Journal #3

TED conference: Stefan Sagmeister, yes design can make you happy

First, Sagmeister discusses his superstitions when he landed in Hong Kong and realized that he had a terrible time in Hong Kong despite what the billboards said.

Being happy while designing- look at the authors photographs.

Visualization of happiness

Arcadia

Nirvana

Desire

Harmony

Realized the pieces in the exhibition were about the visualization of happiness and not things to evoke happiness.

Advertising or movie industry have a bad reputation with representing happy.

Designs that can evoke happiness:

Designers who did their own version of the subway signs.

The PS1 sculpture the room that has a retractable roof that opens and dusk and dawn. Cannot see horizon line, just different colors of the sky.

The 55,000 speech bubbles, where the designer put them on posters around new york and other people fill them in. The way it works so well is because people get to express themselves, the designer gets his project, and the advertisers get people to look at their ads. In the end, he made a list on what he likes about his job and what to do to be happy. For example, not staying behind a computer for too long, working without interruption on a single project, and having things come back from the printer done well.

How Good is Good?

Priorities:

1.)Strive for happiness

2.)Don’t hurt anybody

3.)Help, other ahieve the same

Changed the priorities to:

1.)Help others

2.)Don’t hurt anybody

3.)Strive for happiness

Bad design can harm our lives and make the world a more difficult place to live in.

Design can unify- Francis Hopkinson designed the American Flag

Design can help us remember - The towers of light by Julian Laverdiere and Paul Myoda

Design can simplify our lives-

Metro card to ease the way around the city

Design can make someone feel better-

He wore a shirt saying, “Dear Mom! Have a great Birthday” and wore it during the interview, which made her happy and feel better about him not being there for her birthday.

Design can make the world a safer place:

Cipro pamphlet can inform quickly and efficiently about when to take it and the side effects.

Design can help people rally behind a cause:

The poser series in the 80-ies showed others that there were others who were not happy with the administration. Only picked the ones that were actually pasted on the street because the rest of the prints go to design competitions and only helps the ego of the designer.

Design can inform and teach

Geometric signs and graphs in New York Times, designers give us a better understanding of the issues.

Design can raise money:

Breast Cancer symbol which made an impressive amount of money for cancer research

Design can make us more tolerant:

Troika poster by Andrey Logvin.

Uncle same is commercial Art, the American Flag is graphic design. Commercial Art makes you BUY things, graphic design GIVES you ideas.