Emphasis on design being democratic, sustainable, ecological and enjoyable makes good design. As designers, we learn that the 'vibe' is the point difference that parts us from that of artists. Without going and creating our own logic to suit the crowd, designers can pivot their minds about the logic which benefits society.
Design for life delves into the life of a designer, with twelve ambitious designers constantly challenged and pushed to the bounds of their minds. It allows the viewer a glimpse of what the industrial design life entails, yet only a glimpse. There is no finite answer in this subjective world of creativity.
According to Starck, good design speaks life. It represents sex, flesh and sweat. Starck's design philosophies seem to totally disregard the essentials of good design; that is, form and function, and seemingly the only people who exist are Starck himself, his wife, alongside his employees.
Starck's design philosophy isn't only to create a memorable and striking design presentation that sticks in the mind of any client, but also his eye for detail is incredible. In order to remain in the competition, the designers had to grasp onto what they thought to be 'good design' in Starck's unconventional, rather unorthodox mind.
Watching Starck in his natural environment along with this 'tribal' contestants allows me to observe what it really takes to be a designer. It became aware to me that students spend far too much time on research and not enough time with a pen in their hand sketching up ideas and developments.
All in all, Starck is truly an amazing designer. He attempts to open up the minds of the contestants in his show, and allow them to discover a world of design as he; Philippe Starck, knows it.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
ERGONOMIC CAULKING GUN
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| Moodboard |
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| Hero Shot |
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| Context of Use |
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| Four Pleasures Analysis |
The ergonomic caulking gun is physically more comfortable, has greater aesthetic styling, thus more visually appealing, and is more eco-friendly than its predecessors.
The caulking gun is more comfortable to use due to a greater surface area in contact with your palm. This allows for greater control of the gun.
Instead of the conventional ‘pulling’ of the trigger, the new ‘squeeze’ of the trigger takes the pressure off individual fingers and distributes the load onto the entire hand.
The quick release feature also allows the can to be released more efficiently whilst also improving single hand use.
The curves of the handles consist of contours that are comfortable for all users and provide an organic aesthetic feeling.
As the definition of pleasurable products has trended towards the use of ecologically sustainable materials, glass-filled nylon is primarily used in this caulking gun. Even so, with high compressive and yield strength, along with greater rigidity, the gun is gratifying to another level. Aluminium is used at the back to provide a light, yet rigid rear and is also a recyclable metal.
Monday, September 13, 2010
objectified by gary hustwit
Everything we come across, has been thought through in the design process by one person or another.
Objectified depicts the design process as intangible; that different people will have differing ideas, differing opinions and that is what needs to be appreciated.
Designing for the extremes is important, as when the most and least extreme are standardised, the middle are bound to follow and adapt to what is comfortable. For example, when a peeler for people with arthritis is designed, the extra support and comfort will also be beneficial to the masses of people.
In any case, the designer needs to know what the consumer needs, even more so than the consumer themselves.
We are constantly making assumptions and judgements based on what we see and what seems conventional to us. The video mentions when things are clear and understandable people react positively. When design is unclear or confusing, people may become frustrated and annoyed.
The concept of wearing in, not wearing out is rather interesting. As the product begins to age from the day of production, the ability to design a product to increase in pleasurability and comfort as it gets older would be remarkable. This is often the case when an emotional bond with the product is present, and thus the value of the item becomes greater.
The video provided insightful perspectives from several successful designers. By listening and learning to what they value, your own design philosophy is able to be built upon and nurtured.
Objectified depicts the design process as intangible; that different people will have differing ideas, differing opinions and that is what needs to be appreciated.
Designing for the extremes is important, as when the most and least extreme are standardised, the middle are bound to follow and adapt to what is comfortable. For example, when a peeler for people with arthritis is designed, the extra support and comfort will also be beneficial to the masses of people.
In any case, the designer needs to know what the consumer needs, even more so than the consumer themselves.
We are constantly making assumptions and judgements based on what we see and what seems conventional to us. The video mentions when things are clear and understandable people react positively. When design is unclear or confusing, people may become frustrated and annoyed.
The concept of wearing in, not wearing out is rather interesting. As the product begins to age from the day of production, the ability to design a product to increase in pleasurability and comfort as it gets older would be remarkable. This is often the case when an emotional bond with the product is present, and thus the value of the item becomes greater.
The video provided insightful perspectives from several successful designers. By listening and learning to what they value, your own design philosophy is able to be built upon and nurtured.
Monday, August 23, 2010
the story of stuff with annie leonard
A single Earth means that we are limited in our resources indefinitely.
This video examines the linear system; from extraction, to production, to distribution, to consumption and disposal of the materials economy.
The confronting news that is delivered by Leonard, illustrates that we are living in a day and age where the amount of resources being consumed may be detrimental to the planet and its stakeholders.
Extraction of raw materials is the exploitation of the earth's resources. Leonard explains that the system that is currently processing these resources is under a linear system. This system, stated 'in crisis' is unable to cater to the infinite demand within a finite planet. Therefore she states that there cannot be a linear system on a finite planet indefinitely.
Production is where energy is used to mix toxic chemicals with the natural resources to make contaminated products. With over 100,000 synthetic chemicals being used in industries today only a handful have been tested on health impacts, not to mention the unknown synergetic effects of mixed toxic chemicals. Factory workers are the most susceptible to these chemicals, which shows that not only are resources being exploited and wasted, but people and their communities.
Distribution of these chemical-induced products comes next, where they are sold as low cost as possible. This attracts consumers into buying these products and the companies continue externalising their true costs of production to keep inventory flowing. The bulk of negative impacts are felt on the raw materials and in more developing countries where factories are set up.
Consumption is the driving arrow of this system and consumerism is greatly molded by the terms "planned" and "perceived obsolescence". Our culture has been designed so that consuming has become a way of life, buying and throwing away. It is planned into products; when they will break and become useless (planned obsolescence), or they will be seemed to be needed to be replaced (perceived obsolescence). Either way we are tricked into buying products that we will not necessarily need, or replacing products to remain 'fashionable'.
However we choose to dispose of our waste, they predominantly have a very damaging effect on our planet. Whether this waste is placed in a landfill, or burned and placed in a landfill, each method is harmful to the environment and the resources used to develop these products are wasted polluting our air, land and water.
Although recycling may seem a good alternative it cannot keep up with amount of waste being produced within the material economy.
Leonard confronts a major sustainable hurdle in this video, and also opens up the consumer's eyes to what we are doing in contributing to these harmful causes. As designers we should always consider a sustainable environment, working towards a new system; a system based on rationalising waste and making the linear system a closed loop system.
This video examines the linear system; from extraction, to production, to distribution, to consumption and disposal of the materials economy.
The confronting news that is delivered by Leonard, illustrates that we are living in a day and age where the amount of resources being consumed may be detrimental to the planet and its stakeholders.
Extraction of raw materials is the exploitation of the earth's resources. Leonard explains that the system that is currently processing these resources is under a linear system. This system, stated 'in crisis' is unable to cater to the infinite demand within a finite planet. Therefore she states that there cannot be a linear system on a finite planet indefinitely.
Production is where energy is used to mix toxic chemicals with the natural resources to make contaminated products. With over 100,000 synthetic chemicals being used in industries today only a handful have been tested on health impacts, not to mention the unknown synergetic effects of mixed toxic chemicals. Factory workers are the most susceptible to these chemicals, which shows that not only are resources being exploited and wasted, but people and their communities.
Distribution of these chemical-induced products comes next, where they are sold as low cost as possible. This attracts consumers into buying these products and the companies continue externalising their true costs of production to keep inventory flowing. The bulk of negative impacts are felt on the raw materials and in more developing countries where factories are set up.
Consumption is the driving arrow of this system and consumerism is greatly molded by the terms "planned" and "perceived obsolescence". Our culture has been designed so that consuming has become a way of life, buying and throwing away. It is planned into products; when they will break and become useless (planned obsolescence), or they will be seemed to be needed to be replaced (perceived obsolescence). Either way we are tricked into buying products that we will not necessarily need, or replacing products to remain 'fashionable'.
However we choose to dispose of our waste, they predominantly have a very damaging effect on our planet. Whether this waste is placed in a landfill, or burned and placed in a landfill, each method is harmful to the environment and the resources used to develop these products are wasted polluting our air, land and water.
Although recycling may seem a good alternative it cannot keep up with amount of waste being produced within the material economy.
Leonard confronts a major sustainable hurdle in this video, and also opens up the consumer's eyes to what we are doing in contributing to these harmful causes. As designers we should always consider a sustainable environment, working towards a new system; a system based on rationalising waste and making the linear system a closed loop system.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
donald norman on EMOTIONAL DESIGN
Contrary to the earlier beliefs of function over form, a new age of design; emotional design, slips into our culture as the new and radical selling point to contemporary consumers.
Although function AND form are still both inherently vital to a products' popularity, the notion that an emotional interaction between the consumer and a product be present is coming of greater consideration.
Donald Norman gives a few examples, starting off with the famous lemon juicer by Philippe Starck. Instead of keeping the juicer in the kitchen, where it is meant to be, he places it at the front door as a showpiece. The initial function of the juicer is completely placed into disregard, yet the beauty of the juicer provokes emotion and is fun and pleasant.
He also mentions a study between two groups of students, in which they had to connect two pieces of string together to reach one another.
The first group was purely told that the problem was an IQ test, determining how well they did in life. Subsequently, they were unable to solve the problem.
The second group were given a box of candy before the problem, and thereafter was able to solve the problem.
Norman explained that when forced under anxiety, neural transmitters are released into the brain which makes you more focused and "depth first", whereas if you are happy the brain allows to think "breath first" and also "outside the box".
Norman also mentions the emotional processes which are labelled into three categories including visceral, behavioural and reflective.
Visceral includes our senses, attraction to different smells, textures, sights, noises.
An example of this includes a consumer purchasing a water bottle for the visually attractiveness and decorations over the function.
Behavioural includes usability and function of a product.
An example is the Rondavel tilting teapot and it's three stages of lying down, tilting and standing up. This evokes an emotional response from the consumer.
Reflective is where the little voice in your head resides.
An example is purchasing an expensive, yet environmentally safe car, which shows others that you care about the world.
Although function AND form are still both inherently vital to a products' popularity, the notion that an emotional interaction between the consumer and a product be present is coming of greater consideration.
Donald Norman gives a few examples, starting off with the famous lemon juicer by Philippe Starck. Instead of keeping the juicer in the kitchen, where it is meant to be, he places it at the front door as a showpiece. The initial function of the juicer is completely placed into disregard, yet the beauty of the juicer provokes emotion and is fun and pleasant.
He also mentions a study between two groups of students, in which they had to connect two pieces of string together to reach one another.
The first group was purely told that the problem was an IQ test, determining how well they did in life. Subsequently, they were unable to solve the problem.
The second group were given a box of candy before the problem, and thereafter was able to solve the problem.
Norman explained that when forced under anxiety, neural transmitters are released into the brain which makes you more focused and "depth first", whereas if you are happy the brain allows to think "breath first" and also "outside the box".
Norman also mentions the emotional processes which are labelled into three categories including visceral, behavioural and reflective.
Visceral includes our senses, attraction to different smells, textures, sights, noises.
An example of this includes a consumer purchasing a water bottle for the visually attractiveness and decorations over the function.
Behavioural includes usability and function of a product.
An example is the Rondavel tilting teapot and it's three stages of lying down, tilting and standing up. This evokes an emotional response from the consumer.
Reflective is where the little voice in your head resides.
An example is purchasing an expensive, yet environmentally safe car, which shows others that you care about the world.
In an effort to engage with products to create an emotional interaction we must learn to adopt these emotional processes, diffusing the psychology of the human mind.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
fitbit tracker
The Fitbit tracker is definitely an interesting piece of apparatus in the health and fitness market.
It would help in assisting consumers to maintain an active and consistent lifestyle whilst keeping track of diet and calorie intake.
Design prevails again; a happier, healthier consumer towards a more ecologically sustainable environment.
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