Info Design article response

Andrew Tyson
Prof. Angie Waller
Information Design Studio
24 Oct 2007
Article Response Paper

All of the short essays assigned for this weeks reading describe the
not-so-ordinary attributes of everyday objects. Each in-depth
examination brought new meaning to the common perceptions we hold true
with soap, plastic, and desks.
The first essay explains the contrasts between chlorinated fluids
(Clorox) and soap-powders and detergents such as (Persil or Omo). The
author compares chlorinated fluids to a blind fire in that if used
improperly they could destroy what it’s been sent to save. Powders
and detergents, on the contrary, are more subtle by separating the
dirt from clothing without the potential of harm. Going into more
detail the author then explains how Omo cleans both deep and foamy.
This will appeal both to the practical working man and the luxury
seeking lady. The foamy description is particularly keen by masking
the very principal function of detergent whose main duty is to scrub
the dirt out. This is quite the opposite of the light and airy
essence of foam.
In the second essay the author dives deep into the wonderful world of
Plastics. He begins with a brief description of the strange world of
alchemy and industrial chemistry that has combined to produce
plastics. The vision of the heaps of raw crystals being fed into one
end of a great machine on a conveyer belt where at the other end exits
some finished gizmo under the robotic eyes of the machine attendant.
Its very name ‘plastic’ connotes constant flux and movement. No other
material has such versatility and low cost. A pile of plastic pellets
could be made into a fly swatter, vase, or running shoes. The
infinite possibilities boggles the mind. Unfortunately, plastics do
suffer drawbacks. The author explains that because of the low cost of
production and its ubiquity plastics are relegated to the lowest
common denominator of materials. It neither has the hardness of metal
nor the luxury of fine woods. Plastic are the great fraud imitating
all of the great players from gold, to walnut, to fur, to rubies.
Precious or not scientist and designers will think of more ways to use
plastics as the work horse of new ideas for we are living in the age
of plastics.
The final essay describes another object everyone has a very intimate
relationship with. I am utilizing one at this very instant i type
this response paper. Without my trusty desk I would have long given
up writing this paper. After sitting from one awkward position to
another with my heated up laptop burning my thighs i would have packed
up and waited until I was able to find a desk to complete my work.
The author points out a number of examples of desks and how these
desks effect the users that work at them.
All of this talk about ordinary things got me thinking about things I
use each day. Things so common at first glance but very complex when
you look closer. One such object I use each day but take for granted
is my WW1 era Birmingham style bicycle I use to get around NYC. In
London I rode a very smart Bianchi track bike. Lightweight, stylish,
thin, and fast much like the bikes used by the bike couriers you see
zipping around the city each day. I decided to sell my Bianchi in
London as to avoid the headache of packing it and getting it on and
off the plane with the rest of my luggage. I sold the bike for more
than what I paid for it so I was happy for that but upon returning to
NYC I was in desperate need of some sort of conveyance. As a
stop-loss I went out and bought an old junker of a bike made around
1915. It was the opposite of what I was used to. Heavy, slow,
ungainly, and cumbersome I cursed myself for buying it. I felt I
should have waited and saved my money until I could buy another sporty
track bike. Making matters worse I dropped the bike off at the bike
shop to have a wire basket installed on the front. When I picked the
bike up I was shocked to see a super-oversized basket that was far
more than I needed. What a mistake! As punishment I told myself that
I would ride the bike as penance until I could afford something
better. Day after day I rode the bike to school and work. Before
long I began to find the advantages of the bike. It was slower but in
a good way. Unlike the track bike I could ride in a comfortable
position with my back straight instead of being hunched over the front
bars of my other bike. The grossly oversized front basket turned out
to be the perfect size for ferrying my school supplies to and from
class. On my old bike I always had to sling my bag on my back which
was very uncomfortable. Another positive to having a junker is I can
lock it outside without anyone molesting it. If you own a nice bike
you must bring it indoors every night. My junker is totally ignored
by thieves. It is the chameleon of bikes blending perfectly into the
background. Before long I was so contented with my new junker bike I
now have no urge to get a new bike. It just goes to show that when
you look a little closer you can always find a little extraordinary in
the ordinary.

Facebook Network Revision

Facebook Network Revision

Originally uploaded by tyson.andrew

This is my revised Facebook Network diagram. I plotted each person and institution on a graph that told both their political affiliation and the degree to which they were politically active. Due to the wide differences between my friends there was a wide difference in positions on the graph.

Facebook Network 1st Edition

facebook1_small

Originally uploaded by tyson.andrew

This was my first Facbook Network with me in the center.  All of the places i’ve worked surround me.  If you start at the 9 o’clock position and travel clockwise it follows a timeline from 2000 to 2007.  The friends i have from those places (school, or work) are positioned near them.  

I was instructed to add more variables to the network and take myself out of the center.

SOHO Mall Design Map

SOHO Mall

Originally uploaded by tyson.andrew

For our Oct 17th class we went over our revised design maps. Last week my map only contained furniture design locations in soho. After further review i thought it would be interesting to explore other aspects of the area. i decided to not limit myself to store fronts but explore other people, places, and things common to soho. Last sunday i took an afternoon trip to the neighborhood and plotted down interesting places, stores, people, and objects i found along the way.

I will post a link to the full sized map shortly.

Soho Design Map Edition #1

designmap_small

Originally uploaded by tyson.andrew

For my first map i decided to plot all of my favorite Soho furniture stores. I used maps of NYC from google maps as reference and placed about 10 stores on a 10 block section of Soho. The result was a rather bland representation that somewhat mimicked a map you’d see at a local shopping center or mall. I was told to add more points of interest and expand my view for next class.

TextBlock #4 Response

TextBlock #4 Thackara

Originally uploaded by tyson.andrew

Article: Flow
Author: John Thackara

In this article Thackara touches on new ways to design. He purposes the idea of designers setting up ideas and situations but letting the different components work out the final details. These ‘Flows’ can be anything from people, money, or ideas and will end with positive or negative effect.

These ’suggested frameworks for action’, are in place to guide designers in the correct direction but do not result in a single correct answer. Thackara then concludes with seven design frameworks.

The Frameworks are:

From blueprint and plan to sense and respond
from high concept to deep context
From top-down design to seeding edge effects
From blank sheets of paper to smart recombination
From science fiction to social fiction
From designing for people to designing with us
From design as project to design as service.

These frameworks are explained in a very convoluted, round-about, difficult to understand way. I intend to re-read the article over and over until i can make some sense out if it.

TextBlock #3 Response

TextBlock #3 Economist Graph

Originally uploaded by tyson.andrew

Article: The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
Author: Edward R. Tufte

Every day we are bombarded with info and statistics. In this information age it’s hard to ignore. Tufte points out that in the rush to put info together the visuals don’t always display the facts. In their efforts to jazz up the numbers many graphic designers dilute or exaggerate the facts. Some designers mistakes, are lazy, or don’t understand the numbers, many others change the facts on purpose. Some businesses want to distort the facts to show stockholders that business is not so bad. A newspaper or magazine editor wants big bold graphs on the front page showing sensational facts. graphs that stay level don’t sell newspapers.

The main thing to take away from this article is to keep it simple. when designer distort the facts and those facts are printed that lie will be multiplied many times over. if you want to see it done right look at the Economist, Businessweek, and The New York Times.

TextBlock #2 Response

TextBlock #2 Response

Originally uploaded by tyson.andrew

Article: Find Yourself Paching It On? Blame Friends
Author: Gina Kolata

According to the above article researchers now believe that obesity is viral and spreads between family members and close friends. Although these results are stirring up controversy i believe the results make sense.

I observed an example of what the article covered just the other day. as i walk home from class each day i pass a hospital. i pass the hospital day in and day out i pass the same crowd of nurses and orderlies on break. They all stand in clusters on cell phones or chattering to each other bitching and moaning about this or that. it seems ordinary enough, right? Looking a little closer i noticed that they all looked the same. They were all Latino, female, mid-thirties, overweight, smoked, they even had the same model cellphone. it made me think of the saying, ‘you are what you eat’… in this instance i think the saying should now be ‘you are who you hang out with’.

TextBlock #1 Response

IMG_0022

Originally uploaded by tyson.andrew

Article: The Mezzanine
Author: Nicholson Baker

No article i’ve ever read made me think about public bathroom habits more than this one. Baker dives deeply in to every minute detail about local Men’s room rituals. Senator Larry Craig could even learn a thing or two from this article.

Baker writes the thoughts everyone has in a public bathroom but never bothers to take the time to pick up a pen.  He compares corporate bathrooms to fast food bathrooms and all the pros and cons in between.

His commentary about the other uses of paper towels beside drying hands was pure genius. everyone has found themselves in a dirty gas station bathroom looking for a paper towel and seeing that there is only a malfunctioning blower reaching for the giant roll of TP only to make even a greater mess. you are left gazing into the dented scratched piece of shinny metal excuse for a mirror trying to make sense of it all.

Baker writes in such an easy to understand and matter-of-fact way. I plan to read more of his work. Look on the links bar to the right to find a link to his Internet fan page.

…and yes, paper towels always trump blowers.