a design thread
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- rasko4
Much too Much.
(a design thread)stim·u·lus
n. pl. stim·u·li (-l)
Something causing or regarded as causing a response.An agent, action, or condition that elicits or accelerates a physiological or psychological activity or response.
Something that incites or rouses to action; an incentive: “Works which were in themselves poor have often proved a stimulus to the imagination”
Cultural/visual/audial input, awareness of surroundings and movements within and outside of our sphere is surely necessary as both inspiration and guidance, and indeed vital to the relevance of our 'solutions'.
but the question is: are we faced with too much input? Do we suffer overload? Is the cycle too fast in this age of 'coolhunters' and corporate youth culture?
Do we face burnout through a constant need to find the 'next big thing', to stay 'ahead of the trend'?
Is this disposable, hyperspeed rotation infact eating itself, is an evolution of style and progression within movements prevented by an artificial lightspeed ageing process?
Or is this a good thing? Is it survival of the fittest? Is this shedding of skin infact covering more ground and unearthing new possibilities?
this is more geared toward the superficial fashion oriented aspects of design but there is surely a residual crossover into other areas.
- k0na_an0k0
i'm having a stimulus in my pants.
what are you on about?
- stewart0
pffft.
- instantok0
yes...err maybe
- GreedoLives0
i agree...
i often feel after looking at NT links for a while that all i've seen is a big blurry blinking mess...and you somehow have to make sense of it. It seems like things become uncool before the general populace has even had a chance to see them. If i remember right, the express purpose of NT was get everybody 'looking in the same direction', but do we really want that?
It seems that no matter what you do, with the increasing speed of these cycles, you'll eventually have the next big thing on your hands even though it could be the same stuff you've been doing since 1985.
All this hunger for the new just leaves you empty at the end of the day.
- josimarX0
what the hell has 'design' got to do with Newstoday?
maybe you're in the wrojng place.
- rasko40
exactly Greedo, its like now I dont bother to look at too many links unless people are raving about something great, in fact, it's more like I look at things to reassure myself what NOT to do.
I think its time to turn off the internets for a minute
josimar: yes, evidently you are correct.
- zombiewoof0
With the birth of the internets and instant communications of piles of data this was inevitable. The quickening has begun (actually began a while ago... i just like to say that)
The cycles of design birth and death are happening faster. Yes this creates a sense of bewilderment to designers (and consumers alike) but they are still cycles.
The present day cool comes and goes, but always the wheat rises to the top and chaff is left behind, only now the mill is nu-clear powered and grinding away.
Rely on your instincts and only follow the trendsetters when a high paying client asks.
- Gorbie0
hmmm..
why is it that something as stimulating and engaging, as walking down a crowded city street, or spending hours on the internet bouncing around, leave you disoriented and detached when you remove yourself from the element?
it's like coming down of a coke binge. i'm not sure whether the brain wants to return to that state, or whether it never wants to experience that again.
- ********0
I think, in my humblest of opinions, that yes there is much of an overload of stimuli in the ether.
But I also believe that there exists within it a multitude of sub realms each and any of which can provide a haven in which to explore.This is and has been true of so many fields for an extremely long time:
For example take music, within the realms of music you may find a perverse amount of styles and indeed substyles. So much so that an outsider
wishing to enter the fray could well get lost entirely. But when you drill down into the seperate genres you will generally find innovation.This I find is true of all things whether it be design or physics or music or cooking.
It reminds me in a way of my own early thoughts on cosmology:
Next time you are in an appropriate place for doing so spit, preferably one of those that has some cohesion. Watch your sputum as it flies, notice it spin and pieces break off as it flies. This is a model that I have put much thought into, the inter-relationship between the spit's and galactical behaviour
indeed to an extent atomic behaviour.*returns tae sweery scotsman mode
- Gorbie0
it also seems that thoughts of this manner imply that there is some sort of and end to this process. as if we are racing towards some conclusion.
i don't think the advertising/design/fashion and consumer world ever preoccupy themselves with thoughts of the distant future. the future seems to come so fast now that everyones racing to see what the next five minutes behold.
- rasko40
nice analogy MX, actually I think you're right about exploring sub-realms, I think its the people that explore what they are genuinely interested in and work hard on it are the people that produce the interesting and high quality work, the others are really just riding a wave for a split second.
- rasko40
I hope so. so what you think wil happen when everything has been retrospected, will there be a genuine creative renaissance?
I wonder if this process is something like agriculture? Maybe the fields shall lay farrow.
- rasko40
or should that be 'fallow'
grr engrish!
- zombiewoof0
hyper minimalism = fallow?
or will it be that the oversatureated consumerati will expect nothing but white. like the dreamy scenes in 2001 Space Odessy? hmmm...
- Gorbie0
interesting point zombie...
hyper minimalism = fallow?
i find it odd when i see an ad that is very minimal in content... yet the ad happens to be the entire side of a 30 story building. is that still minimal?
- GreedoLives0
i'm kind of hoping for an end to reckless consumerism/capitalism...it's just not sustainable. perhaps then the whole design/advertising world will be turned upside down.
- ********0
are we faced with too much input? Do we suffer overload? Is the cycle too fast in this age of 'coolhunters' and corporate youth culture?
YES, I think so
Is this shedding of skin in fact covering more ground and unearthing new possibilities?
YES, but with extremely ugly interim results
- Gorbie0
"YES, but with extremely ugly interim results"
like that university roman flare?
- ********0
yes, and/or that big sloppy collective nervous breakdown we're seeing signs of
- vburo0
" Or is this a good thing? Is it survival of the fittest?"
yes.
design to me is how to learn to manage it. how to be able to communicate it to clients and beyond.
in the end you have to be able to 'reset' yourself every now and then. take a step back and reconsider your actions. and be selective about your input and sources of inspiration without closing your mind, become prejudiced.
if you master that you will survive.