After completing some of the portfolio work for Design, and bringing in your examples of Design, take some time to reflect about Pink's message and your experience.
While doing Pink’s Design activities, I felt a little strange. I found that I would look at the activities, and think “Huh, well I guess I do that without really thinking.” Even though I do not exactly agree with much that Pink has to say, I do think that he makes some good points in this activity section of the Design chapter. I think that I will now have my eyes opened a little bit more when I am visiting museums, buying clothes, or just walking around my house looking at everything we have.
Even though I am still wary about what Pink is saying in this book so far, I do think that he creates solid examples, and a message that is very visible to the reader. The greatest thing that I drew from this chapter is to just make sure that I am not ignoring the little things in life, and to realize that everything we have purchased was a design project that someone put a lot of thought into.
I felt similar to Janie while doing these things. I totally look at objects and buildings and structures and analyze them without really thinking about it. That being said, it felt silly being told, "design is important!" like I didn't already include it in my life, because I do. I may not sit and stare at my favorite objects periodically and wonder about them, but I still recognize good and bad design when it's prominent enough. Still though, Pink is convincing and persuasive and he backs up his ideas with a lot of information.
So, sure, he makes good points but I figure someone else could write a book just as full of wild information about left-brained senses. Pink can write and he can argue his points well but I'm not convinced that he has obtained some rare knowledge that will change the lives of his readers. It's going to take a bit more than talking about his fancy toilet brush for me to be impressed.
I agree with Janie and Melanie's opinions about Pink's perspective on design. I wasn't really able to complete any of the design portfolio activities without thinking "don't I look at this object every day? Is it really necessary for me to analyze the design, only to find that I don’t like the item anymore?”Nevertheless, Pink does offer insight into the world of design and he delivers logical information. His idea for reading design magazines has been helpful in the past years, especially in making decisions for the design scheme of my bedroom. We receive Better Homes and Gardens every month, and I think our yard's landscape has benefitted from the writer's tips. I have also taken Pink's "Be choosy" paragraph to heart considering I am a perfectionist and I am choosy about practically everything in my life. I have always been told that it is a bad thing to be choosy, but Pink diminished those comments by informing me that choosy is the way to go. I wouldn't say that this chapter changed my life, but it did reinforce my ideas of good design.
After completing some of the portfolio, and seeing many different examples of design, I began to understand what Pink is trying to make the reader understand. Pink is saying that in order for success to be guaranteed in society today, there has to be good design present. Also, by having readers complete some of the portfolio, Pink is actually showing the importance of design in the simplest of objects. However, I don't exactly agree with what Pink says. I agree with the fact that design is important and exists in everything, but I do not agree with the idea that MFA's are going to replace MBA's. I believe that there is a reason that MBA's have been "in the lead." Also, I don't agree with the statement that design will take over the business world. I don't agree with the design high school, CHAD. I believe that students should have a normal education and should learn design as a side. However, I did make a connection between the method of learning in CHAD and the method of learning in our own English class. Both methods are similar to each other, they involve the student actually experiencing, and connecting to the information given, unlike just memorizing the information. I guess you could say that their method of learning is similar to ours, which is, "This is not education as usual."
As other people have noted, while completing the design activities, it seemed to be a little awkward. Many times when I would look at and complete an activity, it did not really solidify the concepts of design for me. Sure, I understand why design is important, but many of the activities centered around describing good and bad design. I felt that they were often repeated, with a slight twist.
I can understand Pink's point about how design is important. If you stop and think about it, a product would not sell if it was poorly designed in any way. That being said, I am entirely sure that design determines a person's success in the world. It is important for some professions, but professions such as accounting, human services, and cashiers, design is not as important to be able to identify and create. I believe that Pink is making a very large generalization that does not always apply to every case across the world. Though design may determine a person's success or failure in a certain activity, it will certainly not determine one's overall success in life.
Last week, while discussing during the fishbowl, I really was skeptical of Daniel Pink's message as to why the United States as a society needed to become more right-brained. Despite my stubborn attitude, Pink’s factual based evidence shifted my thinking. Pink offers the information that cars, a subject area I take pride in, are really just based on design. He also clarifies that car companies no longer focus on having the most horsepower, but instead on right brain directed Design. This really resonated with me because, after stopping and thinking about it, most people with good looking cars do not even know that the engine may be just as functionally beautiful. They buy their cars because of what their right brain tells them. There is also the example that not many people find a Ford Econoline appealing because of its chubby design, that engineers must have taken two minutes to slap down on a piece of paper, but everyone wants a BMW because of its attention to quality. When reading “Become a Design Detective” activity in the Design portfolio, I recognized that this was something I had done numerous times throughout the years. Because my mother is a realtor, as a kid, I would always have to go to open houses with her. Because of this torture as a child, I know now when I walk into a house other mine, what is in style and what is not. That being said, even in my own house I know what should not be present. Also, it gives you the ability to point out very miniscule details in everyday life. Pink's factual evidence altered my thinking in the design category, and by the end of the book, maybe even more.
Reading some of the above posts, I agree with Janie and Melanie about how people tend to redesign things without realizing it. One of the activities Pink suggested, was pick an item and redesign it to make it look better, work better, or just because you want to. After reading that I noticied that whenever I see an infomercial or advertisment I redesign the product without realizing it. Not being a creative person to begin with I thought that was neat because then I am sort of creative just in my own way. Another idea I took from the portfolio was to look at design based magazines. I loved the neat architecture and pictures that were in those magazines. I agree with what Kailee said about CHAD. The idea of allowing kids in a poorer neighboorhood good to a good school is great, but design needs to be an elective like at AHS. Academics should be the main focus which would also allow kids who are not as creative minded attend this school which is aimed toward the creative students.
Overall the design chapter had a good message. I cannot say I fully agree or even like it, but the point he is making that design is everywhere is true. Even the logical things I like to do have creative aspects and creative tools involved with them. I makes me like creative activities more because I know that those things can help me in my academics. Still, I feel logic is more important that these things, but I have come to apreciate the right-brained people more.
As I completed some of the activities in the design portfolio I felt very awkward. The things that I did were things that I subconsciously do on a daily basis. I analyze design everyday without actually realizing it. The activities just re-solidified what what good and bad design if for me. Pink's point's about how design is important is understandable from both the left and right brained perspectives. Any product requires a good design for people to buy it. One side of the design is aesthetic and the other is functionality/ease of use. The brain will default to the nicer looking product rather than the better functioning one. This is very evident in cars. People could care less about how the car performs as long as it looks good. This section I actually do agree mostly with Pink due to his solid reasoning and facts.
Daniel Pink’s chapter on design was quite interesting and innovative. Pink uses a unique style of writing to convey his message: the portfolio. At the end of the chapter on design, readers come across a small section with ideas and tips provided by Pink to enrich the reading. There are activities which can help the reader incorporate what was read into their own lives. After I read the Design Portfolio, I tried a few of the activities; the activities did allow me to use my right brain. In school, I took pictures of good design and bad design in art; I then contemplated why the art was classified as either good or bad design, and what characteristics attributed to its classification. I also recently read through a magazine about home efficiency. The designs I saw made the houses more energy, heat, and water efficient, and also improved the appeal of the homes. I realized that simple ideas, when incorporated into the big picture, as Pink suggests, can be extremely beneficial and pleasing to the eye.
While I may not agree with everything Daniel Pink has to say in his novel, A Whole New Mind, I can relate to his message through the activities he provides in his portfolio. I am beginning to understand that both sides of the brain must collaborate to be more efficient in the advancing world.
For the portfolio ideas I chose to try the “Participate is the ‘Third Industrial Revolution’” topic and the “Channel Your Annoyance” one. Unlike most of you I did not think it was all that strange. In “Participate is the ‘Third Industrial Revolution’” one I just went and customized my own shoe. I chose some crazy colors and it looked awful, but I understand what Pink is trying to say with this piece. I think he is trying to say that in the future we are going to be trying to get things, like shoes, that are more unique and different. Right now we have these normal shoes that are the same as the next person’s. In the future, we will be much more personalized, and very different from one another.
With the “Channel Your Annoyance” piece, I thought we were already doing that subconsciously. We are not going to a café and drawing out the flaws, but we are thinking about these flaws in our heads. For example, this morning I burned myself on an iron, it annoyed me, and almost automatically I was thinking why didn’t they do this or fix that, so I wouldn’t do that again. I think the point of this piece was to get you to take those thoughts and actually make something of it. These ideas that we have would be creative fixes, which I think that Pink is trying to say, and that this could be future jobs and careers. I think overall with the portfolio that all that Pink is trying to do is to get us to realize what the future will be like.
While completing a few of the activities listed in the portfolio section of A Whole New Mind, I was a bit frustrated. I was unable to complete some of the activities. For example, my family did not have time to visit an art museum and I do not own any design magazines. I also agree with Meredith that many of the activities were repeated and not very unique. I analyze design, usually in the form of clothing, posters, book covers, and buildings, on a regular basis. However, I do see how these activities could be insightful to some people. There are individuals who never go to art museums or notice the design surrounds them and shapes society. Aside from the portfolio section, I really enjoyed Pink’s ideas about design. I never really thought about a toilet brush as something creative. I agree with Pink that design and art are undervalued in society. In the current recession, art programs are underfunded. Many districts are cutting back on art programs, believing that they are not important compared to math, reading, and writing. I find this really unfortunate. If students cannot learn to use design creatively, think of all the inventions that will never created and the improvements that will never be made. I also liked his descriptions of design in relation to business. I am currently taking a desktop publishing/graphic design class where students design advertisements, fliers, and business cards. From this class, I have learned that the font you use on a flier or an advertisement gives customers a certain attitude about the product. In addition, companies can use colors to draw in customers. For example, black, when used in small amounts, creates the feeling of security and strength. The packaging of a product is often what draws customers in by creating a crucial first impression. I believe Pink made many good points in this section.
On Friday, when our class was sharing the designs we have discovered with one another, one the main generalizations that I got out of the sharing was that a design is good if it both is functional and appealing to look at. I think this was a very important lesson because as Pink has stated that people need to be somewhat creative to be successful, this applies to many jobs. A job such as a business owner needs an organized sort of left-brain person, but if this person is not able to come up with a creative design or idea, their business is most likely not going to succeed. Therefore, I agree that design is important for an individual to have good technique with, although if they don't they are not necessarily going to do horrible in life. Because design does not relate to every career out there, just some very important ones.
Through the activities in the Design Portfolio and throughout the rest of the Design chapter, I feel as though Pink was trying to convey how important the details are to creating the big picture. Design is crucial to the appeal and effectiveness of any product. Pink points out that design is becoming a key element when selling an item. One activity in the Design Portfolio encouraged me to search for elements in architecture and outdoor design that I may have never noticed before. I spent a few hours taking in the newly built structures at Streets of Southglenn and I was amazed to discover how small details can change the entire atmosphere inside and outside of a building. I think Pink was hoping that his book would encourage such realizations. I am happy to say that Pink's words changed my outlook on my surroundings. In one chapter he has convinced me to appreciate and understand design.
After completing some of the activities in Pink's design portfolio I am know starting to think Pink isnt saying anything new he is just reiterating good buisness princepls in a different way. He is saying that in the future products will have to have something extra for the consumer to buy them. They will have to have something that makes them different. This isnt knew information but any stretch of the imagination. Ever since the begining of trade amoung man people have been trying to one-up each other with product design. This isnt "the way of the future" or "a whole new way of thinking" its just a direct represintation of man made progress. The same goes for eveything else in Pink's book. Its not about changing the way you think its just about unerstanding the principales of good product advancement. The same could even be said about the future of design with buildings and structres. There is a reason why we dont build castles or all brick houses any more. What Pink is saying isnt new, mind chaging, or world altering its just basic good priceples of buisness and the advancement of man kind. I am not convinced we need "A Whole New Mind". We can use the old one, we just need to up-date it with what is going on around it and it will do the rest.
Design is a detail that I feel is often over looked. Buildings and houses, as an example, have very specific designs that go unnoticed, however without those specifics, they would appear very different. I think it is interesting the different ideas that pink suggested to do because some were tasks I would not usually think about. The idea of thinking of ways to change household items that you dislike is not something I would normally do, but it would help and change the design of many common objects. On the other hand, his "put it on the table" idea I felt was something that you already do because things that you like or that you care about always naturally bring up memories.
In this book so far, I am not sure I understand Pink's true meaning. It seems to me that he is favoring the left side of the brain, however the quote about the right brain on the front of the book was not his idea. Therefore I am confused as to if he is saying we will be only using the right brain more or if he is saying because of the technology and cheaper industry in foreign countries the right brain is necessary for success.
Design is something that I really enjoy trying to spot and find. It is an aspect of our culture that is overlooked by people everyday. While doing the activities that Pink suggested were unusual in some ways and sometimes I thought to myself don't I do this every day? The idea of thinking of ways to change household items that you dislike is not something I would normally do, but it would help and change the design of many common objects. On the other hand, his "put it on the table" idea I felt was something that you already do because things that you like or that you care about always naturally bring up memories. My family, for some reason,goes to open houses and looks at real estate a lot. When we go to these things love to look at detail. It is amazing that Pink wrote this book and it helps people realize the little things of detail.
The activity I did was the "channel your annoyance". The first item I did was my iPod touch. The obvious flaw in it is the cracked screen, but another flaw is that it is very hard to type on it. While thinking of ways to fix it, I drew a design for a great invention that I (And every other person) call a home computer. After trying this for some other objects, inventing a car and juice, I realized that for many things, there is a better product, but for some reason or another, my family doesn't have the best product. This showed me that there is most always a better product out there, whether it be by effectiveness or cost.
Mr.Pink is stating that design takes both a functional and appealing purpose. When we brought our examples into class, there were things that I did not find necessarily functional or appealing. In the design chapter Pink is reinforcing that everyday we look at things both subconsciously and consciously and critique them based on our approval or liking. He points out that everyone is an artist, just not claiming they're work. For instance, there is some kind of stucco on the side wall of my house. It looks very nice, besides the fact that its only on the houses in my neighborhood. Also it's very flimsy and annoying to feel, its very ruff and has more ill sides rather than pluses. Mr.Pink also points out that detail is a major part of designing and manufacturing. There are people that just look at a car and say, "does it get me from point A to B," and others that ask, "does it look nice, will my friends like it," and then go on and customize the entire vehicle. The problem nowadays is the abundance of choices and paths that we can follow. For example there are over ten brands that sell electric drills at Home Depot. Around three of them are exclusive and only sold at Home Depot. Each drill looks the same, maybe a color change here and there but overall the task will be completed. However, the prices range from $60-360 just because of the brand name and the signature placed on it. The point I'm trying to convey is the same as Mr.Pink, except I do not think that this is an all of a sudden thing. In the seventies there were thousands of cars made, with the same tank and the same components. Each just had a different style and paint job. Design has and always will be around, it incorporates itself into the system of left brain thinking.
Looking at things in daily life as examples of design is interesting really because there is so much of it. Everything man made is an object of design. After going through a day looking at examples of good design and poor design, and redesigning the poor examples in my head, it hit me how much more improved the world would be if everyone did this and shared their thoughts with one another. Design is not just appearance it is the object as a whole and I think that is one thing Pink was really trying to tell us.
I feel that although Pink's message is an important one, his time is somewhat wasted on most people because he is telling them something they already understand. I am sure that there were a handful of people (although not in one of our classes I would hope)that read this and had an eyeopening experience because they had never appreciated design, but most people realize that design is important and all around us and, being one of those people, I felt a lot like a first grader when reading the instructions he gave me. Pink has not really introduced anything new by saying that design is important; even the people who's eyes were opened by Pink's words still knew below the sirface that design is important, they just don't go out of their way to notice it. In fact, this is arguably the point of design. No one wants to buy an object that is designed for the sake of design, everything always has a purpose, even if it is just to fill space. Design should not be a determining factor for when you buy a product, it should be a given. Most people don't go out of their way to buy the prettiest product, they find the best they can afford. Now obviously when you are working in the specific area of design, things are different, but design on its own is not the most important thing in most areas, it is expected.
After completing some of Pink’s portfolio work for design and bringing in an object of design, I have a whole new insight about design. I never thought design was very important before reading A Whole New Mind, and now I am starting to see how design affects everyone in the world. The everyday objects I come into contact with all have design. The rooms in my house, the school I attend, the clothes that I wear, and so much more. As a result of Pink’s portfolio, I look for design everywhere I go.
Design has been around for a long time, Pink is just trying to tell the world that we need to start noticing it. I think subconsciously I have always noticed and really cared about design. Now I see that I need to incorporate design in my life and become a designer as Pink said. I am not quite sure why people do not think that design is important. Everything has design: schools, buildings, toys, tools, clothes, computers, everything. So why do people think it is not relevant to their lives? Possibly design is already a huge part of people’s lives. Maybe that is why some people say that what Pink is saying is nothing new.
While doing Pink’s Design activities, I felt a little strange. I found that I would look at the activities, and think “Huh, well I guess I do that without really thinking.” Even though I do not exactly agree with much that Pink has to say, I do think that he makes some good points in this activity section of the Design chapter. I think that I will now have my eyes opened a little bit more when I am visiting museums, buying clothes, or just walking around my house looking at everything we have.
ReplyDeleteEven though I am still wary about what Pink is saying in this book so far, I do think that he creates solid examples, and a message that is very visible to the reader. The greatest thing that I drew from this chapter is to just make sure that I am not ignoring the little things in life, and to realize that everything we have purchased was a design project that someone put a lot of thought into.
I felt similar to Janie while doing these things. I totally look at objects and buildings and structures and analyze them without really thinking about it. That being said, it felt silly being told, "design is important!" like I didn't already include it in my life, because I do. I may not sit and stare at my favorite objects periodically and wonder about them, but I still recognize good and bad design when it's prominent enough. Still though, Pink is convincing and persuasive and he backs up his ideas with a lot of information.
ReplyDeleteSo, sure, he makes good points but I figure someone else could write a book just as full of wild information about left-brained senses. Pink can write and he can argue his points well but I'm not convinced that he has obtained some rare knowledge that will change the lives of his readers. It's going to take a bit more than talking about his fancy toilet brush for me to be impressed.
I agree with Janie and Melanie's opinions about Pink's perspective on design. I wasn't really able to complete any of the design portfolio activities without thinking "don't I look at this object every day? Is it really necessary for me to analyze the design, only to find that I don’t like the item anymore?”Nevertheless, Pink does offer insight into the world of design and he delivers logical information.
ReplyDeleteHis idea for reading design magazines has been helpful in the past years, especially in making decisions for the design scheme of my bedroom. We receive Better Homes and Gardens every month, and I think our yard's landscape has benefitted from the writer's tips. I have also taken Pink's "Be choosy" paragraph to heart considering I am a perfectionist and I am choosy about practically everything in my life. I have always been told that it is a bad thing to be choosy, but Pink diminished those comments by informing me that choosy is the way to go. I wouldn't say that this chapter changed my life, but it did reinforce my ideas of good design.
After completing some of the portfolio, and seeing many different examples of design, I began to understand what Pink is trying to make the reader understand. Pink is saying that in order for success to be guaranteed in society today, there has to be good design present. Also, by having readers complete some of the portfolio, Pink is actually showing the importance of design in the simplest of objects. However, I don't exactly agree with what Pink says. I agree with the fact that design is important and exists in everything, but I do not agree with the idea that MFA's are going to replace MBA's. I believe that there is a reason that MBA's have been "in the lead." Also, I don't agree with the statement that design will take over the business world. I don't agree with the design high school, CHAD. I believe that students should have a normal education and should learn design as a side. However, I did make a connection between the method of learning in CHAD and the method of learning in our own English class. Both methods are similar to each other, they involve the student actually experiencing, and connecting to the information given, unlike just memorizing the information. I guess you could say that their method of learning is similar to ours, which is, "This is not education as usual."
ReplyDeleteAs other people have noted, while completing the design activities, it seemed to be a little awkward. Many times when I would look at and complete an activity, it did not really solidify the concepts of design for me. Sure, I understand why design is important, but many of the activities centered around describing good and bad design. I felt that they were often repeated, with a slight twist.
ReplyDeleteI can understand Pink's point about how design is important. If you stop and think about it, a product would not sell if it was poorly designed in any way. That being said, I am entirely sure that design determines a person's success in the world. It is important for some professions, but professions such as accounting, human services, and cashiers, design is not as important to be able to identify and create. I believe that Pink is making a very large generalization that does not always apply to every case across the world. Though design may determine a person's success or failure in a certain activity, it will certainly not determine one's overall success in life.
Last week, while discussing during the fishbowl, I really was skeptical of Daniel Pink's message as to why the United States as a society needed to become more right-brained. Despite my stubborn attitude, Pink’s factual based evidence shifted my thinking. Pink offers the information that cars, a subject area I take pride in, are really just based on design. He also clarifies that car companies no longer focus on having the most horsepower, but instead on right brain directed Design. This really resonated with me because, after stopping and thinking about it, most people with good looking cars do not even know that the engine may be just as functionally beautiful. They buy their cars because of what their right brain tells them. There is also the example that not many people find a Ford Econoline appealing because of its chubby design, that engineers must have taken two minutes to slap down on a piece of paper, but everyone wants a BMW because of its attention to quality. When reading “Become a Design Detective” activity in the Design portfolio, I recognized that this was something I had done numerous times throughout the years. Because my mother is a realtor, as a kid, I would always have to go to open houses with her. Because of this torture as a child, I know now when I walk into a house other mine, what is in style and what is not. That being said, even in my own house I know what should not be present. Also, it gives you the ability to point out very miniscule details in everyday life. Pink's factual evidence altered my thinking in the design category, and by the end of the book, maybe even more.
ReplyDeleteReading some of the above posts, I agree with Janie and Melanie about how people tend to redesign things without realizing it. One of the activities Pink suggested, was pick an item and redesign it to make it look better, work better, or just because you want to. After reading that I noticied that whenever I see an infomercial or advertisment I redesign the product without realizing it. Not being a creative person to begin with I thought that was neat because then I am sort of creative just in my own way. Another idea I took from the portfolio was to look at design based magazines. I loved the neat architecture and pictures that were in those magazines. I agree with what Kailee said about CHAD. The idea of allowing kids in a poorer neighboorhood good to a good school is great, but design needs to be an elective like at AHS. Academics should be the main focus which would also allow kids who are not as creative minded attend this school which is aimed toward the creative students.
ReplyDeleteOverall the design chapter had a good message. I cannot say I fully agree or even like it, but the point he is making that design is everywhere is true. Even the logical things I like to do have creative aspects and creative tools involved with them. I makes me like creative activities more because I know that those things can help me in my academics. Still, I feel logic is more important that these things, but I have come to apreciate the right-brained people more.
As I completed some of the activities in the design portfolio I felt very awkward. The things that I did were things that I subconsciously do on a daily basis. I analyze design everyday without actually realizing it. The activities just re-solidified what what good and bad design if for me. Pink's point's about how design is important is understandable from both the left and right brained perspectives. Any product requires a good design for people to buy it. One side of the design is aesthetic and the other is functionality/ease of use. The brain will default to the nicer looking product rather than the better functioning one. This is very evident in cars. People could care less about how the car performs as long as it looks good. This section I actually do agree mostly with Pink due to his solid reasoning and facts.
ReplyDeleteDaniel Pink’s chapter on design was quite interesting and innovative. Pink uses a unique style of writing to convey his message: the portfolio. At the end of the chapter on design, readers come across a small section with ideas and tips provided by Pink to enrich the reading. There are activities which can help the reader incorporate what was read into their own lives. After I read the Design Portfolio, I tried a few of the activities; the activities did allow me to use my right brain. In school, I took pictures of good design and bad design in art; I then contemplated why the art was classified as either good or bad design, and what characteristics attributed to its classification. I also recently read through a magazine about home efficiency. The designs I saw made the houses more energy, heat, and water efficient, and also improved the appeal of the homes. I realized that simple ideas, when incorporated into the big picture, as Pink suggests, can be extremely beneficial and pleasing to the eye.
ReplyDeleteWhile I may not agree with everything Daniel Pink has to say in his novel, A Whole New Mind, I can relate to his message through the activities he provides in his portfolio. I am beginning to understand that both sides of the brain must collaborate to be more efficient in the advancing world.
For the portfolio ideas I chose to try the “Participate is the ‘Third Industrial Revolution’” topic and the “Channel Your Annoyance” one. Unlike most of you I did not think it was all that strange. In “Participate is the ‘Third Industrial Revolution’” one I just went and customized my own shoe. I chose some crazy colors and it looked awful, but I understand what Pink is trying to say with this piece. I think he is trying to say that in the future we are going to be trying to get things, like shoes, that are more unique and different. Right now we have these normal shoes that are the same as the next person’s. In the future, we will be much more personalized, and very different from one another.
ReplyDeleteWith the “Channel Your Annoyance” piece, I thought we were already doing that subconsciously. We are not going to a café and drawing out the flaws, but we are thinking about these flaws in our heads. For example, this morning I burned myself on an iron, it annoyed me, and almost automatically I was thinking why didn’t they do this or fix that, so I wouldn’t do that again. I think the point of this piece was to get you to take those thoughts and actually make something of it. These ideas that we have would be creative fixes, which I think that Pink is trying to say, and that this could be future jobs and careers. I think overall with the portfolio that all that Pink is trying to do is to get us to realize what the future will be like.
While completing a few of the activities listed in the portfolio section of A Whole New Mind, I was a bit frustrated. I was unable to complete some of the activities. For example, my family did not have time to visit an art museum and I do not own any design magazines. I also agree with Meredith that many of the activities were repeated and not very unique. I analyze design, usually in the form of clothing, posters, book covers, and buildings, on a regular basis. However, I do see how these activities could be insightful to some people. There are individuals who never go to art museums or notice the design surrounds them and shapes society.
ReplyDeleteAside from the portfolio section, I really enjoyed Pink’s ideas about design. I never really thought about a toilet brush as something creative. I agree with Pink that design and art are undervalued in society. In the current recession, art programs are underfunded. Many districts are cutting back on art programs, believing that they are not important compared to math, reading, and writing. I find this really unfortunate. If students cannot learn to use design creatively, think of all the inventions that will never created and the improvements that will never be made. I also liked his descriptions of design in relation to business. I am currently taking a desktop publishing/graphic design class where students design advertisements, fliers, and business cards. From this class, I have learned that the font you use on a flier or an advertisement gives customers a certain attitude about the product. In addition, companies can use colors to draw in customers. For example, black, when used in small amounts, creates the feeling of security and strength. The packaging of a product is often what draws customers in by creating a crucial first impression. I believe Pink made many good points in this section.
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ReplyDeleteOn Friday, when our class was sharing the designs we have discovered with one another, one the main generalizations that I got out of the sharing was that a design is good if it both is functional and appealing to look at. I think this was a very important lesson because as Pink has stated that people need to be somewhat creative to be successful, this applies to many jobs. A job such as a business owner needs an organized sort of left-brain person, but if this person is not able to come up with a creative design or idea, their business is most likely not going to succeed.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, I agree that design is important for an individual to have good technique with, although if they don't they are not necessarily going to do horrible in life. Because design does not relate to every career out there, just some very important ones.
Through the activities in the Design Portfolio and throughout the rest of the Design chapter, I feel as though Pink was trying to convey how important the details are to creating the big picture. Design is crucial to the appeal and effectiveness of any product. Pink points out that design is becoming a key element when selling an item. One activity in the Design Portfolio encouraged me to search for elements in architecture and outdoor design that I may have never noticed before. I spent a few hours taking in the newly built structures at Streets of Southglenn and I was amazed to discover how small details can change the entire atmosphere inside and outside of a building. I think Pink was hoping that his book would encourage such realizations. I am happy to say that Pink's words changed my outlook on my surroundings. In one chapter he has convinced me to appreciate and understand design.
ReplyDeleteAfter completing some of the activities in Pink's design portfolio I am know starting to think Pink isnt saying anything new he is just reiterating good buisness princepls in a different way. He is saying that in the future products will have to have something extra for the consumer to buy them. They will have to have something that makes them different. This isnt knew information but any stretch of the imagination. Ever since the begining of trade amoung man people have been trying to one-up each other with product design. This isnt "the way of the future" or "a whole new way of thinking" its just a direct represintation of man made progress. The same goes for eveything else in Pink's book. Its not about changing the way you think its just about unerstanding the principales of good product advancement. The same could even be said about the future of design with buildings and structres. There is a reason why we dont build castles or all brick houses any more. What Pink is saying isnt new, mind chaging, or world altering its just basic good priceples of buisness and the advancement of man kind. I am not convinced we need "A Whole New Mind". We can use the old one, we just need to up-date it with what is going on around it and it will do the rest.
ReplyDeleteDesign is a detail that I feel is often over looked. Buildings and houses, as an example, have very specific designs that go unnoticed, however without those specifics, they would appear very different. I think it is interesting the different ideas that pink suggested to do because some were tasks I would not usually think about. The idea of thinking of ways to change household items that you dislike is not something I would normally do, but it would help and change the design of many common objects. On the other hand, his "put it on the table" idea I felt was something that you already do because things that you like or that you care about always naturally bring up memories.
ReplyDeleteIn this book so far, I am not sure I understand Pink's true meaning. It seems to me that he is favoring the left side of the brain, however the quote about the right brain on the front of the book was not his idea. Therefore I am confused as to if he is saying we will be only using the right brain more or if he is saying because of the technology and cheaper industry in foreign countries the right brain is necessary for success.
Design is something that I really enjoy trying to spot and find. It is an aspect of our culture that is overlooked by people everyday. While doing the activities that Pink suggested were unusual in some ways and sometimes I thought to myself don't I do this every day? The idea of thinking of ways to change household items that you dislike is not something I would normally do, but it would help and change the design of many common objects. On the other hand, his "put it on the table" idea I felt was something that you already do because things that you like or that you care about always naturally bring up memories. My family, for some reason,goes to open houses and looks at real estate a lot. When we go to these things love to look at detail. It is amazing that Pink wrote this book and it helps people realize the little things of detail.
ReplyDeleteThe activity I did was the "channel your annoyance". The first item I did was my iPod touch. The obvious flaw in it is the cracked screen, but another flaw is that it is very hard to type on it. While thinking of ways to fix it, I drew a design for a great invention that I (And every other person) call a home computer. After trying this for some other objects, inventing a car and juice, I realized that for many things, there is a better product, but for some reason or another, my family doesn't have the best product. This showed me that there is most always a better product out there, whether it be by effectiveness or cost.
ReplyDeleteMr.Pink is stating that design takes both a functional and appealing purpose. When we brought our examples into class, there were things that I did not find necessarily functional or appealing. In the design chapter Pink is reinforcing that everyday we look at things both subconsciously and consciously and critique them based on our approval or liking. He points out that everyone is an artist, just not claiming they're work. For instance, there is some kind of stucco on the side wall of my house. It looks very nice, besides the fact that its only on the houses in my neighborhood. Also it's very flimsy and annoying to feel, its very ruff and has more ill sides rather than pluses. Mr.Pink also points out that detail is a major part of designing and manufacturing. There are people that just look at a car and say, "does it get me from point A to B," and others that ask, "does it look nice, will my friends like it," and then go on and customize the entire vehicle. The problem nowadays is the abundance of choices and paths that we can follow. For example there are over ten brands that sell electric drills at Home Depot. Around three of them are exclusive and only sold at Home Depot. Each drill looks the same, maybe a color change here and there but overall the task will be completed. However, the prices range from $60-360 just because of the brand name and the signature placed on it.
ReplyDeleteThe point I'm trying to convey is the same as Mr.Pink, except I do not think that this is an all of a sudden thing. In the seventies there were thousands of cars made, with the same tank and the same components. Each just had a different style and paint job. Design has and always will be around, it incorporates itself into the system of left brain thinking.
Looking at things in daily life as examples of design is interesting really because there is so much of it. Everything man made is an object of design. After going through a day looking at examples of good design and poor design, and redesigning the poor examples in my head, it hit me how much more improved the world would be if everyone did this and shared their thoughts with one another. Design is not just appearance it is the object as a whole and I think that is one thing Pink was really trying to tell us.
ReplyDeleteI feel that although Pink's message is an important one, his time is somewhat wasted on most people because he is telling them something they already understand. I am sure that there were a handful of people (although not in one of our classes I would hope)that read this and had an eyeopening experience because they had never appreciated design, but most people realize that design is important and all around us and, being one of those people, I felt a lot like a first grader when reading the instructions he gave me. Pink has not really introduced anything new by saying that design is important; even the people who's eyes were opened by Pink's words still knew below the sirface that design is important, they just don't go out of their way to notice it. In fact, this is arguably the point of design. No one wants to buy an object that is designed for the sake of design, everything always has a purpose, even if it is just to fill space. Design should not be a determining factor for when you buy a product, it should be a given. Most people don't go out of their way to buy the prettiest product, they find the best they can afford. Now obviously when you are working in the specific area of design, things are different, but design on its own is not the most important thing in most areas, it is expected.
ReplyDeleteAfter completing some of Pink’s portfolio work for design and bringing in an object of design, I have a whole new insight about design. I never thought design was very important before reading A Whole New Mind, and now I am starting to see how design affects everyone in the world. The everyday objects I come into contact with all have design. The rooms in my house, the school I attend, the clothes that I wear, and so much more. As a result of Pink’s portfolio, I look for design everywhere I go.
ReplyDeleteDesign has been around for a long time, Pink is just trying to tell the world that we need to start noticing it. I think subconsciously I have always noticed and really cared about design. Now I see that I need to incorporate design in my life and become a designer as Pink said. I am not quite sure why people do not think that design is important. Everything has design: schools, buildings, toys, tools, clothes, computers, everything. So why do people think it is not relevant to their lives? Possibly design is already a huge part of people’s lives. Maybe that is why some people say that what Pink is saying is nothing new.