I look at the projects that Studio H completed as a form of advocacy because all of the projects the class completed benefited the community of Bertie, North Carolina and brought them closer together. Before the birth of Studio H, the inhabitants, especially the students wanted to leave at the first available opportunity. The projects that the students created changed this mindset and made the citizens want to stay. The cornhole boards introduced the town to a fun new game, the chicken coops made raising livestock better and the farmers market allowed the community to come together as one and to help each other.
It is important to think of design as a form of advocacy because designers are supposed to create designs that make life easier. Also, when design is a form of advocacy it allows the designers to know that their hard work and dedication do indeed benefit the lives of others. Design as form of advocacy can only be successful when the designer pays attention to what those around them need and build off of that. The children of Studio H took a step back and looked at what the community needed and what would make it better. All the projects they created made the community happy and brought them all together. It transformed the community to a place that the citizens wanted to leave to a place where they can live happy, successful lives.
When a design makes those around the designer happy and successful, that is when you know that design as a form of advocacy is successful. The citizens all benefited and were made happy again thanks to Studio H and that is how I knew that design advocacy was successful in the town of Bertie, North Carolina.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Sunday, April 17, 2016
BP: Designer Profiles 11/12
Designer Profile 11: Rebekah Radtke
Place of Employment:
Rebekah is currently an
assistant professor at the University of Kentucky.
Biography:
Rebekah has been teaching for
five years. She originally wanted to become an artist. She also wanted to
attend Transylvania or Centre College but she decided to attend the University
of Kentucky because both Transylvania and Centre cost too much money. She
decided to take an architecture class but she then fell in love with
architecture. She completed her interior design program at the University of
Kentucky and wanted to become a lighting or product designer. Originally she
was all set to go to grad school to become a product designer but instead was
enrolled into an architecture program due to a mistake by the college. She
enrolled into the Art Institute of Chicago.
She then
moved back to Lexington in 2011 to become an assistant professor. She did not
always plan on becoming an interior designer but that is how things worked out.
She likes interior design because it is all about the people and their needs.
Current Position in
Design:
Rebekah
visited Brazil to work on community design projects. She assisted the displaced
population due to the Olympics.
Speculation about
where design will be heading:
Rebekah believes that we are the
future of design. She believes that no one is ever supposed to be a designer
but it works out that way. She believes that we need people who are not
designers but at the same time have knowledge of design.
Designer Profile 12: Anne Filson
Place of Employment:
Anne teaches at the University
of Kentucky in the school of architecture.
Biography:
Anne currently works with
architecture. She was not an architecture major during her undergraduate career
but she was an art history major. She got her master’s degree in a New York
architecture school.
Current Position in
Design:
Anne has worked in various
places for various people such as Rem Koolhass in Seattle. She has been
involved with the new Dutch Embassy in Berlin. She also worked on a new campus
center for IIT in Chicago. She led the team and supervised a team of
consultants, suppliers and contractors.
She also
has worked for a company known as Ideo which is a multidisciplinary agency. This
company was working on making design better and overall easy to use. She was in
charge of finding problems and developing solutions.
Speculation about
where design will be heading:
Anne believes that design is going
to be completed by machines in the future. These CNC machines are taking over
and the method is becoming more robust and is also great for the economy as
well as the consumer.
Friday, April 15, 2016
BP: Designer Profiles 9/10
Designer Profile 9: Adriane Grumbien
Place of Employment:
Adriane currently teaches at the
University of Kentucky in the Grehan Journalism Building.
Biography:
Adriane came into undergrad as
an art major, but she was afraid of failing college because she was not very
artistic. She then changed her major to strategic communication college in the Grehan
Journalism Building. She believes that design is fun and a break from the usual
way of thinking.
Current Position in
Design:
Adriane currently works for the
Institute of Public Relations and she creates fliers for them. She also creates
wedding invitations. She points out that design does not have a distinct style
and that design all depends on the needs of the client.
Speculation about
where design will be heading:
Adriane believes that design is heading
to the way of infographics and as well as using photos to illustrate ideas.
Design is transforming big data into easy to read, simple illustrations that
attract the viewer instead of overwhelming them. She thinks social media is an
excellent way to share data and infographics.
Designer Profile 10: Julie Sniadowski
Place of Employment:
Julie is currently a graduate
student in the architecture program at the University of Kentucky.
Biography:
She has completed her
undergraduate degree at the University of Kentucky. She began school at the
University of Kentucky in the Fall of 2011. She took several painting classes
since she was a child.
Current Position in
Design:
She currently works with models
to see how they interact with light and space. She loves being hands on with design.
She has created blue prints of a cabin in the woods, a beach project and also a
mask as a method for exploring space. She also created a downtown project at
places of worship to combine them with places to pay respect for those who have
passed away.
Speculation about
where design will be heading:
Julie believes that design is
becoming more collaborated with other fields such as engineering. She also
believes that design will utilize more digital methods to solve problems.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
BP: Designer Profiles 7/8
Designer Profile 7: Melody Jackson
Place of Employment:
Melody is currently working as
an architect for various companies and is also a Professor for the College of
Design here at the University of Kentucky.
Biography:
During her time in high school
Melody wanted to be a Physician as well as one day become an Astronaut. She
loves space because of the sense of discovery that space offers. During her
early years at the University of Kentucky she enrolled in several pre-med
classes but became inspired by the famous Leonardo Davinci. She then
transferred to the school of Architecture. She attended Graduate School at
Cornell. After Graduate school she began her career of painting using forms of
collage with hidden messages. She manifested time as well as space in her
paintings.
Current Position in
Design:
Melody was the Art Director for
the World Equestrian Games in 2010. She has also painted several of her designs
onto barrels of whisky. She has also worked on a top secret project for NASA.
She has designed a thirty-acre park as well as portions of a trade show in Las
Vegas. She is currently working on the design for the new Bluegrass Stock
Yards. She has also a more personal side of design.
She has
designed her own house as well as annual mixtapes for her children birthdays.
Speculation about
where design will be heading:
Melody
believes that the future of design will be completed through the means of
virtual reality. She believes that design can be illustrated through hand
drawings, computer renderings as well virtual reality.
Designer Profile 8: Lindsey Fay
Place of Employment:
Lindsey currently works in the
School of Interiors here at the University of Kentucky.
Biography:
Lindsey hails from Pennsylvania.
She has had an interest in design and art since the second grade. She created
an indoor/outdoor ski resort while she was in middle school. She attended undergraduate
school at the University of Kentucky. She came to the University of Kentucky
originally wanting to study dietetics and nutrition. She then changed her major
to interior design because it was her passion and she felt at home in this
field. She attended graduate school at the University of Cincinnati.
Current Position in
Design:
Lindsey has practiced design at
Lake Tahoe for five years. She participates in what she titles a Post Occupancy
Evaluation which consists of going into a building six months after it is
completed to learn how the building supports the inhabitants. An example of
this would be the new University of Kentucky Hospital. The main concept of a
Post Occupancy Evaluation is to determine if the design of a building functions
efficiently and if it does then designers need to continue to replicate that
design. If the design of the building does not function efficiently then
designers need to avoid using that design again.
Speculation about
where design will be heading:
Lindsey believes that the future
of design will be leaning toward social responsibility when looking at design.
An example of this would be the Tom’s shoes.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
BP: Designer Profiles 5/6
Designer Profile 5: Ryan Hargrove
Place of Employment:
Mr. Hargrove currently works in
the department of landscape here at the University of Kentucky. He is in his
eighth year of teaching here at the University of Kentucky.
Biography:
Mr. Hargrove’s interest in
design began at a young age. His parents played a huge role in his interest in
design. His mom is an art teacher and she told him to “make the familiar
strange and the strange familiar”. His dad is a shop teacher and he told him to
“question everything”. He attended undergraduate school here at the University
of Kentucky.
Mr.
Hargrove was undecided during his first semester, but he then met with an instructor
in the Reynolds where he discovered landscape architecture. He is extremely passionate
about helping others reach their goal.
Current Position in
Design:
Mr. Hargrove highlighted three
issues that he has noticed with design today. These issues are social equality,
county level and ecology.
He explained social equality as
essentially looking at the area in question and discussing how that area could
be improved such as the use of land, the condition of sidewalks, and occupancy.
He collaborated with the community while working on a project titled Project R
Squared. He identified five categories that he utilizes when determining
whether or not and how to improve design. These categories are shop, play,
live, grow, and connect. Mr. Hargrove also explained that public opinion is
very important.
He explained county level as
helping to properly plan for the future. He also pointed out that visual
learning is the best way to approach gathering public support for an idea
because it resonates with the people.
He explained Ecology by discussing
a project titled Project Honey. This project allowed for designers to create
pollinator parks which increased the population of honey bees. The creation of
these parks would be good for the environment, they would benefit the
population of honey bees and they would also educate children.
Speculation about
where design will be heading:
Mr. Hargrove believes that
designers are uniquely positioned to solve the most critical problems. He
believes that design is a way of life, a full time job and needs to be passed
on to future generations He utilizes creative study tours to develop leadership
roles and empower others to take action.
Designer Profile 6: Sarah Daley
Place of Employment:
Ms. Daley is currently working
alongside a nonprofit park group as an interpretive designer. She has only been
in this field/in her current position for three weeks. She works alongside park
rangers who are the interpreters within a park.
Biography:
Ms. Daley studied here at the
University of Kentucky with a major in Architecture and a minor in Anthropology.
She graduated in 2015.
Current Position in
Design:
As stated previously, Ms. Daley
is an interpretive designer for a nonprofit park group. The job of an
interpretive designer is to collect all possible information about their
surroundings such as animals, plants, and geology. Once they have all the
information they need, interpretive designers compile this information and then
decide how to present it to the public who visits the park. Ms. Daley believes
that design benefits all fields and is especially useful when conveying and
developing a solution.
Speculation about
where design will be heading:
Ms. Daley believes that technology
and design are interesting partners. She believes that web design will be a big
part of the future of design. As for her future in design, she hopes to become
a museum curator because that career combines both design and anthropology.Thursday, April 7, 2016
BP: Designer Profiles 3+4
Designer Profile 3: Scarlett Wesley
Place
of Employment
Scarlett is currently employed at the University of Kentucky
in Erikson Hall. She specializes in retailing and tourism management. She is
also the director of graduate studies here at the University of Kentucky
Biography
Scarlett attended undergraduate school and graduated with a major
in marketing. She has also attended graduate school with a focus in retail and
consumer science. She was a teaching assistant and loved working with students.
She has worked with the Lego corporation at the North
American corporate office. While working at Lego she witnessed a competition
within the company. The competition was designed to promote sales of Lego toys
to young girls. A factory employee won the competition and Scarlett learned
that everyone in a company can have a great role in the success of a company.
She also taught at the University of South Carolina for six
years. Some of her early efforts in design took place in Connecticut while she
worked in allocation and planning. She worked in a toy department. She looks at
jobs not as a final destination, but as a learning experience to better
herself.
Current
Position in Design
As stated previously, Scarlett currently works at the
University of Kentucky. She teaches her students how to take a product from
start to finish and how to make consumers buy a product. She points out the
significance of color as well as that color is influential to consumers in
guiding them to make a purchase. She works with brands that are influential to
the United States as well as the World.
She also has her students design plaid that will be entered
into a competition to be the next official plaid of the University of Kentucky.
Whichever plaid design wins the contest is sold in the bookstore as well as
other local stores. The revenue from this plaid design goes to education abroad
scholarships.
Speculation about where design will be
heading
Scarlett believes that design is leading more to a “buy it
now” concept. Concepts of product design is known to the consumer around six
months in advance. Consumers are not able to buy the product yet. She also
mentions the concept of fast fashion. The wait time from an idea to the final physical
product is cut down significantly. This increases the need for domestic
production because of the elimination of import time.
Designer Profile 4: Ebrahim Poustinchi
Place of Employment
Just like Scarlett Wesley, Ebrahim currently works at the
University of Kentucky. He works in the School of Interiors. Unlike conventional
designers, he relies heavily on computers to create concepts of his designs.
Biography
Ebrahim has acquired his Bachelor’s degree at the University
of Iran. He spent his time post-graduation at UCLA practicing robotic design.
After he graduated from UCLA he immediately began to teach. He utilizes both the
conventional form of design as well as graphic design to create his final
product of design.
Current
Position in Design
Ebrahim currently practices with the design of robotics. One
of the main projects that he has worked on is titled “Project Rebobble”. He
utilizes cell phones outfitted with applications to control his robots.
He also has worked on a project with 4D graphics which are
branding as well as advertising. It is a media package that is connected
through design.
Speculation about where design will be
heading
Ebrahim discusses the future of design through the use of
what he titles the Amethyst Cluster. The Amethyst Cluster is both graphic and
interior design. It also uses a combination of materials, the elements are both
big and small. There is an established hierarchy that represents the inside as
well as the outside.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
BP: Designer Profile 1+2
Profile Number 1
Mark O'Bryan
Employment:
O'Bryan spends his time as a designer of his own work as well as an assistant designer to his wife who currently has her own interior design firm. While not working on his or his wife's design, O'Bryan makes use of his free time teaching students as a Professor here at the University of Kentucky.
Biography:
O'Bryan is a huge fan of sound systems and also has a love of photography. He attended and graduated from the University of Kentucky. He enjoys listening to jazz music and one of his best projects was working on the renovation of the St. Agnes church.
Current Position in Design:
O'Bryan is a Professor for the College of Design. He assists his students in learning more about design as well as teaching his students to ignore the pressure of others when it comes to their design. He preaches to his students that they should listen to their gut and design things the way they feel should be designed.
Speculation about where design will be heading:
O'Bryan enlightened us on the use of modern technology in the theater of design. He stated that technology is constantly changing but that does not always mean design will benefit from the change. He stated that designers need to utilize their senses of sight and hearing when approaching design and not fully rely on technology to do the work for them. Technology does have its benefits though as O'Bryan stated that he has and still does utilize different cameras to create renders of his projects.
Profile Number 2
Jennifer Tate
Employment:
Jennifer is currently an employee for LG Electronics. She is in charge of managing several projects simultaneously and she also does freelance design work.
Biography:
Tate graduated from the University of North Carolina with a major in architecture. One of her favorite social media applications is Instagram mainly due to its simplistic design. She also loves coffee and even has her own coffee mug that says "Big Ass Mug" on it. She attended graduate school and one of main takeaways of her attendance was the importance of understanding and supporting your gut feeling.
Current Position in Design:
As previously stated, Tate is currently an employee at LG Electronics. She is involved in the Maker Movement, the design of products, the integration of design as well as graphic design. She also is heavily involved in understanding the thought process of design which is basically the concept of this is what I made and explaining how I made it.
Speculation about where design will be heading:
Tate explained to us that design is not universal among designers. There is no formula for design, no right or wrong way. The only limits to design is the imagination of designers. Tate explained to us the importance of designers paying attention to society and designing objects based upon what society wants. The world we live in would not be the same without designers and it is important that designers take risks because if they don't they will never achieve any progress.
Mark O'Bryan
Employment:
O'Bryan spends his time as a designer of his own work as well as an assistant designer to his wife who currently has her own interior design firm. While not working on his or his wife's design, O'Bryan makes use of his free time teaching students as a Professor here at the University of Kentucky.
Biography:
O'Bryan is a huge fan of sound systems and also has a love of photography. He attended and graduated from the University of Kentucky. He enjoys listening to jazz music and one of his best projects was working on the renovation of the St. Agnes church.
Current Position in Design:
O'Bryan is a Professor for the College of Design. He assists his students in learning more about design as well as teaching his students to ignore the pressure of others when it comes to their design. He preaches to his students that they should listen to their gut and design things the way they feel should be designed.
Speculation about where design will be heading:
O'Bryan enlightened us on the use of modern technology in the theater of design. He stated that technology is constantly changing but that does not always mean design will benefit from the change. He stated that designers need to utilize their senses of sight and hearing when approaching design and not fully rely on technology to do the work for them. Technology does have its benefits though as O'Bryan stated that he has and still does utilize different cameras to create renders of his projects.
Profile Number 2
Jennifer Tate
Employment:
Jennifer is currently an employee for LG Electronics. She is in charge of managing several projects simultaneously and she also does freelance design work.
Biography:
Tate graduated from the University of North Carolina with a major in architecture. One of her favorite social media applications is Instagram mainly due to its simplistic design. She also loves coffee and even has her own coffee mug that says "Big Ass Mug" on it. She attended graduate school and one of main takeaways of her attendance was the importance of understanding and supporting your gut feeling.
Current Position in Design:
As previously stated, Tate is currently an employee at LG Electronics. She is involved in the Maker Movement, the design of products, the integration of design as well as graphic design. She also is heavily involved in understanding the thought process of design which is basically the concept of this is what I made and explaining how I made it.
Speculation about where design will be heading:
Tate explained to us that design is not universal among designers. There is no formula for design, no right or wrong way. The only limits to design is the imagination of designers. Tate explained to us the importance of designers paying attention to society and designing objects based upon what society wants. The world we live in would not be the same without designers and it is important that designers take risks because if they don't they will never achieve any progress.
Monday, April 4, 2016
BP: Museum of You
Below you will find a list of ten artifacts that describe who I am and what I feel matter the most.
1. M1 Garand round casing: small, dirty, old and made of brass.
2. My GoPro: small, durable, advanced technology and easily customizable.
3. Crucifix hanging above my bedroom door: made with a mixture of metal and wood. Lightweight and easy to hang.
4. Adolph Rupp Makers Mark Bottle: Rare design, Kentucky Wildcats color scheme.
5. Picture frame with photo of my girlfriend and I: beach themed, made of wood as well as metal. Lightweight and can be placed anywhere.
6. Nikon DS3300 camera: advanced technology, customizable, can take photos anytime of day even at night. Small and lightweight. Constructed of plastic and glass.
7. Glock 21 pistol: made of metal and plastic, lightweight, durable and portable.
8. My hp envy laptop: sleek, smooth exterior design, customizable, enhanced Beats audio system, touch screen, lightweight and portable.
9. Bluetooth sound system: Bluetooth technology, small in size which allows system to be easily placed wherever I wish. Blue led lighting, made of wood and plastic.
10. Rupp arena canvas: made of canvas, wood frame, lightweight and durable.
Taking a step back and looking at this list makes me realize how I possess such an interesting variety of artifacts. They consist of the newest, advanced technology like a GoPro or a Nikon Camera but also sentimental artifacts like the picture frame with a photo of my girlfriend and I or my Crucifix. Basically the list can be broken into two categories, technology and sentiments.
The technology portion of my top ten artifacts helps me fulfill my passion of photography and amateur movie production. I use my GoPro and Nikon camera to capture video, then edit the video with my laptop while listening to music on Bluetooth sound system. These artifacts all connect and are used most often at the same time.
The sentiments are all artifacts that remind me of an special event in my life. The crucifix is a reminder of the day I was baptized and I placed it above my door so I see it every time I leave my house which reminds me how blessed I am in life. The M1 Garand round casing is from my Uncle’s funeral and the 21 gun salute that took place. It may seem like a plain old round casing but I look at it and it reminds me of him and how brave he was.
The life we live we don't get to get back, we only live it once. Society tells us that we need to strictly focus on being successful. While that is important it is also important to stop and pay attention to the little things in life too. A healthy life consists of doing things and experiencing things that you enjoy. Take a break from your busy life of being successful and just enjoy the little things life has to offer.
I take photos and make videos for fun. It is relaxing and allows me to escape the daily stress of life. We all need to escape once in a while and not forget to have fun and be happy. You only live one life, make it a good one!
These artifacts create a museum of me by telling others what my hobbies are as well as how I believe life should be lived. Take care of others and schedule time just for yourself. Life can be stressful but it can be an adventure as well. Don't forget the small things that make you who you are.
1. M1 Garand round casing: small, dirty, old and made of brass.
2. My GoPro: small, durable, advanced technology and easily customizable.
3. Crucifix hanging above my bedroom door: made with a mixture of metal and wood. Lightweight and easy to hang.
4. Adolph Rupp Makers Mark Bottle: Rare design, Kentucky Wildcats color scheme.
5. Picture frame with photo of my girlfriend and I: beach themed, made of wood as well as metal. Lightweight and can be placed anywhere.
6. Nikon DS3300 camera: advanced technology, customizable, can take photos anytime of day even at night. Small and lightweight. Constructed of plastic and glass.
7. Glock 21 pistol: made of metal and plastic, lightweight, durable and portable.
8. My hp envy laptop: sleek, smooth exterior design, customizable, enhanced Beats audio system, touch screen, lightweight and portable.
9. Bluetooth sound system: Bluetooth technology, small in size which allows system to be easily placed wherever I wish. Blue led lighting, made of wood and plastic.
10. Rupp arena canvas: made of canvas, wood frame, lightweight and durable.
Taking a step back and looking at this list makes me realize how I possess such an interesting variety of artifacts. They consist of the newest, advanced technology like a GoPro or a Nikon Camera but also sentimental artifacts like the picture frame with a photo of my girlfriend and I or my Crucifix. Basically the list can be broken into two categories, technology and sentiments.
The technology portion of my top ten artifacts helps me fulfill my passion of photography and amateur movie production. I use my GoPro and Nikon camera to capture video, then edit the video with my laptop while listening to music on Bluetooth sound system. These artifacts all connect and are used most often at the same time.
The sentiments are all artifacts that remind me of an special event in my life. The crucifix is a reminder of the day I was baptized and I placed it above my door so I see it every time I leave my house which reminds me how blessed I am in life. The M1 Garand round casing is from my Uncle’s funeral and the 21 gun salute that took place. It may seem like a plain old round casing but I look at it and it reminds me of him and how brave he was.
The life we live we don't get to get back, we only live it once. Society tells us that we need to strictly focus on being successful. While that is important it is also important to stop and pay attention to the little things in life too. A healthy life consists of doing things and experiencing things that you enjoy. Take a break from your busy life of being successful and just enjoy the little things life has to offer.
I take photos and make videos for fun. It is relaxing and allows me to escape the daily stress of life. We all need to escape once in a while and not forget to have fun and be happy. You only live one life, make it a good one!
These artifacts create a museum of me by telling others what my hobbies are as well as how I believe life should be lived. Take care of others and schedule time just for yourself. Life can be stressful but it can be an adventure as well. Don't forget the small things that make you who you are.
Friday, April 1, 2016
BP: Movie Review
Over the
span of a week I watched the movies Helvetica, Everything is Illuminated and
Wall-E. I took the time to watch these movies to look for different aspects of
design that were incorporated into these movies. After I successfully watched
these three movies I noticed a common theme. Each one of these movies has its
main subjects embarking on a journey to accomplish a goal while witnessing the evolution
of the world around them. The purpose of this blog post is to breakdown each of
the three movies and explain how the subjects evolved
throughout their journey to accomplish their goal.
I will
begin with Helvetica which is a documentary that explains the story of the now
famous font of the same name. Throughout the movie you witness the journey and transformation
the Helvetica font goes through. The font was originally designed in both
Germany and Switzerland but now is known and used all over the world. The original
design of the font had a slight flair to it with the hanging edges that had
slight curves. The font was then changed by the designers cutting those edges
off which made the font clean, simple and uniform. The font was initially
unpopular, not anymore. Helvetica can be seen all around us. It has become one
of the most well-known and most used typeface in the world. It all started with
an idea and that idea took off. The next film I will discuss is Everything is
Illuminated.
Everything
is Illuminated is about a man by the name of Johnathan who is a collector of
random artifacts he comes across while on his various journey’s. He travels to
Ukraine to learn of his families past. His objective is to locate a village in which
the answer to what occurred in his families past is located. Upon arrival he
discovers that the village is actually a woman who also is a collector. She discusses
with Johnathan what happened when the Nazi’s came and wiped out the Jewish men
who were living near her. She then gives him a photo for his collection that is
believed to be a relative of Johnathan. Just like the theme for Helvetica,
Johnathan evolved throughout movie and finally discovered the truth about his
families past. Last but not least I will discuss Wall-E.
Wall-E is
about a small trash compactor robot who is assigned with the task to clean up
all the garbage on Earth left behind by humans in an attempt to make Earth
habitable once again by humans who are residing aboard a spacecraft far away.
All his other companions have perished; Earth is a wasteland with garbage skyscrapers
and frequent sandstorms. Eve drones are eventually sent to Earth with the task
of searching for signs of life. Wall-E befriends one of the Eve drones and
together they find a plant which indicates that Earth can once again sustain
life. The humans begin to prepare their return to Earth to recolonize. Their journey
was tough one but in the end the humans return to Earth and bring the planet
back to life all thanks to Wall-E and Eve. Now to explain how design was
incorporated into the movies.
All three
movies seemed to have the design concept of old mixed with new. This is evident
in Everything is Illuminated by means of Johnathan wearing a suit, arriving in
Ukraine by plane and then entering a world where older technology is used. He
is used to living in a nice house and while in Ukraine lives in an old dreary building
with a door that doesn’t lock. Also he is used to riding in new American cars
and while in Ukraine has to ride in an extremely small vehicle that barely
runs. Helvetica follows this theme by its evolution from an old font with
flared edges that resembles a calligraphy type to a new modern font with clean
edges and type that is done by a computer or other technological device. Wall-E
follows this by Wall-E who is an old rusty robot living on the ruins of Earth
befriending Eve who is a sleek, bright white drone who lives on a clean, modern
spaceship. So, once again all three movies included both old technology/ways of
life mixed with new modern technology/ways of life.
BP: Movie Review 9/10
Informance Movie by Riley Balogh
Riley made her informance movie about the city of Chicago. The first thing I noticed right off the bat is how distracting the background music was at certain times. Yes, it was recessed but Riley's narration was hard to hear due to her speaking at the same time the music was playing. It was too much going on at once. The text was way too fast. I had to press pause and play really fast just to catch what some of the text said. I would definitely leave the text on there a little bit longer because I really couldn't tell if she discussed all five principles of design. I really like the end of your movie. Some of the views those filmmakers captured were breathtaking and truly captured what the City of Chicago truly is. Also the pictures could have stayed on screen a little longer too. These are small mistakes, but they would make the video so much better. In its current state I feel as if the video was rushed and because of that it was hard to follow along with the information provided.
Informance Movie by Taylor Agathen
Taylor made her informance movie about the greatest place in Lexington, Rupp Arena! The video was well laid out, the font and pictures were displayed on screen for the appropriate amount of time for the viewer to read and gander at the photos. Taylor identified and explained all five principles of design. I really enjoyed her selection of music. I also like how she included video of concerts held at Rupp Arena to illustrate that basketball games are not the only events that Rupp houses. She also included videos of Big Blue Madness which is one of the most popular times of year at Rupp. I also thought it was good that Taylor pointed out how present Rupp Arena is on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I also thought it was good that Taylor pointed out that the Lexington Convention Center as well as the Hyatt Hotel are connected to Rupp Arena to make it easy for guests to enjoy what Rupp Arena has to offer. Taylor's movie was extremely well laid out and did an excellent job of informing the viewer about Rupp Arena.
Riley made her informance movie about the city of Chicago. The first thing I noticed right off the bat is how distracting the background music was at certain times. Yes, it was recessed but Riley's narration was hard to hear due to her speaking at the same time the music was playing. It was too much going on at once. The text was way too fast. I had to press pause and play really fast just to catch what some of the text said. I would definitely leave the text on there a little bit longer because I really couldn't tell if she discussed all five principles of design. I really like the end of your movie. Some of the views those filmmakers captured were breathtaking and truly captured what the City of Chicago truly is. Also the pictures could have stayed on screen a little longer too. These are small mistakes, but they would make the video so much better. In its current state I feel as if the video was rushed and because of that it was hard to follow along with the information provided.
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| http://www.marriott.com/hotels/photo-tours.mi?marshaCode=chiax&pageID=HWARI&imageID=2 |
Taylor made her informance movie about the greatest place in Lexington, Rupp Arena! The video was well laid out, the font and pictures were displayed on screen for the appropriate amount of time for the viewer to read and gander at the photos. Taylor identified and explained all five principles of design. I really enjoyed her selection of music. I also like how she included video of concerts held at Rupp Arena to illustrate that basketball games are not the only events that Rupp houses. She also included videos of Big Blue Madness which is one of the most popular times of year at Rupp. I also thought it was good that Taylor pointed out how present Rupp Arena is on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I also thought it was good that Taylor pointed out that the Lexington Convention Center as well as the Hyatt Hotel are connected to Rupp Arena to make it easy for guests to enjoy what Rupp Arena has to offer. Taylor's movie was extremely well laid out and did an excellent job of informing the viewer about Rupp Arena.
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| http://www.lexingtondowntownhotel.com/rupp-arena |
Thursday, March 31, 2016
BP: it's FONT-amental
Verizon Wireless Sign: Versailles
I think that the marketing board for Verizon Wireless chose this design for the sign on their buildings to hint at how powerful their cellular service is. The red check mark and the "z" in Verizon both share the same design. The check mark could be used to illustrate that Verizon receives a check mark for quality of their service. The "on" in Verizon is underlined by the red of the "z". This could indicate that their service is on no matter where the user is located. Also the "Verizon" is in what appears to be be bold while the wireless is not. This could be done to draw detail to Verizon's name. I do indeed think that the design of Verizon'a font does provide onlookers a sense of approval mainly due to the red check mark indicating that they have a strong cellular network.
Lowe's Home Improvement Sign: Nichols Park Drive
I think that the marketing board for Lowe's chose this design for the sign on their buildings to illustrate that they are a home improvement company. The background of the sign is a resemblance of a house or some type of building. The perimeter of the sign is outlined red which looks similar to painters tape. The letters are also in all caps with equal spacing between them. The sign is also symmetrical. I do indeed think that the design of Lowe's font does provide onlookers a sense of creativity because of the building like design of the Lowe's sign.
Tolly-Ho Sign: Bolivar Street
I think that the marketing board for Tolly Ho chose this design for their sign because of its simplicity. Tolly-Ho is a well known establishment to students at the University of Kentucky and this shows in the design of the sign. The canvas is blue and the letters are white which are the same colors of the Kentucky Wildcats. The text is also written in a script font to make the restaurant seem fancy. The slogan of Tolly-Ho is "a UK tradition since 1971". Even though the sign is simplistic it shows onlookers that this is a must visit for old and new students of the University of Kentucky alike.
Goodfella's Pizzeria/Two Keys Tavern Signs: South Limestone
First Goodfella's Pizerria. I think that the marketing board wanted to capture an Italian theme while designing their sign. The font is simplistic with a block design. Also the colors of the Italian Flag are present under the font. Also I noticed that there is the hand of a puppet master above the "fellas" portion of the text possibly indicating that once you are inside the staff is at your control. I believe that the sign attracts onlookers due to its indication of authentic Italian Pizza.
Second is the Two Keys Sign. I think the marketing board wanted to create a rustic look and feel. I say this because the sign looks like it is made of wood with two old style keys at the top of sign. "Two Keys" looks like a type of calligraphy which is an older style of writing. The "Tavern" portion of the sign is written in a modern font similar to Helvetica. These two fonts could indicate that Two Keys design theme features a mix of old and new. I believe that this sign attracts on lookers due to its phrase "The World Famous" and because of how the sign is mounted which has the sign hanging by two chains just like old shops would have. The design of the sign represents the theme of Two Keys exceptionally well.
I think that the marketing board for Verizon Wireless chose this design for the sign on their buildings to hint at how powerful their cellular service is. The red check mark and the "z" in Verizon both share the same design. The check mark could be used to illustrate that Verizon receives a check mark for quality of their service. The "on" in Verizon is underlined by the red of the "z". This could indicate that their service is on no matter where the user is located. Also the "Verizon" is in what appears to be be bold while the wireless is not. This could be done to draw detail to Verizon's name. I do indeed think that the design of Verizon'a font does provide onlookers a sense of approval mainly due to the red check mark indicating that they have a strong cellular network.
 |
| http://ackermannpr.com/cellular-sales-opens-new-locations-in-nashville-tennessee-and-versailles-kentucky/ |
I think that the marketing board for Lowe's chose this design for the sign on their buildings to illustrate that they are a home improvement company. The background of the sign is a resemblance of a house or some type of building. The perimeter of the sign is outlined red which looks similar to painters tape. The letters are also in all caps with equal spacing between them. The sign is also symmetrical. I do indeed think that the design of Lowe's font does provide onlookers a sense of creativity because of the building like design of the Lowe's sign.
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| http://www.yelp.com/biz/lowes-of-south-lexington-lexington |
Tolly-Ho Sign: Bolivar Street
I think that the marketing board for Tolly Ho chose this design for their sign because of its simplicity. Tolly-Ho is a well known establishment to students at the University of Kentucky and this shows in the design of the sign. The canvas is blue and the letters are white which are the same colors of the Kentucky Wildcats. The text is also written in a script font to make the restaurant seem fancy. The slogan of Tolly-Ho is "a UK tradition since 1971". Even though the sign is simplistic it shows onlookers that this is a must visit for old and new students of the University of Kentucky alike.
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| http://www.kentucky.com/news/article43928088.html |
First Goodfella's Pizerria. I think that the marketing board wanted to capture an Italian theme while designing their sign. The font is simplistic with a block design. Also the colors of the Italian Flag are present under the font. Also I noticed that there is the hand of a puppet master above the "fellas" portion of the text possibly indicating that once you are inside the staff is at your control. I believe that the sign attracts onlookers due to its indication of authentic Italian Pizza.
Second is the Two Keys Sign. I think the marketing board wanted to create a rustic look and feel. I say this because the sign looks like it is made of wood with two old style keys at the top of sign. "Two Keys" looks like a type of calligraphy which is an older style of writing. The "Tavern" portion of the sign is written in a modern font similar to Helvetica. These two fonts could indicate that Two Keys design theme features a mix of old and new. I believe that this sign attracts on lookers due to its phrase "The World Famous" and because of how the sign is mounted which has the sign hanging by two chains just like old shops would have. The design of the sign represents the theme of Two Keys exceptionally well.
 |
| http://www.aceweekly.com/2012/06/where-to-eat-in-lexington-kentucky-campus-university-of-kentucky/ |
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
BP: Movie Discussion Summary
The movie
discussion in class helped me further understand and ensure that I was on the
right track with explaining how the three movies connected with design. My
group discussed Wall-E. We said that it was interesting how there were two
different spectrums of design featured in the movie. One was the Wall-E class
robots who were square, clunky and rustic. On the other hand, there was Eve and
her fellow robots who were sleek, shiny and extremely high tech.
Also we
found that it was interesting how technology could make our lives better while
slowly destroying it at the same time. The movie illustrated this by showing
Earth covered with garbage and completely devoid of life which caused the human
population to live in space aboard a spacecraft. While onboard that spacecraft
the humans were waited on hand and foot by robots. The humans didn’t have to
lift a finger and this eventually made them extremely overweight and helpless.
BP Movie Review 7/8
DES 100 Informance Movie by Nathan Allen
This video looks like it was professionally created. I love how the video includes people having a great time at Copper Mountain. The video clips that Nathan used in his informance fit perfectly but at times could be distracting while you are trying to read the text. The text is easy to read but it comes and goes very quickly. I think it would help by keeping the text on the screen a little bit longer so that all the information that is trying to be conveyed can be read. Also I noticed a single spelling error but other than that and the duration the text aspect of the video was perfect. The video laid out the five principles of design in a unique format which I really enjoyed. Also the music fit very well with the theme of the movie. Overall the video was designed extremely well. Good job!
DES 100 Informance Movie by Rebekah Schertzinger
This video looks like it was professionally created. I love how the video includes people having a great time at Copper Mountain. The video clips that Nathan used in his informance fit perfectly but at times could be distracting while you are trying to read the text. The text is easy to read but it comes and goes very quickly. I think it would help by keeping the text on the screen a little bit longer so that all the information that is trying to be conveyed can be read. Also I noticed a single spelling error but other than that and the duration the text aspect of the video was perfect. The video laid out the five principles of design in a unique format which I really enjoyed. Also the music fit very well with the theme of the movie. Overall the video was designed extremely well. Good job!
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| http://www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com/cities/copper-mountain |
Rebekah made her informance movie about Pointe Shoes used for ballet performances. I enjoyed that she included video of the shoes flexibility right at the beginning of the video. She did a great job narrating her video, her voice is clear and easy to understand. She provided extremely in depth detail of the shoes and the associating diagrams of the shoes were also very useful in explaining design. She provided clear transitions which helped me keep track of what aspect of the artifact she was discussing. The video of professional ballet dancers explaining what they do also made the video great! She highlighted and explained all the principles of design. I would focus on proofreading the text, the Consumerism portion of the video was labeled Communism. The video was overall well put together, easy to follow and understand and interesting to watch! Just make sure that you proofread before calling it complete. It will help you in tremendously in the end! Good Job!
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| http://www.theballerinabirthday.com/blog/category/pointe-shoes |
Sunday, March 27, 2016
BP: Consumerism
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Film)
My group was assigned the Harry Potter Franchise so I decided to focus on the the movie that started it all.
How and Where the Product was manufactured
The film featured many different creatures and objects such as goblins, talking hat's and transforming cats so to make these creatures and objects appear on screen CGI or computer generated images were utilized in the film. These creatures and objects are designed so well that they seem extremely lifelike. The special effects crew utilized different rigs as well as special effects to create the best movie for the audience.
The movie was filmed in the United Kingdom due to the design of the location. They needed a castle to serve as Hogwarts as well as train stations, city streets etc. The United Kingdom matched these requirements perfectly and so the entire movie was shot on location in The United Kingdom.
How and Where the Product was distributed/sold
The movie was released and made available to audience members in The United Kingdom and The United States. The product was initially only released in movie theaters, then sold on dvd for consumers to view at home and then it was formatted digitally to be watched online using sites such as Amazon or Itunes. Having these various levels of distribution allowed for the highest profit to be acquired.
How Does Design Factor In Each Stage
In the first stage design is implemented in the looks of all the different creatures and objects. With the advances of modern technology the computer generated images looked so realistic that one could hardly tell they were created using a computer and were not actually visible on set.
The movie was filmed on location in the United Kingdom so access to everything from enormous castles to small city streets could be accessible. The design of various castles and streets had a old gothic feel to them which fit the movie perfectly.
In the second stage design had a role in marketing by figuring out where to distribute/sell the movie. The two main locations of distribution (The United States and United Kingdom) were determined most likely by the popularity of the books. Also I am assuming that the film's marketing team organized several events or rallies to promote the film.
To ensure that the most profit possible was acquired, the movie needed to be sold anywhere possible such as physical copies or online digital streaming.
My group was assigned the Harry Potter Franchise so I decided to focus on the the movie that started it all.
How and Where the Product was manufactured
The film featured many different creatures and objects such as goblins, talking hat's and transforming cats so to make these creatures and objects appear on screen CGI or computer generated images were utilized in the film. These creatures and objects are designed so well that they seem extremely lifelike. The special effects crew utilized different rigs as well as special effects to create the best movie for the audience.
The movie was filmed in the United Kingdom due to the design of the location. They needed a castle to serve as Hogwarts as well as train stations, city streets etc. The United Kingdom matched these requirements perfectly and so the entire movie was shot on location in The United Kingdom.
How and Where the Product was distributed/sold
The movie was released and made available to audience members in The United Kingdom and The United States. The product was initially only released in movie theaters, then sold on dvd for consumers to view at home and then it was formatted digitally to be watched online using sites such as Amazon or Itunes. Having these various levels of distribution allowed for the highest profit to be acquired.
How Does Design Factor In Each Stage
In the first stage design is implemented in the looks of all the different creatures and objects. With the advances of modern technology the computer generated images looked so realistic that one could hardly tell they were created using a computer and were not actually visible on set.
The movie was filmed on location in the United Kingdom so access to everything from enormous castles to small city streets could be accessible. The design of various castles and streets had a old gothic feel to them which fit the movie perfectly.
In the second stage design had a role in marketing by figuring out where to distribute/sell the movie. The two main locations of distribution (The United States and United Kingdom) were determined most likely by the popularity of the books. Also I am assuming that the film's marketing team organized several events or rallies to promote the film.
To ensure that the most profit possible was acquired, the movie needed to be sold anywhere possible such as physical copies or online digital streaming.
 |
| http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2453052928/tt0241527?ref_=ttmd_md_nxt |
BP: Movie Review 5/6
Informance Movie by Donovan Nesbitt
Donovan's informance movie describes the design of the Beats Pill XL. The very first thing I liked was the background music Donovan chose. I feel like it complimented the Beats Pill XL extremely well. I also thought it was interesting that he made the title using the same color scheme that is featured on the Pill. His transition's were done extremely well. He had music fade out when he began to speak about design characteristics of the Pill and the music fade back in when he finished speaking. To compliment the music during the transitions he featured photos of the Pill that he took and implemented a Ken Burn's type effect which I thought was well placed.
He included and explained every aspect of design in an organized fashion that was easy to read and understand. His individual slides of information were also timed well to allow ample time to read every piece of information. The slides had just enough detail/photos to benefit the movie without being too distracting.
The only thing I would look out for is consistency. Donovan had every header except the "Process and Product" header red. Also the portion of the video that covered the media, the Ken Burn's effect was used here also but the "M" in media was initially cut off (later came into the frame). Only small errors, but overall the video was very well put together. It was easy to understand, ample time was provided to read the text and transitions/music were original and well put together. Great Job!
Informance Movie by Dana Caruso
Donovan's informance movie describes the design of the Beats Pill XL. The very first thing I liked was the background music Donovan chose. I feel like it complimented the Beats Pill XL extremely well. I also thought it was interesting that he made the title using the same color scheme that is featured on the Pill. His transition's were done extremely well. He had music fade out when he began to speak about design characteristics of the Pill and the music fade back in when he finished speaking. To compliment the music during the transitions he featured photos of the Pill that he took and implemented a Ken Burn's type effect which I thought was well placed.
He included and explained every aspect of design in an organized fashion that was easy to read and understand. His individual slides of information were also timed well to allow ample time to read every piece of information. The slides had just enough detail/photos to benefit the movie without being too distracting.
The only thing I would look out for is consistency. Donovan had every header except the "Process and Product" header red. Also the portion of the video that covered the media, the Ken Burn's effect was used here also but the "M" in media was initially cut off (later came into the frame). Only small errors, but overall the video was very well put together. It was easy to understand, ample time was provided to read the text and transitions/music were original and well put together. Great Job!
 |
| http://www.macworld.com/article/2930358/got-a-beats-pill-xl-speaker-apple-recall-will-get-you-325.html |
Dana's informance movie describes the design of the Fibit Charge. She starts off her movie with what seems to be a commercial for her Fitbit that briefly explains the main features of the Fitbit such as the ability to link with a mobile app and provide caller identification. This video was placed appropriately because it provided the viewers with a basic introduction of the main features of the Fitbit. The pictures used were a little blurry, we would be able to see the details of the Fitbit better had the pictures been a little clearer. The voice over was recorded well but it sometimes got a little quiet and hard to hear. Also I think that the addition of text would help the viewer stay on track with what was being explained.
I enjoyed the portion of the video that explained how third party companies have created different skins for Fitbit's so the wearer can truly make the Fitbit their's.
I really like how in depth she got about the Fitbit mobile app and all it's features. It turns workout from a laborious task to a fun task to conquer with friends. It provides group leader boards that promotes friendly competition toward a healthier lifestyle.
Toward the end of the movie I really like the second Fitbit commercial she used. It shows the viewer the many different uses of the Fitbit.
The video was overall done well but I think that clearer photos and text headers would make it even better!
How they connect
Both the Beats Pill XL and the Fitbit are modern pieces of technology and they both are evolution's of an existing product. The Pill is an evolution of the boombox, it has better sound in a smaller, easy to transport package.
The Fitbit is an evolution of the pedometer. Instead of clipping it to your clothing you wear it on your wrist just like a normal watch. The Fitbit also has more features than a pedometer such as caller ID and the ability to provide your heart rate.
Also these devices connect because they may be used in tandem. One could be exercising and wearing their Fitbit while listening to their favorite workout playlist on their Beats Pill XL.
 |
| http://i1.expansys.com/img/p/268450/fitbit-charge.jpg |
Both the Beats Pill XL and the Fitbit are modern pieces of technology and they both are evolution's of an existing product. The Pill is an evolution of the boombox, it has better sound in a smaller, easy to transport package.
The Fitbit is an evolution of the pedometer. Instead of clipping it to your clothing you wear it on your wrist just like a normal watch. The Fitbit also has more features than a pedometer such as caller ID and the ability to provide your heart rate.
Also these devices connect because they may be used in tandem. One could be exercising and wearing their Fitbit while listening to their favorite workout playlist on their Beats Pill XL.
Thursday, March 24, 2016
BP Movie Review 3/4
Informance Movie by Connor Laramore
Connor created his informance movie on the Adidas's line of shoes titled "Boost". The video initially explained the technology that is incorporated into the shoes which are tiny energy capsules created in partnership with companies based in Germany. There are roughly 2,500 of these tiny energy capsules in just one shoe. Connor included a video of a test that compares the boost technology to the traditional EVA technology that is used in other shoes. The test consisted of dropping a metal ball on concrete with no padding, concrete with the EVA technology and concrete with Adidas's Boost technology. Right off the bat before the video even started I noticed that the Boost padding is much thicker than the EVA padding. Once the metal ball is dropped on the three surfaces it is surprising how much longer the ball bounces on the Boost padding. The test is a good method of describing the design of the Boost technology. Connor also included Kanye West endorsing the shoes. He explains that Kanye had a music video in which he and others in the video were wearing Boost shoes. The music video is too small and it is difficult to see what is going on in the video. I am not a fan of the text boxes within the video, they are too big and I find myself distracted from the image behind them. Maybe the image could have been shown then taken away and then bring up the text boxes or vice versa. The way the video is setup now there is too much on the screen at one time. Also I couldn't really pick out the five principles of design. A useful method to solve this problem would be to label the five principles then show the respective corresponding snippet of the video. Overall the video was good, just a few little errors here and there that once fixed would make the video a lot better!
Informance Movie by William Mathias
Connor created his informance movie on the Adidas's line of shoes titled "Boost". The video initially explained the technology that is incorporated into the shoes which are tiny energy capsules created in partnership with companies based in Germany. There are roughly 2,500 of these tiny energy capsules in just one shoe. Connor included a video of a test that compares the boost technology to the traditional EVA technology that is used in other shoes. The test consisted of dropping a metal ball on concrete with no padding, concrete with the EVA technology and concrete with Adidas's Boost technology. Right off the bat before the video even started I noticed that the Boost padding is much thicker than the EVA padding. Once the metal ball is dropped on the three surfaces it is surprising how much longer the ball bounces on the Boost padding. The test is a good method of describing the design of the Boost technology. Connor also included Kanye West endorsing the shoes. He explains that Kanye had a music video in which he and others in the video were wearing Boost shoes. The music video is too small and it is difficult to see what is going on in the video. I am not a fan of the text boxes within the video, they are too big and I find myself distracted from the image behind them. Maybe the image could have been shown then taken away and then bring up the text boxes or vice versa. The way the video is setup now there is too much on the screen at one time. Also I couldn't really pick out the five principles of design. A useful method to solve this problem would be to label the five principles then show the respective corresponding snippet of the video. Overall the video was good, just a few little errors here and there that once fixed would make the video a lot better!
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| https://www.sportsshoes.com/adidas-ultra-boost/ |
William created his informance movie on the Fitbit Charge HR. The HR stands for heart rate.
William starts the video out with a commercial for the Fitbit essentially stating that it can be involved in every aspect of the users life. Once the video is completed the first thing I noticed is that the scroll speed of the font is too fast. I had to go back and read the text because I missed it the first time. All of the principles of design (Process and Product, Human Experience, Business, Social as well as Cultural practices, Media, Consumerism and Design) were examined. William explains that the Fitbit provides details on heart rate, calories burned, steps taken, Miles/Meters walked, flights or stairs climbed as well as sleep activity. There are many color options for users to choose from as well as different display options to further customize the Fitbit. To ensure that profit keeps flowing in Fitbit needs to step up its design to outmatch competitors such as Apple. Fitbit's are sold in 45,000 stores. Fitbit also has a smartphone app that lets you connect via bluetooth and review the information gathered by the watch. The slogan of Fitbit is "Find Your Fit" which indicates that their is a fitbit for everyone. The credits once again scroll way too fast which makes them unreadable.
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| http://fitbit.expertproductinquiry.com/Force.aspx |
How the artifacts connect with each other
These two artifacts have an extremely strong connection to each other. They are both tools used by athletes. A marathon runner for example would wear Adidas's Boost shoes to enjoy a comfortable run while at the same time wearing the Fitbit to track their workout information to be looked at post run. This information will allow the runner to learn from their run and determine ways to improve. Both these artifacts incorporate technology to make being athletic feel more rewarding.
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
BP Movie Review 1/2
DES 100 Movie Highlands- Lydia Walker
Lydia's informance movie was about the Highlands which is located in Louisville, Kentucky. She highlighted how there are several shops which ensure that everyone who either lives or visits the Highlands will have something that they will enjoy. She explains that people gather in the Highlands all year but two events really attract the crowds. The first event is the Bardstown Road A Glow which is a festival around Christmas time and the second is a zombie walk which involves participants dressing up as zombies and walking the streets to mimic a zombie apocalypse. Lydia also explains how there is a mix of corporate chain businesses and small businesses. These large businesses attract consumers which in turn allows consumers to learn about the small businesses. Also similar to what occurs in Lexington consumers are encouraged to buy local to support local businesses.
Social media in the Highlands is not used as heavily as it is in larger towns. Instead information spreads through word of mouth communication. Consumers talk to other consumers about what is happening in the town and that is the main form of advertising for current events or shops.
Lydia's video is overall designed well but I do wish that the pictures would have a longer duration so that they could be analyzed further to truly see what the Highlands has to offer. The voice over is easy to understand and she speaks clearly so there is no communication errors. She highlights all the major points of design and explains the Highlands extremely well. Overall the video is great but I think that the photos could be on screen a little bit longer. Well done!
DES 100 Movie Nike Kobe 9 Basketball Shoe- Jackson DeGregorio
Jackson's Informance movie discussed the design of his Nike Kobe 9 Basketball shoe's. He began by defining what a basketball shoe is. He explains that the main purpose of basketball shoes allow players to run faster and jump higher while on the court. The first basketball shoes were plain with only one or two colors to choose from and they were impractical due to lack of support for the player. More recently he states that basketball shoes allow for the players to express themselves by being able to customize their shoes to their exact specifications thanks to online customization tools which could include the shape and size of the shoe as well as the colors and text. Basketball shoes today also have more support for the player, the heel and sole is designed to be stiff and strong while the base of the shoe is flexible to move naturally with the players foot instead of against it or not at all.
I like how Jackson illustrated these key points instead of just explaining them. He illustrated how the heel of the shoe is stiff and doesn't have a wide range of motion. Also he illustrated how the base of the shoe is softer and has a wide range of motion once again to naturally move with the foot of the player. He illustrated the idea of user customization by showing different angles of his shoes which he customized with faux paint splotches as well as blue and yellow colors.
Jackson sounded very comfortable with recording his voice for his informance movie. I did pick up his explanations of consumerism and human experience but I am not for sure about the other principles of design. Maybe adding text transitions to keep the viewer aware of what you are explaining could have helped. Overall good informance movie.
Both the artifacts can be linked by the idea of scale. If you visit the Highlands you may see someone walking around wearing Jackson's Nike Kobe 9's. These artifacts are intertwined with each other, the Highlands contains the people who wear the Nike Kobe 9's.
Lydia's informance movie was about the Highlands which is located in Louisville, Kentucky. She highlighted how there are several shops which ensure that everyone who either lives or visits the Highlands will have something that they will enjoy. She explains that people gather in the Highlands all year but two events really attract the crowds. The first event is the Bardstown Road A Glow which is a festival around Christmas time and the second is a zombie walk which involves participants dressing up as zombies and walking the streets to mimic a zombie apocalypse. Lydia also explains how there is a mix of corporate chain businesses and small businesses. These large businesses attract consumers which in turn allows consumers to learn about the small businesses. Also similar to what occurs in Lexington consumers are encouraged to buy local to support local businesses.
Social media in the Highlands is not used as heavily as it is in larger towns. Instead information spreads through word of mouth communication. Consumers talk to other consumers about what is happening in the town and that is the main form of advertising for current events or shops.
Lydia's video is overall designed well but I do wish that the pictures would have a longer duration so that they could be analyzed further to truly see what the Highlands has to offer. The voice over is easy to understand and she speaks clearly so there is no communication errors. She highlights all the major points of design and explains the Highlands extremely well. Overall the video is great but I think that the photos could be on screen a little bit longer. Well done!
 |
| https://www.flickr.com/photos/sethw/5193088164 |
Jackson's Informance movie discussed the design of his Nike Kobe 9 Basketball shoe's. He began by defining what a basketball shoe is. He explains that the main purpose of basketball shoes allow players to run faster and jump higher while on the court. The first basketball shoes were plain with only one or two colors to choose from and they were impractical due to lack of support for the player. More recently he states that basketball shoes allow for the players to express themselves by being able to customize their shoes to their exact specifications thanks to online customization tools which could include the shape and size of the shoe as well as the colors and text. Basketball shoes today also have more support for the player, the heel and sole is designed to be stiff and strong while the base of the shoe is flexible to move naturally with the players foot instead of against it or not at all.
I like how Jackson illustrated these key points instead of just explaining them. He illustrated how the heel of the shoe is stiff and doesn't have a wide range of motion. Also he illustrated how the base of the shoe is softer and has a wide range of motion once again to naturally move with the foot of the player. He illustrated the idea of user customization by showing different angles of his shoes which he customized with faux paint splotches as well as blue and yellow colors.
Jackson sounded very comfortable with recording his voice for his informance movie. I did pick up his explanations of consumerism and human experience but I am not for sure about the other principles of design. Maybe adding text transitions to keep the viewer aware of what you are explaining could have helped. Overall good informance movie.
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| http://news.nike.com/news/inside-access-kobe-9-elite-low |
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Sunday, March 6, 2016
BP: Target Observation
I paid a visit to
Target while I was back home with my family this weekend and it was actually
quite interesting the amount of design that was incorporated into the items located
inside Target. I took photos of five artifacts in which the design really
popped.
The first artifact
that I came across was a Nate Berkus Wall Décor Palm Leaf. I decided to
photograph this object because of the unusual design that it displayed. It was
not the average decorative piece that you would normally see inside the home. The
design consisted of several strips of tan material placed in an unorganized
manner held together by black braided string. The design of the object reminded
me of a dream catcher type artifact. It implemented design elements in a very
unique manner. Another interesting point of this artifact was that even though
it was most likely created by machine there are subtle differences in each one
that make each one unique.
 |
| Photo by Cody Cioffe |
The second artifact that
I came across was a lamp. This lamp was not a normal lamp and this why I took a
photo of it. There are two main pieces of this lamp. The first is the lamp
shade. The lamp shade is nothing special, it is just a normal white lamp shade. The
second is the base of the lamp which is what attracted me to the lamp itself. The
base of the lamp was constructed of several pentagons. Some were right side up
and others were upside down. Within the polygons contained several engravings
that resembled flower like objects. It was a neutral piece of décor but the
design was very unique.
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| Photo by Cody Cioffe |
The third artifact that
I came across was a clock. This clock was not your plain jane clock. The main
part of the clock was located in the center and it was surrounded by thin
wooden strips with different puzzle piece looking ends. The font of the clock
numbers was a sophisticated type font and they as well as the wood strips were
a color similar to gold or dark brown. The background of the actual clock
itself was white which drew emphasis to the center of the entire clock. The hands
were black which created contrast to the numbers. It was a very unusual design
which captured my attention.
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| Photo by Cody Cioffe |
The fourth artifact
that I came across was a poster for the Apple Watch. The poster had two of
these smart watches facing each other. One of the watches had a pink face with either
a white or light pink band. The other watch had a light tan face with a dark
blue band. My guess was that Apple was showing that they had watches designed
for both males and females. The background of the poster was bright white with
negative space that brought emphasis to the watches. The blue watch had an
image of the user’s activity which illustrates that the watch tracks fitness. The
pink watch had an image of a white flower which illustrates that the watch can
be used to view a photo gallery with rich detailed photos.
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| Photo by Cody Cioffe |
The fifth and final artifact
that I came across was the mascot for Target named “Spot”. He was placed on a bench
that said “pose & post”. This encouraged shoppers, most likely young kids
and teenagers to post pictures of themselves with Spot on social media. Those
who post the photo may just think it is a fun photo but Target may be hoping
that more people will see this on social media, come to the store to get their photo
with Spot and hopefully buy things from the store. Also, Spot has the Target
logo on his right eye as well as on his collar. Spot is one of the most well-known
store mascots and he is designed to match the color scheme of the store and help
the store in their advertising campaign on television and social media.
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| Photo by Cody Cioffe |
Thursday, March 3, 2016
BP: Connections to other artifacts
My group had 2 common themes when
it came to our storyboards…
1. The
first theme that we came up with was technology. This included a GoPro camera, a
fitbit and a Nintendo 64.
2. The
second theme was that our artifacts were mainstream. They were artifacts that everyone
knew about. Everyone knows what a fitbit is, what a Nintendo 64 is or what a
GoPro is so we concluded that our artifacts were mainstream.
Our artifact storyboards had many
diverse and unique strengths. One of the artifacts that one of my group members
had was a Nintendo 64. We came to the conclusion that this artifact’s strength
was that it was vintage. Another artifact that had the strength of being
vintage was a city titled The Highlands. It is a very old city yet is still a
famous city. The Highlands because of its age also has the strength of being
historical.
We considered some of our artifacts
to be durable. Examples of these durable artifacts are the GoPro, the fitbit
and the ugg boots. These artifacts can withstand daily wear and tear (ugg boots
and the fitbit) and some could withstand the most extreme aspects of life
(GoPro).
Also we concluded that our
artifacts catered to specific lifestyles. For example, the GoPro catered to athletes
and extreme filmmakers, the fitbit catered to athletes, The Nintendo 64 catered
to gamers and The Highlands catered to artists or architects.
The last thing we considered is
that our artifacts covered all lengths of the spectrum. The Highlands is a city
which contained the remaining three artifacts (the GoPro in the hands of filmmakers,
the fitbit on the wrist of marathon runners and the Nintendo 64 in the living
room of the avid gamer).
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