Utopian Design: Solar Power Panels

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         In today’s society solar panels aim to improve society by directly converting sunlight into electrical energy. From homeowners to businesses, people in society have switched to solar power because they know it is better for the environment and also because solar power is free. Since solar panels do not have any moving parts that use fuel or need maintenance they are very convenient and can be used in remote parts of the country. To further understand how solar panels are benefiting society we must explore its design further.

The light from the sun enters the solar panel through the antireflection layer which minimizes the loss of light due to reflection. Then this light travels to the energy-conversion layers that are below the antireflection layer. The light then goes through three conversion layers which are the top junction layer, the absorber layer, and the back junction layer. Then two additional layers are needed to transmit the electric current out to the external load and then it goes back into the cell. After the light completes this process then the electric circuit is complete. Below is a picture that shows where each of the layers are located.

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           Solar panels are arranged into larger groups called arrays. These arrays are what we see on top of the roofs of homes and businesses. Businesses like Kohl’s use solar power to power most of there store’s power.  Solar power is not only used in panels to power homes and businesses, but they are also used in toys, calculators, and portable radios that are not only powered by sunlight but can also be powered by fluorescent lights

Color Transforms Design

Image from: http://www.irealm.org/d-art/full/bwbutterfly.jpg

            

            The use of color in a design can help bring out a number of different design elements. Just like in the picture above, the color helps create contrast between the background and the subject. If the whole image were to be black and white then this same contrast would not occur. Sure you would have a decent amount of value if the whole picture were to be black and white but your eyes would not go to the butterfly the same way they do now because of the color. The use of color creates contrast and also helps create a focal point to the picture. Notice how the focal point of this image is slightly off center. This focal point would not be created if it wouldn’t have had the color it does now.

            As stated by Josef Albers, in Interaction of Color, “Color, when practically applied, not only appears in uncountable shades and tints, but is additionally characterized by shape and size, by recurrence and placement, and so on, of which particularly shape and size are not directly applicable to tones.” (Albers p. 40). In this case the color applied to the butterfly has different tones but not as many as Albers suggests. This picture appears to be photoshoped and one thing that it lacks is the variety of tones that come with the addition of color. If more tones were visible on the butterfly then this would make the picture much better, just like Albers suggests when applying colors you must do so practically.  

Dangerous Design: The InStyler

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             The InStyler is a rotating hair iron made by Tre Milano, LLC. This hair iron is not like any other hair product out there in the market today and the reason might be that it is a very dangerous product to use. Last Christmas my sister received the InStyler as a gift and she was very excited to use it because after seeing all the infomercials on T.V. she thought that it would work perfectly. As soon as my sister received the InStyler she decided to give it a try only to find that it was extremely hard to use. She even burned her ear because the rotating cylinder gets really hot. There have even been YouTube videos that say how dangerous this product can be. The following link is to a video about a woman who bought the InStyler from QVC and received an attachment for the InStyler in order to reduce burns.

                                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLlUMbCS-RQ

            This is evidence that the InStyler is a dangerous product because it was worth it to QVC to send an additional protective shield for free to their customers in order to prevent burns. To really understand why this is such a dangerous product one must analyze the design further.

            The InStyler reaches very high temperatures just like any other hair product but the major difference is that since the InStyler has a rotating cylinder it is harder to maneuver when you are using it to straighten or curl your hair. The rotating cylinder was thought to be a great innovation to the design of this model because this allows you to both straighten your hair or curl it but by doing so it creates the unintentional danger of having an unprotected hot rotating cylinder really close to your head and fingers. I am sure that the designers of this product were only thinking about the efficiency that the cylinder would be to the model and didn't realize the possible dangers it could have. When designing something a designer must always think of the possible dangers to the consumer their product might bring. I would have to argue that the normal straighteners are safer to use because both of the sides are covered with a protective heat metal that allow you to put your fingers on one side of the straightened in order to close it. The following is a picture of a regular hair straightener.

Image from: http://www.myhairstylingtools.info/images/CHI-Turbo-2-Big-Flat-Iron-1.jpg

            This straightener is much safer because both of the heat plates are surrounded by protective metal that if you touch is still hot but not hot enough to burn you the way the InStyler can.

The Importance of Design at a Young Age

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           As I was working on my homework my 10 and 11 year old cousins were discussing what electives classes they were going to pick. This surprised me because when I was in elementary school I never had a chance to take electives in elementary school. At Smythe Academy, a public elementary school in Sacramento, students as young as the first grade are able to sign up for elective classes that range from the arts to cooking. I feel that some of the art programs that Smythe offers really do get kids interested in the arts. Some of the classes that Smythe offers are Recycled Art, Pointillism, Art in the Fall, and Drawing. I feel that every kid should get the opportunity to take art classes just like the kids at Smythe. Whether kids choose to pursue a career in art or design, or they are just looking for a hobby, art and design classes are essential to every kids learning. Even though I didn’t have elective classes in elementary school, I was lucky enough to have a graphic design class in high school. This class inspired  me to pursue  a career in design  and  I fell that if I wouldn’t have had this class I wouldn’t decided to major in design . This is why I fell that it is important to make art and design classes available to kids at a young age so that they can decide if design is a career they want to pursue.  

Ergonomic Design of a 2011 Mustang GT Continued

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            As far as performance goes the 2011 Mustang GT has a new engine that delivers even more power than before while still providing the best fuel efficiency. The new 3.7L V6 engine gives you about 31 MPG on the highway. The 2011 model also comes with cold air induction which increases the horsepower and torque. This new model also comes with a 6-speed transmission for a smoother ride. If you choose the sport mode you could get Advanced Trac with ESC which allows you to push the vehicle more without loosing control.  

            The 2011 Mustang GT has a unique look compared to other cars. The outside design of the Mustang GT is designed with the human features in mind especially the front of the car. The front of the car tends to look like a human face, with the headlights for eyes and the grill for a mouth. For the nose it has the iconic pony grille or “hockey stick”. The lines that run on the side of the car give it depth and when the light hits the lines it creates a shadow. This shadow creates a sharp contrast between the color of the car and the dark shadows. The 2011 Mustang GT comes in eight colors which are race red, grabber blue, red candy metallic, performance white, kona blue metallic, ebony, ingot silver metallic, and sterling grey metallic. These colors allow many to be pleased with the new 2011 Mustang GT.

           

Ergonomic Design of a 2011 Mustang GT

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The 2011 Mustang GT is a vehicle that has many features that can be analyzed. As far as safety goes the 2011 Mustang GT is relatively a safe car. It’s equipped with air bags and comes with Ford’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty. It also comes with complementary Roadside Assistance coverage for up to 5 years or 60,000 miles, which ever comes first. The 2011 Mustang GT is equipped with many comfortable interior features that please the consumer. These features can include leather seats (available in 5 colors) with switch-selected heat, ambient lighting (available in seven colors), and map pockets on the back of the two front seats for your convenience. Another important feature that the 2011 Mustang GT comes with is SYNC. SYNC allows you to make hand free phone calls, control your music via voice commands, view traffic, get directions, and even allows you to make audible text messages. Also when you purchase the 2011 Mustang GT you will also receive a navigation system with a 6 month SIRIUS Traffic and Travel Link that easily allows you to navigate through traffic and also gives you local fuel prices, weather information, movie listings, sports scores and schedules. The vehicle can also come with a rear view camera perfect for when you are backing up. All of these features are relatively easy to use. Driving a car in general is easy to learn. If you need help learning how to drive you could always go to a driving school to learn how to drive. They explain all the rules of the road really well and once you get your permit they also teach you how to drive.

What is Art?

             Art can be virtually anything, so how do we know what’s art and what’s not? Some believe that art should be an amazingly beautiful work that has a tremendous impression on you because of its immense beauty. This idea that art is suppose to be beautiful is the concept of aesthetics. So if art is suppose to be beautiful then what about Yoko Ono’s artwork One Piece?

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            When talking about Yoko Ono’s One Piece we should also consider the idea of ethics and how ethics affects art. When an artist decides to create an artwork like One Piece 95% of the artists are concerned with ethics. They are worried if it will be accepted within society. So Yoko Ono’s One Piece is considered art because art is not just beauty but it is also about conceptualizing. Conceptual art is where the idea behind an art piece is more important then the object itself. It the object isn’t beautiful but it makes you think then that is art! Art doesn’t necessarily need to be beautiful but as long as it makes you think about something then the artist has done their job. Not all art will make you think because some art is just meant to look beautiful and that’s it but most of the time an artist are trying to deliver a message just like in design.