Seymour Powell designing dream machines

In the industrial design industry (as in every design industry) the entire stage of the design process is extremely important and this is emphasized throughout the entire video. The video focuses on everything from the very first ideas (no matter how ridiculous they are) to the sketches they rough out very quickly to the models and research. With all their research into products and how consumers react to different products they show us that marketing the product is just as important as designing the product. The research, time and energy that went into the bike they designed was an excellent example of how we as up and coming industrial designers should set about creating our products. It was good to see some slightly failed attempts in the film as well. It makes us realize that not everything is going to be easy and it shows us how hard we have to work to know and understand our product as well as our clients

Picture ref: http://www.quantumsaddle.com/images/our_story_sey_pow.jpg

Peer Comments Project 3 Upcycling

Kate Barclay

http://katebarclay.blogspot.com/2009/10/project-three-upcycling-unwanteds.html#comments

Brett Rushbrook

http://brettrushbrook.blogspot.com/2009/10/starting-out-i-wanted-to-use-box-straps.html#comments

Daniel Kotzen

http://danielkotzen.blogspot.com/2009/10/upcycling-unwanteds.html#comments

Emily White

http://ides1031ewhite.blogspot.com/2009/10/upcycling-unwanteds.html#comments

Jason Vergara

http://jasonvergara.blogspot.com/2009/10/upcycling-tool-box.html#comments

Upcycle Lamp Shade

In this assignment we needed to find something that is wasted and completely un valuable in society and turn it into something that will have more value and be treasured by people. I work in a bar and every night see bags full of used straws go to waste. In this assignment I looked at different ways of turning them into something else. I thought they would be quite limiting as to what you could do with them but was surprised to find out that there were quite a few options. I decided on this lampshade.

Annie Leonard the story of stuff

wow... what a confronting video... Annie Leonard goes into detail about the way we consume products , the details of the production line and how we are putting ourselves into serious danger. As Industrial designers we play a big role in how these products are designed as well as the materials we chose to use and how they are made. We need to take note and become aware of the reality of this situation and change our way of thinking. Our planet is suffering and it seems to be the third world countries who are at risk the most because its people with power and money who are exploiting them. If all politicians (who are said to have the most power in this problem) as well as the CEO's and corporations of these companies all took this seriously then we can resolve this problem. The designers who create the products can take the step to using less harmful materials or even recycled materials in their products

image source:http://compassconversations.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/annie-leonard.jpg

video source:http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=annie+leonard+the+story+of+stuff&search_type=&aq=f

playtime bird feeder

hassle free and convenient this childrens bird feeder can be flat packed and sent through the post. perfect for birthdays, christmas presents anything really! It is also a great educational product where kids will have fun

Peer Comments Project 2 Postal Presents

Daniel Kotzen: http://danielkotzen.blogspot.com/2009/09/assignment-2-postal-presents.html#comments
Gleb Labzine: http://gleblabazine.blogspot.com/2009/10/fold-out-sandwich-box.html#comments
Jennifer Widjaja: http://jenniferwidjaja.blogspot.com/2009/10/postal-present.html#comments

Emily White: http://ides1031ewhite.blogspot.com/2009/10/upcycling-unwanteds.html#comments

Mitch Lockley: http://mmlockley.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-post_895.html#comments

Ross Lovegrove Video Reflections

Picture Link:

http://www.designmuseum.org/media/item/71858/767/DNA-Stairssmall-big.jpg

Video Link

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ross_lovegrove_shares_organic_designs.html

Experience Enrich

Four pleasures analysis

Physio- designed with curves with the right side more sloped to fit the hand nicely. The corners are rounded so they are not sharp and dig into your hand

Socio- All the "good" bartenders use the best bar blades, they are more often than not left at home or borrowed, this hospitality bar blade is smart and everyone can have one on them all of the time because of the way it can be carried around, every bar tender having their own will make them feel more professional like they belong with the "elite" bar tenders

Psyco- in a busy bar its quick and easy to use, comfortable, the blade has sharp lines making it easier to open the bottle lids and the puller chain and clip makes it less fumbling around. This gives it and all round more pleasurable experience.

Socio- having good long lasting bottle openers that dont need to be replaced all the time because of losing them and reducing the amount of materials in the bottle opener as well reduces its environmental impact as well as the cost of production

Peer Comments Project 1 Experience Enrich

Wawen (Sarah) Chen

http://wawenchen.blogspot.com/2009/09/project-1-experience-enrichment.html#comments

Christopher Hui

http://z3255629christopherhui.blogspot.com/2009/09/product-enrichment-rationale-balloon.html#comments

Daniel Kotzen:

http://danielkotzen.blogspot.com/2009/08/experiencing-enrichment.html#comments

Gleb Labzine:

http://gleblabazine.blogspot.com/2009/09/experiencing-enrichment-this-sports.html#comments

Danny Kim:

http://mikynnad.blogspot.com/2009/10/experience-enrichment.html#comments

Yves Behar- designing objects that tell stories

In his video, Yves Behar points out that design works on a human need. Having branched out into his own company, Yves Behar focuses on the entire design of a product rather than "just the shell of a product", which is what we are mainly taught as designers. His Leaf lamp light is beautifully crafted and designed and every aspect has been thought out by the designer himself, including the light bulbs which i suppose would normally be the job of an engineer.

His places emphasis on us (the designer) being the most important process in the development of a product. It is our responsibility to ensure we cover everything needed from the consumer or client including good sustainability etc. 

"We are the glue that brings everything together, we create the greater value in the product"

Yves Behar makes us realise that we have more responsibilities as a designer than to make a pretty exterior for a product. We need to explore and develop the whole product and think of new ways of doing things. It is a new insight for designers which is why I think it is inspirational and necessary for aspiring designers to watch this video. Although I am not a fan of all the products he has created, he has responded to a need and has created designs that is nothing like I have seen before.

Video link:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/yves_behar_on_designing_objects_that_tell_stories.html

photo link:

http://www.treehugger.com/yves-behar-kada-multifunctional-table-seat-flat-pack.jpg

Don Norman- Emotional design

Don Norman explains in this video that

"his new life is to understand what beauty and emotions are about". He explains that before, his products used to be ugly even though they were easy to use and operate but now the interaction between the two should be a fun emotional experience.

The statement he quotes about the mini cooper is a perfect example.

"Buy this car there are so many faults but its fun". I remember feeling the same thing when i was in a friends mini one day. The dashboard readers are exaggerated in shape and form but it is fun and quirky and sparks a happy emotion, so much so that you feel like driving around the block over and over.

So many brands of products do well because they have fun. Alessi is huge globally and are famous for their happy, bright approach to their products.

"Pleasant things work better" Norman is quoted as saying.

The psychological tests that are performed on the groups are very interesting. I was not surprised to hear that the group that were given lollies before the iq test then performed better because of their state of emotion.

The video makes you rethink your approach to design. Rather than just asking yourself how can we make this product better so it will work better.... we need to also ask how can we design this product so the user has an enjoyable experience and will want to use it over and over gain and therefore place a higher value on the product itself.

Video Ted link:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/don_norman_on_design_and_emotion.html

Photo ref:

http://media.dwell.com/images/478*637/don-norman-faucet-expert.jpg

David Kelley Human Centered Design

Its great to see that design is taking a new turn. Instead of focusing on the 'wow' factor of new technologies, design is now making a response to peoples needs. The Prada store was a great example. The technology used throughout the store is very impressive but apart from being that, it really benefitted the customers. The use of the three second delay in the mirrors, i thought, was a particularly great idea ( the response of everybody in the video showed that as well). These design processes are more thought out than ever by putting "personality" into the products and as Kelley points out "product design has become less about the hardware and more about the user experience"

It reminds us that design is not always for the benefit of the designer. The Kenyan story was inspirational. It was great to see a product thought out to benefit so many others (and affect a percentage of the population of a country). It is important for all aspiring designers to watch this video, to understand some of the thought processes behind products and to see how design is rapidly changing. Good design not only looks good visually but has excellent motives and benefits for people who aren't technologically advanced

Link: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/david_kelley_on_human_centered_design.html

Picture Reference: andyfreeberg.com/ photos/david_kelly_h.jpg

Shape of a Scent

Designing a vessel for a scent we were given in class.

The words we chose to use as inspiration for the scent were bold, toxic and textured