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Kayte Long is a freshman majoring in dance. 

Why did you choose UCI?

Ever since 8th grade, UCI has been my dream school. This is because of its prestigious dance program. The dance professors are absolutely amazing, and I knew I would thrive as a dancer at UCI. I am also very close to the L.A. area, which offers numerous dance career opportunities. Also, the beautiful location is a plus! 

What are your favorite things about UCI?

My favorite things about UCI are definitely the people I've met. I never realized how fast people can impact your life until I went to college. 

What’s your advice for new/incoming Anteaters?

My best advice to new Anteaters would be to manage your time wisely. Focus on your studies, but enjoy the college experience as well! Also don't take all 8 a.m.s... It’s killer!

Photo by @kaytedancer1 via Instagram.

At first glance, I thought the World of Ideas and Imagination module was a more detailed and in-depth version of the Critical Thinking module - it was correct- but not only it’s the more in depth version but also carries the philosophies, of which we studied exclusively within art and design. While the topics seem to be complex at first, but then I realize how understandable they were as they related to real life practice, past experiences and immediate surroundings.  

This module has inspired me to understand deeply about aesthetics and work of design - to not only see it as beautiful but also observe it as it has cultural references, functions, and to not only touch it as a surface level but dissect it into broader complexities and in-depth meanings. Knowing that works of design are not only about aesthetics and visuals but also crafted with such intentions urges me to be more intentional with my design practice. 

Lastly, with the way that WOII has opened for me to a new layer of design training, it has maximized my ability to explore deeper not only appreciate aesthetics but also cultural contexts, semiotics and phenomenology as a phase of my design process. In my opinion, I believe in introducing these concepts was a way for design students to have philosophies we could derive from, so we can be able to explore the world of ideas and imagination in our own unique way. 

Art-Ecosystem is not just about individual artists and designers, but a network of interconnected roles that work together and coexist in the same community in purpose to shape how art is created, presented and valued. According to Howard S.Baker in his book The Art World, art is produced through collective activities, involving not only artists but also curators, galleries and audiences. In other words, the art & design community includes not only creators but also people who consume it and support it. This proves that art does not exist in isolation, but depends on collaboration and systems.

A key idea from the session was that different stakeholders shape how art is valued. While Art & design institutions and collectors can shape what is considered important and meaningful, consumers determine the financial value and popularity of art pieces, design works, and publications. As discussed in Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton, the art market plays a significant role in determining both cultural and commercial value. This shows that visibility and recognition are not always equal for all artists and designers, especially freelancers, and some individuals may face challenges in gaining attention. 

Another important point is the impact of digital platforms on the art ecosystem. Platforms like Artsy and Behance allow artists and designers to share their works globally, making the ecosystem more accessible without meeting face-to-face. However, the cons to this is also increased competition, requiring artists and designers to develop strong personal branding. 

Relating to my own design training, I realize that I am a part of this art ecosystem as well. Building a portfolio, learning from other artists and designers, connecting with the community and collaborating with others are essential skills not only during my years of design study but also my future career. Overall, I understand the art ecosystem as dynamic and evolving, shaping my future as a designer. 

Sources:

Sarah Thornton. “Seven Days in Art World.” https://archive.org/details/sevendaysinartwo00thor.

Baker, Howard S. “The Art World" https://archive.org/details/artworlds0000beck/page/n1/mode/2up

Modernism, emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was a radical departure from traditional conventions, fueled by industrialization, urbanization, and technological progress like photography and electricity. Artists sought new expressions for the fast-paced, fragmented modern experience, embracing minimalism encapsulated by "less is more." Swiss design, emphasizing simplicity, typography, and grid systems, exemplifies this approach. Later in the mid 20th century, a new and unique thinking in art and design started to appear as a reaction against the perceived limitations and failures of Modernism to express creativity and feeling, which is called Post-modernism. 

 Post-modernism diverges from Modernism, where artists redefined art as beyond functionality and embraced diversity. While Modernism prioritises simplicity and being functional, Post-modernism allows designers to play with bold colors, fonts, re-examine existing rules, and forge new approaches. Graphic Design in the Post-modernism period became much more open, diverse, inclusive, and perhaps too inventive as a result of these challenges ( Poynor, page 17). Post-modernism has been criticized for deviating from traditional structures and beauty, Heller celebrates it, “Post-Modern blends art history and new technology with a decorative tendency to achieve a broad-based, commercially acceptable look.” For example, in Japan, many graphic designers transform anime and their own cultural roots into evocations of emerging contemporary, high-tech Japanese society (Heller, page 221). 

In studio work, I was tasked to make publications about an exhibition of the chosen designer and my chosen designer was Can Yang. The poster follow the post-modernism aesthetic by using unique font, layout and being experimental. The overall look mess and seem to be not follow the grid but it's all intentional as it has the movement, the hierachy and visual balance between the silver flower and the designer's logo. This work is both my original idea and also reference from Can Yang to make this kind of approach as I want to create something experimental, different from my usual style in design.

In summary, while post-modernism may spark controversy, it urges designers to take risks and be experimental. I realize that Post-modernism is not only a tool of expression but also a movement that will remain forever relevant.  

Works/Links cited and referenced:

Graphic Style - From Victorian to Post-Modern - Steven Heller & Seymour Chwast (1988)

Poynor, Rick. “No more rules : graphic design and postmodernism.” Internet Archive,

In the world of digital-domination, I realize how important it is to go out and interact with real-world crafted & designed objects. As a Graphic Designer, constantly studying and perfecting the nitty-gritty of their techniques is crucial for the journey of learning.  In Week 5, our group divided objects into Memory, Materialy and Time (sentimentally).  For our further research, we have a field trip in New Bahru to apply these frameworks in reality. This reflection will make a connection between my recent field trip and my understanding of design analysis.

In the previous activity, we divided our design objects into groups, ugly&useful with beautiful&useless, soft with hard, objects that we spent most of our time with objects we spent less time with, objects that were global with objects made by locals,...Objects like water bottles, airpods and chargers were considered ugly& useful while pretty figures like Skullpanda, jewelries and trinkets are beautiful and useless. From our activities, each object can be divided into categories related to material, function, design and its sources.

With this in mind, we firstly explored the second floor of the school block in New Bahru. Eventually, I walked through the stores on the second floor to explore unique design works and categorize them under Materialy because of its material, some made by coloured glasses, some by 3D-printed which are unique and different to other design objects. 

These shops themselves  both carried creative vibes with colorful colours and full of design objects,the shop’s design blended well with the color palettes of the building. The objects and books were arranged structurally and divided by shapes, with books and notebooks represented in a rectangular structure while cups represented a circular one. Mostly, in level 2 these shops sell craft objects, books, stationary and objects for pet so they have their own identity and a thing to play with. If I have to categorize these objects into themes, I would consider notebooks as identity because each notebook has their own design and story, while plushies as Play and Humour. 

 Imagine you are walking on a street, you can see billboards, storefront logos, even street signs. Communication through symbols, shapes is the most recognizable way to communicate in the world when there are a variety of languages. How is this possible? The answer to that question is semiotics, the study of signs and symbols, without it, navigating the world must be more challenging. 

 Beyond its basic definition, semiotics include three types like icon, index and symbol. While aesthetics decide the visual direction and motifs -the building-, semiotics are the building blocks. In David Crow's opinion, designers can communicate intent through art and evoke emotions from consumers by using these elements. Moreover, semiotics builds culture and identity, opening doors for different interpretations based on various locations. For example, in most cultures crossing fingers means good luck but in Vietnam it’s considered rude. The gesture of crossing two fingers in Vietnamese culture resembles female genitals, making it similar to giving the middle finger. 

In identity building, a notable example of semiotics is Dove's “Real Beauty” campaign, which features idealised women alongside diverse “real” women with wrinkles, varying body shapes, and ethnicities. Aesthetically, the design of the campaign used pictures of diverse women with different body shapes and skin tones; the style of the ad was minimal with image and text. Semiotically, the campaign uses images of ordinary women of diverse ages, body shapes, skin tones, and sizes as signifiers. The campaign also drew on interviews with a focus group of sixteen Canadian women guided by social semiotics and dramaturgy. This study examines the process of self-interpretation of finding true beauty, and a public image requires elements of performance. 

This concept of semiotics I apply to Photography works in Project 1 when I have to take 12 pictures to interpret the subject matters include Softness, Something you disagree with, Desire line,... Through the process, I use semiotics as I compare the words with the visual representation, for example, for the word Softness, I use the picture of fabrics to describe the comfort and softness.

In conclusion, semiotics enhances recognition of social cues and symbols. Through brilliant design and campaigns, semiotics proves to be an essential resource for successful communication between designers and consumers. 

Sources:

David Anderson, Matthew Stuart, Mark Abadi, and Shayanne Gal-Common Hand Gestures in the US That Are Offensive in Other Countries, Business Insider, 2019

Crow, David. Visible Signs: An Introduction to Semiotics in the Visual Arts. Bloomsbury Publishing. 2003

A quote from a designer named Eileen Gray said that “To create, one must first question everything.” This quote emphasizes that she believes aesthetics merge innovation and design thinking to create a practice that encompasses both form and function, thereby establishing a trend in design. In order to balance these elements, a designer must balance between maintaining the visual element and style, and providing solutions to the real-world problems. This reflection discusses the relationship between art & design and how our class’s activity explores this. 

In my opinion, aesthetics is a philosophical form of beauty and taste, recording the appreciation of beauty that can be sensed by human senses. Additionally, aesthetics include both form and purpose, not only beauty or taste, but also have a deeper meaning during a period of time. This is because while some argue aesthetics is just surface-level, Donald A. Norman in his famous book The Design of Everyday Things (1998) mentioned there is a connection between aesthetic and human feelings, in his sequel Emotional Design Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things, Norman asserts that the emotional side of design may be more critical to a product’s success than its practical elements. His fundamental thesis is that attractive products work better. His statement points out that good design with aesthetic work better with users than its practical elements, forming an emotional bond with the design and also its own aesthetics. 

Following the idea of aesthetics, I always think of applying aesthetics in my Studio work. My work's aesthetic makes people feel something from the future, experimental, and shows the style of the designer, which work well with a design work for exhibition.

In conclusion, aesthetics is important to impactful design, extending over appearance to evoke emotions and craft experience,  meeting both functional and human needs with aesthetically pleasing design.

Sources:  

Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things