Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Lighting, and its effects on human behaviour.
Design Studies Assignment 4
Source 1- Lighting: Its affects on people and spaces.
This article looks at the subject of lighting in design. The author, Delores Ginthner
breaks it down into a few key sections; explaining how lighting design is accomplished, giving us some situational examples and criteria to evaluate lighting, as well as how to manipulate lighting to create a desired atmosphere or impression.
She explains that for lighting design, we must go through a design process used by most designers, thinking in layers. Using layers becomes of particular use in the schematic phase of the design process where different areas of lighting design may take priority over others, these areas can be broken down into;
-Visual Task
-General Lighting/ Ambient lighting
-Visual Interest.
An example she gives us compares the lighting within a restaurant, to the lighting of a Hospital operation room, the restaurant will be more concerned with general Lighting and creating a certain ambience, whereas the hospital will need to be illuminated in a way that allows the staff to have a clear view of what they are working on. The designer/architect of the restaurant will still have to think about task lighting to allow people to circulate safely, but this may not be the priority .In the same way, lighting in the operation room will primarily be functional, but the designer will have also thought about secondary lighting, to allow for tasks to be carried out that require less concentration, such as cleaning the room.
Ginthner also informs us on our psychological response to light and how it affects our behaviour and habits, lighting designers must carefully consider, what reaction they wish to provoke in the user as well as any specific atmosphere they they wish to create.
Ginthner gives us a few examples, when it comes to navigating through a space we may struggle if there is not sufficient lighting where vertical meets horizontal, an example for this could be a hallway in a hospital, where if the light falling on the wall and floor where the same in value in hue, it would become a visual problem, making it hard for us to navigate easily.
Another example, taken from a study by Taylor and Sucov (1974) is that when given a choice people will move towards light, acting like moths. Lighting designers may choose to illuminate a certain space more than others to draw people towards it.
Designers can also use this concept to focus attention on a particular object by increasing the contrast between the illuminated surface and the surfaces surrounding it. An example of this in practice can be seen in many bars and nightclubs, where either the bar, or the wall behind it is illuminated to create a contrast with its surroundings and pull people towards it.
As a lighting designer working towards creating a specific atmosphere, there are a few general guidelines we may choose to follow, Ginthner breaks these up in terms of the impression we wish to make;
-Pleasant
-Public
-Spacious
-Relaxed
-Visually Clear
She explains simple ways in which we can create these impressions, for instance a pleasant atmosphere can be achieved by utilising more wall lighting as opposed to ceiling lights, as well as breaking up the lighting in the room. Public spaces on the other hand would require the opposite with a uniform distribution of light, and more ceiling lights.
Using these basic guidelines the designer can use lighting along side form to tailor a space towards its intended function whether it is a large brightly lit public space or a more subtle, enclosed private space.
Source 2 - Lighting, Colour and Human response.
In this book Faber Birren explores the world of colour and light.
He analyses the visual, emotional, psychic and biological effects that colour and light have on humans as well as animals and how we can use it to heal the body and calm the mind. For the purposes of my research I am going to focus mainly on his investigation into light, but will also touch on the subject of coloured light and how it effects us.
The first investigation on light, looks at how much light affects our growth and well being.
“Light is ubiquitous, it can be manipulated , and is not entirely benign”
Above, Birren quotes Dr. Thomas R.C Sisson and explains that visible light penetrates human and animal muscle and tissue, a lot deeper that previously thought. An example of this can be seen in the study Endocrinology (72:962, 1963) where researchers concluded that “environmental light can penetrate the mammalian skull in sufficient amount to activate photoelectric cells imbedded in the brain tissue”
Birren states that natural light is essential to us, if we wish to lead a normal healthy life. But just being exposed to light is not enough to maintain our health and well being, we need to be involved in the rhythms of light and dark.
If regulated exposure to light is not achieved, and either exposure to light or dark is prolonged, it may have strange effects on us. An example of this can be seen among Eskimo men and women, where lack of light will cause women to stop menstruating and will dramatically reduce the libido of men. As this effect is apparent not just in Eskimo men and women, but to anyone ,Birren concludes that lack of light can lead to a natural form of human hibernation.
It is a well known fact that colour can have temporary psychological and physiological effects on us, the effects change as we move through the colour spectrum, these effects can be noticed;
Red- will raise blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration, perspiration and excite brain waves.
Green - effects are more or less neutral
Blue - lower blood pressure ,pulse rate and perspiration and brainwaves start to decline.
Orange and yellow- similar to effects of red, but less pronounced.
Purple and violet- similar to blue.
Birren explains that our reactions to colour are quite similar to that of mild stimulants, such as coffee, alcohol or tobacco. we are up- stimulated and excited for a short period of time and then down again. For designers a functional use of colour could be to use a combination of colours to keep our responses alert. An example of this can be seen in mental institutes where a mixture of colour is used to keep patients responses active and to avoid emotional monotony.
Both of the sources I have used in this short investigation I have found very informative, The article written by Delores Ginthner gives us a basic overall view of how to create certain effects through lighting as well as giving us some examples of how to do achieve these effects. I feel this article is aimed towards the more conventional designer, who is wanting to use tried and tested methods to replicate an atmosphere that already exists, such as that of a restaurant or Shopping mall. My second source, extracts from Faber Birrens book, analyses the subject of Light in more depth, drawing on research from a variety of different areas, giving us a much broader perspective on the subject, allowing the reader to come up with lighting ideas that may be more offbeat and unique.
Delores Ginthner. Lighting: Its affect on people and spaces. Implications. vol 2 (2), p1-p5.
Faber Birren (1978). Color and Human Response. Canada: John Wiley and sons. p20- P51.
Source 1- Lighting: Its affects on people and spaces.
This article looks at the subject of lighting in design. The author, Delores Ginthner
breaks it down into a few key sections; explaining how lighting design is accomplished, giving us some situational examples and criteria to evaluate lighting, as well as how to manipulate lighting to create a desired atmosphere or impression.
She explains that for lighting design, we must go through a design process used by most designers, thinking in layers. Using layers becomes of particular use in the schematic phase of the design process where different areas of lighting design may take priority over others, these areas can be broken down into;
-Visual Task
-General Lighting/ Ambient lighting
-Visual Interest.
An example she gives us compares the lighting within a restaurant, to the lighting of a Hospital operation room, the restaurant will be more concerned with general Lighting and creating a certain ambience, whereas the hospital will need to be illuminated in a way that allows the staff to have a clear view of what they are working on. The designer/architect of the restaurant will still have to think about task lighting to allow people to circulate safely, but this may not be the priority .In the same way, lighting in the operation room will primarily be functional, but the designer will have also thought about secondary lighting, to allow for tasks to be carried out that require less concentration, such as cleaning the room.
Ginthner also informs us on our psychological response to light and how it affects our behaviour and habits, lighting designers must carefully consider, what reaction they wish to provoke in the user as well as any specific atmosphere they they wish to create.
Ginthner gives us a few examples, when it comes to navigating through a space we may struggle if there is not sufficient lighting where vertical meets horizontal, an example for this could be a hallway in a hospital, where if the light falling on the wall and floor where the same in value in hue, it would become a visual problem, making it hard for us to navigate easily.
Another example, taken from a study by Taylor and Sucov (1974) is that when given a choice people will move towards light, acting like moths. Lighting designers may choose to illuminate a certain space more than others to draw people towards it.
Designers can also use this concept to focus attention on a particular object by increasing the contrast between the illuminated surface and the surfaces surrounding it. An example of this in practice can be seen in many bars and nightclubs, where either the bar, or the wall behind it is illuminated to create a contrast with its surroundings and pull people towards it.
As a lighting designer working towards creating a specific atmosphere, there are a few general guidelines we may choose to follow, Ginthner breaks these up in terms of the impression we wish to make;
-Pleasant
-Public
-Spacious
-Relaxed
-Visually Clear
She explains simple ways in which we can create these impressions, for instance a pleasant atmosphere can be achieved by utilising more wall lighting as opposed to ceiling lights, as well as breaking up the lighting in the room. Public spaces on the other hand would require the opposite with a uniform distribution of light, and more ceiling lights.
Using these basic guidelines the designer can use lighting along side form to tailor a space towards its intended function whether it is a large brightly lit public space or a more subtle, enclosed private space.
Source 2 - Lighting, Colour and Human response.
In this book Faber Birren explores the world of colour and light.
He analyses the visual, emotional, psychic and biological effects that colour and light have on humans as well as animals and how we can use it to heal the body and calm the mind. For the purposes of my research I am going to focus mainly on his investigation into light, but will also touch on the subject of coloured light and how it effects us.
The first investigation on light, looks at how much light affects our growth and well being.
“Light is ubiquitous, it can be manipulated , and is not entirely benign”
Above, Birren quotes Dr. Thomas R.C Sisson and explains that visible light penetrates human and animal muscle and tissue, a lot deeper that previously thought. An example of this can be seen in the study Endocrinology (72:962, 1963) where researchers concluded that “environmental light can penetrate the mammalian skull in sufficient amount to activate photoelectric cells imbedded in the brain tissue”
Birren states that natural light is essential to us, if we wish to lead a normal healthy life. But just being exposed to light is not enough to maintain our health and well being, we need to be involved in the rhythms of light and dark.
If regulated exposure to light is not achieved, and either exposure to light or dark is prolonged, it may have strange effects on us. An example of this can be seen among Eskimo men and women, where lack of light will cause women to stop menstruating and will dramatically reduce the libido of men. As this effect is apparent not just in Eskimo men and women, but to anyone ,Birren concludes that lack of light can lead to a natural form of human hibernation.
It is a well known fact that colour can have temporary psychological and physiological effects on us, the effects change as we move through the colour spectrum, these effects can be noticed;
Red- will raise blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration, perspiration and excite brain waves.
Green - effects are more or less neutral
Blue - lower blood pressure ,pulse rate and perspiration and brainwaves start to decline.
Orange and yellow- similar to effects of red, but less pronounced.
Purple and violet- similar to blue.
Birren explains that our reactions to colour are quite similar to that of mild stimulants, such as coffee, alcohol or tobacco. we are up- stimulated and excited for a short period of time and then down again. For designers a functional use of colour could be to use a combination of colours to keep our responses alert. An example of this can be seen in mental institutes where a mixture of colour is used to keep patients responses active and to avoid emotional monotony.
Both of the sources I have used in this short investigation I have found very informative, The article written by Delores Ginthner gives us a basic overall view of how to create certain effects through lighting as well as giving us some examples of how to do achieve these effects. I feel this article is aimed towards the more conventional designer, who is wanting to use tried and tested methods to replicate an atmosphere that already exists, such as that of a restaurant or Shopping mall. My second source, extracts from Faber Birrens book, analyses the subject of Light in more depth, drawing on research from a variety of different areas, giving us a much broader perspective on the subject, allowing the reader to come up with lighting ideas that may be more offbeat and unique.
Delores Ginthner. Lighting: Its affect on people and spaces. Implications. vol 2 (2), p1-p5.
Faber Birren (1978). Color and Human Response. Canada: John Wiley and sons. p20- P51.
Monday, 22 November 2010
Lighting, and its effects on human behaviour.
Assignment 3.
After exploring the main ideas of Malcom Gladwell's 'The Tipping Point' I chose to look at one of the theorys in the book that interested me the most,'The power of context'.
I started researching further into the idea of the power of context, and how humans relate to, and are affected by there surroundings, and found myself overwhelmed with the amount of information received. So I decided to narrow it down to a more specific area that I have been interested in recently, lighting.
I began looking at the development of artificial light sources and how it has affected social and economic activity as we know it today.
Gerard W.Stoer, In The Light of the 20th Century, Licht/Light and design p.23-25.
Lucy Bullivant writes about lighting's ability to create our senses of security and awareness of our environment, as well as aiding communication between us.
Lucy Bullivant, Light Works, Licht/Light and Design p.105-118
Here Stanley explains that for good design to happen, we must think about all the possible ways a person may use a space and the lighting within it, and also the moods they may experience within the space.
Stanley Abercrombie, A.1990. A Philosophy Of Interior Design. First ed. New york: Harper and Row, pp111-124
This study looks at colour, and its effects on the mood and cognitive performance of 250 participants,
recording there reactions to different colours painted on the walls of a cafe.
Yildirim.K, Akalin-Baskaya. A, Hidayetoglu,M.L. 2006, Effects of indoor color on mood and cognitive performance(e-Journal) 42(9)Available Through: SciVerse Database. (Accessed 20 Nov 2010)
After exploring the main ideas of Malcom Gladwell's 'The Tipping Point' I chose to look at one of the theorys in the book that interested me the most,'The power of context'.
I started researching further into the idea of the power of context, and how humans relate to, and are affected by there surroundings, and found myself overwhelmed with the amount of information received. So I decided to narrow it down to a more specific area that I have been interested in recently, lighting.
I began looking at the development of artificial light sources and how it has affected social and economic activity as we know it today.
Gerard W.Stoer, In The Light of the 20th Century, Licht/Light and design p.23-25.
Lucy Bullivant writes about lighting's ability to create our senses of security and awareness of our environment, as well as aiding communication between us.
Lucy Bullivant, Light Works, Licht/Light and Design p.105-118
Here Stanley explains that for good design to happen, we must think about all the possible ways a person may use a space and the lighting within it, and also the moods they may experience within the space.
Stanley Abercrombie, A.1990. A Philosophy Of Interior Design. First ed. New york: Harper and Row, pp111-124
This study looks at colour, and its effects on the mood and cognitive performance of 250 participants,
recording there reactions to different colours painted on the walls of a cafe.
Yildirim.K, Akalin-Baskaya. A, Hidayetoglu,M.L. 2006, Effects of indoor color on mood and cognitive performance(e-Journal) 42(9)Available Through: SciVerse Database. (Accessed 20 Nov 2010)
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Furniture Project - Smashing Pallets
Moving forward with our furniture project , I have recently been breaking up some pallets with my team.
This will give us a better idea on how the pallets are constructed, and make it easier for us to break them down to work with.
Here are the tools we used for the job.
and here is some evidence of the destruction.
This will give us a better idea on how the pallets are constructed, and make it easier for us to break them down to work with.
Here are the tools we used for the job.
and here is some evidence of the destruction.
Monday, 8 November 2010
Collective Thinking
Brainstorming
We have been developing our brainstorming and mind mapping skills further, and using them collectively to explore new ideas in more depth.
Here we are brainstorming our individual subject areas that we studied for the last assignment, writing our thoughts down and posting them up as soon as they come to us.
When all the brainstorming was over, we began discussing a few chosen areas in more depth.
The poster below, was a visual representation of one of the areas of the book I chose to look at, the way that the advertising company, Lambesis portrayed Airwalk's shoes, to grow there business and launch them into the mainstream market.
We have been developing our brainstorming and mind mapping skills further, and using them collectively to explore new ideas in more depth.
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Make Things. Make Sense.
During Fridays lecture, Hazel White, course leader for the MDes and a graduate of the DJCAD jewellery programme and Royal College of Art, explained to us how she uses technology, along with traditional craft skills to explore and question how people behave.
One of the points she brought up initially, why we choose certain things/pathways, I found particularly interesting.
She also made us question why we chose to study our respective subjects. Which for me, thinking back, was simply the way some of the CAD images looked on the presentation sheets at the open day.
Another point Hazel made was that as designers we all are good at:
Observing
gathering information on new design ideas,current global affairs, scientific discoveries and new potential trends.
Imagining
being creative, having aspirations, and coming up with new ideas.
Visualising
developing the technical skills to depict our imagined ideas and communicate them with others.
having these skills, we should not limit ourselves, designing only within the discipline we are studying, but be open to new paths, that we may not initially have thought possible
One of the points she brought up initially, why we choose certain things/pathways, I found particularly interesting.
She also made us question why we chose to study our respective subjects. Which for me, thinking back, was simply the way some of the CAD images looked on the presentation sheets at the open day.
Another point Hazel made was that as designers we all are good at:
Observing
gathering information on new design ideas,current global affairs, scientific discoveries and new potential trends.
Imagining
being creative, having aspirations, and coming up with new ideas.
Visualising
developing the technical skills to depict our imagined ideas and communicate them with others.
having these skills, we should not limit ourselves, designing only within the discipline we are studying, but be open to new paths, that we may not initially have thought possible
Monday, 1 November 2010
Bomb Project
Over the past two days we have been working collectively on a small project where we have been asked to come up with a response to four different words.
Dwell
Play
Shop
Care
My team were given Shop, after an initial brainstorm we decided to focus on advertising, looking at the different ways we are exposed to it.
We chose to explore how intense some adverts can be, so began to research and gather images of bold, brightly coloured - in your face ads.
I recently saw a film called 'Enter the Void' which is packed full of very intense, flashing colours, often pulsing and strobing.
Here are the opening credits from the film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPxgi-PiNFE
After seeing this we decided to create a short video flashing adverts and slogans at the viewer in a similar manner.
Here are a couple images I created to go in the Video.
Dwell
Play
Shop
Care
My team were given Shop, after an initial brainstorm we decided to focus on advertising, looking at the different ways we are exposed to it.
We chose to explore how intense some adverts can be, so began to research and gather images of bold, brightly coloured - in your face ads.
I recently saw a film called 'Enter the Void' which is packed full of very intense, flashing colours, often pulsing and strobing.
Here are the opening credits from the film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPxgi-PiNFE
After seeing this we decided to create a short video flashing adverts and slogans at the viewer in a similar manner.
Here are a couple images I created to go in the Video.
Sunday, 31 October 2010
Furniture Project.
For our next project working in teams we are to design and make a piece of furniture or object that reflects contemporary culture and domestic life.
Materials are obviously going to play a big part in this project, so my group has decided to research initially, pre-existant materials that can be re-used or re-cycled.
Pallets!
After seeing numerous unused pallets lying around the university campus, I looked further into how they could be re-used, as there structure is ideal for re-cycling.
A design company called Studiomama have looked at re-cycling pallets, and have come up with some great simple solutions.
I love these lights made from large quantities of disused objects.
Materials are obviously going to play a big part in this project, so my group has decided to research initially, pre-existant materials that can be re-used or re-cycled.
Pallets!
After seeing numerous unused pallets lying around the university campus, I looked further into how they could be re-used, as there structure is ideal for re-cycling.
A design company called Studiomama have looked at re-cycling pallets, and have come up with some great simple solutions.
The simplicity of these designs allows them to be constructed fairly easily, this is something I will bear in mind when designing for our project.
Lighting is also another aspect to look at and incorporate into our design. Here are just a few of the designs I came accross.
During a trip to the local re-cycling center and dump, we came accross a large amount of tube lights still intact, these could be used to create some sort of mood lighting in our design, similar to the ' Re-cycled Tube Light' by Castor Canadensis.
'Millenium Light' by Lighting Designer Stuart Haygarth
The Lighting designs above play on the translucent quality of many everyday objects that can be easily collected.This is something I will look to incorporate in our design.
Monday, 25 October 2010
The Tipping Point- Case Study
The image below is using Mind Mapping again to analyse a section of The tipping Point in more depth.
I chose to look at a section on the Airwalk Shoe company's success in conquering the mainstream shoe market .
Referencing for Mind Map.
Bruce Ryan and Neal Gross (1943). The Diffusion of Hybrid Seed Corn in Two Iowa Communities. New York: Free Press. 15-24.
Geoffrey Moore (1991). Crossing the Chasm. New York: HarperCollins.
Gordon Allport and Leo Postman (1947). The Psychology of Rumour. New York: Henry Holt. 135-158.
Thomas Valente Robert K. Foreman and Benjamin Junge,"Satellite Exchange in the Baltimore Needle Exchange Program",in press.
Donald H Rubinstein (1995). Love and Suffering: Adolescent Socialization and Suicide in Micronesia. .: Contemporary Pacific. 21-53.
David Phillips (1974). American Sociological Review. 340-354.
V. R Ashton and S. Donnan (1981). psychological Medicine, 735-739.
Norman Kreitman, Peter Smith, and Eng-Seong Tan (1970). British Journal of Psychiatry, 465-473.
What interested me in this section of the book was the tecniques that the advertising company Airwalk hired - Lambesis, used to 'tip' Airwalk and its image from a small boutique company into a 175 million a year business.
One of the campaigns Lambesis ran included a collection of striking images that were connected in some way to a current trend in youth culture.
The image above, a monk cheating in an exam, reading notes of the side of his shoe was successful as it tied in with an interest that youth culture had with Tibet at the time it was designed.
I chose to look at a section on the Airwalk Shoe company's success in conquering the mainstream shoe market .
Bruce Ryan and Neal Gross (1943). The Diffusion of Hybrid Seed Corn in Two Iowa Communities. New York: Free Press. 15-24.
Geoffrey Moore (1991). Crossing the Chasm. New York: HarperCollins.
Gordon Allport and Leo Postman (1947). The Psychology of Rumour. New York: Henry Holt. 135-158.
Thomas Valente Robert K. Foreman and Benjamin Junge,"Satellite Exchange in the Baltimore Needle Exchange Program",in press.
Donald H Rubinstein (1995). Love and Suffering: Adolescent Socialization and Suicide in Micronesia. .: Contemporary Pacific. 21-53.
David Phillips (1974). American Sociological Review. 340-354.
V. R Ashton and S. Donnan (1981). psychological Medicine, 735-739.
Norman Kreitman, Peter Smith, and Eng-Seong Tan (1970). British Journal of Psychiatry, 465-473.
What interested me in this section of the book was the tecniques that the advertising company Airwalk hired - Lambesis, used to 'tip' Airwalk and its image from a small boutique company into a 175 million a year business.
One of the campaigns Lambesis ran included a collection of striking images that were connected in some way to a current trend in youth culture.
The Tipping Point
Here I am trying out a new approach to receive and retain information- Mind Mapping
Below is an image of my first attempt at mapping out Malcom Gladwells 'The Tipping Point'.
Using colour, thickness of line and 'branches' coming off a central hub, the chapters and keys points in the book can be ordered into sections and hierarchies. This makes the information easier to remember, and recall.
Below is an image of my first attempt at mapping out Malcom Gladwells 'The Tipping Point'.
Using colour, thickness of line and 'branches' coming off a central hub, the chapters and keys points in the book can be ordered into sections and hierarchies. This makes the information easier to remember, and recall.
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Initial Ideas
We wanted to divide the exhibition space up into 3 main areas, and in each area showcase a different aspect of the Jute mill workers lives.
Dividing up the space usng the shape of a jute weave seemed to be a good solution.
Using the shape of the weave to create physical spacial dividers is what the presentation sheet above is looking at.The sketch models on the right hand side are my initial attempts, exploring dividing the space up at different heights, lengths and thicknesses.
Dividing up the space usng the shape of a jute weave seemed to be a good solution.
Using the shape of the weave to create physical spacial dividers is what the presentation sheet above is looking at.The sketch models on the right hand side are my initial attempts, exploring dividing the space up at different heights, lengths and thicknesses.
Juteopolis
Interior and Environmental Design
Project 1
JUTEOPOLIS
For this project we have been asked to develop and design a transportable contemporary exhibition exploring Dundee's jute industry.
We will be working for 2 Clients, Brian Kelly, an Education and community outreach officer at Verdant Works Jute Museum and Louise Richie a member of the Scottish Arts Society.
We will be working in groups, collectivley researching, developing and presenting our design.
The hypothetical location for our exhibition will be one of the exhibition spaces in the DCA.
As an initial response to the brief we have been asked to create a poster to advertise our exhibition.
The poster reflects the type of imagery I am looking to have in our exhibition design, using images and video
Project 1
JUTEOPOLIS
For this project we have been asked to develop and design a transportable contemporary exhibition exploring Dundee's jute industry.
We will be working for 2 Clients, Brian Kelly, an Education and community outreach officer at Verdant Works Jute Museum and Louise Richie a member of the Scottish Arts Society.
We will be working in groups, collectivley researching, developing and presenting our design.
The hypothetical location for our exhibition will be one of the exhibition spaces in the DCA.
As an initial response to the brief we have been asked to create a poster to advertise our exhibition.
The poster reflects the type of imagery I am looking to have in our exhibition design, using images and video
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