Virgin Galactic: The packaging of consumer space travel

Having recently been asked what I would consider my favorite 'design object', I found myself lost, pondering endless possibilities. 'What IS a design object?' I asked myself, 'Is it a product made in a design studio? built in a factory? Or is it something bigger; something that could change the way we see the world.'

If you want to read about my favorite earthly design object you can certainly refer to my prior blog entry titled 'Dakine: Designing Functionality with Style' where you will find I have already spoken at length on this subject. Today though, my sights are set on a much larger object, the White Knight Two and it's cargo SpaceShip Two. This is the Galactic tourist vessel owned by VirginGalactic that is likely to usher in a new age of commercial space exploration. With each ticket priced at $200,000, I doubt that I'll be taking a trip to the stars in this decade, but the excitement lays in the future of space travel.

Now that Space travel has a price tag, development of new technology has suddenly become profitable. Which means: we wont have to wait for NASA to finish scouring the solar system for life before they move on to putting the next Hilton on the moon.

Now, I should say that I am getting ahead of myself, VirginGalactic is still a few years from their first launch, but the gears are in motion. After all, they wouldn't print it in the paper if it wasn't true, right?

Anyways, the White Knight Two has been designed to fly the SpaceShipTwo into the stratosphere, allowing it to fire it's own propulsion without the added friction caused by gravity. This fact alone substantially reduces the danger to human life, allowing sub-orbital space tourism to become the first step towards commercial exploration of space.

Plus you have to admit, this space shuttle is far sexier than anything NASA has ever laid their hands on.

Apple vs. World, who will be the victor?

There is no arguing that Apple has been a dominating force in innovating new products and concepts. Having created the first PDA, refined portable computing, and even bringing graphical user interfaces to the world, they have certainly had a massive influence on the way people perceive technology.

Personally, I commend them on their efforts. While they have had rough patches in the past, I trust that they will remain a powerful force in producing electronics in the future. But I am at odds with the idea of crediting Apple as being responsible for 'changing the world'.

I am a firm believer in causality. Yes, Apple has released many new and innovative products, but progress is progress. In a world where people need faster and faster ways to accomplish tasks, someone will invariably step in with a bright idea.

Apple did have the bright idea to bring technology to the consumer, packaging it in a way that people saw how useful it could be. In my opinion, this has caused a consumer driven explosion of useless gadgetry, far from the innovation on which Apple rose to success.

People don't really seem to care anymore how useful the technology is, or even whether it will make their lives any better(or worse) just how much fun they can have showing off their new toys.

In truth, I don't really feel that Apple or anyone else deserves either blame or credit for how the world has changed, but one thing is for sure; For better or worse, I love my iLife.

New Ontario Driver's Licence: a Dissappointment

Having finally completed the arduous process of obtaining my G class drivers license, I recently received my new ID card.

I must say that despite all of the recent technological advancements that have been included, the overall design of the card is somewhat disappointing. While I am confident that the government should know what they're doing(can you sense my sarcasm?) it seems to me as though many of the changes that were made take away from the visual hierarchy that was so strong in the former card.

Considering that my main use for my drivers licence is at the door of a club, I doubt that all of the relevent information has been presented in a way that will be recognizable in dark conditions.

Read more about the new features here

Dakine: Designing Functionality with Style

This is the 'Dakine Team' 31 gallon bag, designed by skateboarder Chris Haslan. I'm in love with the design of this bag, its quirky graphics and earth tone color scheme compliment the bag's functionality nicely. I wouldn't have been able to afford it though, if not for the generosity of my girlfriends Mom who wanted to get me a skate bag for christmas (Thanks Kathy!).



















I picked it up a couple days ago thanks to the aforementioned Dakine website. Its a great bag, with a ton of features like the CD pocket, skateboard straps and padded laptop pocket. Although I'm not so convinced a hack like me should really be carrying CD's while skating, as theres not much protection and one fall could probably mean disaster for the disks. In any case, my experience with Dakine has been quite enjoyable!

A Semiotic Analysis: Craig Steffen, Designer.

Every day we transmit information to the people around us using a variety of delivery methods; Verbal/Audio, Visual, Tactile, Olfactory, and Gustatory.
To analyse the methods of transmission Craig Steffan uses on a daily basis, I sat down for a casual interview with him to observe his habits in conversation.

Verbal/Audio:
When Craig talks, he likes to entertain the crowd using his own laughter to invite others to get in on the fun. His tone is always casual and inquisitive which draws people into conversation. And when he doesn't get the reaction he wanted, you can expect a sarcastic quip such as "What happened to you man... you used to be so much fun" which is delivered with what seems like grave sincerity.

Visual:
Craig uses dramatic body language in conversation, often pointing a finger or a pen to illustrate his point. When boasting, either seriously or for the sake of comic effect, Craig emphasizes his height, raising his shoulders and spreading his arms as if to say "you want a piece of me?".

Tactile:
Craig makes use of tactile transmission in two ways. First, he will draw people into conversation by patting them on the shoulder. He also likes to use a similar tactic to issue challenges, tapping you on the chest or shoulder with the back of his hand

Olfactory/Gustatory:
Craig's good hygiene implies respect for the people around him. He always chews gum, and is generous in offering it to the people around him, making people feel more welcome.

An Exceptional Online Shopping Experience

I was recently looking for a knapsack that had a padded pocket for my new laptop, as well as one that could carry my skateboard.

Living downtown Toronto I find the best way to get around the city is on my board, because i can hop off and go anywhere without worrying about whether somebody is stealing my tires. I've -so far- lost one bike and the tire from another, costing me over $200 in repairs and replacements. Being able to strap my deck into my backpack gives me complete freedom from bike-locks, allowing me to supplement public transit to get me where I want to go quickly and efficiently.

Prior to getting my new laptop, Darren had recommended that I look into getting a Dakine knapsack as they cater to my exact needs. Dakine produces many products catering to 'board culture' and winter sports enthusiasts. They carry everything from knapsacks, to gear and tools for whatever sport you're into.









Visiting Dakine's website further cemented my desire to create fully integrated brands and products.I was impressed by both the functionality and the 'experience' that they created for the end user.

The site allowed me to locate the exact bag I was looking for, providing me with multiple pictures illustrating the bag's capabilities, even allowing me to rotate it 360˚. It was especially impressive to be able to search their entire catalog of products, when shopping on websites such as Reebok's I was only able to find 4 or 5 bags which doesn't allow many choices for the consumer.

















The site has a music player with more than enough music to allow me to write this whole blog entry, let alone providing way more time than the average consumer could possibly spend browsing a website.

For me, Designing a site like this would be a blast! Theres so much for the end user to enjoy, you can even get a bio of every band on the player. This is what excites me about web design, when a 2 dimensional medium such as a computer screen display, can become so multifaceted and almost become a 3 dimensional object to be turned over, analyzed and explored.









They have even created a whole sku for the womens aparell section that maintains a similar appeal, showing a consideration for subtle demographical differences.

I hope to be able to design websites like this in the future, ones where people can feel as though they are able to 'shop' as if they weren't sitting in front of a computer.

Contemporary Design Theory

This blog is intended to be a sort of meandering exploration of my personal design theory. Fortunately for you -the reader- I have yet to come to a consensus as to what that may entail. As such over the next fifteen weeks we will explore a variety of topics that have been, and will continue to be, influential to my design process.

You may have already read my bio(at right) which explains a few of my interests, but one can hardly sum up their life in a mere 250 words.

What else might you like to know about Nikolai?

As an avid Sci-fi/Fantasy reader, I enjoy reading books that take a satirical look at how todays world behaves. For me, I often don't want to read a superficial account of how the world 'IS', I would much rather read deeper into how and why we do what we do.

It is for this reason that I am eager to investigate 'Media Semiotics' both here in this blog and in the course for which this blog has been created.