Video Game Design: Dangerous?

Image from:  http://moneygamerz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/violent-games-hb3004-bill.jpg

Violent video games have been linked to aggressive behavior and crime.  Game design can have lasting effects on individuals.  Players can get so caught up in the virtual reality of a video game, they begin to relate it to their actual lives.  The design of the weapons, characters, actions, settings etc. are often so realistic that gamers can  project themselves in the game.  In year 2005, a story surfaced about the murder of three men, two of which were police officers, in Fayette, Alabama.  The design of a video game called Grand Theft Auto was to blame.  Apparently the shooter, Devin Moore, acted straight out of a scene from the game.  A 60 minutes story explains that, "A suit filed by the families of two of his victims claims that Moore acted out a scenario found in Grand Theft Auto: The player is a street thug trying to take over the city. In one scenario, the player can enter a police precinct, steal a uniform, free a convict from jail, escape by shooting police, and flee in a squad car."  (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/17/60minutes/main702599.shtml) It was said that the video game trained Moore to act as he did.  
This is one example of design imposing danger.  The design of so many different things are crucial for safety.  If the video game had been designed less violent, perhaps the murders wouldn't have happened.

Complete Streets: Aiming to Improve Society

Design affects our surrounding world; it affects people's everyday lives.  In some cases, design is utopian, aiming to improve society.  This is the case for a coalition called Complete Streets. The National Complete Streets Coalition's goal is to change the orientation of streets away from primarily being designed for cars.    It was funded by Bikers Belong Coalition and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, who are advocates for biking and walking.  

So what IS a "complete street"?  A complete street is designed for safety and accessibility for ALL users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, disabled persons, cars, and public transit riders of all ages and abilities.  The Complete Street website states that complete streets could include,  "sidewalks, bike lanes (or wide paved shoulders), special bus lanes, comfortable and accessible transit stops, frequent crossing opportunities, median islands, accessible pedestrian signals, curb extensions, and more." (http://www.completestreets.org/complete-streets-fundamentals/complete-streets-faq/)  

Here is an example of a complete street.

Image from:  http://www.easterdayconstruction.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Complete-Streets-Example-Picture.jpg

The design of complete streets is utopian because it aims to improve society in a few different ways.  First, complete streets provide safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and disabled persons.  According to Transportation for America and the Surface Transportation Policy Project, there were over 76,000 pedestrian deaths in the U.S. in the last 15 years.  St. Petersburg, Florida used to be one of the most dangerous places for pedestrians traveling the streets because of poor road design.  Now, after implementing smart design and techniques to prevent pedestrian deaths, the fatalities are half of what they used to be.  (http://thenationshealth.aphapublications.org/content/39/10/1.1.full)  With adequate and comfortable space for all users, there is greatly increased safety.

Promoting alternative modes of transportation in a place, such as walking and biking, increase physical activity of the residents.  Physical activity is important, we all know that, but the amount of increased physical activity due to manual transportation is surprising.  The Complete Street website reports that, "One study found that 43% of people with safe places to walk within 10 minutes of home met recommended activity levels; among individuals without safe place to walk, just 27% were active enough." 

 Another way complete streets improve society is addressing climate change and oil dependency.  People making more trips on foot or bicycle rather than oil dependent motorized vehicles will significantly lower carbon emissions.

Complete streets also lead to stronger communities.  With safe, comfortable routes for people not in cars, they are more likely to communicate.  These well-designed streets encourage community pride and involvement.  Complete streets are clearly, for many reasons, utopian design.

Color Transforms

Adding color to this photograph changes its whole look.  This is obvious.  In grayscale the photograph loses half of what makes it so captivating: the cheery spring colors.  Color transforms the design to feel more warm and inviting.

Color, however, is subjective. Take the following two alterations of this photograph for example:

Color theory suggests that a color is not stable.  Its appearance is dependent on factors such as light and shadows.  “Warm” and “cool” are adjectives used to describe colors in terms of sensation, which we can relate to physical objects.  The top picture is transformed into a warm tone.  Its “temperature” leans more towards red.  The warm colors of this design are suggestive of afternoon sunlight, warm weather, etc.  The bottom picture is transformed into a cool tone.  Its “temperature” leans more towards blue.  The cool colors of this design are contrarily suggestive of brisk morning weather, frost, winter, etc.

The variations of color of the same photograph completely transform its feeling and temperature.  However, the grass's shade of green can be perceived very differently from viewer to viewer.  Color, again proving itself subjective.  The density, size, scale, physical structure of the viewer's eye, intensity, and interactions will change colors and transform their appearances.

The Ergonomics of the Jeep Wrangler

Image from:  http://cars.cozot.com/coches/us/2010/08/13/90752.jpg

The 5 areas of ergonomics research include safety, comfort, ease of use, performance, and aesthetics; in that order.   

Beginning with safety, the 2010 Jeep Wrangler’s ratings have pros and cons.  The driver and passenger protection in a frontal crash is very good, 5 stars in fact (according to the federal government).  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, or the IIHS, conducted a frontal offset crash test for the Jeep.  The dummy’s position after the test indicated survival space maintained.  The dummy’s head hit only on the head restraint.  The right leg was the only body part marked ‘acceptable’ versus ‘good’ in this crash test.   

Image from http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/safety.aspx?year=2010&make=Jeep&model=Wrangler&trimid=-1

The Jeep Wrangler’s side airbags are optional, making it a safety issue.  The IIHS ranked side impact tests’ safety as ‘poor.’  Another safety issue of the Jeep Wrangler is that they have 27 percent chance of rollover. (http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Jeep_Wrangler/Safety/)  It was assigned only 3 stars out of 5 for passenger injury protection in the rollover test.  Jeep’s safety feature for the chance of rolling is the roll bar.  It generally protects passengers very well from injury in the case of a rollover accident.

The next aspect of this vehicle to consider is its comfort.  Is it designed for passenger’s ergonomic comfort?  Some consider the Jeep Wrangler an uncomfortable car.  It is a sport-utility vehicle, designed more for performance.  Older models of Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, for example, are a bumpy and noisy ride.  Jeep’s 2010 Wrangler Unlimited model, however, has added interior comfort features which were not incorporated in many previous models.  There are one touch power windows and power locks, and the doors are still reportedly easy to remove.  There are convenient seat adjustments for driver and passenger comfort, and the interior cabin has improved insulation for a quiet ride. 

Jeep Wrangler 2010.
  Image from http://www.jeep.com/en/2010/wrangler_unlimited/interior/comfort/

Ease of Use.  The Jeep Wrangler has features and accessories which are quite easy to use.  The navigation and audio system installed in newest versions of the Jeep Wrangler are reportedly some of the easiest to function.  The doors and roof are fairly easy to remove and replace, since Jeep owners like to transform their vehicles often.  Jeep replacement parts, such as roof racks, soft doors, or side mirrors, ensure long life and ease of use.  Complaints about Jeep Wranglers include poor fuel economy and not easy to use with young children and car seats.

Performance is one area of ergonomics that the Jeep Wrangler takes pride in.  This sport-utility vehicle is designed for off-roading.  “This SUV's lineage goes back more than 60 years to the original military "Jeep," the now-legendary 4x4 that transported World War II soldiers and supplies over very rough terrain,” one review reads.  (http://www.edmunds.com/jeep/wrangler/review.html)  Although newer models are adding safety and convenience features, their off-road capabilities are the same.  “Crawl ratios” refer to the combined first gear x low range x axle ratio.  They are incredibly high in Jeep Wranglers, which means low speed and lots of control for crawling over rocks and obstacles.  The Rubicon model has a crawl ratio of 73.1. (http://www.jeep.com/en/2010/wrangler/capability/off_road_performance/) 

Image from http://www.gilmoremotors.com/images/Jeep_w2.jpg

 The Jeep Wrangler has very unique aesthetics.  With its boxy shape, and its distinct roll cage, the Wrangler is a one-of-a-kind.  It looks like it is made for driving across the great outdoors.  It can come in a variety of colors, and models.  Although aesthetics are last on the list of ergonomic importance, Jeep Wranglers are well-designed in terms of appearance.  So much so that I would say the Jeep is an icon for off-roading. 

Organic Design

Fashion design is not missing a beat on the urgency of eco-friendly trends.  Sustainability has to be top on the list in all industries in order to put a halt on the harm of the Earth.  Fashion industry included.  It is of growing importance to members of today’s society to support Earth-friendly designs.  Patagonia strives for improving the Earth's dire situation through their clothing company.  Their website reads, "Our definition of quality includes a mandate for building products and working with processes that cause the least harm to the environment."

One type of sustainable fabric Patagonia designs for clothing items is made from bamboo.  Bamboo is considered a sustainable crop because it is fast-growing, and it is mostly organically grown, requiring no irrigation or fertilizers.  (http://www.ecouterre.com/how-eco-friendly-is-bamboo-fabric-really/)  The concerns with using bamboo fabrics are the chemical processes and the conversion to rayon (a state between natural and synthetic).  Patagonia does not use these environment-harming methods to create fabric from bamboo.  Instead they have eco-friendly hemp products that can work the same. 

The outdoors clothing company, Patagonia, isn’t the only one concerned with designing apparel with organic material.  The fair trade organic clothing company, People Tree, won the 2010 Global Fashion Awards’ Most Sustainable Brand.  “People Tree is being recognized for being able to deliver Change + be a catalyst for change in the fashion industry.” (http://www.peopletreemagazine.co.uk/uncategorized/7297/%E2%80%98best-sustainable-brand%E2%80%99-at-the-wgsn-global-fashion.html)  Both of these companies’ styles aim for organic clothing that fits in with fashion trends. Here are a few examples:

Monet Dress. People Tree. Fairtrade certified cotton. Image from http://www.peopletree.co.uk/products/monet-dress/

Women's Down With It Vest. Patagonia. 100% All-Recycled Polyester.
Image from http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/patagonia-womens-down-with-it-vest?p=28395-0-155 

On the other hand, Recycle Bin Designers, a small retailer with the motto of “walking lightly on the earth,” designs pieces which embrace the “hippy” Earth-friendly aspect of their clothes and show it.  They are pieces inspired by the 60’s made mostly out of hemp. Hemp is sustainable because it is fast-growing, can be grown without chemicals, and is 100% biodegradable.  Owner, and designer, Tifany Hoffman explains that, “As a designer I have the chance to help relieve the negative impact on our earth by making sustainable clothing and products. I have the chance to make a difference for the peoples of this world by choosing socially conscious ways of producing products.”  (http://www.happyhippie.com/recycle-bin-designs.html)  This is one of Recycle Bin Designers' retro designs:

Hemp Akina Pants. Recycle Bin Designers.
Image from http://www.happyhippie.com/recycle-bin-designs.html

An Excellent Movie Trailer Benefiting From the Combination of Words and Images

Movie trailers are a chance for the film to catch the public’s attention and create a buzz preceding its release.  Trailers are great examples of conjoining words and images.  The trailer for the film Slumdog Millionaire is an illustration of this.  

Video from: http://markc1.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/cancer_comic.jpg

The movie is based on the T.V. game show, ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.’  The beginning of the trailer uses words arranged in a parallel format of the well-known show.  The twist, however, is that the content of those words is setting up the plot of the movie for the trailer rather than asking an actual question like the show would do.  Meanwhile, the images being shown are introducing characters and setting.  The rest of the trailer continues to use the juxtaposition of words and images/ video clips.  The important segments from the voiceover are displayed as words, followed by action sequences from the film.  The written out narrative to the movie advertisement emphasize the things the producers want their audience to pay attention to and remember.  This aspect combined with the intriguing taste of video the movie will feature captures a viewer’s interest.  I think this trailer is a fine example of the importance of both words and images brought together.  

Album Covers: The Epitome of Words + Images

The design of an album cover often describes musicians and their style.  Some artists are even identified by their album covers because they become iconic.  What is a better example of fusing words with images than album cover design?  Here are several examples of creative album covers that play with the combination of the words and images: 

Image from: http://grungehouse.com/cd_cover/album-cover-047.htm

Image from: http://content9.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/www.thetoyzone.com/img/37763893-9DD3-4A7A-A914-9113163ACCD6

Image from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0D0uTktqHUp319EnEA3FGjea32omIbCkjZ9xS_glNSKdEWARem2RnQNHJMvpow3N08hxNiQVqYLEIxF_GeXyjIpktAXYU1_QJ3schrWhvjz9gLNc1G67pdJ6xm7VYLKDssDRX5wR2Ro/s1600/bruce-springsteen-born-in-the-usa-6.jpg

Image from:  http://image.kazaa.com/images/19/888880162519/Joshua_Radin/We_Were_Here/Joshua_Radin-We_Were_Here_3.jpg

Image from: http://backseatcuddler.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/topalbums1.jpg

Led Zeppelin’s ‘Physical Graffiti’ album cover intrigues me.  It was confusing, trying to make sense of the individual letters in the windows of the building.  Then, once I figured out that was the title of the album spaced out in that way, I appreciated the time it made me spend analyzing the composition of word and image.

The font from The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ album cover matches the abstract depiction of a submarine.  The selection of font and layout creates aesthetically appealing gestalt for the cover.

The combination of word and image in Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ album cover is simple yet significant.  The color chosen for the words connect them with the image of the American flag.  It is an engaging use of word and image.

Joshua Radin’s ‘We Were Here’ album cover is a playful fusion of word and image.  His name is scratched into the image of the door, and the album’s title is print on the image of a doorknob hanger; combining the two elements into a single idea.

The font from Lady Gaga’s album, ‘Just Dance,’ ties into its theme (of clubs, partying, etc.) It was a significant choice because without it, her photo does not describe the whole mood of the album.

Brian Fies: Combining Word and Image for a Living

Brian Fies gave a guest-lecture in class November 2^nd.    He is a graphic novelist.  Using words alongside images is what he does.  Fies’ has had two graphic novels published: ‘Mom’s Cancer’ (http://www.momscancer.com/) and ‘Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow’ (http://www.abramsbooks.com/Books/Whatever_Happened_to_the_World_of_Tomorrow_-9780810996366.html).  Fies talked about the importance of the conjunction of these two elements in his lecture.  He emphasized how neither the pictures nor words of his graphic novels have meaning without the other.  I really liked an analogy Brian made during his lecture; it gave me a clearer understanding on the relationship between words and images.  He described comics in terms of rock music.  Lyrics and music are the two aspects of a rock song, and words and images are the two aspects of a comic.  If standing alone, these two aspects of a rock song are often boring and repetitive; but, when mashed together they can create a legend.  Just like a rock song, the two aspects of a comic complement each other to create the brilliant product.  Here is an image from Fies’ book, ‘Mom’s Cancer’:

Image from:  http://markc1.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/cancer_comic.jpg

This sample of the book exemplifies Fies’ clever use of image and word.  The image aspect of this strip depicts his mom’s decreasing health through the cancer process.  The quote bubbles tell Mom’s different views of getting cancer from smoking.  The drawings send a message to the viewer, but without the words, the true meaning is lost.

The Bike Seat... 'Objectified'

So many objects are industrially designed and mass produced so well, that we hardly ever stop to think, "Why is this like this and not another way?"  Take the bicycle seat for example.  There are various types of seats for different purposes.  For all racing bikes, the seats are quite small and hard.  They seem uncomfortable to me, someone who rides a cruiser with a big cushy bike seat.  But, when I asked a UC Davis bicyclist the reasons behind the racing bike seats design, he told me they were that way because they are lighter, they don't get in the way of your peddling legs, and they absorb bounces.  I had never considered the design of my cruiser's seat.  It was created for comfort... while cruising along.  They can be this way because there is no urgency for lighter bike parts or design for speed.  In the industry, however, designers plot out every decision in creating various seats.  They are then mass produced once a product is suitable for merchandise, and consumers like us sometimes never think about the intense design process that went in to creating the seat for the bike we purchase.

Shoe Design

Toms shoes won the 2007 People's Design Award.  The winners of this award are chosen online via a popularity contest.  Toms shoes were created by entrepreneur, Blake Mycoskie in 2006.  So what made these shoes such a sensation? Why did this particular canvas shoe design win the People's Design Award?  Pictured below is the shoe with a simple dark blue canvas.

Toms shoes are unique.  They are created from light weight canvas, but still have a protective rubber sole underneath.  Their simplicity adds to their design qualities.  A bit of background info helps understand the creation of Toms, and the answers to my previously asked questions.  Just in case you're out of the loop on this shoe sensation, Blake Mycoskie founded this company to provide shoes for those without in third world countries.  Toms is a non profit organization which actually donates one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased.  Mycoskie found inspiration for his shoe design from the Pyrenees originating design called the espadrilles.  Espadrilles are made from eco-friendly jute (a vegetable fiber) woven to create the sole, with cotton or canvas tops.   A picture of this inspirational shoe is below:

They come in many patterns as do Toms shoes. Here is a picture of variations of Espadrilles with a good view of the woven sole details.

http://www.faqs.org/photo-dict/phrase/7969/espadrilles.html

Toms shoes were an innovative design and really caught on to be such a sensation because of their contributive business model.

Form and Content

Gary Hustwit's film, "Objectified," analyzes the design of everyday objects.  We are surrounded by mass produced objects that we use in our daily lives without giving a thought.  Design is implemented in every object we interact with, whether we realize it or not.  "Objectified"  brings this fact to light by presenting a perspective we, consumers, usually never see: behind the scenes of industrial design.  The film takes the content  of everyday objects and puts it in the form of objects of design in the form of a documentary.  I enjoyed this film because it made me realize how much effort is put into designing everyday objects.  Who knew there was so much behind the design of yard tools?  Maximum comfort for all potential users is key, while considering effectiveness.

Comparison and Contrast

Personal style. It varies on many levels from one artist to the next. Comparing and contrasting personal style in various classes I’m taking is quite amusing. It is fun to see and appreciate styles that are different from mine. For example, in Design 1, we make quick sketches every lecture. Then, in small groups we hold our drawing pads up and look at each other’s work. Some have a very realistic style, some focus more on the gestalt of the image and leave out realistic details, some use bold confident line strokes, some make quick dashes to form the image. It’s interesting to compare such different personal styles.

In my landscape architecture drafting class, we do the same comparison and contrast with our work. In this drafting class, we are all learning the same techniques and skills, but the outcomes of our projects vary from designer to designer. Some students take a more technical approach and some go for a more artistic portrayal of the assignments. Either way, all of these sketches and projects portray the same assigned image, but are depicted how each individual interprets it and add their own style to their work. We all work with the same content, but form it on our papers in our own ways.

Speaking of Gap...

Analyzing Gap's logo redesign (and reversion to the original) reminded me of this particular ad of theirs.  This is from their 2005 favorite songs, favorite jeans campaign.  I love the juxtaposition of images / video in this.    It utilizes the power of images, accompanied by powerful music.  Music is an appealing feature in advertising because it sounds nice to the audience’s ears, and it communicates the message in a fun, creative way.  It has great design, and is a well-made video. 

The aspect of design that stood out the most to me was the contrast of black-and-white and color.  When the musicians are speaking, they are shown in black-and-white on one half of the screen, while a close up of someone wearing jeans is shown in color on the other half.  Although the viewer is intrigued by the famous singer, their eye is also drawn to the pair of jeans because it stands out in color.  The contrast between the grayscale celebrities and the color images of jeans also exemplifies the play on words of the celebrities’ statements.  Although their statements generally seem to apply to either a favorite song or a favorite pair of jeans, you know they are speaking of their favorite song.  However, seeing a close-up of jeans on half of the screen makes you apply their statements to a favorite pair of jeans as well, and makes you realize the similarities in the two.  Another aspect of the design of this Gap commercial is the background for both the celebrities and the jeans.  They are both very simple: a plain gray background.  I think the plain background is intended to direct all attention to the subjects.  It is signifying that nothing else is important besides what is being said or sung, and the double-meaning of the jeans being similar to a favorite song.  It is successful because it is a very creative message conveyed in a very artistic and intriguing way.

Well done, Gap… if only you kept this aesthetic design model in mind when creating a new logo.

Design As Conversation

Design is not a finalized product, but rather an ongoing conversation.  Looking at the etymology of design, we can see the literal roots of the word.  Kostas Terzidis wrote about the etymology of design from a philosophical perspective. “…from its Greek definition, design is about incompleteness, indefiniteness, or imperfection, yet it also is about likelihood, expectation, or anticipation,” Terzidis wrote.  The indefiniteness of design is apparent:  the way fads go in and out and styles change; of fashion, graphics, art, photography, etc.  Design is an ongoing conversation between designers, artists, corporations, businesses, and the general public; between anyone involved in its discourse.


A recent example of design as a conversation has been blowing up all over the internet.  Gap introduced a redesigned logo which quickly met rage from unhappy consumers.

The classic logo used by Gap for over 20 years shows on the right, and the new one on the left.  Thanks to society’s technological means of communication the clothing company received immediate feedback to the newly released graphic.  Critiques were written on networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter and they appeared in blogs and online articles.  Critiques were particularly negative.  Communities of designers ripped Gap’s new logo and their idea to redesign the classic logo apart.  To switch from Serif to Sans-Serif font is one thing, but to strip the logo of its aesthetic qualities and add a small gradient box is just not smart.  Many including myself wondered, “Who was paid for their destruction of the original Gap logo?”  On one design blog, there was even a Gap Redesign Contest, just for fun.  There were loads of entries by designers who wanted to fix this disaster.  David Lauer wrote in his book, Design Basics, that, “The goal of a critique is increased understanding through examination of the project’s successes and shortcomings.”  According to mass opinion, there were far more shortcomings than successes in the Gap logo redesign. 

Credit to: Utpal Pande

Credit to: Fernando Machado
Images credited to:   http://blog.iso50.com/logos/gap-redesign-contest/#more-20224

Tropicana had a similar conversation with the public about their orange juice logo redesign.  One designer’s entry in the blog’s redesign contest made a comical connection between the two companies’ failed logos.   Apparently Gap ‘increasingly understood,’ or maybe just had enough of the negative feedback, and reported to scrap the new design.  They're now turning this disaster into a social media opportunity.  Gap is claiming they still like the new design, however they are opening the redesign process to involve the public.  They will be accepting design entries for a fix to the new logo.  "One social media expert says the decision to crowd source a new logo demonstrates how sites like Facebook and Twitter can be used to turn mistakes into opportunities."  Hopefully, with the conversation open, and with collaboration, Gap can settle on a decent design.

The conversation between consumer and corporation proved again to be important enough to be logo-altering.  Design is an ongoing conversation with indefinite anticipations and solutions.

"Nsane Graphics"

Graphic design at its best.  Anthony Graglia's company, "Nsane Graphics" is run out of his Davis apartment. He designs websites, stickers, logos and custom work. Graphic design is a realm of design which interacts with society directly.  Whether its created for a new business' logo to help advertise, or for a Davis student's snowboard, these graphics affect how society perceives them.  It's about designing graphics to express one's essence, either on a large or personal scale.  This is a webpage design for El Macero Apartments.  The design shows apartment layouts and has easy to follow links.  It is graphically organized in an aesthetic way.  The color scheme and design seem to target a younger crowd of potential renters.

http://www.facebook.com/nsanegraphics?v=app_4949752878

 This is a logo design for OC Fitness Source.  "OC Fitness is the result of a "reinvented" business model which caters to a smaller market of customers who demand a higher level of quality and service," reads their website (also designed by Nsane Graphics).  The logo designed for their newer, elite fitness business reflects this goal.  The graphic appears shiny, clean-cut, and expensive, or high quality.

http://www.facebook.com/nsanegraphics?v=app_4949752878

 This one of the many stickers designed by Nsane Stickers.  Stickers such as this one are created for self expression on vehicle windows, laptops, snowboards, binders, etc.

http://www.nsanestickers.com/Hands-Hand-Gestures/HAND-ROCKER-005/Detailed-product-flyer.html

 Quite impressive work! Check it out. 

Creativity From Without

Sure, creativity comes from within designers' minds; but, what about from their surrounding worlds?  The things, people, places, and ideas surrounding designers can inspire them just as much as their inner selves.

Graffiti.  It’s found all over urban buildings, walls, trains, etc… especially in the Bronx, New York.  Graffiti is what inspired an artist/ fashion designer who goes by the name Indie184.  She was born in New York and this form of art had a huge impact on her style.  Indie184 admired graffiti artists such as West. Some of West’s tags follow:

Photo Credit:  http://www.westonefc.com/WALLS.html

Photo Credit: http://www.westonefc.com/TRAINS.html

This inspiration lead to a fashion line called “Kweenz Destroy.”  In an interview with The BVX, Indie184 was quoted, “Graffiti has always been part of my environment.”  … "I too wanted to be part of that culture!”  Her clothes feature her artwork which she developed from years of tagging.  "I first started tagging up when I was 21-years-old then after having my son I took on the more artistic, legal approach, which required less risk but lots of time and dedication," she stated.  Although graffiti is a huge part of Indie184's inspiration, she gains her creativity from many other surrounding elements of her world as well.  When asked what inspires her work, the designer answered, “Inspiration comes from everywhere, it could be an old rusty sign, my kids' artwork, walking around my neighborhood, books or music.” (http://www.thebvx.com/2010/07/26/graffiti-artist-indie184-talks-kweenz-destroy-fashion-line-bomb/)  Some pieces from Indie184’s fashion line follow:

Photo Credit: http://kweenzdestroy.com/lookbook2.html#look19

The world surrounding a given designer often has a huge impact on their creativity.  Things outside of a designer’s own self, such as graffiti, can be a part of that world and have an impact on their style.  This is creativity from without!

Stone Soup

Marcia Brown’s “Stone Soup” is an inspiring story.  It is a story about bringing people together, about individuals contributing what they have to share and benefit the group.  In the story, a great feast is prepared despite the hard times and lack of food, beginning with only stones.

Photo Credit:  http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3126183521747749942

“Stone Soup” is a story that can be seen as an analogy for design.  In the case of design, instead of food being brought to the table by individuals, it is ideas.  In my introductory design course, we were assigned to create “stone soup.”  With recycled materials and ideas to throw in the pot, a group of eight of us design students came together and made art.  This concept may be elementary, but it exemplified the creative design process.  The first step was looking at the mash up of recycled things we had to work with and begin planning our “soup.”

The pile of recycled materials included brown paper, denim, tire tubes, cardboard boxes, paper clips, tissue paper, newspaper, glitter glue, and more random things.  After deciding on turning our “soup” into a “tree,” the magic began.  With a basic plan in mind, we began to wrap paper and tire tubes around a light post.  From there the process became a free-for-all.  Everyone was throwing ideas out, and adding materials onto the “tree” left and right.  This was a fun project, and it really gave me an idea of how the design process works. Working with other creative people on an art project that had no rules, no boundaries resulted in a cool experience and a beautiful thing we called “Tree In a Box.” 

"Tree In a Box"  looks as if there is an industrial tree exploding out of a small cardboard box.  Made out of all recycled items, it expresses backwards recycling.  We created the art and assigned meaning afterwards.