The summer is here again and that means time to get a job.
Unfortunately that is proving more problematic than it should be. So I've resorted to the IMD way and started advertising to build websites (because thats what IMD is, right? *choke*)
So without further ado, I present to you Design for Art*.
Quite apart from being a website I'm very pleased with, DFA* exploits the feeling I've had that most web design firms charge ludicrous prices for what is essentially, not a very hard job. DFA, I hope, will appeal to artists, designers and indiviuals who just want a website with none of the fuss. You want your work online, for not alot of cash, and you dont care about CSS styles, W3C compliance, javascript, or any of the other toys that webdesigners like to throw in.
So if you accidently find this site, please drop me an e-mail, or pass it on to someone who might just be looking for a 'never mind the bollocks' website.
26.5.07
21.5.07
phone | not phone
Once again, the course I am studying has produced another 'web-sensation', in overhypespeak, but this time its our second years, with the phone | not phone online store.
The stores founding principle is "to offer our customers expressive new interactions, rather than be driven by technological innovation for its own sake or by maximising our revenue streams", an idea I'm *kind of* exploring in my dissertation, that the hi-tech product industry is lead far to much by engineers and marketerrs rather than designers. Instead of offering new features in hi-tech products, we should be seeking to discover new experiences.
Headed up again by Graham Pullin and with the addition of Innovative Product Design lecturer Jon Rogers, the project was novel as it was the first time outside of our design studies module that the IMD and IPD students were working together. The results, as you can see are fantastic. I think the addition of the IPD course lead to a real desire to make both innovative, well made and aesthetically pleasing objects. Although the objects of the Museum of Lost Interactions (MoLI) were laboured over, the addition of people who can work in the realm of objects is always going to help create pieces which are more robust.
I think the differences between phone | not phone and MoLI is that whereas MoLI was charming and cerebral, slightly more research-based, PnP has been grounded securely in the realm of design as a business, reflected in the coverage both projects have recieved. Its interesting to see that when Wired picked up on MoLI it was first in Bruce Sterling's Beyond the Beyond blog, whereas PnP was picked up by GadgetLab.
Again this has got me thinking about my final year project and what route to take, or even to possibly do both. Ultimately, I would like to produce a project that could be masss produced, but I am also interested in tackling things on an intellectual level. Something that got me interested was Fiona McGowan's 4th year project for 'The Fear' where she mentions that critical design was a major driving factor of her project, more observing other peoples work to inform her own (proof that critical design does what it says it should, huzzah!). Might be an idea for me, to create some design ideas which I can then translate to a final, market ready-type prototype.
Anyway thats todays thought, I vow I WILL keep updating this.
Cheers
Sx
The stores founding principle is "to offer our customers expressive new interactions, rather than be driven by technological innovation for its own sake or by maximising our revenue streams", an idea I'm *kind of* exploring in my dissertation, that the hi-tech product industry is lead far to much by engineers and marketerrs rather than designers. Instead of offering new features in hi-tech products, we should be seeking to discover new experiences.
Headed up again by Graham Pullin and with the addition of Innovative Product Design lecturer Jon Rogers, the project was novel as it was the first time outside of our design studies module that the IMD and IPD students were working together. The results, as you can see are fantastic. I think the addition of the IPD course lead to a real desire to make both innovative, well made and aesthetically pleasing objects. Although the objects of the Museum of Lost Interactions (MoLI) were laboured over, the addition of people who can work in the realm of objects is always going to help create pieces which are more robust.
I think the differences between phone | not phone and MoLI is that whereas MoLI was charming and cerebral, slightly more research-based, PnP has been grounded securely in the realm of design as a business, reflected in the coverage both projects have recieved. Its interesting to see that when Wired picked up on MoLI it was first in Bruce Sterling's Beyond the Beyond blog, whereas PnP was picked up by GadgetLab.
Again this has got me thinking about my final year project and what route to take, or even to possibly do both. Ultimately, I would like to produce a project that could be masss produced, but I am also interested in tackling things on an intellectual level. Something that got me interested was Fiona McGowan's 4th year project for 'The Fear' where she mentions that critical design was a major driving factor of her project, more observing other peoples work to inform her own (proof that critical design does what it says it should, huzzah!). Might be an idea for me, to create some design ideas which I can then translate to a final, market ready-type prototype.
Anyway thats todays thought, I vow I WILL keep updating this.
Cheers
Sx
10.5.07
New Beginnings, or the Beginning of the End
Well it's approaching that time of the year that all your current year projects are beginning to end, and the mind begins to wander onto whats on the road ahead. Due to the 4th years losing their studio as it's set up for degree show time, we've had several of their number in IMD3 waters, and its given me a real hankering to start thinking about my 4th year project.
But where to begin? Well as always, its a good idea to be looking at something you are interested in. Which brings up a whole new kettle of fish, what am I interested in?
The more I think about this, the more I see I am interested in looking at ubiquitous computing as a tool for mediating our everyday lives. I see ubiquitous computing as changing our 'face value' relationships with (particularly urban) space, imbuing it with a second layer, a layer of information which enriches our everyday experience of it. It has the possiblity to do to a space what a piece of public street scuplture can do. However, there is always the dark element, the idea that there is information hidden from all but the annointed, and in this respect it has more in common with grafitti, a public media underworld.
Or something.
This is getting towards the themes I'd like to start looking at, but there is so much research to be done before I'm going to say that this will be my final idea.
One thing I'm quite keen in doing though is restricting my project to sound. This year I have been working with a similar theme, with the project Samizdat which explored the idea of locative cinema. Although I was happy with the concept, the actual creation of a video piece was a total pain, and something that I'm keen to avoid this year.
Anyways, I think I'm going to start using this to post my summer ramblings and links to things for my fourth year. Also I hope to put up some of the summer work which may be in the pipeline for the creativyard project. More to follow.
GLHFTK
But where to begin? Well as always, its a good idea to be looking at something you are interested in. Which brings up a whole new kettle of fish, what am I interested in?
The more I think about this, the more I see I am interested in looking at ubiquitous computing as a tool for mediating our everyday lives. I see ubiquitous computing as changing our 'face value' relationships with (particularly urban) space, imbuing it with a second layer, a layer of information which enriches our everyday experience of it. It has the possiblity to do to a space what a piece of public street scuplture can do. However, there is always the dark element, the idea that there is information hidden from all but the annointed, and in this respect it has more in common with grafitti, a public media underworld.
Or something.
This is getting towards the themes I'd like to start looking at, but there is so much research to be done before I'm going to say that this will be my final idea.
One thing I'm quite keen in doing though is restricting my project to sound. This year I have been working with a similar theme, with the project Samizdat which explored the idea of locative cinema. Although I was happy with the concept, the actual creation of a video piece was a total pain, and something that I'm keen to avoid this year.
Anyways, I think I'm going to start using this to post my summer ramblings and links to things for my fourth year. Also I hope to put up some of the summer work which may be in the pipeline for the creativyard project. More to follow.
GLHFTK
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