umesh + D+ R09

Going through the images of the reading 09, what I understood is listed below:

Page 1: It is instruction how to hang photo frame on the wall. The numbering in the red circles tells the step to follow what to do from step 1 marking the location to hang and finally step 5 aligning the frame in right position.

Page 2: cycling posture of cyclist in different road surfaces. What should be dimension gap needed in each case? One 1” between the handle and the seat top and other 2” gap between the top frame and lower part of the body.

Page 3: Folding procedure of Tobacco and paper

Page 4: I felt it as advertisement of commercial paper diaper, comparing the reactions of the baby in changing paper and clothes diaper. Both the changing start with crying baby but the result is different, one become silent where as the latter one with clothes still cries after the diapers are changed.

Page 5: Changing of flat tire. The mood of driver is annoyed when the tire is flat, after changing tire, the driver drives playing music.

Whole exercises, inform different instructions to achieve the correct way from hanging the photo frame, changing the diaper, folding tobacco to changing flat tire. They are all figurative and multiple steps to reach the goal. No word description to tell the story, its effective rather than using multiple languages.

umesh + D+ R08

Rendering & Reality

The importance of rendering is clearly stated in the first paragraph of the reading, how the rendering helped to win the design competition of New York City’s High line. In design competition, what’s important to stand out among the hundreds of design? And be noticed and selected. The presentation should have the wow moment, visually compelling to buy the idea and clearly sated the problem statement.

The purpose of rendering differs from its end users, for designer it is a design process seeking the best design solution, visualizing the project in a whole. It tells its larger audience, glimpse of project idea and what the project should be. This may be used for getting feedback comments, suggestion in participatory design approach from community and making them involve in design process. For developer, these architectural rendering may be used to convince the financial institution for approval of the fund. And for the client, these may be their integrated idea what they want. And more over, these rendering helps service engineers/ various consultants to give their inputs in the project and make fine tuning.

Architects have control over rendering and try to give best possible image of the project, as in the reading Libeskind original design for Ground Zero’s Freedom Tower, he has shown from across the New York Harbor emphasizing the relationship of its tower and liberty’s raised arm. Renderings are used to clarify the idea, but in reality, when the project goes for construction, Architect loses control over the project, there are multiple actors in construction, huge investment and big time frame to accomplish the project.

Rendering helps to sell project but all good renderings are not 100% sure to be good architecture. It is one of the effective tools of visualization for architects to make client understand the project easily and its one brick in a building which has its own important role making the building stronger and beautiful in design process.

EmilyW.R08

I wish there was a picture of this splendid rendering that seems to be a fairy tale to most of New York. It sounds beautiful but I can't really picture it from the description given in this article. I must say I'm glad I'm not an architect. I think finding a job in graphic design is hard enough and as the article put it..."unlike their lucky graphic designer cousins, architects can't show their clients a same size prototype with every detail in place". It must be incredibly hard to convince a city to let you build something.

Although I wouldn't want to be an architect I do love Daniel Burnham's quote, "make no small plans, for they have no magic to stir men's blood". This quote should probably be applied to everything in life. However, in my loyalty to my last post I must add, making plans shouldn't become your life. Achieving the plans you make should be your life. And that's what I intend to do. Get a Job! I can see it now.

EmilyW.R07

This article was very humorous to me. I found it to be very accurate in its assessment of our culture. We live in a society where people are ultra anxious, ultra paranoid, and ultra stressed. Especially a city like New York. It is always about the next thing. People have extreme problems in this country when it comes to taking a deep breath, relaxing, and looking around to the present moment and just enjoying it for what it is. They are always looking for the next piece of information, the next big "i" thing, the next instantaneous gratification, the next WALK sign so they can cross the road and get on to the next little thrill. People! Relax.

Discovery World

For your visit to Discovery World please try to answer these questions to the best of your ability!


Questions Pertain to Entrance
1) How did you know what was the Entrance?


2) Was the ticketing area well marked? How was it marked?


3) What was given to you as an indication of your ticket?


4) Take a map. Tell me about the differences between the directory map diagram you picked-up and the standing sign. How do they differ? Same?


Questions pertain to "WAVES"
5) Explain how this works. Is it easy to understand? Why? Why not?

Questions can be found in the "Great Lakes Future"
6) What is the TOXOCHELYS? Describe which skeleton belongs to it and how you know.


7) Who's eggs are these? How is it explained?

Questions can be found in the "Reiman Aquarium" 
8) What Fish are found in the North Atlantic Saltwater?


9) What Fish are found in the Florida Keys?


10) You have an under the sea experience as you pass through a tunnel. How do you look-up fish? Was this easy? Explain the interface.


11) What does the Black Durgon eat primarily?


12) According to Discovery World, is the Porcupine Pufferfish poisonous?


13) In the Reiman Underground lab simulation, "Dissection," what fish is being dissected? Name its fins. How is dissection simulated?


14) How many computers are off or not working in this area?


15) In the Reiman Underground lab simulation, "The ZOO in a glass of water" what are the steps to see the creatures? Is this easily understood? Is this real?


16) What fish are in the "petting zoo?"


17) What prompts you to touch a display screen?


Questions pertain to "Guardians of Fresh Water."
18) How did you enter?


19) How is our water purified in Milwaukee?


20) How many Gallons Per Minute (gpm) does an average shower head  spew?


21) What is Milorganite?


Questions pertain to the area across from the "Guardians…" past the boat deck.
22) What is this?

Questions pertain "Milwaukee Muscle."

23) Who is the sponsor? How do you know?

24) How do pistons work? Does the display illustrate this?

Questions pertain "Rockwell Automation, Dream Machine."

25) Who is the sponsor? How do you know?

26) Play Tic-Tac-Toe-George. Did you win? Why is George so good? What kind of machine is he?

Questions pertain to the area upstairs from the Dream Machine (upper floor).

27) How is the walking city described? Explain how you know. What are the square miles of Milwaukee?

EmilyW.R06

I wasn't quite sure but I think this article was criticizing the Cubism and Abstract Art chart. I can see why they do not think this is an adequate way to represent this information because there are many, many different factors that play into the history of art. It is not just straight forward, one dot connected with a line that's the only thing that happened to bring this art into the world. However, I do think this chart is effective. The point was not to illustrate every little detail that ever happened in the course of history in art but to show a progression through time in a general and simple broken down way. Just like in art there is some interpretation on the part of ones self that needs to go into reading this chart. I like how it's not all spelled out and it looks very elegant. It is hard to make a great jumble of arrows look elegant and I believe that this chart works.

The Reinhardt chart was also very effective. It was done in a very different style but it was directed towards a different audience and for a different purpose as well. Reinhardt's chart is playful, personal and speaks directly to people who are in his community. Someone who is not an artist would probably not fully understand this graphic which is interesting because it's done in a style that suggests that it's for the everyday person. The newspaper comic style is a style of the masses and you don't have to have studied art to understand this means of communication. This is ironic because the Barr chart is a high art chart and has the aesthetic of the high art design but it breaks down the history of art into a simple and easy to understand linear representation of art history, maybe something that anybody can understand even if they didn't study art. So the styles that the two artists use are kind of switching roles.

Paul-A-Final Project Proposal

I am planning to create a timeline of the energy used in my home for the past twenty years. The data will be based on the actual electric, gas and water bills from 1990 to 2010. In addition to data for the energy consumed there will also be lines on the graph showing costs for each of the utilities during this time period. Another line will show the heating degree day totals for each period in order to factor in the weather conditions that were prevalent at the time so that can be taken into consideration when looking at the ups and downs of energy usage. I will also be marking the columns of data showing time periods when I had renters in the house since that also will have a great effect on energy usage. Finally, I will be marking points of time when energy efficient products were installed: an energy efficient water heater, a new furnace and the installation of some energy efficient windows.
I am planning to add a graphic in the background that will show the configuration of the house and also a table with relevant data such as size, square footage, insulation etc. I am hoping that this project will give me a good idea of how my house has performed over the years, what I might expect for the future and where I could make improvements.

Hyrom-S-R09

The images that I’ve seen are directions on how to carry out the task given. They are fairly simple and complete their goal of exerting understanding to the viewer. I understood them clearly through clean drawing, line emphasis, and because of my familiarity with the subjects. I believe if all directions were carried out in this matter, there won’t be many customer complaints. Directions are essential in how we get around the world today. If directions are drawn in confusion, believe me, there would be chaos. Sometimes when directions are only pictures, a clear procedure can be carried out as well. Directions can be only as clear as an information designer make them.

Rachel+H+R05

It was interesting to look at the timetables between New York and New Haven, the first one was pretty ambiguous and hard to understand. I can recall trying to figure out the Milwaukee County transit bus schedule when I first moved to Milwaukee, I remember you had to trace your finger down the column to try to find your correct time. Often I would realize that I would be on the weekend schedule when I needed the weekday or the other way around. I have noticed that they have revised the timetable and it has improved but it is still easy to get confused.
Train charts can be somewhat of a feat to understand, especially in a foreign country. In London for instance, I found their system to be extremely easy to understand. All of the different lines are color coded and each stop is clearly marked and you know which direction to go because of the charts that map out the stops in order. When my friend and I were there I think 3 of the lines we needed to use were out of order and we could still find our way to our hostel because of their easy to use system. Looking at the chart from the reading for the railroad map in China, I see a similar pattern with the towns (stops?) spaced out according to their actual location. Even if I could read the language I'm not entirely sure I could navigate with this map. I'm not sure which direction the train goes, are there north/south and east/west trains? Perhaps color coding would help the reader decipher the chart better.

Rachel+H+R08

Architects have a real challenge when presenting proposals to a group of rich people commissioning buildings to them. Architects need to win them over with a beautiful end picture; however, skeptics can see the unrealistic features of the plan, they spot the lack of technical detail. I guess architects, like any other artist, need to know their audience. The renderings are not supposed to be that realistic, to show you every gear and system, they are a fantastical idea meant to appeal to and help convince the clients to choose your plan. I would rather have the architect simplify the drawings and spend more time with the blueprint as that is the important part of the operation.

Rachel+H+R07

I found this excerpt to be particularly amusing as I often wonder about the effectiveness of those damn crossing signs. Now knowing that they rarely work I find myself naturally wondering how much each one of those devices costs and where that money could have been better spent. The crossing lights are just another useless piece of technology that clutters and complicates our lives while offering little or no benefits. I've been at the corner with those antsy people who push the button 7 times because they think it will make the “walk” sign come faster and I just think to myself, eventually it will change so we all just need to calm down. I think whoever came up with this clever gimmick is pretty smart, it gives people peace of mind that they are doing everything they can to get to their destination as quickly as possible which is the end goal.

As for the security system sticker being as effective as the armed system, I can see that being true although I don't know much about it, but if I were a robber and was going to break into a house that had a sticker on the window I know I would think twice, why take the chance. The color coded security warnings seem kind of like a joke to me because regardless of what they say we still have to live our lives. What is the criteria for each classification? How is this judged? Seems to me that the system just makes the paranoid even more fearful.

JordanO_R08

Architectural rendering has an interesting place in my heart actually. Before I decided to go to school to become a Graphic designer and photographer I was to become an architect and attend the architecture school here at UWM. I loved playing around with Auto Cad and loved to build models and draw renderings. Naturally I loved to look at them as well. I was really fascinated in the area of stadium architecture as the other side of me was somewhat of a sport fanatic. I would hopefully some day design stadiums for great sports teams. I would spend hours upon hours looking at renderings of new stadiums to be coming in the future years and would marvel at the new editions as they would come out and greater and greater things were being added to these stadiums. When I found out that Miller Park was to be built I could hardly keep myself off of these websites and every time a new rendering would come out I would get more and more excited as to what I could expect. Of course this is all in the past for me and I have chosen a much different, but equally satisfying road. However I can see the relation to people fantasizing over what is to come or what could be possible.

I think especially in New York that this kind of excitement is necessary! After 9/11 that city was at an all time low, as we were as well as a Nation. New York is one of the most visited cities in the world and deserved to have it pride back. Something that could be built for New Yorkers and people from all over the country to stand behind would become a tremendous project and a great reason to be excited! This fantasy world may seem a little far-fetched and I might agree. The idea is though to get the people excited and build the city moral back up. When Al Qaida struck us down with the blow they made to New York City it hurt us deep. We soon all stood together and seemed to becoming out of this stronger as a nation. After a few years this starts to wear off and people go back to worrying about themselves once again. I think that is where these wonderful renderings play a crucial role. People can see what is to come, and what there is to be excited about and they can do this together. In the case of the 9/11 monuments there will always be remembrance of what happened in New York on that devastating day in September. As we move forward as a country we will stand behind this monument and this city, and will be reminded of this daily through these designs and the eventual monument. If there is something to get excited about why not get excited! It is good for our nation, and good for our economy and that is exactly what we need at this point in time.

Kate+D+R06

I just realized that my posts of readings 6 & 7 never successfully posted so i'm re-posting them now.

The topic of arrows is interesting because of their common use in charts and graphs. The positioning and direction of arrows can tell you more than 5 pages of writing can. The chart that showed the different art movements and their connection was particularly interesting in its use of the arrow to show how the movements relate to each other. So many types of graphs and charts that are used in everyday life include arrows as arrows are universally understood. I’m interested then in how I can apply arrows in my own graphing. In the sample made for class I ended up using an arrow as a temperature indicator and found that it read easier than a straight line. I like how graphs using arrows can still include several variables and have multiple layers while still including an ease of understanding. Barr’s art graph was incredibly interesting to read and surprisingly easy to follow even though it is so layered and includes a lot of information. It reads as both an informative piece as well as an art piece. Using this style of graphing allows the designer to include so many different types of information and join them in a variety of ways to appeal to the viewer.

Kate+D+R07

I found his reading to be interesting because of the author’s use of humor. I have always had some question about those little walk buttons and if they actually do anything at all as I have friends who are die-hard button pushers but I myself am skeptical. The point raised in the article of buttons functioning merely as therapy for the overanxious was funny as well as alarming to the current trends of instant gratification. “The light will change soon, I pushed the button” is something I have actually heard before from a random pedestrian. No one likes to wait for what they want rather it be crossing the street, elevator doors closing or their delivery food to arrive. Now, skipping to the end of the article, the color-coded terrorism alerts have irked me for some time now because they offer no plan of action to their anxiety inducing “alert system”. All it does is make the average person worry a little more or a little less about walking out of the house every morning. What exactly does an “elevated” level even mean? How should we react? The least the government could do is offer some sort of action plan if they’re going to constantly bombard us with the possibility of getting attacked. It’s only fair. All in all this type of button pushing is just a way to get under our skin and humanizing everything around us.

Kate+D+R08

The title of this article, The Rendering and The Reality, made me think literally about my own renderings and realities. As a photographer embarking on a new project whether it is for a class or for a client I like to first write about my idea in a brainstorm session. Getting the ideas out and on to paper helps me to then sort through the ideas and decide which one/ones are worth pursuing. I’ve learned over the past few years of doing some freelance work that clients tend to like to hear about your final ideas before beginning the shoot. If I’m doing work for a client that’s usually where the rendering stops and the reality starts to take shape but when I’m making something for class I take the rendering one step further and start to sketch out a few ideas before I start the photo shoot. That tends to help me sort out which photos are going to be necessary to avoid redundancy and the length of shooting time. No matter how much writing and sketching I do though the final project almost always is slightly different than the initial rendering. When working in any sort of creative and artistic field it needs to be understood that the final project isn’t necessarily going to look exactly like the original idea.

JordanO_R06

This Chart by Alfred Barr is a great piece of information design. You can easily navigate through this chart and relate a piece of information whether it is an artist or an era to another. I find the typographical hierarchy in this graphic to be especially effective and easy to see the difference in importance between more important movements, or more influential artist. You see cubism on this chart and it is represented with the largest font size. This is a chart stating the importance of cubism and how it had an impact on modern art. From there you see a number of other very important artistic movements, but there font size has been greatly decreased to stress that these movements are less important than the cubism movement. In even smaller text the city of the world that these movements started in and the year that they started are listed. This is important information to the graph but as soon as we are able to find the movement itself we can thin out the information with smaller text, and create less noise decreasing the appearance of chart junk. Down farther in the article you see an example of how the chart looks without arrows. The chart looks barren without the arrows and greatly decreases the visual value of this chart. Another visually interesting aspect of this chart is the descending time line. It is mentioned in the article that this is supposed to represent a old movie strip and that the years running down the sides would give off the appearance of the holes used to guide the film through the camera. This text is all so represented in orange, which is maybe the only flaw that I see in this information graphic. I see that there are certain other areas of this chart that are represented in orange and I am not sure of the correlation between the years and the movements represented in orange. I can probably conclude that the orange was chosen to give the chart some more color, and to save money areas needing other emphasis were all characterized using the same color. These influences that seem to be brought in externally or have a different relations some how could use the benefit from a key or some kind of additional indicator or another color to represent their importance separately from the dates and chart title.

The other article that we had to read I found to be very interesting as well. I like all of the different examples how I can represent information in future information graphics. I can see myself using all of these different examples at some point in my future design work. Exploding views, ghosting, cutaways, and small multiples are all great ways t display design. For my final project I will be producing a diagram with information from all of the Brewers games I have been to at Miller Park. I plan to chart emotional responses, memories from the game and tidbits I know from around Miller Park. I will defiantly be incorporating these techniques in my final design.