University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies Legacy Theses 2000 The eye of the holder: A design system for eyewear Tharp, Biba Tharp, B. (2000). The eye of the holder: A design system for eyewear (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/11740 http://hdl.handle.net/1880/39443 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY. CALGARY. ALBERTA, CANADA THE EYE OF THE HOLDER: A DESIGN SYSTEM FOR EYEWEAR I BY BIBA THARP A MASTER'S DEGREE PROJECT SUBMI'ITU) TO THE FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DfEREE OF MASTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN (INDUSTRIAL DESIGN) O BIBA THARP, JANUARY, 2000 _I National Library BibliotMque nationale 1+1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington OttawaON KlAW OttawaON KIA- Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde me Licence non exclusive Licence allowing the exclusive pennettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliotheque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, preter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats. la fome de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format electronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriete du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protege cette these. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othenvise de celle-ci ne doivent &e imprimes reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autori sation. ACKNO I would like to express my appreciation to Jim O'Grady for his advice, guidance, patience and willingness to stand back and allow me to develop and explore my own interests during the course of this project. 1 would like to thank Mark Chambers for his imput and encouagement Many thanks to Dr. S. Walker, Dr. R. Wardell, D, Gadbois, B. Porochnuk, B. Fisher, J. Kopola and S. Deck for their help over the Y-. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. B. J.S. Tharp and Anna Tharp for their enduring faith, patience and good spirits. In memory of A.I. Tharp design display eyecare eyewar optometry optometrist optician ABSTRACT THE EYE OF THE HOLDER: a display system for eyewear explores such themes as warmth, welcome, festivity and solidity. Investigations into economics, marketing and consumption including the history of eyecare, eyewear, vision, and the optical industry led to a design for the display of eyewear in a professional optornetric setting. This design was the result of one of many possible design solutions. The attempt was to enrich the process of purchasing eyewear while defining a new function; one that encourages value, service, education, quality, trust, and con- fidence. In consideration of its environment, the design was in tended to attract atten tion while creating a sense of comfort, safety, discovery, and whimsy yet maintain a professional image. By limiting the amount of eyewear dispiayed, this design encourages service. The project acknowledges the revolutionary changes that have taken place in the optical industry during the past decade and therefore does not embrace a stance but chooses rather to remain open to hture change and exploration as pan of the evolutionary context. III TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 A GWCEBACK CHAPTER 2 A WEW FORWARD CHAPTER 3 A LOOK AT FIT AND FORM CHAFER 4 AN EYEWEAR DISPIAY WSEbf IN SIGHT CONCLUSION REFERENCES APPENDICES APPENDIX A CONCEPT DRAWINGS APPENDIX B DETAn DRAWINGS APPENDLX C MANUFACTURING APPENDIX D INSIRUMENTS AND DATA LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 1 The project Fig. 2 The eye after Celsus Fig. 3 An Arabic interpretation of the human visual system Fig. 3 The eye after Galen Fig. 5 Fig. G Roger Bacon's drawing of the eye Fig 7 Da Vinci's drawing of the eye Fig. 8 Anatomical drawing from f3artisch1s Ophthalmodouleia Fig. 9 An illustration from Descarte's De homme Fig. 10 1 8th century German woodcut Fig. 11 Raphael Fig. 12 Fig. 13 Chinese foIding spectacles Fig. 14 Bishop Ugone da Provenza Fig. 15 John Yardell's card Fig. 16 Horn scissor spectacles Fig. 17 18th century quizzers Fig. 18 18th and early 19th century magnifiers Fig. 19 bng-handled shell lorgnettes LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 20 Supplementary lenses Fig. 21 Reversibles Fig. 22 Drawing of wall rods in situ Fig. 23 The cone of vision Fig. 24 The Chahar Taq Fig. 25 The model Fig 26 The model Fig. 27 The model Fig. 28 The model Fig. 29 The model INTRODUCTION concept sketch CONTEXT The world of ophthalmics is seeing a revolution. Consistently producing new surgeries, lenses, frames and eyewear products, it has undergone more changes in the past ten years than in the previous hundred. (Schwartz, 1997) Many professionals comment on the time required to keep up with the recent avalanche of advances to the once staid and quiet industry. (Atkinson, 1997) Optometry occupies an interesting yet peculiar position within the world of ophthalmics. It is not totdiy medical, nor is it totally retail - it is both. As such, it straddles two worlds that, in the past, were entirely different in nature. Today, medicine is marketed as well as eyewear. There exists a distinct welding of the two once disparate fields brought on essentially by the marketing of medicai services. Studies suggest, however, that the future of the optical industry will depend on the concentration of personal service and education rather than the marketing of products. (Minikin, 1995) Opticians, optometrists and ophthalmologists, like other professionals, are mired in a war between marketing and professionalism. With the advent of laser surgery and its ability to correct myopia, hyperopia and some forms of presbyopia along with secondary cataracts and retinal detachments, we have seen changes in the way eyecare is marketed. Ophthalmologists now advertise eye surgery on television, radio, billboards, in newspapers and magazines. Eyewear also continues to be marketed in these ways but with a notable increase in in tensity. Television nightly advertises "new" and "better" eyecare products, forefronting spectacles as major fashion items. The array of eyecare products competing for our attention has increased dramatically. ( Eianaley, 1996) Demographic studies indicate an impending increase in presbyopic baby boomers. Most people in their forties will need glasses and their vision will continue to change for some years to come. In the U.S. it is estimated that 140 million people wear prescription eyewear and 4 million turn presbyopic every year. (Helms, 1997) Therefore, a great deal of money will be spent on eyewear in the next two decades. This is leading both large and small companies to vie for their share of this market. The shopping experience as we know it has grown cumbersome. For the last two decades, megastores, malls and franchise chains have dominated the retail markets. Today, the large department store can no longer be all things to all people. Shopping centres are closing down or having facelifts and adding entertainment facilities in an attempt to attract consumers. In the eastern U.S., some shopping malls have already been converted into community centres. (Friedberg, 1993) It wuld appear that, in the grand scheme of things, shopping malls could become the new dinosaurs. According to demographic research the largest population of shoppers will gravitate toward neighborhood shops regardless of cost differences. Clearly, the intensity of the lives of many working people denies the possibility of price shopping. Semice, education and quality information are already becoming higher priorities. (Minikin, 1995) The 2 1st century will, perhaps, bring with it a new attitude to shopping and consumption. The older consumer, of whom there will be increasing numbers as the population ages, is more Uely to want to shop at the neighborhood bakery, greengrocer, butcher and boutique where she is known by name by a staff who is cognizant of her needs and tastes. ( Papanek, 1995) Ln the GOs, advertising was more expressive, requiring less research. The consumer world was new. In the 70s and 80s, the consumer world began to narrow. Earnest research weighed down advertising with often somber promises. The consumer world became quantified. Statistics lost their credibility. The future will perhaps demand that advertisers switch alliance: change over to the consumer's side in search of customer needs. It could be argued that the trick for the future is to go back to the past, where there was less mass marketing. The real need, it seems, is to find appropriate customer-product relationships. Today, designers are asking questions like "How can service be supplied in a more elegant way to minimize the side effects and optimize performance?" (Warm, 1997, p.18) This project took a closer look at the question in relation to display and the eyecare industry. THE ?ROJECT Many people are confused by the shopping experience, in particular the purchase of eyeglasses. The plethora of frames on display and the vast array of lens choices combined with the uhelp-yourself" attitude of many optical companies contribute to the confusion. The god of this project was to enrich the experience of purchasing eyewar in a professional optometric environment through the design of an eyewar display system.