#grde 414

[well-thats-pertty-neat]

Why Didn't you Choose a Better Design School

I was reading a list of the top ten things they never taught you in design school, realizing that over half of the things on that list I have learned through my experiences here at Ferris. The Ferris design program is structured for its students to learn what the real world will be like. This statement from the list, "In school that is what you focus on: it is 100 percent fun", WRONG. The Ferris Design program has its fun moments but most of the time students are faced with strict and consistent never ending deadlines and are constantly critiqued by one of the fine design professors. What I'm really saying is choose your design school carefully, maybe they will teach you more than you expected to learn.

[well-thats-pertty-neat]

Charlie McGraf

A couple weeks ago I attended a lecture that was focused around user's interactions with software in the future. Today there are many different devices that users can view content through making it extremely important to do testing and figure where the problems are. One thing that Charlie said that still sticks with me is his method of testing user experiences he has created. He takes a working prototype of a website or application and sits an unfamiliar user in the drivers seat. He then asks the user to complete a specific task on the website and requires the user to think out loud and explain their thought process. This method of testing is extremely accurate and can find small details that were skipped over in the production phase of the project.

[kellyzach-blog]

GRDE414 - Charlie McGrath Visit

This past evening Charlie McGrath came to speak to us about the future of interactive design. I was surprised but delighted to find that most of the time we discussed past interactive design and it's successes and failures. 

For some reason I love looking at failing products and early technology…seeing how far everything has evolved. It fascinates me beyond belief how fast things move now, and what gets adopted by people and what doesn't. 

We went over some early interactive text editors, HTML tables, and a failure of an early code reader called CueCat, which really got me curious because I hadn't ever heard of it.

Despite the enjoyment I got from looking back at older stuff, the message was prime. Designing for the future requires avoiding being a follower of the trends in technology. Following the buzz is a path to a dead end, interactive design is about USABILITY and functionality. A key note Charlie made was that "A designer's job isn't to show off how wildly creative they are, it's to solve a communication problem." Designers don't need something trendy to use or jump off of, they need a tool to develop their ideas. 

With that idea in mind, Facebook came to use, as a shell for communicating with mass amounts of people for business. Charlie had been making a great observation though. He mentioned that he feels social media moving towards smaller groups of people rather than communicating and connecting with the masses.

I was really listening and understanding Charlie at this point.

In september I created a new Facebook account after deleting my old one with nearly 400 friends on it. My new account only has the small group of people I care about with only about 90. I feel much more comfortable and apt to share things because I know who everyone is. 

The discussion about social media really was a nice introduction for the social media talks we have to give in Peter's class next week. 

I went into Charlie's talk not expecting more than a normal guest visit, but left with some really great insights towards the future and my current design right now. He was awesome.

[hollenbeck-blog]

Grip and Gibson

It wasn't Patrick Robinson's eclectic wardrobe that surprised me the most. It wasn't his "kick-your-ass-into-motion" brand of motivation, or his employment within one of the largest firms in Toronto. Patrick surprised me the most by quoting an author: William Gibson.

The quote was masterfully thought out (as all of Gibson's writing generally is, to a degree), but it wasn't this facet that astounded me. On the contrary, it was the idea that inspiration, progress, and creative energy can stem from sources behind the books and magazines so widely pushed down the collective throat of designers populating this industry. Seeing a personal interest of mine bear fruit for the mind of an exceptionally successful man reinforced the idea that I am more than my career. Rather, I am a multi-faceted individual capable of thinking and experiencing life in a multitude of ways and from many paradigms.

In short, I connected with Patrick through our common love of abstract literature. His presentation only strengthened his character- character that I can respect and admire.

[kellyzach-blog]

GRDE414 - Patrick Robinson

Patrick Robinson's visit a few weeks ago was pretty interesting. Before he presented that evening, we were able to meet with him and present our group experience branding projects to him and get to know him a bit.

Meeting him prior to his presentation helped me understand his background a little bit more.

He spoke a lot about the atmosphere and life around the studio he works at in Toronto, Grip. Typically, I always feel that the large studio environment is corporate and intimidating, but Patrick gave me a new outlook. I found the large, yet friendly, and close-knit environment intriguing, especially when he noted that it still is a community and quite  a bit of fun.

Aside from the studio, he got into what begins to make a good designer. His list of 10 insights were a lot of what we already do in class. Collaborating to learn and explore new ideas was a big one. In our final year of design school, we've had quite a bit of freedom on our projects to go out and research what we want. It's been helpful and really helps keep me optimistic and motivated to finish them. 

Patrick Robinson's presentation wasn't the most exciting, but it was filled with a lot of insights that were good to keep in mind for the future. 

[harpers6-blog-blog]

Passions

I listened to a Typeradio segment with Tobias Frere-Jones and Jonathan Hoefler where they talked about working within your passion, where ever that may lie. They mentioned that they enjoyed working on political projects because it includes their passion for design and their passion for politics. Mixing one passion with another will create strong projects. It seems the best way to work. If you can take your ability to design and combine that with any personal passion, you will forever push yourself to be better. When you are working on something that drives you, you understand it better than you ever could with something you are not involved in so deeply. As part of that community, you know the subtle nuances, inside jokes, deeper meanings, and up coming events. Who can communicate or persuade better than an outside man. This knowledge drove me to think on my own passions and how I can use my designer abilities towards them. Much like Tobias Frere-Jones and Jonathan Hoefler. I enjoy politics but I'm not sure I would want to work with it day in and day out. I love books and music, both would make great jobs in the future. However, I heard it told that your personality is not completely developed until the age of thirty five. I'd rather not wait to get a job until I am thirty five, so I'll have to ponder on my passions now and work with them as I mature and grow with my environment and experiences.