9/29/19 Work Log

Product Design Process Investigation

Intending

I am going to try to make different model or forms of keyboard, each having their own functionality and designs. All of the designs will have their positives and negatives to their build, but the variation in the build will create different feels in the keyboard. For instance, when the key are in different places, it will create a different light scene, and maybe a different color pattern.

On the picture to the left, you can see that it is smaller than the keyboard on the right. You can also see that the light is slightly different than the keyboard on the right. When making different styles, this will allow me to create different types of design from the light, to animating how the keyboard comes together.

Defining the Problem or Subject

When I am at home, I spent some time on my computer and use the keyboard quite a bit. The more I use a keyboard, the more you come to know some problems or quirks about it. When typing, I use the arrows keys a lot, but they are in an inconvenient place for me. On regular keyboards, they are out of an easy reach of the human hand, so then I have to constantly look down at the keyboard. Even though this may seem like a small problem, but overall can become an annoyance, and cumulate to more wasted time. This also relate to the keyboard on a laptop. Take a mac computer for example, the arrow keys in my opinion are very small. In addition to being very small, the up and down arrow keys are very tight together, so when I try to press on one of them, my finger hits the other one. This is also very troublesome because the keys are almost so small that my finger tips are bigger than keys I'm pressing down on. This is just one small problem, that will be factor in changing the design of the keyboard. So one of the designs may incorporate the arrow key somewhere else that may be more convenient for the user, and that they may be used more often.

As you can see on the picture above, when someone like me is typing and want to reach over to the arrow keys, you must move your entire hand. Once again, the movement may be small, but it becomes a nuisance after so many times.

Exploring the Problem or Subject

Arrow Keys

Taking the example from before, where the arrow keys are too small and are in an awkward location. This will affect the thought process that goes into creating some of the keyboard designs. For instance, instead of placing the arrow keys to the lower right part of a desktop keyboard, I could have them placed below the space key. I know this may sound weird at first, possibly making the keyboard look a little funky. However, I think that it would be a suitable place because it would utilize the thumbs, instead of constantly hitting the space bar and virtually nothing else. Due to the arrow keys being below the space bar, you wouldn't have to move your hands at all, but just move your thumbs below the space bar. They would be in a 2 by 2 grid, where the left and right arrow keys would be the first row of two. Then below that, would be the up and down arrow keys on the second row. You can look at the reference image below, that I took a rough sketch of, and though it may look weird, will give a better place for the arrow keys.

a picture of the sketchbook goes here --- don't forget

Another example would be putting the arrow keys somewhere within the alphabet part of the keyboard. In the example below, you can see that the arrow keys are already where you normal finger placement would be at. This would be a great placement, but the part that would be compromised would be the placement of another key. In the example below, they choose to split the space key in half, however, I think that you could just add another key below the space bar. I do believe that it would make the keyboard look weird, so I will continue to think of how to make the keyboard have this nice functionality while also maintaining its well kept design.

Minimalist Keyboard

I always have like the view of 60% or 65% keyboards, where it attempts to bring the keyboard into its most important components. I think some of the reason that I like these type of keyboard is that it tries to bring everything within fingers reach. It brings about a new style of keyboards, that eliminates what may be extraneous to a person's preference. This brings plenty of bonuses to a person who wants to get rid of the whole right side of the typical desktop keyboard, but brings some challenges and cons to the situation. The positives is that the keyboard is within the person's reach and they will never reach have to move their hands, other than to grab the mouse. Another positives is that it will give the person more room on the desk for other things, more mouse space or a place to put a coffee cup. Some of the negatives are that they start to become confusing with trying to jam all of the functionality of a regular keyboard into something that is 40% smaller. An obvious negative would be that you are cutting off explicit keys that the user is used to using. This may relate back to the previous negative, in where they may become confused with using the new style of the keyboard. It will be transition that may be hard for some people, because they liked having the extra explicit keys that the larger version keyboard had. However, the person could just avoid the problem completely by just sticking with a 100% keyboard instead. Even so, I believe that 60% keyboards, if they can become better structured, they will become a better keyboard for everyone. Now, a 60% keyboard differs in the design of a laptop keyboard, because they do not typically have arrow keys. 65% keyboards probably will.

Planning What to Do

Arrow Keys

All in all I think that the arrow keys can find a better location on the keyboard in contrast of where it currently is. In addition to the arrows keys, with the possibilities of adding keys below the space bar, I will have to find a way that it will add to the functionality of the keyboard, but also maintain that nice look to it. Adding keys below the space should not pose a problem to the user when they are typing, because it will be placed between their hands. So, the only thing that I have to focus on is making where the keys will fit nicely within the design of the keyboard.

Minimalist Keyboard

With the minimalist keyboard, I plan to create a keyboard that will utilize the limited space as efficiently as possible. It will also incorporate some of the ideas above, with the arrow keys, where they may be placed below the space bar. My goal will be to compact a keyboard in way that it has all of the functionality and capability as a 100% keyboard, without becoming too complex for someone to transition over to.

Lighting on Keyboard

This is going to be different for every keyboard, because the lighting on the keyboard is something that is so customizable. There are almost an unlimited amount of combinations and patterns that could make up the lighting design of a keyboard. That said, there would be ugly combinations, so for each keyboard, I want to test different color patterns. Then I want to check the effect it has on the actual design of the keyboard. To see if it changes the feel of the keyboard, and changes the sense of the shape of the keyboard.

9/22/19 Work Blog

9/22/19 Work Blog

Brainstorming

Lately I have been brainstorming on what project I want to do. Right now, I have no clear-cut vision of what project that I want to start on. It will involve something that can be related to the real world, I just don't have any device that I want to start creating. There are a few things that I have in mind of what I want to do, but they are only a jumble of thoughts right now. The first idea that I have in mind is the keyboard, where I will make my version of a keyboard, with its own design. The second idea is that I would design a tablet, showing all the components that go inside of it. It would also have an attached keyboard to it, and comes out a certain way.

Keyboard design

The keyboard design would be a typical keyboard, but I would make each component that makes up the keyboard. After creating all of the components that make up a keyboard, I would start my design of the keyboard. I would change the styles of the keyboard to different variations, and show each of them. With each design, I will animate the keyboard coming together, component by component. The animation would first show the main box(without all of the keyboard keys and extra buttons) coming together. Then the keyboard would light up, with the light pointing to its corresponding key or button. The keys will go down to the keyboard either fast or slow, depending on which goes with the beat. Once the keys are done coming down onto the keyboard, the lights will flash, signaling the completion of the build of the keyboard. Then, the lights will move in order of the keyboard you can see to the right. Then the camera will move around, showing all sides and views of the keyboard.

Tablet design

The tablet design will have the size of a typical piece of paper, and with a small border surrounding the screen. On the back of the tablet, there will be a simple keyboard design attached to the back. The keyboard will come out in a way that it will almost give the impression that it was a laptop to start out with. However, when converting back to tablet, the keyboard will be hidden within the device, giving the impression that there is no keyboard present. This is something that I want to design, because on many other builds that I see, the keys, on a keyboards are exposed when converting to the tablet design. In fact, many of the other tablets, that do not come with keyboards, have attachable version, but the keys are still exposed when folded back. In the image to the left, the keyboard come attached to the laptop/tablet, but when the person wants to convert the tablet, the keys on the keyboard is showing on the back, with is not a nice looking design in my opinion. In the image to the right, the keyboard has the ability to be attached to the tablet, but this causes one more thing to keep track. Even though the hassle may be small, it may lead to be an annoyance to the user. So, with the design that I am going to create, I plan to get rid of all those small things that only hinder a better experience.

Text and Image Investigation

Text & Image Investigation

Banksy Investigation

Banksy has a lot of text and image art that are each very powerful, but the one that I would like to focus on, is the man who is washing off the quote, "What we do in life echoes in Eternity". I think one is particularly powerful because of the quote and what is happening to the quote. When watching the movie, I saw this and thought that it was almost ironic. I see this ironic in the way of a man who is washing something that is speaking of actions. By washing this off, it's almost like he is contradicting the fulfilling the meaning of the quote, and completing the meaning of the quote. I think that text and image has to combined in a way that will work together. Banksy easily completes this, by the combination of the man who is washing off a quote that is about the actions of a person. He is able to make the viewer not just read the quote but then start to go into the meaning of it, by showing the image of the man washing it off. I think that if Banksy was to draw a man who was writing the quote, it would not have such a powerful meaning and depth to it, because you would just see it as someone simply writing it. Thus losing the meaning of the quote.

What have I Learned About Text & Image?

I have learned that through the combination of the text and image, a words may have a greater impact on someone. If the image is lacking, then you lose meaning in the words of the art. If your word lack meaning, then the image feels empty and seems to have no meaning as well. When one of the pieces are lacking in some way, then it is as if the whole piece crumbles in a way. You need not only the pieces to have depth of meaning, but to work well with each other. If they do not work well with each other, then the art will start to lose emphasis on the text and image. When you find something that works together, then you can create a piece that makes the viewer start to think and wonder what the art is trying to communicate. I think that this is the main goal of text & image.

How Do Contemporary Artists Use The Concept Of Text & Image In Their Artwork?

Looking at Banksy, he uses Text & Image to get across a message to the people that see his art. I think that this is relative to other artists as well, when they use text & image, they want to get their message across. Artist usually try to get a message across in all their art, in any shape or form. However, I see text & image as a effective way to make a clear-cut emphasis on, "I am sending a message". So that everyone who sees this understands that the artist's main focus is that they want to send a message to the public and they must find it.

How Might You Be Able To Use Text & Image In Your Own Art?

I want to use this in my art to show the capability behind that art that I create. I want it to be something that tell the user or viewer, what they can do with my art and understand the potential that it has for them. My art is something that the user will get involved with, and have some sort of ability to create change in someone's life. Through text & image, the art will have a better meaning and more defined message that comes with it. Then the user will be able to find it, and see the complexity of my art and then I will in the future, more art will come out. Then the whole process will start all over again.

Is There Something That You Found In Your Investigation That Specifically Interested You or Inspired You?

Something interesting that I found when investigating the art was that the art that I was looking at, involved the image having direct contact with the text in the art. I want to do the same, in the way that my art will have a connection or bridge that connects the text with the image part of the art. This way, it will make the art feel more intertwined, making a better message to the user. 

Layering Investigation

Layering Investigation

Takashi Murakami Investigation

I'm going to be analyzing Takashi Murakami's piece called, Flower Superflat, made in 2004. In this piece he, uses layering with his well-known flower design, to create a bunch of different emotions. Takashi Murakami is considered to be a "superflat" artist and tries to create higher meaning behind just a single flower. By layering on the flower on top of one another, it creates multiple sense of meaning, and a more complex definition. I feel that Takashi Murakami is trying to create a sense of almost overwhelming amount of layering, that you don't know which flower to focus on. You search throughout the painting to find which layer is above another, or which layer is beneath another. This sense of trying to find where each flower is, really make the viewer get into the painting, trying to explore the painting. Instead of typically looking at a piece, and admiring it, this piece makes you try to focus in harder than what you typically would. Making the viewer become more wrapped into what they are seeing, almost as if it were a puzzle. I believe Takashi Murakami is trying to make the viewer to become engrossed by what they are seeing, and really see this as something else, not just layers of flowers stack on one another.  Furthermore, each flower contains a different design, which adds more depth and meaning into the piece of art. Overall, I think that the layering of the flowers, and the different colors that accompany it create a more complex meaning and emotions to it.

What Have I Learned About Layering?

I have learned that Layering is what to add more meaning into your art and create a multitude of emotions. Layering is a something that, to me, is like a puzzle, that you want to find out what is really going on inside the painting or canvas. It's like you to explore the painting, then just to admire it. With layering, it may seem more confusing and disorganized, but the result may bring something that is complex in its meaning. 

How Do Contemporary Artists Use The Concept Of Layering In Their Art?

In the same way that Takashi Murakami created his piece to create a more complex meaning and a multitude of emotions, other artists do the same. They may use it to not just do what Takashi Murakami did, but to make a statement. You could layer on a bunch of political papers on a certain subject, in order to make a statement. If the artist just pasted one paper on the canvas, it would have a dull meaning and impact. If the artist were to paste multiple papers onto the canvas, a more impactful and sense of understand would be achieved.

How Might I Be Able To Use Layering In My Art?

One way that I think that I can use layering in my art, is to show the composition of my product. Show the device or object come together, then this way, people who view the product will see something more complex. They will not just see as possibly something that is a rectangular prism with a screen on it. They will see it as a culmination of components, that are optimized to be placed with and within each other, to create a final design. When they will be able to see all of those component, then they will be able to understand at a deeper level, and find more value in my art. This way people came come to better appreciate my art and how much work goes into something that will create something that may be of need to them.

Is There Something Interesting That Inspired You?

Layering has opened up possibilities that I haven't really thought of yet, but now I can utilize them in my work. I plan to now show how my industrial design comes together to make a product, so that the viewer can enjoy and understand what goes into what I do. I plan to make something, will have many components, adding to the complexity of the project, creating a deeper meaning. Layering has inspired me to think more about the meaning of the object, and how it's meaning can be deepened, by adding more concepts on top of one another. Layering will bring more than just an object out of my work, it will create something that is not one dimensional, but consists of something that is greater. I hope that my art will show complexity of something that I have created, and I want to create something that will be of benefit to someone. Not just something that someone can gaze at, thinking that it looks really cool, or see it as just things that stacked on top of each other. I want my creations to be something that you put into your hand or experience. My creations will be multi-dimensional where the person experiencing my art, will always find something new about it. It will be where they can't just look at it and know everything about it, but they must use it and move things around to completely know my art. The user experiencing my art must dive themselves into it and learn what is truly going on. My thought on layers is that you cannot just see every layer, but there are layers that are hidden behind another layer, that you must search for. You must pick each layer and see if there is a layer underneath it, and if so, what is it, and is there even another layer below that. My goal is to create art with layering, where layers are hidden, and the user much explore my art in a way not typically thought of as art.

Hybridity Investigation

Hybridity

What I Have Learned About Hybridity

There are many things that hybridity has brought to view for me, and the ways that it can be incorporated. One of the first things that I have learned about hybridity, is the basic definition of hybridity, which is one of the most important things to understand. Where I define hybridity as the combination art and something that would be like technology, science, or somethings related to that. The next thing for me to understand hybridity, is how it can be applied to the real creation of art. For instance, an artist may combine their art with displaying it with a bunch of stacked televisions. This would be an example of combining his/her art with technology. Another simple example, would be the typical volcano project, where the artist can model a volcano, which would be art side. Then the artist would create an eruption, which would involve some sort of chemical reaction, in which that would involve hybridity. Where this would be a combination of art and science. All in all, I have realized that the application of hybridity almost seems endless. Relating to Elon Musk, I have learned that he uses hybridity in art to make the lives of people easier and to advance technology as well as incorporating art into his business. He uses artificial intelligence and the uses of electric cars to advance the technology of today, but uses art to make his technology appealing to people.

How Do Contemporary Artist Use The Concept of Hybridity In Their Artwork?

Through the research that I have done with Elon Musk, one display of hybridity that he has done is the Tesla car. The hybridity in this, is where he combines the art of building nice design that is incorporated with cars, and the new technology of artificial intelligence and electric cars. The rate at which technology in this area will only advance at a quicker pace, because he is able to use hybridity. People are attracted by how to car looks, but also attracted by the new developing technology that is incorporated with it. Elon understands this, and tries to do this each time he comes out with a new model, making sure that the vehicle looks nice and has advanced the technology someway or another. Other artist may use hybridity to involve some other meaning, like portraying their art in a different way. Elon musk uses it to help his advancements of technology, and other artist may incorporate hybridity to show a different side of their artistic style.

How Might You Be Able To Use Hybridity In Your Own Art?

I'm going to go with same route as Elon Musk, where he strives to advance his technology in some way or another, by integrating the art into it. I will create an art that includes the use of technology in it, so that the technology itself will not look bland. In addition, if it was just the model of the art, where it had no real application in the world, it would be meaningless. I believe that my art is going to entail art that uses technology to create its own meaning. Creating an object that cannot be used, and only looked at, is not what I want to create. I want to create something that people may interact with and be able to use in their daily lives. By combining my art with technology and science, I imagine my art will be able to achieve that goal. For instance, I want to create models of devices, like tablets phones, or maybe something bigger like software. My desire is that I just want to make something that is appealing to the eye, the art, and the where the users are also interested in the new technology and application my art may have. So that the people become more willing to explore the things that I have created in a critical or casual way.

Is There Something That You Found In Your Investigation That Specifically Interested or Inspired You?

Something during my research that inspired me was how successful Elon Musk is with his company. This inspires me because it gives a sense of hope that I could be able to become successful with my hybridity. Even though I will probably never reach the level of Elon Musk, it still give me insight of how he did, and that I can use him as an example. I want to be able to achieve the same things that he has, but in my way. Not doing the same exact thing, but going about it in a way that I am most familiar with and creating the art that I have always envisioned.