Journal4

Who’s BruceMAU? Bruce Mau is a designer and he is the Chief Creative Designer of Bruce Mau Design.

What’s He Done? Since founding his studio in 1985, Mau has used design and optimism to originate, innovate, and renovate businesses, brands, products, and experiences. Also Mau founded the Institute without Boundaries, a groundbreaking studio-based postgraduate program.

Why is he interesting to us? His Incomplete Manifesto for Growth guides thousands with his articulation of design strategies and motivations for unleashing creativity.

3. Process is more important than outcome.

When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we've already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there.

Even though I’m coming close to the end of the logo project and just finish a project in type I seem to forget about process. I sometimes find myself trying to get to a conclusion rather than just “enjoying the ride.” I’m going to “enjoy the ride” on these next projects a lot more.

The Article that Stood out

Type Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry

Jessica Helfand

This article is important to the design community because it explains how design students need to learn about the history of typography. One should pick out a typeface based on aesthetic appeal because beauty is in the eye in the beholder but also one should look at the cultural, intellectual, critical, and history.

She discussed about how she was looking at several design students portfolios’ and noticed something that they all had in common; they used futura, a lot. She asked them why they used it with their projects and their responses were basically that they either “just liked it” and they didn’t exactly knew how it related to their project. She let the readers know that the designer needs to know that it’s not just the look of the type but how it identifies with the topic you’re designing for.

6 main points..

· “I was concerned that she was about to graduate and had no fundamental knowledge of design history — a failure of the curriculum, and by conjecture, of the faculty.”

· “Clearly, designers make choices about the appropriateness of type based on any number of criteria, and "liking it" is indeed one of them.”

· “typography should be invisible, while an equal argument can (and should) be made on behalf of expressive typography — type that extends and amplifies its message through more robust gestures in form, scale and composition.”

· “In general, we like to be able to read our typography.”

· “Branding and identity designers have to do it all — their task involves orchestrating visual language so that, say, the same word is recognizable whether reduced to a website icon, printed on a business card or emblazoned on the side of a truck.”

· “need to know — not just the formal and technical conventions but the cultural, intellectual, critical and yes, historical context in which hundreds of years of typographic practice preceded them.”

Journal3

Stefan Sagmeister

Being happy while experiencing design. Consumer standpoint.

Being happy designing. The designers’ standpoint.

Arcadia

Nirvana

Desire

Harmony

These all have to do with the visualization of happiness.

Have to be cynical to show happiness. The works show happiness but with a dark side.

The speech bubble design was interesting because it involved the individuals in New York.

Important parts of his presentation.

-Thinking about ideas and content freely – with the deadline far away

-working without interruption on a single project.

-Using a wide variety of tools and techniques. (DON’T BE STUCK IN FRONT OF THE COMPUTER)

-Travel to new places

-Working on projects that matter (content is important)

-Having things come back from the printer done well

Trying to look good limits my life. I thought this was a good quote because if you always try to “look good” and don’t allow yourself for exploration, Ugly exploration, you’re limiting yourself to what you can make.

Stefan is popular because he uses humor.

JJ Abrams

The mystery box.

How he can trace back all of his success to his grandfather and the deconstruction of things. Also the mystery box being a source of unseen inspiration to him. It’s inspiring to know this because it allows me to look back at my life and my interactions with others and understand how I become inspired.

Scott McCloud

Learn from everyone

Follow no one

Watch for patterns

Work like hell

Embrace your nature.

JournalEntry2

Good design...

1. Is Innovative - There are always opportunities for innovative design.

2. Makes a Product Useful - product is bought to be used. Its functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. It doesn't detract from purpose.

3. Is Aesthetic - Only well-executed objects can be beautiful.

4. Makes a Product Understandable - The product is self-explanatory.

5. Is Unobtrusive - Design should be neutral and restrained.

6. Is Honest - Doesn't make the product more valuable than it really is.

7. Is Long-Lasting - Avoids being fashionable. Will last years. Timeless.

8. Is Thorough, down to the last detail - Every detail makes sense on the design.

9. Is Environmentally Friendly - Contribution to preservation of the environment.

10. Is as little Design as possible - Be Simplistic.

Don Norman. Design and Emotion.

Beauty and function .Shape and balance. These are components that Don Norman believes what makes good design "happy." How it makes the consumer happy. An example he uses is of Googles' oooo's to represent the pages. Simple but smart and fun. He talks about fun being able to help the design.

The 3 emotions are sub-concious, you're unaware of it.

Visceral. Fear and anxiety changes the way a person thinks. Use it to help think outside the box and use the anxiety to keep you focused. If you're happy things work better because you're more creative.

Behavioral. It's all about feeling in control which includes usability and understanding but also the feel.

Reflective. The design/product is reflective of the consumer.

Thoughtful question: Functionality is part of design. Would a product that could function better than a better looking product make the consumer more happy? Does this conflict with your theory?