I'd like to respond to Definition 1.2 and how artful design is contexualized within other different types of design. Definition 1.2 indicates that Artful Design is "Technology in search of the Sublime", going beyond solving for just for needs to inspire awe. Having this definition situated within Problem Solving and Creative Design provided a great moment of clarity for me. I had felt like throughout my undergraduate education and brief year in industry I had been toggling between the two, but to succinctly describe the design urges/philosophies I found myself pondering. It was fascinating to see it laid out so clearly in the text.
At MIT, I found the design education to be heavily influenced by the architecture department it was based under. Design briefs and studios were abstract, and we loved to experiment with new materials and technologies. Thinking back, it was very much the bottom up method of Creative Design. But even within the school design education varied, I found the product design classes in the mechanical engineering department strongly emphasized the product development process starting from researching user needs. This was especially hammered in in various industry internships and later the full time role I took on. It all became about problem solving to create practical solutions that could immediately serve people. While working on experimental projects, I found myself questioning the utility of the interesting creations I could generate, but on the other hand while working on needs-driven product design, I found myself feeling like I was designing within an existing paradigm and unable to take larger leaps of faith. Coming to Stanford now, which is famous for it's design thinking methodology, I feel like I have an idea of how the school will guide my design philosophy but I'm especially curious about this class and Artful Design. Is there able to be a synthesis of playing with creative technology and novel interactions while also problem solving for underserved needs?
My 3 everday things of design are:
The bottom landing layout by my apartment - Constructed as a gathering place, there are also small moments of delight scattered throughout that help provoke conversations with strangers. Functionally, it's able to seat a small group of people for an intimate conversation in an area that would traditionally funnel most of the apartment residents. Aesthetically, the moments of delight from the plants and coins on the table to the strange upside down bird dog portrait helps facilitate and elicits the spontaneous interactions the place tries to provide.
My sand collection - My sand collection contains sand that I've obtained while in various places and also samples that my friends have sent to me from all over the world. Both its form and function work well together to create an elegant collection of objects. First, the small bottles serve its purpose in only collecting a minimal amount of sand and to keep the collection easy to grasp at a glance despite it's number. The cork plugs, twine, and hooks that came with the bottles also help with hanging the collection up to serve as room decor. Beyond it's function, the contents of each bottle brings back memories for me and serve as conversation starters for me to share my experiences with new acquaintances. The bottles that contain sand which friends have sent me also evoke warm emotional connections to those friends along with memories I have of times with them.
A sunset lamp - Functionally not very effective for studying or productive illumination, this lamp however has provided much atmospheric lighting. I appreciate its aesthetics in cohesively tying disparate elements of the room together and creating an emotional response of calm within me. The form, however, with it's metal stand that gets extremely hot and bright beam of concentrated light makes the lamp itself unpleasant to interact directly with.
One way I've been adding bits of aesthetics to my everyday routine is by incorporating various natural found materials into items I see and interact with often. There's the pot marigold plant I picked in a city park that I tied to the blinds I raise and lower several times a day. The airflow that then comes into the room also aids in my endeavor to dry out and preserve the flora. There's also bits of lichen I gathered from a recent hike. Instead of directly push-pinning decor to the walls, I've embedded several pins within the lichen.
now + 3::second => time later;
while( now < later)
{
1::second => now;
}
SinOsc foo => dac;
while(true)
{
330 => foo.freq;
0.5::second => now;
Math.random2f(30,1000) => foo.freq;
0.5::second => now;
}