Friday, April 15, 2011

Reading Reflection 01

While reading “Design: A Very Short Introduction” by John Heskett, there were a lot of interesting facts that I learned about design. I thought the quote about design being an “essential determinant of the quality of human life” (2) is a good definition of design that shows how it is more than just a drawing or logo.

Design is such a vast topic that it is hard to really see how it fits into your life. It can either be designing a product, a feel or a space. I feel as if I don’t necessarily notice good design, but I definitely recognize when something is designed poorly.

I thought it was very interesting how the reading talked about the history of humans and how design has been a huge component of that. We are the only creatures on this planet that have the capability to change the world this much. Humans themselves have not changed, but yet it is interesting to see how the world we have lived in has changed drastically. One major development was the realization that humans could use other sources of power (animals, water, wind). This was a crucial step and our world today is based off of this. I think that when you think of design in this way, it gives it such a greater importance than just being an art field.

I also found it very interesting when the book was discussing the difference in design in homes in different cultures. It mentioned that design in American homes is usually less detailed than smaller homes, for example in Japan, because the space doesn’t need to be used as efficiently. There was also a section on designing office spaces. I was intrigued when they were talking about how companies had decided to have their employees work at home. Companies have adapted to this with design and technical changes in the offices.

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