Reflection: Richard Seymour + Dick Powell: Designing dream machines

The video Richard Seymour + Dick Powell: Designing Dream Machines allowed me to gain further understanding about the lengthy process of designing, prototyping and communicating. Prototyping and communicating is very important, as a designer, everyone has different style and opinions in interpreting their ideas. Designing for a client is challenging, because there are many different ways to communicate a product (eg. through drawings, models, renders) to other team members and the client. At the end of the project, a number of working prototypes would have been made to show the changes that the client may have wanted and other alternative designs. Constant communication with the client is important so that the designer would know that they are an agreeable path with the client. This would also limit the time and cost wasted on the development.

Reflection: Yves Behar: Creating objects that tell stories

After watching Yves Behar's: Creating objects that tell stories video, I felt somewhat entertained rather than getting his message into my head. The "$100 laptop" and the NYC Condom that Behar designed for allowed me to understand that they are not just products designed for just an individual, but the story behind it is to help everyone together and bring up a stronger society.

As a designer, I would not just design products for an individual's selfish needs, I would focus more on helping the community and everyone's health through products that have a story/moral behind it. Objects that sends messages across to others are one of the best ways to let people know what your concerns are and why you designed it.

Peer Comments

Guida Arezzi

Kiran Kashyap

Stanley Wong

Nicholas Baroni
Fil Pulido

Upcycling

For my final project for this semester I chose to upcycle a few materials; old scarves, beads and wires. My idea was inspired by my old child care centre where we learnt how to make paper mache balloons.

I'd like to share my steps with you all:

Pot:

1. Unravel scarves.

2. Blow up balloons to size.

3. Wrap and secure yarn all around the balloon and then spray the adhesive mixture evenly(I used corn flour mixed with flour as the adhesive mixture , suprisingly rice flour has really interesting behaviours in hot and cold water, but it corn flour stuck better and dried tonnes faster. )

4. Depending on the weather, if the weather's sunny, the balloon will shrivel up dry in half a day. If not, it will take 48 hours to dry (room temperature). Take balloon out.

5. Cut out the lid and pot.

Base Plate:

1. Solder the wires together.

2. Decorate.

I had to make a base plate for the pots because their round surfaces won't help them stay up. So buy snuggling the 3 pots together in the base, they are kept upright and the lid won't slip off.

Important: only dry foods or objects can be put in the pots. If water has contact with the dried starch, it mixes with the starch again and deforms the shape of the sphere. But that can be overcomed by blowing a balloon back inside and let to dry.

The materials and techniques are safe and fun to interact with. You should try making them with your family or friends, because I did. And it was memorable!

Reflection: Annie Leonard: Story of Stuff

After watching Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff video, I personally think that she is worrying a bit too much. Sure, she has strong arguments about how bad the production process is and other related stuff. However if I was a designer, I would just design sustainable products or put up a D.I.Y blog and the world will be much at rest, especially Annie Leonard?

Peer Comments

Stan Darmawan

Danielle Taouk

Kate Barclay

Alissa Sanders

Nicholas Walker

Postal Present

Poster

Cutting Diagram on A2

Product In Use

The Portable Dish Set that I have designed is intended to be simple and very useful. They are made out of polypropylene, when folded into shape, it becomes a set of different sized anti-leakage dishes. It is ideal for picnics as it can be flattened and carried around easily.

Usually cardboard picnic plates are hard to grip onto, so my design uses a pinched rectangle shape so that it fits perfectly on the palm. There are small dishes for children with small hands, medium dishes for people with bigger hands. The curved corners also make it safe to use.

An adjustable belt is included with the product, it secures the dishes when flattened and bent together to make sure it stays in place. When flattening the product, the big dishes are on the outside facing each other acting as a base and lid. However once bent, the dishes and the top lid are pushed against their folds, this makes the dishes flattened against each other so they won't fall out from the sides. Finally the adjustable strap is wrapped around the dishes and is ready to go or to store away.

The polypropylene is smooth and hydrophilic; making hand washing easier and also it is light-weighted, so it won't crack or break when dropped on hard surfaces.

It is suitably easy for children and adults to turn my 2D postal present into 3D products.

Reflection - Ross Lovegrove: Organic Design

Ross Lovegrove allowed me to notice nature more than I usually would. From his presentation, I have learnt that nature is all around us, in their beautiful and sensual shapes, colours, textures and sizes. Their structures are like a design idea served on a plate, you could create it into anything you desire. Like Lovegrove mentioned, polymer structures could inspire sport shoe designs, chairs, etc. When designing something that imitates nature, it would look like a "healthy product".

Lovegrove also informs that designers should experiment and imitate with nature, just like he did with his single surface structures, because it has its very own undisturbed beauty.

Why I Want To Become A Designer

Truthfully, I never thought about becoming a designer. I didn't want to graduate from my previous course being called a "-- specialist". The name didn't sound important enough. Being called a "designer" had a better ring to it.

But throughout the year, I learnt more and more about industrial design, the colours and principles of design and many interesting products that I haven't seen before. Designers weren't my inspiration, it was the innovative products which made me want to be a designer.

I intend to design products to make life much more convenient and entertaining.

Task 4 - Bad Design

Peer Comments

Guida Arezzi

Valerie El Khouri
Cori Eom

Emily Soares

Lucy Zhang

Project 1: Product Poster

Peeping Kitten is a necklace/bottle opener I have designed for my target consumer. It is a long silver chained necklace worn to accessories with casual wear to formal wear. It's multi-use makes it convenient for young women in their 20s to 30s. At that age, it is an important phase where they enjoy life; partying, socialising; shopping. The cat shaped bottle opener symbolises a curious kitten peeping behind a flower tree, suggesting the new experiences of adulthood. The aluminium bottle opener is sandwiched between 2 pieces of clear glass, also hinting the freedom of life. The back glass piece has a curved indent on the edge which allows the consumer to easily swing out the bottle opener. Finally the long chain is a one-size-fits-all necklace, and long enough to open a bottle comfortably.

Reflection - Don Norman: Emotional Design

The video of Don Norman: Emotional Design taught me that products with emotional design are accepted like a piece of wonderful art. Sometimes objects may not need to be functional, if it looks good, people will admire it. Emotional design is important for designers as they need to know how the product would interact with the client's mind. As Norman said about behavioural design, people like to feel in control of the object or environment. The human emotion has such a big role in design, products need to be designed to 'make' the person feel that specific way.

Task 2: Good Design - TearLab(TM)

When given the product to research on, I had no idea what The TearLab was. There wasn't any images of the product in the IDEA gallery. So I decided to do my own researches on the internet. There were a few images of the TearLab, however it looked very plain and medical that I knew i wasn't going to be interested in it. I also thought to myself how did that thing win an award?

Though it looked difficult, designers don't get to choose what projects they want to do.So I took the challenge. Reading through articles and watching a video of how the device was used allowed me to realise that every award winning product isn't chosen because of their appearances, but also their visual design suitability.

Reflection - David Kelley: Human-centered Design

The David Kelley: Human-centered Design video informed to me that the advancement of technology revolves around human behaviour. This I found is very true, our lifestyles are spoilt with extravagant technologies because of our inevitable demands in society. David Kelly and his company targets the human needs and wants, by designing great objects for the rich and poor, they hope to provide people with a much better lifestyle.

Him and his team designed a system in a Prada retail store in which the customer feels indulged with attention. The changerooms were especially different to normal ones in high-end fashion stores. These changerooms would allow the customer to have answers brought to them. The frosted glass walls would turn transparent as the customer wishes, computers showing complete information about a clothing and all other accessories in relation to the item.

Spyfish is a submarine tele-presence vehicle that was designed to help people who are less advantaged than others to experience things they cannot. The person is given a choice to stay on the surface while viewing the scene underwater.

The team are also involved in other remote places where technology has not yet emerged that quickly. However they include them into the developing world by designing better basic equipments. ApproTEC is of the projects which designers and students aim to support people living in poverty by designing low-cost manual tools to help them grow crops not only in rainy seasons but also off- seasons.

I learnt that David Kelly's success to designing products is to first analyse the issues affecting people’s behaviour and personalities. Industrial designers should not just aim at one target market, but also to include everyone into this man-machine era.

Task 1: Shape of a Scent

The scent that our group had a strong lingering smell which was somewhat exotic and spicy. Somehow it reminded me of a dark and seductive woman. Inspired by Poison Ivy from Batman, I wanted to create a mysterious aura to the vessel.

Idea 1: Genie-like vessel

Idea 2: A wicked Cruella de Vil heel

Ideal 3: Venus fly trap inspired.

Final Sculpture: I used Idea 3 as my final vessel because I thought it had a better emotion. The elongated the body of the vessel so that the flower hole would be deep. Like a venus fly trap luring insects inside. I tried to make it look more hypnotic by adding wings to make it seem like it is spinning, drawing attention to the center of the hole. The body is like a vase, idea taken from the body curves of a female.