Saturday, December 13, 2008

Conclusions


This quarter was probably my favorite DesCom quarter I’ve had so far, and I mean that in full sincerity. The fact that the content was tailored to our requests, and that it had professional relevance, was extremely valuable. I didn’t feel like I was wasting time on arbitrary assignments… rather, I felt like I was accomplishing something that was clearly relevant to my development as a designer.

I especially liked learning how to fuse 3D renders with 2D Photoshop work to create intermediate steps in the ideation process. I’m pretty excited about using that skill as time progresses. (Learning Illustrator rendering was helpful too.)

Additionally, the talks about how to give well-thought out professional presentations were very helpful. In the future it might be more beneficial to cover that content at the very beginning of the quarter so it could be the overreaching “vision” for the rest of the quarter’s work. I know for me personally, it probably would have helped solidify my thinking earlier in the process.

So overall, I got a lot out of the class this quarter. And Mike, (if you’re reading this,) I thought your teaching style was really good—the way that you explained things made a lot of sense to me and helped me to understand concepts I hadn’t thought about before. So thanks.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Bad News and Hope


Yeah, so about my work this quarter… I’m disappointed in myself. And I get the impression I’m not the only one disappointed in me. I can’t help but feel like I really dropped the ball, and that’s a horrible feeling.

So I want to do better in the future. For next quarter, my goals consist of

1. Learning time-management skills (and the self-discipline to follow through with them)
2. Practicing my drawing (and getting good at it)
3. Developing my software skills so I can comfortably (and quickly) construct and render products.

I guess there’s hope for me yet—I just have to do a better job of staying on top of things. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Afraid to Open


Blogs are funny creatures. They enable a vast number of people to create specialized networks that share information, and they connect individuals from across the globe. But they’re also visible, exposed. The world can read your words, and there’s no denying what you’ve said. It’s a powerful medium. And it makes me somewhat afraid. What if I say something foolish, something I won’t be able to live down?

You see, I’ve been keeping a private journal for over 10 years, and in that context, I don’t separate my personal thoughts from my professional insights. They all blend together into a conglomerate that is myself. That’s fine for what it is, but posting things publically is entirely different. I have to work at dividing my professional statements from my inner thoughts, and quite frankly, I haven’t had much practice doing so when it comes to written communication.

So in one regard, I’m not entirely comfortable using a blog myself. But I can recognize the benefits of leveraging it as a communications tool. It’s a great forum for gathering resources and connecting groups of people with similar interests. It’s also a fantastic medium for facilitating conversations that can shape and develop an industry. And it’s just plain good for sparking ideas.

So overall, a blog is a good tool for discussing design… I’m just not sure if it’s the right tool for me.

Awaiting Reply


I still haven't heard back regarding my "design professional interview," so I'll post it when I do.

A Look Back


So I said at the beginning of the quarter that my goals included growing as a person, both spiritually and intellectually. I suppose that this is inevitable in the natural course of things, though it’s also possible to backslide. And I’ve done both.

As for my design skills, I’ve made some progress, though not as I would have liked. I learned some good techniques for communication in my DesCom class, but I failed to implement all of them as I should have in my studio project. So I’m left feeling disappointed in myself, because I know I could (and should) have done better.

I did get better at Alias, and I’m glad I got the extra exposure. I didn’t, however, venture much into SolidWorks, so that’s still on my to-do list for the future. And although my drawing improved a little, I didn’t put in the hours I needed to make a significant change.

But I’ve heard that we learn from our failures as much as we do from our successes, if not more so. So I suppose that this is a good learning opportunity for me, in a way. I can look at my life this quarter and see where I fell short, and hopefully I’ll be wise enough to avoid those circumstances in the future.

Friday, November 21, 2008

The Big Picture


I like the big picture.

I’ve always been interested in ideas and strategies, and I think that it comes through in my design work. It’s the understanding of the design process and overall product/brand vision where my strength resides. I’m still a young designer and I still have so much to learn in this area, but I think that this is my “niche,” so to speak.

At Kimberly-Clark, this was something that emerged. I was told that I had a good understanding of process, and was actually asked to give a repeat of my final presentation for another business team. I was also commissioned provide a copy of that presentation with a voice-over, for the purpose of having it as a company resource.

For my second term with KC, I had an idea for a commercial that would match the brand vision for the product line. I ended up writing a theme song and recording the video footage, and I got to work with Witold Tulodziecki to make a final recording of the song and do some of the video editing. It was a great opportunity and an awesome experience, and the end result was received very well by the business and marketing teams involved in the project.

It says a lot about Kimberly-Clark that they were so willing to give me opportunities, and that they were so invested in my professional development. I’m grateful to have worked there, and I think I’ve benefitted significantly from my experiences during that time.

But the next step is to strive for the next level. I still need to develop my other skills, and work to become a better-rounded designer. I think I’ve been leaning on my strengths, but afraid to challenge and develop my weaknesses. I suppose that learning to do so is a part of maturing as a professional and as a person. I just have to grit my teeth and work hard. There’s no short cut for time and effort.

Right now my visualization is okay, but not up to par as I wish it was. So this is what I want to develop. I think once I bite the bullet and dig into it, I’ll feel a lot better. And if I can successfully fuse good process insight with good visualization… well, perhaps that will be a force to be reckoned with.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

One Word


My favorite approach to design is something I think the design firm IDEO has mastered. One word: INTERDISCIPLINARY.

Consumers don’t happen in a vacuum, and neither do products. When consumers go to the store to buy something, they typically consider multiple factors: How does this product work? What is the cost? Do I like it—does it make me feel good about myself? Is it cool? Etc.

In order to satisfy these different desires, products can’t address only one problem and hope for the best. They have to address many problems simultaneously, and that takes teamwork between people of different professions. So like I said, product design—good product design, that is—should be interdisciplinary.

Even though I’m still a student, I try to live this out as best I can. In our current HP sponsored project, I’ve been seeking the help of some of my IT/Engineering friends. They’ve cracked open computers for me, shown me the parts, explained the systems, and given me suggestions for how, and how NOT, to improve the product.

I really appreciate their help, and I will openly admit that I’m not an expert in those areas. So talking with people who know what they’re doing gives me an idea of where to go.

Someday I hope to have access to more professions, bigger and broader teams, and consumers themselves in order to get that feedback that is so valuable. Ultimately, I think design is as much about listening as it is about visualizing.

To Paint Nightmares


Andrew ‘Android’ Jones is an artist who has embraced the digital age wholeheartedly. His work has a gestural quality, and is thick with layers and subtle details. The scenes and figures are highly emotive, conveying a sense of energy and tension.

I like the “techno” elements especially. These are usually symbols which have been treated as background information, but they accent lines of motion or centers of light. His use of color is also striking against a wash of monochromatic forms.

Something about the work seems unfinished, but this lends itself to the imagination. The vague borders and shadowy backgrounds have a certain mystery to them—it makes me wonder what’s just out of my sight.

But there’s also something I don’t like about his work. So much of it seems nightmarish and ominous—seemingly celebrating ugliness, death, and darkness. These are places I don’t want to go within myself. Yet I see more and more of this sort of imagery in pop culture and video games and concept art. What ever happened to beauty?


It makes me think of Lord of the Rings when Gandalf talks about Saruman’s study into the ‘arts of the enemy.’ Gandalf concludes that a study of that sort—when done too deeply—can eventually lead to becoming the enemy.

I wonder if the principle is the same for everything. What if envisioning the twisted and ugly figures of our ids causes them to frequent our minds more often? What if dwelling on nightmares makes them more prominent? What if ruminating on darkness makes us dark?

I think it matters. And I think that our imaginations and dreams are things too beautiful to waste on nightmares.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Exploration












This project has been an interesting learning experience, and I’ve really enjoyed exploring my own “style” of visualization. It was helpful that there weren’t too many constraints or restrictions, because I felt free to experiment with methods I probably wouldn’t have tried otherwise.

I learned how to do some cool effects using a Cintiq tablet, particularly with line-work and part-line details. The overall character of the final result is something I think looks pretty cool.

I especially liked the “mixed-media” approach—using Alias and Image Studio to get the basic forms made sure that the perspective, reflections, and shadows/highlights were all accurate, and then finishing up in Photoshop gave the images a sketchy and spontaneous feel. I loved the fact that I could choose what to render, and choose what to draw. The freedom to move back and forth between the two mediums really got me thinking about how to most effectively (and efficiently!) get the task done.

This is definitely a strategy I want to continue exploring as my design education progresses. I think it’s a great opportunity to visually communicate, and to express a little of my personality along the way.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Design Roots


Ever since I learned about Viktor Schreckengost in Sources of Modern Design, I’ve really respected his design philosophy and work. Interestingly, in some ways he’s the opposite of Syd Mead. Mead is all about the future—dreaming up things that are presently impossible—and Schreckengost is all about the present—creating products that are practical and implementable right now.

Mead starts in the imagination and touches on reality. Schreckengost begins in reality and touches on imagination. None-the-less, both of these designers had connections to heavy industries, and considered details in technical execution, be they real or imagined.

It was Schreckengost who inspired my own “design philosophy,” which I mentioned in my first entry—that our task as “designers” is to fulfill the needs of our users, and to make design accessible to the mass market, regardless of how glamorous or mundane the products may be.

I think Schreckengost excelled at implementing this philosophy, especially in the areas of household products and children’s toys. His lines of dinnerware enabled average citizens to have well-designed and beautiful products at an affordable price.
His work on toys (such as the Murray Torpedo Pedal Car) created some of the most beloved and recognizable toys of their era.

It’s not surprising that Schreckengost has been referred to as “the father of Industrial Design.” His commitment to design work and education shaped the industry, and helped to make it what it is today. He put down the roots that grew into a profession.

Visualize This


Okay, so I was trying to come up with some really unique and obscure designer to talk about, but honestly, that wouldn’t be the most honest answer to the question of who’s visualization style I admire most.

Yeah, it’s Syd Mead. Cliché, but I have my reasons.

When I was co-oping in Atlanta this summer, I met this guy who was really excited about industrial design (though he wasn’t a designer himself.) He had two first-edition Syd Mead books from back-in-the-day, and he lent one of them to me.

It was really cool to look through all of the concepts (and I love the smell of old books), and I found it fascinating to examine the past’s vision of the future. Even his present work has a visionary feel.

What really amazes me is the level of detail involved in Syd’s renderings—every highlight, line, and shadow seems to have been considered and included. On top of that, he really understands how to prioritize. In his images, the background information has a gestural quality, and the more important information has increasingly more detail. He masterfully leads the eye across the image, and has a clear understanding of dynamic composition.

If you check out
Syd Mead’s website now, you can see a whole plethora of his work, information, and images. It’s really cool to consider how significant his influence on the industry has been, and how he’s still having an influence today.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Tech Talk


So everyone’s been talking about energy lately, but we tend to use lots of catch phrases without understanding what they mean. Yeah, it’s bad to put CO2 into the atmosphere. But why?

There’s a great documentary called “Crudewhich explains the science behind oil. It’s available for purchase through the History Channel, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject. (I won’t repeat everything is says, for the sake of time.)

The question is, if oil won’t last forever, what’s the alternative?


Well, unless there is a large-scale initiative to educate society about nuclear energy, it’s more likely that hydrogen power will “change the world.” It won’t change things only in terms of cleaning up our energy consumption, but it will also change things in terms of infrastructure. There’s still some work to be done to develop the technology, but as people become more anxious about energy, companies will probably become more anxious about making hydrogen technology feasible, and the wheel will be set in motion (literally.)

In a completely different arena, advances in brain research are probably going to change our understanding of how and why we humans function the way we do. Scientific American has a specific publication called Scientific American Mind, which features articles about the latest brain research and discoveries. From what I've heard, an interesting article appeared in the most recent issue about how the internet is literally restructuring the human brain.

Oh really? I guess that makes blogging more interesting…

Finally, I think the One Laptop technology is already changing the world.
The brilliant thing about this technology is that it’s actually lower tech than the energy-gobbling laptops we’re used to seeing. It can be solar or foot-powered (how cool is that?) and the whole machine has been reconsidered and redesigned to account for the “rough lifestyle” each laptop will endure.

What’s really transforming about this technology is that it’s paired with a social initiative. It’s not just for the sake of increasing a company’s profit margins… it’s about giving people opportunities who otherwise never would have had access to them. It’s an attempt to bring education to parts of the world where it’s not nearly as “taken-for-granted” is it is here in America.

I wish all design could have a purpose as meaningful as that. In fact—ideally—it should.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Something To Get Excited About

The Harry Potter trailers are always rather well-done in my opinion. I actually analyzed the trailer for Harry Potter 5 back when I was developing an internal commercial for RC2, and it was really inspirational. I particularly like the rapid cut sequences that show brief flashes of action—just enough to whet the appetite, but not enough to give away all the surprises.

Overall, I think the trailer also shows off the visual eye-candy of the movie, which is something that Harry Potter fans love and expect. The tone comes across as fast-paced and exciting, which is important to a generation accustomed to adrenaline and catchy cinematography in the theaters.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Real Beauty


Although I believe that “real beauty” is much more than the Dove marketing campaign encapsulates, I none-the-less think that it’s a brilliant insight on their part. It clearly communicates a consumer-centered message, and acknowledges the growing frustration many women have felt by being compared to tall, lanky super-models. The Real Beauty campaign touches on deep-felt emotions held by people worldwide, as indicated by the fact that only 2% of women in their global survey described themselves as being beautiful.

Actually, though I don’t use Dove products, this campaign resonates with me as well. I watched their “Under Pressure” video and felt something lurch inside of me.

You see, I do feel this way. I feel bombarded by a perpetual archetype I can never achieve, and I’m tired of it. I’m tired of a societal expectation that labels me as second-rate—an expectation that tells me I’m somehow insufficient if I don’t purchase the latest merchandise, beauty products, etc.

So, yeah. I suppose that my own reaction validates the effectiveness of their brand message…

…though I do find it ironic that this campaign comes from a company hoping to sell beauty supplies…

Thursday, October 2, 2008

And this is why we go to college...


So I checked out the blog “My Last Portfolio Sucked, Yours Might Too” and it actually freaked me out a bit. Not because I thought the post was wrong, but because it made me paranoid that I had done something awkward or irritating in my own portfolio.

However, on the bright side, I like to stick to a typical 8.5 x 11” landscape PDF, which is pretty easy in terms of navigation. I’m also in the process of revamping my layout so it’s even cleaner and simpler than before, which should help “direct” my viewer toward the items I want to feature most.

I think most of my “room for improvement” is actually the content of the portfolio itself—a dilemma for which there is no quick-fix. It takes years of study, projects, and hard work to build a portfolio, and… oh wait, that’s what college is for.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Beginning Perspectives


I'm Alison. I make designs.

I don't prefer referring to myself as "a designer," because I think that people should never be defined by their professions-- we're all more than what we do for a living, and if we ever get to the point where our jobs are the biggest part of our lives, then something is probably out of balance.

Consequently, my goals for this quarter involve things beyond classwork. Yeah, I want to do well in school and get gold stars on my homework assignments and have fun at recess, but if that was all I wanted, my life would be a little sad.

What I really want is to grow as a person, both spiritually and intellectually. I want to learn how to be more selfless, how to serve friends and strangers alike. I want to mature. Sure, it sounds cliché, but that's what I want.

And when it comes to my design work, I want to grow in that area too. I'm still a little timid with my sketching, and Alias/SolidWorks and I aren't always the best of friends. I could stand to do a little work in that arena.

Yet, in some ways, my past experiences have brought me to this point. I never worked heavily with sketching or 3D modeling on my prior co-ops, but the things I did work on helped me to develop other strengths.

At RC2 I learned how to apply research to products. At Kimberly-Clark I learned how to think about design processes, how to communicate my ideas, and how to inspire cross-functional teams. The products I worked on weren’t glamorous, but they were products that are very much a part of people’s lives.

And that's what I think design is (or should be) about. It's not about showing off or getting glory or criticizing consumers for alleged "lack of taste." We're here to serve them. If consumers keep asking for something we "designers" consider lame or tasteless, then (in most cases) it probably means that we have somehow failed to deliver on a need. The fact that consumers would keep asking for something indicates that something is missing.

And those of us who design are also consumers ourselves. So we're in the same boat. And when it comes to mass-market consumer goods, somebody's gotta design it. That's why I don't mind making toys, or Kleenex boxes, or Viva packages. If we really want to bring design to the masses, then what better way to do it than applying it to day-to-day products? I don't need to be famous, I just need to help consumers fulfill their own needs.

That’s my interest. Fulfilling other’s needs, and doing it responsibly. That means keeping their lives and loves in mind, keeping the environment in mind, keeping the economy in mind, and keeping God in mind.