tangible intangible

TANGIBLEINTANGIBLE

THE MEANINGS OF OBJECTS

WRITTEN AND DESIGNED BY MONICA WU

TANGIBLEINTANGIBLE


TANGIBLEINTANGIBLE


WRITTEN AND DESIGNED BY MONICA WU

THISBOOKISABOUTOBJECTS*

THISBOOKISABOUTOBJECTS*

*ANDTHEIRRELATIONSHIPSWITHPEOPLE


CONTENTSHISTORY IS DEFINED BY OUR CREATIONS

WHY WE LOVE WHAT WE LOVE

ObjectsasSigns

ThreeProcessesofPleasure

WE ARE WHAT WE OWN

ObjectswithHistory

ObjectswithNarrative

OjectsasPersonalIdentity

CONCLUSION

WORKS CITED

COLOPHON

ABOUT THE AUTOR

10

16

36

66

68

69

70

HISTORY IS DEFINED BY OUR CREATIONS

12 TANGIBLE INTANGIBLE

TOOL SMARTS:

Using tools has been interpreted as a sign of intelligence, and it has been theorized that tool use may have stimulated certain as-pects of human evolu-tion—most notably the continued expansion of the human brain

WHY ARE OBJECTS IMPORTANT?MANKIND’S HISTORY HAS BEEN SHAPED OBJECTS

What is one thing that everyone on Earth has in common besides hu-

man DNA?

We are all the surrounded by man-made objects.

From the poorest transient to the billionaire in his penthouse, from the

trible hunter in Namibia to the design student in San Franciso—we all

own at least something. Not only that, but for most of us, we have things

that we not only own, but love.

For something so utterly universal, manmade possessions are something

that are often take for granted. That isn’t to say that we don’t think about

them— we constantly do. We shop, we create, we gift, we use. Our days

revolve around the use and enjoyment of our objects. We simply seldom

consider their places in our lives. We don’t wonder about their impor-

tance, or ever question the reasons for our love.

Our relationship with objects go back. Way back. As we emerged blink-

ing from the dark recesses of evolutionary time, the intelligent walking

ape developed the ability to use tools, and then, to shape them to his

will. The ability to create and use objects is one of the defining aspects

of our humanity.

Since the dawning of time, our history with objects have been broadly

intertwined. Broad stages of history have been marked by the kind of

objects people could make:The Paleolithic period derives its name from

the crude stone tools that were used in its long millenia. Neolithic refers

to the period afterwards in which stone was shaped to conform more and

more precisely to the designs of its users. The Bronze and Iron ages define

times and cultures in which things were first molded out of metal. Much

later, the Industrial Revolution and the Atomic Age mark transitionsin

the processes of exploiting physical things for productive purposes.

13HISTORY IS DEFINED BY OUR CREATIONS

From this perspective, the evolution of humankind tends to be measured

not in gains in intellect, morality, or wisdom. The benchmarks of our

progress have to do with our ability to fashion things of ever greater

complexity in ever greater numbers. Whether or not you want to admit

that this is what history is about, the fact remains that the relationship

between people and the things we create constitute a core aspect of

the human condition.

Additionally, the course of mankind have been altered by the things that

we have created. Our world has been as shaped by our objects as we

have used to shape our world.

From the invention and adoption of the first tools, to the printing press,

gunpowder, and personal computer, our past has been moulded around

the ownership and use of objects. The social changes brought about by

the invention of iron, gunpowder, the printing press, the cotton gin, and

the personal computer all attest to that fact.

Through interaction with objects, we also alter our pattern of life. For

example, refrigerators have revolutionized shopping and eating habits.

Cars have created suburbs and increased our geographical mobility, and

television has changed how families interact with one another.

Our study of the past is also defined by the objects left behind. Our knowl-

edge of our collective history is brought about by artifacts. When people

are gone, our things still remain, to carry on the narrative of our memories.

The ability to create and use objects is one of the defining aspects of the humanity.

‘‘


The perception of human history has been defined by the artifacts that our ancestors left behind.‘‘

PHOTO CREDIT: Cantonphoto.com

15HISTORY IS DEFINED BY OUR CREATIONS

WHY WE LOVE WHAT WE LOVE

Think about your favorite personal possession.

What is it? How does it look? How does it feel? What does it mean to you? How would it feel if you lost it?

Most importantly, why do you love it?


19WHY WE LOVE WHAT WE LOVE


I love my motorcycle. It’s fast, it’s beautiful. It gets me where I want to go, and gives me a lot of freedom. That’s what it represents to me: freedom. —DAVID, 42 ESL Teacher

‘‘


DONALD NORMAN

is an academic in the field of cognitive science, design and us-ability. He is an advo-cate of User Centered Design, and is a design consultant in the field of usability.

HOW WE LOVE OBJECTSWE ENJOY THEM ON THREE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF BRAIN PROCESSES

Over our 3 million years of existance, we humans have evolved to ef-

fectively function in the rich and complex environment of our world.

Everything about our bodies has evolved to make us function better.

This especially includes our brain functions and thought processes. Our

affect and cognition have also evolved to interact with and complement

one another. Being the most complex of creatures, we have the most

complex brain structions.

A lot of our preferences are present at birth, part of our body’s basic pro-

tective mechanisms. Additionally, we have powerful brain mechanisms

for accomplishing things, for creating, for actiong. We can be skilled at

many things in this world—dancing, writing, engineering, building. All

of this requires more complex brain structions that those required for our

automatic responses to the world around us. Finally, we are conscious of

our role in the world, and we are actually capable of reflecting upon it.

We can look back at past experiences, look towards the future, and also

look inwardly at ourselves.

According to cognitive psychologist Donald Norman, these human at-

tributes result from three different levels of the brain: the automatic,

prewired layer, called the visceral level; the part that contains the brain

processes which control everyday behavior, otherwise know as the be-

havioral level, and the contemplative part of the brain, or the reflective

level. Each level plays a different role in the total function of people.

These three levels reflect the biological origins of the brain, which evolved

from basic one-celled organisms to the behemoth mass it is today.

The visceral level is fast. It makes rapid judgment calls of what is good

or bad, safe or dangerous, and sends the appropriate signals to the rest

of the brain and body. This evolved from the simple primitive brain func-

tions that needed fast responses for survival.


As evolution continued, the brain became more complex, and the cir-

cuits for analyzing and responding became more sophisticated. The

behavioral level is the site for most human behavior. It is not conscious.

Examples of it include driving a car, playing piano, and other versions

of muscle memory.

These three levels of brain processes apply to how we appreciate objects.

VISCERAL LEVEL OF APPRECIATION

On the visceral level we are exquisitely tuned to recieve powerful emo-

tional signals from the environment that get interpreted automatically.

When we perceive of something as “pretty”, this judgment call comes

straight from the visceral level. The principles of the visceral level are

wired in, and consisten across people and cultures. This is our gut in-

stinct, our gut reaction to an object.

At this level, physical features—the look, feel, and sound—dominate.

This is the attractive tangibility of the object. The sensuous curves, sleek

surfaces, the sold, sturdiness of something under our fingers. This is all

about initial reactions. Shape and form matter. The physical feel and

texture of the materials matter. Heft matters. It’s all about immediate

emotional impact and response.

BEHAVIORAL LEVEL OF APPRECIATION

The behavioral level is all about use. Appearance doesn’t really matter,

and neither does rationale. Performance is all that matters. The most im-

portant four components are its function, understandability, usability, and

physical feel. When an object is attractive on a behavioral level, the most

important aspect is its function. In other words it does what it does well.

Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful. —WILLIAM MORRIS

Developer of the Arts and Crafts Movement

‘‘


REFLECTIVE LEVEL OF APPRECIATION

This level of appreciation is all about an object’s message, its culture,

its meanings, or its use. This is truly about the emotional meaning of

things, the personal remembrances that an object evokes. It’s also about

self-image and the message it sends to others. This part will be covered

more in the next chapter.

Whether you want to admit it or not, all of us worry about the image we

present to others—and also, the self-image we present to ourselves. Even

people who claim a complete lack of interest in how they’re percieved—

dressing only in cheap, comfortable clothes, refraining from purchasing

the latest trends—tthese still make statements about themselves.

Visceral Level:The visceral level of object appreciation comes from the automatic,

pre-wired layer of the brain. We are intuned to get powerful emotional

signals from the environment that we interpret on a visceral level. This

is our gut, emotional reaction. At the visceral level, physical features

dominate. The look, the feel, the sound.


I like glass very much, it’s really beautiful because you can see through it. It makes me feel good looking at it. I love glass more than diamond things.

—JANGAN, 28 Industrial Designer

‘‘


Behavioral Level of AppreciationThe behavioral level is all about the pleasure and effectiveness of use.

Appearance and rational doesn’t really matter on this level. Performance

does. The four components of good behavioral design are function, un-

derstandability, usability and physical feel.


My favorite thing is my IPhone, because it is very beautiful. It has round corners, curved sides. I like it because it has Google Maps so it keeps me from getting lost. It has a lot of functions” —WENDELL, 23 Student

‘‘



Maybe people get attached to things because of the experien-tial aspect. Even if you’re just riding your bike to work every day, you’re going to experience things differently each time. One day you’re feeling strong, and the next you have the wind in your face. —AMANDA, 27 Architect

‘‘

31DESIGN OPPORTUNITY

Signs of your personal history with an object are physical manifesta-

tions of your time together. People cherish items that show the signs of

their love and loyalty as possessions. There is a market for objects that

designed, not to be obsolete, but to grow old gracefully with its owners.

Working with industrial designers, I can conceptualize and help create a

product line of objects that are designed to grow old gracefully. We would

research materials and how they show signs of age, and purposely use

those for certain effect. Additionally, style would be aimed for timeless-

ness. I would design the identity of the product line.

THINGS TO GROW OLD WITH

AUDIENCE: Consumers,

Industrial designers

FORMAT: Brand

DESIGN OPPORTUNITY


Part of the reason I’m attached to something is the difficulty you’ve gone through in procur-ing it. I’m not attached to my Macbook because Google gave it to me. Maybe I’m attached to my bike because I went to a bunch of bike stores and tried out a bunch of bikes before I bought it. —ROB, 23 Computer Programmer

‘‘

Reflective Level of Appreciation:The contemplative level of the brain represents the reflective level of

processing. Reflective design is all about message, about culture, and

about the meaning of an object or its use. It’s about the meaning of

things, the personal memories that it evokes, or about self-image or the

message a product sends to others.


My favorite thing is my old coin collection. Some of them are from different countries that I’ve been to, and some of them are from my mom. When I’m bored, I like to look at them and imagine their past and their history. —’STINE, 25 Residential Treatment Counselor

‘‘



SIGN

In semiotics, a sign is something that stands for something, to some-one in some capacity. It may be understood as a discrete unit of meaning, and includes words, images, ges-tures, scents, tastes, textures, sounds – es-sentially all of the ways in which information can be communicated as a message by any sentient, reasoning mind to another.

OBJECTS HAVE LAYERS OF VALUEUNDER DIFFERENT CONTEXTS, AND OBJECT TAKES ON DIFFERENT VALUES

When a thing has meaning to us, it is interpreted in the context of our

past experiences, either consciously or unconsciously in the form of habit.

The emotion that things evoke is an interpretation, a sign or symbol of

our attitudes.

Material artifacts are the most concrete things that surround us . We can

look at them, touch them, use them, sometimes even bump into them,

and thus are always reminded of their materiality.

There are objects that are obvious symbols, like crucifixes, trophies, diplo-

mas, or wedding rings—their main function is the represent something

like religion, achievements, or relationships. A wedding ring, for example,

is a sign of attachment, just as a trophy tells of a winner’s abilities and

his or her pride in displaying it.

But what about other types of objects, such as a TV, whose main pur-

pose isn’t symbolic, but almost wholly utiliarian? Our relationship to it

can preovide just as much meaning as a crucifix or trophy. For example,

a TV flatscreen derives its status as a means for entertainment and

information and the fact that in our culture much of a person’s waking

life is spent watching television. In this respect, television takes on the

belief in American culture about how people should spend their time and

When an object means something to someone, it is interpreted in the

context of past experiences, either consciously, or unconsciously. The

emotion that they evoke is also an interpretation, a sign of our attitude.

Through symbols, experiences such as fear, love, or awe can now be

communicated in words, pictures, and actions. Objects seem to possess

unique permanence relative to other signs. They tend to evoke similar

responses from the same person over time.


In ancient Greek, the root word of symbol, “sym-ballein”, meant to “join”.

This phrase came to designate a coin that two friends could break in half,

each with the hope of reuniting. When they met again, the rejoining of the

coin halves symbolized the relationship between the two people. Thus,

symbol originally meant that which brings people together.

OBJECT VALUE SYSTEM

Objects are signs and have representative meanings from their culture.

But what do they mean? Where does the meaning come from?

Accodruding to French theorist Jean Baudrillard, there are four ways

that objects obtain value.

The first is the functional value of an object; its instrumental purpose. A

pen, for instance, writes; and a refrigerator cools.

The second is the exchange value of an object; its economic value. One

pen may be worth three pencils; and one refrigerator may be worth the

salary earned by three months of work.

The third is the symbolic value of an object; a value that a subject as-

signs to an object in relation to another subject. A pen might symbolize

a student’s school graduation gift or a commencement speaker’s gift; or

a diamond may be a symbol of publicly declared marital love.

The last is the sign value of an object; its value within a system of objects.

A particular pen may, while having no added functional benefit, signify

prestige relative to another pen; a diamond ring may have no function

at all, but may suggest particular social values, such as taste or class.

The ability to create and use objects is one of the defining aspects of our humanity.

‘‘

JEAN BAUDRILLARD

20th century French sociologist and critical theorist. A guru of postmodernism, he is best known for his theories of consumer culture and of the inf luence of contempo-rary electronic media, especially television.

WE ARE WHAT WE OWN


COLLECTORS

Collect things because they like them. Because they are a little bit mad. Because they’re doing it for economic returns, as an economic investment. To mark time, the moments in their lives. And maybe because, on some level, they want to live on.

OBJECTS HAVE HISTORY AND NARRATIVEOBJECTS TELL STORIES OR ACT AS CONDUITS FOR MEMORIES

One of the most potent forms of personal possessions, in terms of sym-

bolic and reflective value, is when they evoke memories and stories.

Many—if not most—man-made objects lose value over time. We see it,

we want it, we forget about it. The ones that do hold lasting value not only

hold our attention (by being beautiful, usable, or reflectively complex),

but tend to grow with us and become a page in our personal story, an

active figment of neuron that draws forth memory.

This could be said to be the final resting place of value—where objects

that are most emotionally important come to lie. We hold onto things

not only because they are dear to us, but because of the memories they

trigger. It was said that Proust wrote his magnum opus of things past

after being triggerd by the scent of magdalenes

There’s an intense identification that occurs between people and their

things. These objects that we love come to tell our stories truthfully.

Words can be misheard, words can be false. Our possessions on the

other hand tell our stories, despite ourselves.

That is part of the fascination of people who collect things. They want

to absorb, to feel connected to the past of an object that has been worn,

been loved—that has had a life before them. In a sense, they want to be

part of that story, even if they don’t know what it is. Collecting antiques

or vintage objecs means bringing back a mythic epoch.

Maybe owning objects from the recent and distant past lurks a certainty

that our things will outlive us, that they will speak about us even if we

are no long around. Things outlive us. Our things cling to the hope that

a few memories of us will survive.

Additionally, things come with a story built in, that we hope will rub off

on us. We hope to appropriate the narrative as our own.

41WE ARE WHAT WE OWN

Objects make you feel con-nected to other people, if there’s a story behind it. It’s a way to feel like you’re part of something else.” —ANIKA, 30 Optical Engineer

‘‘


I have a collection of teabags and loose tea. They lend me a sense of reassurance, as I have been living with them for some time now. They also remind me of the passing of time. They mean a lot to me. What I love is that each teabag is a capsule of time.

These teabags are full of mem-ories, some of which I write down in notebooks, especially the ones shared in a pot with others: a big pot of tea and chocolate cake with my family, or sitting at the beach with the warm sun, gulls, and a small breeze, or in my home looking out across the bay.—PATTI , 44 Artist

‘‘


Spoons reflect the culture of the people who make them, young or old, rich or poor. They have one function, one main shape, and so much diversity. They can be a rustic, poor item or a mag-nificent ancient piece from a skilled silversmith.

It’s a very human artifact—made by people, held by the hand as a tool... It like this sim-pliscity, the ordinary side of the item.

Friends give me spoons and when I visit a place, a country, a flea market —I find pieces and it’s like a gift from life. When I look at my spoons, they remind me of people, moments, places, cultures, and trips. —FRANÇOIS, 50 Retiree

‘‘


My collection of miniature trees work like a photo album, as it’s easy to establish memory-based relationships with to, to remem-ber remember when and where I bought them, or gave me each tree.

It’s like a can of memories of my life, like a diary. If I find them in a market or shop, I’ll always have that moment in my mem-ory, and that’s the beauty of the whole process: the instant when it becomes part of my life.—JOSÉ, 38 Designer

‘‘


I like older things because they have a story, and even if I don’t know what that is I can imag-ine. The captivating part is their perceived history. You feel like it’s had a life—someone has loved it, someone has used it.

You feel like it’s been part of the human experience as opposed to a blank slate object. —ROB, 23 Computer Programer

‘‘


HEIRLOOMS & HISTORYThere is such rich knowledge and history behind old objects. It helps one

feel connected to history, and piques their interest to learn more. Many

kids these days only care about getting new things and consuming the

newest toy rather than have anything to do with anything old and lame.

I could create an activity kit to get kids interested in old objects and

the history behind them. It would be designed as an all-inclusive lesson

plan that would include activities, projects, and resources to help them

research the history of a family object. It will help connect kids to their

past while eventually creating less waste for the future.

AUDIENCE: Kids,

Educators, Parents

FORMAT: Activity, event

DESIGN OPPORTUNITY


I feel like they’re selling you an identity, a history, a story, just as much as they’re selling you a thing. The story and history has weight, which you can then appropriate. —AMANDA, 27 Architect

‘‘


THRIFTING DELUXEThrift stores benefit the needy by letting people donate unwanted goods,

and the selling them for next to nothing with the proceeds going towards

charity. There ought to be another way to do it that is more efficient and

can help bring in even more money for charity.

I can create a toolkit to create a higher end version of a thrift store that

sells by creating product narratives and more tasteful tagging. It will teach

potential sellers how to create used goods into “vintage items” that can

generate higher revenue per item, while also teaching them business

marketing skills and bringing good design to the masses.

AUDIENCE: Women, charities

FORMAT: Packaging toolkit

DESIGN OPPORTUNITY


SOCIAL IDENTITY

Using tools has been interpreted as a sign of intelligence, and it has been theorized that tool use may have stimulated certain as-pects of human evolu-tion—most notably the continued expansion of the human brain.

OBJECTS AS IDENTITYMAN’S AGES AND EPOCHS HAVE BEEN DEFINED BY THE OBJECTS WE HAVE CREATED


man DNA?
















of our humanity.

































Entering Adult Life, I wanted to have Adult Things. —ANIKA, 30 Optical Engineer

‘‘

My many pairs of boots define my attitude for the day. If I have my cowboy boots, then I’m gonna go shit-kicking and nobody messes with me. If I have my super high boots on me, then I’m gonna go out and be trampy. —CESSIE, 42 Artist and Bartender

‘‘



If you look at the big picture, you’re kind of the same in a lot of ways as other people in your same age group, geographic area, and socioeconomic group. It’s kind of depressing. There’s a kind of natural instinct that’s caused by the modern, con-sumer mass-produced cookie-cutter age, that people need to feel unique, to feel that you’re interesting, to not feel that you’re just a statistic... that you’re not a cookie cutter. —AMANDA, 27 Architect

‘‘


LOCAL ADVANTAGEWe may be driven to assert ourselves as unique individuals as a reaction

against the mass-produced, cookie-cutter culture. One way of doing this

would be to favor local, hand-made goods. This would be a good thing,

since it would support the local economy and encourage handicraft and

creativity of design.

Working with local businesses and crafting community, I can help them

better market themselves and compete with big chains and corporations.

I could create affordable packaging and identity solutions for them to at-

tract the interest of people who would otherwise overlook them.

AUDIENCE: Small business owners

FORMAT: Marketing toolkit

DESIGN OPPORTUNITY


If you look at the big picture, you’re kind of the same in a lot of ways as other people in your same age group, geographic area, and socioeconomic group. It’s kind of depressing. There’s a kind of natural instinct that’s caused by the modern, con-sumer mass-produced cookie-cutter age, that people need to feel unique, to feel that you’re interesting, to not feel that you’re just a statistic... that you’re not a cookie cutter. —AMANDA, 27 Architect

‘‘


MAKERS FOR HIREPeople use their possessions to express their identities and values. One

thing that they really want is the ability to customize and personalize.

Currently, it is reasonably affordable for a private individual to to hire a

graphic designer and bring their graphic ideas to life, but there really

isn’t an affordable way to hire out an industrial designer to bring a cus-

tomized product to life.

There is an up-and-coming field of “Personal Fabrication”, where instant

comping tools and machinery are becoming increasingly affordable.

Nevertheless, it’s still impossibly daunting for a layperson to attempt

product design. I could design a web system/company which would link

industrial design students to private individuals on a per project basis,

which would make customized, self-”designed” products more affordable.

AUDIENCE: The middle class, yuppies,

industrial design students

FORMAT: Website

DESIGN OPPORTUNITY


SOCIAL IDENTITY

Using tools has been interpreted as a sign of intelligence, and it has been theorized that tool use may have stimulated certain as-pects of human evolu-tion—most notably the continued expansion of the human brain.

OBJECTS AS SOCIAL EXPRESSIONMAN’S AGES AND EPOCHS HAVE BEEN DEFINED BY THE OBJECTS WE HAVE CREATED


man DNA?
















of our humanity.

































Objects make you feel con-nected to other people, if there’s a story behind it. You’re connecting through an object rather than actual interaction. It’s a way to feel like you’re part of something else.” —ANIKA, 30 Optical Engineer

‘‘


Clothing, as a physical posses-sion, is a social expression. The first thing you see about some-one is the way they’re dressed. It’s like your clothes are saying something that you want to say to other people. —ERICA, 28 Fashion Student

‘‘


I got Mango Buddy when I was teaching English in China. I had a small, tight circle of friends—we spent all our time together. Meals, vacations, everything.

We were obsessed about West-ern restaurants and chains, probably because there were so few good ones there. We found Mango Buddy at Coldstone. We took “him” everywhere with us, on vacations. Collectively we began calling ourselves “the Mango Buddies” after the stuffed mango. —LAUREN, 25 Graduate Student

‘‘


TOOL SMARTS:

Using tools has been interpreted as a sign of intelligence, and it has been theorized that tool use may have stimulated certain as-pects of human evolu-tion—most notably the continued expansion of the human brain

IN CONCLUSIONMATERIAL OBJECTS ARE NOT INHERENTLY BAD—IN FACT, THEY MAKE US HUMAN


man DNA?
















of our humanity.










67CONCLUSION























The ability to create and use objects is one of the defining aspects of the humanity.

68 WORKS CITED

WORKS CITED

‘‘ ANDERSON, CHRIS. "How to Make Stuff." Wired Apr. 2011: 90-113. Web.

BOZTEPE, SUSAN. "User Value: Competing Theories and Models." International Journal

of Design 1.2 (2007). Print.

COLAIZZI, MERRITT. "The Value of Emotional Value." SmartBlogs Network. 12 June

2009. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. <http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2009/06/12/the-value-of-

emotional-value/>.

CSIKSZENTMIHALYI, MIHALY, AND EUGENE ROCHBERG-HALTON. The Meaning of Things: Domestic Symbols and the Self. Cambridge [England: Cambridge UP, 1981. Print.

HELFAND, JESSICA. "Can Graphic Design Make You Cry?" Observatory. The Design

Observer Group, 29 July 2009. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. <http://observatory.designobserver.

com/entry.html?entry=9737>.

JORDAN, PATRICK W. Designing Pleasurable Products. Boca Raton, FL: CRC, 2000. Print.

MILLER, DANIEL. Stuff. Cambridge: Polity, 2010. Print.

NORMAN, DONALD A. Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. New York, NY: Basic, 2006. Print.

TARKO, VLAD. "The Neurons That Judge the Value of Things - Softpedia." Softpedia.

25 Apr. 2006. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. <http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Neurons-that-

Judge-the-Value-of-Things-22062.shtml>.

69COLOPHON

COLOPHONDESIGNER: Monica Wu

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY: Monica Wu, unless otherwise noted

TYPEFACES USED: Univers, Serifa, and Adobe Caslon Pro

PAPER: Red River 32lb Premium Matte Double-Sided

PRINTER: Copy Factory, Palo Alto, CA

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: To Rob G. and Christine M. for their

endless patience as well as for their participation in my photoshoots and

focus group; To my neighbors as well as the "kids" on Van Ness for their

insights; To my Industrial Design instructor David C. for sparking my

interest into the meanings behind objects.

tangible intangible

Documents

objects important

manmade objects

kind of objects people

physical things

mankinds history

tool use

broad stages of history

human brainwhy