Learning

When we are in the class room the teacher is usually lecturing about a certain subject. Then after they are done lecturing they ask if there is any questions. What if at the beginning of class they asked a questioned about the topic. By asking a question they are in gauging the class and make us think and get us interested. Ramsey Musallam recently did a ted talk on this topic called 3 rules to spark learning. His three rules are curiosity comes first, embrace the mess and reflect. He says “questions can be windows to great instruction, but not the other way around. When he says embrace the mess he is taking about trial and error and that its ok to make mistakes. Reflection is going back to what yo have learned and looking over it again. I feel like this is a good idea by getting your attention at the beginning makes learning less painful. Being curious is natural so why don’t we use that to our advantage.

Wiki

History 

“The Fisker Karma was revealed at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.[16] It is the first car from Fisker Automotive, a new auto maker based in Anaheim, California, founded on 5 September 2007.[17]

Production began in July 2011,[5] and the first two deliveries took place in the United States on July 26, 2011.[8][18] In October 2011 the first Karma delivered in the UK was auctioned to benefit Pratham UK and raised a bid of GB£140,000 (around US$220,000).[19]”

Fisker Karma has not built a car since July 2012.[87] The company is heading towards bankruptcy and they have fired 3/4 of their workers. Originally the base model was starting at $102,000 USD. Today you can go on ebay and find the car going for $40,000 USD to $80,000 USD. The problem is if you buy one of them and they break down is, you will not be able to find anyone to fix them. The cars are not very reliable and tend to need some work. 

Henrik Fisker decided to leave the company when the company was going down hill. When another company showed interest in buying Fisker Henrik is now back with the company.[89] He wants the company thats interested in buying Fisker help him settle a 171 million dollar debt.[88]  

[86] ^ a b Jaynes, Nick (2013-05-28) Henrik Fisker – having his cake and eating it, too – wants to buy back sinking Fisker Automotive

[87] ^ a b Davies, Alex (2013-05-15) You Can Now Buy A Fisker Karma For 60% Off

[88]^ a b Seetharaman, Deepa (2013-05-24).Henrik Fisker joins Hong Kong tycoon to salvage Fisker -sources

Alternate Publishing Plan

For an alternate publishing plan I was thinking of using an article that i’ve posted. The article that I picked is the future of the design rewrite. However I would still need to do some editing to it. I also would have to rewrite certain parts. I would try to submit it to the  New York Times instead of This American Life. This American Life seems to be more about news. The  New York Times has an area where the post would be printed and that seems more like a discussion area. So its not only about news and whats going on in the world it can be about anything as long as the reader is engage. My article is more informational and tries to get the reader thinking. I think thats what the New York Times is looking for.

Midterm

Midterm Proposal

Find a few propaganda posters and go into detail as explaining why reason behind them. Where did they come from ? Why were they used? What type of style are they? Who was the artist? What else the artist did?

pagani huayra

Many people know about the Bugatti Veyron as the faster production car ever built. But what most people don’t know about is the small company call Pagani. Pagani builds some over the most expensive and powerful super cars ever made. They have been know for the Pagani Zonda but they recently made a new car to replace the Zonda. They are calling it the Huayra, named after the South American god of wind. This new car has the latest technology. It may not be as fast at the Bugatti Veyron but its top speed is 230 miles an hour. 0 - 60 in 3.2 seconds with 730 horse power. It cost 800 thousand pounds. They put so much detail into this car. Each nut and bolt is made out of titanium. The body is made out a new substance just for this car called carbotanium. A combination of carbon fiber and titanium which is stronger and lighter then carbon fiber and wont crack as easy. And if all thats not enough the car has tiny flaps on the font and rear of the car that deploy to make the car more stable around turns. 

Designing the car must have taken years and only a few people can afford such a car. This got me thinking is it worth it to build such a car? I think it is, this car is absolutely amazing. It pushes the engineering of cars today. People can learn from this car and make the future of car safer for the rest of us. 

To learn more click here.

Problem

I think a problem that sometimes happens in the design world is that designers forgets that they are designing for users. They focus on the aesthetic appearance of whatever they are designing more then the usability. I believe that happens for two reasons. One of the reasons being, that they have been working on the project for to long. They see it on a daily basis and they know all the ins and outs of it. So for them it is easy to understand and navigate. They forget that other people that have never used it before will be using it. The second reason is the designer, designs for to the aesthetic appearance. They sacrifice the usability for the project to look good. This is ok in certain situations, for example a website. If someone came up with a new code that gave a new advanced effect on website you wouldn’t expect it to be user friendly. The purpose of the new effect is just to prove that it can be done. 

When designers are first starting out they learn about the design process. Now there are a lot of design process charts but most have similar terms. Research, concept, design, development, prototype, and production are just a few terms that keep coming up again and again. I feel that there should be a new one added to the list. And that is usability. If this was added, there would be a lot more products in the world that actually work. It would remind you that your not just designing for the appearance of the product but how you use it.

New Argument

In my senior seminar class at Quinnipiac University we had to design our own brand. We had to start off by doing research about what makes a brand a brand. Once I had looked at a few companies I realized I need to come up with a logo or something that represents me. My teacher gave us an assignment to come up with 20  different logos. I started off making a few sketches. I thought I found the logo that I wanted. I was so excited to show my teacher and ask her what she thought. Right before class started I only had 18 logos. So I quickly sketched out two more 5 minutes before class. When she looked at my work she didn’t like the logo that I really liked. She said there was one that stood out to her. It happened to be one of the logos that I just sketched out right before class. I was surprised and I was not sure how I felt about it. But working with it I really started to enjoy my character that is on my resume. 

By doing this assignment I’ve realized as a designer each person creates their own style.  Jarrett J. Krosoczka: How a boy became and artist talks about how he came up with his own style. I think its very important to find your style and make it your own. I also think over the years your styles change but there are characteristics that never change in your pieces. 

How To

How to Make a Cheese Roll Up

You are probably wondering what is a cheese roll up? A cheese roll up is a little, on the go snack. Or if your just a little hungry and don’t know what you want. But basically it is a tortilla rolled up with cheese and pepperoni inside.

Things that you will need

Plate

Cheese

Pepperoni

Tortilla (any size)

Microwave

Step 1

Get all of the things you need out.

Step 2

Take the plate and put it in front of you.

Step 3

Take the tortilla out of the bag and put in on your plate.

Step 4

Depending on the size of you tortilla will determine how much cheese you will need. If you have a small tortilla you will only need two slices of cheese. If you have a large tortilla then you will need a three slices of cheese. 

Lay the pieces of cheese horizontally across the tortilla so they all fit.

Step 5

Place the pepperoni only on the area where the cheese is. You can add as much pepperoni as you like. Six pieces is usually a good amount.

Step 6

Place the plate with everything on it, into the microwave. Set the microwave for twenty-four seconds. After the twenty-four seconds are up check to see if its done. The cheese should be melted evenly. If not put back in for five seconds.

Step 7

With the cheese being horizontal, carefully roll up the tortilla vertically. 

Imagination

Today in design I feel like we use the same material and techniques over and over again. There are many different variations of design but the principles and basic fundamentals are the same. Janet Echelman did a talk on Taking imagination seriously. Janet had never studied sculpture, engineering or architecture. She went to india and was walking on the beach when she noticed fisherman with there fishing nets. She came up with the idea of using fishing nets and turning them into sculptures.  The sculptures she makes are colorful and huge. They move in the wind, which changes what the sculpture looks like slightly. Only if we used our imagination in graphic design as she did I think graphic design could be even more interesting. To create anything in graphic design or design in general you have to use your imagination. But what if we used our imagination with different materials and not just the design itself?.  

Kelli Anderson realized that paper has audio properties. Certain paper has better audio properties then other. She was able to make a record player from paper. By taking what we already know and pushing the boundaries with our imagination I think more creative projects can be made, if we just use our imagination more.

4-D Printing

3-D printing lately has made a few headlines, and shows a lot of promise for the future of design. But what most people are not talking about is 4-D printing. Skylar Tibbits did a   TED Talk on “The emergence of “4-D printing.” What is 4-D printing you may ask? 4-D printing is when you print an object from a 3-D printer yet it assembles itself. “Self-Assembly is a process by which disordered parts build an ordered structure through only local interaction.” The parts are printed with multi-material properties that can transform into an object. There is no human interactions. So one example he gives is pipes under ground that control water. In todays world if the pipes need to be changed you have to dig up the pipes and change them. But what if the pipe could change shape, that way you don’t have put new pipes in. Skylar also gave another example by using this technique to build in space. I came up with the idea that maybe furniture could be built this way. But besides these examples I am not sure what we could use this new technology for. Maybe I am not thinking outside the box enough but I’ve tried to come up with other real world applications for it. And I don’t see the need for it. The idea is really interesting and should definitely be pushed. 

Devils Advocate

I found an article in the The Philadelphia Inquirer about 3-D printing, a recently new way of being able to produce almost anything without going to a retailer. “Invisalign, a San Jose company, uses 3-D printing to make each mouthful of customized transparent braces. Mackenzies Chocolates, a confectioner in Santa Cruz, uses a 3-D printer to pump out chocolate molds. and this year, Cornell University researchers used a 3-D printer along with injections of a special collagen gel, to create a human shaped ear.” Many people that love this machine feel that this is the way of the future, the new industrial revolution. They also say this will benefit us so much, by enabling us to download blueprints of anything and being able to print them in our own homes. I am not so sure if the benefits out way the cons. 

Yes the average person will be able to make complex things that they would never have been able to before. But thats going to hurt companies who were the only people making the product. This would destroy many companies financially. Not only because they are not selling enough products but because of the competitive market. If someone decides to make their own company with the same product they can now do it cheaper with 3-D printing. There would be no way the original company would be able to match the price without taking a loss.

Another reason this is not a good idea to mass market 3-D printing, is because there are blueprints for guns and ammo. That means if someone wanted to hurt people they no longer need to buy ammo they can make as much as they want to in their own house. That would mean all the new laws about how much ammo can be sold is pointless. It would be very hard to regulate this new threat. The idea of weapons and ammo are so promising from the 3-D printing “The Obama administration has launched a $30 million pilot program that includes researching how to use 3-D printing to build weapons parts.” 

This is all happening on todays 3-D printers imagine what we will be able to make in a few years when these machines become even more complex then they are now. We will literally be able to make whatever we want, when we want it. No one will be able to stop us. Besides that this machine will hurt our economy so much. I don’t think we realize the impact it is going to have on us.

Repost of Future of Design

I recently watch two TED Talks and I think they related to each other. They propose interesting questions about design and where it is heading in the future. The first one that I watched was Michael Hansmeyer: Building unimaginable Shapes. He talks about creating new forms in architecture that have never been made before. My favorite quote from his talk was “What kind of forms could we design if we wouldn’t work with references anymore. If we had no bias, if we had no preconceptions. What kind of forms could we design if we could free of ourselves from our experiences. If we could free ourselves from our education. What would this unseen forms look like? How can we go about creating something that is truly new?” This got me thinking, what will the future of design look like? Will it just be another small step in the evolution of design? Or will someone come up with a truly new idea that has never been created before? 

I then watched Jarrett J. Krosoczka: How a boy became and artist. He talks about how he becomes writer and illustrator for his own children's books. The best piece of advice he ever got was from his art teacher. One day Jarrett walked into class with a book that taught you how to draw comic book super heros. His teacher told him “forget everything you learned. You have a great style, celebrate your own style. Don’t draw the way you are being told to draw.”

For a new style to be created that has never been seen before, someone is going to have to forget everything they have been taught. This new style would not have any rules or structure that we have seen before. I have a feeling that at first many people will not except the new style. People are going to hate it and discourage people following this new style. All because the new rules are going to conflict with everything we know about design today. Maybe in the future there will be a person that can invent a new style of design. I will be definitely excited to see what the future holds for design.