Design 1.2 (revised)
30 March 2010
29 March 2010
Design for Community IMPACT
Our Mission:
Design for Community IMPACT is a campaign designed to inspire leadership, pride and hope in the greater Columbus area. It is our goal that through community revitalization efforts, we will foster an environment of unity and collective responsibility. IMPACT supports Columbus communities by providing resources, forums to discuss ideas and the energy that allows community members to positively impact their own neighborhoods.
Our Foundation:
Design for Community IMPACT was established through a design course at Ohio Dominican University in the Spring of 2010. projectMEEK44 was the campaign’s first effort to move beyond the theories of the typical classroom setting and into the realities of the surrounding community. The project was named after a foreclosed home in the Franklinton area that was brought to IMPACT’s attention through an article in the local newspaper highlighting the blight in the neighborhood. After speaking with neighbors and city leaders, students at Ohio Dominican University choose to take action and join the community of Meek Avenue to develop a plan that would enable local residents to take control of their neighborhood through the cleanup of foreclosed and abandoned homes. ……. We’ll write the rest when it’s done!
Design for Community IMPACT is a campaign designed to inspire leadership, pride and hope in the greater Columbus area. It is our goal that through community revitalization efforts, we will foster an environment of unity and collective responsibility. IMPACT supports Columbus communities by providing resources, forums to discuss ideas and the energy that allows community members to positively impact their own neighborhoods.
Our Foundation:
Design for Community IMPACT was established through a design course at Ohio Dominican University in the Spring of 2010. projectMEEK44 was the campaign’s first effort to move beyond the theories of the typical classroom setting and into the realities of the surrounding community. The project was named after a foreclosed home in the Franklinton area that was brought to IMPACT’s attention through an article in the local newspaper highlighting the blight in the neighborhood. After speaking with neighbors and city leaders, students at Ohio Dominican University choose to take action and join the community of Meek Avenue to develop a plan that would enable local residents to take control of their neighborhood through the cleanup of foreclosed and abandoned homes. ……. We’ll write the rest when it’s done!
27 March 2010
Purpose
Hello Everyone!!
I am back....:) I was not able to attend class last week because I was sick-- something serious-- not contagious, thank God and now I am feeling much better and can fully bring my ideas to fruition!!
I have been looking at various organizations that we could help get involved in this project. Before, I get started on my sharing what I can contribute/thoughts, forgive me ahead of time if I am stating something that cleary has already been said or addressed as I am pretty much "out of the loop" momentarily until Monday!
....So, back to business...
I am hughe on volunterism and I am often always researching different organizations with a similar purpose or mission to what I am trying to participate in at that spcific time; therefore,as I was thinking about our project I came across this organization called 4-H Center.
Here is the link if anyone wants to check it out, I will explain more in class but for the time being, I also would like us to consider and come back to our PURPOSE in this project.
I think often times people have great ideas and things seem like they will be perfect on the surface and then they fail because of lack of organization and PURPOSE.
So, anyhow this was my 2cents add, lol..here is the site to check it out and I am definetly willing to contact them and other organizations to partner with in this endeavor, of course, I am also willing to handle any PR things/Communications...:) :)
http://www.ohio4-hcenter.org/
I am back....:) I was not able to attend class last week because I was sick-- something serious-- not contagious, thank God and now I am feeling much better and can fully bring my ideas to fruition!!
I have been looking at various organizations that we could help get involved in this project. Before, I get started on my sharing what I can contribute/thoughts, forgive me ahead of time if I am stating something that cleary has already been said or addressed as I am pretty much "out of the loop" momentarily until Monday!
....So, back to business...
I am hughe on volunterism and I am often always researching different organizations with a similar purpose or mission to what I am trying to participate in at that spcific time; therefore,as I was thinking about our project I came across this organization called 4-H Center.
Here is the link if anyone wants to check it out, I will explain more in class but for the time being, I also would like us to consider and come back to our PURPOSE in this project.
I think often times people have great ideas and things seem like they will be perfect on the surface and then they fail because of lack of organization and PURPOSE.
So, anyhow this was my 2cents add, lol..here is the site to check it out and I am definetly willing to contact them and other organizations to partner with in this endeavor, of course, I am also willing to handle any PR things/Communications...:) :)
http://www.ohio4-hcenter.org/
22 March 2010
Guerilla Gardening (I like the name..)
1. We need to see if we can do this without getting arrested! If that means obtaining permits, talking to banks that own foreclosed homes, or just doing it and hoping nothing bad happens we need to decide how we want to go about this.
2. Figuring out total cost… from dirt, to seeds, to tools, to marketing. Finding out our total cost is crucial and then finding out a way to on top of that to fund it. I saw somebody found a grant from the Columbus Dispatch, we could also fundraise by allowing people to “adopt” foreclosed homes, etc
3. Researching the best types of plants, flowers, vegetables, etc. I also think designing a specific piece of art, rather than just planting rows of flowers would be beneficial
4. Deciding where the gardens go and how many. In the next month and a half how many gardens can we realistically plant? Where should it/they go and why
1. I think honestly with the amount of time left we will just want to do it and hope nothing bad happens… Going through red tape with banks who now own foreclosed homes might take weeks, weeks that we honestly just don’t have.
2. I think we should try and keep the cost under $300 and give people the opportunity to get involved by “adopting” a home. However, this does run into a possible problem if we are doing it without explicit permission… many people may not want to become involved
3. I don’t know much about this, or how to best design a specific plot of land… I’m hoping one of you will
4. I think the garden should go in a home close to school and I think we should do 3. Enough that it’s a project and not one random garden, but not so many that it’s overwhelming.
2. Figuring out total cost… from dirt, to seeds, to tools, to marketing. Finding out our total cost is crucial and then finding out a way to on top of that to fund it. I saw somebody found a grant from the Columbus Dispatch, we could also fundraise by allowing people to “adopt” foreclosed homes, etc
3. Researching the best types of plants, flowers, vegetables, etc. I also think designing a specific piece of art, rather than just planting rows of flowers would be beneficial
4. Deciding where the gardens go and how many. In the next month and a half how many gardens can we realistically plant? Where should it/they go and why
1. I think honestly with the amount of time left we will just want to do it and hope nothing bad happens… Going through red tape with banks who now own foreclosed homes might take weeks, weeks that we honestly just don’t have.
2. I think we should try and keep the cost under $300 and give people the opportunity to get involved by “adopting” a home. However, this does run into a possible problem if we are doing it without explicit permission… many people may not want to become involved
3. I don’t know much about this, or how to best design a specific plot of land… I’m hoping one of you will
4. I think the garden should go in a home close to school and I think we should do 3. Enough that it’s a project and not one random garden, but not so many that it’s overwhelming.
Guerilla Gardening
I am so excited about this project and I think I that together we can really do something positive in our community... I have been thinking for a week now how I can contribute to the group and I have been racking my brain trying to pin point my role as well as hoping and waiting for an ephiphany....
Obviously I can contribute my photography skills to record the actual gardening but other than that I am not completely sure what my contribution should be. But then I realized that I can do a little bit of everything. I am ridiculously organized and detail oriented, as well as understanding the big picture. I am currently developing a non-profit organization with some friends;my experience in that project and my experience on a marketing/advertising team in the real world could be very benefitial to this project. Maybe I would be a good person to coordinate all the different areas we are working on. I could keep track & records of all of our tasks and make sure everything is happening that needs to be...
Obviously I can contribute my photography skills to record the actual gardening but other than that I am not completely sure what my contribution should be. But then I realized that I can do a little bit of everything. I am ridiculously organized and detail oriented, as well as understanding the big picture. I am currently developing a non-profit organization with some friends;my experience in that project and my experience on a marketing/advertising team in the real world could be very benefitial to this project. Maybe I would be a good person to coordinate all the different areas we are working on. I could keep track & records of all of our tasks and make sure everything is happening that needs to be...
New Project
After last weeks discussion and change of pace, I am very excited to get the ball rolling on our new project. We all have something unique to bring to the table. We all come from different backgrounds and all have different skills and experiences we can share. I was thinking about what I could personally contribute to the group. I am a good speaker, and could help spread the word about our new project and help get others involved and excited about it. I am also someone who enjoys working with their hands, I can help build, and plant, and cultivate. If we were all working individually, a project this size would seem impossible, but because we are all working together, it will be a success.
21 March 2010
Someone on our side... and look Shes from OHIO
Michael Moore's new movie has a lot of congress woman Marcy Kaptur in it. She is pretty much B.A. What she says is so amazing. I mean, yes its breaking the law... but so what? Hasn't Wall Street broken enough laws? Aren't these banks breaking MORAL LAWS? I feel like she could motivate us throughout this project.
Forclosed Gardens
I am so psyched about that this project I can barely wait to get started. I am up for researching for whatever is needed and putting in some hard work. My boyfriend works at the Home Depot and can probably get what we need in terms of gardening supplies. My mom also works for a nursery and knows about some plants we can get planted. This idea is going to be fantastic because not only will we be getting the community involved but gardens are also helping the environment they are a part of. Plants help with the flow flow of oxygen, plants help you think, and it would be bringing something to these communities other than just wasted space and a feeling of deterioration. I will get to work on other people we can contact about this project.
I work with John Palmer who is in University Relations and I know he might be willing to help promote our project to papers and such once we get our ideas together.
I work with John Palmer who is in University Relations and I know he might be willing to help promote our project to papers and such once we get our ideas together.
20 March 2010
What I can promise to contribute...
So when I left class on Monday I immediately asked a source about donations so we can start getting physical things for this local gardens project. She said that her dad donates for needy causes, but we would need to get together more information for them about what we are doing, why, when, how, etc. So we would need to get that in written form so I can send it to her, but either way she said that she would be willing to come help us with the gardens. I also got some more volunteers to help us, so we can really get the community involved also. Now I myself, can contribute some extra time and effort into this project. Even if we just started out making a local garden and then letting the project expand from that, I would love to go on the weekends and start getting this garden going. I could probably contribute a tool or two or even ask people to borrow rakes, shovels, etc. I would be willing to go around nurseries asking for plants, or even seeds. Which ever way we decide to go about this project, it's the first thing I've been truly excited about and feel like its extremely reachable, do-able, and could better a community.
19 March 2010
we could most definitely obtain a grant, if they can
http://columbuslocalnews.com/articles/2010/03/18/whitehall_news/news/whcouncilw_20100317_1143am_4.txt
hmm...seed bombs for where we can't grow
http://current.com/items/89653977_seed-bombs-walk-by-guerrilla-gardening.htm
oh yeah...
10 March 2010
Awesome.
I came across this image whilst watching a TEDtalk with Stefan Sagmeister (there's a link to that talk on this site about the graphic http://glass.typepad.com/journal/2007/06/making_happy.html)
Apparently it was done by an artist named True, whom I cannot find any information on, and 20 or so of his friends who replaced every subway instruction sign in the whole system with this and other signs. In the TEDtalk there is a great image of the one which they used to replace the "Do Not lean on the doors" sign which reads: "Do not hold Grudges"
This is a great version of what my group in this class has been working on and I had to share it.
06 March 2010
"Intrinsic quality is the only real measure of good design."
"Many executives who spend time in a modern office at least eight hours a day may very well live in houses in which the latest audio equipment is hidden behind the doors of a Chippendale cabinet. [...] The preference is for the traditional setting."
I feel like I can deeply relate with Rand on this point. He goes on to say one of the most important things about design, "Good design is not based on nostalgia or trendiness. Intrinsic quality is the only real measure of good design. There is a reason for every element of the design, every color, font, image, line. If something is designed and created arbitrarily then it is bad design and REALLY BAD communication. I'm not going to lie, I love creating things that have to do with issues I face and images I am familiar with and find interesting, but I can't just go placing my vector cartoon characters on my friends graduation announcements.
I think this goes overlooked and we as designers and communicators need to understand that every little thing MUST make sense.
I feel like I can deeply relate with Rand on this point. He goes on to say one of the most important things about design, "Good design is not based on nostalgia or trendiness. Intrinsic quality is the only real measure of good design. There is a reason for every element of the design, every color, font, image, line. If something is designed and created arbitrarily then it is bad design and REALLY BAD communication. I'm not going to lie, I love creating things that have to do with issues I face and images I am familiar with and find interesting, but I can't just go placing my vector cartoon characters on my friends graduation announcements.
I think this goes overlooked and we as designers and communicators need to understand that every little thing MUST make sense.
teamwork, YES.
It is very interesting to read this information which comes from someone who had such a large hand in how graphic design has been used. It further reminds me of the inability to see history as it is written. The interconnectedness of this profession with all other things, namely of course business, seems to have carved out the track that it would follow. It seems that few people have stopped to question if there is a way to steer where the track leads before adding onto it.
There are some parts I really enjoy in this selection from Paul Rand:
"If asked to pinpoint the reasons for the proliferation of bad design, I would have to conclude, all things being equal, that the difficulties lie with (1) management's unawareness or indifference to good design, (2) market research's vested interests, (3) designers' lack of authority or competence.
I also enjoyed reading about the German Werkbund, and " . . . the recognition that men are molded by the objects that surround them."
These ideas are where I like to focus, as it seems ever more likely that if we, as designers, design only (or mostly) products that do good- that inform, direct, are efficient for our clients and ourselves and are in step with our own morals, than there is the possibility that only products which fullfill these criteria will be the norm of production.
It seems one of the best things we can do is to create what we can from our own standpoint of progress and good, and convince our clients that any product (including brand identities themselves) can do good, be better, and be presented as such.
In the words of "The Sphinx" in the terribly corny film, Mystery Men, "We must be like the wolf pack, not like the six pack" to which the Shoveler replies, "Teamwork, yes!"
There are some parts I really enjoy in this selection from Paul Rand:
"If asked to pinpoint the reasons for the proliferation of bad design, I would have to conclude, all things being equal, that the difficulties lie with (1) management's unawareness or indifference to good design, (2) market research's vested interests, (3) designers' lack of authority or competence.
I also enjoyed reading about the German Werkbund, and " . . . the recognition that men are molded by the objects that surround them."
These ideas are where I like to focus, as it seems ever more likely that if we, as designers, design only (or mostly) products that do good- that inform, direct, are efficient for our clients and ourselves and are in step with our own morals, than there is the possibility that only products which fullfill these criteria will be the norm of production.
It seems one of the best things we can do is to create what we can from our own standpoint of progress and good, and convince our clients that any product (including brand identities themselves) can do good, be better, and be presented as such.
In the words of "The Sphinx" in the terribly corny film, Mystery Men, "We must be like the wolf pack, not like the six pack" to which the Shoveler replies, "Teamwork, yes!"
04 March 2010
Good Design is Goodwill Response
This reading is not at all what I had expected it to be. I kept waiting for it to talk about goodwill, but instead it seems like a tutorial on the field of design as a whole. But, I did find it interesting that it discussed a topic that we in class talked about a few Mondays ago.
It is true that there is this love and hate relationship between the designer and the infinate number of people that have their input on a single design. There are always committees, marketing groups and of course management spewing out their ideas and opinions. Sometimes this can be beneficial, but on the other hand it can be extremely frustrating. My personal experiences in advertising were very frustrating for me because I had to deal with management who micro-managed and changed EVERYTHING the design team did. My frustration had nothing to do with not being able to constructive critism, I welcome that, but I hated that the management had absolutely NO design or art background.
I realize this is one of the obstacles that a designer must face when entering the work force. And I wish I had been better prepared for that experience, I had no idea what it was really going to be like. So although the reading was not what I had expected, I think it was something important to read and think about for those who are graduating soon and entering the design world.
It is true that there is this love and hate relationship between the designer and the infinate number of people that have their input on a single design. There are always committees, marketing groups and of course management spewing out their ideas and opinions. Sometimes this can be beneficial, but on the other hand it can be extremely frustrating. My personal experiences in advertising were very frustrating for me because I had to deal with management who micro-managed and changed EVERYTHING the design team did. My frustration had nothing to do with not being able to constructive critism, I welcome that, but I hated that the management had absolutely NO design or art background.
I realize this is one of the obstacles that a designer must face when entering the work force. And I wish I had been better prepared for that experience, I had no idea what it was really going to be like. So although the reading was not what I had expected, I think it was something important to read and think about for those who are graduating soon and entering the design world.
02 March 2010
"Art is the best means of propaganda"
I believe art is a very good means of propaganda and more specifically design. Design sells a product and if it communicates to the viewer in the way the company was hoping, their product will sell. So doing good design is very important in today's culture.
The most interesting part of this reading, for me, was the history of design and where it started. I thought it was interesting that design was first thought of as "decoration- a legacy of the past." And how design was considered ' a woman's job,' where the men took care of the business obstacles and the women "decorate." This was very interesting to me just because I never though of design as just decoration. So that helps me realize how much the design industry has grown and developed.
"To many designers, art/design is a cultural mission in which life and work are inseparable." This is a great point that Rant made. Today you have to create everything towards a certain individual in today's society. You have to connect life and means of life to what you create and work on. They need to collaborate together to create a design/artwork that will fully communicate to the people or industry.
For Fun: Paul Rand's Eye, Bee, M poster at the end of the article was really cool. I am a little slower than most people and it took me a few seconds to realize what it was saying ("eyebumblebeem"..."OH! I B M") and then I laughed out loud!!!
The most interesting part of this reading, for me, was the history of design and where it started. I thought it was interesting that design was first thought of as "decoration- a legacy of the past." And how design was considered ' a woman's job,' where the men took care of the business obstacles and the women "decorate." This was very interesting to me just because I never though of design as just decoration. So that helps me realize how much the design industry has grown and developed.
"To many designers, art/design is a cultural mission in which life and work are inseparable." This is a great point that Rant made. Today you have to create everything towards a certain individual in today's society. You have to connect life and means of life to what you create and work on. They need to collaborate together to create a design/artwork that will fully communicate to the people or industry.
For Fun: Paul Rand's Eye, Bee, M poster at the end of the article was really cool. I am a little slower than most people and it took me a few seconds to realize what it was saying ("eyebumblebeem"..."OH! I B M") and then I laughed out loud!!!
Total Rant
This reading was interesting but I did find much in it for me to take away because it felt to me like it was making design this over glorified field in which all the planets must align for everything to be perfect, but I did enjoy how the article talked about the history in how the design field as we know it was started and how design and product have to come together in the perfect balance for the company and the product to do well.
What I took from the article was that things must be designed accordingly. If something works well but does not appeal to a certain level of quality then no one will want it no matter how good it looks. Then on the other hand it can be beautiful to look at and not work at all but no one will care about how beautiful it looks if it does not work well. Everything has to come together to make it work.
Designers have to consider how people will respond to it by knowing the basics of human behavior. For example, it is best to design a product that will respond the best to the human body and that will make people feel that it will make their life easier. Then when you start dipping into that power are we being deceitful, no we should use these basic understandings and needs of human beings to create products, solutions and companies that create for the greater good. Who really needs another drill but when it is a drill that has taken into consideration the weight in one’s hand and the curve of one’s palm. Why not have the most comfortable and the easiest to use?
The major dilemma in the life of a designer in which they need to decide what they want to design. Who needs another Coke or another T.V., no one but designers find ways to present that we do. Round and round we go where we will stop no one knows. Designers could design things to better suit our souls other than our needs. What do we need? To stop isolating ourselves? To speak out? To clean up? What is it that we really need?
I do not know how I got to talking about this and I know this is not related so much to the reading anymore but this is what is on my mind after that reading. The idea that every aspect, reason, and talent needs to align just right and we have to know ourselves well enough to discover what we will do with this cosmic power.
01 March 2010
In Response to : Good Design is GoodWill
As I was reading this very interesting section by Paul Rand, I began to highlight some very specific portions that I really identified with very much.
For the past couple of weeks, we have been working in groups to bring to full fruition our specific projects. Although, we have been working very dilegently and things are slowly but surely coming along, there is one particular sentence in this reading that has finally givin me the clear expression of how I wanted to communicate my thoughts on working in groups.
While, I am an individual who is able to work in groups and individually, I do enjoy exploring things on my own as well. This class has been a very amazing experience thus far, truly it has, and my group are dynamic people who will do wonders in the world but now at this point in time I think I want to explore some things in design for myself.
In this reading, in about the 7th paragraph it says, qoute.." Design is a personal activity and springs from the creative impulse of an individual. Group design or design by committee, although occasionally useful, deprives the designer of the distinct pleasure of personal accomplishment and self-realization. It may even hinder his or her thought processes, because work is not practiced under natural, tension-free conditions. Ideas have neither time to develop nor even the opportunity to occur. The tensions encountered in original work are different from those caused by discomfort or nervousness.--end quote--
When I read this I thought...wow! Absoultly, brilliant...design is very personal and I came to that conclusion this weekend! I wonder if someone would agree or disagree with me....and while it is very important to understand how to work in groups etc. in design it can be a distraction to the individual's personal art that they are trying to communicate with the world, it is their personal sense of identity, and it is their personal self-expression that creates a world of things beyond anyone's imagination. Collective is cool( not that I don't think groups can make extreme impacts--its done all the time) but personalization is priceless...
For the past couple of weeks, we have been working in groups to bring to full fruition our specific projects. Although, we have been working very dilegently and things are slowly but surely coming along, there is one particular sentence in this reading that has finally givin me the clear expression of how I wanted to communicate my thoughts on working in groups.
While, I am an individual who is able to work in groups and individually, I do enjoy exploring things on my own as well. This class has been a very amazing experience thus far, truly it has, and my group are dynamic people who will do wonders in the world but now at this point in time I think I want to explore some things in design for myself.
In this reading, in about the 7th paragraph it says, qoute.." Design is a personal activity and springs from the creative impulse of an individual. Group design or design by committee, although occasionally useful, deprives the designer of the distinct pleasure of personal accomplishment and self-realization. It may even hinder his or her thought processes, because work is not practiced under natural, tension-free conditions. Ideas have neither time to develop nor even the opportunity to occur. The tensions encountered in original work are different from those caused by discomfort or nervousness.--end quote--
When I read this I thought...wow! Absoultly, brilliant...design is very personal and I came to that conclusion this weekend! I wonder if someone would agree or disagree with me....and while it is very important to understand how to work in groups etc. in design it can be a distraction to the individual's personal art that they are trying to communicate with the world, it is their personal sense of identity, and it is their personal self-expression that creates a world of things beyond anyone's imagination. Collective is cool( not that I don't think groups can make extreme impacts--its done all the time) but personalization is priceless...
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