Language of ID

Standing at the culminating point in the class of ID history, I would like to talk about design as a method of communication and dialogue and as a way of embodying its poetic sense. Making and inventing something tangible and usable lets our lives to be better technologically, environmentally, and universally. Yet, our lives can also be enriched by design works that share one’s voice as language of thoughts, meanings, and outcry.

This is Global Warming Swimming Pool ad for HSBC created by Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai ad agency in India. On first glance, this might look like people swimming on top of a submerged city; in fact, an aerial photo of a city’s skyscrapers is glued to the base of a swimming pool to create the effect. The whole idea behind the campaign is to raise awareness of the possible consequence of global warming. If we look at the swimming pool in the ad, it is simply a swimming pool that has a photo on the bottom to make it look a city drowned into water. However, the message that the ad is trying to deliver rouses up viewers’ consciousness and becomes daily reminder of a serious existing problem in the world. The swimming pool itself has made to show the bank’s strong interest in global worming; however, the concept behind has enough effect to alert people to think what they can do to help the earth.







This is a one of a series of works created by a designer Joe Velluto blurring the line between art and design at his recent exhibition ‘UseLess is More’. At the exhibition, a chair has appeared without its primary function, but still containing the essence of its original function. Joe Velluto created the 'partial chair' extracting the main part of a chair - the seat and the back to show a dysfunction.'UseLess is More’ is the first interpretation of the ‘Manifesto of Adesign', a thought that partially denies design in favor of an original way of expression. The exhibition was on display as part of Torino World Design Capital Events. On Joe Velluto’s website, he talks about Manifesto of Adesign along with his thoughts in words and quotes including Anti Designism.

Anti Designism®
(Kill “di design” expression):
· Informal
· Unknownimous
· Radical
· Experimental
· Useless

This idea that Joe Velluto’s presenting makes people think again of what design is and what design means. Is he trying to simply say to think outside of a box? Or is he frustrated to be around with designs and concepts based of originality? He also says,

Vittime del Designism® --- Victims of the Designism
“I’m designER than you!”
“No, I’m the designEST!”

He sounds as if he is mocking some type of designers who has different focus than what he has. However, what is important here is not the fact that Joe Velluto has strong voice against other designers, but that he tries aggressively and powerfully to share his own opinions and true feelings for design with viewers, audience, and users.


Two examples, ‘Global Warming Swimming Pool’ and ‘UseLess is More’, shows clearly that industrial design is not just producing goods or inventing new technology. ID has voice and language. It has been trying to tell us many things for years. Now, it is time for us to pay attention and listen to what it says with open mind and considerate attitude.



LINKS:

Global Warming Swimming Pool
http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/13/view/4631/global-warming-swimming-pool-by-ogilvy-and-mather.html
Joe Velluto - UseLess is More
http://www.joevelluto.it/http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/4563/useless-is-more-by-joe-velluto.html