bye bye blogger!

I've moved over to wordpress now, so you can find my blog by clicking here!

Back to School

Third year started only 4 days ago but it already feels like we've been back months! In the studio we've been given our brief for GIDE and we've also started our chosen modules, in my case Advertising and Branding.
The GIDE project is an international competition with 7 different universities, Leeds, Magdeburg, Milan, Mechelen, Lugano, Ljubljana and of course Dundee. Were currently all working out how we want to work around our brief 'Creativity for Local Enterprises', and everyone's coming up with so many different ideas. I myself am still trying to figure it all out and will blog a bit more when I've figured it all out!
Advertising and branding started yesterday as well, we had our first lecture and then a workshop today. The lecture was interesting and I was glad to know some of the basics already as I did business studies in school, I wasn't as lost as I thought I might be! We worked on marketing strategies, SWOT analysis, the four p's, ansoff matrix, perpetual maps and SMART objectives.

The different strategies were all quite useful when it came to our workshop and we used a few when it came to our 'real life' client, Jo Montgomery of Little Riot, the company behind 'Pillowtalk'. I'd seen pillow talk before online and at the degree show and it was interesting to hear little bits of background information, like the reasoning behind the name of her company. It was difficult to find alternative uses and different areas to market the product when I already love it and the fact its not really a materialistic product, more an idea and very emotional based. You can see a lot more about pillowtalk on the Little Riot website here and also vote for her in the SmartA competition here!

Ana Montiel

I recently came across Ana Montiel, an artist focused on mainly patterns and graphics. Her designs are shown on many different surfaces, from wallpaper to curtains and even demonstrated on shoes and bikes! The colours and shapes in the patterns are so feminine, and some very detailed, I love them all! Montiel also has a wonderful way of presenting her CV, an interesting way I'd like to look into further... An illustrated timeline of her life, from her first canvas at age 4, when she started her fine art studies at Universidad de Barcelona, to when she began practicing yoga and meditation! So much more personal and intimate than the boring old CV! Here are a few of my favourite pieces, you can see more on her website here, and also buy prints or even her book! Something I'd love to get my hands on (although a little out of my price range unfortunately!).

Click images for a better look! 

Before I Die...

Before I die is a project by artist and designer Candy Chang that asks people what's really important to them. The project took place on the side of an abandoned house in the artist's neighbourhood, and involved the community to really think about the important things in life, and turned a useless ugly building into something constructive, bringing the community and wider public together. Using panels covered in chalkboard paint allowed people to write responses and when it was filled, for the boards to be cleaned and wrote on again and again. The project lasted just over a month before the owners of the property wanted to start on renovations. The artist has plans to start this project elsewhere in New Orleans and also creating kits to allow people to recreate the project worldwide. You can find out more on Candy Chang's site here, and here are a few images of the project in action.

Alexandre Farto aka Vhils

Alexandre Farto aka Vhils is a Portugese street artist whose work is a little different to typical street artists, or graffiti artists. Vhils instead carves into existing walls, billboards, creating elegant portraits with a lot more depth and texture. Also working with metal and wood, everything about his art is natural, yet modern and urban. 

 billboards

 billboards

metal

You can see a lot more of his work on his personal website here.  

El Teide

El Teide is the highest mountain in Spain. Located in the Canary Islands, Tenerife the mountain is the highest point in the atlantic ocean. The norwegian artist who filmed the time-lapse 'The Mountain' was Terje Sorgjerd, and here's what he said about the experience;

"This was filmed between 4th and 11th April 2011. I had the pleasure of visiting El Teide.Spain´s highest mountain @(3718m) is one of the best places in the world to photograph the stars and is also the location of Teide Observatories, considered to be one of the world´s best observatories. 
The goal was to capture the beautiful Milky Way galaxy along with one of the most amazing mountains I know El Teide. I have to say this was one of the most exhausting trips I have done. There was a lot of hiking at high altitudes and probably less than 10 hours of sleep in total for the whole week. Having been here 10-11 times before I had a long list of must-see locations I wanted to capture for this movie, but I am still not 100% used to carrying around so much gear required for time-lapse movies.
A large sandstorm hit the Sahara Desert on the 9th April (bit.ly/​g3tsDW) and at approx 3am in the night the sandstorm hit me, making it nearly impossible to see the sky with my own eyes.
Interestingly enough my camera was set for a 5 hour sequence of the milky way during this time and I was sure my whole scene was ruined. To my surprise, my camera had managed to capture the sandstorm which was backlit by Grand Canary Island making it look like golden clouds. The Milky Way was shining through the clouds, making the stars sparkle in an interesting way. So if you ever wondered how the Milky Way would look through a Sahara sandstorm, look at 00:32."

Anyway the video speaks for itself, here it is!


The Mountain from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

Summer Plans

This time last year I was finishing off uni and preparing for summer. After my first year at university I had some new found confidence and decided to do something totally out of my comfort zone so decided to leave my hometown for a bit and get out there and do something different. So i did. I went to Madrid, worked as an au pair for 5 weeks and loved it. I felt like I'd done something meaningful with my summer and felt more confident and independent coming back home. This summer however I have a job, and since it took me so long to find it I can't give it up! Therefore i'm preparing a plan of action to make the most of this summer staying at home, and hoping for a summer away next year, fingers crossed! I have many ideas of things i will do to make the most of our 'holiday' so here's a few ideas, which i'm sure will change as the weeks go by but im going to stay focused and driven in order to not waste my time!


Blogging plans:
1. Update layout
2. Learn wordpress and hopefully switch over
3. Make a less simple layout design
4. Upload more pictures
5. Organising tags!



There was a quote on the design studies blog;

“Designing is basically the practice of combining stuff; ideally in ways that haven’t been seen before. So the more stuff you know (about everything), the greater the chance you’ll find a relevant and distinctive, and therefore effective (and original) combination. Everything is interesting”.

for this reason I want to practice and read a variety of different things. I'm going to do a refresher course in Spanish, conversational in summer to build my confidence a little and then further this next semester with an accredited course.

I'm also going to try and catch up on some reading, i haven't had time to read in a long time so i'll hopefully get in the zone and get through a lot!

1. The ten faces of innovation, this book was written by the people at IDEO and sounds really interesting, studies into different people and how they work, reminds me a lot of the mavens connectors and salesmen from The Tipping Point!
2. The back of the napkin, this book was recommended in one of our design studies lectures and looks really interesting and fun, as well as informative and linking in with
3.Why we Buy: The Science of Shopping, this is all about how people shop and working in retail it would interest me a lot to have a read, might also come in handy if I ever go into commercial design and hopefully get some training in visual merchandising whilst working part time in retail! 
4. Some spanish novels (to improve my spanish, i'm looking into some at the moment to find the best and perhaps simplest options!)
5. Reading a few novels from this list of 30 books to read before you die, there's a lot but i'll be stuck in Dundee working for most of the holidays and will have a lot of free time, so i'll try and not waste this time!


People to connect with:

Currently looking into spanish interior design companies to get into contact with, in order to build relationships, and perhaps be noticed for after 4th year!
Would also like to connect with some more local studios for possible placements in the next couple of years as i'm starting to realise how important experience is. I would love to get in contact with graven images in Glasgow, a company I studied in higher a lot and am very interested in.
I need to find people that I specifically want to contact but I will keep my blog updated and take full advantage of twitter to get in touch with lots of people at once.
I also plan on emailing a few companies and hope that goes somewhere!

Assignment 5; Planning for the future.

This semester we are currently working on a solo project, design an eco-hub for sepa. A lot of people struggled when we first started getting into the project, it is after all our largest project so far, and our previous projects in second year had all been group projects. I therefore got to thinking, how difficult would this then be in industry when everything is a whole lot more real!

Last semester I looked into co-design, within the voluntary sector a lot, creating spaces for those who need it and perhaps cannot access the design world the way others can. This is explained further in the article "The New School collaborates: Organization and communication in immersive international field programs with artisan communities" by Cynthia Lawson, which I analysed in semester 1. The idea is to design for the other 90% of the world, because only 10% of the world, i.e the richest, have access to the skills of architects and designers around the globe. This extends way beyond the things we believe to be essential to the actual necessities, water food and shelter. There is an exhibition, Designing for the other 90% that goes into more detail about this.

Anyway, getting back to our current project, the fact it was such a large project made it hard for people to get there heads around it, the large space and the many different areas and sizing of these areas fitting altogether! If anyone was like me they had a million things running round in there heads at once, so organisation was a must. The website service design tools helped a lot when trying to manage things a little better, I created a mood board of materials and also created a site analysis with all the information about the side location and surrounding area, transportation etc. After the initial inspiration and thoughts however the more in-depth design process would benefit greatly from some co-design.

The organisation SEPA help maintain the Scottish environment and have offices based around Scotland, within many communities. This seems the perfect opportunity to get communities involved, not only with educating the community but also when it comes to designing their office space.
As our current project is, it makes sense for a sepa office to be 'eco friendly' they are after all protecting the environment and their office should reflect this too.
When researching into more sustainable methods of design I looked into local materials and designers, trying to incorporate this into the overall design, not only for the distance making the carbon footprint lower but also to support local people. Getting these people involved with the design process supports both the main designer, local artists/designers and the community.
Workshops would be a great way of working well with both professionals and the community. One of my ideas had been to have art work from local artists, but I had also thought what about children, local to the office? This would then bring awareness to the fact SEPA were there and get everyone involved, creating a good relationship with the workforce, encouraging communication with any environmental problems the local Dundonians may have. Students would then want to visit the office to see the art work, and could then be taught a lot more on environmental issues, perhaps solving future problems for SEPA. With 20,300 pupils enrolled in 37 primary schools and 9 secondary schools there will be a lot of talent the office may benefit from.

With more structural elements of the building and interior design, locals can still be involved, either local building merchants doing literal building work, or local stone masons or joiners helping with material sourcing, as locally as possible of course. This involves a lot of research, a lot which needs people with contacts, meaning the whole design process being collaborative very useful as different people have different contacts, a   lot like in The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell, with connectors mavens and salesmen all being useful.
One organisation that i'm already aware of in Dundee is the Sun City House, part of the Solar Cities Scotland organisation. The house is a living demonstration of renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable construction in a domestic environment. This kind of environment is a good example of what Sepa could take inspiration from, linking together taking advantage of the people working with Solar Cities. The two groups working together makes sense to me, preserving the environment with Sepa and thinking about our future environment with Solar Cities. Simplified diagrams demonstrating the different systems that Sepa could implement in their offices would help not only the designer but also the staff working in the office, who may not be as clued up on the workings of photovoltaic panels for example.

When working on layout of the building, envisioning how the building will work for the team and visitors is difficult, and I see the best way of solving this is to observe other similar sized businesses and their office space. When using ethnography and observing at the casino this helped a lot more working out how people work and move around a space, utilising it to its potential. This is essential in office design, the space has to look good but more importantly work well in order for people to be happy in their work space and be more productive. Co design could be utilised here by using the employees, it is them after all that need the space. This would be done using roleplay or a cognitive walkthrough, perhaps in an existing SEPA office to see what improvements could be made or at a later stage in the process in a roughly set out office the designer has created.

Overall I believe that co design and office design coincide with each other in more ways than one. The office working for the staff is essential for higher productivity in the workplace, so involving the staff with the process makes a lot of sense. The fact our project involves Sepa, an environmental agency brings sustainability into the process also, and with the design world as well as many other industries taking a lot more notice of sustainable factors in many different things, contacts should be easily made. The research into who to contact is the tricky bit, keeping it as local as possible allows carbon footprint to stay low and to promote local talent and local companies. This needs perseverance and knowing as many different people as possible, getting out there and asking around.

Julian Bialowas

Julian Bialowas is a Canadian graphic design student with a love of photography. He has combined photographs he has taken on his travels with quotes, and some of the results are pretty amazing. They may be simple but I think thats why I love them so much. He has a current project 365q, where he posts one of his photos every day for a year, heres a few examples, and you can find the rest here!

Assignment 4; What do you treasure?

For assignment 4 we were asked to pick one of 10 questions and i decided to pick the subject of what people treasure the most and why. The question reminded me of a lecture we had last semester when we were asked what our favourite presents were, some people picked recent presents, things like a new laptop or camera where as others were less about material value and more about memories, choosing things like items that were lovingly handmade for them, so had a bit more of a meaningful value. It interested me to see that some people care more about the item itself and some about the meaning behind the item.
When researching I found random websites where people stated the items they would treasure, one of the people said his items were his playstation, his guitar and his nirvana box set. On the other end of the scale some people had said items made by a close relative, or even just their memories, although not tangible, the only thing they felt was important.
It really confused me how some people could be so materialistic and some not even want an object, with memories or not.
The question itself reminded me of that question, what would you save if your house was on fire? So on googling this, I found an interesting article written by a grandmother and her findings when interviewing her 5 grand children (all aged below 14 I believe) on what they would want her to save from her house and then what they would save from their own house. She was surprised at how un-materialistic the children were, choosing things like paintings that reminded them of their heritage and hair pieces that their grandmother wore a lot. The younger grandchildren were least materialstic, saying she should save the pet dog as it needs someone to care for it and that she should save herself so then she can see her grandchildren.
This then also interested me, that children and adults have different views as to what they value as important and what isn't.
I decided then to take a 'now and then' approach to my interviews, seeing the difference in what people treasured in childhood and what they treasure now, as adults.

I asked 3 people the 2 main questions what was your most treasured item as a child and what's your most treasured item now. I asked 2 people the same age as me, a female student and a male non student and a female friend of my mums. The results were as follows:

The female student was first. A pink tartan blanket described now as 'rubbishy' was her favourite item as a child, she took it everywhere and it was given to her by her parents. The fact she described it as rubbishy said a lot, she realised now it was just a blanket but at the time it clearly meant a lot more to her. Her chosen item now was a Charles Rennie Mackintosh jewellery set also bought for her by her parents for her 18th. Both items are distinctly Scottish and bought for her, by her parents. This would be a big clue to the fact that both are a big part of her life, even though the items are material objects, both seem to have memories behind them, not just the cost or use of the items. 

I asked my mums friend second, she's slightly older but still in the same kind of age group so I expected slightly different answers. For her childhood item she said teddies, not any in particular, just in general and for her present treasured item it was her family and friends. The fact one was a material item and the other wasn't was interesting. I thought maybe as she was slightly older and maybe a bit wiser she had realised it wasn't material objects that mattered.

My third and final interviewee was a male student living at home and in full time work. His childhood treasured item was different to everyone else, he chose football. He said that whenever there was a football around he would be kicking it about. I thought a sport was an interesting choice, people i knew growing up who were interested in football were always very focused on it, and it was an important part of their life. For his current treasure he chose his friends, although a bit wary of choosing his friends, he said he knew it was 'cheesy' but they are amazing and wouldn't change them for anything. He didn't choose one material object, and appreciates his social life more, starting from an early age with his football. 

All three peoples objects linked back to their family and friends. I had first thought people either chose materialistic objects or memories or people, however it seems that all are linked. People may choose an object as it reminds them of a memory, or was given to them by a certain person. For me, I treasure a lot of things, and keep things because they link to memories. I value things such as my uncles watch i was given after he passed away, and a bracelet which is totally value-less as i made it myself, but haven't taken it off since he died over 2 years ago now. When I was a child I treasured my dolls (lovingly named Baby Jesus and Elena Rosie) both of which I still have. I also have a pair of my first shoes that are still in my wardrobe at home, which i plan on keeping for my first child. Things such as laptops and clothes can easily be replaced but the idea of losing things that mean so much to me leaves an uneasy feeling in my stomach. 

Having tangible items we treasure is a good way of reminding yourself of people or events you don't want to forget, and family and friends are the most valuable objects we can ever have, without them we wouldn't need objects to remind ourselves of them!

I was very interested in finding out what people treasured most as children, so decided I would ask a few friends and family as I knew what they treasured now but what they treasured when they were younger was all new to me. My mum treasured a pair of wellie boots bought for her by her mum that she used to wear all day, even to bed. My younger brothers was a car with a handle for us to push him in that I remember him rolling about the house in, he named the car Barbara, we were never sure why... He also had a pair of mouse slippers that were his 'mousey browns', he adored those slippers. Strange the things some people see as valueless mean so much to other people.
You can never just look at something and know it has a lot more meaning than you would expect.