Final ReflectionDesign Studio 01

Shuyao BianRISD 2014

UNITONE

Project Description

Research question: How can we make use of everyday observations in our work?

In this project, we are to observe a spot that we awere assigned and record what we observed in mutiple techniques. We are digging into the concept of observation, to see what "pure observe" can bring us inspiration.

Phase 1- In class activity

We were assigned in the groudp of three, to make a list our present situation as long as possible, like “The Bohemian Dinner” of Charles Greene Shaw. Although we thought that we are suppose to describe ourself in a way, but we did consider the envrionment we are in as part of our present. We only had 30 minutes, and I found that the longer I kept on looking into one object, the more I can put on the list as an individual object., for example, the table, and the stain on the table.

Phase 2- Assignment

Students are each assigned a spot in providence and to visit it every day, to observe the spot carefully, and present what we found.

The place that I am assigned is the Burnside Park, which was built to dedicate to General Burnside.

I went to the park for three days, and the weather was different for each day. When I was observing the park, I suppose that I should not actively notice what interests me visually or with its nature, but to see everything evenly, to pay the same attention to everything, and try to see how it can inspire me on its own, and then record what's interesting to me. To me. "observation" means to look at the object objectively, find all about it before find what is interesting about it.

I look at people in the park as "objects" to observe as well. Many African Americans frequent the park, and hobos will spend their time in the park and sitting on the base of the statue of General Burnside. There was a small local concert ongoing oneday. I looked at the audience; they were mostly parents with their children and hobos. They did not seem like enjoy the concert that much, but they were not bored either. People in the Burnside Park mostly seem like they are there simply to spend the time that do not know what to do with.

I fell awkward to take pictures of people or do sketches for them, so I use my phone to record the sound of the park as I walk around in it. I record what people are talking, the laughing of the children and what my conversation with other person. As I played the sound record to other people, they usually are able to know that it is the Park, because the sound helps them to picture the environment. Cigar filters on the ground and around the statue of General Burnside

The Boheimian Dinner, Charles Greene Shaw

I am also intersted in what people left after they leave the place. I followed the trace of the cigar filters and to infer where in the park might be mostly stayed by people there. A lot of them are littered on the groud without grass and around the statue.

Since Burnside Park is also a place for city art installation. Here I saw the illustration of the horizon of Providence on the fence. Besides the statue of General Burnside, the sinking ship is also a statue in the park. Frequently there are people lying around the ship, kids will have fun on it as well.

The sinking ship

The illustration on the fence

Unit Conclusion

The project of observation started off the semester with an idea of looking for inspiration in real life. In my process of observing the park, I noticed many details that I would not have realize before.

Observation is about to look, to feel the object in a systematic and objective way. It was hard for me not to subconciously looking for things that are inspirational and intriguing, and I think this is the project to make me be aware of the meaning of observation.

As a designer, it is important to be always updated and to gather information from the environment, and that is why observation is important.

UNITT W O

Project Description

Research question: How does the medium massage the message, and why?

The project was to write a word of an object that we brought into class. The word has to be formed with only the letters of the single word, and the way of writing it should show its qualities.

Phase 1- Identify the object

In the first week, we were to bring an object that can be named in a single word. The in-class exercise was to write the word in as many ways as possible. My word is “ring”. I tried varies colors, combinations of lowercases and uppercases, carving, erasing and braille. We did not have to show the quality of the word in the initiating process, but merely have to make the list as long as possible.

Ring

Writing in class

Phase 2- Write the word again

The second part of the assignment was to write the word and show its quality, starting with brain storming.

I focused on the specific ring that I have, so the brain storming that I did was all about the nature of my ring, but not the overall concept of the term "ring". It was not hard to make a list of brain storming, but hard to develope further in writing. For example, the quality of "shiny" and "metalic" are basically the same to develope in writing.

The final list of word that I wrote included what I have on the list as much as possible. I tried several mediums to develope the process, including using actual object. I like the list of word I made in computer, because I think it preserve the artificial quality of ring to me.

Brain Storming

Writings for Phase 2

From top to bottom, left to right, each word represents a quality of the ring. They are "elegant", "linear," "going through", "round", "light", "spiky", "round corners", "saleable", "see through", "classic", "small", "metalic" and "shiny". The two that I made with actual objects are respectively "jewelry", made out of earring pieces, and "reflective", made with black paper and mirror.

During the crit, I realized that I was focusing too much on the qualities of the particular ring that I have, rather than the overall and larger concaept of the word “ring”. However, it is still interesting to try some actual 3D medium to build up the word. Showing the overall quality did not mean to show an image of it, but to focus more on the feeling that it has, and show it in a poetic way.

Phase 3- Write the word in the way that represents its quality the best

I tried to make another mind map for the word “ring” rather than “my ring”, and this is what I have, a lot shorter than the previous brain storming. I considered it carefully, and felt that only "jwelry" and "through" are the general quality of a ring. I debated a little bit of whether to get rid of the nature of "jewelry" and expand the concept to all ring-shaped object. However, I did not do so, because I think "jewelry" is the a nature of my object that defined a huge part of it.

Since not all the rings are exact circle, so I used a type face that has sharpe corners, but still preserve the curval gesture of the charactures. Ring reads to me is a small object, so I used all lowercases to write the letter. I rearranged the letters and overlapped some of them to make them form a geometric shape, and have a sense of space, also with the “i” pass through it to show its quality. The word now has a quality of a logo, and it also has the decorative quality of a jewlry piece. I also made the characters in different opacity, and with the effect of layering, I was showing the lightness of a ring.

I made two versions of it, to create two kinds of visual illusion of the structure with the different placement of the letter "i".

Final Brain Storm

Unit Conclusion

During the crit, I did not try to explain the quality that it represents, because I wanted to see if people could read it or not. It took a while for people to recognize what my word is, and I had to point of the individual characters merged in the image. It did worked in a way to abstract the form, and having some poetic quality in it. However, like Tom said, it sort of dumped the audiences a little bit due to its readability. Most people found it hard to read the “r”. The intersected part of the “r” and the “g” was kind of complex.

I think the assignment is all about finding balance when you are doing a design, like the balance between abstraction and literalness, between obvious and unreadable, between displaying and interacting. A good design should stay in the most balanced area of all, not only having some of the qualities. Take myself as an example, I started to lose the balance when it came to the interpreting an readability part. I might be successful in making the abstract form and extract the quality of the word “ring”, but I failed to consider the interaction with the audience. The designers should not have put themselves at a higher, or say more respectable position when they are designing something to present, because design after all is about interacting ,conveying and communicating.

Final Writing

U N I TTHREE

Tool Quadrant

Project Description

Research question: How do the tools we use influence the things we make?

Students are going to pick two tools that each falls in two different quadrants in the picture above. The idea is to expand the concept of "tool", and see what can we develope with the tool in the way that it is not ttraditionally utilized.

Phase 1- In class exercise

In the first class, we are each assigned a common item, either household or art supply, and to generate some mark with it in the way we want.

I received a plastic cup lid, and I printed the texture of it on paper with black ink. I rolled it to generate straight line, or just printed with one side of it.

Phase 2- Assignment

The second part of the project was to choose two tools each from two different quadrants. I chose excel in the third quadrant and sprinkle in the fourth quadrant.

I experiment with excel first, and then I chose to fill in the grids with lines, and changing the width and heights of the grids. I found that the simple grids can create really dynamic geometries, so I made a stop motion vedio of a simple movement that the lines and grids created.

My second tool is sprinkle. I used it as a dyeing tool with water. By varying the amount of water sprayed on it and the paper used, the sprinkle can generate different results of dyeing. I experimented with the kind of paper used, quantity of sprinkles, water and the processure of putting water or sprinkles first on the paper.

Mark making with the Cup lid

Experiments with Excel

Experiments with the Sprinkles

Phase 3- Combine the tools

The final part of the project was to create a final product by using both tools together. The too tools that I used are really different, so I made a video for them. Instead of using them together to make a film, I filmed the sprinkles and simulated its status in excel by filling in colors into the grids. I also layer the film of the animated excel and the process of the color coat dissolved in water, to compare the dynamic movement of both of them.

I did not made a film with the two tools, but I found ways to relate the two objects togethers, statically or dynamically. Instead of actively control and use the tools, I relied on their nature more, and I objectively recorded them and put them together. I could have push them more, and actually use them.

Unit Conclusion

The two tools I used are pretty different from each other. Therefore, it became a problem to combine them together. In the final video I made, I tried to show the nature of each tool with the other one, and show the common part of their natures. However, I did not actually combine them enough. For excel, I wish I could have discover more about it. For the sprinkle, although I like the experiment outcomes, I agree with Tom that I could have try to control it more. “Tools” are for people to use, to be manipulated to generate the expected outcome. I was relying too much on the nature of the tool itself, instead of trying to control it more.

Looking Unit 3 together with Unit 1, it appears to me that my final product for Unit 3 only achieved the point of observation and record the observation, but did not use my observations as inspiration, and did not develope enough from it.

The image above is a shape I generated with the tapes as stencil. It is the act of control it, and I wish I could have develope more from that point.

Snapshot from the Final Video

UNITFOUR

Project Description

Research question: How can space influence concept and design?

"Design has evolved into a broader profession than just a service—design has become all-encompassing, incorporating art, music, sculpture, environmental design and signage.”

For this project, we need to claim a space between ISB and Auditorium, and use it as an inspiration source to develop a piece, it could be an installation or not.

Phase 1- Claim the space and research

The first part of the project was to claim a space and research into it, try to come up qith concept that relates to the nature of the space, and present it to the class.

I claimed the white elevator on the left in Design Center, and did research on it. Besides the measurements of the dimension, I also timed the time the elevator needs to go up for a floor and go down, as well as the doors' close and open.

Also, I put an inquiry ticket in the elevator for people to check on, in order to know how and when people use the elevator.

I also spent time in the elevator to feel the sound of it, and to time the speed of it.

Stats and the Survey Tickets

Plan and Overlook of the elevator

Sketch of My Concept

Phase 2- Concept Developing

The second part of the assignment was to develope concept for a piece rlate to the concept or the nature of the space.

-Bandwagon Effect

When people are taking the elevator, they will tend to face the same direction and act similarly, try not to behave strangely during the short ride.

- Privacy conscious

since there is no security camera in the elevator, the elevator can be viewed as a privacy-protecting space.

-Claustrophobia

Claustrophobia is a classic theme for elevator. Although it is a really short ride in the elevator, people would usually feel uncomfortable in it, and even some of them would not take the elevator.

Phase 3- Final piece

I eventually picked claustrophobia as the concept to work with, and I want to break the “enclosed” feeling in it. I want to install something that can let people relate to the outdoor, and to sooth them when they are in the elevator.

This is my plan, to install grass sod in the elevator, and to have the contrast of the actual grass with the artificial structure of the elevator, to bring people outside in their mind.

For the final, I add more besides the turf. Unfortunately, I have to switch to another elevator since the one that I was doing was out of order. I put the text “Let’s go to the park.” on the door of the elevator on the first floor. I want people to see the text, to wonder what’s going on, and when the door opens, they will suddenly see “the park”.

With the experience of seeing it, also the feeling of stepping on it, and smelling it, it became an interesting and refreshing elevator experience. I also put a box of card with the green text “Let’s go to the park.” on the wall of the elevator, for people to take with them in case if they want to keep the feeling an experience in the elevator. However, people would just start to play around with it, which is also an interesting thing to see.

Unit Conclusion

I was going to document how people comment on the project, but I did not. I just took the elevator with other people, listening to how they discussed it, wondered whose project it is or either they loved it or hated it. I can see people’s most natural reaction to the project, and I like the experience of listening to it.

This installation might not be the best project that I did, but this is definately the most engaging one. It is an installation that provides people with rich experience of that contrast with the environment itself strongly. Although people would not spend a long time in the elevator, but the installation would impress them in that short time period.

I also wish I could have made it not that literal, could have played around more with the text instead of too explicitly say “Let’s go to the park.” and the commemorate card could have functioned more if I use it more wisely.

UNITF I V E

The 50+50 Images we generated

Project Description

Research question: How can designers use collaborative methods to generate content and stimulate projects?

In this project, students are paired up to develope a project together, and the to learn why collaboration can be critical in design.

Phase 1- 50+50 images

In the first week, me and my partner, Alice, are together generate 100 images, in a way that we develope the images in one Indesign file. We develope the image by editing the image with resources we found online to make relation with what the last person has done. We were trying to expand the idea as far as possible, to deelope the image as dynamic and variety a we could.

The final image is really surprising compare to the first one. The "correspondence" of our idea provided us with far more interesting result than we expected.

The 50+50 Images we generated1/ 10/ 20/ 30/ 40/ 50/ 60/ 70/ 80/ 90/ 100

Phase 2- Develope a message/ outcome

In the final phase of the assignment, students are collaboratively developing a final product.

Alice and I decided to make a book of imagery relation. The first part of the project really inspired us in the idea of making realation. Eventually, we decided to produce a book that requires engament with it, includes surprising and delightful reading and visual experience.

We looked up for the images together in google, and in order to use the searching engine, we need to come up the exact term of the object in the picture. Each image is related to both the previous page and the later page, in the relation of shape, or color, or shape and color together. It was a very interesting process to think of the theme of each image together, because we can see how each other thought differently, but worked complimentarily. During the process of searching, we actively bounced between the scale from micro to macro and from actificial to natural, to make the relation in completely irrelevant subjects.

We made the book with the binding on both left and right side of it, and to be flipped from the middle, in a certain order, therefore the readers will have expectation to what they are led to.

I believe that people would be amazed by how things can be related even if they are so different, becaue that was how I and my partner felt when we finished with the project. Thus, we put the quote of Ralph Waldo Emmerson on the back cover, "Once you make a decision, the universe conspires it to happen."

Assignment Instruction of Phase 2

Cover of our Final Outcome

Back Cover and Interior Spreads

Unit Conclusion

My first reaction to this project is the same as the others, no, no collaboration. Designers are hard to truly accept other's idea to direct his or her project, therefore I expect this project to be hard.

However, when I actually started to work with Aclice, I noticed that although we look at questions and think differently, but we did not controverse much over these. In fact, we both found each other's ideas are interesting and inspirational during the first process. When the project is not entirely under one's control, the outcome is unexpectedly surprising.

This was basically what drove us move the final plan, to do a project that requires imagination and design. The working process was pleasant, since when at least one of us would have the idea of what to do next. I am really satisfied with our collaboration and the final outcome. I personally enjoy the experience of looking through the book and being amazed by how the everything is related.

After this project, my attitude toward collaboration changed. To work together is inspirational and beneficial for deisgners, as long as you are working with a right person.

Images from Phase 123/ 24

About the course and the semester

My first semester in Graphic Design is almost end, and I've learned a lot of stuff from Design Studio.

The course is called Design Studio, and it is a course that teaches us how to think like a designer. In Unit 1, we were learning how to extract idea and inspiration from daily observation, which is the starting point for every designer. In Unit 2, we learned how to comprehend an object and a term more deeply and poetically, in terms how to look at a word's true nature. In Unit 3, we should look for inspiration in a tool after we fully understand the nature of it. In Unit 4, we were suppose to develope concept from a specific space, and that was exactly the process of observing, looking for inspiration and generating an outcome. In Unit 5, we combined everything we learn from the previous projects, and collaboratively create a design piece.

It is always hard to understand the purpose of the course and the meaning of each assignment thouroughly when they are in progress, and everything starts to make sense after I did the reflection for them.

Since I had a very tight schedule, it was hard for me to do reflection and make conclusion on each project immediately after it was done. During the final reflection, I realized that all the projects are progressively related. For example, in the first Unit, I learned about what observation is, and whta observation can be developed into inspiration and the inspiration can mean to a completed project. In Unit 3, if I reflect on Unit 1 earlier, I would have apply the concept of turning an observation as the inspiration in Unit 3, and develope my final outcome more comprehensively. Although I did not actively connect what I learned in each project, I did find it to become easier to develope a complete design process later in the semester.

To think as a designer, to develope a project systematically and to be reflective, these are the most important things I acquired through out the semester. I really appreciate this class as the beginning of my studying progress in Graphic Design, and this is also the first time that I learned the importance of doing reflection after each project. I think I will carry this habbit forward with me later on in my life.

In the end, I want to thanks Tom who introduced a totally new way of thinking to me. I like how he use the term "poetic," and to make a design piece poetically is finding a balance between artistic value and design quality. Tom is certainly not a constructivist, because he believes that a design piece should have its own poetic nature besides pure functionality, and I really like how he insist on that.

Overall, I really enjoyed the time I had in Design Studio 1 with everyone in the section, and I am looking forward to it in next semester as well.