Contextual Lens Of Sociology

The well-known writer and cognitive scientist/cofounder of the Nielsen Norman Group, Donald A. Norman, in his book, Emotional Design: “Why we love (or hate) everyday things”, he analyzes the design elements in products. Norman’s purpose is to show why products we use should not be hard to use but attractive and fun. He explains in tremendous detail how the design of an object affects a person emotionally. He argues that in order for an object to be more successful it must be more attractive to the users. Norman uses concrete evidence to back up his argument. He employs the use of imagery, diction and tone in order to convey to his readers the idea of emotional design.

In 1988 Australian design theorist and philosopher Tony Fry published his book Design History Australia. In this book Fry provides a contemporary perspective of design and its history. The book covers a wide variety of topics related to design history that are focused on the field of industrial design. Design History Australia provides reasons as to why a history of Australian design is important as well as giving a critical analysis of texts written on this topic. Fry also highlights the importance of designers having knowledge of design theory and he suggests a method of design study that he deems appropriate for Australia. In his final chapter Fry applies this method to three case studies: The Great White Train, MacRobertson’s Ltd and Australia’s

But in contemporary society, there is no single definition that covers design completely, or even fields of professional practice as graphic or industrial design that adequetly cover the diversity of ideas and practices as once existed. (pg3 wicked problems in Design thinking book THE IDEA OF DESIGN)

Design has become “commoditised, prettified, overcommercialised and safe.” These are the words of perhaps one of the most important graphic designers of the 20th century, Neville Brody, given in a 2010 Design Week interview with Jim Davies. All it takes is a brief interaction with Brody’s monstrous portfolio of design work to see that he has not contributed to design becoming “safe.” Brody’s work shouts at you; on the whole, it is bright, bold and loud. Brody effortlessly blends chaos with simplicity, resulting in seamless unification.

Alice Rawsthorn starts her Ted lecture with a statement that design has different meaning at different times. However, the all Inspiring designs have something common: they were created by dreamers: people who have big dreams and rebels the conventions. As a proof to her statement, Rawsthorn brings examples from the human history. The first example is about Ying Zheng who designed the all fighting tools in identical way. This case emphasizes the importance of design tools as a response to unique needs as war: defense/attack. Moreover, he gave solution of necessity of maintain product consistency in order to keep the maintenance and

Fast forward through the Dada, De Stijl and Constructivist movements and we hit a brick wall of boring, conservatist design again—until David Carson barrels right through it, of course. Originally a teacher of all subjects for grades seven through twelve, he enrolled in a two week graphic design workshop at the University of Arizona, which influenced to this sociology major to change careers that would lead him to become the primary designer for the 1980’s Grunge movement, though he states that the movement was happening regardless of him for technology was already advancing forward. The Grunge movement in graphic design, much like the Futurist’s take, was about breaking away from the societal constraints of “you cannot do that with

The title of Michael McDonough’s talk is Cradle to Cradle Design. Mr. McDonough is an architect and his talk focuses on the problem of how our Earth and our people are being hurt because the products we are designing are not safe or healthy. He starts by the talk referencing Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring” which brings up the possibility that we might kill all of the birds. He then talks about what he thinks is the fundamental issue, which is that design is a sign of human intentions. He thinks that we need to evaluate our designs given that we are the dominant species on the Earth and that we are the stewards of the Earth – in other words, we should be taking care of the Earth. He thinks that designers should be asking how can we create world peace and save the environment when we build things. Instead of starting with this question, designers of today don’t seem to have a plan. And the result of having no plan is tragedy, like global warming and mercury poisoning of children from coal plants.

I began my research for the thesis under the notion that the desire to attain ‘special’ exists in the field of design. Over the past few decades, within various contexts ranging from fashion design to product design and graphic design, the term ‘special’ is used as a catch-all phrase which seem to have become omnipresent. Creating ‘special’ things is what everyone-designers and users-assume design is all about. However, in fact, ‘special’ is playing out a fantasy far removed from daily life and interrupting potentially harmonious atmosphere with its awkward presence (Frukasawa N. & Morrison J., 2012). Design, which is supposed to make life easier and smoother, be responsible for the man-made environment we inhabit, now seems to pollute them by creating ‘beautiful trashes’ (Berman D. B. 2009). Encouraged by glossy lifestyle magazines and marketing departments, design becomes a competition to produce things as noticeable as possible to generate media coverage by superficial means of color, shape, material, decoration and surprise at an increasing update rate. Its realistic and idealistic goals to serve everyday needs and make the world a better have been side-tracked. The virus ‘special’

The world is an amazing, diverse place. While it may not always be evident, many cultures of the world do in fact design spaces in different ways. Germany’s way of design may seem very similar to other European cultures and even to the United States. But upon closer inspection, it is possible to see that German design is very much different from other parts of the world.

Design is that area of human experience, where skill and knowledge is concerned with man’s ability to mould the environment according to his material and spiritual needs. It is used to analyse and identify problems to find an appropriate solution. Designers have created all kind of functional designs to help improve people’s lives. They were interested in the nature of beauty, art, and taste and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. Although there are examples of pre-historic art, they are rare and the guidelines that they followed are not so clear, Thus the aesthetic doctrines that guided their production and interpretation one mostly unknown. However, recently designer notice what happing to the world such as global worming

The essay will be structured using Don Norman’s book ‘Emotional design -Why we love (or hate) everyday things’ using his framework, the 3 levels of design which are Visceral, Behavioural and Reflective in a chronological order from, the end of World War 2 to post Italy after the war to the present era where the fiat 500 is still in production.

Throughout this essay, I am going to explore how architecture and design can be a mechanism which is able to influence the public and have a control over society. On a daily basis, society is continuously being subconsciously impacted and some may say controlled by factors of architecture and design such as propaganda buildings, public spaces, objects, graphics, films and advertisement. I am going to investigate into how each of these aspects may have subliminal messages within them and what effect this may have on individuals and the general public. It is also important to recognise why certain people react to certain manners of architecture and design and how this may have changed over the years. Human behaviour in society is undoubtedly influenced by the creation and construction of the environments they live, work and socialise in. People, subconsciously, tend to live their lives precisely linked to the way the environments they are living within are designed. Factors, like objects and graphics - such as billboard advertisements, in these environments also have an effect on society and how people behave. Architecture and design have the power to encourage people to communicate with one another, they have the power inspire people to explore different aspects of their cities and/or countries. They can encourage someone to become more active, through clever thought and form. Architecture and design have the ability to influence the behaviour of people in prisons, hospitals,

The understanding of all objects that are made for human use are influenced with the themes of communication. Designs treat form not only as value itself but also in the means of pleasing and shaping the appearance of objects for an effect that’s intended for whatever. Design can be viewed as a rhetoric, which is an art of reshaping society, changing the course of individuals and setting patterns for new action. Technologists argue that technology is part of broader art and design, an art of thought and communication that can move in other’s wide range of beliefs by persuasion, about practice life for the individual and groups. Rhetoricians are expert in form of intended to persuade communication. Design is an art of thought directed to action that’s practiced through persuasiveness of objects and therefore design invades the lively expression of ideas that are competing about social life.

There have been many debates on whether craft and design are different or similar. Risatti (2008:116) states that although craft and design are closely related, there is a distinction between them. Crafts have been developed within cultures, but have been modified by design and both involve a different way of thinking. So are they one and the same or different? In this essay I’m going to go through 6 different examples; tradition, innovation, method, materials, uniqueness and lifestyle, where design has taken the simple craft and changed it to something new, proving my point that craft and design are in fact more different than the same.

They said that design is moving closer to the social innovation linking its characteristics at different levels. For example, service and relationships to social needs or improving life conditions and social situations.