Message Machines

You know what consistently erks me...how long have message machines become. Not only do I have to listen to your personal message "hey this is so and so phone leave a message after the beep," but then on top of that I have to hear "if you would like to leave a message press one, or stay on the line, if you would like to page this person press 2" then I have to wait another ten seconds before the beep comes.This elongated process has completly stop me from leaving messages. I like the good old days when it went personal message then beep. I do really like the fact that I can go back and check out what I said. In the past if you leave a silly message on someones phone you were stuck but now I can go back and change my message which is crucial for important calls.....

we all remember this classic moment in phone message history.

http://www.entertonement.com/clips/27262/Old-School/Will-Ferrell/Frank-Ricard/If-that'd-be-agreeable%E2%80%A6

It was recently brought to my attention that this is how you spell "technology"... that is all.

Stained Glass

Earlier this quarter we went to look at some beautiful stained glass at one of Evanston's local churches. The stained glass within the church utilized an old medium in combination with new forms, ideas, and motifs in order to create an incredibly original design. In my everyday exploration of the interweb I came across another use of stained glass that uses that takes the medium out of its usual habitat and places it a new environment. By creatively using this stained glass the artist is able to tap in to the history and feelings that is attributed to stained glass, while simultaneously creating contrast by putting it in a bar. The visual and emotional contrast is effective in making the piece stand out and promotes the creativity of the artwork. Check it out and let me know what you think....

Its a chair in a box

Step one cut a hole in that box. Step two make a chair out of that box. Step three make her open the box. (Sorry for the SNL reference).
I just thought this was a really cool design because it was able to blend to recognizable designs a box or poster and a chair.
Just imagine....your throwing a dinner party, or having cocktails, and your friend, who never thinks to RSVP, brings his new girl friend over to the party. Oh No !!! you only planned for nine people but now there are ten and you know how awkward it is to be that person on a lap or standing behind the inner circle of chairs. But wait check out that decorative piece hanging on the wall. If only it could turn in to a chair. BAM. Just one of the many scenarios when this could come in handy.
I question the functionality of the chair; however. The chair looks rather tippy. Can you imagin if your friends girl friend was a 300 hundred pounder.

A few last class we discussed the importance of creating logos, symbols, and colors. The process of creating an image that represent one's product is essential to the design process due to the fact that the logo is what the customers use to identify the product. The logo allows users to quickly associate the product or company with important characteristics, such as consistency, quality, fashionable, etc. Logos can contain a host of hidden images or messages that my or may not be clear to consumers. Here are a few interesting examples of different company logos and their meanings.



So it is extremely obvious that this is the logo for amazon.com, but what is that little arrow for? Apparently it is there to represent that website has a wide range of products from going from A to Z. huh huh clever right. Honestly though I would have never even thought about what that means or really cared, but apparently its important to the company.


I was shocked when I saw this one because I have seen the FedEx logo a bunch. Note the small arrow in between the E and the X. The arrow is there to represent the companies speed and precision. Once again never would have noticed it if someone didn't point it out.


This next logo is interesting but in my mind ineffective. It is supposed to be different mirror images of an eight, but I don't think its easy to read and it doesn't even spell the company name which is be eighty eight. If thats a T then I have been sorely mistaken on the alphabet my entire life.

I know there are millions of other logos with crazy hidden messages if I find more ill let you guys know.

Prototyping The Future continued

In the previous post, I mentioned technology for technology sake, does the world really need a robotic penguin...of course it does and why? Because nothing is cooler than robotic penguins. I just can't wait until robotic animals that have gone extinct or real ones like in Jurassic Park, what could go wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5JHMpLIqO4

Prototyping The Future

One of the more exciting elements of design is the invention and or prototyping of innovative technology. In class we watched a video of how prototyping was being used to predict the future of interactive computer technology. This process can be, and is, applied to many other products and industries as an essential tool for modeling the companies new products. This process can be critical in determining what direction the company will head in. One of the world leaders in creating cutting edge technology is Festo. According to their website, Festo is a worldwide leading supplier of pneumatic and electrical automation technology. In laymen terms they design some really sweet robots. While the creation of these prototypes are essential for modeling what the future of a specific technology will look like, at what point is a company creating technology for technology sakes. By this I mean that while the creation of an interactive wall is awesome is it really necesary or usefull. Finding ways to succesfully utilize, market, and finally sell new technology can be just as time consuming as creating them. In many cases something created for one purpose, but actually used for something different. Just look at the internet. The internet was origanally created as a means for communication in the army, it now dominates our lives. In other circumstances a technology must combined with another technology in order to be productive. In the case of the interactive wall it might be able to be combined with a imagining technology like the one in Rachel's post in order to be used for advertising, mall directions, etc. Check out this video of the wall and think about what ways this technology could be effectively utilized.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVz2LIxrdKc

Its a...

Well, Kanye West would use the item in the last post as a book shelf.

What is it...?

One critical element of design is combining the functionality of a product with an artistic element. Users must be able to both use the product, but they also want it to look good. This idea creates a space in which designers can utilize their imagination and creativity to create some interesting products. Sometimes designers may get so artistic that you don't know what the product actually is. What would you use this object for?

How to make a beat

I found this video on Youtube. Now to be a star you don't even have to make your own beat, just hop on you tube and they will show you how to recreate almost any song out there. Now while the chances of you making it big off a beat that somebody else used is extremely slim this video shows how easy it has become to make beats.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP9vgrrJObI

Has technology increased or decreased our ability to be creative?

With the creation of music recording and production programs such as Protools, Q Base, Garage Band, Fruity Loops, and Reason making and recording music has become easier than ever . This new technology has especially effected the hip hop world because of the nature of rap recording. Rap songs are much simpler to record than other forms of music because of the general lack of live instrumentation.
A predominant amount of rap songs are recorded over a pre-made instrumentals. The instrumentals are often created with the same program that the artist is recorded with, which makes it even easier to create a full song. Sometimes a multi track is used, meaning each instrument in the beat has its own separate track, allowing the sound engineer to tweak each instrument individually. While multi tracks are the preferred audio file often times artists will simply record over high quality single track audio files of the instrumental. While single track audio files give you less control over the beat you are still able to produce a good sounding song. Other than a recording program and a track, all an artist needs is a computer and a microphone to create a hit single. But can an artist really make it to the top with such a limited materials?
One doesn't have to look very hard to find an example of how easy it is to blow up. Using a make shift home studio and a beat he made on Fruity Loops Soulja Boy created the song "Crank That Soujla Boy." Distributing his music using Myspace, Youtube, and other social networking sites he quickly gained national recognition and rose to the top of the charts . With world wide success in combination with a Grammy nomination for best song, Soulja Boy has proven how technology has further simplified the recording process and made it easy for anyone to rise to stardom, but to what effect.
Even before Soujla Boy made it big there were tons of artists saturating the music industry. Although the new technology has made it easier for artists to create music, now everyone with a computer thinks they are a rapper. Rap music has become polluted with people who are making music to make a quick buck or because its the "in" thing to do. One only has to look through Myspace music page to see thousands of cooky cutter artists. This makes it harder for the real passionate artists to be heard and creates a space in which rap artists are looked at a dime a dozen. Music downloading technology has made it almost impossible to make money off your songs. Gone are the days when the best rapper in the city rose to the top by selling CD's out of the back of their trunk. While there are many talented artists making quality music technology has had a dramatic effect on the music industry.