Last Friday I had the honour to hear two experts in Evolution theory at the Litteraturhuset in Oslo. Professor Kevin Padian on:"Darwin's Enduring Legacy ... and some enduring myths."and Professor Jon Elster on:"Darwin's impact on the social sciences" http://www.cees.uio.no/darwin/cees/20-november-2009.html
The first lecture was incredible for one like me that has not depth of the theory. His way of presenting the truth was amazing and as one of the key expert witnesses in the "Intelligent Design trial" Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District in USA in 2005, his speech was sharp, clear and many times humoristic. A truly delightful lecture.
The second lecture became kind of hard for me. I really had problems following his reasoning, which was I think a problem of using an advanced language. He pointed out artefacts somewhere but I really strangled to understand his statement. The session with the questions from the public confirmed that I was not the only one lost in the audience. Still is pretty sad that in the name of an Academic Status we miss the substance of the subject. When he was asked " ... but at the end what is the contribution of Evolution on the social sciences?" he answered " It is enormous, and we have to find it in the directions of emotions and behaviours". Which means that when it comes to product design, probably the right way for someone to go is what Paola Antonelli describes, in the film "Objectified" as the emotional connection of humans with objects.
From the moment I use this blog as a process diary, I figure out that I have to upload a bunch of things I have done up to that moment, but I am the only one who knows about them. So we start with the graphic identity of the diploma. I tried to develop a graphic identity closer to my subject. That immediately drove me to a childlike style. I wanted the overall layout to be flexible, playful, creditable and conscious; playful and flexible as the main reference to the phenomenon of pedomorphosis and creditable and conscious as it is theoretical approach of the phenomenon. As for the colours I use both in the blog and the final book are following the same principles of playfulness and flexibility. They have been selected carefully and confirmed by the books, interviews and articles of Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone's colour expert. (Eiseman, L. (2000). Pantone guide to communicating with color. Sarasota, Fla., Grafix Press.) The font I chose Is Helvetica Neue Ltd Std for the printed material. I end up with this font, first because an unofficially poll around Diploma class set off winners Calibri and Helvetica.
Then I saw the flexibility of the two fonts, and Helvetica had more variations than Calibri. Both fonts though I believe they are playful, flexible and same time serious. As for the web I have use Verdana which is the simplest and more reliable digital font.
The procedure for the Diploma in AHO, gives the opportunity to student s to correct almost up to the last moment their diploma programming (which will be the first introduction to the themes for the evaluators). So I took the chance to correct or clarify few things to my diploma programming. The title has already mentioned in the last post. Here I present the final hypothesis the aims and the final methodology.
Hypothesis
I submit that the childlike characteristics often found in product design can be illuminated through the biological phenomenon of pedomorphosis which stands for retention of childlike physical and behavioral traits by grown up humans. What I propose to call pedomorphosis in design (or: making products young) can be explored through focusing on design objects, design intentions, and the personality of designers.
The questions, which a hypothesis like that arise, point three directions:
- How is the phenomenon of pedomorphosis in design related to design objects, design intentions and the personality of designers?
-Why does pedomorphosis in product design exist at all?
-What do the pedomorphic elements stimulate and why is pedomorphosis important to product design?
Aims
The goal of this diploma is to develop in a first level approach to the phenomenon of pedomorphosis in design. It is not aiming to final statements or conclusions. The acquisition of knowledge, data and observations hopefully can be used as a casebook for further personal investigations and also as useful tool for other designers with interest on the topic.
Methodology
I have chosen to work with observations, categorizations, and mapping.
Observation phase will continue during the whole semester with the help of:
- existing bibliography on design product history and morphology
- used as a casebook
- popular journalistic articles
- web search on blogs, forums and websites
- a workshop with design students
- a study trip to Disneyland
- attendance of lectures and seminars on Evolution Theories (if possible in the area of Oslo)
The categorizations of the products will be based on form, color, material, proportions, names and contex, which will be interpreted in analogy with the physical and behavioral pedomorphic traits in humans.
The mapping will consist of the development of pedomorphosis in the general field of design including design objects, the design intentions and the personalities. The mapping aims to present the broadness of the phenomenon
Here it is important to mention that due to the cross disciplinary nature of the phenomenon and the limited time reserved for writing of the Master Thesis, an extensive review of the phenomenon will not be possible and findings and investigations of the other disciplines that involve to the phenomenon will remain on the level of reference.
I changed the original title of this blog and my thesis title to:
"making products young, or the phenomenon of pedomorphosis in product design: observations and mapping."
The reason why is that I wanted to be understood very easily and connect my diploma with product design direct. I felt that the former title will make the readers to think that I am talking for pedomorphosis itself and not for the analogy between pedomorphosis and design. Hopefully now it is more understandable.
I submit that the childlike characteristics often found in product design can be illuminated through the biological phenomenon of pedomorphosis, which stands for retention of childlike physical and behavioral traits by grown up humans. What I propose to call pedomorphosis in design (or: making products young) can be explored through focusing on design objects, design intentions, and the personality of designers.
