https://drive.google.com/file/d/13giDart_76Cgagp3Ge2lpHPtWYypJddR/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19vdNTAwxwZcc7Q6HjArJLpkc2TIRvN4M/view?usp=sharing

Media extends human beings because it is like a vessel that allows you to complete your task, which you could not do before or do so easily. Like our limbs and different parts of our body, there are different types of media and each with it’s own purpose. McLuhan says that the wheel is an extension of our foot. I happen to think that is true. The wheel is a part of a car which is designed to get us from one destination to another, the same way our legs do. Therefore, the wheel is like feet, allowing us to travel long distances without using our actual feet. They are pseudo feet.

There are many hazards that might come along with technological progress. I think the alarming of them all is the possibility of creating a piece of technology that leads to the destruction of our civilization and mankind overall. One very obvious piece of technology with hazards are weapons of mass destruction. Albert Einstein said it himself “I do not know with what weapons World War 3 will be fought, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones.” This implies that he believed technology would bring upon our destruction.

If the “medium is the message” the roles of the artists and designers are to look for ways to craft the message. Perhaps the medium carries a certain meaning, but by changing the amount used in different aspects of it, you can change the way people interpret it. Art is already subjective and in turn so is the message the artist or designer is trying to communicate.

McLuhan reading was quite an interesting one, his ideologies on media and the concepts around it were rather unique. “All media are extensions of some human faculty psychic or physical”, here McLuhan is expressing his beliefs. I believe media is an extension to human beings/ humanity in the way that the media is able to be used by the physical body and mind. Without the body the media is non-existing, it needs the body to be fully functional. One good example of this is the shoes we wear on our feet; the shoes are an extension to our feet, they help protect us from the cold, hot and hard ground. Another good example is vehicle wheels, those can also be seen as extensions of our feet. The internet and art can be placed into this category as well, one can say that they are an extension of our mind. 

One of the major hazards that might come with technological progress is the effect it has on the older generation using technology. They are going to have a tougher time living in a progressive technological society compared to any other group, because they are using today’s technology with yesterday’s tools; which puts them at a disadvantage when coming to modern opportunities. Another big problem that may stem from technological progress is the idea of “limiting one’s creativity/ imagination”;  because of this, a lot of the same concepts and inspirations are going to circulate within the design systems creating too many similarities. Thirdly, I believe because technology has already made it easy to produce mast media, the quantity of media may be overwhelming and can in turn lead to misinformation if users are not mindful of their resources. I think the best advice for the new generation is to try and create new content that hasn’t been seen before, experiment. 

Media plays a big role as an influencer towards people in our society, with this knowledge McLuhan believes designers have a duty to use this information in a responsible way. The work of a designer can be subordinate to the media they use to distribute the information, in the way that this first original piece of media is no longer the latest most current version of that creativity idea. Although the work of the designer was the birth of that particular creative idea, technology made it possible for the new version to pick up a life of its own (I feel like the artist design/ the first media is like a mother figure). With the wide variety in social media platforms today, the designer has to choose carefully which version of his media he is focusing on and which platform he is going to use to distribute it, because today with a large number of medium it is more effective focusing on one media version at a time.

According to “The New Typography” by Jan Tschichold, clarity should be the most important aspect when coming to design. This was interesting to me because it opposes the old way of typography at that time, who held “beauty” to a pedestal, Tschichold believes that the most essential aspect of the new typography is its clarity; this should be the design this way. He believes this is important because of the vast number of prints being manufactured in our world today. Tschichold new form of design involving “high level” clarity in typography was impactful in the way that it made it easier, quicker and more proficient  for the audience to intercept a message. He believes that this view of design should be the new way going for it.

Karl Gerstner took a systematic approach when coming to graphic design, as a boy longed to be a chemist, he incorporated science into his design; merging them together. He invented a comprehensive system that focuses on design solutions, for all different types of design problems. Gerstner was also a believer of technology, his method of creating solutions was based on the idea that “for no problem (so to speak) is there an absolute solution”; he understood that there is not always one fix to a problem, there is always a group of solutions that can be executed, one better than the other depending on the situation. The “morphological box” was the name of his invention. He also believes that analyzing the problem is part of the solution aspect. Lastly, Gerstner states that the word “designing” means to pick out determining elements and merge them. He believes the creative process of design should be reduced to an act of selection.  

Josef Müller-Brockmann was a constructivist and a futurist, his main focus was towards the new grid system. He used the grid system as an instrument to create order within his designs. “He took design elements that were subjective, irrational, and chaotic and brought them under tight, measured control”. Müller-Brockmann believes that working with the grid means one has to abide by particular systematic and mathematical laws; in order to achieve professional success. He thinks this should be the way to design going forward. Müller-Brockmann also thinks about the future when he designs, he ponders on how his design is going to help move the world forward, he would  like his work to be a contribution to society, enhancing the world going forward. Moreover, he uses the grid system to take the design industry to the next level. My favorite take from this reading was “every visual creative work is a manifestation of the character of the designer. It is a reflection of his knowledge, his ability, and his mentality”.

Technology and media is an extension of ourselves as it allows us to express our thoughts and ideas in various ways. There are many benefits of technological progress, however, it can also negatively affect society by changing the behavioral patterns of social interdependence and cause some mental distress.

I enjoyed the comparison of the “the medium is the message” idea with Cubism. “Instead of the specialized illusion of the third dimension on canvas, cubism sets up an interplay of planes and contradiction or dramatic conflict of patterns, lights, textures that “drives home the message” by involvement.”

In other words, Cubism, by seizing on instant total awareness, suddenly announced that the medium is the message. That is a powerful comparison and very modern by thought as well!

Designers should be well aware of all the positive and negative aspects of the communication tools they are employing and by keeping these ideas on mind, they should try to produce the content that hopefully makes the world a better place.