Sunday, April 03, 2005
reading Response 7: due 4/4 at 9PM
For Monday, 4/4:
CREATING DESIRE: DESIGN IN THE NEW WORLD ORDER
READ essay "ALT.EVERYTHING" on youth marketing from Naomi Klein's "No Logo" and NY Times article on tweens called "LABELING A GENERATION"
get both articles as PDF's on COURSE RESERVE
http://libnet.buffalo.edu/reservex/ART422.ROTHENBERG.xml
We will also be watching the video "Marketing Cool".
Questions:
What does Naomi Klein mean when she refers to Micheal de Certeau’s notion of “being in-between”? How is the consumer in a state of “being in-between”?
How would you define the use of the word “camp” in currrent advertising campaigns? How has camp changed from Susan Sontag’s first use of it in terms of the advertising apparatus?
Do you think we can be truly critical in an age of mass camp?
If you were to invent a new product for tweens what would it be and why?
CREATING DESIRE: DESIGN IN THE NEW WORLD ORDER
READ essay "ALT.EVERYTHING" on youth marketing from Naomi Klein's "No Logo" and NY Times article on tweens called "LABELING A GENERATION"
get both articles as PDF's on COURSE RESERVE
http://libnet.buffalo.edu/reservex/ART422.ROTHENBERG.xml
We will also be watching the video "Marketing Cool".
Questions:
What does Naomi Klein mean when she refers to Micheal de Certeau’s notion of “being in-between”? How is the consumer in a state of “being in-between”?
How would you define the use of the word “camp” in currrent advertising campaigns? How has camp changed from Susan Sontag’s first use of it in terms of the advertising apparatus?
Do you think we can be truly critical in an age of mass camp?
If you were to invent a new product for tweens what would it be and why?
Saturday, March 26, 2005
'Toy' Design (Reading Response 6: Due 3/27 at 5PM)
You should have read:
READ NY Times Magazine on design for children (photocopy)
and PDF "PLAY'S THE THING" on COURSE RESERVE
Questions:
Although a difficult market to sell to, teens are the newest, and most desireble untapped group of consumers. marketers are continuing to examine young consumers in order to target them succesfully and as a result they have sucessfully commercialized childhood. Marketers seem to be selling to kids the experience of adulthood and because of today's aggressive commercial culture, kids have been pushed into "getting older younger."
Discuss how the commercialization of childhood is affecting these "Tweens" as a new demographics?
How is Ann Hulbert comparing adults and children in their roles as consumers?
It appears that Richard Tait and Whit Alexander advocate that it is not necessarily winning that gives us the thrill of playing a game, but the satisfaction of 'shining' while being entertained and the ways in which we are entertained.
How is this approach predicted to benefit children and families in the long run? Do you believe that this will be effective?
And if so, why are old games still being purchased today?
READ NY Times Magazine on design for children (photocopy)
and PDF "PLAY'S THE THING" on COURSE RESERVE
Questions:
Although a difficult market to sell to, teens are the newest, and most desireble untapped group of consumers. marketers are continuing to examine young consumers in order to target them succesfully and as a result they have sucessfully commercialized childhood. Marketers seem to be selling to kids the experience of adulthood and because of today's aggressive commercial culture, kids have been pushed into "getting older younger."
Discuss how the commercialization of childhood is affecting these "Tweens" as a new demographics?
How is Ann Hulbert comparing adults and children in their roles as consumers?
It appears that Richard Tait and Whit Alexander advocate that it is not necessarily winning that gives us the thrill of playing a game, but the satisfaction of 'shining' while being entertained and the ways in which we are entertained.
How is this approach predicted to benefit children and families in the long run? Do you believe that this will be effective?
And if so, why are old games still being purchased today?
Friday, February 18, 2005
reading Response 5: due 2/20 at 5PM
Readings: "Empire and Architecture" from Hal Foster's book "Design and Crime" (photocopy)
and excerpt from Iceberg Project's book "Gravity" (photocopy)
Frank Fantauzzi who will be speaking on Monday is a member of Iceberg Project, an experimental architecture collective.
Reading question:
One of the main themes throughout "Architecture and Empire" is Rem Koolhaas' obsession with urban architectural "bigness". Urban architectural bigness initally surfaces via the skyscraper in its demand for attention in a world of chaos. Yet with the advent of air conditioning and escalators a new concept of bigness emerges in the suburbs, the shopping mall. White flight in the 70's and information technologies further disrupt this earlier notion of a stoic, immutable bigness. Yet in the 90's the urban landscape co-opts the mall theme of the suburbs as cities become "disneyfied". Koolhaas states that the city can no longer be described within traditional categories of architecture, landscape and urban planning (p. 54) as exemplified in he model for Lille (p. 50). He also refers to the rise of the megastore and its eventual defeat through the advent of online shopping and its submission to capital's inherent product obsolescence.
Discuss how architectural projects such as Iceberg Project's and ones previously shown in class such as mobile structures, or new ones you discover intervene in the historical notion of architectural bigness and monumentality.
Rem Koolhaas OMA site: (you might also want to do google searches for other links)
http://www.oma.nl/
and excerpt from Iceberg Project's book "Gravity" (photocopy)
Frank Fantauzzi who will be speaking on Monday is a member of Iceberg Project, an experimental architecture collective.
Reading question:
One of the main themes throughout "Architecture and Empire" is Rem Koolhaas' obsession with urban architectural "bigness". Urban architectural bigness initally surfaces via the skyscraper in its demand for attention in a world of chaos. Yet with the advent of air conditioning and escalators a new concept of bigness emerges in the suburbs, the shopping mall. White flight in the 70's and information technologies further disrupt this earlier notion of a stoic, immutable bigness. Yet in the 90's the urban landscape co-opts the mall theme of the suburbs as cities become "disneyfied". Koolhaas states that the city can no longer be described within traditional categories of architecture, landscape and urban planning (p. 54) as exemplified in he model for Lille (p. 50). He also refers to the rise of the megastore and its eventual defeat through the advent of online shopping and its submission to capital's inherent product obsolescence.
Discuss how architectural projects such as Iceberg Project's and ones previously shown in class such as mobile structures, or new ones you discover intervene in the historical notion of architectural bigness and monumentality.
Rem Koolhaas OMA site: (you might also want to do google searches for other links)
http://www.oma.nl/
Friday, February 11, 2005
Reading Response 4: due 2/13 at 5PM
FUTURE OF TYPOGRAPHY
READ short article on Finnish designers (photocopy)
READ "Digital Type Decade" by Emily King at:
http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature.php?id=4&fid=3
READ "Typography of News" at:
http://www.fontshop.com/virtual/FSSF/features/fontmag/002/02_news/
xtra credit reading: "The New Typographer Muttering in your Ear" by Kevin Fenton from Looking Closer 2 (photocopy)
VIEW LIZ KNIPE'S INTERACTIVE TEXT ART AT:
http://www.dreamdilation.com
Liz is a MFA candidate in Media Studies
Questions to consider:
Discuss the ways that technology has affected the relationship between:
• the type designer and the act of creating type
• the designer and their use of type
• the reader and the act of reading
• the history of type and its relationship to the construction of meaning
Be sure to include discussion on how perception of time and immediacy have changed and the affect of new platforms for reading.
READ short article on Finnish designers (photocopy)
READ "Digital Type Decade" by Emily King at:
http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature.php?id=4&fid=3
READ "Typography of News" at:
http://www.fontshop.com/virtual/FSSF/features/fontmag/002/02_news/
xtra credit reading: "The New Typographer Muttering in your Ear" by Kevin Fenton from Looking Closer 2 (photocopy)
VIEW LIZ KNIPE'S INTERACTIVE TEXT ART AT:
http://www.dreamdilation.com
Liz is a MFA candidate in Media Studies
Questions to consider:
Discuss the ways that technology has affected the relationship between:
• the type designer and the act of creating type
• the designer and their use of type
• the reader and the act of reading
• the history of type and its relationship to the construction of meaning
Be sure to include discussion on how perception of time and immediacy have changed and the affect of new platforms for reading.
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Reading Response 3: due 2/6 at 5PM
READ Hal Foster’s essay “Design and Crime” from his book “Design and Crime” (photocopy)
READ URL's:
China crowns first ever Miss Plastic Surgery
http://www.yehey.com/lifestyle/woman/article2.aspx?id=11098
READ ABOUT subRosa:
http://www.nyfa.org/level3.asp?id=296&fid=6&sid=17
READ SECTION ON: Biopower Unlimited and U-Gen-A-Chix
http://channel.creative-capital.org/medium_article_4.html
Then view subRosas online project "U-Gen-A-Chix":
http://www.cyberfeminism.net/eggdonor/index.html
http://www.cyberfeminism.net/eggdonor/ed_fleshmarket.html
QUESTIONS:
What is the overarching premise for the text “Design and Crime”? What is his position on contemporary design?
What are Foster’s 3 main reasons for this? (he explicitly states them in the text)
How does biotechnology (genetically modified foods, reproductive technologies, plastic surgery, nanotechnology, etc) relate to his ideas about the current state of design?
As a designer, can you think of one way to “provide culture with running-room” as critiqued by Loos and Kraus?
READ URL's:
China crowns first ever Miss Plastic Surgery
http://www.yehey.com/lifestyle/woman/article2.aspx?id=11098
READ ABOUT subRosa:
http://www.nyfa.org/level3.asp?id=296&fid=6&sid=17
READ SECTION ON: Biopower Unlimited and U-Gen-A-Chix
http://channel.creative-capital.org/medium_article_4.html
Then view subRosas online project "U-Gen-A-Chix":
http://www.cyberfeminism.net/eggdonor/index.html
http://www.cyberfeminism.net/eggdonor/ed_fleshmarket.html
QUESTIONS:
What is the overarching premise for the text “Design and Crime”? What is his position on contemporary design?
What are Foster’s 3 main reasons for this? (he explicitly states them in the text)
How does biotechnology (genetically modified foods, reproductive technologies, plastic surgery, nanotechnology, etc) relate to his ideas about the current state of design?
As a designer, can you think of one way to “provide culture with running-room” as critiqued by Loos and Kraus?
Friday, January 28, 2005
Reading Response 2: due 1/30 at 5PM
Please be on time for class. We will begin with a screening of "Funny Face" and then follow with class discussion about the reading.
Gender and Design reading:
Construction of the Modernist Woman, Susan Sellers
Excerpt from Mechanical Bride, Ellen Lupton
Clinique Case Study, Pat Kirkham
View Brodovitch portfolio:
http://www.commarts.com/CA/feapion/brodovitch/
Questions to direct your thoughts on the reading:
Why do women begin to represent the “machine”?
What visual and aesthetic devices of Modernism does Brodovitch use to “construct” the modern woman? How did these techniques facilitate a utopia or fantasy-scape for women?
What are the similarities and differences between gender roles in product advertising/product design and the constructed image of the modern woman?
Are there any recent products/technologies that move beyond or transgress existing gender roles?
Gender and Design reading:
Construction of the Modernist Woman, Susan Sellers
Excerpt from Mechanical Bride, Ellen Lupton
Clinique Case Study, Pat Kirkham
View Brodovitch portfolio:
http://www.commarts.com/CA/feapion/brodovitch/
Questions to direct your thoughts on the reading:
Why do women begin to represent the “machine”?
What visual and aesthetic devices of Modernism does Brodovitch use to “construct” the modern woman? How did these techniques facilitate a utopia or fantasy-scape for women?
What are the similarities and differences between gender roles in product advertising/product design and the constructed image of the modern woman?
Are there any recent products/technologies that move beyond or transgress existing gender roles?
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Reading Response 1: due 1/23 at 9PM
To respond to this post:
1. click on orange 'comments' link which takes you to a new page with just the individual posting
2. click on orange 'Post a comment'
3. a new page comes up that allows you to post as an anonymous user. use this until we get the team member accounts working properly
4. don't forget YOUR NAME on your comment posting since you are responding as anonymous!
Readings:
Andrew Blauvelt essay from “Strangely Familiar Design” (photocopy)
Michael Rock essay “Designer as Author”
http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature.php?id=30&fid=258
Questions to consider when writing your response (you can address other points as well):
What is the difference between an artist’s book and an activist project in terms of authorship, pragmatics and intention?
From the M. Rock text, "Foucault noted that the figure of the author is not a particularly liberating one: the author as origin, authority and ultimate owner of the text guards against free will of the reader. Transferring the authority of the text back over to the author contains and categorizes the work, narrowing the possibilities for interpretation."
So then does authorship really matter anymore? In terms of design?
Based on both readings:
How has postmodern theory with regards to "the death of the author" affected current design practice in terms of an interdisciplinary approach and the consumer as part of the production process?
1. click on orange 'comments' link which takes you to a new page with just the individual posting
2. click on orange 'Post a comment'
3. a new page comes up that allows you to post as an anonymous user. use this until we get the team member accounts working properly
4. don't forget YOUR NAME on your comment posting since you are responding as anonymous!
Readings:
Andrew Blauvelt essay from “Strangely Familiar Design” (photocopy)
Michael Rock essay “Designer as Author”
http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature.php?id=30&fid=258
Questions to consider when writing your response (you can address other points as well):
What is the difference between an artist’s book and an activist project in terms of authorship, pragmatics and intention?
From the M. Rock text, "Foucault noted that the figure of the author is not a particularly liberating one: the author as origin, authority and ultimate owner of the text guards against free will of the reader. Transferring the authority of the text back over to the author contains and categorizes the work, narrowing the possibilities for interpretation."
So then does authorship really matter anymore? In terms of design?
Based on both readings:
How has postmodern theory with regards to "the death of the author" affected current design practice in terms of an interdisciplinary approach and the consumer as part of the production process?
