Comparison and Contrast

What Time is It?

The most important part of my mornings are waking up and starting them off right with a strong and smooth cup of Jo. Java, Expresso, Americano, Cappucino, light blend, bold, ...its really all about the little things in life. The "mirco" pieces that design my days. 

      Ever since I was a little girl, I would steal my Mom's cup of coffee not because I felt like a rebel, but because I sincerely enjoyed the taste. So it is no suprise that I quickly became a coffee-holic at an early age. During highschool, every morning I would go down the street to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, my favorite and ultimately the best coffee chain I know. Coffee Bean got me through my teen years, through all the SAT's, and late night homeworks, through my dance competitions and sporting events. So it should come as no suprise that when I entered College and moved up to UC Davis from Southern caliornia and witnessed that Coffee bean doesn't exist in the north, I was completely devestated. Would I have to resort to Starbucks? With all the college exams, ofcourse I would have to... So I am confident to say, I have experienced both coffee bean and starbucks and there is clearly a huge difference in both chain coffee shops.

My Dearest Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. (How I miss you dearly) To start off, look at Coffee Bean's logo. In such an environmentally aware society, Coffee Bean sure does the job at giving off that vibe. C.B. is organic and captures the essence of nature. More specifically in C.B.'s drinks contrast quite different as well. Their coffee itself, is far superior to Starbucks for several reasons. Their coffee is made of a more pure, delicous bean and they do not over roast their beans. They also have more sugar free varieties, and use powder instead of syrups. Their cups are always hot as well. In every C.B. store, the menus have artistic affirmations of the day and such creatively written quotes. Their use of combining art with customer's coffee experience is quite extraordinary and innovative if you ask me. Design isn't just items on a menu, the type of coffee maker used, or the product logos, design is also an experience. So realize that Coffee Bean is redesigning the future and is going to put "leafs" all over the map and demolish those "bucks". 

     Now Starbucks. The big bucks. They are everywhere. And why is it that the group thats known for quantity over quality is sweeping the nation worldwide, in airports, and now located in Target's? Starbucks is so overly common, but Coffee Bean isnt? What do they have that makes them shine?

Is it their over roasted beans, or their always luke warm cups of coffee. Or how about their use of syrup and articifical liquid sugar. Is it their impersonal customer service? Maybe their sexualized logo? Starbucks may be a household name, but it is their lack of originality that should make you think twice. Yes both Coffee Bean and Starbucks are both coffee shops that ironically both have circle logos, but it is their coffee, marketing, and image that are entirely different. Coffee is a beautiful man-made process that takes time. And with such a "going green"mindset and organic products, shouldn't your coffee be too?

(images-google)

Design As A Conversation

                                                                    (thedesigncollectivegroup)

    

      Taking all forms of life into going green is the newest revolutionary idea on many peoples' minds'. This huge topic is sweeping the nation in not just areas of recycling trash and waste. In Davis, sustainable designs are a huge part of the campus community. From coffee cups, to takeout trays, to purses, and solar powered energy buildings, creators of all types are trying to take their designs in using media that is eco-friendly. If “design” has its own language, then design holds its own conversations as well. And here, one of the biggest design conversations are that of using sustainable medium, regardless of whether its fashion, architectural, visual/adverstising, etc. And while designing with these constraints must comply with such principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability, so comes the ethics for the designers. 

     So the conversation about designing with sustainability for the environment affects every type of designer. The city planners, architects, landscapers and garden design, graphic design, agriculture, furniture and machinery, engineers, fashion and home accessories, technology and electronics, and art. Design is everywhere and it is up to the designers that contribute to all of the above, which effects every portion of our everyday lives to solve the problems within design. Specifically, for the environment makes an interesting issue at hand. Designing with these constraints makes the materials used for creation very limited. Yet, it can also inspire how recycling can be transformed into new. The great designs of the past have been resurrected by newer designers and innovators, so the green movement can do it too. Creating innovative designs and using these materials will allow us to achieve our vision of a sustainable future.

    In the aspect for architectural design, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Seattle Committee on the Environment hosted a public presentation of the top eleven projects in the running for the 2010 What Makes it GREEN? Top Ten Regional Green Awards. What exactly "environmentally sustainable architecture" and "inspired design" mean, or should, or could mean, triggered a lot of conversation between the jury and design teams.  One discussion it stimulated, was for The Seattle Center Garage by NBBJ Architects begged the question: "How can a parking garage be green?” While these problems in sustainable design are desperate for solutions, it inspires innovative thought. It connects designers of the past and future to come up with a greener tomorrow and as a result, these constraints for the designing process spark new artistic aesthetic and the boundaries of imagination are further challenged.  

     “ The perfection of an object is finally reached not when there is nothing any more to add but when there is more nothing to remove”. (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

Lost Art of Letter Writing

                                                                                       (artofmanliness)

            Do you remember the last time you wrote someone a letter? No, not an email or a text message or homework assignment, a real, handwritten with pen and paper letter and mailed in a stamped envelope….. EXACTLY.

            In the age of emails and texting, the art of letter writing seems to be dying. We have become so obsessed with the “faster the better” instant communication that the idea of letter writing seems ancient. And whether you realize it or not, there is an immense setback within the loss of the letter. From snail mail to email, it seems our world has lost touch with the art that is infused in such tangible communication.  From the loss of the letter, we have lost the genuine art and creativity that comes with letter writing. We have lost the basic need to design and to mentally challenge our imaginations for aesthetic appeal.

            Email has destroyed creativity that touches the senses. You cannot smell an email like you can smell the floral scent on a beautifully, hand written letter. You cannot appreciate the aesthetic appeal of the words written down. Emails take away the senses, touch, taste, smell, and hear, and only gives you the sight of those sans sarif text boxes electronically sent to your inbox. Email takes communication that used to be so personalized, so creative in thought and structure, and stabs the art right through the computer.

            What happened to the importance of time and distance? How the feelings of waiting for the mail could spark up an idea or ignite the imagination to run wild with the thoughts of what would be in the letter to come. What happened to the lasting, ephemoral art of touch and for keepsake memory? The magic and power of the pen writer has decreased its importance in today’s email world. But art shouldn’t be rushed. It is an unfinished process. Just like designing a pen pal letter, it is an ongoing continuous process and the novel language is constantly mended and revised.

            A letter is a personal thing, whether its for that special someone or for the sake of communicating your feelings. They matter so much in such an increasingly impersonal world, and also because they take time and effort to produce. Letters are a design, an art form above the rest. It is the original forms of design, as in the latin origin, “signare” design is “mark making.” Letters are truly the origin of design as we know it today.

            Where would society be without letters? Our writers never would have transformed into narratives and poetry. Letters stemed the art of novels and recorded information. And in contemporary thought, looking to popular songs, and music artists, were directly influenced by the love “letter.” "Please, Mr. Postman," "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter," "P.S. I Love You").  Creativity is immersed and inspiration is found in all types of these writings from letters to music to art because they all connect to aesthetic novelty. Creativity is usually about new ideas. But there is a great deal of value locked up in old ideas and older ways of communicating, like the “letter.” It is part of creativity to find and use that value. But how can you visually possess the magic and beauty that a letter portrays in an email?

            So next time you are going to write your friend an email, think about all the artistic and elusive qualities you will lose. Save your inbox, write a real letter!

What Inspires you?

     What inspires you creatively? For me it can be the shiny cover of a magazine spread, my family, the colors and textures on a new pair of stilettos, or especially the beauty that lies in nature. One company that has such inspirational and creative ideas is Anthropologie. Their dreamy window displays take you to a place of wonder and amazement.         

     Anthropologie’s team of artists are truly expert designers in their use of ordinary things in extraordinary ways. Many national stores are enslaved with their branding that they lose all sense of the magic of individuality that emerges through a brand’s image. Unlike national stores, Anthropologie’s shop has its own small team of artists that do all of the display at their location. Graphic designers, painters, and sculptors all work together to create the unique designs you see on display. Just like the elements in “stone soup” the team of artists use the essence of everyday items and transform them into such whimsical visual displays for clothing. I absolutely adore Anthropologie’s aesthetic design, and you will too when you see such creativity without boundaries. And in a world where environment and sustainability are such a huge topic, Anthropologie’s ethics are apparent in their window diplays’ use of sustainable items in ground-breaking layouts.

     Anthropologie likes to focus on the change of seasons that affect the style of clothing as well. In one season, their teams are focusing on larger than life, woven, wooden sculptures and spent over six weeks to come up with their shop’s individual take on the idea.
     During the rainy seasons, a wonderfully innovative use and re-use of water bottles, sprayed in spring tones and cut as if flowers emerging after the rains, have been a popular window design.

     This really is a clever idea and I am pleased to see the re-use of an otherwise discarded material and perhaps proof that we don’t necessarily need large budgets to create an innovative visual strategy for selling clothes.

     Here, it is spring and that means the backdrop around the clothes must encapture the mood and feelings associated with spring right?

     This fascinating window display is made of suspended plastic storage bags filled with soil and plants and other plants that grew from seed or bulb there in the window.

     And when the harsh winter rolls around, how does Anthropologie warm up their customers? With hot chocolate and cascading marshmallows ofcourse! Marshmallows falling into mugs for hot chocolate and paper dolie snowflakes, will do the job. This does a great job in attracting customers and giving them nostalgia for those Wintery Wonderland days.

     But their creativity besides through the seasons has also been influenced by words, genres, letters, and themes...

                   Cup of t anyone?

     Even using pages and books can transform into a beautiful breathtaking flower...

     Brighten up today, and use honey bottles as a source of inspiration for the love of color hues, like      Anthopologie's window display here. 

      Or ride the ocean waves of newspapers and be inspired by the motion and coming to life that your mediums can personify...

                                    Even a ball of yarn and needles can send for a masterpiece.

What inspires you?

Dance to Inspire, Inspire to Dance

Creativity From Without

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder You get your fill to eat

But always keep that hunger May you never take one single breath for granted

God forbid love ever leave you empty handed I hope you still feel small

When you stand by the ocean

Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens

Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance Never settle for the path of least resistance  Living might mean taking chances But they're worth taking

Lovin' might be a mistake But it's worth making Don't let some hell bent heart Leave you bitter

When you come close to selling out Reconsider

Give the heavens above More than just a passing glance And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance I hope you dance

Time is real and in constant motion always

I hope you dance

Rolling us along

I hope you dance

Tell me who wants to look back on their youth and wonder,

where those years have gone…

            These words sung by the lips of Lee Ann Womack have become a classic inspiration and cherished memory in the hearts of music lovers worldwide. Written by Tia Sillers, in an interview with Songwriter Universe magazine, she explains that she was going through a painful divorce when she wrote this song. Said Sillers: "For 'I Hope You Dance,' I had written the opening line, 'I hope you never lose your sense of wonder. I had just broken up with someone, going through a brutal divorce. I needed to get away, so I went to a beach on the Florida Gulf Coast. Sitting on the beach and reflecting about the break-up, I felt so small and inconsequential. But out of this difficult time came the inspiration to write 'I Hope You Dance.' As I was leaving the beach, I remember thinking that things weren't really so bad, that I would get through it. That's when I came up with the line, 'I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean.'”

            Time itself, can inspire an art or spark a creative thought, just like the aesthetic beauty of Tia Sillers lyrics. Because she doesn’t obviously go right out and say what she means, this song has a greater effect. Her use of indirect semantics creates a deeper emotional effect toward the song. Her word choice sets a specific mood all because of the organization and design of the lyrics.

            Tia is a great example of an artist who finds creativity outside her self.

                                                                     (alvinslaughter.net)

Simply strolling along the beach and finding the beauty of life through nature can be more inspiring then one’s own thoughts, which are mostly bits and pieces of appropriated ideas. This song is about taking chances and not being afraid to try something new. The way she puts her music together makes me feel a certain way and design is all about feeling inspiration. The simple chorus line, “I hope you dance” made it a memorable classic. As an artist who found creativity outside her self, just sitting on the ocean inspired her art. To find creativity from without and then connect it to the bigger picture like Tia does, can make a change. If someone is also going through similar problems, listening to this song will suddenly change their mood because of her words. And because of their changed mood, their desire to take action is created. A woman has been inspired by the world, a song has been crafted, listeners have been moved by the art form, and a call to action has taken place.  I know when I hear this song, the lyrics and sound inspires me because it is also a work of art, an expressive metaphor. Like Tia, Eddie Uehara uses his artform as a motivational metaphor. Eddie Uehara, "Dance to Inspire, Inspire to Dance"         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ALtIwy77RU 

         “I hope you dance.” Music is everywhere: the sound of falling water, the rustle of leaves, the call of wild birds, even the sound of rush-hour traffic is a kind of soundtrack to your life. Life is a “dance” from one stage to the next. You dance through life and you are the choreographer to plan and design that dance.

          Words put to sound and rhythm can inspire, dancing is an art form that can express what words cannot, and (painting, sculpting...) tangible art is a design, which music and dance cannot. No matter what type of artistic form used, each is a magical tool that has created the past and will design the future. Creativity around us is reality-changing.

         

Stone Soup for the Creative Soul

         This past Tuesday was a day for Stone Soup! What used to be a folk tale laid in my hands as a group challenge to transform a melting pot of materials into a whole. My group and I set out to nature and became inspired not by our individual materials, but by our natural surroundings. We each laid out our materials on the grass. Looking around, every item looked random and diverse. We all immediately got out our sketchbooks and each came up with some ideas for our intended creation. Little did we know that our minds would all gravitate towards a tree as the centerpiece.

            So we all became stimulated and inspired by this tree and in turn gathered our materials and ran with our concepts.  It was interesting to note that the ideas formed from the start of the challenge changed to be totally different in the end. In the end, we merged our ideas into the electricity of a tree. How there is so much energy and creativity in the structure and underneath the bark. This stone soup challenge tested our abilities to work as a team while staying true to our individual designers’ at heart. I believe we succeeded in creating a solid concept in addition to using each and everyone’s ideas combined to one ephemeral piece of art.

            Stone soup to me, started as a challenge, but ended as inspiration. It wasn’t the end, but the process. It was the little bit of unintentional spark within the process that created a design, an innovative indulgence.  I believe the ideas behind “stone soup” can give any designer that extra muse. Since it is so important to observe design from all different angles, obtaining inspiration from outside one’s mind can unlock new forms of creativity. And like the saying goes, “Two minds are greater then one.” 

Intentional Design in Front of Your Windshield

                                                                                (google images)

     

     American Apparel might be the hot fashion craze on the market, but their excessive spending on advertising and marketing have cost them their preservation of success in the near future. When you’re driving down the highway and passing all those obnoxious billboards, all of a sudden you see the erotic female figure of an American Apparel Ad; How unforgettable! While American Apparel openly exploits sexuality, it is constantly challenging the boundaries of the fashion industry with their controversial tactics for advertising and marketing their brand. However, while American Apparel is a fashion craze among many, with them being over $91 million in debt, they were facing the very real possibility that its 280 stores would be shuttered within the next few months. Now, however, British firm Lion Capital has changed the terms of its lending policy so that American Apparel can stay in the game. According to the terms of the new agreement, American Apparel must make a pre-tax profit of $20 million over the 12 months ending Jan. 31, and must earn $80 million by September 2013. This does not sound like an easy task.

 "Retail is hard right now," American Apparel's controversial CEO Dov Charney says, "I'm not alone in this. You have to work for every dollar, you have to work on the merchandise, make sure the product mix is perfect and the allocation is right. It's a tough market right now."

     On the positive, I hope they can rekindle their flame because their products can easily be articulated and allow much subjectivity for its consumers, in the creative aspect of style and everyday fashion. While they sell basic underwear and basic commodities, their sexualized marketing strategies make American Apparel a walking contradiction. Yet, it is this provocative imagery and racy advertisements that are intentionally designed, which make consumers remember their name. With their wide range of colors and cuts, their promotion of domestically produced and sweatshop free image, American Apparel aims to cater to numerous types of consumers, aiming to create unity within the brand.

      The company symbolizes sexuality as a form of agency for consumers to articulate the simple but sexy American Apparel style. They also designed sustainable shirts for the ethical consumers. The company may price its products fairly high, but compared to similar brands, competitors don’t have the standards and the morals behind their clothes that American Apparel does. While their clothing is basic and simple, but with a hint of suggestiveness, their ads are provocative, controversial and erotic. It is in the racy ads that the line between selling clothes and sex begins to blur, which is very appealing to the youthful generation. I admire how the company’s open embrace of sex is an integral part of its brand image, and it so clearly shows through the numerous ads.  “Yes there’s shock value to these ads-that’s what our advertising strategy is about” (Dov Charney). The attention the ads create is exactly what the company wants. American Apparel has worked hard at creating an image for itself that is “soaked in youth and sex” (Dov Charney). Although media would argue against their conflicting ideas, I think that these contradictions are what make American Apparel so ingenious and unpredictable. 

    

     It is now up to American Apparel to get their act together, focus less on their sexual aspects that have caused such controversy and start to focus on preserving their stores from being demolished off the face of the fashion world. 

      

What is Design?

                                (easylifeproductions.co.uk)

          What is Design? What kind of question is that? How does one ponder such a basic word that is used in almost every aspect of our lives? Yet, design is so simple it is complex. Design is complex simplicity. Such intangibility must be felt with the senses. Design is like Love, it must be felt with the heart and carry a burning desire for one; One person, one idea, one concept, one inspiration.  As cliché as love might be, design is also everywhere. From the structure of a traffic light, to the window display of a store front, to a restaurant dessert tray, to a T.V. show, to a flock of birds, design is a piece of it all.  It is an experience, a skill, a passion for many.

            Emotions are effected by design. In order to understand the world, and learn new things, pleasurable aesthetics of any object induce emotion.  Which in turn inspires design. When I ponder a problem, it is obvious to search for the fastest solution. Design is the process of finding the best solution or answer. The ambiguity of this process is intentional and complex. How tremendous are the possibilities within the realm of creation and innovation.

            When pondering this question, it is important to note one huge aspect about design. It is vital to notice not only what design is, but more importantly what it isn’t. I have discussed what I believe design is, but the real truth lies in what it can’t do. Design is a language all its own and can support a thought or idea. But design can only exist when someone believes in the vision. Design comes in at the end of any answer or process. It is that last lit candle at the end of the tunnel. Design is the aftermath of a tornado. Yet, design could just be planted in the mind, an inception of truth, after all. 

First Memories of Design

      (preciousmoments.com)

Design Through Past Perceptions

     The thought of design touched my soul from the very beginnings of my childhood; My coloring book. The vivid imagery of the pages within my “Precious Moment” books came to take hold of my creative desires. Just the sight of the glossy edges of the cover, stimulated my desire to immediately grab a marker or colored pencil. The pre-made facial expressions on each page transformed my ideas into a consistent rhythm. While the clothes were stylized, their silhouette against each background was a design all its own. Yet, the simple lines and structure of coloring books never limited my art. I was never the type to obey those unspoken rules of coloring in the lines. (The universal laws of coloring in the lines versus outside of the premade images never occurred to the little girl who was entranced in ignorant bliss.) I was in the realm of concept; An idea where boundaries were limitless. The colors in any children’s book were tasteful, and could transform a flat object into an emotion. The array of pastels could set a mood.  The coloring book started as an idea and grew into an inspiration, a concept into the realm of imagination and infinite possibilities.  This book could not only shed light to my own creative muse, but it tapped into my hopes and dreams. Through the endless pages, comes a new idea for each drawing. This coloring book can give any creative youngster a step into the path of personal, intrinsic design.  As a child, you are bombarded with restrictions, rules, authority, so how must one indulge into their creativity? These coloring books did it for me. I discovered that even a simple drawing book with the restricted pictorial lines can have a way out, a design all its own. The girl with the marker, I had the authority in my own hand, my own world.  So I doodled and gained this experience, which sparked my love for design. I designed the world, my way, one coloring book at a time.