Video reflection: Designing dream machines, Richard Seymour and Dick Powell

Designing dream machines is an insighting video presenting to us the show runs as designers,mainly the ups and downs and the smiles and frowns that designers face in the workforce, and also bringing us into the gloomy back stages that hide behind the scenes of beautiful products we see in a design gallery or on the market.

This video also showed me patience and obstacles I must walk around once i graduate, whether facing demanding clients or even working as a design team there will always be frustrations and moments we are bound to encounter in this career. I have also finally understood how important it is to gain constant feedback from your product users and how this can build up the quality in your next product into the optimum dream product.

Video reflection: Story of stuff

Humans produce a flow of materials and creating a linear system of products that enhance the satisfaction of our lifestyles. But what happens at the far end of this linear system?....the answer is Waste.

Toxic gases, processed emissions, residues of manufacturing, Waste is exponentially being created and horrifically intoxicating our earth and on this planet of finite resources, this linear system is slowly depleting our once resource abundant Earth. As Industrial designers, it is an absolute for us to understand how this system plays in our environment and be able to not just dispose the pounds of junk we create, but put our junk to use or even decrease the these impacts by designing products that would turn this linear system into a circular system. Lets create something new...

Project 3: Upcycling PEER COMMENTS

Kate Barclay

Danielle Taouk

Angela Lam

Susana Li

Fil Pulido

Project 3: Upcycling Central Fruictus District

Weaved with tradition methods using Modern unwanted waste, this table centre piece is crafted from discarded ethernet cables that have missing or damaged filaments and intertwined with thrown out wool from an alterations company. This piece upcycles the ideas of networking and farbricating, and Metaphorically its is used as a centre piece to display a connection between people and a celebration in the sincerity of sharing.

Postal Presents: Peer Comments

Charmaine Chen

Jonathan Biet

Nicholas Walker

Gleb Labazine

JenJun Zhu

Project 2: Postal Presents

Collapsable Plastic bag dispencer

Ross Lovegrove: Power and Beauty of Organic Design

We are constantly placed in an environment that is constantly being shaped by nature and created by nature, and there is no doubt that without nature there will be no man-made. I believe this message was clearly revealed to us when Lovegrove presented to us his design of a plastic  water bottle which mimics the skin of flowing water that curls and twists into the shape of a conventional everyday vessel. Ross Lovegrove explains that "when the manufacturer presented me with the bottle, the bottle feels like 'nothing' in my hand, but once this bottle was filled with water, this skin immediately felt complete." 

Lovegrove also demonstrates to us that "Nature improves with ever greater purpose", which is reflected in his working methods of refining dow

n complexity with his organically shaped chairs that mimic the simple structures of living things, therefore taking away what things dont need to deliver maximum beauty. Lovegrove's use of material is also about being natural and thinking about the infinite possibilities that materials can become, for example his bone-like chair made from magnesium.

I believe this video has shown me a great deal of inspiration of how we can simply look into the smaller details within nature and expand this trait to become something great to be intergated into products.

Task 4: Bad design

Experience enrichment Project: Peer Comments

Nicholas Walker - Pepper Grinder

Angela Lam - Office Pillow

Maria Park - Tea Cup

Samuel Whipp - Hand print cup

Emily White - Toilet plunger 

Experience enrichment Project: Tuck'n'Prick

Diabetes is a condition that affects a portion of the population and diabetics constantly need to monitor their blood sugar levels in order to maintain the balance between their insulin and their blood sugar. This can affect teen to young adult diabetics socially, as this time of their life revolves around popularity, self image and being able to meet more people. Imagine a scenario of a diabetic in his/her teens socialising with a bunch of new friends. Wouldn’t it be interruptive to suddenly pull out a big glucometer kit and also pricking yourself with a bland old fashion two-handed needle? This would be a definite yes and would absolutely spoil the mood. Tuck’n’Prick brings diabetes into the bright side, a more sleek, appealing pricker with an integrated air tight compartment for blood testing strips, making this device a convenient space saving solution to an ordinary pricker. Instead of letting diabetes kill your conversations, use this youthful device to break the ice and be proud and confident about your condition.

Yves Behar: Creating objects that tell stories

 

A very useful aspect of design is to create things that transforms and under-goes changes as you use it. Instead of just colourising the outer layer of a product, designers must also reach into the thinking for the use of the product after it has served its main purpose, just like Yves Behar’s “Y water” which turns the packaging of kids water into a toy. It is also about creating value, such as environmental issues and low powering consumption to certain objects and being able to bring these values to certain people. 

 

Yves Behar also brings to us a the idea that a design will never be in its true complete form, therefore the work of a designer is never complete, as design is ever-improving, ever-changing and always transforming. But most importantly if we all work together on creating value and keeping in mind the value of the work we do, “together we may change the world”.

The Don Norman Video, “Emotional design” indeed challenges us to think “practicality” and also beauty, but also using beauty as practicality to sell. Don Norman states that sometimes products just need to be designed beautiful, but not totally great in practicality, because the beauty of the product is inviting, exciting and makes the experience “fun”. Hence the most important  thing about using a product is really the experience. 

 

In the video Don Norman demonstrates this trend through examples such as the gold plated phillippe Starck juicer, which is beautiful itself, but its not practical as a juicer as the acid corrodes the gold plating. Another example is the Mini Cooper, though its advertised as a car full of faults, people are still gushing it’s sales because the car is “Fun”, the car is rounded, its playful and looks exciting to drive. Don Norman compares this to an experiment to two groups of people, where the first group is to solve a problem without any encouragement or reward and the second group was given candy before they started solving it. The first group got frustrated and never solved it, but the second group were enlightened by candy with a little “happy” and they solved it.

 In summary, the design of a product and how it will sell is like social popularity, the one with the most appeal and personality usually becomes the centre of the crowd. It is also very true that designs with more appeal becomes more inviting to use, but on the other hand, if the product is interesting and appealing, but doesn’t function as well as how it looks then it becomes a disappointment to the user. Therefore, designers all should cater for both sides of the product’s visual aesthetics as well as its operation and handling.  

Task 2: Good Design

David Kelley: Human centred design Video Reflection

It is indeed true that the future of design revolves around the functioning of our society and also human to human interactions established as the centre. As we come across new ideas, new services and new products, design has slowly drifted toward a human centered approach allowing products to appeal by giving them behaviours and personalities.

The PRADA store approach is an excellent way to integrate this human to design interaction and putting design to use in a way that allows us consumers to shop and pick products with ease and comfort. Also to note that the staff devices not only aids store assisstants but also acts as a non-intrusive way to make keep record of what products have been taken off the shelves with this centralised computer system. The installation within the London science museum is surely another design which involves human interactions through displaying people’s typed messages over a simulated map of London’s  rail system.

 Though design seems to be just for recreation, design is capable of generating more companies, more jobs and opportunities just like the company “approtec”, started by Dr.Martin Fisher, who is working on a project that requires the designing of cost-effective water pumps to allow Kenyan people to grow crops during the Monsoon season.

Through this video i have realised design does not necessarily be related to as a leisure thing like shopping and entertainment, but important as a role in growing the society and even possibly improve living standards in countries just like Kenya. As a designer, i believe video will be beneficial to share amongst other industrial designers, as it has allowed myself to see new lights in the capabilities of design.

Here's the link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXndL3TNCmo

Task 1: Shape of scent

In groups of five, we were given a scent in a plastic seal bag to discuss and brainstorm a list of words that can describe this scent. My group was given a perfume that was feminine, intimate and gentle at first and also quite teasing and mysterious, but the more we smelt it, the vaguer it got. So we decided to experience the scent without the plastic bag, and it was surprisingly strong and embracing. 

The designs here are sculptures representing how the smell visually looks like,

Suddenly someone in the group announced it "smelt like his mother", and I really agreed. The scent was indeed very motherly, it was like an embrace that was strong, but at the same time gentle and soft.

The final design of my perfume vessel followed the principles of being Motherly, Gentle and nurturing.

The harder squared off  outer edge shows the strength and protection of a mother's love that sheilds and nurtures and embraces a softer and compassionate inside, which is depicted with a rounded off edge.