CRASH into me
My interest in design in general surrounds the idea of way to fulfill a need. I find myself increasingly confused by decoration. I guess I see everything from a very basic level, and that’s the reason I’m here is to understand the broader scope. I was discussing today the website for another project in another class, and I was discussing how it felt very flat to me, almost like they had taken a print out, stuck it on the web, added a little motion, and called it a website.
Crash! Media discusses the notion of a transition into the interactive. We haven’t lived our whole lives around computers, and most of us have an analogue approach to handling digital. It makes me think more and more about how we are on the front line of a digital revolution. As much as I know about computers, my nephew will know even more. He’s already very adept at playing games on my DS, and he’s only 5. He won’t remember a time before the internet, before eBay, and Myspace, and YouTube. He won’t have an analogue mind-set. He still knows how to draw, and write, and use paints, but he has so many toys that are digital.
I don’t want to really get into the whole “biting the hand” thing right now, but I do question what the future of the analogue is.
Anyway, Crash! does some good work that I think is very “transitional”. Looking at their project, WEBCAMTASTIC, my first reaction is that this is a nice toy. It allows you to use your webcam (which I don’t have) and distort a photo, as is my understanding. Being the massive cynic that I am, I do wonder what the larger purpose of this would be. But, I don’t think I’m looking at it for what it’s worth. It’s the same reason I was having trouble getting off the ground with my widget. These are digital toys, and they probably aren’t going to change the world. And that’s really what these pieces of code are, fun toys, and serious tools. The public at large is starting to come around and realize that technology isn’t just a novelty, that if you don’t have an internet presence as a business, you will get left behind. But I still feel that there’s not a lot of knowledge as to what to do with the technology.
Everything we know today will be different tomorrow. I don’t think the web is the place to stick your :30 commercials. I don’t think people will stand for that for too much longer. But then again, maybe they will, and maybe there is a place for that. But we shouldn’t be thinking along those lines. We need to know what we want to do, and then we need to know what is the best solution to accomplish that goal. Maybe the old ways are still the best, and maybe it’s something that’s just a twinkle in our eyes at this moment in time.
So, if you’ve got a webcam, check it out. If not, look and see what people are up to anyways. There’s a gallery. As for me, I’m going to go figure out how to fuck me up some data.
February 6th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
Good point AK, It’s weird to think how quick kids are learning everything and the different way their lives will be formed by the presence of this technology.
On a different note I guess I need to change my logo, never seen this one before. I’m kinda bummed though cause I really like my logo…
http://hnkmediaco.com
my site will be more than just a splash page soon…I’ve been saying that for a few months though
February 7th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Another thing that I have been thinking about since I read your post last night is the idea of designing interactive with an analog approach…for a lot of reasons that is part why I got into web design in the first place. my brother had been encouraging me to start getting into it but it seemed so bland to me at the time looking. I didn’t want to design these really ugly looking websites that seemed so plastic. I noticed how the matured medium of print had a lot of appealing design and the web which is still young and definitely was at the time seemed like a mess of pixels strewn about by the geek squad. I thought that perhaps I’d have a niche for myself or fit into one at least that displayed a little more self control when it came to interaction design.
What I mean is that within my view things were very plastic, fake, or whatever and I thought (and still do think) that an analog approach to all of this ( at least aesthetically ) was the ticket. But as far as the interaction thing goes mimicking analog action (photo scattering and dragging and dropping) could well be out when the next generation comes up and takes this interaction thing down another road. I too look onward as a really interesting if not amazing medium comes into it’s own when generations will grow up and not know of only talking to your friends on the land line or setting up plans had to be done before you left the house or else there was no way to contact them or when letters had to be sent via the post office no IMing or email.
Crazy stuff all in all and it is great to be on the front lines with such innovative thinkers and craftsmen.