4 Loko Informational Design

                                                                  (Google Images)

           Halloween is here. How appropriate. Could the world be any scarier? Ghosts, Goblins, and Four Lokos roam the streets...

            With all the crazy parties in the life of a college kid, what has really got the media's attention is the Four Loko beverage. The alcoholic energy drink, Four Loko, is sweeping college campus's. Yes, it is cheap and definitely gets you drunk, but we are now seeing that it can cause heart failures and parties gone wrong. Twenty-four students were hospitalized in New Jersey. (CBS News) Nine freshmen girls in central Washington got sent to the ER. Attackers in a brutal anti-gay gang crime in the Bronx reportedly forced a victim to down 10 cans of the stuff. A student accidentally shoots himself after drinking three cans. An 18-year-old girl, dies after drinking Four Loko with diet pills (The New York Times). And a naked intruder, who passed out on a woman’s couch in Florida, said the last thing he remembered was drinking one.
           This alcoholic energy drink is intentionally designed to boost up your energy and get you that head rush. However, the intentional, but very subtle and indirect informational design of these beverages are taking it to problematic effects. "College is the fountain of knowledge and the students come here to drink."  So while people have been talking about the negative aspects of the drink, they have failed to notice how cool it looks, which is why it is sending teens straight to the liquor stores to purchase these fun looking, "black out in a can" drinks.

            Looking at the visual representation of Four Loko, it stands out, it’s bright and colorful. So why wouldn't it be good? The can design alone makes it difficult to identify it as an alcoholic beverage. The marketing team succeeds in reaching to its target market of teens and college kids worldwide with their advertisements and more significantly, they actual logo and informative design. Four Loko's visual literacy of the contents proves how the informational design is so vital to a product. For Four Loko specifically, standard drink labeling would greatly help the issue.  Each Four Loko contains about 5 standard drinks, for example. So a person drinking two is drinking 10 drinks. Even a simple "5 Standard" kind of label would do a lot more for a consumer's understanding of how much they are drinking than the current Alcoholic Beverage Volume. With the current ABV, a person has to do a lot of math to get to the bottom line on how many drinks are in this can? And by the time they figure it out, they’ve probably already reached their “blackout phase” in the can.

                                                   tasonline.cz.cc

          All thanks to the can’s ultimate design, this drink neglects to inform the consumer of the impact this drink can have on the drinker considering how strong it is. 


          It clearly states on the can in very bold contrasting colors “We ID”, “12% Alcohol”, and “Contains Alcohol”. Sure, as consumers we clearly understand that this product contains alcohol, but we are not aware of how powerful and intense this product really is. Almost every major alcohol company has their fun fruity drinks like the hard lemonades, coconut pineapple, fruity ice coolers, etc. Drinks like this have been around and where nightlife cocktails of vodka + energy drink is so popular.  

          
          This company definitely jumped on the band wagon and put out a trendy product, which is totally reasonable. But what Four Loko has failed to do is explain the vast amount of alcohol this beverage contains. I understand that they have 12% alcohol stamped on it, but to an uneducated drinker this means nothing. “The average beer has around 4.5% alcohol and comes in 12 ounces. The Four Loko is 12% alcohol and comes in a 24 ounce can. Drinking one Four Loko is equivalent to drinking a six pack of beer.” With such faulty informational design, its no wonder Four Loko has got drinkers going Loko, and waking up, wondering what happened last night?

Utensified

A knife: Not just a Utensil....

         A knife is one of the most basic tools of mankind craftsmanship. And more importantly, a knife is a perfect example of an object that’s form is truly for its function no unnessary parts. A knife marks man’s raw craft into the long stick form, edges for cutting and made of media that suits all our dishwashers. Yet, something that was once handcrafted, is now so mass-produced that the individuality and differentiation is gone. Knifes today are so stipped of ther aesthetic appeal that these utensils often go unnoticed. However, I am luck my brother has preserved one of the few still artistic pieces of the past.        

        Here, this knife has kept its story and truth behind its beautiful aesthetic décor. The engraved and sculpted floral design adds texture and the continuation of the metal grooves fit perfectly in the hand-which I’m sure the maker did intentionally because even the aeshetics relate to the form and function on the knife. Yet it also has a story.  Every object has a story to tell and can bring meaning into reality. For my brother, this knife was his girlfriends, and every time he uses it, he is reminded of the memory, when she “jabbed” his heart.

         On a much light note, this knife makes me feel inspired and reminded that even the tiniest inconspicuous objects of basic design can still be beautiful and innovative, that everything I touch on a daily basis, has been carefully crafted and designed. As a utensil for function, this simplistic object can be molded and transformed into such unity into a kitchen set. Or balanced between the place mats on a dining room table. The functionalities are endless for this utensil, weapon, tool...

     

Objectified: Form and Content

        Our society cannot live without the objects that make up our everyday lives. If we didn’t have any non-living items in the world, what would we all do with ourselves? We would go absolutely crazy, so as a society, culture, we tend to give meaning to such inanimate objects. We give value to the invaluable. In the documentary, Objectified, Gary Hustwit illustrates this idea, regarding the way manufactured design and the objects we use every day without even thinking about them affect our lives and become a part of our stories.

            This really begins to make sense once you realize that from the moment we wake up almost everything that fills our world has been designed in some way. From the gardening sheer, to the post-it note, the things we use every day come from someone who created them for a specific purpose in a very intentional way.  Although we barely think about the objects we use other then the fact that, “hey I bought this, lemme use it,” these objects tremendously improve, affect our efficiency and practicalities of our lives and they also make a statement about who we are.

                                                                                                         (google images)

         One of the most important and influential objects in our lives is the “car.” What was once a handcrafted product has now become a mass-produced design. The form of a car was intentionally introduced to society for improving transportation in a growing industrialized nation. However, it quickly become mass-produced and the handcrafted, individualistic design diminished, just like that of the Briar Pipe, now stripped of uniqueness for mass-production. Yet, nowadays, your identity is often linked to the car you drive. Again, we have put value and meaning to objects like metal and paint, to a car. How ridiculous, or is it?

            Yet it is the elements of design, the medium that directly interacts with our own ideas and assumptions about value and functionality. And these values are culture driven, so it makes sense that our car-obsessed culture puts great valuable meaning on these objects we’ve brought into our lives. Even the look and feel of the “car”, its smooth sleek sides and massive protective body reflects how the feel=form and the form=purpose.  And it is then in the context of usage for the object that reflects the content of its form. Where will you use it? Why? For Whom? It is vital to note how the content within the culture effects how the objects designed give such external agency through the design of its form and how it is used. In Social Scientist, George Simmel’s words, "culture refers to the cultivation of individuals through the agency of external forms which have been objectified in the course of history." Simmel presented his analyses within a context of 'form' and ‘content’ which shows how form and content have such a transient relationship.  “Simmel discussed social and cultural phenomena in terms of "forms" and "contents" with a transient relationship; form becoming content, and vice versa, dependent on the context.” In a way, you could say the interactions of form and content, are also of that between art and life.

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?