EXTERNAL DESIGN

As far as external design goes, I always like seeing some great landscaping and building design. But what really catches my eye is often the statues and figures you see all over the place. Some you just stare at. Some you walk around. Some make you smile. Some make you think. Some make you remember.

And some, if they are the right size and shape, you find lots of people riding them [but not me, of course.]

I have three examples of statues/displays out in the open. The first is something that I fell in love with when I was walking through the Vatican.


[Img src: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lionelarmanet/1324799862/]

And apparently this same figure, or one very similar exists somewhere in NYC.
[src: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gys/2071008950/]

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[Img src: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jensteenstra/2275685696/]

This statue creeped me out as a child. Looking at it now it is less creepy and more interesting. Looking at it I still see anorexic women. But it also looks like a celebration - freedom. I've always really liked it nevertheless.

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Now, possibly my favorite statue [well, in Ottawa anyway] is the larger than life spider "Maman" outside of the National Gallery of Canada.


[Img src: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kewima/29232446/]

I hate spiders, but really how can you not love this piece? You want to walk up to it, under it, around it, hug it - or some prefer to keep their distance. Sorry, I don't have any images available of people pretending that they are either being chased or attacked by the massive spider. But it happens - a lot. But not by me, of course... OK, maybe just once. Or twice.

DREAMS AND REALITY

The site io9.com has conducted a survey of Doctor Who and Star Trek fans - 1648 to be exact. They wanted to see:

"whether there was any connection between being a fan of one of these shows and what your career aspirations might be - as well as what career you wind up having. Over 1600 people responded, and it turns out Doctor Who and Star Trek fans aren't very differently-brained. Both shows inspire fans to have similar dream jobs, though not all of them manage to get those jobs when they grow up. We also learned what fans want most from the shows."

Now, the shows involved isn't what's interesting to me - it's just how they made pie charts look interesting. Take a look at the article and info graphic pie charts - don't spoil your dinner. ^_^

POWERWALL DISPLAY BAN

Smokers are taking yet another hit at the end of the month. The 'powerwalls' you see in stores behind cashiers are going to be a thing of the past as of May 31, 2008.

You can read about the ban on a Facebook group that has organized some information about the cause here.

But, if you think Facebook isn't reliable enough, check out the Ministry of Health Promotion's website and read about the strict new guidelines concerning cigarettes and the tobacco display ban.


Do you think that this 'out of sight, out of mind' technique is going to help lower the rate of smoking - or the rate at which new smokers are created? I think that it will. Slowly, but surely.

OUTSIDE LINE

When you find a website that you enjoy using it is usually worthwhile trying to find the link on the page that will direct you to the designer. The other day I did just that and was lead to the Outside Line website [which is based out of the UK - London to be exact].

What struck me first was the intro video. I usually skip past these videos whenever possible as they are usually a waste of time, but after watching the clip I realized that it was a fun way to showcase some of their recent work.

Knowing that we will soon be making some of our own designs come to life somehow for our Information Design class, I am feeling a tad jealous of what some people are capable of doing - it's pretty neat seeing the designs come to life. Anyway, click on over and enjoy.

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Side note, one of their clients is Diesel - the link provided sends you to the Diesel site that talks about designing for the side of a prominent building. If you get scared when faced with a blank canvas, this probably wouldn't be your kind of thing. The possibilities are endless. The winner of the Zurich is pretty awful if you ask me, but there's no accounting for taste - to each his own.

MY TECH DOMINATED DAY

My days are filled with technology. You could say that I am addicted to all of the technology in my life. Well, OK, I am not addicted. When I am away from it I am fine - but if it is there and ready to use, I will be using it.

My life consists of sleep, school, work, and at-home time. Everything that happens in my life revolves around these categories [aside from the rare occasions that I actually manage to get myself outside to be social].

On the average night I sleep 4-8hrs - often during this time I will keep a fan and some music playing quietly for some background noise.


READING

- I will read magazines or the newspaper on my commute to school or work - this will amount to around 20 minutes for a one-way trip - about 280 minutes a week [a little under 5 hours].
- Pleasure reading [books, novels] - zero.
- Blogs - 7-10hours a week [this includes reading other blogs (news feeds, personal) and writing for my own blogs].
- Other websites - 5 hours


MUSIC

If I am at work the radio is on, so that will amount to around 9 hours [per day].
At home, it ranges from 4-20 hours [per day], depending on how long I am in my home.


TV/MOVIES

- I watch all of my shows online through my computer - around 10 hours [per week].
- Rare, but let's say two and a half hours [per week].


COMPUTER/INTERNET TIME

Social Sites - 2hours [per day]
YouTube & Related - 6 hours [per week]
Video Games - up to 10 hours [per week]
Emails/MSN Chat - 2-10 hours [per day]


PHONE

Talking - 0.5-1 hour [per week]
Texting - 0-5 texts [per week]

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Some of these numbers may seem ridiculously high, but on average this is how I spend my time. Also, many of these tasks overlap, so while I am watching TV shows I am also chatting, emailing, reading blogs, writing blogs, listening to music, etc.

You don't need to say it - I need to get out more. But you know, if I was out more I would probably end up investing in a laptop.

LOOKING UP

I noticed something different when I was getting my hair cut over the weekend. During my favorite part of the whole experience (when they wash your hair and give you a major scalp massage, ahh...) I opened my eyes and I noticed some new posters stuck to the ceiling right above the chair in which I was sitting. I don't know if anyone else has noticed this sort of thing - it probably isn't all that new. I usually see posters or ads in front of me - but if most people are like me, an avid people-watcher, then keeping my eyes focused on one thing long enough to have a great impact is near impossible. But when you are laying back getting your hair washed, there is only one place really that you can look - the ceiling.

The poster in this case was for a concert - and it was nothing that interested me in the least - but it's a great example of ad placement. This may go up on my list along with manhole covers branded with different company/business names and/or logos.

A DESIGN BY ANY OTHER NAME

When thinking about design, I think that people often think of something tangible - a painting, a poster, and ad, etc. But we all know that design exists in many forms. Literature, music, architecture, fashion, language - the list goes on.

The first time I used a computer was when I was in grade 1, if not kindergarten. For my generation, the ability to design on a computer [that's right, forget all of those finger paintings and construction paper creations!] is not really hard to get our heads around, unlike my parent's generation. When I was younger we were always making greeting cards on the Macintosh computers we had at school.

Twelve years ago I got involved with web design. This was one of a few major breakthroughs for my creative side. My hand wasn't steady enough to draw nice pictures [not really]. I had always been torn by wanting to dabble in so many different activities. I had so many interests, but no real hobbies. Once I discovered web design I had found a new hobby for myself. Little did I realize where this interest would eventually take me.

Having been involved with web design, and also having a love for mathematics, I love the idea of computer programming. Do not ask me to write programs for anyone, because I just can't, but I envy the people who do know how. When I design websites, part of the fun is looking at and working with the coding. It is often one of the most important parts of designing a website - that is, getting your hands right in there, never allowing the program to do it all for you.

The people over at 37signals.com have written a book about designing software - Getting Real - how to approach it, how to present it, and how to carry it forward allowing for change. Many parts of the book [all of which you can read for free online] talk about how to approach any design on which you are working. It talks about getting things done, scale of the project, the importance of the audience, process, and how to keep things simple.

I have not read the whole thing, but I have skimmed over a few of the chapters. Give it a look if you're interested - you never know what you may be able to apply to your own design process.

"Don't think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can't try to do things. You simply must do things."
- Ray Bradbury (1920 - )