Malcolm's Research Blog

A blog dedicated to research and investigation of the Creative Industry.

[ultramalcolm]

Grand Theft Auto firm sues BBC over Daniel Radcliffe film

Rockstar Games - maker of Grand Theft Auto - is suing the BBC over a drama called Game Changer.

Grand Theft Auto firm sues BBC over Daniel Radcliffe film. Further recent evidence of the ongoing issue and debate surrounding violent video games.

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MinecraftEdu

In the link below we can see how a teacher is utilizing MinecraftEdu for educational purposes.

In one historical exercise, he tasks students to design and build a school following the philosophies of education in ancient Athens. Students must work together over a period of days or weeks which is then referenced and discussed in the classroom. With this one exercise, he is teaching not only history and architectural skills, but also encouraging team work and collaborative skills. (Walker, 2012, MinecraftEdu)

Another features the seven ancient wonders of the world with a Lighthouse of Alexandria that students can explore and read interactive notes to learn about the use of lighthouses in ancient times and how they worked without electricity. (Walker, 2012, MinecraftEdu)

http://minecraftedu.com/

Virtual Worlds in Education, MinecraftEdu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y6zwv5MZpo 

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Minecraft and Education

Young people are learning how to code simply to create their own minecraft mods and learning artistic skills to change the games graphics. There are a number of tutorials on YouTube for Minecraft related subjects; many created by young people themselves. (Redstone, 2015) Additionally with the rise of video game commentary, extremely popular within the minecraft, young players are learning about video production skills so they can make their own Minecraft videos.

Red stone circuits in the game are used to make contraptions and have properties similar to electronic circuits. By familiarizing with ‘redstone’ and concepts such as 'logic gates',  even very young players are learning basic electronics theories such as Boolean logic without even realizing.(Gamepedia, 2015)(Ward, 2013)(Redstone, 2015) Importantly it is motivating young people to learn of their own accord, a rarity which I feel should be nurtured and appreciated.

Redstone Youtube Tutorial, 2015, Kyanite Processing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE0wAQdLlzI 

Gamepedia, 2015 http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Redstone_circuit  

Mark Ward, 2013, BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23572742 

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Violence in Video Games

A reoccurring debate is the idea that particularly violent video games are having an effect on children, influencing them to become violent themselves. Games such as Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto and Mortal Kombat have been the subject of much controversy due to their violent content and being almost 'blamed' by media articles (Spencer, 2014) (Daily Mail, 2012). GTA has been banned or censored in numerous countries and subject to numerous court cases. Mortal Kombat, a fighting game released in the 90s was so graphic that the resulting outrage from mass media caused a 'moral panic' and prompted a U.S congressional hearing, which paved the way for the ESRB or Entertainment Software Rating Board. (Gross, 2011)

In my opinion I feel it’s not quite as simple as finding a direct link between playing violent games and real world violence. I believe people who commit violence are already predisposed to do so and playing games will have little impact on that. I think most articles on the matter are sensationalist in nature and the studies cited in them are ambiguous with unrealistic parameters.

Grand Theft Children is a non-biased analysis on the matter that makes a number of similar points on the subject. One quote in particular I feel summarized well; "millions of children and adults play these games, yet the world has not been reduced to chaos and anarchy." (Kutner, 2010, .p17-18) An interesting quote to consider with games like Call of Duty selling 26.2 million copies. (IGN, 2013)

Ben Spencer, 2014, Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2715706/VIOLENT-VIDEO-GAME-LINK-TO-DEVIANCY.html

Daily Mail, 2012 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2214346/Violent-video-games-make-teens-aggressive-girls-affected-boys.html

Dough Gross, 2011, CNN http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/06/29/violent.video.games/index.html?_s=PM:TECH

Kutner, Lawrence, and Cheryl Olson. Grand Theft Childhood. Simon & Schuster, 2010. Print. p17-18

IGN, 2013 http://microsites.ign.com/call-of-duty-a-short-history/

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Design Contexts: Title Sequences

Title sequences are a key source of meaning and pleasure within film and television.This is a critical analysis, looking at the way title sequences use typography and imagery to convey information as well as evaluating the ways in which they attempt to engage the target audience.

Title sequences can serve a number of different purposes and has a number of different types depending on whether it is for television or cinema and what the target audience might be. For example, sequences seen in TV series will often introduce the characters and cast of the series as well as giving teasers to the content of the program. Cinema on the other hand will often use an opening to set the scene and era of the film. Both will always try to set the tone and atmosphere.

The Walking Dead sets the tone and atmosphere extremely well, depicting the desolate and gritty post apocalyptic setting combined with its tense and menacing music.

It is an example of a title sequence that employs subtle metaphorical imagery to communicate information about the show. As a way of introducing characters as well as themes surrounding each particular character, it shows objects or images relating to them. For example, in one scene a police officer's badge is depicted in the dirt, symbolizing Rick Grime's character, a police officer struggling to maintain his righteous ideologies and his humanity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk-kuq_lNzY

I feel that this combination of setting the scene whilst also showing items seemingly in context to create subtle metaphors makes for an engaging and interesting sequence that breaks the mold of regular sequences that clearly depict characters and actual scenes from the show.

[ultramalcolm]

MINI Brand Analysis 3

Despite their advertisements becoming more surreal and crazy, mini has maintained its brand image, using the same funny humor as well as using a consistent visual language particularly in posters and bilboard ads. The ads will almost predominantly feature the mini on a black background with colourful borders. I believe this design stems from their brand ideas of minimalism and doing less with more.

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MINI Brand Analysis 2

Mini has always prided itself on being 'out of the ordinary' or different to other cars due to its size and standing out despite being a smaller . They have always advertised the mini as having big potential despite being small, using ironic wording to do with size like 'GREAT little cars', even in the 1970's. This highlights the versatility despite the smaller size.

Much like it has always been, Mini's current brand image focuses on the fun and uniqueness or 'quirkiness' of Mini, but compared to earlier campaigns, mini ads are more surreal and unusual than they used to be. I believe this is not only to help them stand out further from other car brands, but also due to changing advertising trends (namely the rise in surrealism in advertising).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZlhzENCGLw

[ultramalcolm]

MINI Brand Analysis

The brand image of Mini started initially as a smaller yet reliable and versatile economy car but soon became associated with fun and adventure. Even in the 1960s adverts showed the quirkiness of the car and the fun that could be had with it. Part of this fun factor stems  from its unique handling characteristics that gives the car 'go-kart' like steering. 

Over time, MINI has also come to be known as an iconic brand of British Heritage due to multiple reasons. It has association with multiple British celebrities, including The Beatles, Twiggy and Spike Miligan. Mini Cooper had success in the racing scene, winning the Monte Carlo Rally three times in 1964, 1965 and 1967. It also gained a lot of popularity from its role in the Italian Job starring Michael Cain in 1969. Minis have also been primarily built within the UK.

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Bibliography (Good Design)

References

Diaz, J. (2014). 1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future. [online] Gizmodo. Available at: http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future [Accessed 15 May. 2014].

Failures.wikispaces.com, (2014). Failures - Fallingwater. [online] Available at: http://failures.wikispaces.com/Fallingwater [Accessed 15 May. 2014].

GmbH, E. (2014). 30 St Mary Axe, London | Building 100089 | EMPORIS. [online] Emporis.com. Available at: http://www.emporis.com/building/30stmaryaxe-london-unitedkingdom [Accessed 15 May. 2014].

Ikea.com, (2014). History - IKEA. [online] Available at: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/about_ikea/the_ikea_way/history/index.html# [Accessed 15 May. 2014].

Norman, D. (2004). Emotional design. 1st ed. New York: Basic Books.

Oculus VR, (2014). Rift. [online] Available at: http://www.oculusvr.com/rift/ [Accessed 15 May. 2014].

Vitsoe.com, (2014). Vitsœ | Good design. [online] Available at: https://www.vitsoe.com/gb/about/good-design [Accessed 15 May. 2014].

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An infographic on the creative industries (takeaway material for the presentation)

[carlbrackstonedesign]

Ra Desk Lamp - notes

The Ra Desk Lamp was designed by Product Designer Ettore Cimini.

It was designed in 2002 and currently costs around £1,562 

•The lamp follows most of rams’ principles being highly aesthetic and innovative

•However the lamp is obtrusive as it is likely to easily draw attention and appears as as a work of art.

•A problem with using rams to explain this lamp is that it doesn’t accourt for an emotional reaction like Donald A. Norman would.

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An emotional reaction is particularly important in a product like this, because it is this emotional reaction that is going to make people want to buy the product despite its hefty price tag as well as not being as discreet or practical as other cheaper more conventional lamps. 

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Occulus Rift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBylGcvRuek

A demo showing the Occulus rift, a good example of behavioral design in video games (according to the theories of Donald Norman)

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Good Design

The following is a written up version or 'framework' of my presentation. Good design is something that has been debated, probably since design has existed. In an attempt to define 'good design', designers and critics have come up with theoretical frameworks or 'principles' to abide by to achieve consistency.

I am going to be looking at the principles of Dieter rams and his so called 'ten commandments' and Donald Normans' theory of emotional design and applying them to four different designs to question their validity in different design fields. Those fields being products, architecture and graphic design.

I'll be looking at Falling Water, St Mary Axe, several designs of kettles, graphics design, film and video games and use various studies and principles to help define for myself what is 'Good Design' and who should ultimately decide this.

(present falling water and st mary axe)

After this analyses, it is clear that Rams isn’t always a valid framework or conclusive in defining a good design. It doesn't have to follow his principles to be considered a good design.

Aesthetics is a matter of opinion, culture and era. Architects should be considerate of the tolerances of people as buildings are large and affects peoples lives. Other values that I think should be considered in successful architecture should be ambition, as well as impact.

Next is these 3 kettles, its sometimes tricky to apply rams to something like this because while his principles are about functional, solid design, they miss out an important element, the human element. or the cognitive element.

1. A good diater rams kettle (solid design) 2. A good behavioral (my prefered kettle, easy to use, less stress on wrist) 3. A good visceral (my kettle, cool to look at but writhe with design flaws)

In this instance, the good design type is situational and dependent on peoples preferences and personalities and needs of the product. Other factors need to be taken into account (ie peoples feelings) which is why Normans might be better for a design that is user orientated.

In a similar study by Norman himself, a woman preferred a useless clock over a normal one (show the study with pictures) typical example.

It works for graphic design and advertising because graphics work primarily at a visceral and reflective level, attracting viewers and inciting interest, thought and emotion.

They can be applied to graphics use a graphic as an example (visceral or reflective)

and film types (reflective, something that makes you think and feel like Inception or Titanic or visceral, initial impact, explosions like 'The Expendables')

We can even apply his principles to video games, a typical reflective type being 'The walking Dead' game, where you must think about your actions and decisions in game and the consequences they have later. A behavioral game design would be the 'Occulus Rift', a virtual reality headset, the XBOX 'Kinect' would also be a good example.

Following Deiter Ram's principles will create a good all-round product whilst following Donald Normans will create a product that extends its function, a product with meaning.

Normans also shows us that emotion is important in design and that we are after all emotional as well as logical beings. Humans, not robots. As designers, we should always consider the user in the design process, they're the ones who ultimately decide.

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What is Good Design Presentation (Part 2)

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What is Good Design Presentation (Part 1)

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Fallingwater, Pennsylvania

Fallingwater is a house designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Built in 1935, it was originally a weekend home for the Kaufmann family (a family business. However, it was donated to the Western Pennsylvania conservancy in 1963 then a year later, it was opened to the public as a museum.

The total project price was $155,000 which today is equivalent to approximately $2.6 million. Due to extensive structural issues and water damage the house has had a lot of repairs and in 2008, cost $11.5 million in restoration costs.

The building follows some principles of Rams, but not others. It is certainly not thorough, with little foresight going into the the structural integrity of the materials used, and the effect water would have on them.

It is innovative, its design being based around the river and waterfall is clever, the way the design works with its surroundings. Despite being built in the 1930s, its not a long lasting design, with continuous restoration work required since being built to keep it standing.

It is intended to be a piece of 'organic architecture' that blends with its surroundings (inspired by Japanese architecture, emphasizing the harmony between man and nature). Despite this, the house seems in contrast with its environment. This makes it debatable whether or not it is unobtrusive design. 

It could be said to be obtrusive, contrasting the forest with its very inorganic, straight edges, and bold design, with a lot of use of concrete. However it could also be very unobtrusive, being built out of the way, in the middle of a forest.

Personally, I think it is somewhere in the middle, because whilst it does have a square, inorganic design, the stone masonry and brickwork give it a bit of natural character that eases it into it's surroundings almost. The use of large glass windows also helps to blur the boundary between the inside and outside.

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The Gherkin - 30 St Mary Axe

30 St Mary Axe, known informally as 'the gherkin' and previously the 'Swiss Re' building is a skyscraper in london's main financial district. the City of London.

It has become an iconic symbol of London's landscape, and one of the most recognised pieces of contemporary architecture in london.  

Built between 2001-2003, it was designed by Norman Foster who is known for his Iconic building designed such as the Sage, Gateshead.

The design follows a number of similar principles to dieters rams 'commandments'.

It is environmentally friendly, using energy saving methods which means it uses half the power a similarly sized building would normally consume: it has a passive solar heating system as well as a design that uses natural convection. Because of the design, it also allows a lot of light which means less electricity on lighting.

It is unusual, having a unique organic shape, that contrasts the rest of London's skyline. It is also thorough, with a lot of detail and thought going into its design and economical features.

It could be said to be unobtrusive and aesthetic, though this can be largely a matter of a opinion. Some may not find it aesthetic and others maybe find its design obtrusive to the landscape. 

Personally I like the design of the building, i like its organic, rounded shape against the industrial, square, boring london landscape. I also appreciate the thought gone into its economical features.