Treasuring Time

For this project I decided to look at treasuring time from a parents perspective. Especially from a young age keepsakes are collected and treasured as a child grows up. I drew inspiration from things like bronzed baby boots and plaster casting of hands to create my treasuring product.

The idea is that this product once purchased has a pre-paid life of 5 uses. This would be a baby shower gift to the parents. Once in possession of the present it is up to the parent when to use it. To use the gift all the parent has to do is scan or photocopy the child's hand or feet and send it to the manufacturer. The idea being that once the scan is received an impression or relief can be made from the material of your choice and sent back to you.
After the products life has come to an end, the user will have a visually chronological view of their child's growth.

Designing Dream Machines

This videos main message was the importance of the designers role in a design firm when breathing life into an idea within a client based relationship. It deatils the roles that the design takes on such as researching and analysis existing products in the market to nurturing and developing ideas and creating a prototype.

This video also highlights the industry concept of client satisfaction. To be successful in design, designers must produce products that are the culmination of good design elements, relevant to the time and the needs/requirements of clients. Client satisfaction is just as crucial as good design. As it is impossible to know exactly how a client will react to a design, constant communication between designer and client is essential throughout the design process. To avoid ultimate disaster, communication should constantly take place.

The video shows the design process from the initial exposure of the problem through the stages of finding a solution, then developing a way of communicating the elements of good design in that solution and finally to manufacturing.

Bad Design : Sunbeam Quantum 4 Slice Chrome Toaster

The Sunbeam 'Quantum 4 Slice Chrome Toaster' is a quality toaster with a robust build and reliable toasting cycle.It features; four deep bread slots, cool touch body, electronic browning control dial, high -lift lever, frozen bread setting, cancel button, removable crumb tray AND self-centering EXTRA wide toasting slots.

"It truly is the flag ship of the mid-budget toaster fleet" - Chris Bull

However, although the 'Quantum' delivers nearly perfect toast almost everytime, I still feel it could perform at its maximum capabilities with a few minor adjustments.
For example - One of the Quantums main selling points is its "Cool Touch" shell. Which works perfectly fine but does not serve a direct purpose. I mean who ever needs to pick up the toaster 1. when its on 2....by its sides 3.?

The real issue when dealing with the hazards of toast is the capture and extraction of said toast from the toaster once it has been toasted. The center strip of the Quantum is is a 15mm wide divider constructed of stainless steel. I feel Aluminum would have been a better option as it retains heat a lot less than steel.

The second danger within the extraction procedure is the so called high lift lever. Due to the 'Quantums' deep toasting slots the design also includes a so called high lift lever, which in truth is a high cut bread lever. Meaning that it does not compensate for the standard square of mighty whitey wonder bread and leaves the user with a burnt set of fingers and the need to invert the toaster to reclaim their toast.

Postal Presents

For this project I designed the "Floating Net Lamp Shade". The form of the lamp evolved throughout the project, as i drew inspiration from the shape of gum nuts and antique nautical lamps .When assembled the lamp shade casts shadows around the room reminiscent of a net or spider web. The lamp was cut with a laser cutter from 3 sheets of 3mm A4 MDF. I designed this product for a more technically inclined user as assembly requires some skill.

Annie Leonard: The Story of Stuff

That's alot of information in 20 minutes. Annie Leonard describes the system and processes that anyone involved in consumer goods has somewhat of a role in the materials economy. This is described as a linear system on a finite planet, where there are limitations in the cycle and thus problems appear. We are exploiting the environment -- undermining the variability for people to live and running out of resources fast.
Other important problems described include the release of chemicals and toxic materials. There are thousands of synthetic chemicals which can result in huge impact on physical and mental health; such chemicals are used in manufacture to make new products. However what goes in must come out and thus those chemicals may still remain in the product after manufacture.

I believe the major message in this movie is that consumerism now undermines fundamental, moral, humanitarian values. This consumerism offers no consideration to the detrimental effects it has on the environment and users well being. Money is power, and the corporations providing our products hold all the power. Governments put in place to monitor and sustain the well being of people are hierarchically lower, hence consumerist domination.
Monotonous advertising constantly tells users to upgrade using fear tactics. The fear of being left behind, or inferior to peers who do sport the most cutting edge products is a mechanism used to discard the old and sell the new. The result is further harmful production and manufacture, and more waste.

PROJECT ONE : Bread Clip Peg

Product

The Bread Clip Peg

Purpose

To hang clothes and other assorted garments.

Target Market

18-25 Inner City student

Design Features
The peg clip is a solid easy to us peg. It is virtually indestructible and weather proof and offers the user a greater sense of individuality while in the privacy of their own home.




Physical:The Peg clip has a solid and durable form.
Psychological:The secondary function of a familiar object gives the user a sense of individuality.
Ideological:Aimed to be manufactured from recyclable materials the product gives the user a greater sense of achievement.
Social:The clips uses the association of its primary function in its aid, as its new form becomes a focal point or discussion.

Design 08

Modern Times: Modernism in Australia

Bo Ema Espresso Machine - 1967

Bo Ema was first produced in Alexandria, Sydney in 1956 less than a decade after Achille Gaggia created the definitive espresso technology.

The new machines create the first espresso craze during the 1950's often sporting flamboyant designs.






Inspired! Design Across Time

Droog Design - Chest of Draws
-title"you can't lay down your money"

Droog is an enterprise based in Amsterdam and set up in 1993 as a statement on design. Droog operate worldwide together with partners, clients and manufacturers, designers, artists and architects in all areas of design. Working from a mentality that is close to human, our products each tell a story about themes such as: memories, nostalgia, re-use, craftsmanship and nature.




EcoLogic: Creating a Sustainable Future

-New Bogie, wheel track & switch
Developed by Arthur Bishop , this project by analysing the pro's and con's of the railways. His four patented innovations enabled a fleet of nine person vehicles to travel 120kph, climb steep slopes in and out of off- line stations, and negotiat tight bends. They could carry thousands of people each hour and attract commuters away from cars. Austrans has lower capital and operating costs than heavy rail systems. It could be fully operational within three years.

Video Reflection 4 : Paul Bennett Design In Details

Paul Bennett talks about how the little things in design are the things that can really make an impact, and how the simplest solutions are practical etc. "The blinding glimpse of the bleeding obvious "The philosophy behind it is that designing is not always about new ideas and solutions to problems, little things around us that we look past everyday can bring out new opportunities for development. Relating to this Bennett touches on how everyone is actually designing, people design their own experience subconsciously; such as the teabag string around the cup handle. We are using the little things around use to facilitate ourselves, and in a way creating our own design solutions.

By viewing the environment around you can define how a product is developed and eventually produced. Bennett gives examples of things in the world that came about were from observing the area around them. Sesame Street came about from a mother seeing her daughter in front of the telly watching the test card waiting for the programs to start. Velcro was developed because a man walking his dog got his socks covered in burs. The reflectors 'cats eyes' on the road came about because the inventor saw the reflection of a cats eye while driving.

What I also find intriguing is that there is a need for a designer to know the market, to know, to be and live like the people they are designing for. By putting themselves into someone else's shoes there is a whole new level of understanding. For example the designer for IKEA was sitting under tables to understand a child's point of view. Through this they found that children have a different way of thinking, by understanding this, they were then able to create a storage product more suited to a child.

Video Reflections 3 - Yves Behar: Designing Objects That Tell a Story

Yves Behar discusses the concept of designing more than just for the sake of design. He discusses that to produce good design, the product should continue to enthuse the user long after it has been in possession. Behar uses a humanistic approach to his design with the greatest example being his 'one laptop per child' concept. Having such technology being shared with children all over the world aiding them in their education and at the same time allowing them to have individual experiences and a connection with their own laptop I feel goes beyond the design of affordable technology and into the design of the next generation. Yves puts out the notion that a working design should bring more importance, more value even to the users themselves. Yves' way of convening this idea has made me realise this important point in the design process, making it an integral part of producing a quality design.

Video Reflection 2, Ross Lovegrove: The Power & Beauty of Organic Design

I found this video very interesting, Lovegrove’s passion for organic design and the notion that design can touch the soul is inspiring. His extensive research in natural forms, especially exploring natural growth patterns that are unrestricted by form, allows Lovegrove to liberate form in his designs, and consequently makes him unique.

Lovegrove admits that he disregards direction in his design, while allowing instinct to take its place. Surrounded by skeletons, images of extreme close-up cellular structures and the famous stair set inspired by James Watson's DNA model, Lovegrove is seemingly the bridging medium between natural products of evolution and objects of design. Infatuated by evolution and natures growth patterns, Lovegrove comments on how natural things are in the purest form.

The expression 'fat-free' intrigued me as to his approach to the aesthetics of design, where he tries to eliminate all extraneous elements. "Minimal structure - maximum beauty". These ideas can be seen in the Go Chair and the Moroso Chair, which fuse the key functionality elements of the chair, and raw elements of form inspired by the bones and cellular structure in organisms.

I really enjoyed this viedo and Lovesgroves personality obviously translates into his design, however the negativity he projects over other paths of design makes him come across as slightly narrow minded.

Video Reflection #1

David Kelley 2002
“The future of design is human centered”

The user experience has paramount over the hardware of a product.This video discusses the evolution of human centered design. The injection of behavior and personality into products and the
effects they have on design.
Kelley gives examples of internal productions that are used to convey a design in its intended environment, giving the design a new element of response...Human.

The ability to now reflect on old design and humanise it seems to be the next step, as Kelley discuss's. Examples of such as creating viewable fitting rooms at Prada with in built preview screens to the living cubicle of Dilbert stuck in my head as a new focus of design, that of environmental flexibility within the parameters of a design to allow the human user to make the environment conform to them rather than the other way around.

Task 2 : Good Design

VG Pocket Caplet and Tablet
Designed By - Stuart Karten Design

The VG Pocket Tablet and Caplet are portable handheld gaming devices pre-programmed with arcade classics. The devices translate the lure of the arcade into the palm of the hand with bright LCD screens and powerful speakers. The Caplet and Tablet achieve mass appeal with their colorful, retro-inspired designs.

Visual Design Analysis
Line The VG embodies strong and bold lines true to the design of the 1970's.
Shape The solid form adds the classic feel of an arcade game and also is reminiscent of a 70's graphic.
Colour Vermilion and lime are truly retro colours which scream authentic arcade gaming experience.

Balance The VG offers a great balance between vintage graphics and retro styling. The two work complimentary to each other to create a highly authentic mix of old stlye and new technology.

Scale Good scale for hand held gaming, bulky inflated feel gives a heft to the unit while still remaining compact enough not to be fidgety. Proportions Very evenly distributed and symetrical.

For more info on the : VG Pocket Caplet and Tablet
http://www.idsa.org/IDEA_Awards/gallery/2008/award_details.asp?ID=35918244