[DSDN 171] Blog Assignment #9

What kinds of political or ideological messages inform design or the branding of design today? Identify one example and describe in what ways it expresses larger cultural, political, or ideological beliefs.

In the 21st century, we live in a diverse world such as this, where our world can take a vast range of paths. We can say that the political and ideological aspirations are very much present in many characteristics of modern design.

With the 'utopian' mindset, we continually focus on developing our nations, sustaining our earth, and bringing together our people with the consideration of our current 'Zeitgeist'. Political and ideological views have highly influenced design and have helped the progress of our world specifically after the rise in awareness and the awakening of minds since the start of the Cold War during the 1940’s. In our world today, we see how very important design is to individual's and to people as one. Richard Nixon, the U.S Vice President [1969 - 1974] had the view of bettering homes with the ownership of things in order to gain your happiness[1]; to a degree you may say this is true, but in saying so, this promotion on consumerism has showed itself as a "give and take". While industries focus on the wealth of their own companies, there are those that suffer because of these large and influential companies. However, the political concern on developing countries have positively influenced the production and progress of several companies and the way in which they process and run their goods and services i.e. public knowledge of anti-slave labour, advancement in fair trade, and established priorities for those in need (charity cases). As the initial thought of monetary 'loss' is seen as a negative to an organization, the help for others gains public prestige for the company, and of course, spreads enlightened-satisfaction for the company and its great consideration for society and people.

fig. 1 - Allpress Espresso Logo

In helping Third-World countries through consumerism in the 21st century, the world of coffee makes up for 90 per cent of fairtrade's retail sales in New Zealand. Michael Allpress, director of boutique coffee roastery Allpress Espresso [fig. 1], has set up his own "Standards of Trade" for his company; standards include Allpress Espresso being in immediate contact with its coffee growers, as well as the firm having approved access for regular farm visits to provide first-hand assurance in proving and maintaining the standards that are being met. Allpress Espresso is now confident enough with its own set of standards to place its Fairly Traded mark on a number of its coffees.[2]

The large take on consumerism and its slogan that "the more you have the more you will be happy" must not get to our minds to the point wherein it becomes solely about me, myself, and i. As with Europe in the 1940's after World War II, the design-world has to this day been struggling to put both individualism and social needs into consumerism in order for a win-win situation[1]; the process of design and its outcome must be understood and as these factors battle against each other, they both effect a company's design scheme to strive towards bringing these two factors together. As with Allpress and several other companies, a bit of giving can in fact be seen as a take, but the world is still yet to resolve this matter of balance.

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Reference List:


Image Sourced From: 
http://www.coffeesecrets.co.nz/roasters/allpress-espresso-freemans-bay
 

[1] Informed From:

Pavitt, J. (2008). Design and the Deomocratic Ideal, Cold War Modern: Design 1945-1970 (pp. 72-91) London: V&A Publishing.


[2] Informed From:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10662504

[DSDN 171] Blog Assignment #8

Do you agree or disagree with the position that design is a result of “function x economy”? Do you think design today an ‘art’ or a ‘science’? Should it be one or the other, or can it be both?


Swiss born architect and Director of the Bauhaus in 1928, Hannes Meyer, argued that design is dependent on the idea of 'function x economy'. Meyer, viewing design greater as a science than an art, also believed the concept of design should be a universal notion: servicing the working-class needs solely based upon the objectives of economy. [1] 

The literal word 'design' presents a broad range of definitions; I believe that design is combination of several views and can change depending on which context and era it is used although I do believe that designers should take into great consideration the functionality and the social economic position it would surround. Meyer's goal on creating a more stable economic world portrays his consideration for society and his good intentions. 

fig. 1 - Wellington Te Papa Museum's Base Isolators

In promoting a sure future, it is expected that we must look into the past to see where we have been to look into the future to see where we may go. New Zealand, known for various natural disasters (earthquakes), has taken a toll on New Zealand design. Understanding the country's people, location and its varying economic state, aligns with Meyers 'function x economy' approach to design; The common engineers phrase ‘earthquakes don’t kill people, buildings do’ bring New Zealand designers to an understanding that these lessons learnt the hard way through past events, reveal the essential need in creating 'earthquake-proof' designed buildings. In early Wellington, buildings made of brick and stone collapsed in the 1848 earthquake. Consequently, the town was focused on rebuilding in wood, which suffered less damage during the magnitude 8.2 earthquake of 1855 [2]. In 2010 and in present, Christchurch experiences a number of deadly earthquakes with the loss of lives and crumbled historic buildings. Designers throughout the country are in a state of further proposing designs that prevent itself from quake damage: Wellington's Te Papa Museum, sits on top of 135 base isolators [fig. 1] invented by New Zealand scientist Dr. William Robinson; these isolators are essentially springs for the building [3]. With this understanding, we are able to see science playing an enormous role in this particular design. Realizing that we must be conscious of the world we live in, it is understood that we align our way of living with the awareness economy.

As social conditions change, so too does the purpose and value in a specific design. As with particular designs, science may weigh more than art; in saying so, it can also be vice versa. The developing technologies that have influenced the evolution of design-culture and production give way to designing something with aesthetic value as well as great function and that which is economically pleasing. I believe that the 'art' or 'science' in design is not more important than the other but I take the stance wherein it depends on the context it is placed in. I also take the stance that design's must ideally put all aspects into one to be completed per se, but even so, seeing as world is continuously developing in knowledge and new need, design may never be 'completed' to the fullest extent.  

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Reference List:


Image Sourced From: 
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/livelylibrarian/1/1298192475/tpod.html#_


[1] Informed From:
Raizman, D. (2004). The First Machine Age in Europe, in History of Modern Design (pp. 166-191) New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc.

[2] Informed From: 
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/earthquakes/4


[3] Informed From: 
http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/whatson/exhibitions/pages/quakebraker.aspx

[DSDN 171] Blog Assignment #7

Can you identify the creation of any “symbolic universe” today (or in recent years)? How might media and design be implicated in the construction of these social universes today?


Visionary “symbolic universes” and such concepts have played main roles throughout history, and still do. The goal of reaching our 'Utopian world' with it being in tact with our political and social lifestyle may bring individual's together in a familiar comfort-zone. Up until the 21st century is our world still in hope of reaching its Utopia.

  

Known as a huge turning point in regards to our Utopian image, occured in the 1930's: New York World's Fair "The World of Tomorrow (1933-34)" & Chigago World's Fair "The Century of Progress Exposition (1939-40)". These two fairs highly brought about science, industry and progress as main focus points in terms of building our futuristic universe. These fairs were specifically known as a response to historic, or rather, past events - the Civil War (1861–1865) and the Great Depression (≈ 1930's). These world fairs created hope of a newly-transformed vision of the near future ideally looking towards capitalism, consumerism and leisure-based activities - highly focused on the masses. America in the 1930's were in desire of an evolution from war and economic depression to a state of positive change.

In our world today, especially with our constant focus on the digital age, we are hammered to strive to perfection which is deemed to be persistent through the media - television, internet and film. Media and design as main major tools, convince the world to be digitalized. We as individuals vision an 'instant' world - as things being handed to us in an immediate second, we see this through the eyes of media and design. Today, I believe our world is stuck on idea that 'the more we have the more we're happy'. With that simple phrase, there immediately becomes a problem because of the reality that we can never have enough as there are constant creations and re-creations. While we are currently at a known peak of technology, we struggle to coincide with our likes of sustainability. I believe there's always a balance - a give and take, a win and lose - over coming that 'balance' is still yet to be seen. 


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Reference list:

Informed From:

Kihlstedt, F. (1986). Utopia Realized: The World’s Fairs of the 1930s in Imagining Tomorrow: History Technology, and the American Future (pp.97-118). Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

[DSDN 171] Blog Assignment #6

“To an ever greater degree the work of art reproduced becomes the work of art designed for reproducibility. From a photographic negative, for example, one can make any number of prints; to ask for the authentic print makes no sense.” - Walter Benjamin 

Do you agree or disagree? Do you think there is a role for the ‘authentic’ in an age of digital design and manufacture?

When consumers purchase a product, they want to be able to tell their friends that it’s the real thing. To be able to say it’s the original, instantly gives value to the product. In my perspective, authenticity itself is the aura. I, as a firm believer of authentic value, stand by the importance of originality and uniqueness; authenticity is known as ‘real’ or ‘original’ where as a replica is generally known as a ‘copy’ or even more, a ‘fake’. Before industrialization, the time to create produce something, consumed a lot of time in comparison to now and our technologies.

Essayist Benjamin Walter (1892 - 1940), stated “That which withers in the age of mechanical reproduction is the aura of the work of art”. In agreement to Benjamin's statement, a manufactured or copied product is losing its ‘presence’ in comparison to an original especially speaking from a historic perspective where mechanical reproduction had not yet been introduced. Understanding the idea of mechanical re-production and being able to reproduce on an enormous scale in such short time is the reason why I agree with Benjamin's loss of aura in mechanically reproduced products. The process that manufactured products are put though and the fact they are of little manual effort compared to 'hand-made' creations also enforce my alliance with Benjamin's statement.

fig. 1. Mona Lisa (c. 1503 -1519)

However, I am hesitant to have a distinct opinion on Benjamin's second argument: “To an ever greater degree the work of art reproduced becomes the work of art designed for reproducibility. From a photographic negative, for example, one can make any number of prints; to ask for the authentic print makes no sense”. I believe authenticity has evolved as much as techonology has. If a friend were to tell you that the Mona Lisa painting (fig. 1) right before you was a print (a copy) you would assume that your reaction would be the opposite of surprise or shock. Although, if you were told it was the original, immediately there is an aura in your presence – it’s the idea of knowing the real Leonardo Da Vinci created this exact painting, knowing that he, touched it. You wouldn't want a print, you would want the original. However, another example from another perspective, if we take a modern digital photograph, the idea that it can be spread around the world in an instant via internet, that itself becomes the ‘aura’. Our 21st century society has become a case of whether or not you essentially have seen it or not.


In our day and age, industrialization can be called the ‘life’ to our technologic world. I believe that it depends on what has been reproduced and also which day in history the 'original' or 'first' had been created: the comparison between the historic Mona Lisa to a modern image.

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Reference list:


Benjamin, W. (1992) The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (pp. 211-244 ) in Illuminations, trans. Harry Zohn. London: Fontana.


Image Sourced From:
http://smarthistory.org/leonardo-mona-lisa.html