Video Reflection Four: Paul Bennett - Designing Details

"Small is the NEW big". This idea Paul Bennett presents revealed to me how important it is to go inside the shoes of who you are designing for. The example of the patient in the hospital bed was a very powerful video. Initially the 6 minute video brought about a "What the...?" and boredom but then on the contrary it reflects EXACTLY what a patient's experience is in a hospital. So to solve this the hospital personalised each patient's room and privacy allowing their stay in the hospital a little less daunting.

By seeing design opportunities in one's surroundings the shipping container, Sesame Street, velcro and the Cat's Eye Vision were created. This reinforces the power of "looking things afresh", using thw world arround us to create our own solutions. The IKEA example was yet another dominant aspect of the video. By actually interacting in a child's world and perspective, new storage solutions were created under the tabletops.

Following on from IKEA was the foldable water pump. By "transfering into the world" of Kenya, designers realised beauty and form was NOT necessary. What was most important was to easily transport pumps from A to B. By focusing on the little things, designers can create the more and more useful and pleasureable products. With this in mind I will always keep a concious thought of who I am designing and becoming that person.

Product Sketching

Australian International Design Awards (AIDA)

P100

Invetech, Enttex Ltd.

I believe this design was the more prominent of all in the AIDA exhibition because it has targeted one of the biggest growing concerns of today. Hearing loss can be painful and irritaing, however with the P100's simple and cost effective methods pain from hearing loss can be prevented. Symptoms of iunner ear conditions such as vertigo and tinnitus can be treated with the P100.




Modern Times: Modernism in Australia

Magazine Rack

Sam Atyeo

1935

Initially this magazine rack appeared to have an Oriental look. This is what attracted to me to this design compared to that of the others. I believe this was the best design because it was truely unique and quite beautiful compared to the other designs.

Inspired! Design Across Time

Long Chair

Marcel Breuer

England 1935

At first I thought this chair was quite plain and boring, however as I observed it i began to see a different form. I began to notice the contemporary chairs with pull out leg rests and beach chairs etc. I then came to realise that this chair must have INSPIRED! the designers of the beach and pull leg rest chairs. Therefore by being the primitive of today's sophisticated and ergonomical chair designs, i chose the "Long Chair".





EcoLogic: Creating a Sustainable Future

Hot Water Systems

This primitive hot water system appealed to me because of its simplicity.

Video Reflection Three: Yves Behar - Designing objects that tell stories

Behar's perception of design is to give design VALUES. Through these values design no longer becomes just aethetics and functionality but also a "set of emotional considerations". "Y Water" was perfect to target the growing obesity epidemic. By allowing water to be fun, children would be influenced to drink healthy substances. By considering the emotions of the modern parent, Y Water was born.

Furthermore the NYC Condom Dispenser targets the growing concerns for STD's in the developed world. By making the dispenser playful and witty (and free) people will be drawn to them and hence use the condoms helping to achieve the client's goal, the goal to give out 30 000 condoms in New York City. Installing them in public areas such as clubs, pubs, etc did not seem ridiculous because the dispenser was equivalent to a fire hydrant. It was "meant" to be there.

On the other hand the One Hundred Dollar Computer XO (OHDC) was able to allow the user to escape from reality. This in itself was truely amazing. By aiding their education and providing a whole new technological world, the OHDC XO was able to put smiles on childrens's faces, even those who are in poverty. It was even considered their most precious item. To be able to help children's futures truely reinforces the idea that "we designers CAN change the world".

These inspirational projects has proved that design can motivated me more to hopefully one day contribute to saving the world...

Video Reflection Two: Ross Lovegrove - The Power and Beauty of Organic Design

DESIGN NATURE ART was the key concept behind this talk. Ross Lovegrove has revealed to me that design is always undergoing evolution, a parallel link to nature itself. For example a small organism one million years ago would have undergone millions of processes to become the something as majestic as a humpback whale. This same process is applicable to design. As nature continues to evolve, new innovations in science allow design to evolve too.

Lovegrove also believed that the natural world had the right idea all along, that "nature liberates form". Instead of building up on what was built in the past, looking into nature is the new way to explore and define new shapes. This ideology has inspired me to think in a whole different perspective. Why come up with something artificial when nature took millions of years to process something like a beautiful whale? The answer can be there right in front of us when we least expect it to be.This fundmental basis of ORGANIC design was a true eye opener.

Ross Lovegrove also strongly believes in simplicity of form. For example his concept car which was inspired by a water droplet has rid of all the small mechanics and gadjets behind contemporary cars, saying "cars are all wrong" and instead replaced them with only the essentials while maintaining the organic form and flow. This again has given me more insight into ORGANIC design. We do not have to have a meticulously formed design to make it beautiful. We can create something of "minimal form with maximum beauty" just how Lovegrove has achieved it.

Good Design - Eva Trio Kite Chopping Boards

Designer: Storm Design

Client: Eva Denmark

Bronze, International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) 2008

Storm Design (Denmark) has given the everyday chopping board a new aesthetic as well as a new function. From the boring rectangular board to three new kite shaped designs, the Eva Trio Kite Chopping Boards (ETKCB) have revolutionised cooking. They are designed with a unique slope to collect meat juices which usually end up on the kitchen bench or the perhaps even the floor, making cleaning an annoyance. In addition these slopes can also prevent chopped ingredients from falling onto the floor. Furthermore the pointed angle ensures no ingredients fall off whilst the user is pouring meat juices or ingredients into pots and bowls. Not only is the ETKCB's praticality useful, it is gracefully blended with its aesthetic. It is a beautiful piece which evokes a hovering kite in the wind, making cooking more enjoyable. With these new innovations, ETKCB's target market such as chefs to the average cook at home will be surew to be grasped.

Material : Solid Oak
Size: 40x40x3

Visual Design Analysis:

LINE: Straight, solid, smooth lines but also one of the three has curves

BALANCE: All three are symmetrical at the pointed angle and the weith evenly distributed

CONTRAST:The slope is contrasted with the flat plane of the chopping board





FORM: The dimensions of different kite designs blended with the dimensions of the typical board

COLOUR: Natural colour of oak, which is intensified by the grains of the of the wood

TEXTURE: Smooth and sleek with solid edges and corners

PROPORTION: The plateau of the board dominates most of the form comapred to that of the slope



More information on ETKCB
http://www.armorica.co.uk/Cooks_Equipment/Chopping_Boards
http://www.danskdesign.nu/eva-trio-kite
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/07/0717_idea_winners/101.htm

Video Reflection One: David Kelly - Human Centred Design

Before I entered industrial design I believed I knew what design was all about. Flashy phones, buildings, furniture, etc was all that I assumed design to be. However this naïve approach was forgotten after viewing this particular video.

The main feature of this video was the concept of "Human Centred Design" which was to base design around human behaviour and personalities. The examples given were the Prada store, Spyfish, Dilbert's Cubicle and the Kenyan entrepreneur, all in which portray the use of human centred design. These examples revealed to me that design not only gives consumers a whole new experience it also dramatically enhances the quality of life. These two prominent concepts are best depicted in the Prada store as well as the designer in Kenya.

The Prada store displayed a variety of new and innovative ways humans can experience shopping. Prada's new liquid crystallized change room windows allowed consumers to not only conveniently try on clothes but it also enhances the shopping experience. In addition the new LCD mirror which allows a three second gap allowed shoppers to view their rear, further enhances the customers' experience. This improvement then continues to satisfy customers' wants.

On the other hand the Kenyan designer/entrepreneur whom designed new waterpumps displayed how design can dramatically improve the quality of living. Not only did it provide a new source of fresh drinking water in the off season in Kenya, it also provided water for crops and also created thousands of new employment opportunities, benefiting its society as well as its economy. The inspirational facet to this story is that a sole person could reach out and help thousands more.

Despite my initial, naive beliefs, I now have come to realise the importance of design through Human Centred Design. Not only can it satisfy human's materialistic desires it can also save the world from poverty. This has become my motivation as a future industrial designer. Save the world...

The Shape of Scent

(Original Container)



(Concept Sketches)



(Interpretation of Scent)

The main concept behind my interpretation of this particular scent was femininity. However it also exhibited different forms of feminism such as mystery and strength. At first I believed it smelt of a clean, pristine environment, perhaps even dreamy, yet it also had a strong vigorus scent. This gave me the impression that whoever would wear this scent would want to imply their growing inner strength as well as their fragility. This contradictory idea led me onto developing the final shape of this scent. As seen above there is a ball shaped core which is engulfed by swirls which appear to rising upwards. This object is to represent a blooming flower as well as a woman protecting herself from the outside world thus provoking the contradiction between the inner strength and the fragility. Whilst the core maintains the mystery which I initially felt, the swirls which can also be portrayed as the arms of a woman or the blooming petals of a flower, is seen as a way of engaging with the world as well as protecting her heart or her core.