Design and Culture

But in contemporary society, there is no single definition that covers design completely, or even fields of professional practice as graphic or industrial design that adequetly cover the diversity of ideas and practices as once existed. (pg3 wicked problems in Design thinking book THE IDEA OF DESIGN)

Prince George’s Annual Traditional POW Wow is an event put on by the Prince George Friendship Centre, it takes place at the Carrie Jane Gray Park. It is rich in energy and historical popular culture. Hosting the powwow is a way of ensuring the rich heritage of the aboriginal people is preserved. The word Pow Wow, or pau wau, means a gathering of people coming together to trade. Explorers misinterpreted the ceremony of medicine men dancing, thinking all natives gathered to sing and dance in this manner.

Alice Rawsthorn starts her Ted lecture with a statement that design has different meaning at different times. However, the all Inspiring designs have something common: they were created by dreamers: people who have big dreams and rebels the conventions. As a proof to her statement, Rawsthorn brings examples from the human history. The first example is about Ying Zheng who designed the all fighting tools in identical way. This case emphasizes the importance of design tools as a response to unique needs as war: defense/attack. Moreover, he gave solution of necessity of maintain product consistency in order to keep the maintenance and

In the article “Fluid and Shifting: Racialized, Gendered, and Sexual Identity in African American Children” by Denise Isom. Isom talks about how the researchers were studying African American Children, and racialized gender identity. There were several ways that the research was conducted they include: questionnaires, one-on-one interviews, and observation ethnography. The study was conducted from 2001-2002, in a “lower/ working class African American community near a large mid-western city” (Isom, 2012). The participants were children enrolled in a community based after-school program. To gain insight on early conceptions of one’s self and others as far as gender and race (focusing on how they intersect), children from grades five, six,

When it comes to a boycott that relies on culture, would you think it works and succeeds? The answer simply is no. A boycott that depends on a culture does not work and succeed due to the fragile foundation it bases on; culture. Usually, the consumer cares about two things at marketplace when they do shopping: the commodity quality and the price. The consumer always seeks high quality products, and affordable prices. However, the consumer does not care about the personality and the identity of the producer that makes the commodities he buys. The client does not worry for example if the lingerie he wears produced by homosexual, lesbian, gay, or bisexual person. Second, the customer does not think about the shoes he wears if produced by niggers,

In 1988 Australian design theorist and philosopher Tony Fry published his book Design History Australia. In this book Fry provides a contemporary perspective of design and its history. The book covers a wide variety of topics related to design history that are focused on the field of industrial design. Design History Australia provides reasons as to why a history of Australian design is important as well as giving a critical analysis of texts written on this topic. Fry also highlights the importance of designers having knowledge of design theory and he suggests a method of design study that he deems appropriate for Australia. In his final chapter Fry applies this method to three case studies: The Great White Train, MacRobertson’s Ltd and Australia’s

Indeed, the working scenario where design centers on is quite complex and unpredictable. Inserting knowledge in a context of totality, such as the environment in which humans interact, allows the complexity of this environment to be seen in a globalized and interdependent way, retrieving the sense of unity that has been lost by the values of specialness; complex because, as stated by Couto et al. (2004) design focuses at the human and the environment in which it interacts, requiring an accurate vision of the designer to understand the complexity of human and environment interaction; unpredictable, because, according to Wyatt (2014), unlike other professions who walk in a more usual speed, in the creative industry, changes occur at the speed of light, as technology and fads run by leaps and bounds. As it is stated in Designing for the 21st century: Interdisciplinary questions and insights:

In a consumer society design is used in many ways including as communications tool, as in exhibition design. A common communication technique is to appeal to visually literate and sophisticated audiences through the use of fashionable finishes and materials.

There is a strong relationship between human material culture and the development of human cognitive abilities. Around the 2.0 Ma period there was a widespread of evolutionary change across a vast range of mammals (Foley, R. and Gamble, C. 2009), one of the largest factors contributing to the growth of cognitive abilities is a larger brain size (Delagnes, A.and Roche, H. 2004). A larger brain allowed for humans to expand their thinking which enhanced their lives. A significant step in the history of humans and technology is when they started using tools (Wynn. T. 2009). "The enhanced working memory that appears to have accompanied the evolution of modern humans enabled much higher levels of innovation, thought experiment, and narrative complexity" (Wynn, T. and Coolidge, F.L. 2004). The changes in human cognitives abilities can be reflected by changes in human material culture.

Today, people can feel the changes that have happened to the design, and how the design is different from what we used to know. The design is not merely about how the product looks, but also it is about how the product works. The success of the design process depends on new and creative ways of thinking. In her article " ZIBA Design and the FedEx Project," Maggie Breslin describes the changes in thinking and working ways that being done by ZIBA design, which is a product design company that provides consulting about design and innovation. The article relies on the FedEx project as a case study on ZIBA design to illustrate the idea that design process might shift. The change in the design process periodically focuses on three major subjects:

Postwar, American design was made in terms of what could be fashionable and superficial. The school of Industrial Design catered to this by creating stylized objects with extreme ornamentation and distinctive visual qualities. Their triviality came across through a use of obsoletism, in that they made their objects to break down or easily replicable. In using this, their aim was to get people to buy.

The practice in design research includes academics and practitioners elaborating on the topic between peoples and places. This section forms a progressive theoretical research and precedent works that influenced by ideas development and evaluation as a reflective process.

They aimed to design produce that would be simplistic in design, but could also be mass produced in factories. A lot of the main Bauhaus designers even attempted to design an 'International Style’, that would be acceptable for use in all countries, cultures and traditions around the world.

The 50’s were the most revolutionary years for design. The war had ended and there was economic stability, only to bring out the quirkiest side of designers and artists. More people were curious about modernism and were extremely welcoming to the way designers were experimenting. The trend of bubblegum, neon and pastel colors, space based and atomic themes and abstract art dominated architecture, clothes, crockery, furniture, cars, etc. Smaller post war houses demanded light, stackable and compact furniture, thus leading to the rise of Formica, chrome, vinyl, plywood, fiberglass, aluminum and plastic furniture. But that didn’t stop designers from experimenting with wood and leather. Charles and Ray Eames and Robin and Lucienne Day were the pioneers of modern architecture and design. What separated these couples from other designers was the brilliant combination of art and form in their creations, which

Design. In today’s society, this particular word has been loosely used and overburden by the lack of understanding of true design. Hearing Ian speak about the common cliche ideas that shaped the many minds of what they think design is was quite amusing. Being in the audience that consists of many artists and as an individual pursing a career as a Graphic Designer, it is frustrating yet surprising to see how Ian really defined design. Ian