The Genius of Design, Part 2

Since the 1920s, Our lives have been curiously shaped by design movements that would help us adapt to new social trends.  After the First World War, the growth of industrialization influenced our surroundings, as well as our relationship with tools.

An incubator of this idea was Bauhaus, a movement wherein designers closely examined objects and their functions, taking examples from mass production, using raw materials with no ornamentation, providing their clients with ergonomic objects and spaces whose efficiency and ease of use made life easier.

An example of this reimagination of efficient space at Bauhaus was the Frankfurt kitchen, where the floor plan was organized for efficiency, allowing the cook to easily access either the condiments or the pots, wherever she stood within that space.

Other rooms of houses saw similar redesigns. It was a radical idea for those days when most buildings were  highly ornamented, thanks to the influence of Art Nouveau. The influence of Bauhaus would give us more control of our spaces, allowing us to divide them and make them multifunctional.
 
The age of heavily ornamented living spaces was fading. Antiques would still complement homes with more modern floor plans and furnishings. New York, the mecca of art and innovation, was on forefront of this movement of twofold elegance and simplicity, from the design of the Bauhaus era and beyond.

A major influence of the genius of design occurs when the designer has the best interests of the buyer and the producer at heart. Times change, and when our lifestyles reflect that, the adept designer is quick to spot the new trend, providing us with ways to negotiate with our new surroundings. It's been happening since after the First World War, with the growth of industrialization: our evolving relationship with our living (and working) spaces.

The Bauhaus movement encouraged us to consider the implications of industry for lifestyle. In our homes, we might want to think about how we might make basic home chores more efficient.  Is it any wonder that our most basic household appliances--keeping the modern family in mind--issue the greatest good for the greatest number?

The Frankfurt Kitchen, an early project of the Bauhaus movement, was all about the measurement  of space, posing the question: how can we most easily route the kitchen user to both the condiments or pots, the dishes and the silverware, from any vantage point in the room?

This concept would influence how we would repurpose the remainder of our living space. If it was to be a flexible house, like Bauhus said, then we should have control of our space, to be able to divide it into as many areas as was needed to improve its multifunctionality. 

All this pushing away of the old style! But did this mean that devotees to the Bauhaus effect would throw out their furniture? Existing furniture had a place in the democratic movement that was Bauhaus, making one's household investment ornamental to the times. A showcase for this evolution was New York, and that did little to prevent the new floor plans and furnishings from finding their way into homes across the the US.

Innovation, possibilities, designers and all the details that are involved in the creation of objects have become iconic and indispensable nowadays. But what do we mean by the genius of design?



A great design makes a product useful, and it has to communicate visually with its owner. It can reflect the zeitgeist, taking it's cues from economics, capitalism, industrialization, new materials, technology, environmentalism, etc. In this sense, design chronicles our innovations, 'writing' history with visual language.



Before the industrial revolution the expression of each product was unique because it was made by hand, one by one, But automation of production gave us more products for less money, though some of the old handcrafted methods are still in use today.



The discovery of of new material and metals opened new ways of construction and, with them, mass production, manufacturing and processing. This is a key feature of the beginning of industrialization.
But design is not just about saving money; it also allows us a closer relationship with our devices.



Japanese design, for example, would have us see beauty in the function of the product, creating harmony between its design and purpose, through the use of almost poetic visual cues. We've asked our design to be both visually appealing and functionally sound--and at a price we can afford--and our wish has been granted.

Look at a typical department store. It is so filled with the blessings of this genius that the upcoming generations will not be imagine a world without the smartphone, the microwave, the personal computer, and many other things that were newfangled for their predecessors (but indispensible for them).

Light box functionality added to blog

I was messing around with some Javascript this morning, and I found a way to expand images, projecting them onto a transparent window above the original window. Click on the uploaded image above to see what I mean.

It was a difficult week for coming up with lesson plans, but I wanted to do at least something that would enhance the blog, since I had spent a lot of the week focusing on front end development, learning more that I could apply to my own sites.

This week we will forge ahead with the exercises in the Clear Speech book, by Judy Gilbert. As far as I know, my other learner has reserved a copy of this, but I will try to bring my scanner with me today. That way, I might be able to send you PDF files of the more important exercises--c

Pebbles

Original image: Everest Chiropractic

Everybody loves long weekends. Some lie on the couch, while others do the chores that have been piling up. My own weekend was a bit different this time.

After taking care of my own chores, I had time to do some walking. My feet led me to I the back of a building, close to the train tracks, where the foliage was starting to lose color, bringing those oranges and reds that sometimes make our minds wander.

The sun, breaking through the trees, shining on the train rails, created a perfect travel poster-like view. Then, I heard the noise of the heavy wheels approaching, hypnotically repeating, one after another, making my mind wander and my eyes close.

gee-gling-gee-gling-gee-gling-gee-gling-gee-gling...

After a long breath, I could feel how the breeze was lifting me. Slowly, I open my eyes, and I could see myself as a 7 year-old, playing on the train tracks, throwing pebbles onto the train tracks, making sounds and imitating a gun shot. My grandfather would be laughing, talking with his friends, all of whom were wearing suits and hats, holding their jackets on one arm. How long ago was it that I felt this way: worry-free, enjoying every moment, happy just to be grabbing as many pebbles as I could fit into my hand?

The whistle of the train awoke me from my trance and, in a few seconds, I went back in time, feeling, hearing and noticing that particular smell of metal, wood and oil. It reminds me how simple life can be and how life is not just about rushing. Sometimes we just need to sit awhile and enjoy the simple moments also.

New Learning Tool: The Kazoo

I will talk about this later in class, but this is a very effective way to improve stress and intonation in English. I may be able to bring some kazoos from the store so that we may practice this technique.