Utopian Exercise Design

"The Shake Weight" source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1239591/Alex-Gerrard-new-face-Shake-Weight-fitness-product-ridiculed-TV-host-Ellen.html

A design that strives to make our society today a more utopian world is the “Shake Weight”.  This strange (and pretty silly) object is an exercise device that takes the normal arm weight and turns it into a something more.  The designers of the “Shake Weight” wanted to make lifting weights and thus making the human physique better by creating a more appealing way to work out.  The “Shake Weight” looks like an ordinary weight but it vibrates to tone and add muscle to the upper body of the user.  This vibrating technology was initially targeted for women but now can also be found for men too.  It both strengthens and is a convenient tool to allow the average American to work out more than they normally would.  Yes, this device looks slightly suggestive and kind of stupid when a user is exercising, but it creates results… or so the tests show.  It is the perfect example of utopian design because it takes an everyday object and attempts to make it better.  Not to mention, the marketing for this new product has been huge, and has even shown up in popular tv shows like South Park and SNL.  These shows indeed mocked the “Shake Weight” but any press is good press to a certain point.  Every child, teenager, and adult in America knows what eh “Shake Weight” is and in my opinion, that is pretty huge for an exercise designed object.   

WARNING! Tacos are Dangerous!

Okay, so this may sound completely trivial and maybe a little stupid, but hear me out! Tacos are dangerous!  Dangerous, that is, to your clothes and to how you look.  Yes yes I know this sounds too silly but think about it, the design of the taco shell is completely wrong.  The taco shell in theory is a "perfect" design because it is shaped in a U-bend form to allow for food to be stuffed inside; however, when have you eaten a hard shelled taco without the shell cracking unexpectedly in the middle or all the contents falling out of one side, and I am not talking about the side that faces your mouth!  The taco shell also forces the eater to tilt their head to one side just to enable a bite, does not this seem like too much trouble for such mess to occur only a second later?  I realized this fact while eating family dinner tonight.  My father had prepared all the fixings for "build your own" tacos.  It is one of my favorite meals but the Cooper family eats tacos unlike the average family... we take the taco shell in hand, grab both sides of the crispy holder, and snap it in half, thus creating two flat halves.  Now with the flat halves, a person can layer sour cream, gauc, beef, tomatoes, the works basically, onto the crisp corn tortilla.  The taco turns into an open face sandwich of sorts.  People are going to be saying, are you crazy?! This takes away from the whole point of a taco! And maybe it does, but it tastes the same, you build it the same, but the end result is less mess on your hands, face, and it might just save your favorite shirt from getting a nice strain smack dab in the middle of it.  So next time you are about to build your own taco, think about this new design, and hey, maybe you will find out that the secret to the best taco ever, is the taco deconstructed.

The Taco Deconstructed (my mother eating her taco)

The Color of Music Videos: Color Transforms

will.i.am. and Nicki Minaj have recently song and then filmed a music video called "Check It Out", which Housefield (our teacher) showed us in lecture the other day.  This video was not something I would normally watch considering my roommates and I do not pay for tv and thus I cannot watch the newest music videos on MTV, not to mention that I am not exactly a fan of this genre of music.  However, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the video and song so much that once it ended, I wished the clip would have gone on longer.  It was design at its finest!  The music video had Korean words, though after the clip was over, we were told to discuss it in small groups and everyone in our group thought it was Japanese... shows how little we know about language, sad if you ask me but that's a side note. There were so many interesting, eye catching colors, especially Nicki's make up.  It was almost like her face had turned into a doll made of candy.  The pinks are what caught my eye the most I think.  There was an interesting contrast between the black, robotic nature of the audience watching the performers and the performers themselves who were colorful and animated.  The typography that was used was sans-serif maybe to create a more modern look to the video, which keeps with the futuristic look that the costume designers were clearly going for.  To be honest, I was so engaged during the music video that I completely forgot what the song was about.  The music was no longer important, which is a decision the director must make.  The center of attention here was the image and the dance form that was taking place while the song seems to just add to the video, not the other way around.  After watching the clip, I instantly thought that this video was "Lady Gaga - esque" which made me realize what an impact Lady Gaga has made on our society today.  I wrote about her earlier in a different blog post but I still stick to my guns when I say that like her or not, she has changed the design of the music industry for good.  Now back to the video... I think it's very interesting that Korean Pop is becoming more famous in the US.  This shows how we are going more global and maybe the producers of this music video wanted to capture a wider audience such as the international crowd.  This is worldwide design conversation.  There is a lot of form vs. content going on in the song as well.  The background song to "Check It Out" is "Video Killed the Radio Star", a classic from the 1979, and this style of taking an old popular song and rapping over it can be heard in most of the chart toppers today.  While I do not really like this method of making music, it shows design as inspiration from without.  I really loved this music video and everyone should go watch it. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqky5B179nM

Patience as Part of Creating

my art homework due Tuesday, drew this over the weekend

This weekend, I learned something very important: that patience is the key to creating a work that is both impressive and beautiful.  I am in Art 2 here at UC Davis, which is a black and white drawing class.  The course is a requirement for Design majors though a student can choose between Design 14 and Art 2, I chose the art route because I love to paint and draw; however, this class is nothing like what I expected.  It is both challenging and frustrating, yet fulfilling and helpful.  It is so hard because the homework is incredibly time consuming.  I have spent hour upon hour trying to perfect a drawing, getting annoyed and tired but it is teaching me to just push through.  So our homework this weekend was to draw from a black and white photo but triple the size from the photo to your work.  I drew a still shot from the film “Gone With The Wind” and used the grid method for dealing with the tone and shading of the image.  I focused on line and form in each box of the grid, working methodically from left to right, beginning at the top left and ending in the bottom right.  As I look at my finish piece right now, I can say that this is the best drawing I have ever done, and all it took was a method and patience.  I would spend an hour at a time working and then leave to do something else to refresh my mind and body.  I feel like this is a great lesson for designing anything.  You cannot get stressed out and overwhelm yourself, instead, make a plan of action and execute it in a timely but reasonable manner.  

The Kymco People 150

Me on my Kymco People 150 in downtown Davis

When looking into Ergonomic Research, we can see that it is the process of creating a product that is designed for a specific use.  Most people instead have the idea of office objects when thinking about ergonomics, such as office chairs, special keyboards, and desks.  However, ergonomics do not only apply to office equipment.  Instead, it is basically the design of task appropriate objects that are user centered.  The Etymology of the word comes from the Greek “ergon” which means to work and “nomos” which means laws.  There are five areas of Ergonomic Research, which are safety, comfort, ease of use, performance or productivity, and aesthetics.  We can apply these steps of research to any object to see if the object is success or has failed in the realm of user-centered function. 

            I have a Kymco People 150 scooter in the wine red color, and it is how I get around campus and Davis instead of using a car.  It is 150cc meaning that it is both normal road and freeway legal, and honestly, I think it is the best purchase I have ever made.  Let’s apply it to the five areas of research.  When it comes to safety, any motorcycle, whether it be a small one like my scooter or a huge Harley Davidson, is not exactly safe.  The risks of riding a motorcycle are enormous from the dangers of being on a bike that is 45+ mph to the lack of a seatbelt to the other drivers around you in cars that would crush a motorcycle in a second.  However, when a person gets their motorcycle license and buys a bike, they are fully aware of these facts so let’s look at the actual safety of the scooter.  It rides very smoothly which means no wobbling and grips to the road well.  Turns are smooth as well and it is very easy to maneuver.  Not to mention the head and tail lights are very bright and the left and right indicators work well.  I would say that as a scooter goes, this one is very safe.  Now on to comfort.  This scooter has a very large cushioned seat for the rider, which is soft and padded.  The knee room is huge and the angle at which the handlebars are placed makes using the throttle and breaks very easy.  And as I said before, the ride is very smooth.  The ease of use is next, and it actually relates to the safety.  For a motorcycle, safety and ease of use go hand in hand because if the bike is safe, the bike will be easy to use.  You have complete control over the Kymco People and the handling of the bike is as good as it gets.  As performance goes, this scooter is top of its class.  It is fast, powerful, and gets you from A to B quickly and efficiently.  I have had no troubles with it so far.  Lastly is aesthetics and let me tell you, this scooter looks good.  It is made in the classic Italian style with a great finish.  The detailing makes the scooter look expensive when in fact it is much cheaper to buy than its competitor the Vespa.  There is no wonder that Consumer Reports in 2010 rated the Kymco People 150 the best scooter on the market in all aspects.  I love this bike and as a college student, it fits all my needs. I can even ride up to class and park it outside after I bought a $70 parking permit (a very small price to pay for such convenience).  The ergonomics of this scooter were clearly studied for a long time and it is a great buy.          

The Perfect Design?

The Toilet, recognizable to everyone

So I am sitting with my friends and I ask one of them what I should write this post about.  One of the boys crudely said, "Well, I would start by saying... When I was sitting on the toilet..."  I laughed a bit then got out my computer and thought... wait a minute, that gives me an idea, have you ever sat on a Japanese Toilet?  It is a toilet designed to give all forms of comfort to the user by the means of warmth, personal cleansing, and drying without any effort from the person.  This goes to show how design is Utopian (which is something I have discussed earlier but basically means that design is always searching for the next best thing, it wants to be ideal).  The toilet is a design that is perfectly functional and is an object that every human recognizing and knows how to use.  Designers who developed the Japanese Toilet created a toilet for a person who wants more out of their toilet going experience.  This type of toilet will heat the seat to the temperature you desire, will spray and wash to clean desired areas, and will blow warm air to air dry.  I sort of laughed at the idea of this because why do you need all this extra fancy items in your life, but after I tried one at a friend's house, I realized how great this toilet was!  Then in lecture, when we were watching "Objectified," I had a realization: that Japanese Toilet may be frivolous, but it is a design that improves people's lives.  Even if there is a very small market of people who actually buy the product, that toilet has better the lives of those people.  This was a design that was not made for no reason, there was clearly a need for a better type of toilet.  Now the only question is, will it catch on every where in the world?  Time will only tell.  

Word & Image Part 2: Art and Words

Twombly's "Wilder Shores of Love" source: http://www.artchive.com/artchive/T/twombly/twombly_wilder.jpg.html

While in Design lecture, we have looked at many artists and contemplated the difference between art and design.  A perfect example of an artist that uses design in his work is Twombly.  In Twombly’s painting called “Wilder Shores of Love,” he uses words to add meaning to his brush strokes.  For Twombly, the formation of letters into meaningful words is just as important as the images he creates.  He is utilizing the idea of “Signare,” which is Latin for “to mark.”  He is a painter doing mark making which crosses the boundaries between art and design.  He pushes the limit and makes word and image juxtaposed.  We must keep in mind that Twombly is not creating a narrative story like McCloud does, but instead using known English language words to describe his abstract paintings.  Another work of Twombly’s is “Autumn” from “The Four Seasons” collection.  The dripping, scribbled letters of autumn flow along the canvas in what seems like a young child’s hand writing; however, the words on top of his art are 100% harmonious.  Twombly is just one example of signare and juxtaposed word and image, but I think the true reason that I choose to write a post about him is because I find his paintings beautiful and inspiring.  I have painted a lot over the years, but usual in a very realistic style with very straight lines.  I want to try out some abstract works where I am not afraid to let the paint drip. 

Word & Image

source: http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2010/1/tweet-shovel-ready-too-big-to-fail-get-thee-behind-us-banished-word

 Sadly, I missed the lecture with the guest speaker on comics because I was sick, but I want to write this blog post about the importance of word and image.  This school year, we have focused a lot on comics using McCloud’s book “Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art” to see how comics are first of all, a serious art form, and also, how design is visual communication.  There is a narrative storytelling within comics that engages the reader with pictures along side words to create an in depth tale.  Visual literacy can be explained as the ability to interpret and make meaning of an image.  This visual literacy happens every day with all the images the human mind takes in, but with comics, the literacy is increased to an easier level by the aid of words.  The interpretation of the images presented to us is made clearer by the written words.  For example, when a drawn picture of a man in black and white is put in front of us, we can see, yes, this is a man.  However, when there is a bubble above his head saying, “I wonder what I should have for lunch today,” we can then understand that this is not only a picture of a man, but this certain man is having thoughts.  Not only are the man’s thoughts about something that is very “every day”, but also the reader is about to relate to the man because lunch has to be made all the time.  When word is placed next to image, the image is heighten to a level of deeper understanding.   

Gossip Girl as Fashion Art

The main characters from "Gossip Girl"

Tonight, I was watching "Gossip Girl" with my roommates.  I had not watched an episode of "Gossip Girl" in a long, long time, and I had completely forgotten about how style and fashion is such a huge part of the show.  I mean, come on, what girl in today’s world wears a tiny blue cocktail dress with an open back along with thousands of dollars of sparkling jewelry and four inch high heels to a college lecture at 10am?! Answer: no one, but it is what makes the show so interesting.  The plot line is exaggerated drama, and before tonight, I did not realize that along with the drama, there are exaggerated fashion statements. 

"Gossip Girl" actors posing in new styles

It was as if I was watching haute couture coming down the runway instead of a teen’s favorite soap.  This is an example, once again, of design as a communication form.  Audience not only gets to hear about a story and be amerced in the fictional lives of Upper East Siders from New York City, but they also get to experience design, fashion, and the newest, hottest trends. 

The Toothpick

When you finish eating at a restaurant and you walk out the door after paying the bill, more often than not, there is a little bowl filled with toothpicks near the exit.  Some people take a toothpick, some people do not, but what a lot of people to do realize is the variety of what kind of toothpick is being held in that little bowl and how many functions it can have.  Take, for example, the Japanese toothpick.  It looks like every other toothpick: made of a light wood, thin, small, sharp; however, on one end, it has a grooved indent and a flat end while the other end it pointy for cleaning teeth.  The serrated and flat end is meant for breaking the end off and using it as a little rest/holder for your toothpick so it does not roll away and does not touch any dirty surfaces.   

The Japanese Toothpick

This is a perfect example of needing to know the small features of a designed object.  Each product has a story behind it and from that story, a need is made, and from that need, a purposeful design is created.  I have used so many of these Japanese toothpicks without ever realizing that they held this “secret” function that now seems so obvious to me once I found out.  It is both clever and useful, and I think one of the main reasons I am writing this blog post about this toothpick is because I found it so amazing that I did not know the function of the end of the pick.  I want to tell everyone because I find it so cool!