Definition of aesthetic
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
The Sword of Hephaestus
In a confused world where Steampunk technology and Mystical Arts have evolved beyond humans' comprehension, Ariana and Clyde look for that one weapon that can render them rulers of the world: The Sword of Hephaestus. A series of short stories written by me! :)
Please read and follow:
The Sword of Hephaestus
Please read and follow:
The Sword of Hephaestus
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
What Techno-Aesthetics Is.
Big fancy name. Sounds all intimidating to the juniors, when they ask you, 'What course are you doing?', and you open your gob to say 'Techno-Aesthetic Detailing' with a smirk on the face that says, 'Oh I'm so cool, and I am in the third year, and I'm in the senior, and I'm learning all this cool stuff.'
When we asked this to our seniors, we've always gotten different replies. They say, 'It's the study of form at the functional level', or 'Using the functional elements in such a way that their form is appealing too'. These definitions were not entirely wrong too. For example, consider a hinge in a product. Generally, a hinge joint will always be hidden in a product, as it is a functional element and will reduce the external appearance of the product. Techno-Aesthetics is a school of thought, according to which this hinge joint has to be shown and made visible in such a way that it looks stellar to the eye, and becomes the most aesthetic element.
The HOD of Product Design, Prof. Sanjay Jain, gave a different twist to the project this year. What we are going to do, is consider a certain product and enhance to give a certain sensorial experience to the user. May it be any of the 5 physical or the 5 vestibular senses (which is extremely hard to nail). We are actually delving deeper into the 'experience' designed around a product, instead of just the visual enhancement. But who has ever said that aesthetics are only visual? The following's the definition of aesthetic according to the Oxford Dictionary.
[ in singular]
Now, this can be for any of the senses. Well, this is what I interpret through 2 days of lecture. I'm sure there's a lot to learn, and I have to dive deeper to get into the roots of good design and good techno aesthetic design. :)
When we asked this to our seniors, we've always gotten different replies. They say, 'It's the study of form at the functional level', or 'Using the functional elements in such a way that their form is appealing too'. These definitions were not entirely wrong too. For example, consider a hinge in a product. Generally, a hinge joint will always be hidden in a product, as it is a functional element and will reduce the external appearance of the product. Techno-Aesthetics is a school of thought, according to which this hinge joint has to be shown and made visible in such a way that it looks stellar to the eye, and becomes the most aesthetic element.
The HOD of Product Design, Prof. Sanjay Jain, gave a different twist to the project this year. What we are going to do, is consider a certain product and enhance to give a certain sensorial experience to the user. May it be any of the 5 physical or the 5 vestibular senses (which is extremely hard to nail). We are actually delving deeper into the 'experience' designed around a product, instead of just the visual enhancement. But who has ever said that aesthetics are only visual? The following's the definition of aesthetic according to the Oxford Dictionary.
Now, this can be for any of the senses. Well, this is what I interpret through 2 days of lecture. I'm sure there's a lot to learn, and I have to dive deeper to get into the roots of good design and good techno aesthetic design. :)
Friday, September 28, 2012
Where are we all moving?
In one of the meetings with Dhimant Sir, Director, MIT-Institute of Design, he mentioned that there were 17 graduates in design the year he passed out (Early 80's). Today, after 30 years, the foundation batch is of 180 students. I can't help but wonder why it isn't the same today. Yes, of course, we have CAD and RPT and CNC machines; but is that it? Dhimant sir also mentioned that in his product design learning, he was exposed to subjects like Film Appreciation, conducted by none other than P.K. Nair - founder, NFAI (National Film Archive of India); whereas today's product design discipline has nothing to do with study of films, and students are hellbent on not being like communication designers.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
The Coventry Experience
26th July
2012
MIT-ID has always been making efforts to collaborate with world class design institutes and to send it’s students for exchange and twinning programmes there. In July, Head of Department, Industrial Design and the Dean, Coventry, UK, visited our campus and interacted with students. Accompanied by our very own Prof. Sanjay Jain and Prof. Gaurang Shah and a few more faculty members, they went through the work done by students in different courses.
In a very excited and busy morning, we, the Semester 5 students of Product Design set up our studio with sketches, printouts and models of various projects. We had spent the previous two days preparing presentations for the projects we wished to show them. Anticipation rose as the time for them to arrive approached. When they entered, the MIT-ID faculty and the students escorted them through a brief trip of the MIT-ID product design discipline.
A very appreciative critic, Prof. Michael Goatman explained to us an interesting insight, which divides all products into ‘My Products’ or ‘The Products’. Products are designed to suit a certain class of audiences and buyers. For example, a cell phone is always ‘My phone’. One expects a touch of himself, a sense of belonging in his cell phone. Hence, it is designed such that one can customise or personalise it. A washing machine is always ‘The Washing Machine’. It has been designed for many people to use it. One expects functionality more than personalisation in ‘The Products’. He briefed that products, by nature, can be functional, aesthetic or both. He also added that designers should know their audiences and whether the product they are designing are ‘My Products’ or ‘The Products’, and design accordingly.
He stressed very much on the importance of simplicity in design, and also asked us what kind of work we would want to do as designers. He said that designers are influenced and constricted by more than one external factor, and need to come up with the best designs within the constraints of costs, materials, customer and technology, amongst many other things. He also explained that designers don’t only need to design well but also sell themselves well and have that unique selling point which will convince the consumers.
Their trip to the class was surely helpful for all the students present. We ended up knowing more than what is taught in the curriculum
.
MIT-ID has always been making efforts to collaborate with world class design institutes and to send it’s students for exchange and twinning programmes there. In July, Head of Department, Industrial Design and the Dean, Coventry, UK, visited our campus and interacted with students. Accompanied by our very own Prof. Sanjay Jain and Prof. Gaurang Shah and a few more faculty members, they went through the work done by students in different courses.
In a very excited and busy morning, we, the Semester 5 students of Product Design set up our studio with sketches, printouts and models of various projects. We had spent the previous two days preparing presentations for the projects we wished to show them. Anticipation rose as the time for them to arrive approached. When they entered, the MIT-ID faculty and the students escorted them through a brief trip of the MIT-ID product design discipline.
A very appreciative critic, Prof. Michael Goatman explained to us an interesting insight, which divides all products into ‘My Products’ or ‘The Products’. Products are designed to suit a certain class of audiences and buyers. For example, a cell phone is always ‘My phone’. One expects a touch of himself, a sense of belonging in his cell phone. Hence, it is designed such that one can customise or personalise it. A washing machine is always ‘The Washing Machine’. It has been designed for many people to use it. One expects functionality more than personalisation in ‘The Products’. He briefed that products, by nature, can be functional, aesthetic or both. He also added that designers should know their audiences and whether the product they are designing are ‘My Products’ or ‘The Products’, and design accordingly.
He stressed very much on the importance of simplicity in design, and also asked us what kind of work we would want to do as designers. He said that designers are influenced and constricted by more than one external factor, and need to come up with the best designs within the constraints of costs, materials, customer and technology, amongst many other things. He also explained that designers don’t only need to design well but also sell themselves well and have that unique selling point which will convince the consumers.
Their trip to the class was surely helpful for all the students present. We ended up knowing more than what is taught in the curriculum
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)