Journal 8

Design and Accessibility

Accessibility is one of the most important aspects of design. The lecture on Design and Accessibility gave a short introduction of what is accessibility in design, what is universal design, and where you may be able to find examples of this approach to design and production. I chose Design and Accessibility as the topic for my Media Review because I've taken some classes on the subject before and find it to be very interesting. The idea of accessibility and universal design as a basis for the design process which motivates functionality, form, and representation is something that should be taken seriously. Design is a human-centered function and in order for it to achieve the best possible results, it must be easily accessible and functional for its user.

In some design fields such as architecture and interior design, accessibility is often perceived as those requirements called for by the ADA, American with Disabilities Act. ADA requirements are enforced by law in new construction or renovation and therefore are most apparent to users. As a building block to universal design and accessibility, it is important for all designers to be familiar with the ADA Standards for Accessible Design. You may access the ADA Standards for Accessible Design 2010 and Guidance on Guidance on the ADA Standards for Accessible Design 2010 by following these links.   

Today, most public entities and organizations endeavour to incorporate accessibility and universal design in their daily operations. A good example of these organizations is the National Endowment for the Arts which has developed and published a handbook for Universal designed titled "Design for Accessibility: a Cultural Administrator's Handbook." This publication's goal is to provide an equal opportunity for all users and audiences to be able to access the arts easily and efficiently. As we had spoken earlier in the course, design is not necessarily limited to those things that are physically designed and produced but can also include processes, delivery methods, and more. The NEA handbook is a great example of a holistic approach to accessibility and can be viewed here.

While the requirements of ADA are very important, it is necessary to recognize that accessibility in design is not limited to those required by this Act. Accessibility must be evaluated based on the specific users of a design and the physical abilities of those users. An interesting view of this approach to universal design is presented by Paul Bennett in the following speech where he calls for attention to small details in design. Bennett does not refer to his examples as being "Universally Designed" but the final products are successful due to their ability to respond to the abilities of their users.



Design for accessibility can be integrated into our daily life without taking drastic measures. Since most everything around us is a product of some design process, it is not difficult to see that it is possible to improve the same by incorporating some basic provisions for accessibility. Whether its the handle on your door, the chair you're sitting in, or the desk you're working on, it can be improved and made more functional and accessible with a small change in design. A great example of this is the incorporation of universal design principals in kitchen  and bath designs. The following video shows a universally designed kitchen that is appropriate and functional for its users. You can see that the small changes provided in the design of this kitchen provide for the comfort and happiness of the family using the space.



It is exciting to see that today's designers are becoming more concerned with the relationship between their design and the users of their design. Smart Design in Manhattan is a design firm focused on producing designs that are centered around their interactions with the user. The following video is Smart Design's approach to understanding the user's experiences with the public bathroom and re-designing an old idea into a new and improved one.


Dwell presents | The Bathroom Reinvented: Universal Design in Public Bathrooms from gary nadeau on Vimeo.

Course Reflection 4

The last four classes were dedicated to working with our group members on Assignment 05. The team work experience is definitely interesting. Though difficult at times to find a common ground between the 4 members of the group, I think that the experience as a whole has been a positive one. Our design of the portable to permanent stove is unique and fun. I think that we, as a group, did a good job of taking advantage of each team member's strong points and had a great collaborative work environment. I look forward to presenting our idea to the class and receiving feedback on our design.

Reading Reflection 3

Cradle to Cradle by McDonough - Chapter 1-6

Cradle to Cradle is unique in its approach to identifying the issues of sustainability and environmental awareness. The author begins by describing the history of human development in terms of production and how we have come to identify our current methods of production as being futile to our own  survival. The experiences and examples that are described throughout each chapter make it easy to identify with the author's point of view and understand the proposed solutions. In the first chapter McDonough talks about the evolution of the industrial age and its effects on the deterioration of our living environment but he points out that the solution to the current manufacturing and design problems is not a reversal to the pre-industrial age. McDonough suggests a "strategy of change" rather than becoming involved in the "strategy of tragedy."

Chapter two is focused on re-designing our view of sustainability and eco-efficiency. McDonough points out that eco-efficiency as pursued by most of our society today is a failing strategy since it does not reach deep enough. Efficiency must address all processes, materials, and designs involved in the creation, use, and disposal of the products and objects in our environment. It is only through a new and holistic approach to production and consumption that we are able to achieve efficiency. McDonough' description of eco-effectiveness as "working on the right thing instead of making the wrong thing less bad" is a holistic approach to efficiency and sustainability. One of my favorite parts of this book is this sentence: Just about every process has side effects. But they can be deliberate and sustaining instead of unintended and pernicious. I think as designers, it should be our goal to design a life cycle for our design and plan for the unexpected.

In McDonough's view of sustainability, it is the responsibility of all of us to think of the biological and technical byproducts of our designs and processes and find intended destinations for them. The idea of cradle to cradle is to find a new beginning for the end, to be able to keep diversity by small changes like investing in local resources, and to learn the big lessons that nature offers in small ways.

Journal 7

I started looking at the blogs by reading Miriah's posts which is becoming my usual routine. I think she's done a great job with the letterform assignment. Q, P, D, and V were my favorites; I think you really thought this through. I also visited the websites Miriah had posted for the online scavenger hunt and found that they even make baby carriers for outdoor camping. The photos of the indoor home goods products were also helpful since they showed a few of the Point of Sale displays and we are currently working on coming up with the concept for the display format for our product. To read Miriah's blog click here

Next, I looked at Jocef's blog but unfortunately found no new posts since the last time I checked. So, I moved on to Kris' blog as he is the third member of my group. His blog is entertaining as usual but I think he definitely found some interesting letterforms, including the M on the cat! I particularly liked his online scavenger hunt post because unlike mine, it was written in an essay/story format which made it both entertaining and informative. I have to say that I thought there would be tons of pictures of exhibitions and shows online, showing display booths and other close-ups of the participants but I didn't find anything that I particularly liked on the web. I liked Kris' pictures but I think they were very general,  very much like mine. Overall, He has a very well written blog.

Course Reflection 3

I think the last lecture on color and communication was informative but pretty basic. I think that was the purpose but it would have been helpful to complete a short assignment on the subject to practice/find out about the use of color in design and communication. The 2 days dedicated to the movie "Rip!: A Remix Manifesto" were definitely interesting. The subject matter of this movie is a good example of how laws and regulations can be a hurdle for the creative process and design in some ways; however, I do have to say that I haven't heard of anyone getting sued for creating a mashup. I don't bring this up to deny the importance of the issue they are raising; however, it is worthy of mention that laws and regulations are interpreted and manipulated by their users to an extent like most everything and it seems in this case that the users/artists/creators have decided to allow the mashup artists to continue their work (Though I guess some mashup artists have been the victim of indirect lawsuits.)

The presentation by Design Circle was a great way to find out about what goes on during the entry exam process and after acceptance to the program. I think it's important to hear how the program works from the students that are already there rather than the faculty and staff.

The Charles and Ray Eames  movies were entertaining but the part I find most interesting about them is the fact that they chose design as a lifestyle. The two didn't just design because it was their job and career but they designed because they enjoyed it and they volunteered to "play" with different ideas and design new things.

Lastly, I found the Cobego Design presentation interesting because it shows there's life after graduation (not to be negative but it is daunting to think of what is to come after the years of theoretical design work). The down spiral of economy did affected most design fields and it's good to know that a few design students from OSU were able to continue their passion by getting together and starting a firm that allowed them to exercise their creative process and earn a bit of money on the side as well.

Journal 6

Link to Outdoor Camping & Recreation Retailers or Manufacturers

1. Online Retailer: The Outdoor Store
2. Store Retailer: Gander Mountain
3. Manufacturer: Alpine Camping Supplies
4. Store & Online Retailer: Cabela's
5. Manufacturer: Eureka Camping Tents

Images from Outdoor Trade Shows

SHOT Show 2010

Quebec City RV Show

Eastern Sports Show

Indoor Home Goods Manufacturers & Retailers

Online Retailer (Bedding): Garnet Hill
Manufacturer: Kravet
Distributor: Designers Guild
Manufacturer & Designer: Maya Romanoff
Manufacturer & Distributor: Dakota Jackson
Manufacturer: Donghia

Images from Indoor Home Goods Shows

LA Textile Show

InLight Expo, France

ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair)

Working Definition of Home Goods

I think home goods refer to all materials, finishes, and products designed and developed to make the home functionally comfortable and aesthetically pleasing to the consumers.

Images of Home Goods

Mother of Pearl Wallpaper by Maya Romanoff

Calypso Round Table by Dakota

Genesy Floor Lamp by Artemide Lighting

Assignment 04



A



A

H

H

i

i

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k

M



N



n



U





V

 

W



X

X



Z







Journal 5

I read through Miriah’s blog and liked her designer research project very much. Since I had looked at architects for my research project, I was interested in reading about designers in a different field and Miriah’s collection of Graphic Designers were definitely interesting. I think I enjoyed reading about Milton Glaser because he was able to actually leave his mark on society in a permanent way; his I “heart” NY is not just a phrase, it is a symbol, a statement, and a cultural tradition recognized by people around the world. The ability to create something meaningful and lasting through design is a rare gift afforded to a few. I also liked her post for Marian Bantjes. As Miriah mentioned, there are only a few recognized female designers in comparison to their male counterparts; however, Marian Bantjes has become well-known for her feministic style of design which is even more uncommon.

I also thought that Miriah did a good job of finding designed faces. I can’t say I did as well as she had. I definitely liked her pick of the Wii wheel remote but my favorite was the first one which seems like what you find in elevators (though I don’t think that’s where she found this face). To see details of Miriah’s posts, click here.

The second blog I looked at was Jocef’ and I noticed that I may have forgotten to post the method for finding our clues for Assignment 3 but I guess it’s too late to write about it now. However, I have to tell both Jocef and Miriah that I’m not in the architecture program, though I did study architecture for about 2 years some time ago J . My favorite part about Jocef’s blog was his 2^nd Course Reflection. It seems that his take on the videos we watched for environmental design was the same as the authors of Cradle to Cradle. I think that was one of my favorite classes as well but I liked it mainly because it showed the variety of places that inspiration for design can come from (like Miriah said). I also love the car mustache for the found faces assignment; it's not something you see every day! I guess it is a sign of his creative mind that he enjoyed the snow mustache on the car enough to take a picture and save it until now. To see details of Jocef’s blog, click here.

Reading Reflection 2

Design by Haskett – Chapter 7 & 8

Identities and systems, as described by Haskett, have broad and inclusive definitions that affect many aspects of our environment. The creation of an identity that conveys an image is an essential part of our society. While Haskett focuses on the creation of corporate identities to explain the role of design and designers in the personalization and identification of large corporate entities, it is easy to see that a corporate image is a manifestation of personal belief and identity on a larger scale. Corporations, as successful offspring of small businesses, demand identities that convey messages and characteristics implied by their inventors and creators. Therefore, design allows for the conveyance of the characters and beliefs imagined by the owners and creators to end users. In doing so, design is identified as a delivery instrument meant to perfect the communication of personal expressions which further establishes the role of design and designer in society as a necessity.

The role of design in the creation of systems is an integrated one where the creation and formation of a system would be impossible without a designer and innovator to plan and orchestrate the components of the system. The evolution of industrial systems (from mass-production to mass-customization)is a testament to the integral role of design in the development and survival of systems. Haskett’s examination of various systems and their evolution and adaptation through time and cultural boundaries clearly identifies the role of design in systems that direct our everyday lives.

Cradle to Cradle by McDonough & Braungart – Introduction

The introduction to cradle to cradle introduces a new perspective on environmental design and our role as the designers of a sustainable future. The writers’ critique of the 20^th century environmentalist perceptions of our responsibility to our living environment is refreshing and unique. McDonough and Braungart introduce design as an integral part to the survival of our environment; in order to protect our environment and future generations, environmental design must become a basis for design rather than an afterthought in design. They condemn the idea of minimizing consumption to protect the environment and promote the idea of smart production and consumption.