Published September 24, 2009 by

Water

RAIN_PRINCESS_by_LeonidafremovI feel kind of nerdy. But I’m doing this assignment on water at the moment (for a class on Systems and Services Design). And I have realised that we as a lovely population of well endowed off Westerners are VERY VERY ignorant about the issues associated with water and the world and the ties to poverty etc. My assignment is more specifically about domestic water situations and urban metabolism but really it all applies. It should be of concern.

Please begin to educate yourself:

FAO Water

UN Water


beautiful rain painting by Leonid Afremov

Social Justice Sustainable Uni

Published September 2, 2009 by

Copied

I had an interesting experience yesterday. In my advertising class we do regular weekly pin-ups which means all your progress work goes up on the wall and you talk about where you’re at. So it’s week 4, most people have picked their ‘social issue’ that they will be advertising, a couple are still tossing up between several. I’ve chosen to do homelessness. Anyhoo, we get into class, put stuff up and to my confusion/horror/indignation one of the ideas that I presented last week is on the wall. AND IT’S NOT MY PIECE OF PAPER. Ironically it’s pinned exactly next to mine which is the idea + an expansion of the same. As the guy starts presenting I confront him with an, ‘Ahem, do you realise I  presented this same idea last week?!’. Apparently he hadn’t realised and ‘mustn’t have paid attention last week’. Perhaps it was subconscious? Anyway. Needless to say he’ll be leaving it well alone.

It was quite an odd feeling being ripped off right to your face.

Pay better attention in class kids.

Design Uni

copyright interesting things happen at university that idea was mine where by I get ripped off

Published September 1, 2009 by

Information Design for Advocacy

visualizing-information-design1While sitting in class I was imagining the possibilities of information design in regards to voicing stuff I care about when they suddenly sprung us with this link.

Information Visualization for Advocacy – John Emerson (Title will download the pdf approx 7mb)

I do value Swinburne for hammering on about stuff that matters, even if this particular example was more a general resource to kick us in to action with our assignments. I intend someday to have a crack at a piece, so if someone wants to throw some data or an idea at me, it would be welcome.

This was not just written for designers the lovely Ellen Lupton (I’m sure she’s lovely – not that I’ve met her, but she’s a twin like me so of course she’s lovely) goes on about making design accessible to all. You go right ahead.

Sometimes I wish I’d discovered information design sooner. On a side note, my assignment piece is on John Friedrich and I will potentially be mapping relationships between him and Iago from Othello (Shakespeare). Should be interesting.

Create Culture Design Social Justice Sustainable Uni

Published August 14, 2009 by

The tertiary box

Subject line up looks like this:

Communicating Practice: which is a mass lot of readings and then folio building. The readings are interesting, however each week we have to write up and present on them with another person, which is a little bit of a pain in the bum. The folio aspect – when we get there, should be great.

Systems and Services: not quite sure assignment-wise yet, however there fascinating lecture on alternate aspects of design and the power in ‘designing behaviour’ etc. Have a feeling the lectures will interesting but the assignment could come with dark clouds. (Group work alert! Although I’m seasoned with having experienced the worst now)

Advertising Design: reminiscent of several former classes. If I get a good idea I’ll be laughing, if I don’t it’ll be perpetual pain. My assignment is on homelessness (my choice of topic) – lets hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew.

Information and Interface Design: Kind of up my alley – I think. It’s about applying some handy old logic and spatial grandeur and presenting information in a simpler, visual way. It does require thinking in 8 dimensions but I think I’m up for the challenge, does have the potential to be very tricky but also very fun.

And thus concludes a somewhat pessimistic view of my subjects this semester. The outlook presents some interesting stuff, hopefully I can do it justice and pull out some ripper work to conclude (finally!) my time in the tertiary box.

Design Uni

Published July 31, 2009 by

The final timetable

My last slug at university is sealed. Very nicely I might add. It’s all day Monday (ie. 8:30-5:30) with some well placed 1hr gaps to cover early lunch and then late afternoon coffee. Then Tuesday from 1:30-5:30, so there’s the morning free. And Wednesday at 8:30am for one hour, and that hour is a lecture so hopefully it will wind up online and won’t have to go in. But really. That’s a pretty freaking awesome timetable.

Uni