Walker

Now an Imaging Tumblr

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Human Centered Design

In the 21st century, most aspects of our lives are digitized and using technology is ingrained into our day to day lives. Websites and apps are used practically everyday and are redesigned consistently for user friendliness, especially web design for online grocery service Instacart. Instacart’s website is well known for its design tailored for the visually impaired and is an excellent example of human centred design.

The founders of Instacart noticed that the blind and visually impaired favored using their service so their website was redesigned to better accommodate their consumer. Within each grocery department, product options are well defined for readability. Increasing product quantities is present in the main interface instead of the cart for ease of use. The interface has a strategic color selection and utilizes color contrast to better help those with visual impairments.

I found this article interesting as I didn’t know that those with visual impairments were taken into account when designing a website. I also researched what features of a website could better help those with visual impairments which include: contrast, color choice, and using enlarged text. I also think that human centered design is one of the most important aspects to designing because everything we make is meant to be consumed by people. So, having the end user in mind and taking into consideration how the consumer with receive and utilize the product is an important factor to designing.

Human centered design requires out of the box thinking that leads to creative solutions that wouldn’t come about through traditional design methods. Design involves solving a problem and having the end user in mind helps to better solve that problem. When the end user is kept in mind, products are designed better and companies that utilize human centered design flourish more than their counterparts.

IDEO is a design firm well known for its human centered design tactics and they have even created their own process for design. They begin their processes by observing the user to understand how they product gets used by the public and to better design a product. Then, they try to understand the end user experience. Both sets of  information are used to create solutions and better design for others in a six step process: observation, ideation, rapid prototyping, user feedback, iteration and implementation. Human-centered design is all about building empathy with the people you’re designing for, generating tons of ideas; building prototypes, and sharing what you’ve made with the people you’re designing for.

From their “Field Guide to Human Centered Design” the IDEO team stated “When you understand the people you’re trying to reach—and then design from their perspective—not only will you arrive at unexpected answers, but you’ll come up with ideas that they’ll embrace.” That is the main idea of human centered design. IDEO understands that if they can experience what the user experiences they can use that to fuel design solutions. Good design doesn’t always have to involve the best ideas or best technology but as the most helpful to others.

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Design Thinking

Design thinking is an essential instinct all artistic must develop. The organization of various elements can determine whether they can coexist in a successful manner or not. There’s an infinite amount of things to consider in the process such as whether you’re working in a two or three-dimensional space, color scheme, shapes, textures, negative space and many other details. This is important because your ability to flex your design thinking muscle communicates your strength as an artist and your ability to adapt to different situations. 

My chosen article titled Utopian Image: Politics and Posters discusses how creative imagery once used in politics to communicate a message has now become a valuable commodity in modern day society. The author explores posters ranging from the 60s to the 70s in different areas of the world during a time of unrest, when the public was greatly dissatisfied with the government’s choices and wanted their voices to be heard in a striking way during protests. Activists and art students would be working around the clock in order to make the imagery come to life, with copies sometimes varying between 300,000 and 600,000. It seems to be a common theme that in the moment of the political climate, the poster isn’t the artwork of one specific person but that it belongs to everyone involved in the cause. For example, there might be a very crucial interaction that happens and rather than praising the artist for creating the visual, the protesters are more focused on quickly being able to use it to advance their own cause. It’s interesting to see imagery once use to raise the visibility of an issue an exact change are not exempt from the forever looming reality of capitalism. 

Political posters can be seen as edgy or groundbreaking either in the message or design mechanics. The imagery inspired by the foundation of a rebellion can lead artists to make alternative decisions that may not be typical for the time in order to symbolize change. This can be seen in commentary on Grapus’s Let’s Go poster in 1976, “The massive san serif lettering of the title gives the announcement of great authority to the rainbow like gradations of color feeling letters…Grapus’s poster reveals an awareness of the importance of image to the communication and political ideas that was years ahead of its time”. Crucial aesthetic decisions are also shown in Grapus’s Expo Grapus poster in 1982, “Its radically informal method of composition, the stylistic collisions and casual violations of image and surface, embody a new way of thinking and a new set of values”. This shows that even an artistic analysis of political posters can appreciate the drastic and out of the box decisions made for the sake of a change in government policy.

In reference to this article, artists during the 60s and 70s showed great strength in design thinking in their ability to quickly create a strong image to be mass produced to the public in the midst of protest. They used various art elements and principles to reflect the needs of the masses with the hopes of inspiring change. 

https://designobserver.com/feature/utopian-image-politics-and-posters/37739

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Human-Centered Design: Shock and Awe by Ava Kofman

With new and upcoming platforms to share ideas and express creativity, we are faced with the challenge of keeping up and learning how to navigate these uncharted territories. These new platforms are created with a thought on how to entertain, amaze, and inform the mind. Human-centered design plays an important role in the process of creating these experiences by giving focus on the human perspective. As humans we create new technologies that involve and immerse ourselves more and more, this is where the article takes place.         In the article, “Shock and Awe” by Ava Kofman, she explores the new branch in technology, virtual reality (VR). Kofman expresses how in 1896 there was a “black-and-white” film shown depicting “a train pulling into a station.” For the time, the film medium was shocked and amazed all who saw it. In our time, it’s hard to keep up with amazement when technology advances each day. Though, Kofman believes that VR might be “our turn of the century’s shock of the new.” This is expressed by the various shows and exhibits that have been presented in VR through the past six months in New York. Kofman goes on to add about the magic of the illusion and immediacy of the medium and to what amazing it can bring. She describes VR as if you are seeing “the world—a technicolor, shamanistic, textured world—for the first time,” which could potentially be a timeless rendition of our own world through the digital world. Though, her most interesting take on the medium is that VR allows the viewer to be put in someone else’s body. One second you are standing in an office and the next you are a man waiting for his train in Hong Kong. With technology, you are “able to take advantage of VR’s unique perspective-granting abilities.” She ends the article by talking about the future of VR and the possibilities of virtual storytelling and immersion.         VR in regard to human-centered design as a new gateway to express ideas and engage an audience is almost revolutionary. The ability to interact with the medium join’s human and technology, using the power of our senses. The amount of storytelling is infinite within the digital world with access to so many surreal and realistic possibilities. What seems most interesting about VR is the potential for a pseudo-in-person engagement with design. Rather than you work being restricted to a 2-D space within one area, you now have access to everyone everywhere placed in a 360-degree environment enable setting. In Conclusion, human-centered design is heavily incorporated within thin the medium of VR. VR basically revolves around the human perspective and manipulates it to whatever the designer wishes to convey. Human-centered design and virtual reality were a mix meant to be in the design world and is an interesting new take that helps engage all audiences. As a new medium, VR as well has a great chance at growth and sticking around in the future.

-Walker

Article: https://designobserver.com/feature/shock-and-awe/38959

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Human-Centered Design within The D Word: Psy Ops by Steven Heller

This write up will be based upon the topic of human-centered design. One of many ways designers tackle a problem is by putting the human perspective first into play when designing and problem-solving. This method is important because it helps designers truly understand their audience and know what works when trying to relay a message or project an idea clearly and efficiently to their target audience. As a designer, this may seem simple as we are human and think that we understand what a human-centered design may seem like, but each life/ situation is different and composing an idea based on your targeted human will be the challenge.         This idea can be seen in an article by Steven Heller called “The D Word: Design Ops,” published on Design Observer. Heller’s article discusses the United States Army’s tactic in helping strengthen a soldier's morale and psychological aptitude. The Army did this by designing pamphlets that “undermine(d) a battle-weary soldiers morale.” It was believed that a soldier was more susceptible to “doubt and despair” rather than to their own rational thought in times of battle. As a result, the US Army believed that designing these pamphlets would help the soldiers resist these thoughts of doubt and despair and help their psychological resistance to fight back. The article states that these pamphlets were mainly made around the 1950s and 60s in the midst of the Cold War. It states that the Defense Department’s Psychological Division would “produce enemy simulated leaflets” which were moved around field maneuvers to hopefully expose soldiers to what they could potentially experience on the battlefield. These simulations of sorts were enacted to help improve the deteriorating mental state of soldiers and to make sure that they were psychologically strong for when the real threat came knocking on their doorstep.           This article relates to human-centered design in the way that the United States Army personally designed these pamphlets with their own soldiers in mind. They specifically took into account the mental state of their soldiers and how they could make some kind of propaganda that would benefit their soldiers by installing an almost fear-like sense into them in order to strengthen them for the future. From the pictures of the article, Heller includes images of the pamphlets and they created. The designs of them appear to depict images of loved ones and the enemy. Again, the military was targeting the mental psyche of the soldiers. They achieved this through human fear and human compassion by including these images throughout the propaganda. In the article, Heller also talks about how the pamphlets were “Crudely printed on rough paper” and how the “typography is competent but undistinguished.” This shows that the Army wanted the flyers to seem hostile/ unfriendly and uninviting to the reader to set the theme of an enemy.         In Conclusion, Human-centered design is important in helping solidify a strong connection between human accessibility and understanding of a message or purpose. While the US Army’s efforts might have seemed like an “Anti Human-Centered Design,” it was what they thought would hit home for the soldiers best and help with the war effort by strengthening the psychological stability of all in service.

-Walker

Article: https://designobserver.com/feature/the-d-word-psy-ops/39275

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Vernacular Type, ARTC 1302, Tetin, 1 board

This work shows off varied types of signs found around the Barton Springs Pool in Austin, Tx. These signs include pool depth, entrance, and regulation signs. The type was used to create a diagonally ascending composition using the beams of wood from the signs building and connecting it to type placed in from around the area. The type placements are connected by the edges of their ground to create a more cohesive piece. The signs were placed on top of each other to give some depth to the work, which was done by changing the opacity and filters which in turn gave more up-close detail to the piece. The blue/ violet was chosen to represent the pool and the water that seems to have no bottom. The typeface used to give the name, location, and date was Rockwell which was chosen as fit to resemble a more structural Austinite feeling to solidify the location that the work represents. The type opacity was lowered in order to help it blend within the composition and to not distract too much from the sign type.

- Walker

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Opposing Forces, ARTC 1302, Tetin, 1 board

At some point in our lives, we’ve all looked at our appearance and we’re disappointed or wanted to change something whether we’d admit it or not. For others, this can turn into an obsessive anti narcissism called body dysmorphia. Through this work, an obsession with flaws is portrayed by the use of the opposing forces, Outside V. Inside. Outside the mirror, a woman is seen looking into it, which appears to be flooded or underwater. The water was chosen to help distort her reflection and to express the feeling of drowning in your own self-image. The work also helps to express the theme through how we look on the outside vs. how we feel we look on the inside, which again helps convey the obsession or body dysmorphia. The viewer is also placed behind the woman to give a bystander or friend perspective on how this may affect the person. The image was graded darker in the corners to give off more of an ominous tone and to focus on the woman and the mirror. When composing the water in the mirror it was decided to overlay some water ripples and coloring to the back to create an underwater illusion. Overall, the message of the piece is to bring awareness by showing a visualized feeling of body dysmorphia to those who may not know about this issue or to those who experience it and can relate to the work through the Outside V. Inside perception.

-Walker O. 

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Letterforms & Objects, ARTC 1302, Tetin, 2 boards

The two letters found in the work are a W and an O. The W takes on the form of a bat using the Adobe Garamond typeface. The W for it worked well with a bat’s outstretched wings and the serifs found in Garamond helped portray the tips of the wings nicely which contributed to the natural-looking form of the bat. The O takes on the form of the South Congress bridge in Downtown Austin using the Gill Sans typeface. Gill Sans provided the structure like shape and wider O that I needed to convey the bridge. These two objects were chosen as a system that would work together, but also be a reflection of myself through icons of my hometown.

-Walker 

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Pictogram System, ARTC 1302, Tetin, 1 board

This pictogram system illustrates prehistoric creatures.  I chose to depict what was left of four famous species of dinosaurs: the Parasaurolophus, Brachiosaurus, Triceratops, and the infamous T-Rex. The four skulls share a common trait of having multiple spaces throughout the bone which helps to show repetition through common forms. Choosing to work with the skulls for this piece also helped to maintain a consistency of texture between the objects. The dinosaurs were given similar traits to each other to help the cohesion of the system. They all have circles above and below their teeth, they all share similar space from the bottom and top of their skulls, and they all break the edge of the canvas giving a more dynamic feel to the work. All four dinosaurs have their own unique distinguishing traits which made systemizing and compositional similarities challenging, but overall a satisfying piece to work on.

-Walker

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1302 Project 1- Statement of Intent

This pictogram system illustrates prehistoric creatures. Long ago, before man, dinosaurs ruled the world. I choose to depict what was left of four famous species of dinosaur, the Parasaurolophus, Brachiosaurus, Triceratops, and the infamous T-Rex. The four skulls share a common trait of having multiple spaces throughout the bone which helps to show repetition through common forms. Choosing to work with the skulls for this piece also helped to maintain a consistency of texture between the objects. All four dinosaurs have their own unique and distinguishing traits which made for a challenging, but a satisfying piece to work on. 

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Timo Kuilder – Illustrator

Portfolio of Timo Kuilder – Illustrator

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Summertime

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#ComDesFoundations

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Cowboyland

View on Dribbble

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Architectural Logos by Counter-Print

‘Architectural Logos’ contains a wonderful selection of logos, trademarks and symbols from around the world formed of architectural elements such as houses, buildings, windows, stairs and doors.

The book is a collection of work from some of the most talented designers around the world including Anagrama, Bond Creative Agency, Civilization, Fuzzco, Garbett, Grand Deluxe, Stefan Kanchev, Lundgren+Lindqvist, Richard Robinson Design and many more.

T D B:  instagram  •  twitter  •  facebook  •  newsletter  •   pinterest

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Zumbtobel Annual Report by Sagmeister & Walsh

Zumtobel is a manufacturer of lighting systems and components, based in Dornbirn, Austria. The 2017/18 annual report was inspired by light and shadow. The visual language mixes gradients, typographic play and color. The edition comes in two forms: standard and limited. Annual reports are arrayed with 20 prints featuring phrases.

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Creative Direction: Jessica Walsh Production: Erica Grubman, HeeJae Kim Book Design: Shy Inbar, HeeJae Kim Print Design: HeeJae Kim, Shy Inbar, Daniel Brokstad, Stefan Hürlemann, Juan Carlos, Lina Forsgreen, Anthony Velen, Cory Say, Farih Hardal Animation: Yaya Xu, Anthony Velen 

T D B:  instagram  •  twitter  •  facebook  •  newsletter  •   pinterest

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Nobody’s Baby by Marylou Faure

An introspection on intimacy and female empowerment

On the 7th of February 2019, illustrator Marylou Faure opens her solo exhibition ‘Nobody’s Baby’ - an intimate exploration of femininity which celebrates body-confident, independent women. By using bold colours and a graphic style, the artwork brings into focus the power and mental strength of Marylou’s characters.

Named after a song lyric which inspired the artist, ‘Nobody’s Baby ’ portrays women in private moments of solitude and reflection, and offers a glimpse into the female psyche. The nakedness of Marylou’s heroins is an expression of shameless self-love rather than sexuality and demonstrates their freedom, in a physical and psychological sense, as well as their independence.

The exhibition will be held at The Printspace (located on 74 Kingsland Rd, London) from the 8th of February until the 27th of February 2019, with an opening night on the 7th of February from 7:30pm.

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Lighting the Way: Five Trends in Wayfinding Design | Create

As analog signs and digital tools converge, designers should be aware of these wayfinding trends.

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Privilege 101

In the writing Privilege 101, it talked about the different types of privilege in the world and what the definition of privilege really means. One key point that stuck with me is that privilege is an advantage that might not have been known by the person who has that privilege. While reading this, looking down the paper at the different types of privilege, I realized that I had a lot of them. White, male, Christian, straight, U.S. Citizen, Able-bodied, etc. Though I knew I was all of these things, I fully didn’t understand what they really meant. How privileged I was and the advantages that I have in today's society compared to others. I didn’t have a full respect for my privileges before reading this, but after I did, I know understand the full scope of it. Another thing that I took away from this reading was the section about “passing.” When I was younger I used to “pass” certain privileges when I was with my friends, specifically the class privilege. My friends were wealthier than i was, so in order to fit in with them I used to “pass.” I would want things that they had, but which my family could not afford. I would also make up excuses such as “my family doesn’t want anybody over right now” in order to disguise the duplex that my family lived in. Though I appeared to look like them and have certain privileges that they did, I wasn’t in the same class as they were. Therefore I found that having certain privileges can lump you into a category(s) that you are not. Overall, I really enjoyed this reading 1.) because it was short which kept my attention focused on the paper and 2.) the topic was really interesting and made me think about my own privileges.