Exploring Empathy in the Metaverse

As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and are able to look back and reflect, we have found that after the initial sense of camaraderie and despite soundbites of "We're all in this Together," many experienced a profound sense of isolation and fear. Along with this came a decline in empathy and the ability to share and understand others feelings.At the same time, the demand for Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality has catapulted. Meeting virtually, working virtually, and presenting virtually have all become commonplace in the workplace. Retail, education, and entertainment all saw a huge rise in using these technologies during the pandemic.Keiken, a fem-collective of artists based in London and Berlin, recently launched its first solo show that includes an interactive CGI film series, The Life Game, and Bet(a) Bodies, a wearable technology that simulates the physical experience of being pregnant. They feel strongly that empathy is an essential component of the human experience.“It’s important to remember with mind and body that you can’t have one without the other,” they assert. “The relationship between the digital and the physical can’t sustain itself in the Metaverse if we ignore the body, or our organic matter. If the physical body can be supported and stimulated while we’re in the Metaverse, rather than just dislocated, we have the potential to emancipate ourselves from the physical limitations of our actual bodies.”Keiken's approach is in contrast to many gaming manufacturers where emotions are not central to the design. Their work echos Damasio principles regarding the connectivity of our emotions to motivation and creativity, and our ability to invent and create work that will benefit our culture and help us grow.Sources:https://www.designindaba.com/articles/creative-work/metaverse-multipleshttps://www.rewire.org/pandemic-empathy-deficit/https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/09/14/augmented-and-virtual-reality-after-covid-19/?sh=6037f30f2d97https://findingmastery.net/antonio-damasio/

AI and Creativity—Is It Ethical; Will It Kill Creativity?

By Guest Author, Frank J. Martinez The use of Artificial Intelligence tools such as machine learning and predictive analytics will eventually become a part of the design process, it is inevitable. At first, AI will find its way into the decision-making process forming the design brief, because decision makers always seek a competitive advantage and a principal risk reduction strategy in business processes is the reduction of uncertainty. These decision makers will falsely believe that AI will grant a competitive advantage, a short cut to consumer acceptance and profit without investing research and testing. Why focus group or explore alternative designs, when the marketplace has spoken?The danger and promise of using AI in design decision-making is that AI will bake in the biases that currently exist in design practice, theory and design education. How? The processes underlying AI will rely on the use of data collections called data sets that will be made up of existing images of works of design and, when complete, may also contain consumer purchase patterns. The result will be the “baking in” of the biases of the choices made when creating the data sets. This means that the decisions with respect to style, wealth, race, gender, sexuality and cultural identities will be incorporated in the AI decision-making process. Contrary to common belief, an AI  computer can only work with the knowledge we give it and if AI is used in any design decision-making process, and it will be, such bias will form a silent but influential part of the design brief.Without a basic understanding of the processes underlying AI methods and how those processes generate a result, we can expect design decision makers will rely on a diet of culturally blind and biased design choices. This information will shape and guide the design brief, robbing it of the ineffable humanity that underlies good design. The role of the designer and design decision maker educated in the basics of AI is to be able to recognize when AI’s pernicious effects exist and to communicate the danger of overreliance on AI in the creative process. These design leaders will guide decision makers in understanding how the human-creative element in design can only be simulated by an algorithm, it can never be replaced.In a design context, a product manager may be tempted to use artificial intelligence to ask, what are the characteristics of a successful personal care product or packaging for a food product? An algorithm trained (machine learning) using existing data sets might have the “intelligence” to suggest the optimal package configuration for a product, design color way and type fonts and a retail price point in answer to the question. Furthermore, using data sets related to past purchasing patterns, buyer geodata and credit card use histories and other population data, the algorithm may even be able to suggest the optimal launch dates for such a product and provide  consumer profiles and contacts based upon purchasing histories for such goods from Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Google searches. Nowhere in that product development workflow description do the words design or designer occur.A product or brand manager could, in theory, develop a design brief that is almost entirely devoid of an inquiry about good design and how design communicates a product’s benefits or features or the relationship of the consumer to the product. If the data set is good and the algorithm is properly trained, the artificial intelligence engine will deliver an answer that will be accurate based upon the data it examines. However, that answer will also incorporate the limitations of the data sets and any biases that were incorporated into it.  What AI cannot deliver is a new design conceptualization based upon evolving trends flowing from consumer awareness, consumer behavior, buyer weariness or cultural changes. AI cannot incorporate design sensitivity to race, cultural, and gender concerns, if it is not present in the data sets. AI cannot do this because these trends, or more accurately information derived from these trends and concerns, are not, at this time, present in existing data sets.In addition to blindness as to race, culture, economic and gender issues another significant question is whether the growing use of AI reduce the decision-making power of the designer. Will the design brief devolve into mere instructions to create design based upon a narrow set of limitations, such as requirements to use defined colors, fonts and layouts? The corollary danger is that AI may reduce the designer’s ability to influence the growth of design or exploration in design. Stated simply, will AI reduce the chance for bravery in design? These are the principal challenges of the use of AI in design, in order to meet the challenge, a designer should acquire some understanding of AI.

How Does Artificial Intelligence Work and How will it Work in Design?

Artificial intelligence is the process of using mathematics to determine a best answer to a question. Such answers are reached by reviewing features and attributes that exist in a collection of information, generally called data. Stated with increased complexity, artificial intelligence is the process of using a mathematical algorithm to find the best answer to a question based upon (a) finding those features and attributes in a data set which (b) correlate to the question in a relevant manner.Artificial intelligence’s power is derived using complex mathematical analysis (algorithm) of information converted to numerical data and by this method, teaches itself to find the best answer to a question asked by the user. Using this process, a computer, will learn how to find the best answer by repeatedly applying the algorithm to the data set.  More importantly, the machine may have learned, by automatically refining the algorithm, how to apply that process to answer a question and more astonishingly, unrelated questions, with startling accuracy. On occasion, the ability of these algorithmic explorations seems to border on prescience. The important terms here are question and features. A question, is query posed by the user such as, what type of person will find me attractive based on my personality characteristics or how likely is a consumer to buy product X based upon its packages design features and/or their purchase of product Y? Stated another way, artificial intelligence is merely the seeking of an answer (or best answer) to a question using an analysis of relevant features in the data set to find the best answer. A feature in data is a character or element of the information in the data which is used as a guide to measure the “relatedness” of information in the data to the answer. Currently, design data sets are quite small and primarily limited to search libraries such as the Minst fashion data set, Imagenet (14 million images) and a painting image data set on Reddit. The Wikipedia listing for available machine learning data sets contains listings of images, sounds, twitter entries, handwriting, news, speech, and music, among others. The website Kaggle, has a data set devoted solely to the classification of artwork. Eventually, someone will create data sets devoted solely to works of design with subsets devoted to various design disciplines. In the next few years, the number and types of data sets devoted to art and design will grow and with them the temptation to use them in design decision-making. At this time AI technologies are not yet able to create works of art and design that pass the Turing test, but one day they will. Designers need to understand that AI tools will become more commonplace and their use will find their way into design decision-making. The challenge and goal for designers is to understand the basic principles of AI and to use that knowledge to help their client understand the difference between design by formula, imitations of another’s work, and genuine design that shows the thoughtful analysis of a client’s needs, their customers and the best design solution that serves all those parties.Frank J. Martinez is a former artist, designer and Patent Examiner. Frank earned a BFA from Pratt Institute and was the Production Director at Landor Associates in New York prior to attending law school. After serving as a Design Patent Examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and an associate at several law firms, Frank founded The Martinez Group PLLC in 2008. Frank is admitted to practice law before the courts of the State of New York and the Federal District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York as well as the Federal District Court for the Western District of Texas (Austin).Frank is also an Adjunct Professor at The School of Visual Art where he teaches Intellectual Property Law in the MFA Designer as Author and Entrepreneur Program. Frank is also a Mentor in the SVA GroundFloor Incubator Project where he counsels Incubator participants in IP Law. Frank earned an MBA in 2017 and studied advanced management at Harvard Business School’s HBX Program and is a member of the Board of the College Art Association Committee on Intellectual Property. For the past 2 years, He has studied Python Programming, AI and Machine learning at Code Academy and Coursera. 

Celebrating African Activists

Nigerian artist Fred Martins is making a name for himself as a graphic design advocate.In this series, Martins celebrates African activists with the clever use of the afro comb to create visual metaphors for each, creating their silhouette with the help of the comb. The high contrast of elements along with the use of space enhances the powerful impact that each of his subjects have had. The afro comb emulates the black fist, symbolizing freedom and power against the bold orange background which is associated with the incarceration each of them faced during their lifetime.In past projects, Martins has used graphic design to evoke emotion and raise awareness about important issues like climate change with a goal toward creating global stewards.View the entire Afro Comb series to see how Martins portrays important activists like Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Patrice Lumumba and Fela Kuti and learn about his inspiration for the series.Sources:http://www.designindaba.com/articles/creative-work/afro-comb-used-nigerian-artist-celebrate-african-consciousness?utm_source=Design+Indaba+mailing+list&utm_campaign=503d47f716-Weekly_Newsletter_18_May_20165_18_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_eb8e2b1d91-503d47f716-429312541http://www.okayafrica.com/culture-2/nigerian-artist-using-afrocombs-revere-righteous-african-activists/ 

A “not so subtle” controversy

If you got a chance to see the recent Kara Walker exhibit in an abandoned Domino Sugar Factory in Brooklyn, you may have found yourself on one side or the other of a heated debate about art and racism.Walker’s installation, A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby, a 75.5 feet long, 35.5 feet tall and 26 feet wide sculpture of a mammy/sphinx made out of white sugar and molasses was anything but subtle. Walker says the work was “an homage to the unpaid and overworked Artisans who have refined our Sweet tastes from the cane fields to the Kitchens of the New World.” (1)Purposefully sweet and charming, the exhibit was designed to draw you in and then make you think about the horror of the Carribbean slave trade that fueled the Western market for sugar. Walker says it was blood sugar and the process was very dangerous with many slaves losing arms, legs, and their lives.After the exhibit opened in May critics claimed is was a racist piece of art. Some black visitors were appalled to observe some white visitors laughing and joking as they posed in front of the sculpture. SUNY Westbury Professor Nicholas Powers wrote an essay entitled, “Why I Yelled at the Kara Walker Exhibit,” where he speaks about his outburst at the exhibit and anger at Walker. Powers questions her responsibility as an artist.Powers visited the exhibit three times and by the third visit he was happy to see a team present handing out stickers reading “We Are Here.” Their presence was to remind white visitors about the seriousness of the exhibit and that descendants of slaves were in the room they should curb their disrespectful acts. Charing Bell offers an opposing point of view in her article entitled, “Why the Behavior of White People Shouldn’t be Policed at the Kara Walker ‘Sugar Baby’ Exhibit.” Bell asserts that art—no matter how painful—should not be directed.In an interview with Complex Art & Design, Walker talks in depth about the research that she did and the many complexities involved in the work. Intertwined in this “not so subtle” exhibit, are many subtleties that deal with themes of race, power, and sexuality.For me, Walker’s work calls to mind graphic designer James Victore’s quote, “Graphic design is a big *&#! club with spikes in it and I want to wield it.” Substitute “art” for “graphic design” and A Subtlety packs the same kind of punch, only it’s sugar-coated.What do you think, was the exhibit subtle, racist, or brilliant?Notes:(1) http://creativetime.org/projects/karawalker/Sources:http://creativetime.org/projects/karawalker/http://www.npr.org/2014/05/16/313017716/artist-kara-walker-draws-us-into-bitter-history-with-something-sweethttp://www.indypendent.org/2014/06/30/why-i-yelled-kara-walker-exhibithttp://charlesrubinoff.com/2008/06/favorite-quote-about-graphic-design/http://madamenoire.com/444739/white-people-policed-kara-walker-exhibit/http://www.complex.com/art-design/2014/05/kara-walker-interviewhttp://colorlines.com/archives/2014/06/kara_walkers_sugar_sphinx_evokes_call_from_black_women_we_are_here.html

Encouraging Bullshit

When I was growing up my mother would often yell “bullshit” during dinner time discussions. In fact she used it so often it's become a bit of a legacy for her. Now in her 80s, those who were present for those lively discussions—typically involving politics, the Viet Nam war, women's rights, or other hot topics  during the sixties and seventies—fondly recall hearing her use her “favorite” word. As I remember it what prompted my mother to say bullshit was when anyone tried to use sensationalism, emotional appeal, fear mongering, or other tactics besides hardcore facts to win their argument.The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) medalist Paula Scher recently wrote an article for Imprint in reaction to AIGA's contest “Justified”—a design competition that will select examples of good design that are also described in terms of their effectiveness in meeting the client’s objectives. In the article, “AIGA: Unjustified,”  Scher discusses her objection to the competition which in part is due to the fact that "Justified" is AIGA's only competition and thus sets a standard for excellence that focuses solely in an area that is based on meeting client goals rather than creativity and inspiration. She goes on to describe the many ways that meeting client goals are not necessarily in sync with design innovation. In the article Scher states that “judging design work by the quality of the designer's bullshit as required in this criteria seems pointless. If the work is terrific the bullshit is irrelevant. If the work isn't terrific, but the jury is moved by the entrant's arguments, it demonstrates the dangers of bullshit. Is this something we want to encourage?” (1)Scher raises a very valid question about what the goal of the organization's competition should be— proving the value of design to clients, or inspiring designers. Who should AIGA be serving?What do you think? Should AIGA's only remaining competition be based on the value of design to the client, or by how innovative and inspiring it is to designers?Read the full article along with many comments here and Scher's follow up article, “Unjustified, Part II,” where she addresses comments and offers her own suggestion for a competition.Notes:(1) http://imprint.printmag.com/design-thinking/aiga-unjustified/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=aiga-unjustified&et_mid=548293&rid=23821332Sources:http://imprint.printmag.com/design-thinking/aiga-unjustified/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=aiga-unjustified&et_mid=548293&rid=23821332http://www.aiga.org/justified/Photo courtesy of Tristan Nitot via Flickr

Is everything a remix?

Beginning graphic design students often wrestle with the idea of originality. They argue that "nothing is original, it's all been done before." They will resist doing research because they claim that they don't want to "steal" someone else's idea. The concept of research and re-purposing ideas are not always easy ones for them to wrap their heads around.Emulation (aka copying) is a vital part of learning and developing our creative skills according to New York-based filmmaker Kirby Ferguson. He says, "Nobody starts out original." History shows us that a long line of inventors, artists, designers like Thomas Edison and Apple Computer follow what Ferguson feels is the formula for creativity: copy, transform, combine. This video does a great job of putting it in perspective.Source: http://vimeo.com/25380454Where do you think the line falls between emulation and innovation?