field research on products / investigación del campo en productos
English – > 8.8.2008. Summary of the feedback from Marcos Cante (36, Señor, Quintana Roo) and Herbé Chim Ake (41, Miuxupip, Yucatán) about the projects for the public good – products of the MFA graphic design program at the University of Florida spring graduate seminar in design.
Comments: They liked, indeed loved, the use of Tyvek because of its attributes: waterproof, light, breathable, and strong. The considered that the work made by designer 1 will benefit from more detail and further iterations. Mainly, the prototype for the raincoat needs long sleeves and the open areas need to be sewn together so the user can remain dry. This is a concern because the rain is very strong. The designer should take into account that many women in the region are heavier and shorter than the product is designed for, and to fit the demographic the raincoat can be larger. The backpack requires some redesign. In rural areas one would use it in forested areas where the pathways are very narrow. Because the pack extends wider than the shoulders, this was considered to be inconvenient for use unless it, like the pathways, are more narrow. The bag with the two handles was well received because they liked the ideas that it can be carried by two people, and this is useful on visits to the market when one is buying large quantities of food for example.
The products made by designer 2 were very well received and were professionally presented – or nicely finished. The preferred item was the hat with lights, and it is recognized that this is something that men in the region use everyday. The reflective vest was considered useful and it was suggested that the pattern of the reflective parts could be more functional and related to Maya culture – numbers for example – rather than an abstract pattern. This could be one way to visually rescue the Maya visual legacy in a contemporary manner. The bracelets were very well received as well, particularly considering their fashion potential, that they are attractive, and have a double use: fashion statement and safety light. The bracelet made from henequen is probably more attractive to tourists and older women, while the Tyvek is more attractive to a younger audience. They suggested that the design of the patterns for the bracelets and the bag could also reference the Maya visual legacy and would like to see the designer experiment with this. Thus providing a third function: re-valuing cultural identity.
One of the ideas that surfaced regarding the use of reflective material was to turn this into propaganda or advertising for tricycles and automobiles. For example, one could use this in the form of the Xyaat logotype and it would function for safety as well as promotion. Another variation could be to make this product using a magnet.
We did not get feedback from the men on the shawl and plan to ask women about the products as well.
Español – > 8.8.2008. Resumen de los comentarios hechos por Marcos Cante (36, Señor, Quintana Roo) y Herbé Chim Ake (41, Miuxupip, Yucatán) sobre los proyectos para el beneficio social – productos del programa posgrado de diseño gráfico de la Universidad de Florida, curso posgrado en diseño, primavera 2008.
Comentarios: El material Tyvek les gusta porque es impermeable, irrompible, liviano y respirable. Consideran que los materiales elaborados por diseñador 1 (D1) necesita más detalle y elaboración. Principalmente el prototipo para la capa de lluvia, que requiere mangas y que sea más cerrado, para que realmente permita que la persona se mantenga seca. Se debe tomar en cuenta que las mujeres son más gruesas y bajas en estas zonas, por lo que estos materiales podrian ser más amplios considerando estas necesidades demográficas. La mochila requiere de rediseño, ya que se comentó que su uso en selva y bosques puede ser incómodo si se mantiene el ancho actual. La bolsa grande fue bien recibida, ya que les gusta la idea de su manejo por parte de dos personas, en ocasiones como las visitas al mercado, donde se deben transportar muchas cantidades de comida.
Sobre los materiales elaborados por el diseñador 2 (D2), el acabado de los productos les pareció muy bueno. Hay mayor preferencia por la gorra con luces, ya que los hombres en la zona las usan diariamente, con mucha frecuencia. Sobre el chaleco con reflectivo, se consideró que también que es muy útil, y surgió la idea de crear motivos mayas con las piezas del reflectivo, buscando rescatar visualmente la cultura de una manera moderna. Las pulseras fueron muy bien recibidas, ya que consideran que pueden ser elementos de moda, muy llamativos, que cumplen una doble función, además de ser dispositivos de seguridad. Se cree que el uso del henequén puede ser más atractivo para turistas y personas de mayor edad. El tyvek puede ser más atractivo para el uso de las pulseras por parte de los jóvenes. El diseño de patrones en las pulseras y en el bolso pueden ser mayas, sumamente variados.
Una de las ideas que surgió sobre el material reflejante, fue el uso de éste como material propagandístico en automóviles. En vez de utilizar piezas del material sin ningún orden lógico, se pueden crear las piezas formando el logotipo de Xyaat, que brillarán en la noche formando formas muy llamativas. Una variación de esta idea es hacerlo como imán.
empowerment / empoderamiento
Gaby showing Marcos how Joomla! works as Herbé learns too.
An active exchange
Friday we continued working on the website for xyaat.com. In the afternoon Marcos Cante came into Carrillo and we worked with him for a while to show him how it would work for him. We’re using an open-source software (joomla!) so he can update the content and add photos when he needs to. This is our way of empowering our clients, so they don’t have to rely on designers or others to make changes that take even more time and money. I added the Spanish plug-in to his site interface so that his user profile loads in Spanish. The first concern he had was that he didn’t have this software. The nice think about joomla! and all of these systems is that you don’t need it – it’s all installed on the server side. This is one of our summer experiments. By all accounts it’s going to have an excellent outcome. Marcos’ excitement was visible and he began asking even more questions on what his options were. His observation that this was just like his email was true to what joomla claims – if you can send an email, you can add content to your site. The lights were going on and we were learning more of what his interests were for his website. A good thing all around. Still, I don’t understand why empowerment is not commonly used… so I throw out my spanglish and there we go. It’s the best word. And I know Marcos will empower others.
writing every day
Mornings are fabulous here. Up at 6:30 with the birds flying – so many in the morning and at dusk. Work and life must be good because I am not naturally a morning person. Take a shower, ask at the front desk to turn on the wifi, and get to work. The birds, the fresh air, the quiet. It’s so beautiful I almost want to cry. It’s a time I am at peace. It is exquisite. So much so that you want time to stop and it to last forever. I’ve been having these intense feelings lately with my life and somehow feel more profoundly. The morning runs so fast away and at 9 we’re off to breakfast meetings.
There is something very interesting about this area. I’ve noticed it from the first time I came to visit Alex and Allison. It seems to me quite different from Yucatán and I attribute it somehow to the Caste War of the Yucatan and the beginning of the Zona Maya. People seem freer here and more motivated and assertive than in neighboring Yucatan. That’s my observation as an extranjera. There is a different attitude here. A more positive attitude and hunger for change. It’s a liminal zone – between Yucatan and tourism. There are two time zones here, quite literally: hora nacional and hora rebelde. The latter is still followed in the pueblos and doesn’t follow daylight savings time like the rest of the country. Gilmer checked the other day to see what time we were meeting – hora nacional or hora de verano (hora rebelde). I am going to live between the two – well, I am always a little between the two.
On the flight here we met an attorney from Orlando: Dan Newland. She recognized him because she had seen him before on his TV advertisements and thought he resembled Conan O’Brien. So there we were with a seat-mate. Interesting conversations as another sign of a good trip. As a personal injury lawyer he gave the advice to never ever have surgery anywhere but a hospital. He also said something interesting that stuck with me: Look next to you and that’s who you are. That’s a nice thought. He is here because he invests in real estate and in one hour or less he’d be having a margarita by the pool. Our trip is a little harder to explain because it seems implausible that we’re not here for the beach.
JetBlue is highly recommended. Non-stop from Orlando to Cancun and leaving in the early afternoon. The perfect flight, the perfect time. We had the extra leg room. Worth the $20 + seats together. Me and my long legs. But overall a very nice experience, comfy seats. Even the poor child behind me kicking and screaming didn’t bother. I remember that was me and how my ears used to get blocked on the planes – sometimes it was unbearable. Even the trick with hot towels in little plastic glasses never worked.
wednesday at xyaat
Wednesday we had a 6 hour meeting at Cooperativa Xyaat in Señor. Among their many projects, Xyaat works in communitarian tourism which is focused on sharing modern Maya culture with others. A tour of Xyaat will include a storyteller (Don Abundio) who recounts his grandparents Caste War stories, learning to scrape henequen, and about natural medicines. We went to review the design style guide and some of the design materials with Marcos Canté.
He showed some design materials recently produced for their new network store in Tulum. I am not sure where these were made but he had forewarned Gaby that he was disappointed. Seeing the products – that must have been a huge understatement. Red text with white outlines. Super glossy paper and stretched photos. I think the worst was that their new logo was an illustration of a Maya woman in a huipil making tortillas. Yes – that’s modern Maya. All the more reason clients need to be empowered, more people need to learn how to design well, that everyone who has a computer is not a designer, and why the art, craft, and profession of design will not go away or suffer. The projects we work on are an attempt to empower people to get their message out and communicate their professionalism and motivation at the same time. What’s amazing about Marcos is that if you think you’re involved in so many things, he’s involved in more. President of a cooperative and a network of cooperatives, works on a project to bring organic produce from the milpas to market, well… a million other things.
We met with Marta from Tihosuco who is one of the artesans we’ve worked with in January. She makes conserves. They are part of a network of nine communities that want to bring their projects to market. Something got really lost in the communication between January and April and the name Mint had been working with was wrong. But they were in agreement to bring their products to market under one name with the products personalized through subtitling and signatures of each producer. She’s taking the materials back with her to Tihosuco and will discuss these with her colleagues. We’ll have a decision or comments soon. Her husband came with her and kindly pointed out that in contemporary Maya language, the word we are using for delicious (Hach) is spelled Jach. Not being a scholar of Maya, I deferred this decision to the clients (the four cooperative presidents and their many friends) who spent a while discussing this in December 2007. There are discussions still over the use of the new Maya orthography. As it turns out, he is more than an aficionado of Maya culture. We had a nice long lesson on writing and the numbering system. Here there is an obvious sense of pride in Maya culture.
packing. monday night.
For so many reasons, this is the first time I am heading back to Yucatán since January of this year. I am going with Gaby. We're flying JetBlue from Orlando direct to Cancun. The flight leaves at 1 so life becomes reasonable. That's Gaby's remark anyway – that this trip has all the signs of goodness. We're meeting a good friend who's helped with the design and community projects in the past -- and speaks Maya. We'll all head down south for about 5 days or so to work on the projects started in January. We hope to complete the website while there, with input from Marcos. This is the proof of concept as to how design can be done on site with the client. Or at least production. Who knows, if we have enough time and energy, maybe the honey site will be up as well. We'll then swing northwest to Santa Elena (honey project) near Uxmal to Mérida for meetings and then back to Cancun and Florida and the fall semester It's a short trip – both overdue and unexpected. Gaby's been working on the projects so this will be a good trip all around and we'll see where this goes. Hoping to talk about new projects with Gilmer but we need to feel these are in a good place as well – for everyone. Our intention is to blog everyday – as part of our design process and the field work trips. Maybe people will stop thinking of these trips as Maria's vacation. If I plan right, next year we can all work on something good in the region. Right now still packing, writing, doing laundry, looking for my map of Yucatán but it's a straight shot down the highway so maybe I'll just get a new one.