You Choose Design as Your Weapon?!

            The influence of the media is something that is insurmountable, and at the same time, it is inconspicuous. A lot of the times, the results of what we experience are unintentional. We don’t realize it when it is happening to us, but everything that we see, hear and experience, effects the way we think. Often, the way the media portrays a message, is through innovative design. Once something has been released to the public, it already is stating that it is acceptable to most people’s standards.

What would you think if you saw this person
walking on the street? Would you think that
they were the most fashion forward person
ever? Well, apparently Vogue does...

            To demonstrate this, we can look at fashion design. The main way that fashion trends are circulated, are through magazines. Because certain magazines hold so much prestige and influence, the moment the average person views the contents of its pages; they are going to want to imitate those looks. No matter how provocative, ridiculous, or impractical, the newest fashions are, if they are featured in a magazine, there are bound to be supporters. These fashion designers know how much power and direction they hold for the average person. This can have good and bad consequences. For example, a negative effect has been today’s teenagers dressing more scandalously than past generations. Is it okay to have children of such young ages act so provocatively? An example of a positive effect may be that magazines have been featuring woman of larger sizes. This has brought about more acceptance and appreciation for a variety of people.

Overall, we have to be careful of what we release for all to see. It is easy to overlook long-term consequences, but we have to remember that design is a dangerous weapon. The power that it holds can cause huge repercussions. We have to be socially responsible and consider deeply everything that we are saying is okay. 


image was found from: http://papermode.trendland.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/isabeli-fontana-for-vogue-brazil-cover.jpg

Grocery Store Utopian Design

            Many have recognized the power of design. The number of people that a design can reach in such a little amount of time causes it to be a great resource for those that are trying to mass communicate or make a large change. These designs can be something that is called utopian. This means that it aims to affect society in a way that improves it. One example of this is the self-checkout system that they have at grocery stores.

            The way that the self-checkout system works is that you can pay for your items on your own when you are at the grocery store. Generally, people only use these when they aren’t purchasing that many things. You have to scan the items yourself and put in the money yourself. You also have to look up produce and place it on the scale. For some odd reason, this is occasionally faster than waiting in line for the next available register.

            Some may have noticed that a lot of time that is wasted waiting in lines. Therefore, the design of this system was useful and practical. Not having to wait in line as long also creates a better shopping experience, leading to happier customers that will return for future needs.

            Design can go a long way. Who knew that a faster checkout system could make that big of a difference? Supermarkets all over the country and adopted these systems and they continue to bring positive results.


images found from:
http://whatannoys.me/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/self-checkout-station.jpg
http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/bst/lowres/bstn681l.jpg

Black Friday Advertisements

This past fall break was Thanksgiving break. As you all know, the day after thanksgiving is called Black Friday. Black Friday is a day when the sales at department and retail stores are supposed to be amazing. People are supposed to be able to find amazing prices for amazing items. It was interesting to see how each store appealed to different crowds. The paper ads for Toys ‘R Us were very colorful and even included stickers for kids to tell their parents what toys they want for Christmas. Electronic stores, on the other hand exemplified the prices of their items as well as the brand names. When purchasing electronics, the brand name is something that is very important to consider. Clothing stores printed their ads bigger than the normal ones. They were able to fold out so that you could see what sweaters and purses and shoes you wanted to buy. They wanted to make sure that they had attractive models to lure you in. advertising is an interesting topic that has always intrigued me. I like the way that something looks can affect the way a person thinks about it. It’s all about the presentation. 

COLOR TRANSFORMS- The Bezold Effect

            Color does more than just make something look livelier. Color has the ability to transform an entire design. It can accomplish this is many ways. One way is called the Bezold Effect.

            This is a special kind of optical mixture that is explained in the Albers reading assignments. The Bezold Effect was named after its discoverer. It states that certain strong colors, when evenly distributed, could change the entirety of the effect of a design. This just means that colors seem different when they are in different surroundings even thought they are the same pigments. A blue has a different effect when it is placed next to red, than when it is placed next to green. Because of this, one can say that color has a huge impact on the mood/atmosphere of a design.

            Everyone has already experienced the impact that different color palates can have on an image or design. A common example that everyone has dealt with is the white balance, or color effect of a photograph. When someone wants a serious photo, they most often go with black and white. When someone wants a whimsical photo, they most often go with sharper colors to intensify the picture.

            But going back to the Bezold Effect, it has been proven that changing just one color in a design can transform its entirety. That’s why your parents spent so much time deciding on what color to paint your house! That small detail made a big difference.


images found from:
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01121/bezold-effect_1121079i.jpg
http://web.missouri.edu/~hoarda/colortheory/Syllabus/Projects/Bezold_Effect/bezold.jpg

A Box for Every Area of Ergonomic Research :)

          Is there an object that you have around you that is just simply amazing? You really can’t believe how someone came up with the idea because it’s just that good?

          For me, there are a lot of objects that hold that prestige. But today, we are going to talk about the gum box. Haven’t you noticed that those small things that we often overlook, are getting more and more sophisticated? Yes. It’s crazy isn't it? This can cause one to wonder how the gum companies decide which design to adopt.
          The way that you can tell if an object is worth manufacturing is by putting it through the test of design criticism. The basic test has 5 areas. These are called the 5 areas of ergonomic research. They are: safety, comfort, ease of use, performance (productivity), and aesthetics. So lets put the gum box to the test!

          How safe would you say a gum box is? Would you trust it with a 3 year old? Well maybe not a 3 year old, but anyone that is old enough to chew gum should be able to handle it! It’s made out of thick paper, making it light and portable. Yesss gum boxes have proven to be very safe.

          How comfortable are gum boxes? Well I would say they are very comfortable! They fit in the hand quite nicely, but they are large enough so that they don’t get lost in a purse or a pocket. They are easy to hold so that you can offer any of your friends a piece, making you the bell of the ball! And who doesn’t want that?

          How easy is it to use a gum box? Well. It’s very easy to figure out how to use them. You don’t even have to know how to read. All you do is flip it open and viola! Gum for you and gum for me.

          How is the performance of the gum box? Gum boxes perform pretty well if you ask me. They are durable enough to last till the last piece. Even with all that traveling, the boxes do not usually tear. They are also fitted so that the gum does not fly all over the place. They also have a latch that you can use to slip the cover under, so that the box does not open and close at any time it desires.

How is the aesthetic aspect of the gum box? Gum boxes are being given fancier and fancier designs each day, lots of colors and lots of lure. They are almost mesmerizing! The boxes  used to be just a piece of foil holding the strips of gum together. Then they went to the path of being “pop out” gum. Now they are back in the boxes, but now these boxes are fold-out boxes, laying out all the pieces in two rows. They are really quite fun to open and close.

All in all, the design of the gum box is very well planned. It complies with the 5 areas of ergonomic design, and successfully passes design criticism. It combats all the trials of daily wear and tear nicely, and has also kept up with modern day trends! The boxes have become a bit artsy and have that certain sense of ‘cool’ about them. The brands that have been changing their presentation to fit the ages have had the most influence over the gum market. So the next time you buy a pack of gum, appreciate the box that it comes in.


images found from:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4IYBV56YD3I/SXijB-KKYcI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/QEobScudMCw/s400/5gum.jpg
http://www.globalpackagegallery.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=102277&g2_serialNumber=2
http://www.stillwondering.ca/ourbrands/PublishingImages/trident_base_product.jpg
http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/extra-gum-polar-ice.jpg

Stick 'em Up!

Design, design, design. Oh, ho, ho, it really is everywhere. I wonder who designed the post-it? Those things have become really useful since I got into college. I am going to look it up!

Dr. Spencer Silver, a chemist, invented the post-it note in 1968. He accidentally came up with a “low-tack,” reusable, pressure sensitive ahesive! But it wasn’t till 5 years later when one of his friends had the idea of putting it on the back of paper. The way he came up with this was because he wanted something to hold his bookmarks in place. And I guess that was how post-it notes were born!

When the product was first launched, no one bought them. They had no idea what they were for. So the company decided to send out a whole buncha free samples, and every since then, they have made their mark on the charts. Now, post-it notes are being sold worldwide!

Also, the yellow color of the paper was chosen by accident. A lab next door to the post-it team had scrap yellow paper, so they just used that!

Its funny how some things come into play. Even though the design of the post-it wasn’t intentional, it does show you how things can come into play if you just work with them for a little while. Great ideas build off of smaller ideas. The next time you invent something weird, or come up with a unreasonable idea, run with it!

The image to the side is just ONE idea that someone came up with: Post-its as an art medium! Who woulda thunk it?


image found from:
http://www.cvrick.com/cv_rick/images/2007/09/01/postit_elvis.jpg

Cute Package Design

Something that I’ve really been into recently is Cuties. No, not cute boys. I’m talking about those little tangerines that they sell in 5-pound bags. Those tangerines are so good. They are easy to peel, they are seedless, and they are very sweet! These fruits not only appeal to me because of how they taste, but because of they’re adorable packaging. Package design is very interesting. It can either help sell a product, or make it unappealing to the customer. Because these tangerines were placed and sold in a box that only covers the bottom half of the bag, it has allowed customers to see that what they are buying is a quality product. If they were placed in a box that was fully enclosed, may customers would be skeptical to buying the fruits. Who knows? They might be rotten. Even though these things might seem like common sense, they are all things that package designers must consider. They probably analyze these issues on a much deeper level than I just did though. The design of the logo also makes it appealing to those of younger and older generations. It is a cartoon version of the fruit itself, making it a fun purchase, and at the same time making it easier to have your kids eat something healthy. Cuties are really addicting. Once you have one, you wont be able to stop eating them. I think I ate 11 of them today. 

image - word = ?

The images that are next to words are very important. They can be dictate whether or not an image should get interpreted the way that it is meant to be.

In my technocultural studies class, we were learning about the importance of photography in modern day times. For example, if you went somewhere amazing, but you weren’t able to take a picture of yourself there, would people believe that you actually went there? it’s a whole lot of credibility, and evidence for the things that we say, and the things we believe.

*warning! the images below arent exactly the prettiest. careful!*

A lot of pictures that are used in the media, are very controversial. It is up to the captioning that is placed under the images to lead us to believe certain things. Many of the pictures that are used as commentary for the war in the Middle East can either be used for the U.S. Military, or against it depending on what is written. 

If you saw a picture of someone lying on the ground, with a U.S. soldier standing above them, that picture could be used in a good way and a bad way. The captions could say: U.S. soldier captures a potential terrorist. If you read that, you would be all: OH YEAHHHH our soldiers are beast! But if it said something like: U.S. soldier kills innocent civilian. You would be like: war is bad :[

Depending on the words that are placed next to images, many different opinions and feelings can come across.

With this, we have to be careful what we see in today’s media. Its up to us to interpret what is true and what is false. I guess seeing really isn’t believing o.o what is everything supposed to mean!!


images found from:
http://files.blog-city.com/files/A05/141484/p/f/abughraib3.jpg
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_dk8zR3HBXHI/SdVocG9Eo3I/AAAAAAAABK0/ngng_BS-F0I/November_Afghanistan_School+097.JPG
http://7d.blogs.com/stuckinvt/images/2008/03/05/p1040240_jt_thumbs_up_gun.jpg

word + image = 2

A lot of people say that pictures are worth a thousand words. I agree with this, no matter how cliché it really is. Then why do people choose to sometimes place words next to images? (Such as in the works of comics or graphic novels.) This week in my design class, we had the privilege of hearing a comic book artist, Brian Fies; speak to us about his thought and action process of creating his book ‘Mom’s Cancer.’ We learned so much, not only about Brian Fies, but about the market world for working with non-designers.

Brian Fies chose to tell the world his story about his family’s experience with his mother battling cancer through comics because it gave him a different kind of freedom than words and pictures could do by themselves. It allowed him to play with space and time. He was able to use metaphors is a whole new light.

With words and pictures, he was able to bring out distinct characteristics that could only be etched in our minds through repetition of visual representation. He was able to tell the story in a lighter, less melancholy feeling atmosphere.

 I remember him explaining one window panel with a picture of his mother walking on a tightrope. Around her, were all the different symptoms and medications she was taking in little speech boxes. This was to represent the time when she was being overwhelmed with so much medication and so much restriction, that it was as if she was walking on a tightrope. If she lost her balance for just one second, that would have been the end of it. With Brian Fies had only been using words, he could have just wrote, “it was as if my mother was walking on a tightrope” and then he would go on continuing about the logistics of her treatment. If he had only been using pictures, the whole message would not have been communicated. With the association with words and images, Brian Fies was able to access a whole new field of communication.

Pictures are good. Words are good. So doesn’t it make sense that putting them together would just make them better?


images found from:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9GDzkyHreiGeESPsU-eJTWOuHHXHMd5KhFiD18qVULzlM2j5KGjQQzAq88N4kq13F-zOEaRJLoNbRV6Oz6SyEkHy1AreF_xII2lTuDeIL_XzGGYHpzRvwKkFYOI0R7-zLSRcIpRVEh0/s1600/Moms-Cancer-by-Brian-Fies-006.jpg
http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/Brian%20Fies%20Moms%20Cancer.jpg

Yellow is Mellow

I remember someone telling me once that the color yellow was associated with our appetites. That is so weird! To think that a color can trigger a feeling that we get in our stomachs as well as our mouths. But afer thinking about this a little longer, I realized that this did make some kind of sense. A lot of the fast food logos have yellow coloring, like Mc Donald’s ‘golden arches’ or the Wendys sign, or the Jack in the Box sign. You might say that they just like to use yellow cuz its an eye catching color. And yet again, on the other hand, when I think of yellow, I usually think of pee or the sun or lemonade. It is a nice color. :)

which logos make you hungry?

Thinking about yellow made me think about other colors. Do they also stimulate feelings within us? So I did a little research online and this is what I found:

Orange is my favorite color!

Psychology of Color: Black

Black is the color of authority and power, stability and strength. It is also the color associated with intelligence (doctorate in black robe; black horn rimmed glasses, etc.) Black clothes make people appear thinner. It's a somber color sometimes associated with evil (the cowboy in the black hat was almost always the "bad guy"). In the western hemisphere black is associated with grieving. Black is a serious color that evokes strong emotions; it is easy to overwhelm people with too much black.

Psychology of Color: White

For most of the world this is the color associated with purity (wedding dresses); cleanliness (doctors in white coats) and the safety of bright light (things go bump in the night ... not the bright sunshine!). It is also used to project the absence of color, or neutrality. In some eastern parts of the world, white is associated with mourning. White associated with creativity (white boards, blank slates). It is a compression of all the colors in the color spectrum 

Psychology of Color: Gray

Gray is most associated with the practical, timeless, middle-of-the-road, solid things in life. Too much gray leads to feeling mostly nothing; but a bit of gray will add that rock solid feeling to your product. Some shades of gray are associated with old age, death, taxes, depression or a lost sense of direction. Silver is an off-shoot of gray and often associated with giving a helping hand, strong character (sterling in-fact!).

Psychology of Color: Red

If you want to draw attention, use red. It is often where the eye looks first. Red is the color of energy. It's associated with movement and excitement. People surrounded by red find their heart beating a little faster and often report feeling a bit out of breath. It's absolute the wrong color for a baby's room but perfect to get people excited. Wearing red clothes will make you appear a bit heavier and certainly more noticeable. (Some studies show red cars get more tickets but that maybe because the red car owners drive faster or the ticket giver notices the movement of the red car more prominently). Red is not a good color to over use but using a spot of red in just the right place is smart in some cases (one red accent in a otherwise neutral room draws the eye; a red tie with a navy blue suit and white shirts adds just the right amount of energy to draw the eye (no wonder it's the "uniform of the day" at the seats of government). Red is the symbol of life (red blooded life!) and, for this reason, it's the color worn by brides in China. Red is used at holidays that are about love and giving (red roses, Valentines hearts, Christmas, etc.) but the true color of love is pink. Pink is the most calming of all colors -- often our most dangerous criminals are housed in pink cells as studies show that color drains the energy and calms aggression. Think of pink as the color of romance, love, and gentle feelings, to be in the pink is to be soothed.

 Psychology of Color: Blue

Ask people their favorite color and a clear majority will say blue. Much of the world is blue (skies, seas). Seeing the color blue actually causes the body to produce chemicals that are calming; but that isn't true of all shades of blue. Some shades (or too much blue) can send a cold and uncaring message. Many bedrooms are blue because it's calm, restful color. Over the ages blue has become associated with steadfastness, dependability, wisdom and loyalty (note how many uniforms are blue). People tend to be more productive in a blue room because they are calm and focused on the task at hand. Some studies are showing that weight lifters can lift more weight in a blue gym - in fact, nearly all sports are enhanced in blue surroundings.

Psychology of Color: Green

The color of growth, nature, and money. A calming color also that's very pleasing to the senses. Dark forest green is associated with terms like conservative, masculine and wealth. Hospitals use light green rooms because they too are found to be calming to patients. It is also the color associated with envy, good luck, generosity and fertility. It is the traditional color of peace, harmony, comfortable nurturing, support and well paced energy.

 Psychology of Color: Yellow

Cheerful yellow the color of the sun, associated with laughter, happiness and good times. A person surrounded by yellow feels optimistic because the brain actually releases more seratonin (feel good chemical in the brain) when around this color. It is the color associated with optimism but be careful with yellow, when intense, it is the color of flames and studies show babies cry more in (bright) yellow rooms and tempers flare more around that color too. It has the power to speed up our metabolism and bring out some creative thoughts (legal tablets are yellow for good reason!). Yellow can be quickly overpowering if over-used, but used sparingly in the just the right place it can be an effective tool in marketing to greater sales. Some shades of yellow are associated with cowardice; but the more golden shades with the promise of better times.

Psychology of Color: Orange

The most flamboyant color on the planet! It's the color tied most this fun times, happy and energetic days, warmth and organic products. It is also associated with ambition. There is nothing even remotely calm associated with this color. Orange is associated with a new dawn in attitude.

Psychology of Color: Purple

What color were the robes of kings and queens? Yes, they were purple, our most royal color that is associated with wealth, prosperity, rich sophistication. This color stimulates the brain activity used in problem solving. However, when overused in a common setting it is associated with putting on airs and being artificial/ Use purple most carefully to lend an air of mystery, wisdom, and respect. Young adolescent girls are most likely to select nearly all shades of purple as their favorite color.

 Psychology of Color: Brown

This color is most associated with reliability, stability, and friendship. More are more likely to select this as their favorite color. It's the color of the earth itself "terra firma" and what could represent stability better. It too is associated with things being natural or organic. Caution however, for in India it is the color of mourning.

So there it is. This could be a pretty useful tool for designers that are trying to appeal to certain crowds. Whoa. I never realized how much power someone has with just a box of markers!

http://www.precisionintermedia.com/color.html

Finding Treasure

This past weekend, I went to San Diego to visit a very special person that is dear to my heart. I flew down there on a Friday and came back to Davis late on Sunday night. While I was in the process of traveling there and back, I realized how serious everyone was at the airport! Everyone knew where he or she was going, and everyone knew where they had to be. Even though there were so many different people going in different directions, no one was crashing! It was all smooth transitioning. If there was one place on the planet where there is order, it has got to be the airport.

The way that airports are designed is like a treasure hunt if you ask me. You have a start and you have a finish, which is the reward! You have check in, and get your boarding pass (like your map) and then you have to follow the directions posted all around to reach your destination.  At the end, you are either rewarded with being in a new environment, or you got your luggage from baggage claim J treasure! That was buried in everyone else suitcases.

All the signs in the airports are so intuitive. When the designers were coming up with the symbols and icons, they had to deal with catering to the whole world! Who knew what language the next person was going to speak?

Design really is everywhere. If we did not have designers, I think I would have missed my flight!

San Diego was a beautiful place to visit :)

CONTENT AND FORM

In the documentary called Objectified, the focus is on industrial designers, and the creativity and work that are put into the simplest everyday things such as toothbrushes, to complex technology. It shows us the relationship that we can have with mass-produced objects, and in the long run, the people that designed them. (It’s a pretty interesting movie! Filled with lots of things that you would never think about. Little head scratchers :p)

Industrial designers have to deal with form and content everyday of their career. Their goal is mass production. But they don’t care about the average customer. They care about the extremes. They want to make sure that they reach those that are hard to get, and in the end, somehow reach everyone. They are trying to improve our daily lives. Content is just a human idea, but form is where the designer comes in.

All objects speak, no matter if they are all jazzed up in a display case, or if they are standing alone in an empty warehouse. They are all saying something to whoever lays their eyes on the object. Just by looking at something’s design, many things can be inferred; how much that object should cost, how useful it is, the quality, etc. its up to the designers to find that balance between rational and irrational design.

Form and content compliment each other.

They're All Over the Place!

There are so many everyday things that we just let pass by because they have become so common that they have settled to become average and ordinary.

We were assigned to write about something that has been mass-produced. At first, nothing really came to mind. I didn’t know what to write about, so I just googled ‘mass production.’ With that search, coca cola came up. So after a little more clicking, I discovered the beverage can!

There are so many companies that use aluminum cans to package their beverages. Have you ever thought about who invented the can? And made it so easy to open? Well I didn’t, till today! And you are about to find out too.

The first pull-tabs were introduced in 1933. But they really started making a mark in 1963. They had to go through a lot of tinkering before their design was actually acceptable. The beginning versions were hard to understand, and even somewhat dangerous! People were cutting themselves when trying to open them. Much thought had to be put into these little contraptions that make our everyday lives easier. Everything had to be put into consideration; the cost, the materials that it would be made out of, the design, how it would work, basically all the angles of a new invention.

In my entry before, I wrote that all objects speak. And that goes for pull-tabs as well. With all of these tabs accumulating in landfills, they have spurred a lot of creative juices. Everyday people have started designing and creating on their own. They are using the pull-tabs and recycling them as the materials to make their own crafts.

In society today, taking care of the environment is a huge deal. By reusing these pull-tabs, we are giving out a message that we are trying to all do our parts in erasing our carbon footprint. This little piece of aluminum is shouting out a message. Its cool to think that what the professional designers have given us has inspired everyone else to do as well.

(the picture of the egg is prob not real heh heh)

http://www.squidoo.com/canpulltab

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Aluminum-Beverage-Can.html

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

Carrying College On Your Back

Entering college, I noticed that quite a few people had North Face brand backpacks. Once I realized this, I started seeing them everywhere! Right and left, east and west, there was that distinguishable North Face logo and style. What about those backpacks were so intriguing that everyone had to have one? (I am not going to lie. I gave in to the temptations as well haha)

I wasn’t able to find out why people like North Face backpacks so much, besides their amazing longevity, pleasing aesthetics, and durability, but I was able to learn a little bit about how backpacks are made. I found this video starring a backpack designer.

http://www.thefutureschannel.com/dockets/realworld/designing_backpacks/

Backpacks are one of those normal everyday things that people often overlook. The designers of these storage items are much under appreciated if you ask me. I didn’t realize it then, but a lot of thought goes into the design of these bags.

Here are some things that the designers have to consider: price, measurements, functionality, and comfort: just to name a few.

Industrial designers/product designers are truly the well-rounded ones. They are sufficient in their creativity skills, as well as their mathematical skills. So the next time you see someone drawing a backpack, you should buy them lunch J

P.s. I like to draw backpacks on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. 

Design as a Conversation

Current events (some more current than others):

• I bought a Macbook before the start of school.
• I learned what the word iconography means.
• I played badminton at the ARC.
• I got a job through ASUCD. 

But what I really wanted to write about is my Macbook. It has all these really cool features, from shortcuts that you can use with your track-pad, to easy to manage layouts! I really like it. And you can change it to any language that you want.

Anyway, in my design class, we were told to memorize what iconography meant. Iconography means the pictorial language of signs and symbols and their transformations over time. This brought me back to thinking about my Macbook. Macbooks have these little icons that stay consistent no matter what language you set it to.

Isn’t that something interesting? No matter what language you speak, you can understand what these little images are referring too. These little icons are universal ways of communication. The designs of these little guys are speaking out all over the world. It’s a conversation with everyone and anyone.

The impact that such a simple picture can convey is astonishing. No wonder the Egyptians worked with hieroglyphics. That way, it wouldn’t matter if people spoke the same language or not. As long as they could see the symbols, they would be able to understand the message. That means… a picture is worth more than a thousand words!! Its probably worth like a million billion.








http://www.icondrawer.com/img/free_img/Black&Blue_icons.jpg
http://www.justbathroomsigns.com/img/lg/S/Funny-Unisex-Bathroom-Sign-SE-2028.gif

Compare and Contrast

It’s weird how people can just start accepting things once they get used to them. Usually the first reaction to something that is different, never before seen, is skepticism. People do not want to accept it, and are wary of the consequences if they do choose to accept it.

One example that has stood out to me is the introduction to photography to society.

When photographs were first introduced, not many considered it an art form. In fact, it wasn’t originally used for art. It was used for science to help record results, such as what the scientists saw through telescopes and microscopes. They were also used to document family members. Parents would pay a whole week’s salary to have a picture of their child taken. This was because the survival rate was not as high as it is today. parents wanted to do anything they could to keep the memory of their child alive if anything were to happen to them.

Many painters did not like the concept of photography being art. They did not want competition. But slowly and surely, the two forms of recording images started to accept one another. They had certain studios set up so that someone would be able to pose for a portrait. Then afterwards, the painter would be able to paint abstract things into the backgrounds. (First introduction to what Photoshop would be?!)

Then the Kodak camera was introduced. Taking pictures became a pastime that was available to everyone. All they had to do was point and shoot, send in their film rolls, and then Kodak would develop the photos for them. It was at this point in time that society began to accept photography as an art form, as well as painters.

the fear that the painters had of loosing their careers to photographs was just them being paranoid. After they got over this fact, I think it is safe to say that they accepted photography as something that could enhance their artwork. Photographs only portrayed what you could see with the eye, but painters could portray what the mind saw.

Photographs back in the day: rejected

Photographs today: accepted

THUGGIN.

I wonder how people will feel about virtual art... if it ever happens?! It's crazy to see how different artworks are viewed over time.


images found from: http://www.wpclipart.com/camera/old_camera_1.png
http://toolkit.mindbites.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/old-camera-copy.jpg