This item has become an extended body part for most human
beings. Without this item most of us
would be lost. When I was tasked with
this assignment, I used what “White Space Is Not Your Enemy” taught me. I put pencil to paper and brainstormed dozens
of ideas until I found the “big idea” that stood out the most. That was my iPhone. I wasn’t able to take a picture of my iPhone
from my iPhone so I used a picture I found on google. Brian Kennedy tells us to look, see, describe,
and analyze the item in order to interpret and construct meaning from it. When I look at the phone I see the consistent
rectangular shape that almost every single cellphone is in. When I see the shape it makes me think about
why this shape in particular. I can
describe the color, that there is a screen on one side of the phone, that there
are buttons on the phone on either the side, the back or the front. I can tell you that my phone has a circular
button on the front where the screen is that is round in order to be more
pleasing to the finger when it’s pushed because it allows for more area to get
the finger print. Which brings me to
analyzing the phone. In order to analyze
one must ask questions. The first
question I have is why the rectangular shape instead of a circle or a square or
a triangle? Why only one screen instead
of a screen on the front and back? Why
is there only a flash on the back of the phone and not on the front and
back? Why is the circular button located
on the bottom of the phone and not the top?
The questions can go on and on. I
won’t bore you with all the answers, however I believe functionality, aesthetic
engagement and comfort-ability all play a part in the design of cellular
phones. I believe when cell phones first
came out there was no way to tell how much they would take over our lives! This is why there are new technological
advances made all the time like the phone watch. I guess if it’s on your wrist your less
likely to lose it. I say all of this to
say the meaning that I receive from my phone is that it is a way to stay in
constant contact with the rest of the world while ensuring that it will be simple,
convenient, efficient, and comfortable to do so. Who knows what advances will be made tomorrow!
LuLu, I am so glad you selected cell phones as your topic! I was really close to talking about this one as well, but I would have been dishonest if I claimed this was an object that I do not regularly ponder. specifically, I ponder the way iphones look compared to all others, and the ways in which options for "customizing" the settings to suit what is visually appealing to individual consumers can be very broad or very restricted depending on the type of phone you choose to purchase.
ReplyDeleteJenna
Lulu you wrote, "I believe functionality, aesthetic engagement and comfort-ability all play a part in the design of cellular phones." I couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteFor me what stood out in the image you posted are the colors: bright orange and yellow! Warm colors--colors of the sun and flames. Does your iPhone have the same color case? If so, do the colors reflect the warm feeling you get from looking at/using your phone? As you point out, our phones have become extensions of ourselves, and most of us couldn't do without them. Here's an interesting question I recently came across: If you discovered you'd forgotten your phone at home, would you turn around to get it? How many miles would you be wiling to travel to retrieve it? I don't know about you, but I feel lost when I'm without my phone. Makes me feel untethered. In terms of visual literacy, what do you think of the icons for apps? Those are as much about visual literacy as anything! Recently Uber changed its logo and there was quite the uproar.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Dawn