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.