WELL DESIGNED: LAVA LAMP

The Lava Lamp is a timeless innovative lighting piece that has resonated through generations since its creation in the late 1960s. This piece consists of a glass cylindrical shaped container that is 

usually encompassed by a metal enclosure that withholds an incandescent or halogen bulb that heats up the wax/oil mixture to create a lighting effect that showcases the movement and flow of lava. I feel like this object is so well designed according to Dieter Ram’s aspects of design. The piece is long lasting in an iconic way and was so culturally popular during the seventies and so forth that is ever present amongst today’s pop culture. Also, the fact that it was only created almost 40 years ago adds to its ability to last as a cultural icon. The piece also is just a manipulation of a functional, demanding item that populates our society’s home decor market - the lamp, which adds to its generational sustainability. Also taking an object that is needed pairing it with something that occurs in nature (the flowing/movement of lava) and making it unique stylistically yet sleek and simple so it can appeal to anyone is a brilliant concept. The design of the Lava Lamp is extremely understandable, honest and is as simple as possible. It consists of a plain color scheme that depicts contrast between oil and lava and the product is so straightforward because it is a product that is familiarized amongst our society. It shows how beauty can be created using anything, even a piece of hardware and to me good design is that - creating beauty out of objects that can be functional in an emotional sense and physical sense, which is why this design is so well-created. It hits the consumer on many different levels. It satisfies the visceral, behavioral and reflective aspects of a design - it connects with the consumer on a subconscious emotional level, whether they have the Lava Lamp for decor, fun, entertainment, lighting or etc. Its many uses and timeless design is what makes the Lava Lamp so well designed and that’s why I chose this unique lighting source as my object.

(PHOTOS TO BE POST SOON)

OBJECTS OF GOOD DESIGN

Sketch Five Objects and Answer: What principle or principles of "good design" does it fit into? Why do you think it is good? What makes it good?


OBJECT #1:
MAGIC MOUSE by APPLE
It fits in the principle of good design by being a simple, functional, universal piece. Its aesthetically appealing and combats all the problems old mouses had. I feel like this products fits under all ten principles of design. The magic mouse by Apple to me is a good concept because it is unobtrusive, aesthetic, useful, extremely innovative, definitely understandable, honest, long lasting and environmental in the aspect that it uses a battery that you turn off and on which conserves energy.
The reason behind what makes this product so good is because Apple as a company looked at what problems on a mouse needed to be fixed and did it in a modern way that has a universal appeal.

OBJECT #2:
TEA-STEEPING CUP ALL-IN-ONE by BODUM
This object mainly fits the principle of designs that deal with innovation, functionality and aesthetics. It fits these three principles because of its unique designs. The tea-steeping cup holds a brew basket in a cup that is filled with hot water, it is clear so you can see the tea being steeped. It also has a lid for the top of the cup to keep the steam from being released. Once the tea is done steeping you pull the lid and brew basket out of the container and VIOLA its a clear cup of hot tea that is double insulated. I find this product to be a well made concept of design because its completely honest with what it does. There are no extras to make this product difficult to understand and it fits my needs when I only want one cup of tea opposed to a pot of tea. The reason behind what makes this product so good is Bodum as a company thought about their consumers needs. Not every person enjoys tea from tea bags, so this product fits perfect for the others who enjoy only full-leaf brewed tea because the brew basket allows tea leaves to rest in there without contaminating the water with loose pieces.

OBJECT #3:
THE MIGHTY WALLET by DYNOMIGHTY DESIGNS
This object is an indestructible wallet made out of recycled paper reinforced by microbial fibers to resist the paper from tearing because of water damage and daily use. This object fits all aspects of design. It is so functional because it fits everyone's style by using different templates on the outside to add personal style to the wallet. Also this wallet seems to be theft-proof too because of its simple paper structure and design, makes this wallet seem like just only a messed up old piece of paper. The fact that it is made out of recycled paper is appealing because it is environmentally friendly and long lasting. I feel like this product is good because its just so extremely adjustable, customizable and functional that its hard not to fall in love with the product. This wallet is the only wallet I have ever kept in my life. I feel like its mainly because it has been an easy fix to all the problems I had before with wallets. The reason why this product is such good design is because you can tell it was a well-thought out design that required minimal materials.

OBJECT #4:
ARTIFICIAL ROSES/PETALS
This object displays many good design principles; its environmentally friendly, long lasting, aesthetic, understanding and useful. It allows you to save the real flowers for outside and have flowers that last longer than a 4 day shelf life. Also flowers in general are seen as aesthetic pieces, so to create artificial ones that have durability is extremely innovative in my eyes. Also the fact that they can be made so life-like brings more appeal to the customer. Also it is unobtrusive because there will be no debris to clean up from the artificial flowers. What makes this good design is that it was already good design from the beginning but it is tweaked to fix certain problems that disallow the object from being durable/functional.

OBJECT #5:
LAVA LAMP
This object displays many good design principles. The object is honest, useful, understandable, and innovative. A lava lamp is an object of good design because of how unique it is as a lamp. Who would have thought to put lava in a lamp? I like how the designer even went further by allowing the lamp to have a substance in it that act and performs like lava. It hardens upon cooling and liqudfies as a gooey blob upon heating. The light and different colors set it apart by making it unique and stylistic. But the product is so easy to assemble and understand and use. All of these elements combine make this long lasting in a way it will always be popular amongst any generation in my opinion. This is good design because of its universality and uniqueness. Also its a lamp, a product that will always be in demand when it comes to home decor.

Analyzing Good Design

 Analyzing Good Design

Dieter Rams:
The 10 principles of Good Design 
Summary: This article is about the 10 aspects that create and define good design. It all goes back to simplicity, purpose, and communication. He defines the principles in depth; explaining the reason behind the principles and why they are so invaluable.
Reflection: This article is simple, communicative, as little as possible, thorough, detailed and etc. Ironically the writer has created a product of good design by displaying all aspects of what he considers good design throughout his paper by incorporating all ten aspects in his writing and displaying of this article.
   I learned that the reason why companies such as Apple and Sony are so popular and are at the top end of the name brand products list because their products are so well designed. They communicate easily with everyone, their products are aesthetically innovative, simple and functional. Also what I find great is that your not sacrificing functionality for taste. Also products such as Apple and Sony prove to people that although products may seem simple and boring on the outside doesn't mean that they are inferior to something that may be unique or individually based.
  I chose the magic mouse as a concept of good design. It fits all ten aspects of good design. Mac has chose to take all the extra components that usually come on a normal mouse such as a cord, a roller ball, and etc and made it into a sleek, all white, smooth surfaced, wireless functional mouse.
 This article pertains to my major in a way that personally I find that the best photographs taken are the ones that are simple with a clear view of the subject matter being expressed in a universal way so all viewers are able to understand.


Thinking and Making:
Summary: There was a strong emphasis throughout all the articles on Good Design being able to withstand time and culture and along the way, somehow basic concepts were able to be communicated through generations and culture. What outlines good design is fixing the problems that inhibit past designs from being efficient and relevant in the present time or future.
Reflection: I feel like this is relevant. It is funny to see how it can pertain to history, culture, fashion, architecture and etc.
   I learned that design can be a system of problem solving and can be approached by using different processes and techniques to portray a statement. I never really saw it this way until the article about the protest on the movie theater and it allowed me to see that it can even pertain to any object.
  This article pertains to my object, the magic mouse because Mac fixed the problems that inhibit the mouse from doing its main functions. They got rid of the middle scroll, the weight, the cord, the left/right click and built off the body by make a smooth, sleek surface with no extremities and full portability. 
  In photography there is a lot of problem solving dealing with making a completed piece things such as exposure, light, contrast, and etc are important aspects of a photo. If one of those elements are off; it shows tremendously through a photo. You want to be able to leave no mistakes for the viewer to see because that will immediately turn into your main subject focus. Trust me.


Don Norman:
Summary: I feel like Don is trying to explain design in a way where functionality meets beauty. He explains how lately he's trying to find the beauty in everything and how humans base beauty off of how things are designed. He exemplifies this idea by explaining the visceral, behavioral, and reflective nature that connects the user to the product's design.
Reflection: In my opinion this is may favorite article. Because it really broke down the mental components that play a significant role in deciding what is good design.
 I learned that design is an emotional, subconscious relationship that adheres on many levels of the human mind.
  The magic mouse pertains to Don's article because it catches the eye with white popping color, its functionality is as unique as its body. Also the object can be used as a reflective piece of a person's style and likes.
   This can relate to photography because in photography it is all visceral and reflective. These factors connect the viewers with the art piece.