Typography Inspiration

Color Lecture Response

Color Lecture

I was excited for the color lecture, because I knew it was going to be very helpful to me. Before the lecture the only thing I ever took into consideration was contrasting colors when designing. Now I know there are many different ways to use color well. I learned harmonious hues could be just as effective as contrasting, as well as value and Chroma. The six different unity strategies were also very helpful. I found most interesting that each color holds a different weight, and that depending on the colors, the composition may not be even if its just half one color and half the other. Especially if it’s a darker and a lighter color, you have to adjust it so there’s more of the lighter color so the composition is evenly distributed. The color lecture will come in handy for the rest of my design career and in everyday life. 

Don Norman Video Response

Don Norman- 3 ways good design makes you happy

Out of all the outside readings and video’s I enjoyed Don Norman’s views the most. Maybe because I’m minoring in psychology, I thought him relating why we think things are well designed back to aspects of our neurology was extremely fascinating. I often don’t know why I like certain designs and I feel like he gave me the approval just to say because it looks cool, not necessarily because they function the best. Norman’s ideas combined aesthetics and function and that the object can have either or both of these and still be considered well designed. I also enjoyed that much of his view on what was well designed was very personal to the individual. Don Norman’s video related to me the most.

Think + Make Reading Response

Think + Make

I enjoyed that the “Think + Make” reading was expressing a different view than Dieter Rams, in that much of design is left to personal interpretation. Each of the excerpts for the books discusses design differently, and how it’s difficult to give it one definition because design can be so vast. From fabric to protests each were designed carefully. I also enjoyed in particular John Heskett’s view of design. I interpreted from his writing that each person has their own view of design, and I see evidence of this everyday in my drawing and design classes. I believe each individual has her own view of what is good design and there doesn’t need to be a checklist that an object must meet to be considered well designed.

Color Police

Good Design

This campaign uses the principles of color design well to create a well-designed and affective advertisement. Through the use of a weak harmonious chroma the ad has a sophisticated feel. This sophistication targets “higher end” costumers and also shows the value of the product. The photo also uses many harmonious values, however, the contrasting values in the tires work well to display the product. By using the principles of color design the advertisement creates a sophisticated mood and sells the product well.

Bad Design

In this advertisement, the limited pallet in the background mixed with the harmonious hues in the product; make the vitamin water blend into the background, making for a less affective advertisement. Another bad design decision is that the only contrasting chroma and differing hue is in the dragon, which has little to do with the product itself. The poor use of principles of color design makes the advertisement confusing and ineffective.

Reflection -- Dieter Rams: 10 Principles for Good Design

I have a new out look on what makes for good design after hearing Dieter Rams ten principles for good design. Like many of the people surrounding Rams, I use to believe that good design had to be loud and stand out from all other designs of its kind, but as Rams says these designs are just “an impenetrable confusion of forms, colors and noises.” After hearing his principles I see that it’s the simple things, such as a products usefulness, that are truly important when creating well-designed objects. No matter how high tech, colorful, or "cool" the object seems at first it’s not well designed if it sits on your counter just to be looked at and never used. My favorite principle that Rams’ speaks of is that well designed objects have to be honest. It has to do exactly what its says its function is and not manipulate costumers into thinking its designed for something it’s not. Dieter Rams believes the most well designed objects are the most simple, which is a new outlook I hadn’t thought of before. This new outlook helped when picking out my objects for project #1

.https://www.vitsoe.com/gb/about/good-desig