The Thinking Process:

Being creative can sometimes be a difficult task. At times we just hit a wall and can’t get around it. Although the process of brainstorming seems so simple, we occasionally still don’t know where to begin, having an initial idea. But there are many different strategies that can be utilized to start the thinking process. While staring at a blank surface just draw whatever is on your mind, no matter what it is you can’t make a mistake. By doing this we are releasing our inner self’s, expressing our emotion, thoughts, and unpredictability. Keep in mind it’s meant to be a brainstorm not a master piece. Another brainstorming option is to randomly choose a word out of the dictionary and express it within a design. Because our minds are being engaged to create something from a single randomly chosen word we are instinctively bringing a new life to its meaning.

Thinking in unusual challenging ways we can express creative designs throughout time. Because our minds can never be placed on pause jumping from idea to idea it is sometimes hard to focus. As techniques such as these help direct our minds around the wall we shouldn’t have to illustrate blank portraits.

What is New is Old

Where do designs originate? While the definition of design can be found in any dictionary, it does not fully explain the whole meaning of where design came from. In the reading, The Etymology of Design: Pre- Socratic Perspective, by Kostas Terzidis gives in full detail about the term design. Terzidis explains to us that, “design is about something we once had, but have no longer.” Although, we as creators generate new ideas this statement is quite true. An idea cannot be generated out of nothing they can be created by impressions, inspirations, and even concepts. But all designs are just a reinvention of older ones, creating a new fresh appearance on the world. Our past can never be erased there will always be something there to remind us of it. There are caves with chalk drawings, floor layouts of ruined temples, and old pottery, all from the past. These items are the history and the past of design. Although there is know way to learn the exact beginning of all creations we do know that our ideas are derived from past designs. It is our nature to perceive old designs generating them into new one, taking what we know and applying it to benefit our lifestyle. While our society grows and advances, new ideas are always desired but what we need to understand is that new is old. Meanwhile what was once old will one day be new and what is new will perceived as old, creating a circle of creations.

Out of this World: Extraordinary Costumes

As technology increases and our skills of manufacturing enhance, our imperfections of the past are looked at in a whole new way. While visiting, The Out of this World: Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television, at the California museum in Sacramento demonstrated how our society has changed classic images. While touring through the exhibit looking back on all our old favorite heroes and movie characters costumes, we can see how simple yet wonderful these costumes were. By taking a comparison of Robin’s costume from the first Batman movie and comparing it to the newest one, a great deal of change has taken place through the decades. Although fashion has improved in design and function ability our past creations and icons can never be taken granted for. Because of the image of certain icons creators know that our perceptions of heroes and even side kicks will always bring us back to our favorite childhood characters. As most of us know in the begging Robin, Batman’s sidekick wore a black mask and a red shirt for the top along with green tights and green sleeves. While using complimentary colors for his outfit designer’s help gear our memories toward Robin when we see an outfit that resembles such colors. Although the old and new costumes are constructed differently, our perception of the design creates a symbol that is engraved into the society’s minds.

General Design

To be honest, this is my first blog entry ever. As it being my first and being a design student at UC Daivs I am going to focus on design in society. Throughout my blogs, I am going to establish what design is to me and look forward to how my perception of design changes and grows.

The world is one big design, know matter where we look or go it surrounds us. From a poster on the wall to the building we live in is a creation of someone’s. So, who are the people of design? In one word it’s everyone; we are a society of variation and expression. To some design is about function ability and others it’s about the out of the ordinary. While our lives evolve around design, there is so much that we look past never taking the time to appreciate and understand what design really is. If asked to explain what design is in one word, how would you reply. Is it interesting, emotion, creative, materialistic, inspiring, or is it even possible to describe in one word. Although the dictionary can help us understand what this word means, it doesn’t tell us what design is. And who says if art is art or if that dress is fashionable.

And so the journey begins what is Design? How does it influence us? What do we mean when we say Design in Society?