aesthetic ideals, part ii€¦ · bauhaus (1919-1933) – uniting art & craft – students...

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Sus Lundgren fall 2009

Aesthetic ideals, part II

Functionalism & UsabilityProvocation & Criticism

Playfulness, Intrigue & Challenge


Aesthetic ideals

Coherency

Emotions & pleasurePragmatism, Somaesthetics and tangibility

Functionalism & UsabilityProvocation & CriticismPlayfulness, Intrigue & Challenge

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Functionalism & Usability

This last year you have been trained to design functional, usable artifacts...

...but what is the story behind this?


19th century: Mechanisation

USA, 19th century– A culture of mass production– Increasing mechanisation

Trends– Transparent construction– Ease of use– Durable– Economic– Versatility

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The rise of functionalism

Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia 1876The Great Exhibition London 1851

– Showing designs– Sharing knowledge– Inspire– Spur competition– Start discussion

Crystal Palace, London



Slow shift from ornament and hidden constructiontowards versatiliyStatue of Liberty 1886, Eiffel Tower 1887-89, Bergere chair early 19th century, Thonets "Konsumstuhl Nr. 14" 1859

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Functionalism

“It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic, of all things physical and metaphysical, of all things human and all things superhuman, of all true manifestations of the head, of the heart, of the soul, that the life is recognizable in its expression, that form ever follows function. This is the law.”

– Louis H. Sullivan 1903 in “The tall office building artistically considered”

You’ve already heard this in relation to anotherideal – which one?


Modernism (peak 1910-1930)

International movement united by the ideas that– Art needed a new place in society ...and hence artists too,

had a new place and task– Design should be adapted to mass production– Form expressing only function and construction– Universal forms (vs selling forms); an idea that still is a

principle that never seems to work, hence year models and new designs

– The abstract should be the ideal, absence of ornaments– Light, cleanness, hygienic, new

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Modernism

Top left: Computer graphic of famous chair designed by Marcel Breuer (16th July 2006, Borowski)

Top right: T-Ford. Henry Ford first believed this was the perfect car, that it did not need improvement.

Bottom right: Painting by Piet Mondrian



Der Deutsche Werkbund (1907-1934, 1950-)– Work Federation containing artists, architects, designers,

manufacturing companies, industrialists and journalists– "Vom Sofakissen zum Städtebau" (from sofa cushions to

city-building) – Exhibitions, catalogues showing ”good” design

Aimed to ensure product quality– Technically and artistically– Increase competitiveness of German products

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Functionalism in Germany

Clash in Cologne!!! Where was design in Germanygoing?

Hermann Muthesius– Sachlichkeit (practical,

usable)– Clean design, no mixture of

styles– Typisierung; the creation

of archetype products and prototypes for a streamlined mass production

Henry van de Velde, Walther Gropius

– Archetypes cannot be created form scratch, they evolve

– Forms and products should be the result of the designer’s artistic vision


Functionalism in Germany

Clash in Cologne: Both sides wanted quality and ease of use, but disagreed on the means to get it

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The two most influential industrial design schoolswere German...

Functionalism spreading...

Bauhaus (1919-1933)– Uniting art & craft– Students should learn a

craft and applied art– Learning by doing– Gesamtkunstwerk; Bau

und Bühne

Ulm (1953-1968)– Uniting design and

science– Design seens as a new

discipline = No art teaching

– Cooperation with industry– The Morality of Objects

Teachers, students & practice spread world wide...


Functionalism & Usability...

Multifunctionality...good or bad?

And what’s with the non-definition of aesthetics!?

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Functionlism in IxD = usability

Usability strong ideal in HCI / interaction design, especially GUI design

– Norman– Nielsen– Cooper– Preece– ...the lot


Functionalism in IxD

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Functionalism in IxD

Information Visualization– Human perception steers function– Tufte: ”Confusion and clutter are failures of design, not

attributes of information.”– Spence


Provocation & Criticism in art

Dadaism (1916-1922)“What we need are strong straightforward, precise works which will be forever misunderstood. Logic is a complication. Logic is always false. […] DADA; every object, all objects, feelings and obscurities, every apparition and the precise shock of parallel lines […] DADA; the absolute and indisputable belief in every god that is an immediate product of spontaneity…

– Tristan Tzara in “Dada manifesto”

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(dadaist poem of the 1st paragraph from the course home page)

of what functionalism pragmatism is artifacts is interaction? in follows to ideals, like notion it which in we “form “in”interaction – aesthetic the is this experience as behaviors explore



Dadaist MarcelDuchamp asking

– What is art?– Who decides?– Who is the artist?

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Provocation in Art

Andy Warhol– Again: Who is the artist?

Used assistants

What's great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest.

– Andy Warhol in “The philosophy of Andy Warhol: from A to B and back again.”


Criticism in ID

The-anti functionalist movement; functionalism and trends madedesign space narrow –revolution

Inspiration from sub cultures; youth cartoons, pop culture

Desiging that which peopleactually wanted, as opposed to what one assumed they wanted

Ingo

Mau

rer,

Bulb

196

6

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Criticism in ID

Furniure design in the 1970ies, Playfulness, organic shapes, mixing materials, freedomand...plastic fantastic!

Vitr

a, V

erne

r Pan

ton,

195

9 -1

999


Criticism in ID

Banal design (1970ies)

– Non-designed everyday objects

– Banal forms could give impulses to design.

– Spokesman: Alessandro Mendini

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Provocation & Criticism in ID

Memphis group (1980-1988): Anti designSenior architect Ettore Sotsass + young designers

– Break all rules!– New materials, mixes, no discussion on form or color– ”quoting from suburbia” kitsch, neon colors, gold– Very much anti ”nordic design”

Exploded at design exhibition in Milan 1981– "you were in one sense repulsed by the objects, or I was,

but also immediately freed by the sort of total rule-breaking.“ (Jasper Morrison)


Memphis

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Memphis


Provocation in art

På Hollender: The Pål Hollender Foundation for Ethically or Aesthetically Offended Consumers of Culture

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Criticism/comment in art

Mikael Lundberg – The twenty-three– Lifeline

(www.mikaellundberg.se)


Criticism in IxD

STATIC! A design project about saving energy

“…use need not only be about utility and ease of use, but also about critical reflection through objects at hand.”

– Backlund, S. et al (2006) Static! The Aesthetics of Energy in Everyday Things . In Proceedings of Design Research Society International Conference 2006.

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Criticism in IxD

STATIC! Designs...


Criticism in IxD

Dunne and Raby– Farady chair– Tuneable cities– The Pillow– Thief of Affections– ...other work

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Criticism in IxD

Slow Technology; anti-efficiency, pro reflection. Mental rest in the form of reflection.

“Slow technology is not about making technology invisible, but about exposing technology in a way that encourages people to reflect and think about it. This design challenge is, among other things, a call for more conscious aesthetics in technology…”

– Hallnäs, L., and Redström, J. (2001) Slow Technology –Designing for Reflection , Personal and Ubiquitous Computing January 2001, Volume 5 Issue 3.


Criticism in IxD

Slow Technology projects– Top left: Doorbells– Bottom left & right. Information appliance; printed fabric

in combination with radio

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Playfulness, intrigue, challenge

We’ve beenplaying games forever!

First reference to chess, India 625

Hnefatafl; the Viking version of chess


Playfulness in art

Guiseppe Arcimboldo, Summer and Spring (1573)

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Playfulness in art

Bartolomeo Ammanati: Allegory of Winter (16th century)


Playfulness and intrigue in art

Op Art (optical art): making use of optical illusions

Left: A sculpture by Victor Vasarely, Left: Bridget Riley; Movement in Squares (1961)

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Playfulness & intrigue in art/lit

...my book


Playfulness and intrigue in IxD

The Interactive Quilt; Slow Technology.... But also intriguing!

– Ambiguity the key

“Thus ambiguity is a powerful tool for designers to raise topics or ask questions while renouncing the possibility of dictating their answers. By supporting this balance, ambiguity not only represents a useful resource, but a powerful sign of respect for users as well.”

– Bill Gaver et al (2003) ”Ambiguity as a Resource for Design”

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Playfulness & intrigue in IxD

Countless examples, e.g. Bembo’s Zoowww.bemboszoo.com


Playfulness & intrigue in IxD

Intrigue BIG TIME!!!http://www.ted.com/talks/golan_levin_ted2009.html

– 13:43 ”Snout” (Watch the entire talk for more stunningexamples!!!)

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Playfulness & challenge in IxD

Any computer game ever made...!


Playfulness & Challenge in IxD

Tempting challenge!“…without sufficient challenge an activity can be perceived as boring, or soothing, or calming or “nice”but hardly entertaining. Then again, “challenge” is to be interpreted widely. Also the level of challenge must suit the user and the situation; [what fits a child does not necessarily amuse its parents]. The adult may be more entertained by trying to solve a cross-word, however not when being tired and nervous […]. In order to be entertaining, the challenge has to be tempting to that user at that moment.”

– Sus Lundgren in ”Facets of Fun: On the Design of Computer Augmented Entertainment Artifacts (2006)

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Desiging playfulness?

Björk & Holopainen: Patterns in Game Design

– Game(play) patterns; the buildingblocks of games

Salen & Zimmerman: Rules of Play– Theoretical framework; "game design

schemas“ e.g. Games as context for social play, games as storytelling etc.

Fullerton: Game Design Workshop, – Desiging a game from start to end

Kramer: What makes a game good– http://www.thegamesjournal.com/articles/WhatMakesaGame.shtml


Why aesthetic ideal?

A basis for design decisions– May have several but they must be ranked! E.g. if

designing a computer game, gameplay can be aboutplayfulness whereas the GUI for it can be functional

– A way to reach coherency

May differ from project to project!

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Ideals... No clear partitions!

Playful or emotion?

Criticism or emotion?

Functional or intriguing?

Tangible or pleasing?


Concept map... again

ExampleCoherency Emotions & pleasurePragmatism, Somaesthetics and tangibilityProvocation & CriticismFunctionalism & UsabilityPlayfulness, Intrigue & Challenge

What are they? The basic ideas? Are some closerrelated than others? Is there som kind of scale; if so what’s the axis? Projects combining ideals?

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Concept map: the IxD-courses

aesthetic ideals, part ii€¦ · bauhaus (1919-1933) – uniting art & craft – students...

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