Designing Dance

Since living in Davis, CA I have been exposed with hip hop dancing. Personally, I can't dance like a pro but I still try. Having friends who are in various of dance teams on campus, Sacramento, and the Bay Area, I have become fairly familiar with the dance life. I constantly watch live performances and live performances on Youtube.

I would like to share Choreo Cookie's piece of "The Climb" performed at 2009 Culutre Shock. You might not consider this as design, but choreography utilizes design elements. This piece offers symmetry, asymmetry, balance, one point perspective, ease of movement, comfort, aesthetics, and many more.

Throughout the dance, people are dancing in different levels. Some are higher than others, others and lower. Some aren't moving while others are moving around them. Some are mirroring each other which creates an illusion of symmetry. Other's are moving at different times which creates an illusion of asymtry. The two distinct features make the dance strong and offers different persepctive.

While the dance offer different perceptive, there is a one point perspective. Example is in the beginning, the boy and the girl. With the help of one point perspective as well as the multi perspective, it tells the story and that is the concept.

Without the concept behind the moves and ease of movement, the concept would not make sense. There needed to be layout and change as the choreography developed. Criticism and "playing" is helpful. The moves had to be safe and easy to do because if it was difficult, no one could produce the movements. Everything would look sloppy.

The overall Gestalt look alludes to the overall aesthetic look. The whole concept with different elements make the piece strong. Every dancer needed to invest their part to make the piece look "pretty". Every move was well thought out and if they were not on time with the moves, it would look messy. Different levelings made it performance strong and the emotion invested in each dancer was evident.

Word and Image with Jay-Z Brooklyn (Go Hard)

In the video "Brooklyn (Go Hard)" by Jay-Z feat. Santa Gold, typography is used to illustrate a video. The video form is all text based as words are interacting as the beat is being made to later form an image.

Word and image is used very precisely in this video going along with the beat, rhythm, and pattern. Each letter is presented as each beat it made, which strengthens the whole image. Gestalt principles are also presented as you watch the video. It starts off with single unities (letters) and as the song progress, it becomes whole (picture of Jay Z then later of Biggie). Each sum of the parts are combined to create a whole, which keeps watchers guessing, why are only letters being shown? It makes more sense once the video ends.

Rather than using actual people and actual objects, the words and images that are created offers a different optical feel. The optical feel allows one to think ahead and think outside the box. It follows the spelling of the word Brooklyn throughout the whole song. The choice of word Brooklyn creates an image that represents Brooklyn so well, Jay Z and Notorious BIG (Biggie). They both are inspiration for native Brooklyns now and then. Light sheds through this video paying homage to the ever popular rappers. No bling, no sex, no diamonds are needed for this video. Only words that sketches out iconic rappers.

This video does justice to paying respect for the once loved rapper and the reigning rapper himself, Jay Z. Words and image have never been so powerful joining together for society to use their optics and haptics. Listeners are able to pay close attention to the typography which keeps the video flowing. Without typography this video would be bland.

Word and Image

Advertising is a important in the marketing world today. Without stand out designs of advertising material like posters, videos, fliers, or logos, products will not sell. Consumers in today's society like visual over words. Image trumps the idea of reading. But one cannot stand-alone. The power of image and word is at its best together, especially in advertising.

Let's take this Durex ad for example, designed by Andrej Krahne. (Click Image for more pictures)The main image is two people having sex, however to create that image they used words to shape the bodies. The intense amounts of words were used precisely to describe the sensations all over the body. This idea and concept catches consumer's eyes quickly. We live in a place where sex sells. And so does this ad. The creative use with words and image helps make the ad more effective that it would be if the bodies were of actual humans. 

Everything was put in place for a perspective. Especially the condom logo "Durex". They are selling their product. They are doing a great job using typography and graphics. The visuals are undeniably pleasing to the eye, despite that its two people having sex. 

Walking Concept

T-Shirts: the walking concept. What you wear is who you are, especially if what you wear has images/words on it. No matter what form, a t-shirt, a sweater, a polo, a pair or jeans, there is always a concept or content behind the shirt and design. You are branded from the brand.

Some shirts have words printed on their shirts others have logos. The concept of printed tees is to be concise and to the point. The shirt can say so much. If you use your words correctly you can say a lot. People choose to shop where their heart desires. Some are brand whores, people who will wear brand-names because they are popular. Others are not.

Logos are important on clothing. They later become iconic depending on how popular and universal the brand is. Channel, YSL, American Eagle, Abrcrombie & Fitch, RocaWear, Nike, Ed Hardy and many more offer universal display. Everyone knows who the designer is. Their logo are always on their designs. Shirts people wear is advertising in itself. Without an word spoken, people will know how one lives, luxurious or not.

The idea of conciseness and simplicity to designing a logo is key to popularity and notoriety. One needs to understand the concept and understand why it was designed to be that way. The colors should be chosen to suit the buyer. The balance and rhythm should also be considered for eye gazing.

Objectified in Form and Content

The idea of form and content coincides in relation to design in the film Objectified by Gary Hustwit. The title offers explains a lot in regards to the film. Consumers experience these objects that are created. In turn it creates a process of mass production. It offers each other’s support going into a design process. Form is how an object is created and what medium was used to create it while content is the overall story of the object. Form leads to content.

Objects presented in the movie ranges from Apple products, toothpicks, and abstract chairs. The designers wanted to illustrate the different forms using various materials. Not all objects are the same. They don’t have the same use; they have different stories from different perspectives, which is known as content. But the content may or not be universal depending on the person and cross-cultural context.

With objects being mass-produced and in high demand, we tend to lose the focus behind the content. The materials stay the same (sometimes dumbing down for cost productions) but everyone has their interpretation of what they want to do with the object. The object may have ephemeral qualities or is long lasting through decades. However, it changes year by year generation by generation.

There are many products produced in the world. Some are functional some are not. We can make anything into something as long as there is a story behind it. The drive behind creating an object leads to discovery of new things. We as designers should focus on what we can offer to the world. We shouldn’t take anything for granted. We need to be aware of why something was invented. Be open-minded. 

Iconic Styles

 On Halloween weekend, I was deciding on what celebrities are easily to emulate. I stumbled upon this particular picture (Everygued.com) with iconic fashion styles musicians have incurred throughout the recent decades. Each design of each article of clothing was chosen specifically and put together to create a whole outfit, a Gestalt principle. It offers the same concept. The whole is better than the sums of its part. We like to visualize things as a whole/unity and stray away from a bi-stable outlook. An outfit cannot stand-alone without it’s counterparts. It won’t be an outfit. It will just be a single object or entity. The shirt, tie, jacket, shoe, undershirt equate to a whole, one complete ensemble outfit.

 image source: everyguyed

The salient characteristic allows consumers and audiences to distinguish what style is being portrayed. The characteristics of an outfit later become iconic because consumers and society will always remember the outfit. The most distinct one is the Michael Jackson outfit. It doesn’t take time to think what outfit that is from. Another stand out outfit is the suit that Kanye West wears with the heart. The simplicity of each style creates iconic memories that are placed in history. The outfits are concise and memorable. People will discuss the style amongst each other for years and years. With style and fashion always recycling itself, we can also see how certain styles are recreated and recycled.

You may not consider outfits as a design, but it can be. Form is used: the clothes. And content is used: the outfit. The pieces of fabric are mediums to designers. We can have interpretation of what each outfit means, but every generation and cultures will have their own perception. There is room for conversation with these outfits. These conversations have lasted over decades. The outfits are the evidence. We are still discussing it to date.

If you want to take a ride with me...

One object I find in particular fascinating in this industrial world is a bicycle. They are mass-produced in different countries with different form to fit everyone’s liking. Consumers are not all the same and everyone has their own preference. Bikes rule the city of Davis, Calif. It’s a biking community. Having different forms of bicycles with varieties in selection allows everyone to be happy with this popular object.

Bikes are proportional, balanced, and has shape. They need to be proportioned for effectiveness. The wheels need to be on opposite sides in order for the movement to flow. Everyone does not ride bikes; it is hard to achieve a balance. When one finds balance sitting on a bike and pedaling forward, it has achieved its purpose as an object. The purpose is universal to everyone around the world. Whether the shape is a tricycle, unicycle, road bike, cruiser, or bmx bike, they all serve the same function. However, everyone has his or her own content to provide. It means different things to their owners. It can either be for play, work, or movement. It’s up for interpretation. 

Bicycles are massed produced but may not be as popular as your Ipod or MacBook.They can be both personalized to ones lifestyle, but they these technological advances are more obsolete than your bicycle.