10 to 100th power

This is the famous Google logo. It is used as the "face" of Google, because once someone sees this logo they know right away what it stands for, what it does, and how it functions. It is intended for everyone who uses the internet, specifically high school to college students use Google. Even if they are not students the demographics are from that age group. Everyone seems to use Google at some point, it has become the default page for most peoples web browsers, it even has it's own emailing service. It is intended to be used online, that means where ever you have internet access whether at home, on the train, or at school Google can be accessed. The colors chosen were to give it a variety, to show that you can find many different things on this search engine. Since the beginning of it's launch Google logo has remained with the same 4 colors and same font, but those 4 colors and font stand for something much more than when the website first started up; It is the maps, google chrome, gmail, google earth, etc. During every holiday, special event, or the birthday of someone who had an impact in life through literature, civil rights, art, or science the Google logo will change to a sometimes interactive design or just a graphic design that represents that special day. In doing so it hasn't changed it's original purpose or mean, however it has changed the way people perceive Google as the kingpin of the internet.

The idea is that this logo shows, with its colors that it has variety within its search engine. As well as the actual word google in it's original mathematical meaning was 10 to the 100 power, which is 1 with 100 zeroes after it. Meaning there are a lot of searches a person can do. The design problem might have been that they didn't know exactly what it would end up looking like. It is a very good idea, usually the most simplest of ideas end up becoming the most impacting.

Robocop, Larger than Life

This is a movie poster for the remake of Robocop. It is used to get people informed about the movie coming out in theaters, while simultaneously have an aesthetically pleasing design. It is intended for people who watched the original Robocop in 1987 because it is like a reminder of what it was like. And it is also for new audiences that didn't get to experience the original one, because it looks like a good action movie. These posters should be used at all movie theaters, because they are reminders or previews of what movies will be out in the near future. They can also be used as billboard ads that are ten times bigger. The materials were chosen because that is what posters are generally made of. Since its production, it has changed in the way that people stop and look at the poster then make their decision about watching it. Once this movie is no longer playing in the theaters they remove the posters and they are hung in peoples houses or other private places.

The idea is to put you in the eyes of Robocop, you see what he sees because of the red line that goes through his helmet. There are also objectives written onto the poster which is supposed to get you to wonder what the 4th one is. That mystery leads to people wanting to know what will happen in the movie. It could be that the people in charge of promoting this film didn't have a specific promotion to watch the film in IMAX, therefore this is what they came up with. This makes Robocop look big, almost god like because the viewers are looking up at him. The promotional thought is that "This is just a preview of how Robocop will look in IMAX."  The person that will be watching this would literally have to look up. This idea works, because it get the message across as being larger than life if experienced through IMAX. Something that would make it better is making giant prints of this movie instead of smaller regular sized posters. If this was on a billboard close to a theater that had IMAX, this poster would get the message across even clearer.

Dynamic Shift

This is an extension to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada called the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. It is a building that invites people in with it's dynamic shape. This building works best in any major city environment, in the downtown area. This is because the majority of people would visit the downtown area of  a city, it's more populated. The materials chosen were used to maintain the building in such an odd geometric shape. There must be light weight material used in order for this building to stay in this shape. The way it has evolved from being created is that people see this unique building and wonder what it, which will let them explore their curiosity. They will end up visiting the museum just to go into the building. This has not changed the original meaning and purpose of building this museum, Daniel Libeskind is known for making distinct building with such flare, which is what the Royal Ontario Museum was expecting. There fore the flare that they received was for the purpose of bringing more visitors.

The idea was to make a building that can be stand out and bring in a crowd of new visitors. It could be that the museum was in need of expansion and wanted to have a more modern looking building. Something that would wow people if they were to walk by it outside. It would make those people want to come in and see what the building looked like from inside. It is a very good idea, because this would get lots of people to come visit this building. It could have been expanded further to make it taller which would have been able to be seen from far away. Another thing they can do that can catch the attention of people, is if it was illuminated so that it can be seen at night.

The 15 flavors of social networking

This is an advertisement that promotes social networking and blogging. It's used to get people to explore the variety of different social networks. It is intended for people who use social network, the demographics are usually 15-35 years old. This is because lots of younger people use these specific social networking websites. It is intended to be used in advertising, whether on the internet or in a magazine. The subjects that were used are a waffle cone, with a pink swirl cover to give it the illusion of ice cream. The social networking logos are supposed to be the ice cream, and ice cream is sweet and desirable; its a nice treat. Therefore social networking in general is a desired treat. The text reads "What's your flavor?" Because everyone has a specific preference especially when it comes to ice cream. There has not been a change since its production, there fore the original meaning has remained the same.

The idea is to promote these social networks, what may have prompted this was that there were not a lot of those websites that weren't advertised as much or had sufficient enough money to do so. There are well known websites along side other lesser known websites, which would help their exposure. The idea is just okay there isn't really much to go from there. If they were to put more information about the different websites that would help them promote a lot more. This advertisement would work best online, and also if it had something that incorporated ice cream. For example if it was something like "What's your flavor? Click to sign up for one of these social networking sites and receive free ice cream." That would give them an incentive to click the link and promote all of the websites as well as incorporating the ice cream theme.

Beauty Within

This is a billboard for the hair dye Koleston. This billboard is used to promote Koleston, however it is done in a unique way by making it a cut out. The woman is a cut out and behind the billboard is a beach, and at different points of the day the cut out appears to change colors. Koleston's billboard is primarily targeted to women, because This is where the billboard should maintain it's position, because the change in colors throughout the day and night are what work for this billboard. The materials were chosen so that this billboard may remain standing and wouldn't be blown over. From installation it has not changed much, it has still remained the same, however when you look through the cut out the time of day makes the billboard change colors. During the day it does not seem to have a drastic change like sunset and night do, however the message of the billboard is still seen and remains effective.

The idea was to show changes of color in the woman's hair to advertise Koleston's hair dye. This was effectively accomplished by the change in day; at night the hair color looks black, in the sunset hours it appears golden and/or reddish. The design problem might have been that there was no effective way to show change in color through billboards. It is also very creative and unique which would get more attention from people. One way that they can improve on this is to make it bigger and be seen by more people. In this picture it looks a bit isolated, it maybe a private beach that not many people go to. If this billboard was to be on the pier or by the pier of a more commercial beach, it would be much more effective. Or just having multiple billboards in other beaches, whether they are more commercial or not. Because when there are more people will talk about them and will look almost like campaign.

Sheirlf, the Shelf Chair

This is a couch that can also double as a bookshelf. Its used to sit down and relax and to store books, allowing for more space because it gets rid of the bookshelf. It is intended for readers of all ages, maybe the target audience would be teens to adults. This is because the couch looks more luxurious, and gives a sense of classiness as well as intelligence. A professor would probably own this couch, because it's sophistication may fit with the art decor of their living room or study. The materials were chosen to make it look sophisticated and to store the books within the couch. Since production it may haven only changed in that people didn't use it to it's max capacity. It has changed the original purpose if people are buying it and not really storing books in it. It could be because many people don't have enough books. Another thing that maybe was the purpose of this chair, was to get the people to read more. However it could be that they don't have enough time to read due to other obligations, which would change the original meaning of this chair.

The idea is to store books underneath a couch/chair to make more space in a room. It may have been a crowded room that lead to the creation of this couch; or it could be that there was no room for storing books anymore which lead to a combination of both. A combination of a couch and a bookshelf is a good idea for people who own lots of books. It's a place to both read and store books. The only thing that should be made better is the reinforcement of the book to sustain the person sitting down. At first glance at the picture it may seem like there is a thing layer between the cushion and the books. If a person were to sit there that maybe over the weight limit, that layer would give out and the person would just have a bookshelf shaped like a chair. A solution would be to make that particular layer out of a different material that can sustain more weight. Or to make that layer much more thicker so that it can be able to handle more weight.

I'm in distress, they've made a mess

This is called a gyro bowl, it's a bowl for toddlers that guarantees they will not spill anything. The function is simple the blue part is the handle and there are two bowls with in the middle. You put food in middle bowl, and there is another bowl like container that moves with the blue handle; which causes the middle bowl to move in an opposite direction. Because the bowl moves in the opposite direction this causes it to cover to prevent spillage. This product is marketed to mothers and fathers to make their life easier by preventing messes made by their child. However this is specifically for toddlers, because they tend to make a mess when they eat. Children are curious when young, they play with everything even their food, this is a toy and a bowl. It is intended to be used at home, in the car, basically anywhere you take your children. It's small enough to be portable, however because it is an awkward shape it may take up some space. The materials that were chosen were to keep it from breaking due to being played with. It has not changed from production, the concept and the way it is designed has remained the same.

The idea for this bowl is to prevent snacks from falling out, creating a mess. What could have brought this invention into development is someone who just got tired of cleaning messes and tried to find an easy way to prevent it. It is a good idea, however it does not work to its full potential. If this bowl were to be thrown and/or dropped it will make a mess. If you turn the blue handle slowly or at a medium pace it won't drop anything, but if you move it around in a faster motion you will have spills. They can design it for this bowl to be able to handle faster motions, that way they can stand behind their claim that this bowl does not spill. It can be done by changing the material that it is made from. Something that will be able to make the top bowl cover the bottom one faster, preventing all spills.

Travel Express

This is a travel bag with a reinforcement plastic around the front of it to protect the valuables inside of it. It is a rolling bag that uses wheels that rotate 360 degrees, therefore whichever direction you walk, you won't have to turn the bag. This bag is for travelers that must take a lot of luggage with them wherever they go. It is intended to be used on the street or the sidewalk; it works best with concrete or a flat surface. The materials that were chosen were chosen for the purpose of making a good quality travel bag. One that can easily be taken anywhere and have reinforcement to protect valuables. From the production of this travel bag, the designer may have had one specific target audience which are people who go on vacation, business trips, etc. People can use this bag for anything. They can carry supplies, store important items, or transport fragile items. It does change the meaning because they are travel bags used for the purpose of travel. However, travel may not always mean flying.

The idea is to make a better design for the perfect travel suitcase. The problems that may have came  from this were that some suitcases may have broken or gotten the luggage inside wet. Other problems that might have happened in the past are that this specific bag has 360 degree rotation for the wheels. On other bags the wheels where static and only moved in one direction making it a problem once you turn. The wheels would come across a crack on the floor and may tip the bag over because its balance is disrupted. The idea of fixing these problems are great however when it comes to the amount you must pay for these bags, that's where this great idea falls short. These design problems can be fixed without making the cost of the bag expensive. It can also be made from light weight material that way it won't affect the weight of the luggage, if it were to be weighed when going on a plane.

Correct Me If I'm Wrong...

This is a spell check that is on the Microsoft Word, which was one of the first programs to have this feature. Basically, it helps with correcting any misspelled words that are written on the program. It's supposed to make proof reading a much faster process. It is intended for anybody that needs to write on Word, specifically students. Students are always writing papers, therefore it would be something specifically for them. It is intended to be used in the actual program, however many writing programs or applications carry this component. As long as this component is programmed into that specific writing application/program then it will work. Ever since the beginning of it being made it has help people correctly spell words, however it has also made people lazy at correcting and too dependent on spell check. The original purpose of this was to make people better spellers and make proof reading a little faster and easier. However, because it does all the work for the individual, they don't necessarily learn from their mistake.

The idea was to make correcting spelling and proof reading faster and less of a hassle. Most likely before spell check, it was very time consuming to go through multiple pages to correct the spelling, especially if it was more than twenty pages. The developers wanted to make this tedious task a thing of the past. Upon first development of spell check it was a brilliant idea, because it worked as it was supposed to. But after being exposed to for over 20 years people just seem to be dependent on it. Now a days this feature is found in phones that auto corrects for you. People don't even need to press the correct button anymore. This can still exist but in a manner that involves the user to learn from their mistake, not solve their problem. By having the user actually learn and correcting mistakes will prevent them from using spell check.

Following Light

 

 This is the Simpson Tower building overlooking the 10 freeway at Cal State L.A. You know that it's the school because of the giant letters that say Cal State L.A. In the day time one can see them as simple white letters with a yellow/gold outline. At night the white part are lit up very brightly, that it illuminates on to the freeway. It's function is to make people aware that this school exists. Everyone who drives on the 10 freeway either west in the direction of Down Town L.A. or east in the direction of San Bernardino will see this sign and be able to read it. Everyone will know that there is a school that is in this area. This is a way that the school can get more people to attended here. While everyone passes by they will keep getting reminded of Cal State L.A., especially if they commuters. Once they get Cal State L.A. in their minds they will mention it to their friends, family, co-workers. And from there the word will spread, and bring in perspective students. This sign is intended to be used exactly where it is, it's right in front of the freeway where hundreds of thousands of people pass by everyday. The materials chosen where some sort of LED system where the brightness can extend onto the freeway. Since it has first been installed the letters have remained the same and illuminated. Although, lights do tend to go out either through power failure or because the lights burn out. Once this happens it will change the original purpose of the sign. It will still be able to be seen in the daytime however at night if there is at least one letter that is turned off, it will not be effective. It will look tacky and cheap, whenever someone drives by a store with a lit up sign and one of the letters is burned out it is seen as a joke. Since this is a marketing technique for the school, they do not want to look like a joke; or that they have cheaply made signs. This can be improved or prevented if they monitor the power monthly. Usually some sort of power gauge would be connected to this sign to view the power levels. Also knowing how long those specific bulbs or lights last is one way to prevent that. 

The idea is to put Cal State L.A. on the map, meaning making everyone aware that this school exists. There was a sign there before it was illuminated, however it did not light up at night. There were however spot lights that would cast light on the letters. This method was not as successful as the current installation. The current sign that they have installed is a much better idea then the previous one. The sign stands out from the black background. It does what they intended on doing with the sign, people can read it from the freeway and it gets their attention. If this sign was duplicated on the other side of the building to display on the north side of the 10 freeway, people would see it as a landmark. Therefore spark more interest about applying to the university.