I thought that Hara’s article gave some interesting insight to the evolution of design. She has an abstract idea that all design is descended from sticks and vessels, and that an eye for complex design is assumed to equal power. I found these two ideas to be quite interesting, although the idea that all design is descended from sticks and vessels to be a little far-fetched. But I do agree with Hara that we as humans have come to see people who are capable of creating complex designs as powerful, in a sense. We admire their skills because many of us are not capable of accomplishing something like that, and thus we hold them in higher esteem than the “normal” people around us.
Additionally, the article makes clear that design is essential to consumers of the “modern” society, to the economy. I also find this to be true. Who wants something that is simply generic over something with an attractive design to go with its usefulness?
And it makes another point that there are many types of design, some that go overlooked. It almost seems overwhelming to me just what the word ‘design’ encompasses, and how many styles there are. It’s a neat thought, though, that design is everything and everywhere, and it just depends on who uses it and for what purpose. It can vary depending on the time, on the country, and even on what is used to create the art (ie. a paintbrush and canvas versus a computer program).
Overall, the article enhances the idea that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, or that a design depends on the designer. And there are many to choose from, take influence from, or stray away from to create something new and original. The possibilities, it seems, are endless.