Singularity Process Book MFA Thesis Workd

SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY thesis process book SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY SINGULARITY

Welcome to the future of you

of you.

Book design Š 2016 by Craig Ferguson. #XXXX All rights reserved.

Craig Ferguson craigferguson@gmail.com Published by Craig Ferguson for the course GR 801: Thesis Refinement, instructed by Carolina de Bartolo in Fall 2014 at Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA.

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No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the express written permission of the publisher.

CONTENTS PART PART PART PART PART

1 2 3 4 5

Concept Insights & Information Strategies Visual System Deliverables

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Problem The year is now 2045, immortality is real yet little was being done over the past 30 years to promote this technology to the public. The news was BROADCAST to the public on a global scale, people have questions, they need answers.

Where can they learn about this technology?

Where can they learn about the company that created this technology?

The company which produces these life extension solutions is ready to release several products and services into the marketplace. There are many complex and meaningful concepts that must be delivered which have never been seen before. Totally new ideas and products which need communication in order to be understood and adopted into people’s lives.

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PART 1 / CONCEPT

Outcome Today it is hard to imagine a future when bodies consisting of Nano robots will become affordable and capable of taking any form.

This thesis is set in the year 2045, after scientist have discovered the technology for people to live forever.

It is still hard for the general public to imagine body holograms featuring controlled matter. To launch this new company and its products into the future real world and have potential customers become enthralled and adopt these new offerings.

To demonstrate how design can shape undevloped technologies such as those capable of extenting human life forever.

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Av a t a r s , I m m o r t a l i t y, & O u r Wo r l d

MISSION STATEMENT: At Singularity we strive to lead the invention, development and manufacturing of the industry’s most advanced technology to help the process of immortality become an easy and understandable process for our clients.

Background Reasearch Thought Leadership Non-governmental organization (NGO) Newspapers, Magazines, Publications Benchmarking Conferences Where audience hangs out Audience Statistics

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PART 2 | INSIGHTS

Living forever through technology

How design can shape undeveloped technologies such as those capable of extending human life forever.

30-70 year old, non-religious or nonpracticing, affluent, early adopters who are interested in living forever.

Audience skews towards noneuropean and non-western.

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Thought Leadership Ray Kurzweil He was a major father in the push for immortality through technology. He always stressed that we as humans were created to push for immortality. He envisioned the idea that millions of virtual worlds would open up with life extension. Ray Kurzweil was one of the first pushers towards singularity. He plans to be the first in line to have his mind transfered to a computer.

In they year 2014 he had already setup a plan in the case of his to death to infuse his body with cryoprotectant and freeze his body until the brain transfer process was ready.

In February 2009, Kurzweil along with Google and NASA announced the reaction of the Singularity University training center. Using Vernor Vinge’s Singularity concept as its base, they university offered a nine-week graduate program. He has a net worth of 30 million dollars.

Problems The media has worried that immortality will be just another way of enslaving the rest of humanity on an industrial scaled. Many religious groups feel Ray Kurzweil is trying to play the role of God.

Possible Insights Having a large amount of money could play a huge roll in the ability to live forever. Most of the top researchers in the subject are millionaires. The fact that most of the people pushing the idea for immortality are wealthy, this might worry the average consumer.

“KurzweilAI | Accelerating Intelligence.” KurzweilAI Global Future 2045 Ray Kurzweil Immortality by 2045 Comments. N.p., n.d.

“Ray Kurzweil.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Sept. 2014.

“The Dark Side of Ray Kurzweil’s Transhumanist Utopia.” Infowars. N.p., n.d. Web.

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PART 2 | INSIGHTS & INFORMATION

Born February 12, 1948 (age 66) Queens, New York, U.S. Alma mater Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S.) Occupation Author, entrepreneur, futurist and inventor Employer Google Inc. Awards Murray Hopper Award (1978) Medal of Technology (1999)

The singularity will represent the culmination of the merger of our biological thinking and existence with our technology, resulting in a world that is still human but that transcends our biological roots. There will be no distinction, post-singularity, between human and machine nor between physical and virtual reality. If you wonder what will remain unequivocally human in such a world, it’s simply this quality: ours is the species that inherently seeks to extend its physical and mental reach beyond current limitations.�

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Thought Leadership Vernor Vinge He has worked very closed with Zurzweil in predicting the date 2045 for singularity. In fact Vernor Vinge thinks we will hit the date around 2030. Vernor Vinge felt in 2014 that we already have the technology in place to create a utopia. He based his singularity concept of the following ideas.

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There may be developed computers that are “awake” and superhumanly intelligent.

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Large computer networks (and their associated users) may “wake up” as a super man intelligent entity.

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Computer/human interfaces may become so intimate that users may reasonably be considered superhumanly intelligent.

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Biological science may provide means to improve natural human intellect.

He feels if we look at avatars with Isaac Asimov’s laws of robotics, we can make sure that humanity will be safe. As long as the laws were written into the programs of each avatar the concern of public would be smaller. Vinge is also connected with NASA just as Zurweil is.

Problems Some of the concepts don’t appeal to the public or religious groups. Many people have a problem with the fact that their minds can be reprogrammed.

Possible Insights Using the knowledge of Vernor Vinge and his views on singularity will help people understand the process behind living forever.

“Isaac Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics”” Isaac Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics” N.p., n.d. Web. “Vernor Vinge on the Singularity.” Vernor Vinge on the Singularity. N.p., n.d. Web. “The Singularity Is Near » Questions and Answers.” The Singularity Is Near » Questions and Answers. N.p., n.d

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PART 2 | INSIGHTS & INFORMATION

Born Vernor Steffen Vinge October 2, 1944 (age 69) Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA

Occupation Computer scientist Nationality American Period 1966–present Genre Science fiction Notable works True Names (1981), A Fire Upon the Deep (1992), “The Coming Technological Singularity” (1993),

Notable awards Hugo Awards, Best Novel:1993, 2000, 2007; Best Novella: 2003, 2005 Prometheus Awards:1987, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2014 Special Award for Lifetime Achievement To understand the principles of human intelligence we need to reverse-engineer the human brain. Here, progress is far greater than most people realize. The spatial and temporal (time) resolution of brain scanning is also progressing at an exponential rate, roughly doubling each year, like most everything else having to do with information. Just recently, scanning tools can see individual interneuronal connections, and watch them fire in real time. Already, we have mathematical models and simulations of a couple dozen regions of the brain, including the cerebellum, which comprises more than half the neurons in the brain. IBM is now creating a simulation of about 10,000 cortical neurons, including tens of millions of connections.”

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Thought Leadership Religious Leaders No religious groups in the United States have announced an authority explanation on radical life expansion. Be that as it may, here are short synopses of how some pastorate, bioethicists and different researchers from 18 major American religious gatherings say their customs may approach this advancing issue.

American Baptist Churches USA Parts of distinctive ABC-USA assemblies would likely reach diverse conclusions on radical life expansion, and all sides would inexorably discover bible founded backing for their perspectives, so any official proclamation from the congregation would “reflect the differing qualities of [the] category,” says Terry Rosell, a bioethicist and teacher of pastoral religious philosophy at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Shawnee, Kan. An announcement from the congregation would likely bring up issues about existence expansion and spot those inquiries in the setting of the group’s generally held qualities, for example, regard forever, acknowledgment of mortality, the equivalent accessibility of medicines, and the order to avoid enduring and unexpected passing, he says. Such an announcement would give church parts “a premise for dialog” as opposed to course or direction, Rosell says, since the congregation does not issue “tying” declarations on these sorts of issues.

Possible Insights The American Baptist seem to not want to come directly out on the topic of life extension from a leadership stand point. Looking into members of the Baptist will be a key to finding out more.

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“Policy Statements and Resolutions.” American Baptist Churches USA. N.p., n.d

PART 2 | INSIGHTS & INFORMATION Buddhism There is no focal Buddhist power in the U.S., so no single individual or association could represent all Buddhists on the morals of radical life augmentation, yet numerous Buddhists would likely see such treatments in a positive light, says James Hughes, a previous Buddhist friar who now serves as official chief of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, a research organization in Hartford, Conn. As indicated by Hughes, Buddhists accept every individual is in charge of his or her karma – the thought that the great and terrible things that happen to individuals in life are the aftereffect of what they did previously. Just by understanding the vaporous nature of presence and the fanciful nature of the self, Hughes says, will one quit making awful karma and come closer to nirvana, or opportunity from anguish. Drastically more life would be advantageous, he says, in light of the fact that it would give each one individual more of an opportunity to learn astuteness and empathy and to attain nirvana.

Karma Lekshe Tsomo, a Buddhist pious devotee and partner educator of Buddhist learns at the University of San Diego, concurs with Hughes, however she additionally alerts that, from the Buddhist point of view, life augmentation may not profit everybody. “On the off chance that an individual is carrying on with a non-virtuous life – for instance, unnecessarily slaughtering others – maybe a short life is better,” she says, in light of the fact that it would minimize the chance to gather bad karma.

Possible Insights Buddhism seems to split about the idea of living forever. With the proper information about life extension procedures, they could have most of their worries aborted.

Catholic Church Pope Francis has not talked freely on the issue of life augmentation, however his ancestor, Pope Benedict XVI, communicated worry that altogether expanding life span could strip life of its wealthiest encounters – including the quest for the transcendent and the need to have kids as a fence against mortality. A 2004 religious commission headed by Benedict (at the time, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) suggested the issue, saying that “discarding passing is actually the most radical method for discarding life.” And in his lesson on Holy Saturday in 2010, Benedict cautioned against deferring demise inconclusively: “Humankind would get to be phenomenally old, [and] there would be no more space for youth. Limit for advancement would bite the dust, and interminable life would be no heaven.”

In the meantime, some Catholic researchers accept the congregation may help some life-expansion helps, particularly in the event that they came as a major aspect of a more extensive endeavor to cure sickness. “Catholics are called upon to assuage enduring and sickness,” says Father Nicanor Austriaco, a scholar and ethicist who instructs at Providence College in Rhode Island. This call to recuperate, he says, is the reason the congregation has regularly upheld new and even questionable examination, for example, hereditary designing, and why it may help humble life-expansion deliberations.

“Communion and Stewardship: Human Persons Created in the Image of God.” Communion and Stewardship: Human Persons Created in the Image of God. N.p., n.d. Web

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In the event that life augmentation turns into a reality, Catholics likely would be focused on guaranteeing that the new medicines are accessible to all, says Marie Hilliard, executive of bioethics and open approach at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia.

Undoubtedly, Hilliard notes, the congregation is quick to keep the sort of circumstance that happened amid the 1990s, when life-sparing HIV medications were accessible to patients in the created world yet to a great extent occupied to a huge number of HIV and AIDS sufferers in Africa and somewhere else in the creating scene.

As per Monsignor Tom Green, an educator of law at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., the congregation’s reaction to any life- augmentation achievement would most likely start at the nearby level. “As issues emerge, specialists help to raise and clarify them to ministers, who then frequently issue moral mandates to Catholic foundations, in the same way as healing centers,” Green says. Eventually, he says, the U.S. Gathering of Catholic Bishops may issue rules to lay Catholics and Catholic organizations. Inevitably, he includes, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican division that aides illuminate Catholic regulation and good teachings, may issue a report with direction on the issue. “The greater part of this generally requires significant investment,” Green says.

“We have a tendency to move gradually in the congregation.”

Possible Insights I feel that the Catholic Church seems to be against the idea of life extension, even though they seem to okay with helping people. The fact they might have to issue new rules brings up some interesting research. Could a church stop a person from becoming immortal just based on their religion?

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) The Mormon Church would likely not issue an announcement denying life-expansion treatment, the length of the help does not include critical progressions to the human body, says Steven Peck, a bioethicist at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. “The congregation accepts that the human body is consecrated, which is the reason it even demoralizes body puncturing and tattoos,” he says. “Along these lines, the length of the body continued as before, the length of you were just giving individuals a greater amount of what they as of now have without enormous adjustments, I think it would be fine.” On the other hand, “if there was a feeling that [life-expansion therapy] was spoiling the body, that would be an issue,” Peck says.

Possible Insights The Mormon Church is against life extension and makes me wonder if they would stop their members from using life extensions in the future. With such hard core beliefs I don’t see them changing their minds by 2045.

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“Easter Vigil - Holy Saturday, 3 April 2010.” Easter Vigil - Holy Saturday, 3 April 2010. N.p., n.d. Web “Handbook 2:Administering the Church.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. N.p., n.d. Web

PART 2 | INSIGHTS & INFORMATION Hinduism There is no focal power in Hinduism, so there likely would not be an authority Hindu position on life expansion. Anyhow most Hindus are unrealistic to question fundamentally broadening human life, as per Arvind Sharma, a teacher of similar religion at Mcgill University in Montreal who has expounded on Hinduism and life expansion. “The typical gift in Hinduism is ‘Live long.’ So why not live more?” he says. What’s more, Hindu scriptures depict a “brilliant age” in the profound past when individuals existed 400 years. “Life augmentation would be seen as a come back to this brilliant age,” Sharma says.

Possible Insights Hinduism is the first religion that seems to be okay with the ability to live forever. Makes me wonder if people would convert religions to get approval to extend their life. By 2045 a rise in Hinduism would make logical sense.

Judaism Rabbi Barry Freundel, an ethicist and scholar who additionally heads an Orthodox Jewish gathering, Kesher Israel, in Washington, D.C., anticipates that most Jewish researchers will help deliberations to fundamentally augment human life. “Judaism has an exceptionally positive perspective of life … so the a greater amount of it, the better,” he says. As per Freundel, most Jews would see a delayed human life compass as a chance to better serve God and humanity. “The objective in Judaism is to greatly improve the situation and [extended life] would permit us to accomplish a greater amount of that,” he says.

Rabbi Eric Wisnia of Reform Congregation Beth Chaim in Princeton Junction, N.J., concurs that most Jewish masterminds are prone to grasp life expansion. “Dragging out life and sparing life, regardless of to what extent, is an extraordinary thing,” he says, including that more drawn out lives would permit individuals to better show and serve future eras. “People are fabricated for aggregate information, and the more seasoned we are, as far as anyone knows the more astute we are,” Wisnia says.

Possible Insights Judaism is the second religion in my studies that are on board with life extension. We might have to look into the possibility that this subject could cause some issues between different groups as we get closer to 2045. Another possible insight is that some religious group could ultimately vanish over an extended amount of time.

Dea, Hinduism: Life And. Hinduism: Life and Death Article Adapted from Student BMJ (n.d.): n. pag. Web

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The Global Religious Landscape Worldwide, more than eight-in-ten people identify with a religious group. A comprehensive demographic study of more than 230 countries and territories conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life estimates that there are 5.8 billion religiously affiliated adults and children around the globe, representing 84% of the 2010 world population of 6.9 billion.

The demographic study – based on analysis of more than 2,500 censuses, surveys and population registers – finds 2.2 billion Christians (32% of the world’s population), 1.6 billion Muslims (23%), 1 billion Hindus (15%), nearly 500 million Buddhists (7%) and 14 million Jews (0.2%) around the world as of 2010. In addition, more than 400 million people (6%) practice various folk or traditional religions, including African traditional religions, Chinese folk religions, Native American religions and Australian aboriginal religions. An estimated 58 million people – slightly less than 1% of the global population – belong to other religions, including the Baha’i faith, Jainism, Sikhism, Shintoism, Taoism, Tenrikyo, Wicca and Zoroastrianism, to mention just a few.

Possible Insights The overall people related to a religious group is amazing based on the stats. This can show how much of the world religion population can play in the advancement of life extensions. The religious groups of the world would play a huge role throughout the years leading up to 2045.

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“The Global Religious Landscape.” Pew Research Centers Religion Public Life Project RSS. N.p., n.d. Web.

PART 2 | INSIGHTS & INFORMATION

Statistics The Global Outlook on Living Forever Most respondents to the latest global survey are satisfied with their limited shelf life on earth.

Not even younger people consistently choose immortality. In fact, more than 50% of those 45 and under in seven countries say they don’t want to live forever. Brazilian youth bucks the trend, with 74% preferring no expiration date. Two surprises, however: in the Philippines, everyone over 45 wants life to be everlasting; in China, not a single older survey—taker does.

Possible Insights At first glance these stats did not seem too odd to me in my research until I started my research on religion. Brazil which is top on the list of wanting to live forever is 92 percent Catholic. The Catholic church could ultimately ban living forever, this could change Brazil’s outlook significantly. Second on the list is the Philippines which has a Catholic percentage of 82 percent. Again the Catholic Church could play a major role in the country’s statistic.

Malaysia is 60 percent Islamic which is ranked third on the list. The Islamic religion is for life extension. Spain also has a majority religion of Catholic. I feel it could be important to stress that religion could actually stop the process of life extension.

“Do You Want to Live Forever?” - Read the Results of Our Global Survey. N.p., n.d. Web

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Statistics Living to be 120 Many Americans don’t look cheerfully on the possibility of living any longer exists. They see risk and additionally a guarantee in biomedical advances, and more think it would be an awful thing than a decent thing for society if individuals existed decades longer than is conceivable today, as indicated by another review by the Pew Research Center. Asked whether they, generally, would decide to experience therapeutic medicines to moderate the maturing process and live to be 120 or more, a larger part of U.S.. grown-ups (56%) say “no.” But around two-thirds (68%) surmise that most other individuals would. Also by correspondingly extensive edges, they expect that drastically more life compasses would strain the nation’s regular assets and be accessible just to the well off.

Most Americans likewise anticipate other negative ramifications. Around two-thirds concur that “more extended futures would strain our characteristic assets” and that “restorative researchers would offer the treatment before they completely saw how it influences individuals’ wellbeing.”

And around six-in-ten (58%) say “these medicines would be generally unnatural.”

Possible Insights I have to feel that stats like this make me wonder why people wouldn’t want to live longer.

Considering this research shows people feel it would strain resources and be bad for society, in 2045 being immortal would actually save resources. Proving to the general public that living as an avatar would be beneficial is a key to point out. One thing to look at also is the fact that this is a survey living to 120 with most of the people not looking at being an avatar, it is possible to believe that most people figure in the later stages of life, 80-120, their life’s would be withered, afflicted, and or debilitated.

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“Americans Don’t Want to Live Longer. Are They Crazy?” Slate Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web

PART 2 | INSIGHTS & INFORMATION

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Benchmarking Google as a Major Player Google advertised Calico in the year 2013, another organization that will concentrate on wellbeing and prosperity. Yet its extreme object is to profoundly amplify the human lifespan.

As TIME put it, “That would be insane — in the event that it weren’t Google.”

By dispatching Calico, Google CEO Larry Page planned to handle some of social insurance’s most pressing issues. Furthermore by ideals of doing in this way, the organization turned into a real player — if not the significant player — in the expanding exertions to ease off, or even end, halt the aging process in people.

The radical life augmentation development is going full speed ahead. A decent sample is Aubrey de Gray’s SENS activity. Speculator Peter Thiel has placed millions into restoration biotechnology research. Also obviously, there are horde studies looking to develop the lifespans of mice and different life

Possible Insights Google has the money and resources to be ahead of most of the competition. They have already announced that by 2020 we will be able to inject nanobots into our body. With Google having an 85 percent approval rating they might be able to persuade people and religious groups to join the cause.

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“Google vs. Death.” Time. Time, n.d

PART 2 | INSIGHTS & INFORMATION

Audience Primary Audience 30-50 year olds, non-religious, affluent (250K a year min and up), early adopters, who are interested in extending their life.

Why The projected price for an avatar at the present time is 300k. According to statistics wealthy people tend to live almost 10 years longer then less wealthy people. Richer people’s lifespans are growing at a faster rate. Wealthy people tend to have more insight on new technology especially when it comes to living a longer life. Richer people tend to have a better education allowing them to understand the technology behind singularity.

Possible Insights People with more money than the average person would be able to afford the technology sooner then people with less money. As with most new technology the launch price will be very high, 300k is the estimate for the price in 2045.

WILL REPLACE CHART!

Thompson, Derek. “Get Rich, Live Longer: The Ultimate Consequence of Income Inequality.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 18 Apr. 2014

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Audience Statistics A global survey from Reader’s Digest revealed that 55% of the people across the world would like to live forever if given the chance.

More people want to live forever in the countries of Brazil, India and Malaysia.

Brazil

72%

India

67%

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“Salaries by Location.” Salaries by Location. N.p., n.d. Web

PART 2 | INSIGHTS & INFORMATION INSIGHT: There is a large potential audience for this product.

Projected average wages for 2045 are lower in areas where there is more demand for this product.

India $9k

Brazil $75k

INSIGHT:

There will be more demand for the product in places where it will be less affordable.

Malaysia $37k

United States $350k

INSIGHT: The audience is not predominantly European.

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Quantitative Data

Quantitative Data Results Based on my data for the past few weeks, with 33 total responses so far to my questions, only 25 percent of the people taking my survey wanted to live forever, this leaves almost a 60 percent margin of people who said they do not want to live forever. 15 percent are undecided. What could i due to help the undecided group push towards answering yes?

Possible Insights There is potential to help undecided people through deliverables.

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SurveyMonkey. N.p., n.d. Web.

PART 2 | INSIGHTS & INFORMATION

Quantitative Data Results Based on my data for the past few weeks, with 33 total responses so far to my questions, even with mind transference being available and affordable 60 percent chose not to have their mind uploaded to be used at a later date. 32 percent said yes and another 10 percent that were undecided.

Possible Insights Targeting people who said yes and who are undecided would be keys to creating deliverables for mind transference technology.

SurveyMonkey. N.p., n.d. Web.

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Quantitative Data

Quantitative Data Results 63 percent of the people surveyed where Christian, which falls in line with the rest of my research. The 35 percent of non religious people was a much higher number then expected based on my other research. This number is double what the average world number is. This could be due to 98 percent of my responses so far have come within the United States.

Possible Insights Non religious Americans will be a key market to explore.

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SurveyMonkey. N.p., n.d. Web.

PART 2 | INSIGHTS & INFORMATION

Quantitative Data Results 67 percent said that religion had no factor in their decision. This makes me wonder what would stop people from wanting to live forever then? An interview question needs to be setup to further explore this.

Possible Insights Finding answers to why people chose not to live forever will help in promoting living forever.

SurveyMonkey. N.p., n.d. Web.

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Interview Data Questions Q1: What are your reasons for wanting/not wanting to live forever?

Q2: What do you feel are the potential implications both positive and negative of living forever on your family?

Q3: The price for living forever could will 350k in the year 2045, if you didn’t have the money outright to spend on the procedure; would you be interested in getting a loan for this, why or why?

Q4: If your religion forbids you to live forever, would this stop your interaction with someone who has chosen to live forever, why or why not?

Q5: Do you feel there would be problems between immortals and mortals, why or why not?

John Dewey Q1 The good thing about living forever, no need to waste money on life insurance or burial plans. I would not want to live forever if aging existed. Otherwise yes.

Q5 I would not stop interacting with the immortals. I want someone to come to my funeral.

Q3 I would take out a loan if I was poor.

Q2 The positive effects on family would be...my son would have younger siblings hundreds years younger! Oh wait that is a negative. No need for families to fight over my money. I’m not going anywhere?

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PART 2 | INSIGHTS & INFORMATION Darrin Turner Q1 I want to live forever to see how the world turns out.

Q3 I’d def get a loan, I’d have a lifetime to pay it back.

Q1 I wouldn’t miss my family and it would be nice to see what their future holds. The only negative would be that I’d have to bury them. I feel there would be problems cause everyone would want what you have.

Derrick Lee Q1 I honestly don’t see why people wouldn’t want to live forever to be honest with you. Imagine seeing the world for 1000’s of years and being able to communicate this to people who haven’t been around that long. Being part of all the amazing things that could over a life time is something I would want to be part of. I of course picture my avatar as looking like a human and not a robot.

Q2 I am not religious at all but I would have problems if the church tried to stop people from living forever. It is their choice as a human being to do. I can already picture some kind of war being started by the churches against people who have decided to live forever.

Q3 Why wouldn’t I get a loan considering the fact I would be immortal and have all the time in the world to pay the money back? With my new body that probably could self educate itself along with being unable to die, I could do great things with my career if I wanted to.

Q4 The one big thing I can see if I have family members who decide not to live forever and I would have to see them suffer and pass on even though they didn’t really have to. If you figure in a 1000 years and even a small percentage of the family chooses not to live forever, that could be a lot of death and funerals to attend.

Q5 This could be very possible on a few different levels. Imagine a person was 300 years old and had more wealth then someone who was say 30 years old, they 300 year old person would never have to worry about money, as they could live forever, amassing a good amount of wealth. Where someone who will only have one lifetime may never even come close. I could also see religious groups starting problems with immortals, just because they feel it isn’t what the bible wants. Civil rights would take on a whole new meaning, would immortals be treated with a different standards?

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John Cook Q1 For living forever: Obviously, not getting sick or dying. Not having to pay for any doctors, hospitals, medicines or treatments. Not having to have any late in life care (hospice, nursing homes, etc.). Not having to pay any final expenses (burial, funeral, cremation, etc.). And the value of not ever having to worry about these things.

Also, one could keep doing the things one enjoys about life forever.

For not living forever: With immortality as a real possibility, there is also the possibility that the immortals could be or become tyrants and use hostile aggression against the mortals. There could be an increase of murder, rape, robbery, theft, and mortals could not adequately defend themselves against immortals, who would always prevail and survive. Also, in addition to the possibility of an increase in war and hostility, overpopulation (because immortals would never die and live on Earth forever) could create more possibilities for famines and food shortages. And non-hostile immortals would theoretically be stuck in such a world with no escape.

Q2 On the surface, one whose religious beliefs prohibit living forever could still have a relationship with someone who has chosen to do so. However, the relationship would almost had to have existed before the mortal became immortal, and trust factors would have had to be established. In a business relationship, things may be different in that the immortal could always take advantage of the mortal and get away with it.

Q3 Similar to our current medical system, which many believe shows preference to those with the most money or the best insurance, the living forever procedure could be seen as further evidence of that. Rich people, who are already seen as greedy and get certain perks that poor people do not, would be able to get yet another perk, which is the living forever procedure. This would further divide rich and poor in that the rich would have money plus immortality, and the poor would still be so and die to boot. I don’t think I would do it, not so much because of my religion, but I would fear endless existence in the possible world that I played devil’s advocate creating in the second part of Question #1.

Q4 Positive: You would never have to see a child, friend or relative get sick or die. You would never have to see anyone suffer a natural death. And any good or happy events in life would never be missed because someone passed away.

Negative: Again, that potential hostile world in the second part of Question #1. Would there be enough resources to go around (food, water, supplies)? Would it be a harmonious world, and could mortals co-exist successfully? Would their still necessary care get neglected because of immortal privilege?

Q5 In a perfect, utopian world, there wouldn’t be problems and everyone would live in harmony. But assuming those real human emotions of greed, lust, aggression, etc. would still be in play, there could be problems in the form of a power struggle. If the immortals were benevolent to the mortals, things would probably work out quite well, but we know how the rich are to the poor. Nevertheless this is certainly a very interesting subject.

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PART 2 | INSIGHTS & INFORMATION Janine Susz Q1 It’s an interesting proposition, but I don’t think I would want to live forever as there is a progression to life that I look forward too. I am in my mid 40’s and love my job and the direction I am taking, but I also think about retirement and what options I will have at that point in my life. I think about my kids and where they will be in a few years. I also think about what if they don’t chose to life forever, I would have to go to their funeral, no matter how old I would be, that would be devastating. I spent 5 years helping my mom fight breast cancer, would I still have to endure disease and illness even though I would live forever? I also had my grandmother in my life till she was 101. She was amazing and still told great stories, but was blind, deaf and couldn’t walk without help anymore. So, would my body also get old and I would have to live that way, and when would that start. Could I be promised that I would stop aging at a certain age, and could I pick it? For me there would be too many questions that the technology of living forever wouldn’t be able to answer yet. I think of the Simpsons show where the heads are in the glass containers - is that living forever? Because I don’t want that, I love my mind, but I would want more. So for me, too many variables that may not be able to be answered because things aren’t proven yet. I kind of look forward to getting old, being a little cranky and telling people exactly what I think!

Q2 I don’t practice religion, but I do believe there is a god. I wouldn’t have a problem with someone who chose this direction, in fact we would probably sit down and talk about their decision. It wouldn’t surprise me if some of my friends would choose this direction. I would tend to think some of my friends who are more self centered would chose this path, and I don’t say that to be mean, but just that they would want to live forever. It would be interesting to watch them live their lives, to see what the benefits of living forever would give them as I got older.

Q3 If I chose this path it would depend on where I was in my life. In the year 2045 I would be 75, so I don’t think I would chose the loan, it would be too much money to spend and it would probably be hard to get at that age, but I guess if I am promised to live forever the bank might see that as a good bet!

Q4 I think there would be some conflict if a husband chose to live forever and a wife didn’t. You marry someone to live forever with, and I have seen so many men die from broken hearts, that would life be worth living after that.

I have been married for 20 years and I couldn’t imagine not having my husband in it. He keeps me sane and makes me laugh every day, if we didn’t make this choice together it would be devastating watching the other person get old. If my children didn’t chose to live forever and I did, their deaths would be extremely difficult. I think there would have to be a lot of counseling because this idea changes the natural progression of life and death. There are many challenges along the way that make us who we are at the end, but if it doesn’t end how much of life’s unexpected events will push us to the edge?

Q5 Yes, I do based on some of what I said in the last question. I think there would be conflict with both because that is a huge choice. Would you vote in a President if they hadn’t chosen to live forever knowing they could be murdered or die of natural causes during a presidency. Are the people who pay to live forever off the list of TITLE | 31

people to murder because it isn’t possible? So, are those who chose to not live forever a bigger target? What about monarchy’s would you want the same leader forever? What if it was someone like Hitler or Castro?

How does that balance out the rest of the world? Does everyone qualify? What if they had cancer early on in life? Can everyone have this procedure? There are always problems with change, but this brings up a lot of thoughts that could change the world - and maybe not for the good.

Michelle Minter Brooks Q1 As a Christian, I don’t believe we were meant to live forever here, but I do believe I will live eternally in Heaven.

Q2 Not at all. I don’t have a problem interacting with people with different religious beliefs than mine.

Q3 No. I do think living forever is an interesting concept, but I don’t believe we were meant to live forever here.

Q4 An obvious positive benefit would be that the fear of death would be removed. However, the question of aging/ quality of life isn’t addressed. Also, it seems it would be difficult to process loss if you were living forever and others weren’t. It seems it would either be consistently painful it that you would eventually become so desensitized to it that you wouldn’t care about others.

Q5 I think it would be much like life is now. There are compassionate people who care about the wellbeing of others, and then there are others who look out only for themselves. So I think there could be benevolent immortals and those who would do harm.

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PART 2 | INSIGHTS & INFORMATION Questions I am part of a group on Facebook that discuses the topic of living forever. I posted the following question on the group page and got some interesting answers.

What do you feel are the potential implications of living forever on you or your family?

John Grateful Zaccanti The first thousands years would be a hoot... but then midway through 2000 years my cousins would drive me nuts, have to go. Rounding 3000 years I’d finally help my uncle understand why he hasn’t been making much money since 2045. By the turn of 4000 years we would all be wondering who gets the last bite of the snickers bar. At witch point my mother would tell us all we need to do something with our lives.... by the 6000 year I have them all sealed in a steel box somewhere just for a few hundred years of silence.... year 10,000 we all get shit faced and remember the Obama war against Ebola zombies and how are family came out of it mostly zombie free...

Masyh Mahmoudi Saber I’m a evolutionary geneticist. With the current state of human mind, immortalizing is a huge mistake , by laws of natural selection humans are evolved to maximize reproduction, our genetic is designed by evolution so we would get old and die, evolution could make us live forever but it didn’t since in that case no more evolution would happen, before making human live forever, it should be evolved to a whole new level

Tonya Belden I don’t want to live forever because we don’t know what death brings. What if we deny ourselves something amazing. However I believe we would be better as a human race if we were all three hundred and we all had the wisdom that it provides. I think we would have to quit reproducing and we would probably be less loving.

Alen Newman I doubt that “family” will mean the same thing once the biological clock is stopped. Procreation would be somewhat redundant, and maybe even illegal. If you do something felonious, a life sentence would be? Would we consider our existence as a “life” or a more plural set of “lives”?

Given enough time, would we all eventually become the same person? Or will we form a conscious collective entirely devoid of biological, or classical matter as part of the self? We will continue coalescing into ever more efficient forms of energy that’s evident, but what is consciousness when it is unhindered by matter and gravitational forces? Perhaps we should Ponder that now as opposed to millennium from now since we’re on the verge of trans-humanism.

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Strategies The company will be a public entity, offering a service that anyone can purchase. In order to establish trust among any potential client, we do not want to seem like we are behind a veil of secrecy. Trust is one of the biggest keys to the success of Singularity.

Materials that market this new service must be clear and easy to read. Key details must be quickly understood and concerns alleviated. The first step is to explain the company and the people behind the technology. Then we clearly describe the service, what are the steps and what are the Terms of Service.

The avatars, the future homes of the client’s memories and emotions, must be human in appearance as well. It is hard to envision our own human mind inside of a machine, and more comfortable to know we are going into another vessel that replicates the current one.

This is the original version of my strategy in which I created the final version off of. This was pulled from the research in the prior blog post to get an idea of what I wanted to design for my thesis project.

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PART 32 || STRATEGIES TITLE TOPIC AREA Living forever through technology

INSIGHTS & INFORMATION

STRATEGIES

DELIVERABLES

AUDIENCE 30-70 year old, nonreligious or nonpracticing, affluent, early adopters who are interested in living forever. Audience skews towards non-european non-western. be and envisaged as

OUTCOME To demonstrate how design can shape undeveloped technologies such as those capable of extending human life forever.

The theoretical company will a public/private entity

A public/private partnership is the most likely kind of company to develop this kind of technology.

Almost half of the potential audience will need information and assistance to decide whether they want to use this technology.

People prefer avatars to look human, rather than like a robot.

The theoretical company will be envisaged as a public entity.

Create materials that explain how the technology behind singularity works to the public.

Create materials that promote avatars looking completely human rather than like a robot.

Information that details the past, present, and future of the technology behind living forever.

Interface of what it would look like to look through the eyes of your own avatar body.

Create materials that explain how the technology for living forever would work.

Create materials that promote avatars looking human rather than like a robot. INTERFACES COMPANY DIGITAL BOOK Create a company for the year 2045, with all the branding and marketing materials it would need in that time.

• Digital Business Cards • Website • Digital Brochure • Digital Letterhead INTERACTIVE POSTERS Interactive poster series promoting the company that can be used like a giant app.

WINDOW ADVERTISING I envision walls being full LCD type screens that can be fully interacted with, such as a giant Ipod but it’s a wall. I envision the windows you see on sky scrapers also having LCD screens as windows to use for advertising.

STORE/INTERFACE Apple store style showroom, where people could talk to avatars, and check out the products.

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About Singularity Company is located in the Bay Area, near San Francisco, California. Its CEO is John Cook, and its Director of Technological Advancement is Dr. Ray Kurzweil.

Singularity Company sells the technology that allows people to live forever. This includes mind transferring abilities, along with the actual human-like avatar bodies.

The technology was created and perfected by Dr. Kurzweil and placed into a workable business model by founder and Singularity Company CEO Cook.

This includes mind transferring abilities, along with human-like avatar bodies. The technology was created and perfected by Dr. Kurzweil and placed into a workable business model by founder and Singularity Company CEO Cook.

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PART 3 | STRATEGIES

H o w I t Wo r k s The plan for human immortality was to become a reality by the concept of autonomous life-support, which involves uploading human brains to robotic, human-like “avatars�. All of your thoughts, memories, personality and conciousness will live on forever in your new avatar body. The concept in the year 2045 is rather simple as all of the minds thought are uploaded to a computer.

B r e a k t h r o u g h Te s t i n g s The plan for mainstreaming immortality began for Kurzweil and Cook in 2015. Cook studied under Dr. Kurzweil at the National Robotics Institute (NRI). Kurzweil, having already utilized human-like robotics models for various corporations requiring.

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Material Matrix Listed on this page are the items I spent the last 30 weeks designing.

Each item is broken down into sections that helped me create my timeline for the design work that has formed my final thesis.

I again used the same design process as seen in the prior 7 weeks to make sure I had a cohesive look.

Each item was chosen based on my research along with the time I have to complete each. For now all items are planned to be finished for my final.

Many of the items are animated. This demonstrates how I would leverage futuristic marketing technologies.

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PART 4 | MATERIAL MATRIX PART 4 | MATERIAL MATRIX

Create Bay area style tech company, formed in the year 2045, that makes and markets avatar immortality technology. (5pts)

BRANDING, BUSINESS SYSTEM & BROCHURE (1pt) Branding will promote Singularity. All branding elements will be digital.

• Logo • Business Card & Letterhead • Brochure (8-12 pages)

MARKETING MATERIALS (2pts) Interactive posters which include information about the company and history. One design shown in the following environments • Skyscraper • City wall • Avatar store

WEBSITE

(2pts)

The website will focus on information about the company, the technology, how it works. Information on purchasing will also be included which can be downloaded as a brochure. Includes a short video that explains how human minds can be uploaded.

• • • •

About the company How it works Company information Loans

• Purchasing • Motion video • Homepage • Contact

RETAIL SPACE DESIGN (1pt) Avatar store where buyers can interact with avatars. (4pts) • Signage interior • Signage exterior • 2 POP displays • 2 Tags for merchandise • Store layout • Window displays (3 different, fully interactive posters) (3pts)

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Visual System I spent a lot of time debating the overall feel of my system. I felt the blue would be best to represent the feel I was looking for. The typefaces were decided after user testing and feedback to determine what the average person felt would fit best in the year 2045.

What is Singularity?

Within a quarter century, nonbiological intelligence will match the range and subtlety of human intelligence. It will then soar past it because of the continuing acceleration of information-based technologies, as well as the ability of machines to instantly share their knowledge. Intelligent nanorobots will be deeply integrated in our bodies, our brains, and our environment, overcoming pollution and poverty, providing vastly extended longevity, full-immersion virtual reality incorporating all of the senses (like “The Matrix”), “experience beaming” (like “Being John Malkovich”), and vastly enhanced human intelligence.

The result will be an intimate merger between the technology-creating species and the technological evolutionary process it spawned.

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PART 4 | MATERIAL MATRIX

Logo

SINGULARITY SINGULARITY Logo Design The logo was designed with a font that helps portray the future and the technology behind the company. The font Red Moon Rising was used as the base of the and then adjusted to meet the specifications of the logo. Singularity blue with transparent background and white with singularity blue are the only acceptable versions of the logo.

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Animation

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

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Colors

Main Colors RGB CMYK

66 150 180 72 27 28 0

RGB CMYK

255 255 249 0 0 2 0

Secondary Colors RGB CMYK

204 204 204 19 15 15 0

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Fonts

Aa Helvetica Neue 35 Thin ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

Aa ITC Avant Garde Gothic Light ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

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Icons

Icons On Grid

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Icons

Icons No Grid

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PART 4 | MATERIAL MATRIX

Icons

Icons Rollovers

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Photo Style Several styles were tested over the lenght of my thesis. I wanted to get a future feel to the sytle to match my system without overdoing the feel of the minimal approach I had decided to go with. The final systle is clean with a nice overlay that still represented the future and my style.

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Photo Style

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Photo Style

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Logo Creation While sketching out the first few logos I really wanted to try to stick with a nice typeface. I wanted to make sure I tried a lot of options to get the future feel I needed. I decided on the typeface from the sketches and used that throughout the design process. The logo had to be futuristic and have the future feel to it. The font Red Moon Rising edend up being a perfect fit for my overall outlook. The logo represents new connections between common parts. The final logo ended up being very futuristic and fit well with my concept.

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PART 5 | DELIVERABLES INITIAL THOUGTS Create a logo that is clean, futurisitc, and is as unique as the service being offered.

FEEDBACK Evenihit fuga. Piscipsam volorpo rehent voluptatem reicium ute cumquia porunt harcipsamus di consers pidebis quiamus.

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Logo Creation

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Av a t a r / I c o n No company would be complete without designing an icon that would be used on for such places as the Facebook page. We see so many in today’s world that we instanlty recognize such as Skype, Twitter, Instagram, I wanted to make Singularity’s one that would would stand out yet still be in line with the system used throughout the project.

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Icon Development When I first started out I didn’t realize that the icons would end up being a major part of my visual system. My intential thoughts were that I could design some simple icons and and use them throughout my system. This process ended up being a long task and my hours went into the development and testing of the icons. I endup creating several vesrionso the icons as each stage I realized some flaws in the designs. I had to make sure the lines were matching my logo to start with. The second big part of the process was realizing that I had to create new icons that didn’t match those of the present day and fit more into the world of 2045. Finalky after altering the icons several time even with positive feedback from user testing I was missing a cohesive look based on a grid. The final icons were designed with a chosive grid, one part of each icon left open to keep a good flow and futurstic look, and lines that could match the logo in any design.

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Final icons had a 95 percent postive feedback from user testing of 50 people.

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Icon Process Sapel illis ressuntur, voloritem alit ea volestempos volut laborent fugiaero quodistem abo.

Nemodi am audit rem fuga. Nam eicte versped iatur, suscimusam imaximinus, cor rerumet exped ulparum aut as sequo inctem que corest, vollicia cum ipsaectur adis volorro eaquibu sdametur.

Rum voluptatum sapedit ut ium a solorrovit, occum quisci consequ idundae dundita ex et vellaborepe del moloreperia pro incitia nos experum eum que pa susamet voloren imintur alit ad modia dolorep erenit doloribusam aut volores et fugit omniste culparchil idelit dollectes aut rem et et, si sunt quamus il es aut volo omnis dolo con nis este et uta voluptatur, untur molorem voluptate ad explit dolupti aut et liquam, sanihil laudanis doluptu ribusam aut occusto tatate sandae lant laccum repudicil ipsum sim laborehendit por ad qui blatem aborrovidis qui delendio. On ernam quunt moluptae qui dolupta

icons had a 75 percent postive feedback from user testing of 50 people.

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icons had a 82 percent postive feedback from user testing of 50 people.

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Icon Process

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Icon Process

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Icon Process

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Icons, Images, Graphics When I first set out on my thesis and getting a feel for how everything would flow, I started creating layouts that might be used later on in the system. These are some of the designs that I created using my first thoughts. After seeing how they would end up being too complex for what I was aiming for, the designs were never used.

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Storyboards This is the story board sketches from creating my inential video to use on my website. I wanted the video to be short but to the point. As you can see from the sketches I pointed out the keys to my thesis along with valuable information without trying to over do the video. I also used a copy of my animated logo which can be see on the right hand page.

The logo was broken down several different ways for the anmation process, I tested several version with people through surveys along with the teachers advice to come up with the final concpet of the animatino process. In theory the anmated logo could be set on any item that I designed in the future.

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Stationary FINAL The letterhead went through some dramatic changes over the course of my project.

When I first started out I was not thinking like a futurist and was stuck thinking as a modern designer. I had to change my way of thinking and think more towards what hte future would hold for us as the human race. Overall normal stationary wouldn’t work, by the year 2045 we should be saving the planet and normal paper should never be used. After researching cutting edge technology, I went with a clear paper, that in theory can be used over and over and never thrown away, think of it as a mini computer screen that folds up and you can put in your pocket.

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Stationary Process This was a version of the brochure that was a test run and will not be used. Wanted to try another color out. This version was done using the logo typeface in the body text, the text ended up being to hard to read and the idea was scrapped. These were the 6 new fonts I tried for body text, after some using testing, Helvetica Neue 35 thin seemed to be the favorite and best font to continue with. The idea wasn’t feeling futuristic enough to me and the user test group having only a 32 percent approval rating on these.

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Stationary Process When I started out using the clear paper I was able to see a huge positive response from user testing. Over 60 percent out of 40 people for this survey were positive. The futuristic look and feel was born from this layout.

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Stationary Process This set was another in long process to get the futuristic look I was aiming for. Again these were designed for the standard paper we use today and I had to change the way I was thinking to a more futuristic approach.

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Stationary Process This letterhead was the first one where I was started thinking about how things would work in the future, why not have icons we could push and have a person talk to us? It seems possible by the time we hit 2045 this would be a very common theme with everyday life.

This idea was moving closer to the feel I wanted but still not getting a very good feel from my survey group, with only 40 percent understnading the concept out of 35 people.

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Fully interactive talking female on letter head

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Stationary Process More of the layouts and changes are shown in these designs, with the end goal to get to the final version of the letterhead. Small changes were made to the layout, placement of icons, fonts, and then finally we can see the clear paper come into play to my system.

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Business Card FINAL My business went through some dramatic changes until the final version was reaches. I was thinking to much in the present and not the future with the business card along with the stationery. The business card is printed on the same futuristic paper as the letterhead.

Keep in mind this paper is like a LCD screen that can be changed and be used over and over which takes out the beed for using standard paper we see today. You can aslo push an icon and have the card talk to you which is demonstrated with a movie file.

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Business Cards Process I was a bit frustrated on my viewer testing as every time I had a piece that I thought was done to test, I ended up making drastic changes on it. Based on user feedback the cards where to feeling futurstic to the survey audience. I did change the font based on user testing but it was one thing that both teacher, students, and people in my survey agreed on. Ultimatley user tested was very postive on the clear future looking clear cards and letterhead which later became a full part of my system. Looking back my view of business cards had to change for my thesis to progress.

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Business Cards Process This is another set where I wasn’t looking into the future far enough. The design was barely fiting into the system which was still in creation at the time. We do see the Singularity blue start to come into my system here. The overall designs were just too plain for the future feel I was going for and user feedback felt the same, 30 percent of the pepole that took the survey felt these cards had a present feel to them and not a future feel based on a survey of 40 people.

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Business Cards Process In this design I started playing around with the idea that all cards would could be uploaded on your phone or something close such as a hand held computer. This design started to get the feel I wanted yet seemed really big and bulky with the object I deigned them on.

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Business Cards Process Throughout the process I was testing placement of the icons as seen in these designs. I wanted to also see how a white transpernet background would look on the designs. The feel was getting closer to what I wanted to achieve.

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Brochure FINAL The brochure went through so many drastic changes also before the end results and many different versions of this were made also. Making the glass future look with the minimal approach ended up being a fun task for me, this can also be said for the business card, website, and letterhead.

Outlined in the process you can see the many differnt versions and the changes that were made from font choices to color changes to a major overhaul for the final. The icons played a huge role in the development of the brochure as the icons progressed so did the brochure and the layouts.

The final version ended up very clean and minimal just like the rest of my system. The final version has an animated moving showing the use of the icons and rollovers. User testing was very postive as 75 perfect out of 40 people preferred the final which is up from the oringinal version which had only 45 perfect of 40 people finding the design to their liking.

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Brochure Process I started the brochure after I started using the clear futuristic look you see throughout my system. This was the first major design that I tried. Having a few interviews with people in the design world, many thought it was too busy and I was over doing the look I was shooting for, which was more of minimal approach. Keep in my mind my icon system was not finished in this version nor was the final visual system. The interface was tested and got a high feedback rating with 60 percent understanding how it would work. I took this feedback and pushed on with my process.

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Brochure Process This was a test brcchure I was working on shooting for a minimal design. The one thing lacking was the clear look that users responded so well to. I tried a bevel look to the icons with this set which also did not seem to be fiting in the system well. We can start seeing the icons playing a huge role in the sytem.

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Brochure Process This desing was based on the business card design seen in the business card process on the book. Again I was going with the idea that everything would be uploaded into one common device such as a phone or hand held computer. This desing played a major role in the final piece as many changes were made and a lot of user feedback was aquired.

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Brochure Process Although we see the layout staying the same on this design, I wanted to try the concept of using colors. I tried color for rollovers on the icons along with using a different color for each icon. The concept was a good one although the colors would not end up working well with the visual system.

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Brochure Process This version I tried out a different font as I laid the card out using the same font as the logo, trying to push the feel to even more of a future feel. The font ended up being too hard to read so the font had to be tested more. This font recived one of the lowest rating on user feedback with only a 22 percent approaval.

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Brochure Process This set was another font test to see how users felt about Helvetica 35 Neue Thin. I am glad I took the time to get the feedback I did with the choice of fonts, this and ITC Avant Garde Gothic Ligh scored the highest among the feedback. The final choice of font which was Helvetica ended up being part of the visual sytem.

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Brochure Process This version of the brochure we can see the look of the final more with the new icon systems being placed along with the rollovers for each page. The addition of a plyable move to the home page can seen also. This version was testing the white transparent back as seen the in other processes in in the book. I felt along with user feedback that the clear look with not white gave a better feel for the future.

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Brochure Process This version of the brochure was test as it does have a lot of the final version just without the clear look. I wanted to have more of a constant look for the background so it would be on cohesive system. You can see the pricous version has a man holding the card with a grey background, it felt the system needed a push. The final version still ended up with the white back along with a clear look after user testing did prefer that all deliverables were set on the white background.

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Hangtags The hangtags were designed to be simple and minimal just as the rest of the system. I made several versions all on the clear background as it was something already being used in the system throughout my thesis. End results show according to user feedback that the two fiinal versions were the ones that people liked the most.

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Hangtags Since my visual system was done by the time I got the hangtags it was just a matter getting the proper layout and look I wanted. Here are a few versions of the hangtag that tried differnt methods and looks.

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Hangtags This is another set that was designed much like the business card with the idea that hte icons could be pressed and have a voice talking. I felt the idea was too much for a simple hangtag so the idea was changed.

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Pop Displays The pop displays were desinged to fit into my avatar store. They both feautre a fullly interactive touch screen at the top that users can interact with. Having the visual system already in place at this time made the desing of the two much easier to come up. The actual displays were laid out in 3D so they could be placed in the store.

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Pop Displays

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Posters FINALS The posters went through more changes then anything else in my deliverables process. I wanted to test every way I could have a person interact with a poster in the future. The end result made more sense to have a live person talking to the audience viewing the posters.

Locatoins played a big role in the final versions as I still wanted a future feel to them.

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Posters Process In this version I wanted to test out differnt locations, end results made no sense to have the posters on the inside of building as it would not make any sense based on how I had my material matrix laid out.

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Posters Process Another set of posters designed with my visual system already complete yet in poor locations. The interfaces were laid out with idea that people could push each icon and get the information pulled up on the window. The poster laid out on the side of hte building could of worked out yet the amination and interactivity was almost impossible to pull off.

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Posters Process This set was desinged to be placed on the front of my avatar store. When the store took a different direction the posters did to. I also wanted to test out different locations with users, this version scored high with users yet didn’t make any sense for my finals.

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Posters Process This was an early stage of the desing process with testing lighting out to see if made a differnece in how the user felt. I wanted to started testing out different interface ideas in the process. Both tested poorly with user with only 33 percent user approval rating.

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Posters Process This set of poster I started trying to use background images to draw in the attention of the users. This image was meant to show the Singularity headquarters along with a version that was just plane white with no images. End results had me totally avoiding background images like the one in this set.

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Posters For this set I wanted to test a different locaion along with a slightly different user interface.

Also in this set I wanted to again test out different background pictures, this set was completed before I decided against any background images. I also set these in a trainstation type setting which did not have that future feel I was looking for.

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Posters This set was set in an international airport and tested with user although I still felt something was missing from the design. These were meant more to be static and not interactive which was going against my material matrix. I also tried centering the tagline which ended up going against my visual system.

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Posters In this set I moved the posters to an outside setting and started playing with the interface and a cyborg image. The user testing on this set was rather high on the design but the interface had too many icons per the feedback I recived. The picture also shows images such as the bikes that in the present time and I wanted to push towards a more futuristic look so the ideas kept progressing.

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Posters This set was designed with Google glasses in mind and having the user being able to interact with icons through their glasses. I started to push the future look a bit more in the location on this set. The Google glasses was a great concept and one that could be used in my thesis overall. Many people have not had the chance to see what Google glasses actually do so the user tested was very mixed on this concept. Only 10 percent of 47 people had the chance to even try out Google glasses.

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Posters This set is closer to the end of the poster process, the location has a nice future feel to it. I was testing out my photo sytles in this set. I had not yet decided on the final style so I used differnt versions to get a feel for what they would look like in an actual setting. The posters themselves were deigned to be very minimal with the person in the sign talking.

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Posters Same posters as the above set with differnt locations being used and also a few more photo styles. I idea in this set was again to have the person talking to the audience with them being able to interact with the person in the poster. I decided to go with one model for the final versions of the posters.

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Posters Fitting in the set from the previous few pages, these poster had the interface redone to show some interactive icons. I went back and revisted some of the finals from my previous deliverables to get the idea for the layouts.

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Posters Here are some of the final posters that I have picked out of the 30 I made. Concept for the poster are to be interactive where people can walk up and touch the icons or use google glasses to trigger the icons.

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We b s i t e F I N A L

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We b s i t e P r o c e s s Modified version of my website for the company. This version was designed to fit on the normal everyday computer which was not fitting the future feal I was going for. No photo sytle had been decided in this versoin and the use of icons in seen.

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We b s i t e P r o c e s s

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We b s i t e P r o c e s s This version I went to the clear glass look to fit the rest of the system. I started testing the icon layout along with different ways to set the text. The hands ended up blocking out too much text so the idea had to take a different direction. I the icon system was not finalized yet for this version of the website.

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We b s i t e P r o c e s s This versoin was based off the previous versoin of the business card and brochure. The clear look was set in motion yet no final photo style was decided on at this point. The overall main issue was the grey background not fitting in the visual system.

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We b s i t e P r o c e s s

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We b s i t e P r o c e s s This was part of a series that was used on a non transparent background. It can be linked to the business card and brochure versions from pages seen in the process of each delivrable. The user testing was the same with most feedback picking the clear version of the non clear version. I introduced the rollovers in this version of the website.

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Store Final The Singulairty store ended up being the biggest project from my thesis. The whole store was designed in 3d with a full walk around video as the final result. The store has a clean future feel to it along with fully interactive posters on both the front and inside of the store. All aspects of the store had to be designed to fit the system along with keeping the system flowing.

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Store Process This was my first version of the store and my first go at making the 3D walk around. I started running into a lot of issues as most of the 3D modeling ended up being static and I was not able to work with this version. The inside of the tore was not getting the future I was looking for so I decided to go deeper into the process with the store.

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Store Process Still working on the my first run at the 3D store, I started testing out different models and workig on placing items in sides the store. The models ended up looking scary according to some of the feedback I recived. The outside of the store was the positive part of the first round of the process and was carried over into the final version.

Sinage can be seen on the outside of the store and some on the inside. I was still not happy with the overall feel I was achieving.

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Store Process This was the very early stage of remodeling the store with the basic concept down of what I want to achieve I was able to get the store created in 3D with the look and feel I was going for. However in user testing people felt the floor and lighting didn’t have a future feel to them so I decided to expans the desing based on this feedback.

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Store Final This was the start of the final store, I went into much more details with the overall design as I grew more knowledge of modeling. I started to test out differnt ways to add interactive posters to the front of the store.

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Store Process Here we can see the inside flooring an lighting being changed to fit the feel I was looking for. I started testing models for the avatar collectin that would be showcased inside the store. In the first version I had the models just standing there and it felt really static with a present time feel to it. In a discussion group I was shown a few different ways of how to handel the avatars inside the store. The end idea was to have the models inside a glass display as they would be fully alive and interactive.

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Store Process The process of the store kept evovling as seen in this set of images. I was playing with the idea of holographic signs. The holographic signs were a nice addition although they were not being used anywhere else in the system so I ended up choosing not to use them. I also test diffeeren ways to view the models, goign with a clear look, a water based look, and more of a transparent white look. End results showed that the simpole clear look look was the best option.

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Store Process This set of shots shows the introduction of the video screen on the back wall along with the start of adding the pop displays. I wanted to make sure to show the actual 3D process shot to show how everything was being planned out.

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Store Process In this set we can see the actual rendered pop displays that were added to the back of the store. These have a fully interactive touch screen built into them. I decided to start working on the singage for the insdie by using flat panel screens. The idea was to have these also fully interactive in the end walk around.

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Store Process I decided that each model need more information so I designed a sign to place next to each model so people could see the options of each avatar they could purchase along with the price of each model. The original idea was to make them clear like the business card and other deliverables although the rendering of the lights and text made them impossible to read, a white transparent layer was added to fix this.

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Store Process Here we shots getting close to the end of the process and getting closer to final versions. The main purpose of these shots were to show different views of the store from different angles. The use of the signs were also shown in these shots.

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Store Process I felt it was needed to show the actual 3D process behind the store showing the interface of the 3D program being used to show how complex this ended up getting. Also I wanted to show how the interactive icons on the store windows could be removed and placed with new signs when needed.

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Conlusion Through all my reserach and design, and speculation, I pulled the pieces together and made several interesting discoveries. A person’s life values, religious beliefs and spirituality played a big impact on wanting to live forever.

Regardless of the science behind living forever and the fact it could become a reality quicker then we think, an individual’s innate beliefs, personality, and upbringing have the greatest influence on how they respond to living forever.

I plan to continue following this topic outside the MFA program until it becomes a reality and be on the front of the graphic design process when the time arives.

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About Me Hi, I’m Craig Ferguson I am a graphic designer, and I love sci fi. I am pursuing my MFA in Graphic Design from the Academy of Art University and I hope to fuse my love of imaginary future worlds with the power of graphic design.

I am interested in how graphic design communicates to all kinds of people; I want to show how design can change how people see the world around them.

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Game Art and Design from the Art Institute and a Master of Arts in Teaching with Technology from Ashford University. When I have completed my MFA I want to use everything I have learned to teach other online students like myself.

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Acknowledgments I am thankful for the support, guidance, and wisdom I recieved through my thesis project and the many people who have helped me along the ways.

Thank you Chanley Ferguson for giving me the inspiration not to quit even through all the tough times in my life. I could not have asked for a better daughter then you.

I want to thank my brother Derrick Ferguson who was getting me out of the house to take breaks and understanding my anxiety disorder throughout this whole proces. I want to thank my parents Terry and Melody ferguson for the support to help me finish my degree.

Thank you to the staff that guided me through my thesis coursework. I would like to personal thanks Anitra Nottingham for pushing me to work on a thesis set in the future, Jeremy Stout for helping me nail down the concept. I want to thank William Culpepper for making sure I had everything in place for my review. Special thanks to Melissa Schrenker for helping me through some of the rough periods of my process.

I want to thank Jonathan Cook for helping me with my writing skills and always pointing out there are better ways to write. I feel the need to thank my classmates as without them I wouldn’t have be so sucessful, special to the David Spears for being such a good friend, classmate, and designer.

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