The first week of Process and Systems asked for the development, production, and presentation of an inquiry as well as the reviewal of Media #1. Media #1 was a podcast by 99 Percent Invisible. Episode 124 of the podcast is titled “Longbox” which discusses the role design played in the evolution of music and law in the United States. The censorship of music was a fairly new topic in the United States and with the new production of CDs instead of records, the there was a challenge in package design as well. Artists and fans weren’t able to enjoy music because it was explicit and buying a CD in the longbox directly contributed to the destruction of the environment. There were two issues that needed to be tackled: battling environmental waste and legislation which was hindering the music industry. The people who were responsible for how these packages looked knew that there was more to consider than aesthetics. They were able to combine function and design to solve this challenge. The solution was to put cutaway petitions for Rock the Vote on the back of the longbox so the cardboard that would have otherwise ended up in the trash, was now being used as a vehicle for political change. Fans were able to sign the petitions and mail them to their local representatives and so many voices were heard that the Motor Voter Bill passed congress.
My first inquiry examines the intersection of fiber art, games, and design. It began with crocheting a dice block in response to the prompt “game”. When I think of games I think of my competitive family, and how much I disliked watching them play cards or dominoes as I was the intimidated by the competitive nature that brought out the worst in all of us. I took a hard plastic object and reimagined it into something that is approachable: comically not-to-scale and fuzzy dice. I knew that the first inquiry couldn’t end here as “design” hadn’t yet been considered. I freehanded the dice so my next step was to reverse and write down the pattern I used. As a beginner crochet, finding patterns that get to the point and are easy to follow is a struggle I often face, so I took it a step further and broke down the process of crocheting this dice into its most basic components: yarn, a hook, and a needle. The content for the zine came from a simplified version of my pattern and the few materials to create the dice. My end goal was to take all of these components and create a mini-zine that can not only be easily distributed but is easy for my audience to be inspired to create. The back cover of the zine has a QR code that links to an extended version of my pattern, as well as a place to share these creations. My final product is “How to Make Something” a mini-zine for those who like to craft or want to learn how.