I’m Trevor, I’m an Illustrator and animator based in London. I’m studying illustration and Visual Media and am interested in the field of animation and all that it has to offer.
I’m currently working with a refugee charity to create a 5-minute animation based around an oral recording of a refugee’s experience and have been working on some collaborative projects with other DPS students. Through attending the lectures on technology practice + space – I was able to find something that I find intriguing and sparks some interest in the subject of what parts technology plays in the design industry that you might not think about; this being Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence and how they have such influence over our everyday life, as well as the big part they’ll play in our future. Looking at aspects in technology and how they have taken over industries with automation and the growing result of AI leaves the question of what parts AI will play within the design industry and our own practices. Will AI take over, where people would be able to go onto a website type in some specification for a designed logo they want. Then an AI will use this information to create a logo, eliminating the need for designers. But also, these notions that I’ve specified feel very distant like it’ll be sometime before the robots take over – even today designers have the help of AI and algorithms in their work, with design tools, social media, and a lot of everyday life. For example, when you’re in a design software like Illustrator or InDesign, there are AI coded in to help selecting a colour, typeface etc. With AI in its infancy, we need to start addressing the ethics and morals of AI and algorithms in the industry. In the Google AI framework (Google, no date), they have laid out some principles stating that that they would like to use AI to help solve important problems and help people in their daily lives, furthermore trying to uphold scientific excellence, and making sure AI isn’t used for morally corrupt reasons. This framework is a beginning to help make sure that we stay fair and use Artificial intelligence to help further our work and everyday lives - also that some areas AI shouldn’t be pursued where it would take over industries and eliminate work. This is a good step, as it allows people to feel at ease; making sure that people have an understanding that the industry won’t be monopolized by the threat of AI and Algorithms but instead that they will help the world and industries flourish and be the best they can be as well as to help and assist people in working, planning, navigating, and other day-to-day life activities. Even some governments like Australia (AI ethics principles, no date) have put in some ethical guidelines for people and companies to follow when creating AI, so they can help reduce a risk of negative impact, and that the creation of AI should be to create something that benefits people and make the world a fairer place. Having a government starting to address this is quite interesting, as it’s a steppingstone for other countries to consider the possibilities of AI and making sure it doesn’t become a threat and a tool for misinformation, or segregation. The capabilities of AI are endless, but this is a key point in history to scrutinise the capabilities of AI so then we will be better equipped to deal with the impact that it’ll have on the future of industries and people lives. When creating Artificial intelligence, it’s important to address how algorithms can impact society, for example algorithms not making it easy for emerging designers and artists. Making sure that we have considered the ethics of AI, there are so many ways it can evolve letting the imagination run wild, but the future of AI shouldn’t be to dominate the human race but instead to help make everyone life a little bit easier. Even in its infancy AI Is a dangerous tool that can be a reckoning or a gift but right now is the time to choose and make that decision while we have time to make that decision and before it does any more damage than it already has. This damage I refer to being misinformation, AI created images, videos, music, design, art etc. In an article written by Anna Cafolla (2017), she talks about a study by researchers at the Rutgers university’s art and artificial intelligence laboratory. They were able to teach an AI how to be creative by feeding it thousands of images and allowed it to grow its own sense of style. They then used the work that the AI created and showcased them along with human artist work. When concluding the study, it appeared that most people weren’t able to distinguish from the humans to the AI work, and some most of the participants preferred the AI artwork more. There needs to be more discussion around these subjects such as fake news, as the AI bots that are responsible for sharing and creating false information need to be stopped. Although not all AI is bad, like using AI to predict who will share and spread that fake news. An article written by the University of Sheffield (University of Sheffield, 2020) uses an AI and algorithms to examine a couple of thousand twitter accounts and over 1 million tweets so then it can properly identify and predict who is most likely to spread false information through the platform. Being able to predict information like this, is amazing as it gives the platform another way to tackle and stop the spread of fake news using different means that people might not consider. Having this kind of growth will allows us to consider more possibilities and allow us to think of new ways to tackle new ways of making sure Through attending this session and then further researching the subject I have been able to reflect on the information and conclude that AI and algorithms in the industry are important to help maintain a lot of systems currently and the growth in which AI is developing is amazing and wonderful but also quite scary. This research has led me to believe the future is what we make of it. We need to make sure to take control and think of all the contingencies now so then there won’t be any types of problems or issue that’ll occur in the future. Furthermore, allowing the use of AI instead of taking over helping to improve our ways of life, and to make sure that the world is a better place for tomorrow. Google (no date.) Artificial Intelligence at Google: Our Principles. Available at: https://ai.google/principles/ (Accessed:29 March 2021). University of Sheffield (2020) AI can predict Twitter users likely to spread disinformation before they do it. Available at: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/ai-can-predict-twitter-users-likely-spread-disinformation-they-do-it (Accessed: 30 March 2021). Australian Government (no date.) AI Ethics Principles. Available at: https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/building-australias-artificial-intelligence-capability/ai-ethics-framework/ai-ethics-principles(Accessed:29 March 2021). Caffolla, A. (2017) People chose AI-made artwork over actual Art Basel pieces. Available at: https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/36940/1/people-chose-ai-made-artwork-over-actual-art-basel-pieces (Accessed: 1 April 2021). Basu, R. (2019) Algorithms Are a Designer’s New BFF – Here’s Proof. Available at: https://xd.adobe.com/ideas/principles/emerging-technology/automation-ai-wont-replace-designers/ (Accessed: 3 April 2021). Walch, K. (2019) Ethical concerns of AI. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2020/12/29/ethical-concerns-of-ai/ (Accessed: 5 April 2021).
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Hi, I am Fredrikke Rusten studying design for art direction at LCC. This uni year has gone by in a flash and we are already almost halfway through 2021. In March 2020 I believed that the pandemic would be over by now but we are finally starting to see what looks like the end of it soon. I started my internship at an agency in Norway at the end of August 2020. I was so fortunate to be able to work from the office at that point. It was great because I was able to socialize, form relationships with my coworkers, prove myself and learn more about the industry and myself all at once. As covid started taking a more prominent role in what was quite subtle restrictions in Norway, in November we were all sent home and told to work from our households. The question I asked myself was, how would this affect the learning profession, to what extent would it effect the agencies work and how can we benefit from an experience like this? As of February 2021, I had been working from home for about three months and I could feel the lack of physical relationships, the importance of small talk at the office in order to get inspired, and the absence of motivation kicking in. Although it is hard, I do realize that the world and the agency was still trying to thrive even when working from home. This is extremely interesting because it opens up the question of, do we need physical workplaces in the future, or will more jobs have the opportunity to work remotely. I believe that this new phenomenon of more people working remotely does have both its pros and cons in our complex world. One pro that I have realized is that I have used nearly no public transportation due to lockdown. This applies to many other people who have tried to avoid traveling, hence bringing everyone’s carbon footprint down by a large amount. One negative aspect of working from home is the lack of social interactions one has on a daily basis. Even though digital interactions/meetings work, I do believe that physical interactions are a vital part of everyday life and that that connection cannot be replaced online through a screen. John Thackara has written a book called ‘In The Bubble’ and there he talks about how our society has become extremely materialistic and how he wants us to rely less on stuff, and more on people. The question is how we can design society another way and design products that will be sustainable, cruelty free etc. This is what we need to focus on and use our already existing technology to help this complex world that we have created but that is destructive. One role design can have is through creating desirable, aesthetically pleasing packaging and products that will push our society forward to go in the right direction. Design has such a vital role for the consumer and I believe that due to social media, people are more engaged and aware of things that are aesthetically pleasing while also aware of sustainability. This is something that we have been working on at work. There has been several instances where we have been conscious of designing packaging that would fit in our complex world so that for ex. Its co2 emissions would be less, designing in order to use as little waste and material as possible. I worked with a big Norwegian corporate company called DNV back in December and they wanted to create Corona prompts in order to communicate certain corona restrictions they wanted these to by physical, but us as designers were able to convice them that since no one is at their offices we only create them for digital use in order to save paper, ink and electricity. They agreed to this and the final outcomes were only digital. By educating DNV about the benefits of only digital outcomes for the environment and how it can be used for better communication w were able to create something for a world that does not need more posters that will just be thrown away later, but rather ones that are ever lasting, on the computer and social media. Bruce Sterling wrote in Shaping Things that through all our new devices we are becoming increasingly connected but through all this new information and technology how can we navigate through it. What we need are new tools as designers in order to create a sustainable world while also still maintaining good design. The car industry is where design meets great technological function and where even some now have become more eco-friendly, and a great example of this is Tesla. With the leading battery technology and incredible technological functions all throughout the car, Tesla has also had a large focus on the design of the car. They designed an electrical car with a sleek and somewhat sports like appearance. Due to its desirable design and battery efficiency, it easily becomes a consumer favourite while also acting a sustainable product. They have tried to solve a complex problem in society and have really come up with a type of eco friendly packaging, creating a desirable and aesthetically pleasing product. After nine months in industry both working from home and at the office I see how the agency has been able to benefit from this situation and really pull through and motivate us as employees. We have been able to find solutions to missing the social aspect in the workplace with social gatherings via zoom instead. I believe that this pandemic has really challenged the complex world we live in today but has made people become more creative with their problem solving. It has brought the best and the worst out of people, but all in everyone has learned something about oneself and we have seen both the negative and positive effects that the pandemic has had globally. To really finish off I want to ask you what your thoughts are on the effects of the pandemic globally. You should also ask yourself in such a complex, networked and technologically driven world are we really holding ourselves accountable and doing what we say we do? Are we as sustainable as we say we would like to be? Are we holding ourselves and others accountable to take care of this globalised world? I believe that we have come far, but that there is still a lot to learn. Sources: - Bruce Sterling, Shaping Things: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/shaping-things -John Thackara, In the Bubble: https://www.amazon.com/Bubble-Designing-Complex-World-Press/dp/0262701154 A world that was once dominated with human touch and close interactions has become one of home offices and social distancing. It is hard to believe that is has been over a year since the first global lockdown. The world hit a giant pause button on what we once recognised as normality. Offices and schools were forced to close, Industrial activity limited and travel restrictions put into place. Places which we saw as hubs of life quickly resembled ghost towns.
While there has been a limit to physical activity our activity online has drastically increased with heavy technology usage being our form of contact with one another. This has been through all forms of media be it streaming or social media. With an increase of users online the design world has seen the forefront of many online schemes. What does this mean for a designer adapting to live in this new world? “Silicon Valley design guru John Maeda distinguishes between three categories: “classical” designers, who create physical objects or products; “commercial” designers who innovate by seeking deep insights into how customers interact with products and services; and “computational” designers, who use programming skills and data to satisfy millions or even billions of users instantaneously.” - Times Magazine about John Maeda. While looking at my own practice and its application to technology I have discovered that I am what Maeda would class as a hybrid between and ‘classical’Designer and a ‘commercial’ Designer. I have explored that in the past year through my practice. At the start of the year I would have classed myself as a ‘classical’ Designer due to the fact I designed for personal gratification. I designed because I wanted to express myself and my identity and I did that through a series of my own illustrations as well as expressing my own interests through my university projects. Bottom line was that I was designing for myself. This year has demonstrated that I can adapt my skills towards commercial design. I have worked for both Netflix as well as Storyteller, both experiences led me to discover the commercial side of the design world. While at Once Upon A Time I designed for a more speculative project for Netflix I was taught how to adhere to brand guidelines and create work that would stand out amongst millions of other titles on the platform.While at Storyteller I have learnt a lot more about Digital marketing and its greater impacts. I have learnt about customer interaction and what is needed to grab the attention of someone scrolling through social media. This demonstrates that I have been able to combine my classical design skills with new found skills in the commercial realm. Along with my classifications I aspire to entail the skills to be a ‘computational’ Designer. I believe that I have started to explore these mediums in my practice. At Netflix I was informed about the use of algorithms and how each key art image is tailored to each user to convince them to watch a certain title. I found this interesting as an overall application of algorithms because it is something that is used throughout various streaming mediums. It works because of the individuality of each users search page. Similar algorithms can be applied while advertising and is something that I have started to learn about at Storyteller. Storyteller has given me the chance to work with the large Facebook ad database that stretches over to Instagram (Facebook being their parent company). The large database has allowed me to see how each advert targets certain demographics, locations and age groups. This entails understanding audience behaviour and programming it to certain digital marketing techniques. When looking at Storytellers brand ethos there is a focus on creating a community. This concept bridges the cap between digital and physical as we work on creating an experience for the customers that is validated. There is an increase in people using technology as a platform to reach people and this has only been pushed forward in a post covid world as more people explore personal ventures whether that be being social media influencers or starting up a small business. This however has also meant that a lot of work is getting lost and there is an over saturation of content. It means that there is a higher demand and pressure on designers to either stand out or become the best in a crowd. I believe personally I have experienced both on my DPS year. To stand out was to work on my personal work as a designer and I am still learning. To become the best in a crowd, this has happened through storyteller, a lot of it is market research. See what is working successfully and make it work for our brand. This has meant that I have been challenged as a creative to make sure that my work is individual but inspired. It is clear that I have explored all of Maeda’s explanations of different definitions of a designer. Does that pose a question to what it means to be a designer in a post covid world? Or is it something that now is interdisciplinary and not applicable anymore like it once was. It just goes to show how complex the design field is as it deals with everything and anything. What I have explored today is just the surface of how complex the design world is thanks to the development of technology. Our race continues to find ways to be personal and connect and we have continued to do soo in a world which limits social contact. We have made technology one again work for us in our favour. Julia Pitulska Design Management & Cultures Discussed Topics: the paradox of intangible processes, my design strategist rationale, a critic of DMC programme structure Blog Post Objective: Evaluate the role that design plays in a complex, networked and technologically driven world This term, while working with a global multibrand retailer like Selfridges, challenging myself with an omnichannel brand strategy for Mary Kay and receiving guidance from well-established strategists from the URGE, I have finally started to tune in with the integrity and core of my specific design practice. During the second term of DPS, I have committed more time to craft my practice in strategy and business analysis. As a result, I managed to paint the bigger picture as to what design means to me and my future professional path. I have also finally realized where and how design strategy and I fit (spoiler alert: or not fit) into the current environment of the creative industry. In this blog post, I decided to focus on deciphering design practice and its broad range of academic definitions and bringing my personal take to the design strategy field after working as a strategist during my DPS year. By the agency of my blog explorations, these insights helped me to start the process of reflecting on and evaluating the current state of design management and cultures major. When drafting my points and finding my answer to the assigned topics of this terms blog entry, I landed on three main insights I wanted to bring up and discuss. Insight #1: Design is in everything but it’s also nowhere to be found. It produces tangible outcomes but a lot of times it’s intangible itself. With the paradox of its existence, what is design, really? From the literature review standpoint, design and its practice have seen major shifts in its position outside of creative practices since the rise of neoliberalism and change within the economics of design. (Julier, 2017) With the transitional pillars of deregulation in the 80s and the rise of the New Economy, design practice has been expanded onto new territories of capitalistic improvements. As design practitioners focused on the grey areas of system and product iterations, the field itself started to expand with the needs of new business ventures and dilemmas. With the societal increase in “better and “newer” objects and services, design has evolved into interdisciplinary specialisms and areas of practice. Nevertheless, with its rapid evolutions, some design practitioners propose the definition and core of design that have stayed constant throughout these times. For example, Lutop (2017) describes the concept of design as “an art of thinking ahead” and positions its practice as a “time based interactive enterprise”. From a perspective of a design scholar, whom I see myself as, design is the hidden process. It is a plan behind developed products, services, experiences and systems. The practice of design itself could be seen as a structured and executed purpose, method or process, a design specialist creates to bring a solution to a given problem or a task. There are designers who focus on more tangible products, materials or digital interfaces or designers who work with system creation or facilitation of specific experiences. The list goes on. Besides designers in the creative industry, there are also designers in the non-creative fields; disguised by the ordinary or categorized by the language used in specific business settings. Personally, after going through 3 years of education in the field of design management, gaining experience in the real world, working with clients from different industries, I finally am starting to get a feel on where I place myself in that space. I am business-minded. I love to piece together the bigger picture. When I look into a business case, I focus on its brand’s values, organizations foundations, business model mechanics and design potential. I design with system integration and long term sustainable solution flashing in my mind from the beginning of my working process. I thrive on research, data, analysis but equally prosper in ambiguous and complex systems. I am creative but calculated. I am curious but structured. I am a design strategist… but there is more complexity to me as a professional than this single label “job” description. Insight #2: Strategy knows how to evaluate the microcosm, then analyse the bigger picture, and propose a plan. Design thieves of purpose-driven actions and puts the plan into effective processes that spark innovation and new developments. As summarized by Stevens (2009) in his writing on design as a strategic resource, the strategic design field focuses on improving and maintaining performance and process in business or NGOs. During this spring term, I have learnt how to juggle the process of strategy creation and design implementation. When working with a business the key to design strategist work is not only understanding the issue of design implementations for a brand but operationalizing the strategy for a business. It’s about bridging the gap between the data-driven, performance-oriented roam of the business world and the ever-changing bigger picture of the complex and networked societies, economies and organizations. Especially right now, as we are entering a new year of dealing with the challenges of pandemic restrictions, the work of business leaders has to see fundamental changes within the management of both their teams and organizations. The mindset has to shift from focusing on the day to day implementations and keeping the business “on the float” to strategizing for the future of the brand and people involved in it. Finally, after looking at the bigger picture of the professional landscape and its role in the current industry environment, I decided to look back at the micro-level development of my own profession. Moreover, the nature of a strategist, my interdisciplinary practice and the experiences I went through this term, made me question the current approach to my specific course and its future. Insight #3: Coming from a Design Management and Cultures major, a hybrid of design practices and management sciences, I exist in the duality of wow’s (ways of working). This realm comes with exciting opportunities for innovative interventions in its practice but it also brings out the more evident struggles of the “grey area” nature of the field. While I can recognize the opportunities UAL has brought when introducing this major to its design school programmes, after diving into the DPS experiences, I believe that the field of design management requires a stronger connection with economic science and business school faculty. The nature of newly emerged interdisciplinary design-led practices has created an urge for adequate higher education programmes. However, as the fields developed rapidly in multidisciplinary work environments, the educational institutions have not been able to accommodate their courses for the nature and needs of such practices yet. This discovery proposes a new challenge for both academic professionals and design practices to further research and ideate new solution, technologies and sustainable strategies for interdisciplinary course creation and programme developments. Considering my course is a part of this equation, I am thinking of putting these insights forward and possibly developing a solution in my final year of Design Management and Cultures undergraduate degree. Julia Pitulska @juvlus References: Julier, G. (2017) ‘Economies of design’. SAGE Publications. Lupton, E. (2017) ‘Design is storytelling’. New York, NY: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Stevens, J (2009) ‘Design as a strategic resource’. Design Management Group, University of Cambridge Atlana Puntigam
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