I took a visit to The Design Museum on the 24th of this month. I had never been to this space previously and was pleasantly surprised by what was on display. The exhibits and space was well planned as it felt spacious and airy with a minimalist theme portrayed through the white walls and minimal decoration surrounding the displays.
Upon entering the museum I immediately took interest in some signs placed once stairway which broke conventions with the message they delivered. Each one provoked thought in the viewer such as the motorway sign that used logos to show where each place was, leaving it filled with an array of different company identities or the one shown below that labels a direction as 'My Way'.
Before this however, it was the scenery outside the museum that caught my attention. Having never been to the Bermonsey area before I was amazed by the local modern architecture such as the apartments with high visual appeal and plants hanging from the balcony. The image below shows the landscape taken from a viewing point on the walk from the tube station to the museum and all the landmarks included such as the walkie-talkie, gherkin, tower bridge and docks dotted alongside the Thames. I particularly like the boats in the foreground covered in flowers and shrubbery that add an indie feel to the scenery which is in stark contrast to the contemporary architecture surrounding it that included a bridge made of metal and wires.
The exhibition by the shoe company Camper was very interesting as fashion is an element of design i am interested in. The layout of the exhibition itself was intriguing as the relationship between colours and white space played a fundamental part. The white space shown below with the concept of shoes applied to the wall as a feature was one of my favourite parts in this space, with the surrounding tiles and objects being full of colour that gave a distinct contrast between elements.
The space was used effectively with the object placement not being too compact as shown in the image above in which the shoes are sparsely organised without being boring. The black background is contrasted well with the bold blocks of colour within the collection of shoes.
The whole exhibition was amazing in my opinion. It really opened my eyes to what exactly goes into making the things we completely take for granted and brush over in our daily lives. I had never considered the art associated with making shoes, but I can say I spent a long time watching and re-watching the various videos around the area that showed exactly how the shoes were made from scratch which was a sequence much more complex and intricate than I thought. This exhibition challenged any prior limitations I regarded with shoes, as such stunning designs were displayed with unusual soles, uppers, colours and detail.
The Design of the Year portion within the museum was one I spent the most time in. There were so many innovative and unique ideas to explore within this very interactive space. Small WiFi ports allowed the user to download information on the work which made this a more inclusive experience for the viewer. There were apps to play, buttons to press and videos to watch which was able to retain my attention whilst walking around.
I loved the application on display called Monument Valley and actually ended up downloading it when I got home as it appealed to my interest in illustration. This was a game that was designed to exquisitely that any point where the user pauses can also be viewed as a piece of interactive artwork. The actions and design features are so fluid and the colours are balanced perfectly with each frame being worthy to hang on the wall. It was totally worth the money I paid for it and I can easily believe that it has won several awards in the industry.
I actually ended up giving my favourite design slip to the creator of The Ocean Cleanup. It was the environmentally aware designs that captured my attention throughout the exhibition as I personally feel strongly about this issue and really hadn't considered it a part of graphic design up until now. Of course it's a broad subject to delve into and realising what possibilities are open to me by taking this pathway has certainly swayed my decision on what choice to make at the end of exploratory stage. The Ocean Cleanup tackles a real issue that needs to be faced by designers globally and what stood out for me was that this concept seemed plausible - a solution that can actually work!
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