disposability

It's really been bothering me that people are not willing to pay for quality. I think the culture of disposability that has developed in the US in particular has done a lot of unconscious harm. At the risk of sounding like an old lady, people rarely seem to value quality; if I can get 4 shirts for the price of 1, why would I ever pay for the 1?

I would like to think designers can be instrumental in making products a) last longer, b) age better, c) have smaller components that can be changed out if the consumer gets bored or it gets worn out. 

How can we instill a sense of attachment to objects? Isn't this what design is about, anyway? Making someone desire a thing or a service should not stop at purchase. Somebody (unfortunately I can't remember who) once gave the example of musical instruments. People form attachments to the intricacies and nature of instruments and if they don't keep them, they resell them. Dents and age tell a story, and value increases over time. A lot of research goes into trying to get one that fits a personality, lifestyle etc. There is also the understanding that you have to pay for a good instrument. 

What can we learn from instruments or wine and apply to modern design?

It's been a while...

I have been bad and haven't updated this at all, so here is a few shots of my work from this year:

The top is part of a system I made encouraging women to think about the chemicals in their beauty products and do something about it. The last is a book cover I did with the font I designed :)

and in tradition: 

• L / the go find, styrofoam, the notwist, death cab
  
• R / finished: east of eden, sharp teeth, persuasion, a heartbreaking work of staggering genius, different hours working on: the count of monte cristo
• T / My post undergrad job is going to be sexy. Pride. Never growing up. Doing what you please and what you want. Suffering out, rather than suffering in. Morning crits are going to be more fun again. Happiness and loneliness. Mandates are such self-induced delusions (next book?? will have to think about it). I am a baby, so young.

[Dave Eggers signed my most favorite book! but photobooth flipped it...]

L // Margot & the Nuclear So & So's / Beirut / Imogen Heap

R// Roger Sessions (something about writing music) / East of Eden 

T// The lone wolf persona / Where is my 8 am Friday quiet / Utility isn't everything / People are like planets (design and life) / Love in the Time of Cholera / When I thought I was getting tired of school, I am not / I would be nothing without my tea

Youtube "triops" and get the one with a few more dollars theme. I'm hatching those babies in studio.

[I made this in 3dStudio Max! with a tutorial, of course, but the orange is all me...]

Listening to:

Margot & the Nuclear So & So's

the Decembrists

Broken Social Scene

Reading:

John Dewey's "The Art of Experience"

Thinking about:

Dave Eggers' lecture, 826 Valencia and What is the What: I want to do that...

Apathy isn't that pervasive, just ignorance in terms of scale

Loyalty is dead, someone please kill cold intellectualism instead

Restlessness

Learning to keep calm and carry on

The intricacies of poetry

tuesday

Listening to:

Beirut

Broken Social Scene

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Reading:

East of Eden

John Dewey

Thinking about:

Putting more focus on situation and environment

Everything is human centered design...it's just a matter of it's good or bad

Just keep swimming

Predetermined-ness

What makes a person really admirable

today

[This is a mailer/experiment thing I was toying with...]

Listening to:

Kings of Convenience

Broken Social Scene

Reading:

East of Eden (still)

John Dewey

Thinking about:

stress stress stress 

power of being a designer (and obligation to do good)

actually having a kid with "danger" as his/her middle name

the wild west + westerns

dropping the "communication" off of "communication designer"

the smell of tablesaw burnt wood

keeping a dream diary would be good

spatula

Listening to:

   The Go Find

Reading:

   East of Eden

   Print Magazine

   Design blogs

Thinking about:

   Parallax! and astronomy

   In another life I would have gone ID instead of CD

   Living in Brooklyn or getting student housing

   If I had 2 months just free I'd finish my book

   Is it better learning to think or make for this summer

   How many more words I can learn and use before turning into 'that guy'

   Bringing my A-game tomorrow (!)

   Beauty has a lot of ideas behind it