Friday 29 July 2011

Assignment 3 - Beauty and Utility

Jones quote ' construction should be decorated, decoration should never be purposely constructed ' is a perspective of how he saw design. He saw design as very practical and functional.  He believed that the design of an object should be purely for the particularity of the object. He believed that anything else that didn't contribute to this was wrong. Jones had that idea that any ' decorations' to design took the focus off what the object was actually designed for, masking the functionality of the design with unnecessary design.
I disagree with Jone's thoughts towards design because i feel decoration is a key aspect to design. Obviously design is about the purpose of the design but i believe that it is only part of design. design should be ascetically pleasing. If everything was purely based on function everything would be quite sterile and boring to look at (a bit like a hospital).  I think that decoration to design can turn boring design into beautiful design. I am not completely against Jones thoughts and opinions. To me i think there should be a balance between practical and decorative. If its to far on the function side of the spectrum then things become boring. If its on the decorative side of the spectrum then things become confusing and their initial purpose of the design is compromised.

http://www.newhouseofart.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/modern-sara-lovgren-furniture-design.jpg

This chair is a good example of a balance of beauty and utility.  This chair is functional but also decorative. The curving strips make the chair look a lot more elegant. Jones would say they are unnecessary because it is against what he believes in and they serve no functional purpose but i believe they are necessary to the design. The strips create a visual appeal to the chair.

Thursday 21 July 2011

Assignment 2 - The Continuing Curve

 
This staircase shows the continuing curve well. It has certain elements to it that express both the curve and straight-line. The staircase is quite clean and practical; it would have to be mathematically considered in order of the stairs to function properly. This shows it is on the straight-line side of the continuing curve. But then It can be considered that the curved side of the continuing curve is also evident. The staircase is very elegant and aesthetically appealing, the stairs are almost floating and in that sense makes it on the curved side as well. Through this it is evident that sensuous impulse is visible. I would say that the staircase is leaning towards the straight line, as it is very symmetrical ,geometric and simple. Despite having the curved quality's the straight-line is a little more over powering.

Thursday 14 July 2011

Assignment 1 - The Importance of Design

 
To me being curious is important to design. Questioning ideas and trying to take the idea further. Curiosity is what drives humans. 
If we don’t ask questions we will never found out’ – (National Geographic)