Reading Reflection 3

This week’s reading introduced me to three more concepts of design: Objects, Communication, and Environments. After reading the 3 chapters I had more of an insight about the history of design and the processes some designs go through. The chapter Objects stood out the most to me because it explained that while things are designed for uses, they are heavily based on appearances as well. I also found it annoying that some designs are primarily based on looks and as a result the efficiency can be severely impacted as well as the cost extremely high. Still, what pleased me is that some designs took in both efficiency and appearances so make one beautiful looking functional thing. For example the first iMac used see-through colored plastics to give an identity as well as a modern look. Innovations like those are what I would feel proud of if I were a designer.
From the communications section most of what I gathered was that using symbols or pictures can have a universal meaning. Seeing examples in the book reminded me and also made me more aware of the symbols I see every day while at school, or riding the bus, etc. For the environments section I realized that design, mostly interior, was heavily based off of the “feel” of the place. In lecture we talked about the environment that designers create to make a person feel immersed in where they are or what they are doing. For example Gabe talked about how he would design a bank so that customers would feel a sense of innovation as well as a comfort while inside. Knowing this helps me understand some of the big ideas behind design and I am intrigued to learn more.