Rethinking Design

A collection of efforts to rethink design with help from the Development Design Lab

Submission 1: Unthinking Design

You are asked to use your sketchbook/journal to start to ‘see’ an everyday object. To sketch it, describe it and to really see the lines, the shapes, the elements that make up that object and not the object itself as we define it. This is the beginnings of de-constructivism or ‘unseeing’. The purpose of this assignment is to see objects in a different light. To be able to break it down and note the elements that make up this object. We live in a world that is defined and governed by labels and automatically puts the viewer in an unconscious state of what to think or see. We live in a world of influence and often overlook the basics or the simplicity of objects and the elements that make up that object. This exercise will help in the analytical critique of our weekly case studies .

Submission 2: One line drawings

We have been working on creating a flow of ‘unthinking’; simply writing what comes to mind, unscripted and unedited. This allows us to become self aware and to reflect and nurture our authenticity and intuition.

Intuition: the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious

reasoning.

This next assignment is to translate this the same concept through design with simply a paper

and black marker/pen and our flow. The aim is to pick a starting point and to create from there,

allowing the pen to take a life of it’s own by making shapes, dots, lines and patterns and

whatever else comes to mind that has no meaning. There is a continuous flow of ‘doodling’

with no stops or hesitations. No thinking: What looks good’, ‘what comes next?’ ...no

conscious reasoning.

My Sketches

Abstract linework

One line abstract portrait

Abstract horizon with trees

Reflection

Submission 3: Seeing through a new perspective

After analyzing, critiquing, and understanding the basic elements, we now want to explore different perspectives on ‘seeing’ the same object/topic or issue. Something to think about as we move towards developing our approach:

’To study technique means to make it, to invent it. To take the raw material each time to make it anew. It must be made to serve a specific purpose. The same technique must never be used again. Each time it must be made new and fresh. Those who have the will to create do not care to use old phrases. There is great pleasure in the effort to invent the exact same thing which is needed. Use it. Break it down. Begin again. It is a great thing to be able to see. Seeing it without limit. It is a great thing to see when one has a fair measure of seeing. Then to invent the means of expressing it.

Pick an artist (of any genre - music, art, theater) This is a study on understanding how other creators use their medium to address issues of their times, how their perspectives can help shape society and how they draw inspiration and correlation from a place of self awareness and awareness of the world around them.

EX: Jean-Michel Basquiat was an influential African-American artist who rose to success during the 1980s. Basquiat’s paintings are largely responsible for elevating graffiti artists into the realm of the New York gallery scene. His spray-painted crowns and scribbled words referenced everything from his Haitian and Puerto Rican heritage, to political issues, pop-culture icons, and Biblical verse. The gestural marks and expressive nature of his work not only aligned him with the street art of Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf, but also the Neo-Expressionists Julian Schnabel and David Salle. “If you wanna talk about influence, man, then you've got to realize that influence is not influence,” he said of his process. “It's simply someone's idea going through my new mind.”

Pick an artist (of any genre - music, art, theater) This is a study on understanding how other creators use their medium to address issues of their times, how their perspectives can help shape society and how they draw inspiration and correlation from a place of self awareness and awareness of the world around them.

ZANE FIX

Zane Fix is an artist that I had the pleasure of meeting a few weeks ago at his showroom in New York city. He grew up in the rock and roll era, but also spent a good amount of time in japan perfecting wood block artwork. Zane was originally one of the best architects in his class from cooper union school in new York. He had a growing professional portfolio post graduation designing for a few architectural firms in the city. Soon after Zane decided to pack up and go study traditional art in japan, where he spent the next couple decades of his life. Wood Block paintings are created one by one, and require precision to create using the traditional Japanese style. For his art he combines that traditional Japanese process, but paints subjects from music, movies, culture and rock and roll. Initially when he told us the price for his art I didn't believe him. But once I heard his story I realized that the effort and knowledge needed to even conceptualize his work was quite intensive. In a way his artistic model is my ideal design style. Taking cultural influences from my past and present; learning an intensive skill and understanding the process; then valuing all of these pieces so the consumer/ user understands the process are all aspects I would like to take in consideration when i design