Week 4 Found Object

I walked around my neighborhood park and found this bird feeder leaned up against a nearby house.

I live in a very old neighborhood and had this been maintained as well as the house's it wouldn't look out of place, it's definitely been designed to complement this era's overall athstetic and mirror the design choices of the houses. I think that kinda dives down to the roots of it's design it's meant to fit in to be an average addition to the house it's not meant to stand out. It's not been particularly designed to look like a bird feeder more like a small extension of the house. I would draw a likeness to a backyard shed or a firepit where it's a common inclusion for the era that these houses are from but each it's like its own customized version so it fits in with it's given home. I think it's an interesting trend through history where different era's of design have an entire lineup of accessories specifically ment for them, whereas recently I've noticed a massive increase of items designed to help the user personalize their interior rather than conform to their exterior.

Week 3 History Of Design

1). Logitech silent mouse (Photo)

Sleek contoured simple and effective it says it will get the job done operating like an extension of yourself.

2). Lenovo Rendering Computer (Photo)

Hard angled glowing with many fans and crosshatched speakers its made to look like it can get the job done, this computer has been made to render high-quality images from design programs and extremely detailed games, and its form has lead me to believe in its function

3). Xbox 1 Remote (Photo)

Comfortable intuitive it fits in your hand the buttons and options are obvious on how they are to be used it feels and looks good to use.

4). Cowin Noise Canceling Headphones (Photo)

Comfortable and easy to use it looks sturdy with its aluminum exposed supports but the soft leather emphasizes its comfort the noticeable lack of buttons or dials decreases the complexity compared to modern Bluetooth devices.

5). Cat harness (Note)

6). Coffee Table/Portable Workspace (Drawing)

It stores things and can extend to an optimal height for office working at a moment's notice its perfect for the living room offices of quarantine its form and adjustable height sold me on its function.

7). Keurig (Photo)

Easy to use and versatile the Keurig was unique with its single-cup implementation being optimal for small households or workplaces much better than the full pot coffee makers of old, further innovation means its much easier to use.

8). Volkswagen 2015 Jetta (Note)

9). Dewalt Lithium Battery Charger (Photo)

Small, Simple, and Obvious. It gets the work done effectively its easy to read and idiot-proof to a degree.

10). Food water Combination Cat Bowl (Drawing)

It's minimalistic but effective it's able to move but not tip over its form sells it's not too complicated it'll get the job done.

Week 2 Design Thinking

I think after reading "Design thinking" in the Harvard Business Review I would define Designing as observing the existing world and using your observations to improve, invent and innovate something usually to the benefit or perceived benefit of the consumer.

As for a few things I use that feature design thinking, the rebrand of old spice comes to mind (source: http://www.worksdesigngroup.com/brand-stories-old-spice-rebrand/) where old spice rebranded all of their products to be eye-catching and visually appealing while creating a new marketing campaign that was designed to go viral effectively allowing the consumer to passively associate old spice with body wash and shampoo allowing them the convenience of effectively not having to think about choosing a body wash or shampoo beyond Old Spice.

Ironically another hygiene product Dr. Squatch Soap has a similar beginning to old spice's rebrand (Documented here: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/technology/sd-fi-drsquatch-20180921-story.html). Seeing new companies rise iva marketing and modernization Jack Haldrup started Dr. Squatch Soap he marketed this very average soap to burly man men who are not the common consumer of bars soap (that being women with companies like Dove). His Viral Marketing campaign brought in an entire untapped clientele and with his modern online store, Haldrup was able to quickly profit and grow his small business. The Unique marketing and specific design allowed for all of these aspects to come together in a perfect storm.

I think the most significant concept I got from the article is the actual meat or end result of prototyping. I was under the assumption that prototyping was like only do this when you have a design nailed down, but it seems more like a process within itself where each new prototype can build off the last. Each new design moving closer and closer to the final design, this allowance to physically progress your design is really seductive to me as a tactile learner and something I'm sure to use in the future

Week 1 About me

Howdy, I'm Anthony or Tony, I'm an incoming Mechanical Engineering student from Waukesha, I went to Menomonee Falls high school. I am 19, I took a gap year between high school and college so I could work at various shops designing and manufacturing various products and parts. I was a shop kid in high school, very tactilely inclined (as in tactile), I'm very very good at visualizing 3d objects and shapes. In high school and some jobs I've had have included 3d and 2d design work and I enjoyed it, so I've been toying with the idea of getting into design or art just as a hobby. I don't have much experience designing like a full thing, I've usually had a baseline or a list of parameters that come with jobs and highschool projects, however, I'm excited to learn about what goes into visual vs practical design and how those decisions can influence people, buyers. As for what inspires me, I wouldn't be able to specify anything. I've been inspired by people around me, movies or videos I've seen, and just random oddities I've seen in everyday life. I have had an instance where visual design has impacted my choice, I was buying shampoo and I decided to try a new kind (Flavor? Scent?) I found two that I thought smelled nice and compared the visuals on the bottles and bought the one I thought looked nicer. I find I encounter this situation constantly, most of my decisions narrow down to on some level the visual design of the product even ironically book covers. I think the understanding of visual design and being able to recognize aspects of visual design and how they impact our life is important and can help us remove the influence those factors have on our decisions.