So far, so good......

So, The summer is coming to an end and so is 'research time'

I have learned a lot more about sustainable design, geometric patterns, typographic logos, Muji pens and childhood memories.....some more than others

Now I need to be clear about why these are good.

WHY???

Experience is a Complex Phenomenon

The fractured geometric colourfield paintings of Sam Songailo:



"Sam Songailo's complex and dynamic paintings are built from blocks of vivid colour woven into vibrant arrangements, the mass of interconnected shapes producing works that are pulsing and electric. The crowd of elements surge and stream along the surface of the canvas, tracing out paths that might depict flows of traffic through an urban building block or the colour-coded criss-crossings of an underground transport system. Songailo notes that the elements he employs - hard-edged abstraction, the use of high-contrast, often fluorescent colours – are part of a visual vocabulary we associate with futuristic stylings. They elicit thoughts of modern technologies and science fiction, looking like schemata of electric currents through a motherboard or synapses of the brain. This futuristic world is laden with associations of its own, and is one that Songailo finds "simultaneously appealing and unsettling". He sees his representations "both as cold, confusing, hopeless visions of the future and also as places of beauty, an exotic new world to look into and imagine the possibilities". Having studied Visual Communication at the University of South Australia and worked as a freelance graphic designer and art magazine editor, Songailo's background is in design. As such, much of his aesthetic is influenced by design, as seen in the works' composition and graphic qualities. Yet it is at the same time a reaction against it, an attempt to explore not only the message of the surface but the deeper truths for which that superficial expression stands. Here, the interaction of the overlaid elements and the complexity of the resulting structures represents Songailo's world view. Believing that "experience is a complex phenomenon", the very processes of building up the interrelated pieces echo and illustrate Songailo's belief as to the world's inherent complexity and interconnectedness."

Jena Woodburn 2010
Published in Australian Art Collector ed. #52

System

I have been thinking.

Rephrase.

I have been trying to think. reflect. and find my motivation..

Well, the motivation is there I just can't quite express it. (hmmmm.....)

So, I've overcome the obstacle of not knowing what is good. ( with great difficulty) Now I do. So what's the problem.

I should be getting used to this by now. When you solve one problem. a million always arises.

What's the problem now?

I need a system. at least a relatively organised research method.

There is so much information to obtain/gain in such a short amount of time so....

To become an expert in 5 things in the space of a summer holiday....hmmmmm.....how would one do that ?

Muji Pens
Childhood memories
Geometrical Patterns
Sustainable Design
Wordplay in Logos design


one at a time....one at a time.

So, I need to:

-make a list,a fairly organised one, of what I need to do as a starting point to research for each of my ideas
-think of this one at a time.( start with one idea- idientify what I will do, when and how?)

decided.....

Muji pens are good
Childhood memories are good
Geometrical patterns are good
Sustainable design is good
Typographic/Wordplay Logo Design is good

I also really wanted to pick ' Libraries' because I still love them and especially those really old and beautiful ones. However, it was either going to be libraries or wordplay in design. I know in the previous post I was more keen on the libraries idea. I did a little more research into the wordplay idea and I found lots of logo designs which use this technique and they are just so creative and witty and that is the kind of thing I really want to do within my own practice. I got this 'excited' feeling and was really looking forward to learning more about it

Libraries are great yes, but I am limited in terms personal research and primary research. In order to find out about other libraries around the world, my research is limited to books and the internet. I can find out lots more facts about libraries ( eg. the biggest library, the strangest, the architecture, the history etc.) which may be what the brief wanted but it also mentioned that it would be a start to future projects and it will have to be something that I won't get bored with.

I think that there 's chance that I will with this one.

However, the logo design ( I'm still not quite sure what to call it, and I hate that!) I am open to a more variety of research. . I can learn more about the existing field, the terminology ( which I really need to ), existing logo designs.....these would be secondary research- internet, books etc.

.....okay, now thinking about it, the research into this subject may be...just a little harder to find out about....facts wise (unlike the libraries idea)...I will have to figure it out.


but I can also do a lot of primary research by creating ones myself and experimenting with ideas. I still don't know how I'm going to convince the audience that its good but at least I know for a fact that everyone will have a passion for design and I am bound to get a few votes (and I will have done lots of research on it.....)<< says the optimist.

Decision time.

Libraries
Muji Pens
Geometrical patterns- espcially, the neubau moduls
Childhood memories
Balance
Wordplays in Graphic design...I'm sure theres a better word for it....got it ! Typographic Design
sustainable design
simplicity




So far, these are what I think is good, and worth researching about.......

So, Libraries would be really interesting to do research on, like finding out about the biggest libraries, the most beautiful and crazy libraries!

I love libraries anyhow as I love books. I can spend hours in libraries and not get bored, especially the design section where there are lots of pictures for me to look at.

The only problem is that I'm not going to be able to go to all these libraries I will be finding out about as they will be all over the world....does that matter much as long as I can prove that they are good?

This round room is called the Rotunde, its the main reading hall of the city library in Stockholm

Muji pens are...literally, the best pens in the world. I do use other pens but none seem to write as well and as comfortably as the Muji pens. They are truly GOOD. However, the pens I'm talking about at the moment are just a specific type of Muji pens and I dont know if that would mean that my research would be too....narrow??

I mean how much research can you get into about one type of pen....or may be that is what would be great about researching into this one. How do I make interesting research out of this one? I will have to compare this pen to all the other black pens I can find and find out why it is so good.

This would be a different type of research from my other ideas, it seems limited but perhaps I can find ways to 'un-limit' these limitations??


Geometrical patterns to me are beautiful. I know I've always favored them in my designs but I am interested in them even more now. I came across the book Neubau Modul, as I've mentioned in my previous posts. I still don't know whether its all geometric patterns that i find good or this particular collection of patterns. May be I like them so much more as they are all put into one very beautiful book. bBt in general I think all geometrical patterns are good. They are interested and I would definitely would like to understand them better, then perhaps, choosing this would be a good way for me to do that. At the end of the day, I do think that they are GOOD.



'Childhood memories' is a little different from the other three ideas. The fact that it is not something physical that can be touched or seen makes it a different kind of research. I haven't put that much thought into yet but i mean, it would be pretty interesting right? ( finding out more about why certain childhood memories stand out more than the other, other peoples childhood memories, the psychology of it all?)

but I also have to consider the fact that 'childhood memories' are only good when the memories are good? To those to did not have that much of a childhood or did but not a good one childhood memories would be 'bad' or even non existent.

I will have to be thorough and considerate in my research. Those of us who are lucky enough to have had a childhood, always remember certain events or likes and dislikes as the memory of our childhood.

Going to the cinema for the first time, fighting over a really ugly toy with your sister, believing that your closet is in fact a door way into Narnia,these are all childhood memories. I think that they are good....but i don't quite know why yet and I'm sure that there would be an explanation for it somewhere......now I'm just very curious.

me with a wax doll from my first trip to the Madame Tusaude's. I cried the whole time when my parents took me through the torture section of the museum, I remembered to shut my eyes on the second trip but cried anyway.( I have no idea why my parents would do that to me again)

I wish I could find another picture I had taken next to the wax doll of Arnold Schwarzenegger. I looked absolutely tiny next to him. That was my most favorite wax doll because when I was little, I was obsessed with the actor. I watched all his movies, even predators and terminator...I must have been about 5? weird kid.....


Balance....this is another one of my idea that I have not put much thought into. Well I have put a little bit of thought into it but I don't even know where and how I would start to research this.

I've just always thought that everything is good, when its balanced, not too much, not too little.
Design looks good when its balanced. A building can stay up because there is balance within the construction. but the balance I am talking about is not trying to stand up straight, but i mean the balance of things. Yin and Yang, good and evil, black and white, the golden raito etc etc.

This seems like it could be an infinite research, there is so many things that I could apply this to.


May be the better word wold be Equilibrium? Everything is good, when its just the right amount.
One musician would tighten the strings, and the other would cry, "Not too tight because you will break the string." The other would counter by saying, "Not too loose because the string will only buzz and rattle- in the middle is just right."




Wordplay in Graphic design....this one, I find really hard to define and I don't like that. but the designs themselves, i like.

( editting the post....I got it...Its Typographic Logo Design that I've been looking for !)

clever word plays in Graphic Design and puns are great! ( especially the really awful ones) As mentioned in my previous post, I think its a really great way of getting your message across. Its witty, visually interesting and effective



er.....what exactly to you call these??

When I first thought of these, as I have a couple on my Design Context blog already, I thought they are really 'good' but now, I'm a little bit worried. I still think they're awesome but may be not fit for this project as the other ones? I guess there is no right or wrong and they are interesting but may be not....'good'

I mean the question is ' what is good?' and answering it by saying ' wordplay in Graphic design is good...' seems a little strange, its funny, interesting, clever, creative, but not sure about 'good'

Interesting wordplay logos are good?

ahhhh I dont know, I think they're so clever and creative but I might have to reconsider?


This blog post is getting a bit long but I just want to sum up and put all of my current thoughts about good into one post.

By writing this, I'm helping myself decide on the 5 researches I am going to do. Indecisiveness is a murder.


Sustainable Design.....This one is also tricky.

I'm only just becoming more interested in sustainable, or Eco friendly design. The practice is huge and the industry is complicated and needs to be well researched but I do believe that it is the future of design. Clients are becoming more and more ethically concerned in their products, and therefore, as Graphic design, I need to be looking at the future trends of design. I am also personally becoming more aware of the problems being caused by over consumerism and one of the problems are us . We are the seller of all things, we advertise things people don't need. I make packaging, make people want to buy products, etc.

When we can help, we should help.

However, this is a big issue which I still don't know anything about. I don't know if its just a little too big for a summer research. but I feel like, this would be an important step for me as well in my design career as I feel like this is what I am interested in, so may be I should start now??


Simplicity.

Keeping it simple. This sentence is something that you here often, it might feel like a bit of a cliche but i still believe it what it stands for......

The simplest solutions are the best solutions. Why complicate things when the simple solution solves it just the same, if not better??

but i think.....I will leave it at that. for now

Libraries

Keeping it simple.....

Simplicity is good.

Every time I'm stuck for ideas and answers I always find that the simplest solutions are the best.

Over complicating things never got me anywhere and in my design, I always like to keep things simple and therefore, simplicity is good.

it smells like summer.....

How do I know what summer smells like? or winter?

I dont!! but to me, when i smell freshly cut grass, that is the beginning of summer.

When I smell rain, i think of the feeling that i get when I'm inside nice and warm watching the rain outside. The cosy feeling comes when i smell the rain.

Certain smells bring certain feelings or even trigger off old memories. and that is GOOD.

The smell of summer is good but...it doesn't exist! ....does it ?

its the memories that makes us associate that certain smell to certain things. Its the experience.

So, its not the actual smell of grass, or the smell of rain that os good perhaps but its the feelings or memories that come with it ?

What is not good!

I know what is not good. Indecisiveness is definitely not good.

(some)Uncatergorised Good.

facts

opinions

truth

white-lies...debatable(too debatable)

ethics

moral

science

mathh

GEOMETRY

grids

analogue patterns

petterns

geometry shapes

circles

squares

triangles

time

day/night

seasons

sleep

bed

summer

HOME

family

grass

rain

beaches

lie ins

worry free

the few moments when you're able to forget about all your worries(without drinking)

senses

taste

food...lots of food ( food is more than one thing ....is everything )

tea

experience

sense of place

dreams

dreamlike state

half asleep

wises

mistakes

imperfection

bright colours

colours

MAKING OBSERVATIONS

being GOOD....a good person

birthdays

christmas

ORDER

categorising

MUJI PENS

old thai movie posters

OLD movie posters

age

how some things become more valuable to us when they are older

self satisfaction

language

words
wordplays
beaches
knowledge
the thirst for knowledge
simplicity
freedom
balance
postcards
childhood
comfort

Too Good

This might need to be referred back to the sketch book

I decided to ignore what I initially thought of doing, categorising my ideas from the beginning and just wrote down on a double page of what I thought was good.

Now I have to sort through a double page full of scribbles

Its harder to write down from the top of your head what you think is good....I have been writing down things that I have recently come across , stumbled upon and things that have shown themselves to be ' good' for/to me.

Everything is good.

What is good....to me?

I can't help but think about what I like rather what is actually good. What is 'good' to someone might be seem so good to the other so I am looking at 'Good' from a personal and subjective point of view. I think if I didn't, this project will turn into a moral and ethics fueled one, which would be absolutely right but perhaps not appropriate for a project like this?

I arrived home last week after not having been home for long time so at that point...home is good

but after a week...its not looking as appealing as it did for the first few days...its good but it may not seem as good as ...perhaps...something that I don't yet have...

human nature keeps us unsatisfied.

First I thought that writing down everything that I think is good would be messy and hard to work with.So I thought about categorising 'good' subjects, objects, concept, statements and 'things.....( as written on the brief)

or make up my own ??

if what is good is subjective and personal ....can be catergorised into what 'I'

...see

...hear

...touch/feel

...smell

....taste

perhaps I'm complicating this?