Michael Warren

Some questions to guide my thinking…

What am i talking about?… The business of design?… Design at it’s best from my point of view?…
Where do i stand in the grand scheme of things?
What i can contribute?
What do i think is great design?
What is my view of new technology? Do i care? Why would i care?
What makes me different from any other student? What is the point of another self promotional document? What is the point of another self promotional document about me?

Thought:

Q, If you are not your taste in music, or your clothes, who are you?
A, The words you say, and the actions you take. That is what makes you different.

Q, What do i think design should be about?
A, Helping people, everyday people, through everyday experiences. Helping people understand public transport, dealing with the process of losing a loved one. Producing things of substance and real value.
A, Getting this >!< from this >?<. And making this >!< worth experiencing.

Some examples of what i think good design(good thinking)(!) is…

A creative solution to help people transport large amounts of water with relative ease…

Some good thinking to tackle the issue of dirty water consumption for millions of people world wide…

How do you stop people speeding? (Is their really a huge difference between design and advertising (inspite of the industry cringe?))

Good Point. Clearly communicated…

Making the idea of owning a potentially life saving item (fire extinguisher) much more appealing to the everyday consumer…

Q, Can design make the world a better place
Q, Can creative thinkers make the world a better place?
A, Yes

At this point if i could sum up my ‘individual best practice’ in a simple expression it would be something like this…

Q, Whats the difference between a creative thinker and a good designer?
A, is it application? the ability to focus solutions? communicate in the right way to the right audience? Work 8-10 hours a day five days a week? Do things he/she doesn’t always want to do?

Some ‘more’ examples of what i think good design(good thinking)(!) is…

A very succinct expression of an organistion that protects waterways…

Another brandmark thats nice and to the point (food critics)…

A great way to handle a sensitive topic…

Q, Shouldn’t i really know my craft before i get to worried about the idea of self promotion? Surely, creating a point of conversation would be the better way to go? Demonstrating some sense of humility rather than jumping up and down screaming “Look how much i know!”
Q, Therefor, what tonality is most appropriate for my document?
Q, While there aren’t many who like to talk to someone who is up themselves, most people(designers) aren’t interested in hiring someone who doesn’t have the confidence to make decisions… Nor someone who is too shy to contribute due to the fear of rejection.
Q, Is it possible to communicate your personality at its most attractive in a sincere and honest way?

Quote:

“Beware of the man who says he has twenty years experience when what he should be saying is he has one years experience repeated twenty times” Taken from ‘The art of looking sideways’

Will my document be centered around my practice as a young designer? A manifesto of sorts that portrays my drive and character? A text that uses a relationship between myself and new technologies? Technologies being… what? What technologies are actually relevant?

So… what is my view of new technology?

I think that provided it performs a function that is ultimately useful then… great. What defines useful is the question then. Is ‘useful’ something that helps people? Or is ‘useful’ something that entertains people? Is it a combination of a variety of things? I guess it depends on your area of focus/interest. I guess my area would be a technology that is capable of delivering design solutions. On a day to day basis i utilize a variety of technologies in my design practice… they would be as follows.
> laptop
> desktop
> my body
> i-pod
> alarm clock
> bicycle
> traffic lights
> telephone
> mobile phone
> internet
> body
> stereo player
> fabric (clothes)
> …

Credo Summary at this point.

I want my document to say that I am interested in solutions…

I want my document to say that I am interested in design that:

• Helps people (everyday people)
• Through everyday experiences. (For example: Helping people understand public transport or help people deal with the process of losing a loved one)
• Through producing things of substance and real value.
• & how technologies might enable this design to occur

& I want to say it to anyone who is interested in listening.

Something interesting

I think if you can establish a common ground in terms of an understanding towards exactly what constitutes interesting then design then you can go along way towards building a relationship with a potential employer.

sand animation
sea creatures
banksy
reverse graffitti
the lion video
type videos
Jump fail
creative solutions
dancing fail
Old Goblin Man Walking Test

Sea Creatures: Cup Noodle CM

Design projects that are interesting in their execution. How do you show this? What is the medium? Is it possible to get people excited about design… again. How do you get static images to have some movement? and energy? what do you document.

What is the relationship?

The relationship is born out of common interest. The idea is that by developing a show reel of sorts of work that you think is good and then showing it to an employer. If they to find what i find interesting then the plausibility of working with each other becomes more likely.

The show reel is a moving document exploring your design ethos. Through a range of call to action statements. It is an extension of your folio exploring your intent to move into motion as the next step in your design education.

courage
honesty
recourcefulness
wit

My Credo

…about design (and me). A subjective snapshot of my perception of design at this point of time. It is an account of what I think good design is and what I think isn’t. It is a collection of thoughts. It is a look at the way I work and interact with the world around me. It is a snap shot of where I stand as a young designer (so very much a work in progress). It is an account of where I’ve come from and where I’m going.

Some Beliefs

Design is for people. In my day to day practice as a young designer I try and keep that in perspective at all times. For me It’s not about crafting a voguish typeface built out of circles and triangles simply for the sake of appealing to the ‘now’. Good design, in my opinion should always maintain a sense of relevance and timelessness. It’s about well thought out solutions for real problems. Its about designing for everyday people, and doing it in a manner that will make those people’s days better. For me design is about improving experiences, such as catching public transport, doing your taxes or waiting in a hospital emergency room.

A-B

Perhaps one of the most important things I have learnt so far is the importance of process in terms
of trying to get from A to B. Fundamental in this process is the use of a variety of tools. I have grown through my design education with the computer firmly perceived as the spearhead for design executions. It really hasn’t been until recently that I’ve realized that this isn’t the case. Technology plays a fundamental role in design but for me it isn’t the most important. Illustrated is a brief example of a design process in response to a brief and where technology is involved in that process.

Something Interesting

An important part of being a good designer is forming an understanding or at the very least an opinion around what constitutes interesting design. Fundamental to working with a group of people is having a shared understanding of what interesting design is. The following are some examples of design that engages an interesting thought process to ultimately generate a successful  design outcome.  These are by far not the only examples of what I think exceptional design constitutes, but rather a spread of good design thinking that utilizes existing technologies to produce (in my opinion) exceptional outcomes.

Helping those who need it

I think that design should play a more central role in the future to answering the numerous problems that humanity is going to face. Shown is an example of how an old technology (the wheel) is utilized in a new and engaging manner to answer a serious problem for millions of people across the planet. A container that can transport large volumes of water with relative ease. In my experience the best ideas are always inherently simple in their execution and intent regardless their utilization of new technologies.

Propriety

At present, society is flooded with products that scream louder than the previous one. The voice is either ‘shinier’ or ‘slimmer’ or ‘faster’. I’m interested in this voice primarily where the opportunity is to develop solutions that will potentially really help people. Shown is a noteworthy example of visual improvement for the purpose of increased market consumption. The humble Fire Extinguisher has been made much more appealing to the ‘IKEA’ style consumer who is much more concerned with a piece of technology that is exceptionally functional and aesthetically appealing. The ramifications are potentially quiet huge in terms encouraging people to own a device that has the capacity to prevent serious injury or even death.

Technology and survival

While evolving technologies open up plethoras of new possibilities in design application it is in my view that these technologies may very well be humanities undoing. All one has to do is look at the long list of current problems including pollution, global warming, hazardous wastes, biodiversity loss and the depletion of natural resources to see the harm that the consumption of technology has caused. I believe that designers have a responsibility to utilize innovative thinking to answer the now very real environmental emergency in as many ways as possible.

Timelessness

The idea of timelessness in design is an interesting one when positioned in an industry that is constantly moving with people as they embrace new technologies, attitudes and beliefs. Exceptional brand marks are those that truly don’t age. In their execution is a sense beauty and foundation that moves with the body that it created for. The Water Ways Trust logo from Pentagram is a prime example of a timeless and classic brand mark.

Some of my work

The following are examples of some projects that I have worked on. These examples are taken from my work at Chorus, Free-lancing and University.

While the above work will demonstrate my capabilities as a designer my dvd or show reel will more express my interests and thoughts in regards to my design practice. The content of my DVD will be derived from various sourced videos from the internet. I will select appropriate ones that will help express my ethos statements and approach as a young designer. I want the semiotics to be fairly rough and ready so sourcing the videos at low res will hopefully work to support the semiotics of my credo.