Peer Comments

Oskar Carabez - http://ocarabezides1031.blogspot.com/2011/10/upcyclced-utility.html?showComment=1318921422413#

Rachael Sigley - http://rachaelsigley.blogspot.com/2011/10/poster.html?showComment=1318922066635#c284728862444942403

Kevin Peng - http://kevinpeng3373311.blogspot.com/2011/10/blossom-light-shade.html?showComment=1318922837204#c2076794865558018861 

Yvonne Sha - http://z3377160yvonneshaides1031.blogspot.com/2011/10/upcycled-usability.html?showComment=1318923236634#c3081096669961601069

Jimmy Iraheta - http://ides1031-z3332715.blogspot.com/2011/10/hero-shot.html?showComment=1318924556705#c134209127918009307

Rationale

The design of the light is modern and classical inspire by the organic shapes and enhanced by the naturally organic nature the material takes once it has been cut into strips. After experimenting with techniques such as weaving I decided to keep the material unchanged and work with it naturally. Through the design of many different prototypes and experimenting with different sizes and shapes I was able to decide on the right thickness and length of the strips that would be most suitable and incorporate into my final design. The roll of material I used was coloured with a great shade of blue, which further enhanced the organic nature of my design   Tabs were used to connect the strips so no other type of new material needed to be incorporated. Each roll of material is capable of making 3 lights. In assembly the light takes about 30 minutes to assemble, and if the instructions are followed correctly it should be quite easy to assemble. With 15% usage, the light may be slightly wasteful, however, the fact that not much material is used for each and every light made, allows for each sheet of material to make 3 lights.

Instruction manual

Cutting diagram

Let There Be Light!

What is Design

Bill Moggridge talks about what design is in general ranging from architecture to graphic design to fashion to interaction design and interior design. He talks about some of the processes and what is changing in design. Moggridge demonstrates how without bad design we wouldn’t be able to identify what a good design it. Examples of good and bad designs are shown as the video demonstrates how bad designers do not understand the design process. The key factors in the design process are understanding people and prototyping.

Understanding people: design starts with the people part of the design then come towards the solution for business and technology from a people pint of view to get good innovation. It is important to design for other people and not for one’s self.

>> Ways to find out the needs and wants of people include: 

-          Learn -analysing information that you have collected

-          Observational

-          Asking –engaging people

-          Try -experiment, build it yourself

>> Prototyping can be a sketch, an enactment etc

-          Inspire

-          Evolve

-          Validate

Moggridge talks about the way design has been changing also know as expanding contexts which include individual people, the built environment and the world that surrounds us all together. Designers used to be concerned with designing things and actual products, however, there has been a change in the context which has expanded to looking at people in a whole-istic way- thinking about health and wellbeing.  

Peer Comments

http://rachaelsigley.blogspot.com/2011/09/tools-project-scissors.html?showComment=1316085710487#c9096410625612919841 
http://lizhaozhao3329407.blogspot.com/2011/09/projectone-experience-enrichment.html?showComment=1316086306272#c2371729700869877721
http://haresama.blogspot.com/2011/09/project-1-product-poster-product-usage.html?showComment=1316086620887#c5208212165869970078
http://studio3289813.blogspot.com/2011/09/experience-enrichment.html?showComment=1316087195370#c8048172440430306977
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=900132149793940262&postID=8449409891561329162&isPopup=true

Rationale

The product I have designed is a letter opener aimed for an office environment. Through it’s sleek and shiny polished aluminum look this product represents a piece of art. It is nice to feel, therapeutic and relaxing to use and beautiful to look at as well as practicality. This letter opener is luxury at your hands enhanced though the organic shape and polished aluminum shine.

This letter opener takes an organic form which was inspired by the many different organic forms within nature. After researching many letter openers and seeing the typical shape they all took I decided to change that shape giving it an organic curvature. With a sharp point and perfect curve this product provides comfort and ease when used. The perfectly curved handle allows the product to be held in several different ways depending on what the user find more comfortable. The letter opener is designed bulky from the handle, allowing it to fall perfectly into your hands, and narrows down toward the end giving it a sharp and smooth tip.

Aside from practicality these features allow the letter opener to become a sculpture at your desk adding an element of beauty and luxury.  This letter opener takes an organic form which was inspired by the many different organic forms within nature. After researching many letter openers and seeing the typical shape they all took I decided to change that shape giving it an organic curvature. This enhances the beauty and creates a product pleasurable to look at, adding a more enjoyable and classical dimension to everyday jobs. 

Luxury at your hands

Letter Opener

User Senario

Annie Leornard: The story of...

Throughout her videos, Annie Leonard is trying to convey the truth behind the production and manufacturing of the many product that we trust and use daily.

The video ‘The story of bottled water’ shows how companies manufacture demand by making people think tap water dirty and unhealthy for them, then, by putting picture of mountain streams and nature on the bottle labels, most assume bottled water is the better option when in actual fact a third of all bottled water comes from the tap. Furthermore from the process of extraction and production to all the energy used to produce the bottles and transport them across the world to lastly the disposal of the bottles, the production on bottled water has very high environmental impacts.  Finally water companies are very misleading with advertisements that their bottles are recycled when instead they are downcycled (turning them into lower quality products which will in turn be disposed).     

The video ‘The story of cosmetics’ demonstrates how all the personal care products we use in our daily lives are filled with toxins as from the dozens on chemicals contained in the products less than 20% have been assessed for safety. Annie Leonard discusses why these toxins still exist in cosmetics and reasons that it is an olden day mindset when everyone was consumed by “better living through chemistry” and no one really thought about the impact on humans. Furthermore the most shocking fact if all is that the government has not laws in place to get rid of these toxins, does not even asses products before they are sold and further does not require all ingredients to be listed on the product.

Throughout the video ‘The story of electronics’ Annie Leonard talks about “design for the dump”, which means making stuff that needs to be disposed on rapidly creating a ‘global toxic emergency’. Through the theory “toxins in, toxins out” electronics in which we use are filled with toxins that need to be released. Some of these toxins are slowly released while still being used by consumers; however, most are released after disposal which is extremely dangerous. In order to make manufactures design longer lasting products they must deal with their own product e-waste also known as ‘product take back’. By choosing greener products and not importing out e-waste to other countries we are one step closer to reducing toxic chemicals.     

Sydney Design Festival 2011

Sketches

Why Design

Why I want to be an industrial designer.

The design industry is one of the most important existing industries as it impacts our everyday lives and the way we live. From the moment I began reading and following design magazines such as Real Living and Indesign Magazine I was strongly motivated to pursue a career in design. Originally i wanted to entre the field of interior design and architecture and after seeing the design courses UNSW had to offer and researching each one I was further motivated pursue a career in the design industry. Everything we use throughout our daily routine, ranging from furniture to hand tools to packaging and so on, has, at some stage of its production, been designed the way it is for a specific purpose. The importance of this industry is evident as every product we use in our lives, from the smallest toothpick to the greatest car, requires an industrial designer within the process of manufacturing to determine what the product will look like and how it will function. I choose to become an industrial designer for the main reason that I want to provide people with products that function to meet their needs and wants while delivering a high level of pleasure when used. Designing products includes a huge amount of risk taking as every person has their own perception of what a good design is and what is must look like. This is further motivation for me to become a designer as I am able to express my concepts and see them grow and come to life through my products, however, even though there is a huge risk of people not liking your product if the product is received positively the reward is hugely uplifting. The future on industrial design is very bright as new products are constantly up and coming and designers constantly seek to make life better for consumers through more pleasurable and better functional products. Through choosing to become a designer I have certainly secured myself a future full of work as this industry will never fade as long as mankind is living. Furthermore after studying industrial designers such as Arne Jacobsen and Philippe Starck, in semester 1, and seeing the great work they have achieved within their careers and the huge success their products have become I am more driven to become a designer. I am motivated by my want to create beautiful products, such as those that Jacobsen and Starck, and for those products to become beautiful classical pieces within our design history that serve their purpose in a pleasurable and beautiful way. Finally I want to become an industrial designer as they change the world and make it a better place through their products and I strive to be part of an industry that does so.  

Fan Switch

Design Excelence Poster.

David Kelley: Human centred design

David Kelley: Human centred design.

David Kelley’s Human Centred Design is about the huge change in the design world throughout the years and the way many designers have changed their approach towards designing products. Years ago the design industry was mostly centred around the product/object and very little focus was on designing around humans who would purchase the product. Since then designer have become more focused on human centred design where they design behaviours and personalities into designs. Focus on the product is still important in the design process, however, recently human centred design has been of a higher priority for the evident reason that no matter how highly technological or how beautiful a design is, it will not be successful unless it fulfils the consumers’ needs and wants. In order to communicate this, when a new product is designed, apart from just making a 3d model of just the product/object, designers have begun to put the product/object in the motion of how it will be used. This is effective as it demonstrates to consumers the experience of the product use through interactive videos and how exactly the design will potentially fulfil their needs and wants.  This is a very important video for all designers to view as it demonstrates how human centred design is far more important than just creating a product as it meets the needs and wants of consumers and in turn becomes a much more successful design.  Furthermore in communicating the product designers should clearly demonstrate what services it provides and exactly how consumers interact with it. Kelley demonstrates this through examples such as the New York Prada store where the video shows each and every function of the product, what it is intended for and how to use it. Personally I agree with the whole concept of human centred design because, as mentioned above, no matter how technological or beautiful a product is it will not achieve success within the market if it does not supply customers with a need or want. However, in saying this, designers must be careful not to fully neglect the actual product or object but find a balance between human centred design and product design.

Don Norman's Emotional Design

Don Norman’s video Emotional Design refers to the affect of people’s emotions, from designers to consumers, on the world of design.  In order to actually come up with great products that will agree with consumers’ emotions, designers must be in a happy state of mind which allows for more creative and out of the box thinking, problem solving and makes the designer more susceptible to interuption leading to great ideas and designs. However designers must not always be in this state of mind as they will always find a better way of doing something and in turn designs will never be finished. Therefore in order to help designers get their work done they must set deadlines and be anxious. Norman talks of his new approach to design which is “beautiful”. He suggests that great designs are not necessarily those that are beautiful to look at but unpractical or those that work great but look ugly (which was his previous approach to design). Consumer are much more interested in designs that, alongside functuality, also bring them fun, pleasure and happines when being used. In order to succeed in the eyes of consumers, each design must reach 3 levels of a human’s emotions . These include the Visceral level, which can be experienced by the choice of colour or font used within the design, the behavioral level, which can be reached by making the consumer feel incontrol through creating a design that is easy to use and understand, and the reflective level, where designs are able to reach the consumer’s consciousness. The video effectively conveys the huge affect emotion has on everyday designs and how strongly consumers’ decisions are affected by their emotions. Through this video it is clear that the world of design is meanigless without emotion.  It is evident that in order to become a designer one must be fully aware of consumers’ emotions and which they wish to affect, however, in order to be a successful designer one must strive to reach the visceral, behavioral and reflective level within consumers and in turn creating a product which brings fun pleasure and happiness. Furthermore designers must be in the right state of mind through every step of their product design enabling them to maximise the success of each and every product they design.  

My Radio :)

·         Visit a museum. What did you see? I visited the Power House Museum and saw thing like robot dogs, postage stamps and steam engines.

·         Visit an exhibition. What did you see? The lost tools of Henry Hoke

·         Read and comment another students ides1122 blog. Whos blog? Ameli Morgano. What did you comment? On her uploaded photos.

·         Read three design magazine/journal. Which ones? – Real living – Space Magazine – Inside out. Inside out as it was a magazine filled with great styling and magnificent pieces of furniture.

·         Do the unsw library induction ELISE. Done.

·         Visit another library. Visited COFA and borrowed A Hand Weaver’s Pattern Book

·         Watch TED talk show. Watched big, bigger and biggest which explores on design each week showing the various greatness of it.   

Piranesi in progress

Post Cards

post cards from central station.

Designer Patterns

designer patterns ready and submitted

vanity through the ages

Central Station

environment group project at central station.