IXD102 ( 30250 ) - Introduction to Communication Design. 2022-23.
This week we were introduced to communication design, reflecting upon the advances of technology and design throughout the years, alongside the future possibilities.
In Semester one, we will be researching the advancements of design throughout the years, including designers and their work. The movements we will be focusing upon are as follows:
The Here and Now
Internet History
Postmodernism
The International Style
Modernism
Revolution Bauhaus and WWII
Century of Change
Photography
Moving Image
The Industrial Revolution
Gutenberg & Movable Type
Printing and Type Design
His house is full of collectables, his father's items. After his death, the memories resurfaced from these memories. We put so much of ourselves into these things, just items or empty vessels that we fill with our own desires. They constantly change to reflect our desires.
“We shape our tools, then after our tools shape us.”
The book, Understanding media by Marshall McLuhan, is referenced in the talk. When talking about electrical media, McLuhan states that "the things we make, each of these things creates a new environment." Miner goes on to explain the statement through examples, with particular focus on cars. It's a machine that hasn't changed all that much throughout the years, purely just design, yet we change our whole way of living. We build roads and machines, along with other structures to allow for cars to be used. They've changed our environment. The focus of the talk then begins to shift to computers. We developed computers to become smaller, with screens and add networks. Although, it’s strange as what we add from this point forward is invisible.
“We get rid off the network by making it wireless, the computer becomes smaller, lighter, until it disappears too. The only thing we can interact with is the screen.”
When you look to the future, the world is made up of screens, or interfaces. The screen allows us to choose what we use to shape our environment. It’s not just pretty interfaces, we are creating the environment that we will live with, interact with, for the rest of our lives. Interfaces are actually quite complex. However, designers are constantly using our base knowledge to make it easier to interact. We're creating these digital environments a lot more quickly. If the environment is always changing, so do we. We need to forget what we think we know, to prepare us for these spaces.
In talking about abstract expression, Miner explains that we're not trying to represent anything, but rather an experience. Miner then goes on to explain how we design to fit our environments. Responsiveness is not just something we create within a product, but an attitude. Miner makes references to Robert Irwin's art installation “Light & Space” and how the artist adapted to his environment.