notes from readings & lecture

4 Community (interrelated systems)
3 System (interrelated products)
2 Products (interrelated componenets)
1 Components

Design methodologist chris jones, hierarchy of design problems. Components and products are at lowest level. Upper levels are system level problems (involving related systems).

Components level – doesn’t consider effect of design. Environment is not a consideration. Component is the car, highway, Put together the components of car, highway, and have a product
Community (interrelated)
Our role of designer has shifted from problem solving a news paper ad or website to
Considering how things are interrelated. Highway + the car + other vehicle
System- gas prices and how that affects society.

Today’s designer has to think about designs at this level- Cultural, technical, economic, cognitive
-How is my artifact interrelated with other artifacts?
-How am I impacting society as a whole?
-Or if object is at the component level, are we able to think about it at the systems or community level?

the old way: A lot of people think designers just add the pretty dressing to a product

We have the Educate people that design is strategic thinking. 

27-28 hierarchy of design problems, education of a graphic designer

The teacher that informed the author that he was too articulate and, great design happens when designers have no other way of expressing themselves than with form, makes little sense to me. I completely agree intuitive design requires a propensity of directed talent, but in the paraphrased words of Paul Rand—from the animation of last semester—form without content, is meaningless.  In comparison, Rand seems to be contradicting himself in the quote, from the reading, the student whose mind is cluttered with matters [other than design] is a bewildered student.

 Design is interwoven into communication, expression, interaction and cognition. Design should be about creating meaning. Successful design reflects the relationship of form and communication. According to the author, an ideal design education would include a study of the historical analysis of design, design skills and technique, a course on rhetoric as a design model—especially since successful graphic design requires the charm of persuasion within the categories of intellectual, logical, aesthetic and emotional.

 32-33 Vis Comm, from theory to practice

Within the process model, noise is defined as, anything that gets added to the signal between the sender and receiver. Noise ranges from poor craft (smudges in text), poor audio reception to effectiveness of message when it is in competition with other activities/diversions occurring (watching TV while knitting or something). Another less obvious noise dilemma, is an excessive level of decoration within the design. If the goal is to attract the viewer’s interest and to communicate something fluff can only complicate the design. (Fluff with cohesive connotations to the message, on the other hand is a great idea!?)

 In 1880 during the Arts and Crafts movement, a reduction of ornamentation was a trend and form follows function was given reign; this movement partially inspired the Modernist movement that began in Europe in the 1920s and 30s. During the Bauhaus movement, minimalism was supreme, while ornamentation equated vomit.

 In reference to noise, to little information or décor can distract from the message just as much as an excess. The message could be understood by only a select and educated few, which may the intention. If the purpose is to communicate, then the aesthetic language should support, rather than detract from the message.

 Although a message could be compressed by using less words and repetition, redundancy, can be a powerful and clarifying design tool.  Entrophy within design is the opposite of redundancy. It requires the viewer to understand an unfamiliar visual language; reaching a specific audience is the sender's goal. Basically appling entrophy can assist with creating an interesting design, but at the expense of clearly communicating to a broad audience.

 18, 26, 30 This means this , that means that

Messages are always transmitted through a medium. The medium may be presentational (voice, interpersonal), representational (painting book, photo) or mechanical (internet, tv, radio).

 wrong .(to be blunt) The eyes are still in fact the windows to the soul, unless a stoic, stick-figure, smiley face is the subject matter.

 A symbol, in Greek means, to throw together. In semiotics, some symbols are related to the nature of the object, for instance, scales to justice, doves to peace. Other symbols have only arbitrary relationships, for instance, sword to truth, goat to lust.

How we make sense of a message depends on how we interpret it and whom we think is receiving it. (I didn’t eat Grandmother’s cake.)  A distinction exists between sender and receiver. The aim of a sender is to transmit a message to a specific receiver without interruption. The process is: sender (writer), communication (message), receiver (reader), context (literature), object (book).

 Berlo Communication Model of: Source, Message, Channel, Receiver

1. Source - Successful communication by source is determined by Communication skills (vocab, grammar, knowing the audience), knowledge (attitudes, comm..channel, knowing the subject), social system, culture (determines word choice, subject matter intended audience), attitudes (self confidence, attitude toward subject and receiver)

2. Message – code (for instance, word choice), context (what we say), treatment (hierarchy within message)

3. Channel – seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting. (determine what channel the message should be transmitted to have the most impact)

4. Receiver – see source as the same descriptions apply.