Inspiration from Sam Mockbee and The Rural Studio

          Sam Mockbee was an American architect and founded the Rural Studio along with architect D.K. Ruth. The Rural studio is an architecture studio at Auburn University an their goal is to teach students and others outside of the school about the social responsibilities architecture has. Moreover, the truly astounding thing that they do is also build homes for poor people and communities in Alabama. The houses that are built are also constructed by students of the studio, from 18 to 24 years of age and so far they have built more than 80 houses. I found this to be quite inspiring and quite angelic to use your own knowledge and skills to help the less fortunate live much more comfortably.

          The Rural Studio and the spirit of Sam Mockbee live on as they continue to work on projects and build  more inspirational houses for poorer communities. With some similar goals as they aim for, I have thought up of another way to connect social communication and responsibilities with a community.

          Santa Ana, a city in Calirfornia is known to be one of the most densely populated areas in America. It is said that some areas of it are even a bit sketchy. I believe that one factor of some less liked areas such as this is because they no public spaces like parks. It does not help an area if there is just dirt and no greenery scattered correctly. With just dirt, fences, and half heartedly done construction, the scenery is probably as you would imagine it to be like in a movie; dark and dreary. Santa Ana does have a few parks scattered about, but they are all relatively small. Since it is so large and populated, most people, specifically children are not even in walking distance of a park.

Map of the largely populated Santa Ana, Ca. divided into 7 sections.

          Gerardo Mouet, a park director states that there is not enough money to open and build more parks for the public, which is quite unfortunate considering that Santa Ana was seen to have the lowest amount of public space for residents. This is where a group, such as the Rural Studio for example, could come quite in handy. When I think of parks, I think of many children running around, playing, meeting friends, and simply enjoying being a kid. I also see parents relaxing and possibly chatting and making friends too. That, is missing from Santa Ana and they should not be deprived of that brightness in life and youth. 

          A team of architectures could get together to make use of some forgotten patches of land. Sketching and creating parks and playgrounds are the things that can unify this community. Benches, water fountains, sandboxes, swing sets, monkey bars are just a few things that will help to brighten and bring life into an area. 

          Hopefully this dreary park and playground starved city will get some more attention soon. Santa Ana in California is so large that it is split up into multiple sections. Although there are some parks and playgrounds registered, some are definitely not even up to par. Regardless, there are not enough and more should be built so that dirt patches and unused land is put to good use and so that the local people of the community can be brought together.

          A big problem is the money required for this kind of project, but like the Rural Studio, if anyone donates a little, it will all add together. This type of concern, in my opinion, could definitely raise some money with some type of fundraiser. Once there is enough money collected even for one small playground, a team like the Rural studio architects can hopefully band together near Santa Ana to create, build, unify, and inspire.

          

Biography on Michael Young

            Michael Young is a contemporary designer born in Sunderland, England in the year 1966.  He is currently located in Hong Kong, with additional offices in London, Taiwan, and Iceland. Currently, his career has been about 15 years long as a designer.

            Young’s interest and specialty appear though his product and furniture designs. His works in general have very curvaceous contours and are colored brightly. His designs are intended to ‘put a smile on your face.’ For example, a brightly neon green chair and table set named “Yogi Family” done in 2002 gives off a childish vibe. His intention for his 'Yogi' set was for it to emit a cartoonist vibe and for it to appear as simply a  chair for children. However, the true nature of the chair is that it can be used for any age. Children can of course easily access the low furniture, however adults that try to sit and use the furniture are forced to unwind and relax as you cannot take it all too seriously because of the humor and silliness of the design overall. Young is known to have a comic book-like humor.

Yogi Family, 2002.

          Young had originally wanted to be in the music business with his band, however after the original plans fell through, he decided to attend Kingston University to study product and furniture design at the age of 21. Instead of taking the more common route of attending a university after high school, Young reveals that his age at that time actually helped him more because it was a 'do or die' situation since he felt like he had more determination and focus since he really needed to find something to do with his life. 

Young at designboom in Milan, April 15, 2009.

          Similar to many other artists and designers, the path to success can be slow at first. His career started in the mid 90's after he graduated. After the rough start, he became known for his noticeably new and fresh image that his products held. Everything was smooth, curvy, colorful, and for the most part, aesthetically pleasing. 

Writing Desk, 2005.

Magis Dog House, 2001.

         Michael Young is a contemporary designer that has grabbed my interest initially because of the bright and bold colors. After my eyes saw the chairs and desks of his, I decided to read more into him. His style of design, which is to create silly and bright product and furniture designs, is quite smart as it captures the attention of children and the young hearted with the colors, and also adults as well as they feel at ease while relaxing and using these designs. With the splashes of bold, and most of the time, solid coloring, it reminded me briefly of the 1967 film 'Monterey Pop.' It was a film that captured the 1967 musical festival held in California. The film, right from the beginning, seemed crudely put together at times, with handwritten opening credits and random splashes of color exploding everywhere. The color usage in these more modern designs reminded quickly of the young teenagers and young adults enjoying the loud and colorful concert in the film. There is also a modern feel to Young's work that is seen through the various curvy contour lines of the product. One example of this being seen and felt is Young's 'i24r3 wireless speaker system.' The speaker system resembles a lamp at first to the viewer because of the slick and slim design on the lower half. The simplistic design of the round base and the slim body that holds up the 2 main speakers resemble enlarged ear phones, or ear buds. The minimal and slick design, along with only 2 colors, work to create a product that is functional and futuristic in a sense. In fact, with a second glance at the product, one would even think that it could have been an Apple product, as it looks like a speaker system that could be used with their iPods. This comes to mind because of Apple being very well known for their products to be slim, practical, modern, and for the most part, white.

i24r3 wireless speaker system, 2008.

          Overall, the modern and fresh look that Young's designs have are quite intuitive and interesting to look at. I would definitely consider having something of his to add to my room as I find it the modern look quite nice and aesthetically pleasing.

Sources:

http://designmuseum.org/design/michael-young

http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/michael_young.html

http://www.michael-young.com/

          

Modernism & Movies

Monterey Pop (1967) directed by DA Pennebaker




          Monterey Pop is a documentary of the 1967 music festival held in California. Beginning with the title sequence of the film, it is immediately different than others. The title and credits are being handwritten on the screen, giving it a naturalistic and free flow, very much different to the film Playtime (1967) directed by Jacques Tati and its usage of straight lines and fonts such as Heletica. It is quite crude with free flowing curves and music. The splashes of colors and quick flashes of light give off a sort of funky and trippy feeling, which was understandable in the 60's and 70's period. The film shoots everything, from the many distinctively individual people walking around, to the performances on stage. The cameramen were not afraid to really get up close and personal to the people's style and faces. It's freeness can be seen through the camera techniques. The camera does not stay still like in Playtime, it does not stay traditional and is hand-held and moves around with the actual concert goers, filming them napping, eating, and having fun with one another in the busy atmosphere. The emotions evoked through the various musical performances are felt through the music and by the facial emotions of the audience. One example is the long performance by Ravi Shankar. His extreme speed and precision in playing his traditional instrument to play classical Indian music stunned the audience and myself as well. The camera that zoomed into his hands moving up and down his instrument at such a fast pace astounded me and it was quite the interesting performance. The camera does not forget to include the actual audience's shocked and open-mouthed expressions as well. 
          The colorful clothes and eccentric non-western style of clothing worn by the concert goers resembled to that of hippies. White's essay People in Motion describes how the looseness and freeness of the camerawork successfully captures people in the moment, like dancing to the music, eating to their heart's content, and simply having fun. Furthermore, various performances had lights and projections on behind the musicians similar to the title sequence; fast, quick-paced, organic, and colorful. 


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Playtime (1967) directed by Jacques Tati


          Playtime is a film that required a lot of time,construction, consideration, and money. Tati's film took 365 days to shoot and an extra 9 months of post-production before it was ready to be shown. At first I was surprised that a movie would take that long to produce. But, then I remembered that this was the late 60's and considering the overall work that was put into the set itself, it really isn't too much of a shock. Everything in this film was the definition of modern and modernism. Everything from the sets, backgrounds, buildings, and more were all typical modernism. Most of the things and backgrounds in this film was neutral colored, mainly black, white, and grays. All of the lines were very straight and pinpoint. Any usage of colors was used scarcely and accordingly. Colors would work in contrast to the overpowering black and whites to catch the viewer's attention. There was also evidence of pop culture, such as in one scene where two teenage boys wearing bright sporty red and green jackets were interrupting a woman trying to take a picture of a florist on the streets of the city. All objects, such as desks and chairs, were geometrically shaped and were man-made. The huge and spacious buildings had a futuristic charm to it with a lack of human presence. Each scene and set in this movie screams out a successful attempt at modernism.

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Comparison

Playtime and Monterey Pop are quite the opposite style when put next to one another. Playtime is described more as tight, strict, geometric whereas Monterey Pop is more free, loose, and organic. However, the two both depict modernism. Playtime creates a man-made modernistic and futuristic world with buildings and objects that are mostly black and white with straight lines. Everything put together with the tourists all strongly show a modernistic style. Monterey Pop strays away from the traditional still camera shooting and incorporates a hand held camera to get up close and personal with the audience of the concert. It shows every part of life at that time and does not leave anything out. The scenes do not necessarily have to flow together either. One moment could be a musical performance on stage with a singer singing their heart out and the next scene could be someone lying on the grass relaxing with friends. Monterey Pop catches the heart and soul of the then modern world as it was. 

11/3/10

Pixel Perfect - Pascal Dangin's Virtual Reality by Lauren Collins

          Collins writes about Pascal Dangin and of the tremendous amount of work that he has contributed to many photographers, celebrities, and magazines. He is a professional retoucher of photos used for advertisements, magazines, etc. His view of life is that life is retouching. Make-up and clothes are simply accessories of what a person wants to transform into. Dangin owns his own company named 'Box Company' and has employed 80 workers to assist him. His seriousness about retouching shows because he requires employees to take anatomy and figure drawing class, along with a quiz before being hired. His retouching is basically all done on the computer on Photoshop. But, knowing the tools of Photoshop is not enough, Dangin has a wide range of knowledge in photography and anatomy. In the article, he says he believes retouching is only too much and overdone when it reaches the point of disfiguration. By disfiguration, he states an example where some retouchers slim down the legs of models so extreme that they would technically be missing bones. Dangin is usually not credited for his work, probably so readers and viewers would not easily be told that the pictures they see are not entirely real. Photo Retouching is interesting in that when put into the right hands and mind, anything slightly off can be fixed with a a little attention. Moreover, anything that the photographer might have messed up could be adjusted afterwards as well, such as lighting effects. Likewise, Dangin proposed that he could easily alter a model's character and personality by adding on eye make-up on Photoshop. Adjusting the colors and brightness of eyeliners can instantly make a model look and feel different to the viewer.
          I have a lot to learn about Photoshop as I do not use all the tools and features that it offers. Reading this reminded me of how I retouch some photos as well to make the people and lighting look better. Of course, I know I am an amateur and see how knowledgeable and serious Dangin is with his retouching makes me admire him for that.

• Pascal has clients such as Vanity Fair, French and Italian Vogue, Times Magazine, etc.
• There are times when the client being retouched will complain about something.
• Pascal slowly worked his way up, from the job of a shampoo boy at a no-name salon to where he is now.
• The magic of Photoshop and computers makes retouching an art form.
• Pascal is able to make anyone look better with his skills and knowledge.

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Museum Piece - Todd Hays

          Hays' article is about the process that designer April Greiman went through to create her poster for a show at the Museum of Modern Art titled 'The Modern Poster.' Greiman used the computer and various tools, including one named Paintbox in creating her poster. The Paintbox tool allowed her to draw, paint, and photocollage in real time. After creating the font for the modern poster, she added gradients to the letters and played around with the size and placement of the letters. Greiman states to readers that the poster and steps to create it was done in 1988. In the past, she stated that it takes $500 per hour to use the tool. Greiman was one of the earlier designers to use the computer to create her projects.

• Greiman had already had 2 posters chosen to be in the exhibition of 300 posters at the MOMA.
• She originally studied at the Kansas City Art Institute  (KCAI) and was introduced to the swiss 'style' of design.
• Greiman liked to incorporate classical with a bit of contemporary flair.
• The Modern Poster that was created showcases  the exciting and effective uses of hybrid imagery.
• The Paintbox tool is worth about $400,000 each and is a higher resolution tool than a television.
• The Modern Poster is also representative of all the tools that was available to Greiman at the time.

          In an interview with Josh Smith, it is revealed that April Greiman was indeed one of the first designers to ever touch a computer, specifically a Mac. In 1984, computers were just being introduced into the world, and Greiman was able to get her hands on one to test out. Greiman's use of the computer may be different in that she uses the computer for everything. One of her responses include that she basically does not have any hands-on things to do since most of it is all on the computer and done digitally, including all her photographs. Relating back to an earlier discussion of the difference between fine art and design, Greiman states in her interview with Smith that  she thinks "the best of art is all well designed. And the best of design is all pretty fine art." All in all, she believes there is no difference because they are very much the same. Fine art is designed well and good designs are all fine art. 

          Smith's interview was interesting as I got to see Greiman's other works described and of her view on design and technology. Her work is entirely done on the computer ad her work is a bit different than those of budding artists because of her typography which is known to be out of the box. It changes in size and orientation, whereas Smith mentions that students in school are usually told to keep it more straightforward and to follow a guideline. Greiman ends with that designers should enjoy what they are doing otherwise it would stink to live with. 

Art & Design

"But, is it Art?" - Kees Dorst

Dorst discusses the design and art as separate things. In Design, one has half of his goals determined by others since the designer is designing something for someone and is usually paid to do so. Certain guidelines are to be followed when designing for others. Artists, on the other hand do not necessarily have to have the goals of their artwork determined by others. For most of the time, they decide on everything because is is their artwork, and not to be made for somebody else. Dorst continues on to say that design and art is permeable, in that it is related and has a few things in common. I think that Dorst is correct in saying that artists and designers are similar in that both do produce art. Designers are artists too after all. When one stops limiting themselves and starts to think like another person, then they can start crossing over boundaries and make art that holds great potential.

• Artists and Designers are quite alike in various senses.
• Artists make most or all of their decisions and goals, whereas designers seem to have most of their goals decided for them.
• One an artist decides on set goals, it becomes similar to a design process of a designer.
• Designers quite often limit themselves and cannot unlock their full potential. The ones that do think outside of the box cross over into art.

"Art's Little Brother" - Rick Poyner

As the title suggests, arts little brother is design. Design seems to always come second to other types of art. In weekly reviews and such, design is rarely or never mentioned. It is as if design is not a serious subject and therefore cannot be talked about in depth the way art can. Art and design are in fact quite similar, they share many commonalities. However, there are people who agree and disagree on that issue. Design and art is a strong issue that has supporters from both sides. Norman Potter, author of "What is a Designer" clearly thinks that designers are not artists. He supports his statement with saying that designers works through and for others. Their decisions are partially made by others, and the ones made by themselves are based on others' expecations. An artist on the other hand, is free to do whatever they want as long as they are able to pursue and reach their vision and goal in the end. I personally thought that designers were artists this whole time. I have never truly looked into the issue and thought as to why I think what I think. After seeing what Potter wrote, I do see his point of view quite well. Designers design because it is their job and listening and following others' guidelines is what they need to do in order to do well. Furthermore, some designers themselves also argue that design and art differs. Sometimes they criticize others for crossing the line and making art.
          Moreover, design is all over and seen in everyday life. Poyner mentions that most people these days do not even go near an art gallery but still see and appreciate some art because design is everywhere and design is very much similar to art. Design relies heavily on visuals and people appreciate it because visuals make up everything that we see and feel daily. He ends saying that to move onward, we all must have a better understanding that design can reach art's level and can possibly exceed it.

• Poyner speaks about various designers and artists who give their own opinions on design versus art.
• Design is everywhere and normal everyday people that appreciate it think of it as art.
• There are many issues as to if art and design are the same
• Design is not quite on the same level as art, but can reach that level and possibly surpass it.
• Design is described as a little brother to art, or inferior.

M/M Discussion - Michael Amzalag, Mathias Augustyniak

Done in an interview style, Amzalag and Augustyniak talk about how is is better to become a specialist and know one field of art perfectly. Only then can you start working on something with another specialist form a different field to create something interesting. They also address the issue that design is looked down upon when compared to art because it is inferior. This is proven to be true because of one incident where Amzalag and Augutyniak's names were erased off after having multiple artists complain that they did not do anything but design the invitation card to the art show. These two designers being interviewed think differently and are more open-minded of design versus art. Design can be as good as art, or even better. And some art can be bad too. They believe in an equality where designers can also work together with other specialists to create something more amazing.

• There should be equality, where specialists from different fields can work together.
• The two designers being interviewed work together with many different artists/designers.

Sustaining Resources

There are many resources in life that are constantly being used. Of course, we need to use these resources, but there may be a way to lessen the usage and damage of it all. One thing that is used everyday is paper. Everyone uses it, including graphic designers. There are certain things we can try to remember and do to use less paper, or get the most we can out of the paper instead of wasting it.

1. When designing, see if you can possibly put two designs/projects on the same paper if one design won't take up the whole piece of paper. Leaving out blank space just means the rest of the paper will be wasted.
2. Make sure to check your printer to see that it is in perfect working condition so that it will not run out of ink halfway through, leaving you with an strange and unfinished print and a wasted piece of paper.
3. Also make sure that your printer is not jammed and will not be jammed by the paper in the paper feed. Making sure it is clear and ready to print will prevent paper jams that will crinkle and ruin a good print.
4. Check if you have 'old' paper that is big and good enough for your current design to be printed on.
5. If you need to test print a design, if there is old paper that is in usable condition then use that before using clean and fresh new paper. Reusing older paper for testing can help lessen the usage of paper by just a bit.
6. If you need to trim your paper down, go about the process carefully. It is easily to mess up, even with a paper cutter. If it is a really complex trim process for the design, have a professional do it or simply pay extra attention to cutting a clean and crisp line.
7. As like everyone else should be doing, remembering to recycle will greatly help. 
8. Only print the amount that is needed. It should be fine to have a few extra in hand for various reasons, such as your portfolio, but try not to overprint so that you can avoid having leftovers that will only be wasted away.
9. During the design process, you may need to send out examples and mock-ups to your clients. Instead of sending it printed out, you could send it online through e-mail. The benefits of this alternate route is that paper will obviously be saved and people can access easily and faster than a normal delivery.
10. Purchase and use recycled paper. Much less energy and resources are used to produce recycled paper. By purchasing recycled paper, you are supporting the process of recycling.

With these tips on how to sustain paper more efficiently, hopefully graphic designers will try the methods out. Graphic designers use a large amount of paper resources throughout their design process. Some things I have noticed are everyday flyers promoting various things. I have noticed a lot of flyers that show an advertisement for an object, service, or event and it does not cover the entire page. Sometimes, the advertisement is placed in the middle of the paper with almost 50% of the rest of the paper blank. This paper usage could easily be fixed by printing the advertisement at least twice and then cutting the paper into half so that 2 designs can be printed and created from just one piece of paper.

As seen in the example picture above, the advertisement flyer on the left side is placed in the center, thus wasting space on the piece of paper. This can be easily fixed by placing the advertisement horizontal so that it can fit twice on the same piece of paper.

Responses for 10/06/10 Readings

"Professionalism, Amateurism, and the Boundaries of Design" - Gerry Beegan & Paul Atkinson

This piece from the 'Journal of Design History,' addresses the line between professional and amateur practices of design. The two terms 'professional' and 'amateur' and thought of to be on opposite ends with no real relation to one another. However, the two are connected and both have been looked at with positive and negative connotations. Professionals are ideally those that have studied at a university and also have taken the role of an apprentice. Amateurs are easily more in number as it has a wide range. Do-it-yourself, or DIY, projects are one example that technically anyone can do. Another similar amateur project could be something from the Ready Made magazine where one takes ordinary objects and reuses the, thus recycling, to create something more useful and practical. The amateur arts and crafts all give the creator a sense of accomplishment and self-satisfaction. In fact, one designer in the passage thinks that DIY can be seen as a sort of first step towards a future career in design. As for professional designers, the definition of their profession seems to be ever-changing with many new technological advances such as Photoshop, which even an amateur can self-teach themselves.

• Turner Rahman describes design as a pastime, not an ccuptation.
• The Arts & Crafts movement near the end of the 19th Century inspired both men and women to make their own furnishings and decorative objects.
• Professions used to be only in the upper class in the 16th century, such as law, medication, and divinity professions.
• In the 19th century, more professions were added and recognized.
• Both professional and amateur can be viewed with a positive or negative connotation.

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"We're Here to be Bad" - Tibor Kalman &Karrie Jacobs

This article addresses an issue to all designers in the world. The problem is that everything in the design industry is slowly becoming the same. Is being good the new normal? The question is asked in the beginning of the article and the answer is that to surpass good and become great is to be 'bad.' By being bad, designers will be able to show that difference in their design. Design is crucial to the marketing industry and designers are slowly giving in to consumers by doing exactly what they request. Many designers do sacrifice some of their own creativity so that it stays within the guidelines of what the consumer is asking for. The article suggests that designers should really remember that they can create 'inappropriate designs,' to force viewers to rethink why they like a product.

• Schools generally teach young designers in training to create work that resembles 'professional' designs. 
• Schools also generally teach students to be prepared with a portfolio with designs similar to designs that are already popular. Thus raising the question, is good the new normal?
• Many designers who are accused of selling out and giving in will most likely not mind because they are in fact making money.
• Designs on packaging can become more important than the product itself because it becomes the symbol that people buy. People may end up buying it for the symbol/brand rather than for the product.
• Design plays a big part in everyday life, however the role of the designer themselves is lessening.

Responses for 9/29/10 Readings

The Sincerest Form of Flattery on Janine Benyus - David Kupfer

The article is written on the topic of 'Biomimicry.' To put it simply, biomimicry is studying how animals do things and trying to mimic, or copy the way they do things ourself so that we an save energy and resources. Kupfer interviews Benyus on biomimicry, her book, and her website. She believes and studies various lifeforms to see how we can help lessen energy usage and harm to our planet. For example, she mentions a beetle in a desert that can raise and open its' wings to slowly collect the mist in the air, which eventually collects and forms a drop of water heavy enough so that it slides downwards from gravity into the beetles' mouth. With many various ways on how to save energy, we have already started implementing some of these ideas into our daily lives.

• Graduated from Rutgers University with degrees in writing and natural resource management in the early 1980's.
• Grew up and went to college in New Jersey.
• Founder of the Biomimicry Institute.
• The institute runs a website known as asknature.org
• Started having professors teaching non-biology majors about biology and educating children in grades K-12.

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A Question of Design - William McDonough & Michael Braungart

The passage begins by introducing one famous and poor design known as the 'Titanic.' It was a large vessell that polluted the air with smoke and left waste behind in the ocean. Overall, it had many poor design factors. The article goes on to talk about the Ford car and of how it went through various changes. Another topic the article touches up on is the Industrial Revolution and the changes it brought. Some positive social changes were medical care and education greatly improving. Of course, with positive changes also came negative changes. One case being how landfills began collecting too much once valuable waste. Products that were bidegradable, such as paper were now ruined too much to be recycled and reused. Thus, resources being wasted away.

• 'Cradle-to-Grave' suggests that many potentially useful materials that could be recycled were not and were instead thrown into a landfill, thus ruining it and wasting it.
• The Industrial Revolution brought positive and negative changes.
• In the article, it stated that "according to some accounts more than 90 percent of materials  extracted to make durable goods in the United States became waste almost immediately. "
• To achieve the most successful universal design, they design for a worst case scenario.

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Speculative Prehistory of Humanity -  Buckminster Fuller

Fuller introduces his passage with the Gossamer Albatross, which was able to fly across the English Channel while being powered by humans. Fuller talks more n depth about how materials can be used to its' utmost potential or will be wasted away. Today in our society, we waste tons of potential energy and many of us ar eunder the influence that the Earth will simply absorb anything harmful and continue to grow and thrive just fine. One example that stuck out was that every day there is an average of 2 million automobiles that are stopped at a red light with their engines on of course. This is about equal to the energy of 200 million horses being wasted away.  Sometimes we really do overlook things that are being wasted each day.

• Introduces his point of view and argument with the Gossamer Albatross because it was human powered, unlike many things we have today.
• We sometimes may not need to use all the materials that we currently do.
• The human powered plane and the communication satellite are only 2 examples of many that can be labeled as "greater performance with much less material."
• There are many more possible inventions that can be designed to avoid wasting unnecessary energy.

Responses for 9/22/10 Readings

"Innovation and Exploitation - A Critique of American Apparel" - Anna Kealey

This article written by Anna Kealey, an undergraduate who won an essay contest, writes about the truth behind the store and brand 'American Apparel.' Their trademark/promise to the nation is that everything they sell is sweat-shop free. They strive to be an "ethical and socially responsible company" (Kealey). However, they are also very problematic in other areas. For instance, there have been several sexual harassment cases filed against this company; usually workers imposing that the workplace in the stores are definitely way too sexualized, and therefore unprofessional as well. 'American Apparel' relies heavily on advertising with the common saying "sex sells." But perhaps this company does in fact overdo it. Their ads and marketing strategies are to have generally grainy and low rate amateur photographs of their models being very 'sexy.' They also like to use Asian or African-American models more than Caucasians, possibly suggesting that they are more submissive. All in all, the company says they are ethical and practical and socially responsible, but it all seems very mysterious.

• 'American Apparel' is not what it seems to be at first.
• Their motto is to be "an ethical and socially responsible company."
• Supposedly 'sweat-shop' free.
• Imagery overall is very sexual.
• Multiple sexual harassment cases have been filed against this company.
• There is strong irony in their supposed beliefs when their usage of the female body in pictures is clearly the opposite.

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"Ethical Design Education - Confessions of a Sixties Idealist" - Susan S. Szenasy

Susan Szenasy writes of her view on the Design field and of her students. She holds a seminar class and her 28 students and her gather to talk and discuss the ethics of design. One part that interested me personally was  when she mentioned a clocktower, but instead of a gigantic and old metal mechanism to power the clocktower, there was now a microchip in its place doing everything. Basically, everything that was there before in all its' clunky and inconvenient manner is now replaced by technology. A small simple-looking microchip has the power to replace and take over. She and her class watched a few films together as well, one named "A Story of Healing." Design truly is everywhere and in this film, it is in the battlefield as well. It was about surgeons and nurses trained in re constructive facial surgery that had traveled far to help children in need and along the way they all realized that they were not in i for the money or recognition, but rather in it solely because they enjoy their work and job and do not mind even doing it for free. This leads back to social responsibility, which does connect to design ethics. The teacher and writer goes on to talk about her ideal views on design, which is to rid the world of pollution and to reuse materials ant to not be wasteful. 

• Susan S. Szenasy is an idealist who wants the world to be cleaner and 'more beautiful.'
• She believes that there should be more companies such as Ikea that reuse some materials to make new products like fleeces to use as warm blankets that are actually made from recycled soda bottles. 
• Social responsibility is something that is connected to design ethics.
• Her class and her read several readings and watched different films showing design in various places that one might no think of when talking about design.
• She believes that "good design is responsible design."

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"The Responsibilities of the Design Profession" - Herbert Spencer

This article talks about the timeline of Design and where it used to be and how it has changed  over the years. Spencer talks about the history of design and states that as a profession, design is still fairly young. He also talks about how design is being taught in schools. He states in his article that "designers should in [the] future be educated and not merely trained" (Spencer). In general, Spencer goes in depth about different areas in the field of design and how designers have evolved.

• Design is generally still a young/fairly new profession.
• Design is everywhere. For example, something as simple as normal printed sheets of paper were designed.
• Education in design should truly educate designers and not just train.
• The role of a designer should be to also contribute to "the health and happiness of our society."
• The importance and effect design has on our society is growing constantly.

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"First Things First 1964/2000 - A Design Manifesto" -Various Authors

In "First Things First 1964," the many graphic designers, photographers, and students all signed under the short article. Overall, it announces that design is known to be everywhere, and most noticed in advertisements for everything, whether it be shampoo or a toy advertisement. Design is everywhere and the authors of the original article hope that one day the world will become tired of gimmicks to sell products and to request the service of the designers to show their 'true' power. In the newer '2000' article, it talks about the history of the first one written in 1964. It includes a short history on Ken Garland, one of the authors and contributors to the original article. This passage is basically about the history of the original manifesto, the story behind it, the time period it was written in, and everything else surrounding it.

• The original manifesto was written in the year 1964.
• The original was written when Britain was 'booming.'
• It was signed by 22 people.
• 400 copies of it was published in January 1964.

Brands

'Branding the Individual' - Jane Pavitt

In Pavitt's article, she discusses the power and effects that a brand has on individuals. She states that a brand or logo has the power to cause happiness, power, or even fear to others. In a way, branding is used today in our society to show individuality and personality. Quoted from the reading, "Each of us in this room is a walking compendium of brands," is very much the truth when one stops and thinks about it. In everyday life, everyone wears different clothes and has a unique style. All of this is accomplished with the help of brands. Certain brands may be known to give off a strong and athletic feel, whereas another brand may be more preppy. Once brands are known to give have and give off a certain aura, the consumers that are interested in that certain look will flock together and buy that brand. Each brand has a general target, whether it be an age target or gender specific target. And those that are targeted are what keeps the company and its' brand alive.

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'No Logo' - Naomi Klein

Naomi Klein's article focuses on what a brand is whilst being compared to a product. She writes that, "the difference between products and brands is fundamental. A product is something that is made in a factory; a brand is something that is bought by a customer." She goes into more depth that products become known and popular with the addition of a brand, or logo. You cannot make a brand in a factory, because a brand is something that is created in the mind. Klein states strongly at the beginning of her article by stating that in America, we tend to focus heavily on brand management, how to market the brand, and how to keep it alive. The article goes on to discuss about various levels of brands, such as higher class well-known brands versus lower ones like Wal-mart. Although on different levels, with the help of good marketing strategies and brands, they can become successful.

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'Bing! It's Fabien!' - John Seabrook

This article differs from the previous two as this once focuses on one person, that being Fabien Baron. He is known to most in the fashion world as just Fabien. The saying that says "you need to let some oxygen in here" is what Fabien is known to do. He has helped breathe air and life into popular companies such as Italian Vogue, and the Harper's Bazaar. He has received much great praise from many critics, one case being for his Didot typeface which he known quite well for. Anyone that has come in contact and worked with Fabien all agree that he is amazing and a genius. The article, originally in "The New Yorker," enlightens readers on Fabien's many great accomplishments and praise. Furthermore, one example of a well-known company in today's society that has come in contact with Fabien is Calvin Klein. Fabien is actually in charge of the advertisements for them and one can see clearly as to how well and popular Calvin Klein is today. Branding, marketing, design, and more is all crucial to survival for any company in today's world. Without something that is new and attractive, it will most likely slowly disappear.