March 3, 2010
John Maeda: Life of Technology
Every artist has a history. It all depends on when they were born, what type of movement they were apart of. The art they create shapes how we see them, and how significant they are. John Maeda is the artist that needs to be defined. He is significant in the artwork for what he brings to the table, and how his art affects everything else around it.
Maeda was born in 1966 in Seattle, Washington. and is of Japanese-American descent. He is a computer scientist as well as being a graphic designer. Maeda was a student at MIT, and studied computer programming. He didn’t decide to go into graphic design until a friend of his said that Maeda should follow his love for the fine arts and design. His education spans across a few different colleges. He is currently the president Rhode Island school of design. Maeda states that he is a designer, artist, scientist administrator, and researcher. He has written and book called the Laws of Simplicity. This book revolves around the idea of simplicity and how complex that idea really is. He constantly is developing ideas with the idea of simplicity in mind. He believes in the idea that as a person, we need to keep learning, as we get older, because we become insignificant if we don’t once we leave the college world. (Complete Marquis Who’s Who)
He recieved an MBA at ASU in 2006, a DFA at Md. Institute College of Art in 2003, a MS at MIT in 1992, and a PhD at the Tsukuba University: Institute of Art and Design in Japan in 1992.He has had many shows, to name a few include Design Machines, Axis Gallery in Tokyo in 1995, Art in Technological Times at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2001, and the Design by Number program in 1999. Maeda has also received a total of 17 awards including being named one of 21 Most Important people for the 21st Century by Esquire in 1999, as well as 15 Master Graphic Designers by Yahoo in 1999. His career has allowed him to be the associate professor of design and computation at MIT, associate director of the MIT Media Library, and the director of aesthetics & computation group at MIT, as well as being the current President of the Rhode Island School of Design.(Complete Marquis Who’s Who)
His art revolves around technology and how it is affecting the art around us. How technology has improved and expanded the art world is phenomenal because of everything we are able to do now with art. It has changed so much since the days of paintings from the later 1800’s. "He has stated that his main reason for leaving MIT to go to RISD, was not to computerize the college but to humanize the technologies, and focus students on what we should be doing, not what we can do.
Maeda reviews a good amount of technology and see how successful it will be.
He had a hand in creating the
Processing program ,with two other individuals named Ben Fry and Casey Reas, that allows people to create Flash graphics, while almost ending the project because he did not think it was necessary. In his article “When a Good Idea Work”, Maeda goes into detail about the idea of processing and the flaws that arose when it came out. The people he worked with came up with the idea, so that designers would have an easier way to share work with each other as well as giving ideas or feedback. Maeda came up with the Design by Number software, which allowed for a teaching program for artists and designers. Some of the drawbacks to this program were that there were many limitations since the program was new, and computer power is not what it is today. Maeda states that you were able to do simple actions such as drawing lines, but you were not able to d the advanced art like 3 dimensional design, and transparency. The other major flaw in the program was that you would see something different on a pc than on Mac. "(Good idea)
In the article “make, believe” Maeda goes into detail about the creative process. The creative process is the process that a designer or artist takes by starting from the ground up. He states that he never received anything “shrink-wrapped” such as Photoshop, and it’s the mind that the main part of the creative process, and it helps us find meaning in the work. He gathered items from his co-workers asking what was the creative process to them, and he got many different things. In essence, the creative process is different to every individual, and everyone has their own way of coming up with their own unique art. Examples of what Maeda had received were: pencil stubs, a plaster cast, and a pair of eyes made from painted metal. Maeda uses the phrase, “we think to make” and “we make to think”. This is the creative process. (make, believe)
Nico Macdonald stated in John Maeda’s article the “Creative Code” that Maeda’s teaching, lecturing, and writing are significant. Maeda is said to have an eccentric approach when applied to these categories. There is the same theme of the need to have a new kind of programming in the “Creative Code”. Maeda has a specific approach to teaching his students. Macdonald uses the example of giving Maeda’s students problems, and it is their job to find out how to solve it. Maeda says the problems can be very expansive, ranging all the way to biology. Maeda states that it is all about fitting the correct pieces for the display, which in Maeda’s mind is self-discovery. He also says that in the world today “a painter does not know really how to paint, and that if there was a requirement for the future of successful digital creativity, it would be thought of as a passion for discovery”. Maeda has been shocked that there has not been much progress made to embrace this new technology. It is instead pushed around from group to group. In the “Creative Code”, Maeda shows the dialogue and the experiences that has influenced his projects.(Nico Macdonald)
In an interview with Mark Rappolt, Maeda was asked what artists influenced him, and Meada’s response was that no one artist is his influence. His influences, however are the people he meets, as well as the environments around him. Maeda believes that the people and the environment make for some of the real amazing art. Maeda was asked how is approach to exhibitions are different than his online work, and according to John Maeda, I think the nice thing about doing something in the physical space is that online I'm never sure what people are seeing. They have a different browser set-up, the gamma's different. So you can't beat the fact that people are going to see something that I've seen, the way I'd like it to be seen. (Rappolt)
According to Maeda, in a article by John Moorish, simplicity is not as easy to achieve as one may thing. He talks about simplicity as a movement important in product design but which can also be a strategic tool to help businesses cope with increasing complexity. To make anything simple, he says, you need to apply 'thoughtful reduction'; that's why the iPod has fewer features than rival media players. Where you can't reduce - and too much reduction destroys the value of your product - you have to hide complexity; which is why Google has almost nothing on its home page. But for your simplified product to succeed, it has also to appear more valuable than more complex products, something you achieve with classy materials and clever marketing. One of Maeda’s laws in his book, “Laws of Simplicity” states that it was all about emotional intelligence ... It's about how people emotionally connect to something.' In other words, the most powerful connections are those that operate on a visceral, emotional level, rather than through the intellect. 'More emotion is better than less.' He points out that it is sometimes necessary to add layers of emotion to simple, pared-down, coldly efficient products: the first thing many people do with their iPod is to buy a case to protect and personalize it.(Moorish)
“Maeda was asked what Apple could improve on, which in his mind would to simplify everything because frankly he says everything has become too heavy and complex. "I'm an expert's expert and there are some things I can't do," says Maeda. He suggested that Apple should break up and distribute iTunes' functions into a series of specific apps. He also felt that Apple should simplify the user interface.”(Ithinking about Ipods)
In “Ithinking about Ipod” he also uses another example of the over complexity that is the ipod nano. He uses the same Swiss Army knife example that he compared itunes too that he also chooses to use to compare to the ipod nano. He relies his experience when first encountering the ipod nano. “The box was small, thin, and glowing -- like previous iPod packaging. But the iPod nano itself had gotten fleshier; it had gone from Twiggy to J-Lo. I picked it up to look more closely for other changes, and with a flick of the thumbwheel I noted the interface updates. For instance, the subtle zooming effect of album covers to the right of the album selection list, or images that jump in coordinated, Ninja-like fashion. With its flowing graphic treatments and assorted "look at me" visual acrobatics, my original nano suddenly seemed so 2006.” .(Ithinking about Ipods)
Maeda uses examples ideas from his book “Laws of Simplicity” to signify key points for simple designs. “These key points are laws that designers and business people need to keep in mind when designing new products. “One of these laws concerns time: When you feel like you're not wasting time while performing some task, you may also feel that the task is simpler.” Designers can tackle the time challenge in two different ways: by making the wait shorter or by making the wait more enjoyable. In either case, the solution must boost the instant gratification by making the task more instantaneous. “.(Ithinking about Ipods)
Maeda reveals on his personal website the long list of works that he has created in his career. They range in style, design, among other aesthetics. The long list shows a total a 54 works of art create just by John Maeda that range from the year 1993 to 2007. Some notable works were: his piece of illustradom coming to the computer in 1993. He includes a 7 ½ minute video of the process that he went through to create the artwork on Illustradom, which was created before programs such as Flash and Illustrator made their debut. One of his most recent pieces is called Human 2.0, which has 24 different illustrations of people, and he poses the question, Which one are you?It signifies that we can all relate to a figure that he has drawn out, whether it relates to us physically or mentally in regards to personality. Some are in love with technology, while other aspire to be chefs. There are others who want to become apart of the business world.
In Maeda’s short career, he has made huge strides toward the arts and technology. He has had many influential works, an astounding resume that features 4 degrees as well as job positions, mainly at MIT heading the technology department. He will continue to influence the art world, and expand our thinking, even while at RISD as the president. John Maeda has created some interesting programs that started with the program “Processing” that he help create with some help. He encourages us to expand our mind and gives insight on the creative process and how it is different for everyone, and that is part of the reason why everyone is unique. In his mind, sometimes simpler pieces or objects are better than the loaded down flashy products that in the end take a long time to dissect.
Pictures:
1. John Maeda
2. Processing: A programming handbook for Visual Designers and Artists by Casey Reas and Ben Fry(Foreword by John Maeda)
3. Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda
4. Computer head illustration by Maeda( Part of the Human 2.0 project)
5. Business man illustration by Maeda( Part of the Human 2.0 project)
Word Cited
"Creative Code." Design Issues 23.4 (2007): 103-104. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 3 Mar. 2010.
Maeda, John. http://www.maedastudio.com/index.php
Maeda, John. "iThinking About iPods." BusinessWeek Online 20 Sept. 2007: 7. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 17 Feb. 2010.
Maeda, John. "make, believe." Print 63.2 (2009): 24-26. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 17 Feb. 2010.
Maeda, John. “The Complete Marquis Who's Who (R) Biographies”. Marquis Who's Who LLC (2009). Lexis Nexis. Lexis Nexis Academic. Wed 17 Feb. 2010
Maeda, John. "When a Good Idea Works - Purity, Openness, and Simplicity Are Engines of Design." Technology Review : MIT's Magazine of Innovation. (2009): 108.
Moorish, John. “Simplicity: not as easy as it looks. ” Management Today. 1 April 2008. General OneFile. Wed Mar 3rd. 2010.
Rappolt, Mark. "Being Digital." Modern Painters (2005): 48-50. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 3 Mar. 2010.
Vella, Matt. "What Should Apple Do Next?." BusinessWeek Online (2008): 3. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Mon. 15 Feb. 2010.
This poster is from the movie "300". Its uses two different font types and sizes. It looks as though the words "Tonight We Dine In Hell" have more of a Helvetica font, while the "300" is more of a handwritten style, and would be the style we see everyone someone uses blood to write words. The word "300" signifies blood,a and how much bloodshed there is seen in the movie, and in history as it relates to a earlier time, while "Tonight We Dine in Hell" signifies the all out battle that takes place near the end of the movie. Both impose a meaning of war, which is the central idea for the movie, as it is the story of 300 spartan soldiers taking on the Persian leader and his army of one million soldiers. If each of these fonts were not in the color red, it would not impose the same meaning that it does now. The army can also be seen in the back of the picture, and Leonidas leading them to war. 
