Monday, January 27, 2020

Swiss Graphics Designer Max Huber

Swiss Graphics Designer Max Huber Profile of Max Huber 1.1 His Brief Introduction Max Huber was an outstanding and influential Swiss graphic designer in the 20th century. In 1919, he was born in Switzerland, and in 1992, he died in Sagno, Switzerland. When he was 17, he had the opportunity to study in the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts which was very famous in Switzerland, because there were many outstanding teachers in this school, such as Otto Weber, Ernst Gubler, Heinri MÃ…Â ¸ller, Gottlieb Wehrli, Alfred Willimann and Walter Roshardt who were very outstanding in Switzerland. And when he studied in this school, Max Huber always spent much time to stay in the school library, because those outstanding teachers usually suggested that he should know and learn more knowledge about the experiments of Bauhaus-designers such as European abstract artists and russian constructivists by using the school library resources. And then, Max Huber as one of the great graphic designers began his professional pace, what should be pointed out is that Werner Bischof, Josef Mà ƒ ¼ller-Brockmann, Carlo Vivarelli and Hans Falk gave him many creations help and inspiration in his formative years (Hollis, 2006). 1.2 His Work Experience In 1935, Max Huber began his career in Zurich, at the beginning he worked at an advertising agency, and then he worked for the Emil Schultness at ConzettHuber, at the same time, he met Max Bill and Hans Neuburg who were also the famous industrial designer and graphic designer. When he was at the age of 21 in 1940, the World War II broke out, in order to do not join the Swiss army, Max Huber moved to Milan (Italy). When he arrived at Milan, he could only stutter a few words using Italian. However, the stuttering did not disguised his talent, relying on a calling card which was seemed to be printed at the first sight, but the elegant card was made by the hand-drawn letters with their careful spacing through a closer look, that could deeply impress Antonio Boggeri, and then Antonio Boggeri decided to hire Max Huber. Therefore, he could smoothly join the Studio Boggeri. When he worked in the Studio Boggeri in Milan, Max Huber considered that illustration, painting, photography and printi ng could be fused in together, and little by little, by exchanging ideas with other same-age designers, he became the avant-garde artists and the leading exponent in term of the plane design field. In 1941, Italy also entered the Second World War, so Max Huber was forced to be back to his motherland Switzerland, and between 1942 and 1944, he built the influential art magazine Du with Werner Bischof and Emil Schultness, and he also joined the Alliance Association of Modern Swiss Artists, and exhibited his abstract work with a group of modern Swiss artists at the Kunsthaus Zurich. However, when he stayed in Zurich, he could not forget Studio Boggeri and Milan, and he always thought that Studio Boggeri and Milan were so exciting and attractive, so he decided to be back to Milan as soon as possible. When the Second World War ended, he was appointed as the creative director by the Italian publisher Einaudi for the publishing house, so he could have the chance to contact with the post-war Italian intelligentsia, and at that time, he believed that the design had the ability to restore peoples beliefs and values in the aftermath of the Second World War. 1.3 His Design Concept Max Huber always persist in their design idea, he never make use of his images in a strict sense, in order to convey a certain feeling of dynamism and speed, he always used the combination between unframed flat photographic and typographic elements with strips of color, and in his design, people could identify these elements which were not used to tell a story. By the use of bold shapes and primary colors, Max Hubers work was focus on photographic experiments and clear type, and his strict work elements were easy to be identified. In addition, Max Huber preferred the clarity, rhythm and synthesis, and his work usually showed different hierarchical groups by the use of succinct texts, and so on. Anyhow, he never was influenced by fashion and other external factors, he had been insisting on his own ideas. Milan is an international metropolis, and Max Huber as a famous designer was usually invited to attend many international design-conventions, and he could be contact with other major designers by those international design-conventions or trips, and he fell in love with Takeshi Konos daughter and married her, Takeshi Kono was also one of the leading Japanese designers, Max Huber spent about two years in Japan. So, he could learn the different design ideas to apply in his works. 1.4 His Design philosophy After World War II, Max Huber had been keeping the humanistic design belief, and with a variety of cultural influence in Milan, he designed a series of works using the design aesthetic utopia for enterprise and business promotion. It can say that Max Huber was the pioneer of utopia aesthetic. Utopia is a vision of mankind for a better society, and is also the best human society in human ideology as the same as the earlier utopian socialism. Utopia Esthetics is the use of people yearning for a better life to inspire people to dream (Freitas Vieira, 2005). Max Hubers design used and developed this concept, which made him achieve great success, so, in his design of future life, nowhere is the design of using this concept, and this humanistic conception of design received highly attention in Europe, his purpose was to rescue people from the war. In order to achieve his target, Max Huber has always insisted on being a freelance designer, and he always worked as the direct collaboration w ay with his client. He tried his best to create the balance between the demand of each client and his own demand (Campana, et. al., 2006). Even the clients proposed comparative funny request, he would try to meet the demand of clients, and if the advice had a little use, he would be willing to modify his plan. So, Max Huber always loved innovatory research, and always kept a lively curiosity to follow his ideal and faith. 2.0 Visual Analysis 2.1 Gran premio dell Autodromo Monza In 1948, Max Huber designed the celebrated poster for the Monza Grand Prix, the name of the celebrated poster was Gran premio dell Autodromo Monza, and its size was 1400x1000cm, this work helped him win the first prize in the competition, and this work as the same as Max Huber was well-known all over the world. This works color was bright, and the content was simple and comprehensive, it truly and clearly displayed the Monza Grand Prix. Meanwhile, this work showed the stronger sense of hierarchy to attract peoples attention, which also represented Hubers brilliant and innovative design; perfect arrow curve was very good to show circuit authenticity (ICONOFGRAPHICS, 2007). This work precisely and vividly showed his creation idea and design concept to people; it also released this modern design concepts and ideas; it was apparent that this work was showing his futurism inspiration. In a word, this work had lively format, bouncing color, fluent text, exquisite design and powerful sense of hierarchy, which could deeply attract peoples attention. 2.2 La Rinascente Italys largest department store chain La Rinascente is located next to the Cathedral Duao Mo; La Rinascente means recovery, rehabilitation and re-production, which could also be consistent with Max Hubers design concepts and aesthetic utopia. Max Huber worked for the department store La Rinascente from 1950 to 1954, in 1951, he designed the monumental work for La Rinascente, this work was named La Rinascente which was used for advertising, and its size was 295x205mm, and today, this trademark has been familiar with people all over the world. This work had also distinctive color, red, black and white were clearly distribution, and font also was concise and representative. This work could be firmly remembered, even if only once. In a word, this work could not only bring many commercial gains, but also change the masses feeling to La Rinascente and Milan visual scenery. It was more important that this work changed that era of collective memory (Campana, et. al., 2006). 3.0 Conclusion In conclusion, through the analysis of Max Huber, it appears that Hubers work was consistently innovative, and by combining painting and photography with other graphic media, he remained avant-garde throughout his career, bringing the utopian vision of the modern masters to bear on corporate typography and identity design. Many of his works are classic, and he made great contribution to modern aesthetics.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Biblical Worldview Essay Essay

Introduction/Thesis The Bible’s New Testament book of Romans, chapters 1-8, provides a fundamental perspective and useful resource on how God desires to shape our worldview. A biblical worldview in a society that gravitates to a sinful nature can be a challenge. Paul, however, provides insight that may not encompass every theological truth, but provides the basis of establishing a biblical worldview. Specifically, these chapters provide the essence of how Christians should view the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and culture. The Natural World Paul’s description of a worldview of the natural world is supported in the Bible several times. The book of Genesis begins with God’s creation of the heavens and earth as described in Genesis 1:1. Romans 1:20 also supports God as the master creator by explaining, â€Å"For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.† (NLT) But, because of man’s sinful nature, people turn away from Him and deny His power and divinity. In Romans 1:21-23 Paul states, â€Å"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.† (NIV) Despite the evidence of God’s existence, people turned away from Him, worshipped idols, and continued to relish in sin. Human Identity God created man in His image and put mankind over the rest of His creation. In fact, God has ranked man just a little lower than the angels and has anointed us with His glory and honor (Psalms 8:5). So, why is it we have an identity crisis? It is because of sin, we have fallen out of God’s grace. Romans 3:10 states, â€Å"There is no one righteous, not even one.† (NIV) It is through Adam’s sin that we are all now held in God’s contempt. God understands man is bound by his sinful nature. But, Paul describes our  opportunity for redemption in Romans Chapter 8:1-2, â€Å"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.† (NIV) â€Å"Although the ‘law of sin and death’ is more powerful than our moral will-power, the ‘law of the Spirit of life’ more powerful than the ‘law of sin and death’. It has the power to liberate us.† (DeLashmutt) Through Jesus Christ, we are able to reclaim our human identity as God’s children. Human Relationships Human relationships have been tainted with sin since Adam and Eve. God has provided other human relationships as a gift to us. It’s through these human interactions we demonstrate God’s love through us. Though human nature leans toward sin, especially in dealing with human relationships. Our refusal to acknowledge God will allow us to fulfill our own sinful hearts and desires. These selfish motivations lead us to fulfill the desires of our heart instead of the desires of God’s heart. In Romans 1:18-32, Paul provides a detailed description of the wickedness and immorality of the people. Sin is what separated us from God and a relationship with Him in the first place. God restored this, however, through our gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. Jesus’s life and human relationships, as described in throughout the Gospel, provide a perfect example of the biblical perspective on human relationships. Culture The biblical worldview on culture that Paul describes in Romans is a society that has systematically imploded. Romans 1:26-31 provides explicit detail on the Roman culture at that time. Sin was running rampant through the society. People knew God and they rejected Him anyway. This type of sinful nature and blatant rejection of God spread throughout the culture. (Romans 1:32) People were determined to live in defiance of God and by their own legalistic views of the law. Paul stated that those under the law were lawless because the people abused the law to provide selfish gains or as a means to stand in judgement of another, especially the Gentiles. God meant for the law to be good, but man manipulated it to his own advantage. On the contrary, obedience demonstrates humility. Paul states in Romans 5:19, † For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners,  so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.† (NIV) The philosophy in this scripture supports God’s desire for us to be the light in the world to shape our culture for His purpose and not our own. Paul maintains that the grace that we as Christians are under was achieved by one Man’s (Jesus’) righteous act (Rom. 5:18). (McCracken) Conclusion I believe that Paul’s epistle is just as relevant today and it was in his time. Paul’s thoughts and insight provide sound perspective for biblical worldviews for believers to mature in their faith. These biblical worldviews about our natural world, human identity, human relationship and culture are applicable to current believers because human nature has not changed. These messages are just as relevant to us today because there is still sin in the world that will not end until the Second Coming of Christ. In the meantime, we can use Romans 1-8 as a guide to align our biblical worldviews with God’s heart. Paul’s perspective on biblical worldviews, such as these, are just one of the many gems we can get from the Word. References DeLashmutt, G. Walking by the Spirit Part 1. Teaching Series from Romans. Retrieved on 5/1/15 from http://www.xenos.org/teachings/?teaching=527. McCracken, R. (April 20, 2014). The Difference Between Legalism and Obedience. Bible Study with Randy. Retrieved on May 2, 2015 from http://www.biblestudywithrandy.com/2014/04/know-difference-legalism-obedience-romans-5-8/.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Diagnostic Control Systems: Implementing Intended Strategies Essay

The article authors, Johnson and Kaplan looks at how management accounting has evolved over the years and within different industries and how those management accounting reports have failed to help mangers make decisions to reduce costs and improve productivity. The authors state that contemporary trends in competition, technology, and management demand major changes in the way organizations measure and manage costs and how they evaluate short- and long-term performance. The article takes a look at management accounting over varies periods of times and specific industries and discusses how at each period of time the management reports were used. For example, in the 19th century after the Industrial Revolution it was observed that gains could be earned by managing a hierarchical organization. The management system at the time focused on conversion costs and produced only summary results. Fast-forward a several years to roughly around 1925, we see that the management accounting practices that are practiced today had been developed by that time. They had been evolved to serve the control and informational needs of managers of increasingly complex and diverse organizations. As time progressed it is not until after the 1920s that the authors believe that evolution of management accounting did not keep the pace with the improvement in corporations’ product and process technologies. It is stated that the systems today provide misleading targets for managerial review. They fail to provide the relevant set of measures that reflect the technology, products, processes and competitive environments. Which has resulted in what they consider as today’s problems: distorted product costs, delayed and overly aggregated process control information, and short-term performance measures that do not reflect the increases or decreases in the organization’s economic position. Johnson and Kaplan conclude by stating that if companies fail to make modifications in their management accounting systems, their ability to be effective and efficient global competitors will be inhibited. Diagnostic Control Systems: Implementing Intended Strategies In chapter four, Robert Simons introduces what is known as the third lever of control: diagnostic control systems. These systems are defined as the backbone of traditional management control, and are designed to ensure predictable goal achievement. The other levers (Belief systems, Boundary Systems and Interactive Control Systems) are mentioned in the reading as well, however the focus of chapter four is to discuss the diagnostic control systems. He highlights three features that distinguish the control systems: (1) the ability to measure the outputs of a process, (2) the existence of predetermined standards against which actual results can be compared, and (3) the ability to correct deviations from standards. The chapter goes on to describe critical performance variables. Those variables as defined are those factors that must be achieved or implemented successfully for the intended strategy of the business to work. The term, â€Å"key success factors† can also be used. In which effectiveness and efficiency are the prime criteria for the selection measures used in diagnostic control systems to ensure that they are managed both effectively and efficiently. Kaplan and Norton uses the term â€Å"balanced scorecard† to describe a systematic way of analyzing critical performance variables and measures associated with intended strategies. This method allows managers to use measures from each of the four categories (Financial, Customer, Internal Business and Innovation & Learning Measures) simultaneously to guide their business toward the desired goals. The author conveys the message that equipping management systems to control strategy is not an easy task. Managers have to understand their strategies and be able to recognize the relationships between strategic and operating decisions and how they affect the bottom line.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Comparing Todays Media and the Chorus of Sophocles...

Comparing Todays Media and the Chorus of Sophocles play, Antigone When you think of ancient Greece, what do you think of? Do you think of outrageous myths and impossible art? Do you think ancient Greek culture has absolutely no effect on today? What many people dont realize is that the ancient Greeks have immensely affected the world today. The chorus in Sophocles play, Antigone greatly relates to Daniel McGinns article, Guilt Free TV. Antigone is a girl who wants to obey the gods and give her deceased brother a proper burial even though her uncle, Creon, King of Thebes, forbids it by law. The article and the play may seem very different but the media today is very similar to the chorus of the ancient Greek play, Antigone†¦show more content†¦They learn so much [Colleen] Breitbord says. (I think children who dont have the opportunity to watch some of this excellent programming miss out (McGinn 57). This shows what other everyday people, just like the reader, think about their children and TV. The argument goes on over whether TV is good or bad and thanks to the media, like Newsweek, it gives background information on the situation, in the beginning, there was Big Bird. Now, thanks to intense competition from Disney and Nick, there are more quality shows for preschoolers than ever (McGinn 53). The article brings the reader up to date about both sides of the TV argument for a better understanding. The article is a way to inform the public about whether TV has good or bad effects on children while at the same time, the chorus is a way to inform the audience about Antigone. The chorus plays a vital role in interpreting what occurs throughout the play, just as the media plays a vital role in interpreting whether TV is good or bad. Reporters can be nosy and sometimes rude. At the same time, so can the chorus. Do you really intend to steal this girl from your son? (Sophocles 324). Hes just saying it as if it is and laying out the facts, even though it may seem harsh. This makes it easier for the audience to better appreciate the play. The chorus says, But the ancient wisdom speaks for our own