Pixar, Culture and MacGyver

“Design is the purposeful arrangement of elements to produce an intended reaction in the viewer. Well that just happens to describe story very well.”

Being that Mary Fran knows about my obsession with Pixar she recommended that I watch Pete Docter’s “Storytime” video. I was very pleased to discover that he is an animator, screenwriter, and director at Pixar. I really am so in love with Pixar. I think the stories are absolutely incredible, the animation is so extremely detailed and the way they weave all the movies together with little “easter eggs” blows my mind. His video is very cool and I love it for more reasons than just the simple fact that clips from Up are in it. His whole video was shot from a low level looking up at him standing on his roof in order to create tension. The lighting/time of day also helped him with that tension because he was mostly dark while sometimes he would move creating a halo of light around his hands. I also just really appreciate the fact that he discusses story as design inspiration and shows how story and design are related.

Since traveling is a huge passion of mine, I was intrigued by the title of Tina Roth Eisenberg’s video “Around the World.” I did not know what to expect when I started it, but I really like her. She mentions traveling to Switzerland and how the Swiss have a very meticulous way of thinking and arranging objects. I learned that the grid system of design originated in Switzerland. She discusses how she’s very interested in how cultural differences influence design, which is something I would be really like to learn more about. The reason I love traveling so much is due to experiencing all the differences in culture and I know that things such as runway fashion and design are swayed by cultural elements a lot. I also just really love that she wants to use design for the betterment of society, because that is just awesome.

The third video I watched was “Do More With Less” by Emily Pilloton. The title intrigued me, but what furthered my like of her was that she has studied both architecture and project design. My best friend did architecture for her undergrad degree and is currently getting a masters in packaging science design. Also, Pilloton’s mini bio mentions that she uses design to help global issues and to empower communities, both which I think are really neat. Her answer to what inspires her design was quite different than what I was expecting but makes complete sense. She discusses how MacGyver the TV character had to use minimal resources, severe constraints and still got to simple, elegant and working solutions. His process is what influences her thinking in design. I am very captivated by her discussion of using the best parts of design to imagine a different kind of public education system. I think that is very forward-thinking and hope to see design implemented in a way to better people’s lives.