JOSE ALFONSO PEREZ

JOSE ALFONSO PEREZ

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Weapons and Nuclear Bombs are Dangerous Designs


 

When it comes to dangerous designs, I think about things that can harm a human and the entire world. Although designs are meant to help human and improve the way we live, there are some designs that instead of helping they harm. The design that comes to comes to my mind that is very dangerous and that harms society the design of weapons like nuclear bombs and extremely powerful guns.  These tools are very dangerous because there are people designing these weapons more powerful every time.  The more powerful the bombs get the more dangerous they are for the world. The creation of new and more powerful weapons is critical to the world because one days there is going to be a weapon so powerful that at the end is capable of destroying the whole world.  The weapon design can bring harm to people because people countries always want the bigger weapons or be the nation with the most sophisticated weapons, leading to the creation of massive guns or bombs.  Design is supposed to help humans in creating something that can help the world , not to create something that is going to destroy the entire earth.  People need to have limits in the creation of weapons because if there is no limit, at the end there are going to be very powerful weapons that can erase society forever. Although weapons are meant to be use as a type of defense, there should not be people designing very powerful weapons that put in danger the whole world.

CFL Light Bulbs a design that benefits Society



CFL Light Bulb from http://www.ecojoes.com


Design is what makes products to be a reality. Designers are the people responsible for creating new products and design products that are beneficial to society and the world. The new designs need to be helpful not only to society, but also to the environment because we live in this world so we need to create products that are not harmful to our world. One of the Designs that benefit our society is the CFL light bulb. The CFL light bulb is design that benefits society because a light bulb that helps humans to save energy and they are more efficient.  One CFL light bulb only use 33 percent of energy compared to a normal light bulb.  This new design is beneficial because by using the CFL lights we can reduce the amount of light bulbs use in the world because the CFL last longer.  Not only they help the environment by reducing waste, but also they help use to not warming up rooms or anything that use bulbs. Normal light bulbs create heat, that can sometimes catch stuff on fire, but in the CFL light bulb can come handy because they are better because the CLF doesn’t produce as much heat as a normal light bulb. Reducing the heat people can safe energy, but also the risk of things catching on fire also decreases.  This magnificent design benefits humans by the efficiency it provides to humans, also the light quality that provides to people, and the great help it gives to the environment.

COLOR TRANSFORM:


 Abanero Pepper  http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/vegetables/caribbean_habanero_pepper.jpg


            When I start to think about colors I also I start to think about food, especially on spicy food and peppers.  Colors play a major role on peppers because colors are being use to describe how spicy a peppers is. The Scoville Rating is the scale used to determinate the peppers hotness. The way colors are incorporated to peppers is that the hotter the peppers are the redder the pepper in color is.  They way I see it connects to colors is that somehow the hotter the pepper the redder the pepper gets and also it gets redder in the the Scoville Rating. So I see that somehow the color red is seems to be as an alert color. Red in the world is use as an alert color. Humans tend to see that as a color that can affect humans in a way. For example, the stop signs on the street, the traffic light, or red alarm on a siren. Having the color red in does designs can in a way use to signified something needs to show awareness, alert, or just need to grab attention.  Red and other colors like yellow to grab attention in a way that humans see as something to be aware or to be carful about something.  In another words, when in comes to be careful about something or just to pay attention to something, the best way to grab human attention is by using red or yellow. In Albers book it talks about how red and yellow colors are describe as Warm colors.  Warm colors transmit a feeling or something to show hotness. At the end the way colors connect to peppers is because red is a warm color and can be use to describe spiciness and the dangerous a pepper can be.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The Creative Process


During the week in Design class Professor Housefield talked about the creative process of design and how it beneficiates designers. The creative process is the process of how designers can develop their ideas to create new designs. The process consists of three simple steps. The first step of the creative process is    “Sponge.” Sponge is the first step, the step where designers absorb ideas and grab ideas from other designers or environment in order to be able to create their own work. When designers absorb ideas from others like sponges, they can later have a major role in their designs because the ideas that were absorbed can create a fusion leading to a new type of design.  The second of the process is called “ Filter”.  In the filter part, designers take out the ideas that aren’t needed and they keep the ideas or things they want to keep.  Filtering ideas improve the designer’s ideas because it is the part of the process where unnecessary things are thrown away.  Meaning that the ideas that are kept with the designs are the ones that lead to the new designs.  Finally, the last step in the creative process is called “ Voice”.  Voice is the final stage where the designers show to the world his/her new idea; he announces the new ideas he has in mind. After all the absorbing of ideas, processing and filtering ideas,  it finally comes down to showing the idea. The whole point of the process is to learn from others, use the information and material we feel are necessary to create something new, so that at the end we can show it with pride. 

The MacBook Pro and Ergonomics

Macbook Pro photo from buyapplelaptopscheap.blogspot.com

MacBook Pro Photo from kennygrant.ca

When it comes to ergonomics designs, meaning products that help people to balance their mind and body with the product, I think about Apple. Ergonomics products are meant to be safe, comfortable, ease to use, high performance, and aesthetic.  Apple is a company that creates different technology products, like computers and music players. Furthermore, Apple is known for creating elegant products that can be appreciated by their design.  Apple had created the best computers, for example the MacBook Pro.  The MacBook Pro compared to safety, is one of the most safest and greenest computer in today’s market.  The computer is meant to be helpful to the environment by being mostly recyclable creating less pollution and waste in the world. The MacBook Prop by being a green computer can be seeing as a safe product because is made out of materials that are not harmful to the customers.  Besides, the MacBook Pro being safe, it also is comfortable.   The way the keyboard was designed it help the costumer to type in a more relax way.  Another spec that makes the MacBook  Pro more comfortable is the computers weight.  The MacBook’s weight is 4.5 LB. making it one of the lightest computers on the market.  Another spec that makes the Mac Book comfortable is the thinness of the computers. The MacBook Pro was design to make it lighter and thinner. If the computer is lighter and thinner, it would make it easier to the costumer to carry and put the computer anywhere they want. People always want something lightweight but steady, and the materials and the design of the MacBook Pro comes to play because the materials create a steady and solid computer, while the way the computer is design creates a lightweight computer.  Not only a product is about how comfortable its, but also about how easy it to use. Although, the MacBook Pro is a pretty advance technological computer, the way the interface is design it makes the MacBook Pro easy to use. The software and the technology adapted to the MacBook Pro it makes it easy to navigate to the different task people can make on a computer. The easy use of the MacBook Pro helps people to do daily activities like listen to music, surf the Internet, organize pictures and other stuff.  Then if the product is easy to use the costumer is going to adapt the product to their life and making them more attach to the product.  Also a good performance helps products to be unique and be high quality. The MacBook Pro is a computer is the best-compacted and best performance computer.  One of the performance features is the life span on the computer’s battery. The battery last more then 9 hrs. Then another nice feature that the computer has is the technology it has, for example the dual-processor, the advance graphic video card, and the memory controller. All this performance features make the computer very fast and attractive to the consumer. Finally, the part that attracts the consumer attention is the way a product looks, that’s when aesthetics comes to action.  People always buy or gets the products that they thing is beautiful. The MacBook Pro is one of the most beautiful computers. The aluminum metal finish on the computer creates a attracting a unique look to the computer. Not only the aluminum touch gives a nice look to the computer, but also it give a steady look to the computer.  At the end,  the MacBook Pro shows all the 5 ergonomics areas, therefore is a good example of a magnificent product of design. 

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Art, Day of the Dead, and contrast


Papel Picado...image from xylocopa.com

For the Latin culture, November is the month to commemorate or honor the people that past away.  On November 2 , people celebrate what is called Dia de los muertos, Day of the Dead, and this celebration somehow makes me realize or analyze about how the art used in the Dia de los Muertos ceremonies can contrast some of the meanings and art forms use.  Many think that skulls and skeletons images can represent dead or something negative, but in Latin America does imagines contrast what the meaning of the skulls or skeletons can have. In the day of the dead the skulls can be shown in away that can have a meaning of celebration.  The images used in the ceremony can contradict the meaning some people can have about dead. In the Day of the Dead, people are celebrating and honoring the people that are resting and past way, and art show that celebrations. For example, in this paper art called Papel Picado,  paper that is cut in different images , can show the skulls and other images that can contradict all the fear people have to dead. So the way images are made can have a contrast or a different meaning to what symbols can represent in other cultures. Therefore, images can contrast some of the meanings people have, and to what the real message the art piece is trying to demonstrate.

Words and Posters


Poster from Forest Gump Movie.

Posters in the art present a formal way of using words and images. Most of the posters I have seeing on the streets or in stores have some time of writing on them. The words in the poster can project a connection to the image from the poster, or something opposite portrayed on the poster. Sometimes the words are use to create confusion for the customer to create a mysterious message on the image. Having words on the posters can also reflect the meaning or message that the artist that created the poster is trying to demonstrate on the poster. It doesn’t matter how many words there can be on the poster, sometimes the best posters are the ones that only have a word, but that word can have a deep meaning on the poster.  Also, words in posters can help people to be informed on something, for example movie posters. Movie posters not only have pictures or scenes from the most important part of the movie, however, it also has words that inform about what is the movie about and different details the public is interested in, like dates and movie characters.  So, at the end words and images can help create that interaction between images, words and public.

Word and Images



From Mom's Cancer. Fies


During my Design class on November 2, 2010,  Brian Fies, the author and illustrator of the books Whatever Happened to the world of tomorrow?  and Mom’s cancer, gave a speech. In his presentation Fies explained the reasons why he created his books. Also in his presentation, he explained how word image played a major role in his artwork. Fies uses the words to give more meaning to the images that are illustrated on the book. The image can complement the word and create a balance and create a point to the picture. Also, the words can create a contrast with the picture. Meaning the words can have different meaning to what the image is trying to show. Going back to the McCloud, word and image are a good way to create comics. The way Fies uses the words and images in his book is like how McCloud uses the words in his comics. A good example that uses words and images are comics. Comic books use images to create a story for the reader, and adding the words creates a more detailed enriched story for the reader to imagine by looking at the pictures and words. Therefore, the way comics are created demonstrates the way words and images can connect to create something that can bring different meanings into the  mind.



Tuesday, November 2, 2010

cellphones and design



picture from hardwareinsight.com

Cell phones improve and change their image every year or every time new technology comes out.  Back in the days cell phones were just to talk between people. But currently, cell phones are used mostly for everything.  Cell phones have been well developed that people use them not only for talking but also for checking emails, texting, surfing the Web, taking pictures, recording videos, and many other incredible things that a phone in this day and age can do. For example, the smart phones, such as the Iphone or the Blackberry. These phones are designed for the public that need a phone not just for talking but also for mostly everything they need to do that is work related or any activity that requires a computer.  Cell phones are like mini computers that can fit in our hands and pockets. The most incredible thing is the way in which the cell phones are designed. They are made of materials that grab people’s attention like metals.  Most cell phones are created to last a while.  The people that design the phones are trying to please the public with the simplicity and the technology they can bring to a phone. The best way for a phone to appear, is for it to appear simple and sleek, yet capable of simultaneously completing complicated tasks. A great example is the Iphone, the Iphone has a simple design and a simple interaction interface that allows people to effectively use it without having to know how the inner mechanics of the phone work. In the end, technology upgrades so fast that many of the products such as phones also upgrade, making our lives' easier.

Ipods



Ipod ( image from apple.com )

In today’s society the majority of products in the market are mass-produced. Products are mass-produced is to reduce the cost and waste the products can create, but also by having mass production more people can have the opportunity of have a certain type of product they want on their hands in a reasonable price. On example of an object that is mass-produced is the Ipod from Apple. Ipod is a product that allows the public to listen to their favorite music.  The first Ipod brought to the market was in 2001, since then the way people listen to music has change. Ipod revolutionized the way people listen, interact, and plays music. Before Ipods, people needed to have a CD player and a lot of CDs.  But Ipod change all of that, Ipod was able to fit 1000 songs in a compact and portable product. Every year since the Ipod came out it has been upgraded and other competitors try to imitate Ipod.  The Ipod’s interface is so complex, but simple at the same time that people has attached to it.  The way the Ipod was design was to incorporate a product to the world. The Ipod is a complex product but is builded in a simple form that any person can use it.  The first Ipod consisted to a rewind, forward, menu, and play/pause button, and now Ipods are button less, it only consists of a touch screen.  The simplicity of the Ipod makes it so unique that people have incorporated their Ipods to their daily life. From the classic Ipod with the buttons to the newest with the touch screen, things have change and improve, but the main purpose of an Ipod is the same, to listen to music and use it the way we want it.  The way the Ipod is design and produce it has make it the most popular product to listen music in the world.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Product Interaction and OBJECTIFIED




Base on the movie OBJECTIFIED people make many assumptions when they see an object.  Making those assumptions are part of the interaction people have to the content of the object. The assumptions are base on the material, the color, the way the object is made. Designers cake the best to create their best impression to create to the public. Designers spend a great amount of time creating a product that can be appealing to the public.  Currently, today’s society is more attached to the products they buy.  Products such as ipods and computers are now part of our lifes. The interaction people have to a product.  People depend on the products and technology to do things in out life. The content varies on the stuff people interact to products, depending on the reaction the consumer can have to the product.  Designers create the best product or intent to create the best products that benefit the consumer.  Any product in the today’s market is made with a purpose for the public.  Over time people change or create new interactions for products that are in the world.  All products need to have a type of interaction with humans because that is what is made, and the ones that don’t have a purpose are useless in a way. Products don’t have to have a physical contact with people to say that they and interaction with someone, but at least to have a type of connection to what people want. By creating these magnificent products designs, designers are responsible to create the best way to connect humans and products.  The best way to interact with a product is by having a physical touch to the product the visual that the product is trying to show.  So at the end all the products and designs have an interaction to people in order to be interesting.