought the history behind how the industrial revolution occurred and shaped our current system was interesting, even if it made me a little angry.  I really agree with the message the authors are trying to get across in the book about how we need to start producing products that are sustainable in every way and that don't include any aspects that can indirectly harm the consumers.

J06

5 Outdoor Retailers:
http://www.coleman.com/
http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/index.html
http://www.walrusgear.com/
http://www.patagonia.com/us/home
http://www.mountainhardwear.com/

5 Indoor Home Goods Manufacturers:

http://www.acehardware.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=2626064

http://www.lehmans.com/

http://www.ikea.com/

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/

http://www.potterybarn.com/

   

Indoor Home Goods: Items used in the home to create a comfortable and inviting atmosphere and to made every day living more convenient. 

  

A04

L

O

D

S

i

A

E

y

Q

U

H

J

w

t

CR03

I really liked the video we watched about copyright laws and Girl Talk.  Parts of it definitely got me annoyed, like how Disney stole the ideas for all of his movies from old stories but then copyrighted them so no one else could do the same.  Or how songs like Happy Birthday aren't even public domain yet, I think that's ridiculous.  But I did think the movie was very relevant to design because copyrights are something all designers need to be aware of to make sure they're not going to get sued for their work.  I also thought the group of former students who came in and talked to the class were helpful.  Hearing their stories about picking majors and switching departments and now finally having jobs in the design field made me feel better about still not knowing what I want to do with my life.

RR02

In "Design: A Very Short Introduction", the ideas of Identity and Systems are discussed.  In the identity chapter, the influence of cultural identities on a business's identity were shown and how some businesses are forced to adjust their identities to be marketable in other cultures, while others have an easier time adapting.  But either way the idea that identities are always evolving was a key theme to the chapter.

Systems was defined as "a group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements that forms, or can be considered to form, a collective entity."  So systems are the big picture combination of different products produced by designers that are put together by other designers to create efficient and organized systems for us to use in everyday life.  Ex: mass transportation systems in cities or road signs.  These need to be easy to use and understand, and have consistent application so their use becomes second nature.  Ex: If road signs weren't consistently used, they wouldn't be as effective as they are.

The introduction to Cradle to Cradle was very interesting.  It really addressed a lot of things I'm passionate about and in the beginning when it listed off all the problems with the products in the house I was getting really angry because I think about these things a lot.  It has always frustrated me that there are almost no items out there that are "guilt-free". For a while I only bought clothes from thrift stores and tried to only eat organic and not buy anything made in a sweat-shop country.  But that took so much effort and really didn't make much of an impact.  I like how instead of suggesting "going without" as I have always done, the authors suggest changes that would allow people to still consume but in a different way that isn't bad for the environment.  I hope this idea catches on and more "guilt-free" items become available.  I think I'm really going to like this book.

J05: Peer Dialog

Erica L: http://design200spring.blogspot.com/


I always enjoy reading Erica's blog because she tends to make connections to her engineering classes and shows how the design process is one that is applicable to many other areas of study.  I thought it was interesting that her engineering class had watched the "Deep Dive", proving how much the two departments really are related.   I also agreed with her blog about the environmentally friendly products, that was my favorite class too.  I have always been passionate about finding ways to get people clean water, so the Life Saver Bottle was something I found very exciting.


Jonathan: http://design200.wordpress.com/


Jonathan's blog still impresses me with its creativity.  He has links on it to other projects he's been working on and by going through everything you can definitely learn about what he is interested in.  He had his letterform post up and the pictures he found were really good. Even without having any of the letters listed under the pictures, I was able to tell which letters almost all of the pictures were representing.  


Lindsay: http://design200lm.blogspot.com/


I really liked some of Lindsay's found faces, especially the last one of binoculars at Niagara Falls.  I also noticed how detailed all of her posts were.  She does a really good job of including a lot of information in her posts and really explaining what she thinking.  In her CR02 she mentioned something that I found very true, she said that she liked how we walked around campus to see the buildings and learn about OSU's architectural history rather than just sit in a class and talk about it.  I think the hands-on qualities of this class are making the information seem much more relevant to our lives rather than just a lecture about history and buildings.  

J04

Microwave is Hungry!

puppy?

iHome looks nervous...

CR02

I'm really enjoying Design 200.  I keep learning things about design that add to my original idea of what design was and make it so much more detailed and dynamic.  I really liked the videos we watched recently in class that discussed the environment and design.  Some of the ideas shown in the videos were very innovative and if they actually were used they could make a huge impact on the way people live their lives.  The water bottle that cleans water could save so many lives and I hope it ends up being used, and the city in China with the farms on the roofs would be so cool to see in real life.  I keep being amazed by the things people come up with that I'm being shown in this class. Design is definitely more than just making cool looking advertisements, as I thought when I first signed up for this class, it is designing everything we use and going past that to create new products that change how we live.

A03

Clue 1:  Barcelona Chair designed by  Mies van der Rohe and created for the International Exposition of 1929

Clue 3: Wexner Center, the building is built on a 12 degree angle

Clue 5: Thompson Library, the library has been renovated or expanded 3 times since it was originally built.

 

Clue 4:  Philip Johnson, Science & Engineering Library

 



Clue 2:  UP1 Armchair by Gaetano Pesce 1970



RR01

      In Design: A Very Short Introduction, Haskett attempts to define "design".  This seemingly simple task proves to be quite difficult in the end because of the ambiguous nature of design.  It is something that has  always been part of the human world and it has been and always will be present in all aspects of our society.  Haskett says "Very few aspects of the material environment are incapable of improvement in some significant way by greater attention being paid to their design." So according to Haskett, as long as there are improvements to be made, design will be present and changing in our society.
      Haskett attempts to use different elements of design to add to its definition, including utility, significance, objects, communication, and environment.  These terms aim to define the aspects of design ranging from the qualities of the product, how it is perceived by the customers, how products are visually displayed and advertised, and the external and internal environments in which the product will exist.  All of these descriptions though do little to simplify the definition of design, because they all vary with changes in society too and different variations between the components of design just lead to even more variation in the definition of design itself.
      Haskett's book brings up interesting and relevant aspects of design and society and attempts to explain the intricate pieces that make up design while causing the reader to think in depth about these pieces and about design as a whole. It definitely broadens one's ideas about what design is.

J03

Erica_L     http://design200spring.blogspot.com/
I thought Erica's Course Reflection 01 blog was really interesting because she tied in aspects from her other classes that related to design.  I never would have thought that Industrial and Systems Engineering would have anything to do with design, but apparently they actually have a lot in common, which just shows even more how the field of design is way broader than I had ever imagined when I signed up for this course. 


Lindsay_M    http://design200lm.blogspot.com
One of Lindsay's designer blogs was really interesting for me because she wrote about Milton Glaser who designed many logos and posters that I have seen but never known who created them (specifically the I *heart* NY logo and the Bob Dylan poster).  It was just interesting to go to her blog and almost immediately see images that are so familiar and to finally know where they came from and who made them. 


I also liked her Frank Lloyd Wright blog because I had considered researching him, but chose not to, so it was interesting to see the images of his architecture that she chose.


Jonathan_T   http://design200.wordpress.com/
When visiting Jonathan's blog it was definitely obvious that he knew a lot more about how to set up a blog than I do!  First of all, he had a link to his brother's mixtape (I would have no idea how to link that without including the whole html)  and he also set up his 10 design photos as a gallery instead of just putting all 10 straight on his blog, which I also thought was cool.  Jonathan was also able to show his personality a lot in his blog, which made it enjoyable to read and made it seem less stiff and recited.  Jonathan's blog has kind of inspired me to try to add a little more of my own personality to my blog too!

A02

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Arad

Ron Arad was born in 1951 in Tel Aviv, Israel.  He studied design at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and later moved to London to further his studies and where he became head of the Design Products Department at the Royal College of Art.  

He is best known for his "Bookworm" bookshelf which is innovative in the fact that it is flexible and can be mounted onto walls in any shape desired. 

http://www.homedit.com/kartell-bookworm-shelf

Arad claims to have "no discipline" and doesn't associate himself with either product design, architecture, or graphic design, he just claims to do what he does and not need to label it.  He has designed everything from record players to buildings.  He is the head of Ron Arad Architects which designed the Holon Design Museum-the first Design Museum in Israel which opened in January of 2010. 

handycrafuniqe.com

From his comments and behaviors on videos it is easy to see that Arad is creative; he loves learning and using new techniques and claims that even as a child he was constantly sketching "things that don't exist".  Arad's "no discipline" attitude has allowed him to branch into many different fields of design and bring new ideas into reality simply because he never limited himself in his options.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Arad_(industrial_designer)
http://www.designaculture.com/ron-arad-furniture-and-product-designer/
http://ronaradweb.squarespace.com/ 


Maria Cichy is a product and jewelry designer from Amsterdam, Netherlands.  She studied at Akademia Sztuk Pieknych w Gdansku and Fachhochschule Mainz and she designs products that are creative and multifunctional.  I  discovered her work when I was on StumpleUpon.com and came across her Night/Bed Table.  It is a nightstand/dresser that separates to reveal a table- perfect for breakfast in bed! 

http://www.behance.net/gallery

This piece of furniture stood out to me because of its creativity and modern
aesthetic.  

http://www.behance.net/gallery/TWIG-Coat-stand/281895

Cichy has designed other household items that are multifunctional, such as her Twig- Coat Stand, which is inspired by nature but also manages to catch any dripping water while holding coats and umbrellas.
  


http://www.linkedin.com/pub/maria-cichy/22/b01/18b
http://www.behance.net/gallery/TWIG-Coat-stand/281895

David Carson is a graphic designer who was born in Texas and moved to New York City as a child but his family traveled a lot.  He studied at the University of Arizona, 

http://blog.ernestolago.com/post/691971705/ray-gun

San Diego State University and Oregon College of Commercial Art as well as taking graphic design workshops abroad.  After developing his skills, Carson worked as the art director of Ray Gun Magazine (left) and was very influential in the 90's. 

http://www.chasryder.com/designmuse/?p=30

The piece of Carson's work to the above right is an example of "letter clutter" and "kinetic type" which is dynamic and full of emotion while still being a "static" piece of work- something Carson was able to master during his years as a graphic designer and art director. 

http://www.chasryder.com/designmuse/?p=30
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Carson_(graphic_designer)