Artwork before the postmodern era usually depicted a story, which could have been religious, philosophical, or a historic event. I feel post modernistic artwork has multiple messages and each person could have a different understanding of what they see. Traditional artwork portrays stories of different cultures, or races, which group a common trait between them. Postmodern art tries to explain reality to each individual’s interpretation of what they gather from their understanding of life.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Post Modernism and Interactive Design
Post-modernism is a word quite familiar to me being an English literature student. But what I studied then was a completely different aspect from Jacques Derrida's point of view and his theory of Deconstruction. Curious to know what Post-modernism means in Electro-communication class, I went through several articles explaining post-modernism in concern with design and technology.
Post modernism is basically a style of art, writing, music, theater, designing or architecture which developed and became popular in the West in the 1980's and 1990's. This style usually includes features from several different periods in the past or from the present. For example: If I am doing a logo-design, I study the references of the past logo-designs, present logo-designs of my competitors, reference logo-designs and from that study and brain-storming what emerges is a new creative logo-design. From this viewpoint post-modernism is completely different from modernistic trends. Also to be noted that post-modernism is neither copying nor plagiarism, but rather something innovative, creative, different from the present, but having some or several features of the past and present. This reminds me of Plato's theory of Art as Imitation - that no art can be completely real. It is always a make it - break it-make it. In this case, a source of quality work is food to the artistic creative soul which can emerge various new creative ideas.
In my viewpoint, Interactive media and post-modernism can go a long way, for the mind-set of people today is receptive for change and progress.. Moreover technology is developing at a fast-pace. Each idea leads to another idea....leaving human beings amazed....and questioning, " What will the world be after next ten years"?
What I understand about Post Modernism
I am going to be honest here and tell that I have never heard the word Post Modernism so far! My first thought about it was something that is interpreted to prevail after the modern era. After reading the article, I understood that Postmodernism in short is anything that is against modernism and follows anything that is opposite to modernism.
The word now gives me a flash back of memories. I come from India and India is a country that has lot of superstitious beliefs. If everything that the present generation Indians do to go against those beliefs called modernism, then the superstitions can be called post modernism.
Some of the beliefs are, a person is not suppose to cross his/her legs front of someone, its a bad omen if milk, oil or turmeric spills and if a mirror or glass breaks, you are not suppose to cut your nails or comb your hair after 6pm because thats when the Gods come into your home. The list goes like this and this is just in the state where I lived. A friend of mine who is from a different state told me that its a good omen if milk spills in their state. Most of them don't follow these anymore. Some older generations say that its a bad omen that they don't follow it anymore and thats why the world is coming to an end! I believe that its all in what we think and believe. Most artists who are remembered are the ones who have done brilliant works and made bold attempts. I would say that one among them is Dan Brown. His books inspired me in a lot of ways viz., story narration, taking up topics that very sensitive and giving proofs for everything he writes. Similarly, some of Da Vinci's and Michaelangelo's paintings.
There are too many things in this world to worry about like violence, poverty, etc. Why go against something and try pointing the faults?
Postmodernism in design
Postmodernism is something that I feel can easily be misunderstood as just a technique to be off the wall and different. Somone can look at Jackson Pollocks splatter paintings and think "Wow he has no talent, he just threw paint on a canvas and called it art". What I feel is wrong with this kind of thinking is how are we, as interactive designers, supposed to advance and make something great if all we have are set rules burned into our brains on what is correct. Our form of media that we will be working with is largely on the internet, which is growing and changing at an enormous rate, so our thinking and planning as designers should also change and grow with it.
This idea ties in well with "The medium is the message" which was said by Marshall McLuhan. This bassicaly means the medium and your message should work together seamlessly. The internet provides a wealth of resources to use and implement so as designers we should keep this quote in mind to make sure we wisely choose the best tools at hand to help our message come across best when working with clients.
This idea ties in well with "The medium is the message" which was said by Marshall McLuhan. This bassicaly means the medium and your message should work together seamlessly. The internet provides a wealth of resources to use and implement so as designers we should keep this quote in mind to make sure we wisely choose the best tools at hand to help our message come across best when working with clients.
The Medium is the Message
"The medium is the message", was a phrase coined by Marshall McLuhan, meaning that both the medium and the message are important to an overall feel because the medium used to convey the message will affect how the message is received. Good design can make poor information more interesting, but bad design can make good information go unused. Because of this, I agree completely with this phrase.
It would seem, from browsing the web, that a lot of people design for information, which is good. However, if you disregard design, your audience might never acquire that information. User experience can vastly influence whether someone wants to stay on your site and even come back future times, or immediately leave, read/browse nothing, and never come back. The design of an idea is almost as important as the message is is communicating.
It would seem, from browsing the web, that a lot of people design for information, which is good. However, if you disregard design, your audience might never acquire that information. User experience can vastly influence whether someone wants to stay on your site and even come back future times, or immediately leave, read/browse nothing, and never come back. The design of an idea is almost as important as the message is is communicating.
"The Medium is the Message"
"The Medium is the Message" is a phrase by Marshall McLuhan. McLuhan was known to speak about technology and communication even before it became popular and relevant in society.
After reading this article I have begun to understand the overall meaning of this phrase, which is essentially that when designing, designers should look past the technical standpoint and focus on the design from an mental and psychological standpoint. Back during the times that McLuhan lived in the "medium" consisted of television, print, film and radio; now we also have the Internet which has taken communication to the next level and sometimes making it harder to understand the overall concept because of the many things that can be created.
When reading information from print, to web and to film, this article breaks it down the when communicating this to the reader or user, the information has to be sections, or displayed differently in all three mediums. In print you may be able to section information on the same page and also be able to include more content and visual references rather on the web because users seem to scan more when reading content online so it has to be broken down. And in film there are little or no text involved so the viewer has to conceptualize the entire concept by paying attention from beginning to end.
Even though the content put on web sites have to be brief and segmented. The information displayed can be reachable across the world. This form of medium is far more grater than print, television or radio. Web Designers and analysts today utilize these tools to their advantage. Especially since it is easy to edit their visual references and information in a couple of seconds compared to the other forms or mediums. It seems with print, television, radio and film it is sometime easier for their audiences to pay attention more because these forms have been used in society for a number or decades now.
What I have taken from this article (http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/07/04/the-medium-is-the-message/) is that the medium is whatever message you want to put forth should be simple enough that it could be scannable but complex enough that you have to take a second look because of the realization that there was something you missed at first glance.
After reading this article I have begun to understand the overall meaning of this phrase, which is essentially that when designing, designers should look past the technical standpoint and focus on the design from an mental and psychological standpoint. Back during the times that McLuhan lived in the "medium" consisted of television, print, film and radio; now we also have the Internet which has taken communication to the next level and sometimes making it harder to understand the overall concept because of the many things that can be created.
When reading information from print, to web and to film, this article breaks it down the when communicating this to the reader or user, the information has to be sections, or displayed differently in all three mediums. In print you may be able to section information on the same page and also be able to include more content and visual references rather on the web because users seem to scan more when reading content online so it has to be broken down. And in film there are little or no text involved so the viewer has to conceptualize the entire concept by paying attention from beginning to end.
Even though the content put on web sites have to be brief and segmented. The information displayed can be reachable across the world. This form of medium is far more grater than print, television or radio. Web Designers and analysts today utilize these tools to their advantage. Especially since it is easy to edit their visual references and information in a couple of seconds compared to the other forms or mediums. It seems with print, television, radio and film it is sometime easier for their audiences to pay attention more because these forms have been used in society for a number or decades now.
What I have taken from this article (http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/07/04/the-medium-is-the-message/) is that the medium is whatever message you want to put forth should be simple enough that it could be scannable but complex enough that you have to take a second look because of the realization that there was something you missed at first glance.
Postmodernism is Dead?
While researching, I found this article which not only asserts that Postmodernism is dead(or at least dying), but also goes on to question what exactly the movement was, and what movement will come next.
http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2011/07/postmodernism-is-dead-va-exhibition-age-of-authenticism/
I found this article to be very interesting, and suggest that everyone at least skim through it.
The part I feel is most relevant to this course begins towards the end of the article, with the author declaring,"Certainly, the internet is the most postmodern thing on the planet." The author postulates that there is a reverse reaction to the over consumption of social networking and constant immersion in the virtual world; that people are yearning for a sense of authenticity. While I do not believe that people will all together go offline, I do believe it is important for us as digital and interactive designers to understand this desire for what is real, or what feels real. To me, part of this theory means designing things which could be highly customized, to the point where each user feels as though it was handmade just for them. It also reminds me that users tend to be more comfortable with what they know, as in the feel of flipping through the pages of a magazine.
The author made another point in the last line of the second to last paragraph, stating, " It’s not just the story, after all, but how the story is told." This sentiment directly correlates to Marshall McLuhan's frequented quoted phrase, "the medium is the message." How the story is told represents the medium. Message and medium have a symbiotic relationship; the medium determines the message's perception. I think that as a designer with countless mediums at hand, we must all be careful in deciding how we want to tell a story for our client, and why that medium will benefit the message.
http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2011/07/postmodernism-is-dead-va-exhibition-age-of-authenticism/
I found this article to be very interesting, and suggest that everyone at least skim through it.
The part I feel is most relevant to this course begins towards the end of the article, with the author declaring,"Certainly, the internet is the most postmodern thing on the planet." The author postulates that there is a reverse reaction to the over consumption of social networking and constant immersion in the virtual world; that people are yearning for a sense of authenticity. While I do not believe that people will all together go offline, I do believe it is important for us as digital and interactive designers to understand this desire for what is real, or what feels real. To me, part of this theory means designing things which could be highly customized, to the point where each user feels as though it was handmade just for them. It also reminds me that users tend to be more comfortable with what they know, as in the feel of flipping through the pages of a magazine.
The author made another point in the last line of the second to last paragraph, stating, " It’s not just the story, after all, but how the story is told." This sentiment directly correlates to Marshall McLuhan's frequented quoted phrase, "the medium is the message." How the story is told represents the medium. Message and medium have a symbiotic relationship; the medium determines the message's perception. I think that as a designer with countless mediums at hand, we must all be careful in deciding how we want to tell a story for our client, and why that medium will benefit the message.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Leery of "ism's"
I must begin by saying that I am always a little leery of "isms"--anything that is an "ism (individualism, feminism, postmodernism, etc.) I walk cautiously around because I already have a pre-conceived notion that it is going to be what I view as an extreme perception or idea.
While I believe there are certainly benefits to a belief that encourage progress, “thinking outside the box, and development of reason, I also consider commonality to be beneficial. Trust and creativity have moved our world to reach places that were never thought possible; I’m hopeful and sure that will continue, but I also know that it is important for us to stand on the shoulders of the people and ideas that have brought us to this present day. Not that we have to unite ourselves to whom and what they were, but that we respect them and learn from them in order to know who we want to become.
Perhaps BALANCE is what we need. I believe the elevation of individuals, concepts, belief systems, etc. is unhealthy because it fragments us and denies us to be part of anything greater than ourselves (nation, city, church, etc.). I don't beleive people need to deny who they really are; they only add more richness to our world, but I do believe "who we are" shouldn't dictate interminable rights. There certainly are many stories that have been lived and will be lived, but let’s not live as if our story is the “right” one FOR ALL. It’s ours and perhaps those that come after us will stand on our shoulders in order to begin to reach the heights they wish to accomplish in their lifetime.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Postmodernism?
I have been hearing the term Postmodern for so many years I had forgotten what is was even about. Any images that are attributed to the post modern ideals always seemed to come back to the one iconic image of a urinal. So I guess I stopped even thinking about it as a very serious viewpoint/movement. I kinda found it trite that if the most pivotal image was so mundane then what was the point of exploring it any further.
Upon reading the Wikipedia entry on this philosophical idea, I was immediately struck by the ever present mantra of so many design studios. "We think outside the box." What I find funny about this is that so many adhere to doing the same things over and over again. They never actually go beyond the box. They just redecorate the box and bring it out as some form of new thinking. How about crushing the box, stepping on it and throwing it up in the air and see what happens?
To truly move away from convention and step beyond the norm, (as it the ideals of postmodernism), communicating in the new era of our society, we have to embrace the rapidly changing technology and adapt to it. You can not look at what we are used to and expect it to have the same value as it has in the past. Look one step ahead.
Upon reading the Wikipedia entry on this philosophical idea, I was immediately struck by the ever present mantra of so many design studios. "We think outside the box." What I find funny about this is that so many adhere to doing the same things over and over again. They never actually go beyond the box. They just redecorate the box and bring it out as some form of new thinking. How about crushing the box, stepping on it and throwing it up in the air and see what happens?
To truly move away from convention and step beyond the norm, (as it the ideals of postmodernism), communicating in the new era of our society, we have to embrace the rapidly changing technology and adapt to it. You can not look at what we are used to and expect it to have the same value as it has in the past. Look one step ahead.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Welcome to the Blog: Assignment 1
Read:
Write:
- Send Instructor your email address. Register on the blog site.
- Research: “The Medium is the Message” – who said it? Why? What does it mean? Be prepared to discuss in class, do you agree with this person or not?
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