My only friend, THE END

Contrast, instability, irregularity, complexity, intricacy, exaggeration, activeness, accent, variation, distortion, depth

Harmony, Balance, symmetry, regularity, simplicity, unity, predictability, neutrality, consistency, flatness, repetition 

What we are looking at here are two great examples of products that have utilized a great combination of visual techniques to convey their visual message. The first is the Troy Lee Designs D3 Speedwing bicycle helmet and the second is a pair of Electric EG2 snow goggles. I chose these two products because they both are conveying the message that the athlete that is wearing either of these is concerned with their style. To begin with the helmet, the vibrantly contrasting yellow and blue grab your attention right away and draw you into the instability and irregularity of the details of the helmet. The goggles have a more subtle approach, with a similar hue of blue used for all components of the goggle, and do not call too much attention to the little details of the ghost faces. Why I think that these products are working well is because they both have utilized the contrasting or harmonizing aspects to tie everything together. The helmet would not have the effect of looking like it were ripping through space if it did not have the activeness and accents of the line work throughout the design. The goggles would be a plain blue rendition of a snow goggle that has been done time and time again, but the surprising details around the frame and on the strap are what make this a successfully designed product.

◊CONTRAST◊

A design that shows great contrast is the Glenmorangie Pride 1981 single malt whiskey decanter and coffer. The glass decanter was designed by French glassware designer Laurence Brabant and the wooden coffer was designed by Dutch designer Wouter Schueblin. The contrast is seen in the materials chosen for the set, starting with the smooth glass set against the grainy wooden box. The clear glass shows the light tone of the whiskey inside, while the solid wooden box's dark sides reveal nothing until it is opened. The glossy metallic clasp matches the neck and cap of the bottle, but is offset by the rough texture of the suede liner inside the coffer. Even though there is a similar hue between the components of the set, their tones are are contrasting enough to push each subtle difference to it's own level. Even with all of these opposing and contrasting elements, there is a balance to each aspect of this product. Each component's contrast to another works as a complement for it at the same time.

As for a product that has a poor use of contrast, I am looking to a product that I personally have an issue with. I am a bicycle mechanic by profession and I use a set of hand tools on a regular basis, so I chose to buy Chraftsman tools because they have a lifetime warranty. I really enjoy most of the features of their tools, but one type of tool that I have a problem with are the screwdrivers because I can not tell them apart easy enough. While working on a bike, I often have tools scattered on a work bench and I need to be able to grab the correct tool from the pile without too much effort. This is a problem with the flat head and phillis screw drivers because they both feel the same in my hand, and the only way to tell at a quick glance is with the red stripe that is painted on the outside of the flat ones. There should be more contrast in the shape of the handles, possibly changing one from a round shape to a rounded rectangle on one of the styles, or making the sizes drastically different enough that it would be easy to tell the difference. With just a small tweak to the contrast between the different types of screwdrivers, I believe these could be much more successful products.

Gas, Brake, Drip Drip

The very first product that came to mind for me as one that has motion implied is the Yamaha R6, because I have always felt that this motorcycle looks like it is hauling ass when it is parked. I owned this bike when the current generation of the R6 was released in 2006 and was very compelled to make that purchase because of form and beautiful design of the machine. Starting with the shape of the body panels, having a sweeping curve rising up to meet a sharply aerodynamic tip, and the gas tank which has a larger rear end and smaller front, the form of the bike very sleek and weighted towards the front. The line of the rider and passenger's saddles is parallel to the exhaust muffler, the beginning of the swingarm, the line from the crease in the fuel tank to the bottom headlight, even the decals, all following the same upward angle. This gives the feeling like the bike is almost starting to fly away as it gets towards the rear of the bike, while still maintaing an aggressive forward-leaning stance. This is really the ultimate sport bike of it's generation because of Yamaha's stance that the technology engineered must conform to the aesthetic of the products design, not the other way around. They were able to design and produce a motorcycle that looks like it is moving at an insane rate when it is sitting, while also seeming to solid and motionless when it is zooming down the raceway.  

This next product was something that I had never seen before I started to do the research for this project and it does a great job of looking like it has movement when it is just sitting still. The Liquid Lamp was designed by Kouichi Okamoto of Kyouei Design in Japan. The basic form of the lamp looks like a the shade is a paint bucket  tipped upside down and there is a bunch of paint dripping out which makes up the stem of the lamp. What this lamp does really well to make it look like it is moving is that it has the drips of paint being different lengths and sizes, which gives it a more realistic look. The lamp comes in two different styles, one that is wall mounted and the drip looks like it is running down the wall. The second style has the drips holding up the lamp shade like a desk lamp, with a big puddle of paint on the table acting as the base. Both lamps have a drip that is detached from all the others, leaving a circular drip alone on the wall or desk. This shape being separate from the rest of the lamp gives the feeling that the red part is actually wet and dripping out of the bucket. For a product that gives the feeling of movement while being completely still, the Liquid Lamp is a great example.