Art and Design

For this final paper, you will choose a single designed object and answer the following questions in 1100-word minimum essay format, accompanied by at least five images of the object:
What was the designer trying to improve?
Who was the designer trying to improve it for?
How successful were they?
What is the history of earlier iterations of the object?
What technologies had to exist in order for the object to exist?
What hidden constraints could explain its weaknesses?
Who were the powerful people who made these decisions?
Who paid for it?
Who came first in its considerations? People, technology, or an organization?
What message is the style sending to you?
Who is included or excluded from participating?
What systems is this design a part of?
Who might be harmed or hurt by this design?
Where in the natural world, or in another culture, might there be a better solution for this problem?
Does this design create flow or conflict?
What new problems does this design create if it’s successful?
What are you going to do about all of this?
Evaluation Criteria (25 pts each)
Appropriate Artifact Choice: Your object MUST BE A DESIGNED OBJECT, ie., it must be a thing that humans have created in response to a need or problem. Also, be aware that a simple paper cup yields a depth of history, thought and technology that goes back thousands of years. Be thorough in your investigation.
Primary sources: TALK TO PEOPLE. All the information you need will NOT be available on the internet! Finding out who designed the shape of that cup is as important as discovering who designed the logo. If the inventor or designer of something is alive, see if they are available to speak with you to answer the questions. Did they improve on a given design or technology in response to a need, or did they innovate a completely new form and push it into the world, creating a demand that did not previously exist?
Sufficient Imagery and linkage: This is a visual interrogration. SHOW YOUR EXAMPLES! Be aware that your analysis is a daisy chain, premised on certain technologies developing in order to make the production and manufacture of your artifact possible. In a design sense, what came first, the chicken or the egg?