Mind Over Matter

This is the second time in my entire life where I have been unable to hand in a project. Both because of my clumsy ability.

The problem with training for a marathon, is it develops a mentality that carries into the rest of your life.   You look at the problem, and you believe you can take it on. This goal you create is completely within your means. One step at a time you can train your body to accomplish an entire marathon. And with this, I tackled my new design problem. I had to finish designing my chair, cut it up and put it together. "I can do this, I can do this" focus, one cut at a time I was going to finish my chair. Just 2 more hours to go, focus, and go.

This was what was going through my mind. I was on a roll, I was going to finish. Until, that moment happens. That moment when you get hit by a car. Not quite, it was more like I took my stupid knife, and managed to carve into my own thumb. With the blood beginning to gush out, the only words that went through my mind was "fuck me". Sitting there with the oh so kind security peeps of OCADu bandaging me up, the caffeine pill swimming in my stomach, my mind began to spin accordingly. I'm fine, but it took all the momentum out of me. Looking at my incomplete chair half an hour before it was due, made me realize I was a failure, and it wasn't going to get done. Design is like life, is like training for a marathon, some days it's going to be amazing and no matter how much you love it, and how much will you have to accomplish it some days it's just not going to happen. That being said tomorrow is a new day, and tomorrow there is new will and new motivation to accomplish the little/big goals.

Good Design Is...

When asked to write my design philosophy for class I wrote two pages of garbage. Even now I don't know if that is my design philosophy. Forever I have been exploring one particular aspect of design at a time: the democratic aspects, the environmental aspects, the mathematical generative components, the ergonomics, etc. etc.
My methodology is to connect to an exterior source and once I have scratched the surface I move on, satisfied I have done enough, and put each theory back on my shelf titled "to further explore". One thing is for sure, no matter what I am naive. I believe in design and its capabilities and can only hope that through design intervention the human condition can improve. Obviously this is a false statement, the world is clearly falling apart and a large part of this is due to our deficiencies and short sighted designs. But I can hope...

Good Design Is...

Design is an act

Design is a mentality

Design is an inspiration

Design is a hope that things can be better

My design philosophy is based on naïve hope. A hope for the future, and a belief that everything can be designed better, everything can be done different, nothing is permanent. Our environments and surroundings have been created by someone else, and design has the power to influence this.  Existence can be molded through the act of design. To be a designer means to be idealistic, critical, and realize everything has potential. You can only hope for when status quo is unsatisfactory design will solve.

Good design is quiet

Good design is in the details

Good design participates

Good design opens the possibilities for infinite solutions

What's your design philosophy?

Marking the Beginning

So my blogging has been sparse at best, my page sees about as much action as a marriage gone bad. (Aish) That being said let's continue. I'm excited, it's been four months since school has ended, and with September comes a renewed sense of love for design. That realization of the void, and the only thing that can fulfill it is the big D, DESIGN. How do I respond to all this excitement? By being the Eager Beaver in class, hog all class conversations, and jot notes frantically when the only thing being discussed is the course outline. I am geeking out to the max. The below photo is a sample of this renewed energy and hopefully what may come on this blog as well. It's a visual to do list. I hope to talk about in the future of this blog. Mainly the "Talk to Me" curated by Paola Antonelli, she is my role model and who I aspire to be. These books are the things that I am interested in pursuing, learning, and will share with all y'all. Excited? Possibly not, it's ok that is what blogging is for!

Cana-kea

 What would Ikea design if it were Canadian? I found my answers at the AGO, the exhibition was inspired by a landscape that has been transformed by the country's industry. This became an important point to me, the fact that the foundations of our country were built off of bountiful natural resources. The end result? An experimentation of combining different wood textures as a derivative of landscape. Enjoy!!!

MELT: Tealight

Our Studio For the Design of Everyday Things had to design a tealight. While there was a lot of light experimentation what seemed to capture the imagination the most was the idea of spilt wax. Enjoy, let me know what you think!

design fun

Please let me know I'm not the only one with a room that looks like this...

Struggling with the Archetype/ In search of Novelty

As a designer you are constantly in a battle against the archetype. You don’t even really realize it is there until you tackle on a problem. Any problem actually. When you are a designer the goal is to be creative. Being creative has become synonymous with the term - individuality. How do you prove your creativity? By doing something that no one else has done. 

Archetype: A very typical example of a person or thing

Is design just the medium for the designer’s whim?

I am currently trying to design a chair out of foam. Now chairs are an archetype. When I say chair, certain images come to mind. Expected images, a seat, a back, some legs. As a designer you try to defy these notions of chair. In order to seat someone you don’t necessarily need to produce a chair. I’ve sat on window ledges, steps, the floor, But the term implies a form in order to solve the function. The possibility that my chair will revolutionize the world is very unlikely. Outside of the designer posse, general people could not identify a chair that has changed the world. So why do we design chairs?

Towers are archetypes, courtyards are archetypes. The issue is that they are not the only solution to house the function. So in attempt to defy form, do we create something for the sake of creating something? It’s like when arguing with a pubescent brat who’s only response is “you don’t know me”. You know what I’m talking about, they don’t listen, they don’t have a purpose other for than the sake of defiance. Does my young enthusiasm and stubbornness transfer into my design practices? If I am willing to accept status quo as the ultimate, then I might as well retire my designing hat. 

The technology sector can be an example of design and marketing taken to extreme possibly unnecessary levels. There’s so much of it and it just keeps on coming out faster and faster, greater and greater. Blue tooth, wi-fi, 3G, 4G,,, smart phones, iphones, androids. I’m re-iterating an accepted and to an extent boring statement, we all think it. Technology is fast, and it’s being produced faster. It’s all in the attempt to produce something that people will purchase, something necessary for our lives. Novelty as status symbols, nothing new, displaying our riches as justification of our existence. How do you as a designer interpret this?

I think ultimately what I need is a design counsellor, to answer these questions. Someone to guide me in my quest for design. Cause ultimately there’s no correct answer, you either embrace and continually strive for something new or attempt to defy these natural tendencies. The people want it, I want to make it for them, I could be an imbecile for thinking new is better.