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.