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kotaro@cox.net
This is a designer's blog.
4/20/2012
Met a musician from the Cleaveland Symphony yesterday. He plays tuba. I asked him his secret of playing music. He said that he plays his music through his mind. Beginners play music by technique. Experts play music using their mind.I thought we think about the function but we need to design using our heart.
Blog Dates
10/26/05 Shell
10/26/05 Steve Jobs' speech
10/28/05 Joy of Creation
10/29/05 Secondary Function
10/30/05 Timeless Design
11/01/05 Design and Fine Art
11/06/05 de Young
11/12/05 Public Art
11/12/05 Meaning
11/15/05 Accident
11/18/05 Rembrandt
11/18/05 Three Stages of Art
11/19/05 Process
11/20/05 Tea House
11/24/05 No Map
12/4/05 My Cat's Death
12/18/05 Technology and Design
1/1/06 2006 New Year's Resolution
1/7/06 LEED Accreditation
1/15/06 Public Art 2
3/29/06 Public Art 3
3/30/06 Yokohama International Cruise Ship Terminal
5/06/06 ...
5/07/06 Object 1
6/10/06 Good Design
7/16/06 Vietnam Veteran's Memorial
8/4/06 High-tech, High-touch
9/16/06 Asobi
10/3/06 Say 70%
10/19/06 Designer's spirit
3/4/07 Art and Design
5/15/07 Human Mind
11/26/07 Pond
2/7/08 Relations
10/26/05
Shell
I know a designer who has a strong shell. I can call it a "pride", " dignity", or "self-respect". Everybody has it. The problem is that without other designers' feedback, her design becomes self-satisfying and I do not see any progress. She also hides her design from others.At first, I thought she is so full of confidence, she wanted to do her own design. Later, after a long conversation, I found out that she was so afraid. She was afraid to be criticized, laughed at, and forced to change her design.
Criticism on your design is painful. Some will take it to make the design better. Some avoid it to preserve their self-respect.
Design is, by its nature, process oriented and collaborative. We are trained to do "break through" thinking. We cannot afford to have a "shell" and hide behind it for self-preservation.
I am a designer, and I am afraid. I start my design from this point.
10/26/05
This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.
Steve Jobs
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. "
10/28/05
Joy of Creation
It sounds phony but it is true. I experienced it for the first time when I was 19 and ever since, I am hooked. I was working on a school design project late at night, or early morning, and just finished an interior perspective of a library design.I liked what I saw. I was so jazzed. I was so proud of myself. I could feel the excitement going through my body.
Some become addicted to this Adrenaline rush. I heard that people seek this excitement by doing dangerous sports, going to war, jumping off from an airplane, and even take dangerous drugs for it.
My name is Kotaro Nakamura, and I am a designholic. I am addicted to design.
10/29/05
Secondary Function
The idea of "Secondary Function" is not my original. It is described in "Function and Sign" by Umberto Eco (1980). I explain the concept to my students using the difference between "eating" and "dining".Design, by its nature, is utilitarian, therefore it has primary function. However, from the ancient time, humans added patterns on the pots and blankets they made. The patterns and artwork on the functional objects such as pots are not the primary function of the objects. They satisfy the secondary function of the pots.
If we define the primary function as utility, the secondary function can be defined as "emotion". Fine art does not have the primary function.
Good design is primarily derived from the secondary function and it just satisfies the primary function.
10/30/05
Timeless Design
When I design, I think of timelessness. It is my attempt to avoid being trendy. It may be caused by the fact that I am getting older.I do not need to invent timeless design. There are a lot of them out there. The Egyptian pyramids, California Missions, Hotel Del Coronado, Salk Institute, and etc. These have something in common.
1. They never lost their primary and secondary functions.
2. These designs will be kept even if they lose the ability to provide the primary functions.
3. And, the most important fact is that their secondary function is "spiritual" in nature.When I go to these places, I feel something. Not just being old and historical. There are a lot of old buildings out there but not all of them have this spiritual quality.
11/01/05
Design and Fine Art
We are forced to think about this issue of the difference between design and fine art. We are commissioned to provide a public art for the Port District.The difference is "utility" according to a dictionary. Common issues are "beauty and creativity". Without utility, fine art deals with a pure "idea" then somehow communicate that in "effective ways". This effective ways can take many different forms. Also, if this is true, designers must do fine art AND utility solutions at the same time. I am more confused than when I started.
On top of that, there is good and bad fine art issue. Good fine art resonates with the spectators. It touches and communicates with my soul. Bad fine art is often decorative and does not speak to me.
The subjects that influence me most are the issues of human existence. Happy or sad, beautiful or ugly, when arts deal with the conditions of humanity, I listen.
11/06/05
de Young
I was up in San Francisco this weekend. One of the benefits of having an office there. My partner took me to the new fine arts museum called de Young in Golden Gate Park. Its sprematism form of the building, and thinking, struck me. I experienced art becoming a building. Not the other way around.I also realized the simplicity of the building. It is an orchestrated simplicity with care in every detail. Simplicity demands careful details.
What if a painting becomes a building? Can we live in a sculpture? Can our everyday living become art itself? Can we become part of art?
de Young made me feel like we were a part of the art exhibits.
11/12/05
Public Art
I made a sculpture at home and put it on my coffee table.
I made a sculpture at home and it was viewed in a gallery.
I made a sculpture at home and put it on a public place.The first one was viewed by my family and friends. The occasion is most likely incidental. The second one was viewed by public who is seeking art. The third one is most likely viewed by public by coincidence.
Public art is site specific and larger in scale. What designers do is public art.
11/12/05
Meaning
What makes a design-work significant is its meaning. Just as any fine arts and other arts such as literature, music, and dance. Meaning is created by relationships the work has with surrounding issues. Different level of relationship designers employ to create the meaning of an object.Place - where it is
Culture - in what context
Function - how it is used
People - who are they and why
History - in what time line - whenConflict - what kind of conflict is expressed
Resolution - how the conflict is resolvedThese are pretty good process of design. I added "conflict" after talking with my partner. Conflict makes people engage with your work.
Good and bad
Old and young
Men and women
Life and death
Haves and have nots
Power and power
11/15/05
Accident
When my car was struck from the back by a truck, my entire life went through my mind...no, it did not. I was busy trying to stop the car without break rolling down on the freeway. I heard very distinctive crunch sound when it hit my car. I was holding my back of the head where my seat struck until ambulance came.I am okay now. Other than my elbow, I do not have any pain. I noticed that I am jumpy for any kind of noise. When my dog sneezes, I jump.
Any sudden sound connects my memory back to that crunch sound. Sound is highly overlooked area in design. Sound and smell connect our mind to far away places and long time ago. Yet, designers overlook this effect.
Designers of automobiles design the "new car smell" and the sound of door closing. In a small compartment like a car, sound and smell become important design issues.
I am surprised that the sound does not have to be anything close to the original one. It still brings the experience back to me, every time.
11/18/05
Rembrandt
I saw Rembrandt's paintings. Other than religious overtone, they were just paintings of people. No abstractions, no symbolism. Almost total lack of meanings but they were so powerful. Why?They speak more than just paintings of people. They speak of life itself. How did he do that? The way he painted? Color? Skill?
This explains to me that we do not need to do a lot to communicate with the users of our design. It is better not to think too much. Just do it and do it well. Your work will do the rest.
11/18/05
Three Stages of Art
1. A painter paints an apple.
2. A painter paints a clock to express "time".
3. A painter paints melted clocks to express distortion of time.#1 is painting as recording. #2 involves selection of object to express some meanings. #3 expresses abstract concept by utilizing object, forms, and color. When photography was invented, the painting was separated from "recording" functions. Painters started painting something not visible; abstract concepts.
Design will never be separated form its function. But, it can have nonfunctional elements with it.
11/19/05
Process
I start with idea. The idea of what it should feel like; the secondary function. Then solve the primary functional issues.The public art for the Port started with an idea. Idea of wind and water. After a lot of discussion, I expanded the ideas to include "incompleteness" and "movement". Abstracting the form took the "cuteness" out of it.
After many sketches, I started making a model. CAD does not do the work of models. Its intuitiveness is not a match for a computer program.
I realized as I made the model that it is time to depart from the idea. I need to forget about all the thinking and discussion I had about this design. Empty my mind and let my hands and eyes to decide the final form. This is the Zen and art of true design.
Empty mind
11/20/05
Tea House
I gave a lecture on the tea house today. There were about 40 people in the audience and it was well received. I was relieved that people felt it was worthwhile event to come to at 9:30 on a Saturday morning. I was also surprised that there were several experienced professional designers and historians in the audience. I am good, but not that good.The Tea House was designed to be a different world; a space where you are free from social obligations and the materiality. You enter into a simplified space where nothing matters except for the relationship between the server and the served. Serving tea almost becomes "something to do" so they do not stare at each other, doing nothing. Leaving the material world behind, you enter into a spiritual world. Simplicity is necessary, as it is in a chapel.
When I was young, I needed many material things. Getting married, having kids and jobs necessitated to have more things in life. Materials controlled how I behaved. As I became older and more established in my profession, the spirituality became more important. I try to simplify my life. I try, at least, to get away from materiality.
I did not care about the idea of the tea house before. I thought it was just the rich pretending the poor in the name of humbleness. I realize it now that the material needs need to be satisfied to even think about spirituality.
This may be my quest to build my own tea house. A tea house that contains my spirit, where the server and the served reside, work, and worship.
11/24/05
No Map
Let's go to places where you've never been. Leave the comfort of your home and go to a strange land where you do not know anybody. Leave your family and friends and discover new people.I am a stranger in a strange land doing strange things. That is what my design is all about. I am lucky to be able to do that.
A stranger does not need a map.
12/4/05
My Cat's Death
I had to put my cat to sleep. My 20 years old cat's kidney failed and she became skin and bone. She could not hydrate herself.When I lost my father 6 years ago, I thought about the quality of life issue. My father who was Ph. D. in Metal, wrote ten books from age 62 to his death in age 82. When he finished the tenth book, he lost the purpose to live. I saw a soulless body of my father who was fighting cancer.
Amount of life can be measured by its quality multiply by its quantity. I could have prolonged my cat's life for a week or so by hospitalizing her and hydrating the body. But, for what reason? Without the quality of life, prolonged life is just an empty quantity of time. She won't be with us and she will be miserable.
I do design work like my life depends on it. The day I stop design related work, it is time for me to go. I hope my family understands that.
The quantity of design commission I obtain is limited but the quality of work is totally up to me. This is why I put my 200% into my design work, every time.
12/18/05
Technology and Design"It looks good so it must be good"
With their dazzling colors and smooth shading, computer-generated images are very seductive and can make convincing presentations, but all designers know a well done, hand-generated presentation, such as a watercolor, will sell the design to clients. A good design will generate a good-looking presentation, not the other way around. A professor said it all with this quote, "A computer gives the illusion of talent."
"I spent too much time (or money) to throw it out"
Some special effects for movies are so expensive the scenes must make the final cut whether or not they enhance the story. Because of this, some movies go down as poor productions. Similarly, spending too much time using technology at the schematic phase of design has its shortfalls. When we spend too much time drafting, we cannot throw it away anymore, simply we are out of time or we have spent too much money. A good, old fashioned, freehand sketch works much better because it is fast and cheap.
"I do it because the technology can do it"
Since technology handles odd geometry and curvature with such ease, it allows us to do things we never thought of when drafting by hand. This is great, the problem occurs when the method of drafting takes over the design of the building. We must remember, we do not design because technology allows us to, but because it is our creative outlet. A design generated solely by the methodology of drafting is an empty shell without meaning.
"Improvisation and motion"
Improvisation requires motion simply because motion creates design, the originator of the idea of improvisation, Konstantin Stanislavski, explains. Motion does not require thinking because logic cannot create a design. When designing, we suspend our conscious mind and allow emotion to take over and move our hands. This is not clicking the mouse; this is sketching on a piece of paper.
1/1/06
2006 New Year's ResolutionAt the age of 51, I have to think about what I am going to do for the rest of my life. Literary, life is short. I do not wish to spend it as usual. I left my country at the age of 23 looking for something other than "usual".
As I get older, what I am as my occupation is becoming not so important. The issues we deal with are becoming much more important. For example, I being a teacher is not so important but what I teach is.
I need to find out what I like to do, instead of what I want to become.
I would like to build healthy environment. Healthy in many ways such as environmental, social, and artistic. I would like to find an activity that combines all three issues.
I like good design in any medium.
I like to see elimination of poverty. (Social equity)
I like to see green (sustainable) environment.Achieving these goals will require great efforts. At the same time, I know these monumental tasks are done by accumulation of individual efforts. All I can hope is I do my part for the future of our people while I am here.
I did it. I passed the exam for LEED Accreditation. Now, I can call myself a LEED Accredited Professional. (LEED AP after my name)
I know, it is just a title but people have to rely on something to judge my ability to deliver the services they require.
There were 73 questions in 1 hour 45 minutes exam at the computerized testing center. I needed 39 or more correct answers to pass. It did not tell me my score other than I passed it. There were more process and strategy questions than "how to get the points" questions.
One of my small steps to achieve my new year's resolution.
The public art for the Port District is approved. It is a 72 feet high steel monument. I designed it to be:wing, leaf, sail, wave, bird, feather, and fish
at the same time. These are the elements of the environment in which this artwork is going to be located. It is designed to reflect and complete the environment.There is nothing much more to say about that.
I presented the public art to a group at the Port. It did not go too well. Last time we met, I explained the art. This time, I explained what it will do for the area business.
Some understands art. Some closes their eyes to anything abstract. All I can do is to push it forward.
3/30/06
Yokohama International Cruise Ship TerminalOver the spring break, I took my son to Yokohama International Cruise Ship Terminal in Japan. It was one of most interesting places I have ever been.
It made me think the importance of conceptual thinking and not to be afraid to think outside of the box. I need to remember that the meaning of the place is created by the relation between the visitors and their experience. What we design is the experience, not the object.
I do not know if the oil is going to run out by 2050 but we do know that the oil is going to be expensive before it runs out.
We will come up with solutions so we use less oil and plastic in our lives. We design cars that run on energy other than oil. Cars that have very good mileage. We build houses that do not need too much energy. Houses that use sustainable materials.
There is a concept called "embedded energy" that describes the amount of energy to harvest, manufacture, package, advertise, transport, install, and run a product. We call it "cost."
The value of a product is also decided by what it does for you, physically and psychologically.
Low cost and good function is a good practice of design. When the design produces emotional value, the feeling of "must have it", it becomes good design.
Can you define what good designer is?
7/16/06
Vietnam Veteran's MemorialI was in Washington DC this week. I went to see buildings and monuments at the mall. This is the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial designed by Maya Lyn. Best design at the mall next to the East Wing of the National Gallery.
Pendulum is swinging between high-tech and high-touch. As we employ more technology in our design, we also need to balance it with more human touch. The old fashioned sketches and hand drafting have more than their nostalgic value. The intuitive aspect of freehand drafting employs the artistic improvisation. The only aspect of humanity that technology will never be able to replace.
"Asobi" is a Japanese word for "play" as in child's amusement. Its extended use is "tolerance" as in tolerance on machine parts. In English, this word is also used as "freedom of movement" and "freedom for action."
The concept of play was one of characteristics in Japan's history in Edo era (1603-1867). People were amused by and valued the idea of having or doing things that are not the necessities of everyday life. The idea is not foreign or new. We collect paintings and antiques that may not be essential to our living, or are they?
Primary reason of our existence may be to live and continue our species. Even little bugs do that. What makes us a little different from them is that the fact we cannot live without this life's "play." Take birthday cakes as examples. Why are they decorated to be so pretty? We cannot eat "pretty" but we enjoy it.
Design without play is like using a sponge cake without frosting for a birthday party. Do not be afraid to introduce unexplainable and unjustifiable ideas in design.
I was reading about Haiku, a Japanese poem with 5, 7, 5, syllables. It explained not to say everything. Say 70% and leave 30% up to the reader.
Old pond, a frog jumps in, the sound of water (by Basho)
This poem is not about the pond or the frog. It is all about the silence. It says that it was so quiet that he could even hear the sound of a frog jumping in. Basho did not say that. I concluded in my mind.
This explains that what not said is much more expressive than what is said. I apply this to my design. I do not explain everything.
10/19/06
Designer's spirit
This is the true designer's spirit. I received this mail form one of my students.
"I was completely unhappy with my floor plan after I started making the model because I realized that the house was going to turn out like a big box and there really wasn't any way I could make the house more interesting by the roof. So I completely scrapped my floor plan and started from scratch. I want to build my model over the weekend..."
3/4/07
Art and Design
They say that art needs to appeal to people's senses as well as mind. If it appeals only senses, it becomes decorative. If it appeals to mind only, it becomes philosophy.Design needs to do all that while dealing with function, budget, clients, codes, and engineering.
5/15/07
Human mind
This semester, I asked two questions to my students.1) What aspects of the design stimulate the human senses?
2) What aspects of the design stimulate the human mind?
Question #1 deals with the visual effects and communication. Question #2 deals with philosophical side of the communication. I did not have too much difficulty explaining #1 but explaining #2 was difficult. What stimulate human mind?After seeing some exciting design projects, it became clear that it was not what the design looked like but it was who designed it and their thinking process behind what I saw on the paper. In other words, human mind can only be stimulated by another human mind.
11/26/07
Pond
I designed a pond and it is under construction in our backyard.Pond satisfies and heals my mind. The pond is the expression of the mind, not its function. As I sit at the site and listen to the birds and wind, the trees and stones talk to me. I listen to the reason why they are there and why I am there to build this pond. This coincidental meeting has reasons beyond my life and creates meaning to my being.
When we look around our houses, we find many things we have that are designed to satisfy our mind. They are often combined with their functions, such as watches, cups, chairs, cars, etc. These items do things for us but their designs often satisfy our minds. We value these items by their function as well as how they satisfy our emotional needs.
In order to satisfy our mind, we need to know what our emotional needs are. We do not eat candies because we are hungry. We eat them to satisfy our mind. Design process is the reverse of this. We need to discover the thirst of our mind first then design to fill this emptiness. Just as we do not know why we want to eat sweets, the process of discovering the right design is more mental and logical. We know the right design when we see it just as we know the right sweets when we see one.
2/7/08
Relations
What is my relation to the world?
What is my relation with the nature?
What is my relation with self?Answering these questions will give me the reason why I design things.
My world has many problems like war, oil, and environment. But it also has culture, beauty, and friendship as well.
My nature is myself. I take care of it whenever I can. Healthy nature makes me healthy.
I am conscientious about what I do which defines who I am. I get frustrated when I cannot do what I need to do.
2/28/08
Do not apologize about questioning.
Learning takes place by questioning.
If you do not have any questions, you are not learning.
Van Cliburn from KPBS Radio 3/1/08:
These days, Cliburn rarely plays in public, but still practices every day — often, he says, in the middle of the night."You feel like you're alone and the world's asleep, and it's very inspiring. I was never really the type that needed the stage. I love music. I love listening to it. But when you just listen, you can be 100 percent; when you have to serve music, you must be thinking of others, not yourself."
My comment:
Design involves clients. Designers often compromise to meet clients' expectations. I thought all piano players must do is to play their best creative work. It is not so, it seems. I never heard the term "serving music" and he will do less than 100 percent to please the audience. Does this apply to fine artists as well? Is the painting for sale often different from the painting for yourself?
10/18/2008
Warning Signs225,000 people died by the tsunami of 2004
Oil price shoots up to $150 a barrel in summer 2008
Worldwide financial credit shutdown in 2008
69,000 people died at 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China
Discovery of global warming (1.3 degrees F in 100 years)
World population is 6.7 B today and 9 B by 2050 (UN projection)
500,000 dead from violence and disease in Darfur, Sudan form 2003 to 2008Findings
One manmade or natural occurrence has an effect on a large number of people than before.
One manmade or natural occurrence affects worldwide.
Fear and panic causes social disorder including financial.
There is high demand on natural resources including energy, water, and food.
Human activities exceeded the planetary ecosystem.Prediction
Energy shortage will come as high price.
Food and water shortage will be triggered by panic buy.
The worldwide financial market will be paralyzed by fear and panic sell.Solutions
World population needs to be lowered.
Be connected worldwide but live on local resources.
Be prepared for worldwide shortage of energy, water, and food.Regulatory solutions
Limit the childbirth per capita by increasing competition and cost such as education, employment, and housing.
Creation of closed ecosystem units (villages) which can buy/sell eco-credits for energy, food, water, and waste including CO2.
Limit the amount of energy, food, and water people can buy per capita per day.
When there were a few cars on the street, they did not need regulations such as lanes, traffic signs, speed limits. As the number of cars increased, regulations became necessary. As the world population grows, more regulation must be in place to manage the growth and control panic.
Deregulation will cause hyper growth as well as panic.
