It has taken me the best part of today and most of yesterday to figure out what exactly to do with this blog and how to get Twitter and Flickr up and running, but now I think I am starting to realise the importance of such sites to textile design. So far I have found that these sites provide quick easy access to a vast array of information and allow you to document you ideas, work and thoughts without too much stress!
One of the earlier points covered in the design studies lecture this week was that most verbal communication is redundant which I feel is very true. With an example given in the lecture of ‘I Tarzan, You Jane’ as a way of introducing yourself.
I think text messages highlight how much speech is redundant as often in texts many redundant words and letters are removed but sense can still be made of the message. However messages with high redundancy would be easier to understand and entropic information is less likely to be discarded. Before the lecture I never considered that in verbal communication many words were totally unnecessary. This would only be true if those communicating were fluent in the language being spoken, or even still could some sense be made of what was being said without all the redundant words?
How this applies to textiles I am not sure. I don’t have the answer but so far have had a few thoughts:
Perhaps not all of the redundant words would be necessary to understand product adverts or information on textile products such as t-shirts printed with a message, however the information will be better understood with the redundant words and information is less likely to be discarded. May be if a viewer didn’t understand initially though they would re-read the information to try and make sense of it? Therefore they may become more interested in your product for example and so spend more time analysing it?
Or may be the use of redundant words could be used simply to highlight areas you wanted the viewer to understand and remember, and removed from areas less important?
However this may all backfire and lead to confusion, lack of interest and understanding due to an unfamiliar lack of redundant words.
1 comments:
Don't forget that redundancy doesn't just apply to words. For example if you wanted to signify "Scottish" in a textile design, what would you do? If you wanted someone to reach out and touch your fabric, what would you do? The "thing" that solicits the idea or message may be completely redundant to the material, but would be an important way of selling it, or getting interest. So... a material that preserves body heat aimed at professionals might look "technical", i.e like tin foil. But one aimed at consumers might look like a normal comfy fabric, such as fleece. Same material, different look and feel... The "use" is the purpose, the "look" is redundant. But which is "design"? The design of the material with its heat-retaining properties? Or the design of the way it looks? Or the design of the garment itself? Mmm...
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