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Bright hot summer on building 6.Courtesy:Nurul Rahman
Experience is a new reality!
Experience is significant ! How far will we get?
Focus on locus!
Labsome Studio
This research is driving me insane! I need to narrow it down. At some point I can’t see where I’m heading from here. Why am I doing this research? Who and what is it for? This questions also drives me crazy. Am I trying to create a future Malaysian Identity (which I did not intented too, or is this where I’m heading to?) or analyzing Malaysian Identity through past ( sounds more realistic )?
For a start I re-arranged the ad and images. Put them as in time line from 1957 to 2007. My time line works between 10 years. I found fews catagories while separating them. There are economy, social, environment and culture appear in the images.
What does it trying to say? What are the things that are not visible in these images and how do these meaning relates to the images?
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Informing through design!
If you’ve been in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I’m pretty sure you once used this LRT ticket. It’s very interesting to see how the visual helps to communicate the information through design. We use to have a paper ticket that obviously we will throw it away after using it, but with this new LRT tickets, it won’t allow you to take it back home with you. You need the ticket to enter and to use the LRT transport, then after using it you need it to be able to go out from the station. Without the these ticket, you can’t go out. Ont the ticket itself (as you can see below), it have the ma of the LRT station. So the user can refer it back regularly. Donald A.Norman in his fantastic book called The Design of Everyday Things (DOET) wrote a lot about design ‘human-centered design’ and how design should be functional not only because its looks and presentation.
LRT Tickets in Kuala Lumpur (KL)
Metro Bus Tickets in (KL)
Designer’s contribution
The last time I wrote, I did questioned the designers role and contribution in the societies. Last week, in Melbourne, between the period of election time, there’s many of demonstration going around the Melbourne CBD. It’s amazing to see how many design have been created to visualized the ideas. I believe designers does play important roles in communicating the main ideas to the public through their creation. How can this situation communicate without the visual?
War on Nuclear in front of the Melbourne State Library.
Copyright, tag line and words is also important to be clear and be able to create ‘noise’. What is the ‘noise’? Regarding to Frascara (2004) ‘Noise’ is any distraction that appears between the information and the public, thereby interfering with, distorting, obliteration, or hiding the message. In the case of communication design, noise can appear at the purely visual level, because of the elements or techniques that obscure the visibility of the stimuli presenting the information. It can also be caused at a semantic level, when the logic of the message does not match the cognitive culture of its intended audience.
Noise can exist in the channel (medium), the code (language), or the form (aesthetic or style). Noise is created by irrelevant information, obliterating elements, or poor technical quality. The consequence of noise can range from lack of clarity to the total incomprehensibility of a message.
Who are we designing for?
It’s been nearly 4 years I’ve lived in Melbourne. Since I arrived, I been doing freelance job in Graphic Design and getting involved with other design association to get different opinion and thought. It is an ongoing learning process for me. Not only in design but also in life. In Melbourne, I can feel the designers spirit to establish themselves, crying out loud, collaborate with others and trying to define their roles in society. Who are designing for? What is the propose? Are we designing for ourselves, clients or are we designing for the societies?
In order to establish ourselves in various discipline, we need to be strong, we need to believe and trust that we can make a different by using our ‘petit skill’. I saw many of my friends now getting involved with various areas (e.g. environment and sustainable, education, user centered design, interaction, cultural studies, community services etc.) Hopefully by doing this we are defining our little roles.
Design in Melbourne are moving, progressively. Thanks to designers who are aware of their roles in design and take few step forward finding a way to offer their knowledge and skill to the societies.
Design Discourse in Kuala Lumpur (KL)
After all this time, finally one of my dream comes through. Design Discourse in Malaysia. Got this news from Asri Ahmad, a friend whose always giving his thoughts and ideas about my research and design.
CALLING ALL DESIGNERS IN MALAYSIA
and people whose interested in design and creative areas:
In Kuala Lumpur, starting November 2007, ongoing for 6 month trial I would say, there will be a discourse on design. I think this is a good start to gather all the designers together and discuss about problems, issues, experiences and practices in design. I’m not sure how this work but its sure sound too good to miss.
Interested? For further information check this blog:
Kaki Reka
Kuala Lumpur – Past & Present
I found this visual in You tube. Interesting to see the changes, although it is only through the architecture. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian capital city developing since the past until now. This presentation is by ‘Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL)’, Kuala Lumpur City Council. Thanks for the effort of collecting some images and put it together. I think DBKL need some graphic or interaction designer to work on this further. Have a look… Kuala Lumpur dulu dan sekarang
Designer’s hand can change the world
It’s been a while I didn’t log in and throw some thought here. I’ve been busy preparing my presentation for the Graduate Research Conference (GRC) which ended last Saturday. It went well and I’m happy with the comments and suggestions from the panel.
Part of my research presentation, I’m interested in the graphic/communication designer’s practices in industries and higher education. Mainly in the contribution of graphic designers in advertising, branding, education etc. I came out with this statement in Malaysian context.
I believe communication design plays an important role in crafting the cultural and national identity. I believe the contribution that the communication designer did influenced the development of culture and lifestyle. I think there it is important to start critical analysis in communication design areas in Malaysia. Hopefully by making critical comments, it will evoke the awareness of the audience about the role of communication designers in the society and enhance the design culture in Malaysia.
KCF in Malaysia
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When I was in Kuala Lumpur (KL) CBD a month ago, I tried to travel around using public transport. Just to check out and update myself with the services. And to experience the changes. Fortunely the services have improved. More people choosed to take public transport than drive. That makes the “Rapid KL” and other public transport services, the LRT and buses improved their services. While taking underground LRT in KL, I saw this advertisment.
I find this KFC adds interesting. For sure this add will not sell or perhaps will never have the chance to be on the billboard in any western country. It says “Kita mesti makan nasi! Jadi kita tidak tercungap-cungap naik tangga” , “We need to eat rice! So we will be able to climb the stairs in a good shape.” Malaysian citizen loves “nasi” rice. Just ask anyone, to the extend that we even make some of the ‘sweet’ dessert with rice flour. As one of the marketing strategies KFC attracts their customer by adding the “culture values” in their menu. KFC serves with rice. A mixture of East (Rice) and West (bread). KFC is one of the biggest sales ‘fast food’ in Malaysia, therefore in order to keep the customer happy they keep on inventing their product that can fit the local taste.
Myth?: Some even said that KFC is much better taste in Malaysia or Asia. I wonder why?