Tortuous Freeways Cause Problems

Freeways are a significant part of our ever day life. I use one freeway to get to school another to get to work and yet another to visit friends and family. They need to be efficient and take into careful consideration the way that cars function and how the brain reacts. Freeways get us from point A to point B, but I doubt anyone really scrutinizes their design elements on an every day basis.

I recently moved to Sacramento from the Los Angeles region. In Southern California I noticed there were many freeways that connected so that I had as little side street driving as possible. The 210 freeway was built near my house only a couple of years ago and featured long on and off ramps and many lanes including a carpool lane.

In Sacramento I am somewhat disappointed with the configuration of freeways. They never seem to connect where you need them to, and it's difficult to get from one to the other. I have noticed that the freeways are rarely straight and feature many curves that make you slow down dramatically. The last thing a motorist wants to do is decrease their speed especially because it wastes gas and takes longer to get where you are going. Off and on ramps here are not very conducive to getting on a high speed freeway which slows down traffic.

It may seem weird that I have taken the time to talk about freeways, but they are a big part of my life. Freeways, major roads, and highways in the Sacramento region really need a good makeover to become more efficient and safe for everyone.

A Flaw in Yogurt

I eat yogurt almost every morning. Yoplait yogurt has a large variety of flavors that no other yogurt brand carries such as Boston Cream Pie! The taste of the yogurt is the natural reason why I continually choose this product, but there is a large design flaw that seriously deters me from buying Yoplait when I'm in the grocery store.

The Yoplait yogurt cup is iconic. The label is easy to read and to the point. The cup has an easily recognizable tapered rectangular shape. Without even seeing the label for Yoplait I know right away what brand this yogurt belongs to. Some say that is great design, I beg to differ.

The shape of the Yoplait yogurt cup is all wrong. I spend literally five minutes every morning trying to scrape out yogurt remnants from the grooves within the cup. The yogurt container is too small, I cannot even use a regular spoon, but must get a baby size spoon just to get anything out in the first place! Those five minutes every morning add up! Time is money and a busy consumer will not bother to take that extra time no matter how good that yogurt is. I say Yoplait needs a new container that matches the needs of its consumers!

Form and Content: Objectified

Gary Hustwit's film Objectified, tells of the manufacturers relationship to products before the product is finalized. The film delves into the creative process for the design of many objects in our daily life that we do not even notice were designed in the first place. A potato peeler, something seemingly simple and organic was put to the test by some designers. Hustwit films the process that the designers for a potato peeler went through in order to get an ergonomic shape that would everyone's purposes. In order to understand what people need, designers look at extreme cases. For example, a person with arthritis and an athlete are going to use an object much differently and that needs to be represented in the design.

Through Objectified, I realized that design really is a large part of of our everyday world. Things that I normally don't think about are deeply scrutinized by the manufactures who produce them. Hustwit also researchers the objects relationship with the consumer. A great design is something that  is natural, something that when you think about it, you think of course it's this way. The Apple company seems to be the only company that is really concerned with design. Although form and content are not necessarily equal in the Apple company, the product is very successful. Form does not follow function with their products. Looking at an I-Pod, you don't immediately see what it does, but the sleek package makes it desirable.

Comparison

Pixar Animation Studios is my all time favorite source for animation as well as Disney. The mash-up between Pixar and Disney studios was the most genius merger and probably one of the most powerful. Nobody knows how to make a cartoon based movie more accessible to every age range like Disney's Pixar. The characters are lovable, relate-able, and have a sense of wit to them, that no other cartoon company could ever get close to.

Pixar all began in 1984 when John Lasseter left an animation job at Disney to work with George Lucas' special effects computer group. Lasseter's first project was The Adventures of Andre and Wally B. The computer group in which Lasseter was involved got bought out by Steve Jobs and officially became known as "Pixar". Here is a link to Pixar's History where I got my information. After years of incredible films and innumerable awards, Pixar has become an icon in the household. I would like to show the differences between Pixar's oldest project, "The Adventures of Andre and Wally B". with one of their most recent short films "Partly Cloudy".

As I mentioned above "The Adventures of Andre and Wally B". was the very first project that Lasseter worked on at the unofficial Pixar company. In 1984, the production of this film was groundbreaking, although it may not look like much now because of our fast-paced technological growth. This film was the first of it's kind to use "motion blur" in CG animation and complex 3-D backgrounds.

"Partly Cloudy" was released in 2009 before the film "Up". A specific style has certainly been developed after the many years that Pixar has been making shorts. Compared to Andre, the movies are very different. The characters are more well developed, and I think you fall in love with them more readily. While the plots of both of the short films are simple, the most recent short is a little more complex in storyline. The animation in "Partly Cloudy" is more seamless and pleasing to the eye. Upon first seeing "Andre", I felt bored, the exact opposite emotion was stirred within me upon seeing "Partly Cloudy". 

Pixar has really grown as a company. Their accomplishments and awards are very befitting of the outstanding work they have produced for over two decades. The team at Pixar is exceptional, their quality of films are outstanding and their level of genius is yet to be matched. 

Design as Conversation

Does design converse? This question is at the root of the topic design as conversation. If design really is able to converse, how exactly does it take place? I believe that there are many ways in which design is a conversation. The most obvious answer would be the conversation that takes place between client and designer. A designer usually conjures a product for someone other than themselves. In order to understand what your client wants and the restrictions with which they want you to operate you need communication. Without a constant stream of dialog at every point of the design process, something could go wrong. If the line of communication is disconnected, there could be a large discrepancy  about what the client wanted and what the designer produced.

Another way in which design is conversation takes place in the design process before anything happens. A designer must ask themselves what they can do. Can the designer comfortably work within the set of guidelines that the client sets forth? And then the designer must ask themselves, what are they going to do? What ideas do I have to make the design the best it can be? A conversation with yourself, although maybe not consciously, is the best way to start a new assignment.

Design is also a conversation through inspiration. A product could potentially provide another designer with inspiration. That inspiration, in turn, creates a piece that speaks to the first. The two designs are complementary and one was inspired by the other. Conversation sometimes inspires others to reach new heights and design is no exception.

"This Train is Bound for Glory"

Yesterday I attended the guest lecture series which featured a photographer by the name of Justine Kurland. I had never seen any of her works and have never attended an artist's lecture. Kurland started her presentation showing a photo by Carlton Watkins called Cathedral Rocks and Spires. Watkins was part of a geological survey expedition which helped promote the Westward Expansion. Kurland began her lecture with pictures such as the one done by Watkins because the movement towards the west was filled with dreams and new chances which is a main theme within her body of work.

Carlton Watkins, Cathedral Rocks and Spires, 1865-66

After graduating from Yale, Kurland focused on a theme of runaway girls. The shots were all staged and the girls were not actually runaways but these photos evoked a feeling of innocence not yet lost. After the runaway girls, she decided to focus her photographs on communes and then moved onto nude photos. Kurland then became a mom and got caught up in the world of parenting. Her next line of work focused on naked "mamas" and their babies. Justine Kurland's son, Casper, became a big part of her work life. Casper was interested in trains, so Kurland shot trains. Again the theme of Westward Expansion was emphasized with the trains.

Kurland's body of work is very interesting. I love the singular theme that runs through all of the subjects she shoots. This theme seems to be ingrained in her being and her one goal is to carry out its significance. Justine Kurland is a very unique person. She goes on month long road trips and lives out of a car to get the perfect shot. Her work is a commitment and a passion and it really shows.

The artist Justine Kurland at her show 

This Train is Bound for Glory. Photo Shawn Dogimont

You Are a Product

Recently, while searching the internet for entertainment I found an arresting article. The article, entitled "What Does Your Facebook Profile Say About You?", laid claim to a very small amount of people actually knowing what kind of impression their Facebook gave on most people. In the work place people were scared to post too much about themselves and ended up seeming very stuffy while others put it all of their information out there for anyone to gaze upon. I have already been aware of the dangers of too much information on any web page could lend to, but this article really got me thinking about the design aspect to your online profiles.

Upon further investigation I found the site Geekologie where they had a fun flowchart on the topic of what your profile picture says about you. Although the website is poking fun at people who crop out their bodies in pictures and who take the infamous "mirror shot", the article really does give a good insight on what goes on in people's minds when they put their picture online. Choosing the perfect shot can either make or break a new 

connection with another person.

Online networking sites are usually places to meet new people or get to know more about someone you already have met. In a way you are marketing yourself to an audience. What you say about yourself, the pictures you post, and the overall aesthetic of the profile are setting an example of who you are. This is another case where both words and pictures interact. Posting pictures of yourself on social networks can say something totally different about you and your personality than what you write about yourself. The truth is not always so evident online.

Creativity from Without

Different cultures and places from around the world can be a great source of inspiration. There is a wealth of ideas and techniques that other communities have perfected that you may not have even thought of before. Everyone has a different point of view and getting to know more about the world's views makes for a more well rounded designer.

In some places a certain wood is more abundant than other kinds of woods. The land could be rich with limestone and could be used throughout most buildings. Learning and using building materials that are diverse can really alter something that you are creating. Using wood as opposed to marble for a project could take it to a whole different level. Culture is also a large part of the world's designs. Religion can totally dominate a society and everything within it. Take the Vatican for example, the Catholic church has so much power in Italy that they have a part of Italy all to their selves. They dictate everything from the clothes you can wear to the laws that are made. Their building styles show a rich religious influence. 

I have had the pleasure in being able to go to Bangkok, Thailand and Salvador, Brasil within the last couple years and am going to travel to Barcelona, Spain in the winter. Going to these diverse places gives me the opportunity to see the differences in the nation's points of view. Although Bangkok and Salvador were both heavily influenced by there religious beliefs, their styles are so unalike. I was afforded the great opportunity to observe two societies that are totally contrasting which gave me inspiration. Creativity fuels creativity.

Photo I took of a Church in Brasil:

Stone Soup for the Designer's Soul

Stone Soup is an inspiring folk story in which a group of hungry soldiers enters a town looking for food. The townspeople see the men coming and decide to hide all of their food. The soldiers stop at every house but are denied any food. The men then come up with a plan and ask the townspeople for a pot of boiling water and they throw a couple stones in too. The soldiers ask for little things to be put in the soup such as salt and a carrot, eventually every towns person offers something to be entered into the soup making a very appetizing meal for all. The moral of the story shows that participation and cooperation ends in the best results.

With the theme of this story in mind we were asked to bring a bunch of materials that we could use to create anything artistic. Our group put our heads together and came up with an innovation based on the materials that were presented. the bulk of the items that were brought was cardboard, because of this we decided to cut shapes out of the cardboard decorate them with scraps of paper, stickers, paint, etc and then cut slits in them to create something grand. In the end our cardboard and papers turned into a 3-D object. The outcome was planned out but never could have been imagined in its entirety. Our group's teamwork and own experiences created something that none of the other groups had come close to. Different items and different people would definitely not have come up with the same piece of work and that is what is so special about Stone Soup.

Everyone collaborated to make something better than any one person could do on their own, in this way we created out own designer Stone Soup. 

Cakes!

I love cake! Birthdays, graduations, retirements, Sundays...any day is a good day for cake! The design of the cakes are equally as important as how they taste, especially if it's for a special occasion and not just a random day where you get the "cake craves", that is why my go-to comedic website is Cake Wrecks.The creator of the blog Cake Wrecks asks people to send in pictures of cakes that they ordered specifically for an event made by professional bakers. As is apparent from the title of the blog, the designs that are submitted to the blog are usually cakes of epic failures. The image below is supposed to be a Mickey Mouse cake for a child's first birthday! I think turning one year old is a pretty momentous occasion, I would certainly not pay for a monstrosity such as this.

My other favorite cakes are the ones that you see in a grocery store. Talent is really not the number one factor in hiring these people. The worst cakes are cupcake cakes where an image is made up of some cupcakes and icing. This picture I took while I was browsing the bakery section at my local Ralph's. This isn't even the worse of the cupcake cakes division, but you can kind of see what I mean with how bad it can get. I mean since when does a football look like that?

Once in a while there are actually beautiful or creative cakes that get posted on this blog and it's interesting to see the large difference in talent among the cake decorators. The design of a cake is crucial in sending a trend for the kind of occasion that you are having. A wedding cake, for example, is usually a center piece of the whole wedding and will encompass the theme of the wedding and the personality of the couple. Often a cake will show appreciation or congratulations much like giving a card would. The cake should come from your heart and a poorly executed cake definitely does not give the client what they need. Cakes are not usually a big part of our everyday lives but when an occasion is important enough to call for a cake, buying one should be a thing of excitement not of worry because you don't know what you are going to get.

A Wedding Fit for a DISNEY Princess?

While checking my email on Yahoo.com I came across an article entitled "Disney Princess Wedding Gowns" and pictures of both The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Immediately they had my attention. Coming from Southern California, I have always been obsessed with Disneyland and everything else Disney related. Living half an hour away from the Disneyland theme park was a dream. I was naturally excited to see a new and inventive take on the Disneyland  Princess enterprise.

Upon further investigation I was delighted to see that Alfred Angelo, bridal designer, made seven dresses befitting of seven of the Disney princesses. Ariel, Aurora,  Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Snow White, and the newest Disney Princess Tiana. All of these leading ladies had fantastical dresses created in their image.

Many women that are getting married want a perfect day and let's put it plainly, want to be spoiled. Having a Disney Princess dress would give the bride a real feel of being a princess. Having the perfect wedding day is synonymous with having that perfect dress that you feel like the center of attention in, and I think that by having a Princess dress designed by Alfred Angelo makes perfect sense. Disney always has a grandiose style which you can feel immediately in their films and by walking in the theme parks, these dresses are in that same tradition. The Disney-Angelo mash-up was a perfect success in my book.