OUGD401 Context Of Practice - Studio Brief 2

Initial Presentation Proposal:

Initial response:

A book portraying each principle through material and process.

This draft used a simple design to exaggerate the material and process.

This publication would communicate and exaggerate each of Dieter Rams' principles of good design separately through material, process and design. I also though this idea to help me personally experiment with materials I have never previously used and want to use; such as thermo- reactive inks and metals.

The concept is somewhat contradictory as each page of the book does not communicate every rule as a whole however, I believe, to exaggerate each principle separately communicates each better.

Innovative: 'Featuring new methods'
I intended to use an innovative material such as heat sensitive ink.

Useful: 'Practical'
I intended to apply a tab to the page so the page would be more practical to physically pick up.

Aesthetic: 'Concerned with beauty'
I intended to make the page the most aesthetically pleasing, possible using a letterpress
 or screen printing on a delicate stock. 

Understandable: a simple concept and approach.
Little would have to be done to make this principle easy to understand so I could have left this page in the same format printing on any stock that did not comprehend the readability.

Unobtrusive: 'Without attracting attention'
Keeping the page in the same format, material and a regular process would create the least attraction,
intending the page to be simple without creating any focus. 

Honest: My interpretation of the word honest is opaque, being clear without hiding anything.
This interpretation would justify printing on a clear transparent material.

Durable: 'Lasting'
Printing on a thicker, longer lasting material, even possibly metal.
The concept of lasting would be communicated through material.

Thorough: 'Executed without negligence'
The intention of producing this page through the longest, most delicate process which is available to me;
for example using a letter press or chemical etching.

Environmentally aware: Printing with natural pigment such as fruit concentrate or naturally acquired squid ink on recycled paper or even naturally found stock; bark, rock.

Little as Possible Design; Unlike previous inserts this page would
be more focused on the design instead of the material and process.

After consideration of time and appropriateness as well as feedback from peers, the principles were not being communicated as strongly as they could be, however It would be a great opportunity for the development of my own skills and techniques.

I have decided to change the idea and use the materials and techniques at a later date:

My new idea is to create a series of ten outcomes that comply strictly with the principles as a whole and not separately, like the previous idea.

When Rams' refers to a product what does he mean?

In context Rams' principles are exploring product design and can be related to the series of products he design for Braun:

However in the context of my response to the brief, I am not referring to the same 'products' as Rams, I am referring to 'product' as a result of something that is produced, very similar to the context of Rams' principles.

Are the principles still relevant when taken out of the context?

A theory I have covered In my essay, I believe so, if the principles are applied to any form of design they are applied as Rams intended.

Digital vs Print:

I have thought greatly about this and I have come the conclusion creating the outcomes digitally would comply better with the principles;

Good Design is concerned with the environment - Physically printing my outcomes will create more of a carbon footprint then showcasing digitally, especially in comparison with my initial aim to experiment. Experiment creates a lot of waste.

Good Design is long lasting - A literal approach to the principle, once the files have been saved and exported digitally, they are going to be a lot safer and last a lot longer than even the most cared after print.

Good Design is Honest - I do believe there is a sense of theatre with print, especially in reference to presentation, this creates a sense of dishonesty and exaggeration which is not created digitally.

Good Design is Innovative - Is print dead? New technologies are emerging in both digital and print and  fusions are occurring with technologies such as 3D printing and interactive print. I would love to experiment with new technologies however, doing so would contradict with the other principles and cannot be justified.

 The possibilities of  a digital response can result in moving image, GIFs or video.

'My new idea is to create a series of ten outcomes that comply strictly with the principles as a whole and not separately, like the previous idea.'

Using a modular grid I began by creating the vector illustrations inspired by the shapes and textures found in BRAUN products, Rams designed;

Source: Less and More, The Design Ethos Of Dieter Rams

Fitting the type over two columns in 36pt Akzidenz Grotesk; the typeface used on BRAUN products.

The responses all comply to Rams' principles while promoting both the rules themselves and evidenced in the extract from Braun products.

The images do not need more type or could work with less.

The simple icons clearly communicate each principle as minimal as I could conceive.

After 24 hours of publishing the GIF on Tumblr, I had a great amount of interest, I don't know how many people had viewed it but there have 28 notes:

Hopefully at least one person has been informed of Dieter Rams' principles, I could not have shared my designs through print anywhere as quick. As a result I think my route of publication and the content has worked well, even if only one person had become informed.