TASK 5: CAP 'N' TRADE

so essentially another movie about how us as humans are destroying the world we live in. this however focusses on factory emissions and how we can reduce the amount of damage we are causing.

the idea of a cap on factories emissions seems logical to me. given that most factories and large organisations revolve around $$$, it would be a sensible place to start. by charging factories for the amount of co2 emissions they produce we are creating almost an economic incentive strategy. i believe this will open up the minds of factory owners in terms of how to reduce emissions.

it is then upto us as designers to design for this to help factories reduce emissions. this not only opens up new areas for design but will benefit multiple parties with 'one stone' (environment, organisations, designers).

TASK 3: 11th HOUR

.....an incredible insight into the sheer destruction we cause to the environment and planet we live on. What is interesting is that we as humans are aware of the future, unlike any other species. You would think that would put us ahead... right?? well maybe its dragging us behind? would it be possible that by knowing the future we are infact limiting ourselves to what we can achieve for fear of making it worse?

or on the other hand is this a good thing. can we use this to predict how we will be designing in the future. i guess time will only tell. but untill then we have to make some changes.

i believe what the movie implied was that product designers have a huge part in preventing further destruction to the earth, however it may not even be our job, but we have to influence the rest of the population to co-operate. this is where i think we will see some problems, if not already seeing problems. an eco design can go so far, but without the public grasping the idea it is inevitable it will fail.

i guess the remaining question is... how do we encourage the whole world to embrace an eco mind???

PROJECT 1 - DESIGN FOR DISASTER

so my group chose volcanic eruptions to design for, but realy what can you design when the first thing that comes to mind is hot lava, earthquakes, mudslides, possibly even tsunami from earth termmors etc. it seems almost impossible to help someone in that situation???

after reasearching it became apparent exactly what the root cause of most deaths is. Not hot lava, not earthquakes, but the ash buildup on house roofs which causes collapses. Espacially in 3rd world countries where sturctures aren't so strong this can pose a huge problem. a perfect example was Mt. Pinatubo in the Phillipines, whereby 73,000 homes were damages, 8,000 destroyed.

the basis of the design was to provide the user with a roof support that would enable them to stay under the roof and be sheltered from the hot ash falling. it also because usefull for the user afterwards during the cleanup process to ensure no more lives were lost.



The design uses 2 main elements, a top cup and feet which are linked with a retension system. the user will use locally grown rattan (bamboo) as the legs of the tripod making it environmentally friendly.

TASK 4: DESIGN FOR LIFE

Apart from being very insightful into the mind of a designer, it shows a good depiction of what its like in the industry. Its incredible listening to how Stark goes about criticising and commending the works of the students...very similar to studio class might i add. He points out the most obvious things that you didn't even notice, for example in the first episode how he criticises the products that he thinks are too literal, or lazy, and urges the class to look into products, see their story. This is what makes a true designer.



He has a valid point however... the world is being swarmed by poor design, design that should never be there in the first place. Products that serve such a menial task, pointless in a way. This brings to attention the need to design something that will achieve more, more than just a simple task, and ultimately will be worth more to the consumer thus keeping the product longer. However to achieve this, designers must put more and more effort into design, in a sense scour their brains for every last drop of innovation they can come up with. Obviously, after watching Stark, this is not possible at my level. It will take years and years of practice to achieve this understanding of products that is demanded by top design.

All in all a very entertaining show, it would be interesting to see how an intense few weeks of this would shape an up and coming designer, just as one of the students says, "i am his clay, he can shape me however he wants"

CHARETTE #2 - BREVILLE REDESIGN

So basically the main aim of the redesign was to save money in production and also save the environment through env. friendly processes and materials.

to achieve this we decided one of the largest parts of the mixer was the outer shell which comprised of an inner plastic mould which housed the fixings for the other parts, an outer stainless shell which was purely for looks and weighed quite alot, and the handle which was an injection moulded abs piece. To specifically save money in production the integration of a one piece top half mould made from abs would be beneficial, this removed the need for the stainless and also housed screwless fixings for the rest of the shell to clip to.

This not only reduced the need for lots of different materials but it also brought weight down which impacted on cost and environmental effects through transport and dissassembly.

It turns out that the most environmentally damaging part of the whole unit is the PCB and surrounding components. by integrating and integral button which requires no extra parts and a simple on off switch the need for the PCB is removed and thus environmental impacts decreased.

CHARETTE #1 : IKEA CHAIR REDESIGN

Our main aim from the redesign of the chair was to make a more comfortable seat with extended functions. for this reason we added the rounded front lip to support the back of the knees from a sharp edge and also a flush backrest to the frame. This eliminated the uncomfortable edges for the upper back.

We also felt that the seat needed to have a slight angle on it so that you sit into the chair and arent being forced off it, which will provide greater comfort. To solve this we designed attatchment feet made from rubber that not only raise the front of the seat and achieve a slight angle. but also stop the chair legs from scratching the floor.
As for function, we added an under seat storage system whereby the consumer can hide/store possible goods or memories had with the chair.

TASK 2: OBJECTIFIED

Inspiring, insightful, interesting, educational, enlightening and realy just exceptional are only a few of the words to describe the film by Gary Hustwit. After watching i couldnt help but imagine myself in the future as a designer. It made me somewhat excited... I began to think about what style of designer i would like to be and it even sparked a few ideas in my head.

Seeing idols such as those shown in the film and hearing their story brings the whole idea of design back down to the ground. Listening to the way they came to be or the way they speak of the products around us ensures me that its not just luck as to how one comes up with a good idea, it takes years of practice and a real understanding of what design can achieve and what we as designers want to achieve. For example Erwan Bouroullec says that “its kind of bizarre, but i think that designers understand what people need better than they do” insisting that design is much much more than justthe form and the function, its this sub concious interaction and emotion that follows with a product which defines true design. An interesting point raised by Jonathan Ive at Apple when he explains that part of the design of the iPhone was to actually get design out of the way, and how when true design is achieved its almost like “ofcourse its that way, why wouldnt it be any other way”

Karim Rashid speaks of how important design is as a part of our lives, and i totally agree. Why should we be uncomfortable? Why should we put up with poorly designed products? It seems a waste to be putting time into such products, and this is why it is essential that our job is done propperly. I think the most important aspect we can take away from what he says is “are the things we are doing realy making an effect, and making change?” because this realy does define the job, and even what should be the aspirations of a designer.