COLOR TRANSFORMS MY HOLIDAY SPIRIT

http://sweetchicken.stlouisblogs.org/ugly-christmas-lights.jpg

Our world is full of vibrant color that catches our attention and sparks our interest. It is a vivacious and animated way of speaking to its audience and lifting our spirits. Color dances with our eyes and creates a vision of beauty and spectacular momentum. Since color is so evident around us, I decided to bring up the most exciting time of year, Christmas. Edward Johnson created the first string of electric Christmas lights in 1890. The festive lighting during the Christmas season then  became a tradition for many Christian, and has even became such a recognizable and tacky way of celebrating the holidays.  Every year neighborhoods everywhere, as well as companies and businesses decided to celebrate the holidays with a little bit of color. Not only color but bright lights and traditional lit up figures like Santa Claus and his reindeer. According to Albers, a color theorist, color is always changing and playing tricks on our eyes. We look at color in relation to those color that are surrounded with it, and when it comes to Christmas the variety of colors that families and friends display on their houses each year has the ability to appear in all different shapes, sizes, and shades. The lights interact with the background, and each color as an influence on each other to untimely creates a stunning and impressive display of ones Christmas Spirit.  As Albers would say, its almost impossible to see color by itself. Because of such a long standing tradition now color is represented in a such a festive and elaborate way that melts our hearts and sparkles in our eyes. 

DESIGN IS DANGEROUS: Hot Rod or Death Sentence

http://www.destination360.com/australia-south-pacific/new-zealand/images/s/motorcycle-rental-tours.jpg

Design has many good intentions. It is meant to attract our attention, intrigue us, and broaden our horizons. However sometimes design can have an element of danger. Even though we may know that there is a risk to acquiring this design we still purchase it our desire it because the design has a cool or trendy element.  However, is being cool or looking stylish worth the risk of losing your life? I am refereeing to motorcycles. Motorcycles have a very unique and sleek design that allows a driver to transport themselves faster, however it is not always the safest way. Motorcycles expose the driver, especially when it maneuvers throughout traffic; making it a vulnerable target to accidents. Also there is hardly any protection, which is extremely dangerous because accidents with larger vehicles can result in death. For example, there is an average of 3570 motorcycle deaths per year.  So why do we risk their lives all for the want and need of a particular design, or make or model? Why does design blur our conscience to believing that we must acquire it and ignore the elements of danger? For one thing, it has to do with the marketing of the product and meaning we put behind it. Also, many people cannot afford to buy a nice safe SUV or afford gas prices, so they result to purchasing a design that fits their lifestyle and their budget.  In conclusion,  designs that are dangerous may seem unneeded, but sometimes we must sacrifice the possible to risks. However, sometimes we completely ignore the risks just because we are taught to think that we must have a particular design or product.  

DESIGN IN SOCIETY: Utopian Design

The symbol above should be a recognizable design because it has been incorporated into almost all aspects of our lives. From our cars, to our garbage, to the water bottles we use, even in our grocery stores. Everyone has started to “think greener” and has started a global awareness of saving our earth, and it is all thanks to a slogan and design that almost immediately reminds us to recycle or reuse.

The design of the “Think Green” symbol and the campaigns that sweep our country to motivate people to save our earth,  possess a  very utopian like quality. Utopian means that it aims to improve our society. This symbol may not be a specific design that actually improves our society, but it is a reminder to our world to live smarted and to help preserve our earth for as long as we can. It has become such a recognizable symbol that it has produced a very strong impact amongst our society.  Its ironic to me that to catch our society’s attention, we chose to design something so simple and straightforward. However, the meaning behind that design, and the message it is sending is much greater. Its incredible how much meaning we can put into our design, yet the design seems so simple, that all I can think about is how complicated it actually is. Three arrows forming a triangle like circle to represent how we must recycle and reuse. The design makes it look so easy, however the design only goes so far. It is the person putting meaning behind the design that must then become an active part of the “Think Green” campaign for it to actually work.