My ID history

My ID history

My personal history of ID began from my junior year in high school. It was when the cell phone industry was boom in Korea. New technology of cell phone was growing rapidly every month; new cell phones with new functions were out every second. Due to the system, after I decided to do design, I had to go through a certain process in Korea. I learned drawing skills first when I was in 7th grade. Until high school didn’t know how design was related to a simple pencil drawing skills. While I was thinking of it, revolutionary cell phone designs were good enough to open my eyes and become an icebreaker on my process of reaching to learn design. I always knew I wanted to design but not knowing what, I was sometimes walking sideways not straight. After learning some drawing skills and knowing what I want to design, it kept me on track.
After all that jungle of start, I found myself a junior in high school. It was when I started to make my portfolio and filled it up with those charcoal drawings and pastel drawings. I did not enjoy doing it but good quality of drawings. When I was almost done with my portfolio, I was a senior. I had a chance to build a model of concert hall, it was my first time and I had the most fun ever. In two months I doubled my portfolio slides and I replaced half of my original portfolio with new 3d model slides. It was ‘fun’ making 3d models. It questioned me after, ‘Have I ever enjoyed this much?’ The quality of it was bad but I kept on working. I felt like, after all that process I finally found an icebreaker giving me new fresh start line. I was lucky. I cannot imagine myself being in RISD if I did not find the fun of doing designs and making 3d models.
Being accepted to RISD was an escape from old high school art and starting design. Now I’m already a junior in ID of RISD. I learned what ID is about, how to design for Industrial design. Yet I still think I’m only a beginner. I want to keep on learning until I find that icebreaker for me, so I can keep on walking on the new road called ID.

Separation from Art

For last summer vacation I visited Japan. The most interesting items that actually made me open my wallet were the limited editions. I knew this young artist, Michael Lau with his special editions in Nike shoes. There were already those kinds of shoes called, ‘Dunk’ but this artist from Hong Kong, designed same kind but ‘different’ shoes. Michael Lau has connected his art to products that people can wear. This shoes that Michael Lau designed has been reached two thousand dollars on auctions. They were so limited in stock; they were numbered and gave the buyers the feeling of chosen ownership. Of course they are not affordable for most of people and I don’t believe there are many people who would want to buy a pair of shoes with two thousand dollars. Who are the target users? And who benefits for having those shoes out in the market?
In 3rd world country there are people who can’t afford to buy a pair of shoes worth ten dollars. They don’t even have the luxury to own one. Are those shoes necessary in the world? I do not know, but my personal opinion was not so sympathetic. I am a very huge fan of ‘shoes.’ I love to own them and I also love to just see them online. There are even bigger fans than I am, they own the most expensive pairs of sneakers; they wrap the shoes and keep them in the boxes. Sometimes those fans will take shoes out and take photos, but other than that the shoes will be kept in the boxes under wraps. People like us think that Michael Lau has brought the whole level of ‘Dunk’ and became revolutionary on Nike shoes market. But I became curious again. Would the shoes that Michael Lau designed have been still revolutionary if they didn’t cost so much and not limited? It was different in material, in pattern, in color even the boxes that covered the shoes was different, but they weren’t made out of gold and diamonds.
These shoes had art in design, but these were still categorized as “Dunk.” People look at these shoes and get shocked at the new design and they scream after looking at the price tag. The design with artist’s art in it is excellent but small piece of paper, the price tag has separated the item from people. My last question is will they be still excellent when no one is looking at it?

Shigeru Ban

Cameron Sinclair, the co-founder and executive director of Architecture for Humanity said, “All problems are local and all solutions are local.” When I heard such statement, one architect came to my thought, which also does architecture for disaster relief. The accomplished Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban. He was the winner in 2005 at age 48 for the 40th annual Thomas Jefferson Medal in Architecture. His unique feature is that he builds quickly and efficiently by using papers and recycled cardboard paper tubes for disaster victims. In “Shigeru Ban Talk” (interview with Shigeru) it is said, “Even in disaster areas, I want to create beautiful buildings, this is what it means to build a monument for common people and this is what I would like to continue doing as an architect.” Ban actually began experimenting with many different materials. And there was a chance to build his Alvar Aalto exhibition display. But he could not afford other materials such as wood, by low amount of the budget. Although he could not use other materials he quickly searched for other materials and soon he was surprised at the strength of the paper. In the year 1995, when there was an earthquake in Kobe, Shigeru builds inexpensive and durable housing units for the victims. He went further beyond; he made paper churches, and even paper bridges. New way of thinking of the material totally brought new perspective on building disaster relief architectures. They were built in papers and cardboards but it had beauty and it gave satisfaction to the victims.



I wrote on the last paper, if I had to chose my priority on my product for 3rd world country, it would be function. Shigeru taught me with his works of architecture, function and beauty can be kept together. And just because their environment isn’t like ours, it’s not my right to take away their freedom to have and to see beauty in designs.

Shigeru talks about waterproof of the papershttp://www.designboom.com/history/ban_mov2.html

Humanitarian Design

Designers contribute to society by doing what they are best at, making our lives better. Last week’s lecture spoken by Bruce Becker, made me realize designers could be everywhere not only in one office, and on one desk. His lecture on Monday just took me to other side of the world. The depressing number of refugees shocked me, and the environment they are living in shocked me again. Thinking about the issues for this week’s 500 words essay, I quickly started to brainstorm what designers can do for such different environment for different cultured refugees. To design something for somebody, we have to study the user group, so the product fits the specific user group and satisfy them. The issue is not about what we can do for the user group, but what the designed product can do for the user group. In the process of designing, designers should find the best way to close the gap between users and the products. For such environment as 3rd world country, more studies on users are required. We can find and create similar environment around here, but the best will be actually being on actual environment and do case studies and experiments with actual users. That way, we will be able to research more accurately, and trust the results. Whatever we design and make will be well fitting with the environment also.

Top design priorities in the field of humanitarian design should be well thought out and delivered on the product. If I was in the field of humanitarian design, I will probably have ‘function’ on my first priority. In our world, we have what we need, they all have same functions, there isn’t only one cell phone Company, but there are many of kinds. The design steals customers’ eyes and makes business out of it. The humanitarian design is not about business, is about designing on the people’s needs. What my product can do for them, this will be the first question I will ask myself before I design for people in needs.