IDEO Video Response

A work environment that encourages out of the box expression was what IDEO found brought out the best in their employees. In IDEO creativity is a way of life not only tool of expression. The employees were handpicked because each one brought something that was completely unique to the group. This collection of architects, biologist, designers, marketers, and engineers has been at the forefront of product design for years. The wide range of backgrounds and point of views that the employees brought aided in this successful innovation in product development. They attack a project in a brainstorming method that encourages left field ideas. This is where the variety of people comes in handy. The unique ideas are then voted on and the best are combined into the new product. This method of turning crazy ideas into useful products is what Industrial Design is about. It is an improvement on everyday things through constructive creativity.       

TED video response 8/23/11

Dan Norman spoke of the emotional element of design. In his opinion design should be fun. This idea is also backed by the science of the brain. He used the example of an experiment done on people involving problem solving. In the experiment the subjects that were given candy and asked to solve a problem. The other group went without the treat. These subjects were able to solve the situation better with candy than those who were simply given the test. Norman explained this by saying “pleasant things work better.” His lecture made me start to think of design in a new light. Design is not about the object it is about the user. If a design is entertaining and emotionally stimulating it has already served a purpose even before it has been used for its given function.   

First Five: Travel Mug

This was a contour drawing of the travel mug’s lid:

I thought it successful in that it only showed the outline of the lid. It was simple and had consistent lines. The viewer can understand the structure and use of the lid through the line usage without necessarily needing values to convey depth. 

This was a contour drawing of the travel mug’s lip and decorative grip:

I found this drawing to be successful in its composition. The sketch focuses on a detail without getting lost in it. The viewer better understands the grip and the details on it through clean lines.

This is a contour and value combination drawing of the lid:

I thought this drawing was successful in the way it shows the circular aspects of the lid. The viewer can easily understand that the flip cap portion curves along with the lip of the lid.  

This is a contour and value combination drawing of the lid:

I thought this drawing was successful in the way it shows the circular aspects of the lid. The viewer can easily understand that the flip cap portion curves along with the lip of the lid.  

This is a contour and tonal drawing:
I felt this was successful in its shading. The lines were a bit loose but the shadows did a good job of conveying the depth even from an upward angle. I also thought the viewpoint added interest to the sketch. 

Objectified.

The documentary Objectified was what first introduced me to the field of Industrial Design. My sister, an art student at KU, had been exposed to some work in Industrial Design while working in a gallery. After seeing what it was she informed me I would love Industrial Design and that she was forcing me to watch a documentary on it. I was apprehensive to sit through a documentary on something I was imagining involved steel workers, factories and assembly lines. However, once I started watching it I was hooked. I loved how they made art useful. It was purposeful. It was clever. It was visually pleasing. I had found my career.

Watching Objectified again in class brought back that spark of passion from the first time I watched it. Yet, this time I noticed more. Including how it featured designers with very different backgrounds and opinions. This demonstrated the diversity of design and the designer. It conveyed the message that how you look at the world is who you are as a designer. This made me feel as if there could be a place for my view of the world and room for my design.