Everything is designed. Bill Moggridge Every design has a story. John Loomis PROJECT 2: SPACES, PLACES, and PRODUCTS – 300 words Spaces, Places, and Products make up the physical environment of our lives. At their least, they perform a function. At their best, they add value to life. All are designed. In this project you will write a review of a space, place or product. You will choose among a list of some exemplary spaces, places, and products that are compelling statements of architectural, interior, industrial, graphic, communication, and interactive design. They will be investigated through use, review, description, analysis and critique. We will also acquire new writing skills by engaging in reading select space, place and product reviews, analyzing and reverse engineering them discover their structure outlines. From the following list, pick one. If it is a space or a place, visit it. If it is a product or interactive, use it. In all cases, you must seriously engage with it first-hand. Spend high quality time together. Record your experiences, describe. Develop ideas, conduct appropriate research, post-it idea/topic matrix, organize topics, create an outline, develop a description including UX, devise a writing strategy, and – write. Select one of the following: Spaces, Places: • Salesforce Park Transbay Terminal, San Francisco • The City Club, San Francisco • Oakland Cathedral, Oakland • SFO International Terminal • SJO International Terminal and its public art • The Headly Club, De Anza Hotel, San José • HARDWATER, bar and restaurant, San Francisco • San José City Hall Rotunda • Heath Ceramics, San Francisco – the space and place • Torqued Ellipses, Richard Serra, SFMOMA Products: • Chemex Pour Over Coffee Maker • Bialetti / Moka espresso pot • Tesla, Ferrari, Lamborghini Spider, or other high-performance car 1 • SMART car, Mini, or other teeny tiny car • Surfboard, Thomas Meyerhoffer, or other high-performance board • Bamboo bike, Calfee Design, Santa Cruz, or Cyclo One, or PDX: Industry x Ty Cycles 3D printed titanium, GPS integrated, bicycle, or other high performance bike • Flyknit or other high-performance shoe • Kitchen Aid mixer • 2 or more Critter wind-ups by Chico Bicalho (compare and contrast) • Heath Ceramics – the product • Mont Blanc pen Interactive: • Stephen Burks Man Made and/or • White Arkitekter | Inspiring sustainable ways of life • Architecture Player • CyArk 3D Heritage Archive: www.cyark.org • Emergent Art Space • An AIGA award winning website (or two, compare and contrast) • Video game from the New York Museum of Modern Art collection • 10 Percent Happier app Or you may propose a space, place or product of your own selection, but only in consultation with the instructor. What to write about? A meaningful description is essential. So is analysis and critique based on clear criteria. Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, master architect for Roman Emperor Augustus, judged architecture by three principles: firmitas, utilitas, venustas (construction, function, beauty). AIGA awards are made based on the criteria of: MoMA uses four criteria to evaluate video games: space, time, behavior and aesthetics. aesthetics. That is, clarity of concept or idea, the quality of execution, and aesthetics. Questions concept, process, outcomes, impact, and the jurors consider include “Did the work do its job? Is it effective? well-crafted? beautifully executed?” ISDA awards are made based on the criteria of: innovation, user experience, benefit to client, benefit to society, aesthetics. Such criteria as the above, provide a good foundation for the analysis and critique of your space, place or product. The most effective design or creative process combines craft, creative thinking and passion to solve problems—both complex and simple. Creativity, innovation and inspiration are married with empathy, insight, and systems thinking to achieve great results, meet clients’ objectives, and assert design and animation as cultural entities. How does your space, place or product engage these issues? 2 Look to “Who Made That Soy Sauce Dispenser” and other reviews from our Reader for examples of good space, place and product writing. And here some suggestions, if not outright requirements. • Background, history • Designer (interview if possible) • Description: (design, materials, tactility) is essential (may include one supporting image). o Use your own eyes and experience, not information harvested from the Internet. o Use your own words, with well chosen adjectives, adverbs, similes and rhetoric. o Not just a list of parts and attributes. o Describe so that reader sees and feels the space, place or product. Use choice adjectives, adverbs and other descriptive devices. • Description: UX, performance, function, utility, experience o Similar to above. • Context, place in history, background (typology, the competition) o No space, place or product exists in a void. Each partakes of a context. Ask questions, speculate, connect dots. • Analysis and critique based on criteria o Can lead to… • Meaning as a conclusion if possible The review will require some, but not a lot, of research. Research is not indiscriminate harvesting from the Internet, cutting and pasting at will. Make the information your own, weave it into a text that is yours. This is not a term paper, no end or foot notes. Imagine you are writing for Wired or design/creative magazine. IMPORTANT TIPS: 1. Don’t forget to tell us the FOUR basics of journalism, Who, What, Where, When. a. And don’t forget the designer. 2. Don’t use of first or second person. Nothing sounds lamer than a string of sentences starting with “I” or “You”. 3. Unless otherwise necessary, keep text in present tense and active voice. Doing so keeps the reader better engaged. 4. Like many of the authors in our Critical Reader, try using a ‘hook’ to begin your narrative. 5. Make sure to conclude; give it an end. Don’t just drift off or leave the reader hanging. 6. Above all, use your own words. Don’t cut and paste or otherwise plagiarize. Turnitin will be turned on. Beware. 7. If you get stuck: a. Create an outline of what you have right now and analyze it. Is there a clear structure? Perhaps a hint of structure? What is this draft outline telling you? b. Is your thesis clear to the reader? c. Highlight the topic or topic sentence of each paragraph, analyze them. d. Are they working to define the paragraph? e. Is the text of the paragraph staying on topic, on message? f. Think of how you might better create transitions, links between paragraphs and improve the flow of text. g. Go back and look at, update your outline, and write. 8. When a. Do exactly what you do if you get stuck. 9. Then when you think that is in pretty good shape, proofread and edit. Look for grammar issues, verb agreement, tense issues, run-on sentences, etc. To catch them all, you just have to through the whole document, line by line. Some editors still do this hard copy, putting a sheet of paper or a ruler under the line they are reading to stay focused. You you think you are done: 3 might want to try that. Then when you are finished with your corrections, hand it to someone who can go over it with a fresh eye to see what they can find. Reading: • “Who Made that Soy Sauce Dispenser?” • 3 Critical Readings of your choice from Reader (see Canvas Module) • GUIDELINES – for Writing and Peer Reviewing (print for peer review) • “From Design to Design Thinking” (optional but highly recommended) Media: • James Dyson • Oliver Ranch • Kim Swift • Paola Antonelli • Stephen Burks • Steve Jobs – iPhone presentation • Will Wright • Heath Ceramics KCNET • etal. DEADLINES Friday, Feb. 26 – Post in Canvas Discussions • the name of your space, place or product and why you chose it AND in Canvas Assignments Dropbox S.P.P Critical Readings, Analyses & Outlines, your choices 1, 2, 3 For each of the 3 “your choice” critical readings: • Marked-up text analysis • Outline • One sentence writing lesson learned. Thursday, Mar. 4 – Post in Canvas Discussions • what you think the thesis of your review will be Tuesday, Mar. 9 1st draft – peer review – emphasis on Content & Organization: GUIDELINES – for Writing and Peer Reviewing (print and use for peer review) • 1 image (recommended but not required) • Thesis, outline and 3 writing lessons learned from 3 critical readings – one page. • TITLE (may reflect thesis) • Introduction (maybe with a ‘hook’?) • 300 word TEXT with highlighted topic sentences, introduction and conclusion Thursday, Mar. 11, 9PM – 2nd draft – Instructor Review in Canvas Assignments Dropbox Spaces, Places, Products – REVISED: • 1 image (recommended but not required) • Thesis, outline and 3 writing lessons learned from 3 critical readings – one page. • TITLE (may reflect thesis) • Introduction (maybe with a ‘hook’?) • 300 word TEXT with highlighted topic sentences, introduction and conclusion • Keep peer review 4 Tuesday, Apr. 6 final draft – peer review – primary emphasis Language, secondary on instructor comments • revised Title, thesis & outline • 300 word TEXT with highlighted topic or topic sentence or each paragraph Thursday, April 8, 9PM – FINAL REVIEW in Canvas Assignments Dropbox Spaces, Places, Products – REVISED: • Thesis, outline and 3 writing lessons learned from 3 critical readings. • 300 word TEXT (revised from peer review) with highlighted topic or topic sentence or each paragraph. • Keep new peer review • Keep previous instructor comments Friday, Apr. 9 – Post in Canvas Discussions • 30 second elevator pitch • convince us to visit, use, buy, enjoy your space, place or product 5 SPACES, PLACES AND PRODUCTS GUIDELINES – for Writing and Peer Reviewing, Criteria and Checklist PRINT OUT AND BRING TO CLASS FOR FIRST PEER REVIEW Check for the following: CONTENT • • • • and not • • • • • Thesis, outline and 3 writing lessons learned from 3 critical readings – one page. TITLE (may reflect thesis) 1 image (highly recommended but not required) Introduction (maybe with a ‘hook’?) and Conclusion in a 300 word TEXT with highlighted topics or topic sentences necessarily all of the below nor in this order, but certainly most of the below: Background/context/history Designer(s) Description o Visual § What does it look like? § Visually compelling? § Usually scaled from large to small o Functional § UX, performance, function, use, feel, experience Analysis, critique, evaluation using criteria such as… o firmitas, utilitas, venustas o concept, process, outcomes, impact, aesthetics o innovation, user experience, benefit to client, benefit to society, aesthetics. o aesthetics, space, time, behavior Conclusion o meaning, place in or connections to contemporary culture or some such broader conclusion Most of the above content, but not necessarily all, and not necessarily in the above order, will be relevant to your space, place or product. And there may possibly be issues not covered above. ORGANIZATION • Does text organization reflect outline? • Are paragraphs organized around topics? • Effective use of transitions between topics and paragraphs? LANGUAGE • Not a priority for first draft peer review, but give it a general check for grammar issues such as verb and pronoun agreement, syntax, word choice, etc. • Absolutely NO use of first person, i.e. NO I, I, I… 6 https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/17/magazine/who-made-that-soy-sauce-dispenser.html Who Made That Soy-Sauce Dispenser? By LESLIE CAMHI Published: June 15, 2012 Just 16 and recently released from a naval academy, Kenji Ekuan witnessed Hiroshima’s devastation from the train taking him home. “Faced with that nothingness, I felt a great nostalgia for human culture,” he recalled from the offices of G. K. Design, the firm he co-founded in Tokyo in 1952. “I needed something to touch, to look at,” he added. “Right then I decided to be a maker of things.” One of the most enduring objects in his 60-year design career — which includes the Akita bullet train and Yamaha motorbikes — is the Kikkoman soy-sauce dispenser. Introduced in 1961, it has been in continuous production ever since. Traditional in its grace yet modern in its materials, the bottle’s design drew on Ekuan’s experiences at war’s end. The atomic blast killed his younger sister, and his father, a Buddhist priest, died of radiation-related illness a year later, prompting Ekuan to train briefly as a Buddhist monk in Kyoto. But he quickly left that training behind, fascinated by the G.I.’s he saw roaming Japan’s ruins. In their jeeps and immaculately pressed gabardine trousers, they were like a “moving exhibition,” extolling the virtues of American invention. Ekuan pored over the newspaper cartoon “Blondie” for clues on American consumer culture. He enrolled at the National University of Fine Arts and Music in Tokyo, urging fellow students to give shape to a contemporary “Japanese lifestyle.” It took three years for Ekuan and his team to arrive at the dispenser’s transparent teardrop shape. More than 100 prototypes were tested in the making of its innovative, dripless spout (based on a teapot’s, but inverted). The design proved to be an ideal ambassador. With its imperial red cap and industrial materials (glass and plastic), it helped timeless Japanese design values — elegance, simplicity and supreme functionality — infiltrate kitchens around the world. More than 300 million dispensers have been sold, in more than 70 countries. In 2007, to mark its 50th year in the United States, Kikkoman issued a gold-capped version, and the company has also given souvenir bottles, bearing the image of Mickey Mouse, to groups of schoolchildren visiting the factory. But Ekuan’s original design persists. “For me it represents not the new Japan, but the real Japan,” he says. “The shape is so gentle. Of course, during the war, we were forced into acting differently. But for a long time, some 1,000 years, the history of the Japanese people was very gentle.” 7