Monday, October 25, 2010
Project 2 - Upcycling - Rationale
For this project choosing what up cycling material/s to use was broad. E waste has a particularly big range of materials that I thought was interesting to explore for up cycling as a lot of it becomes useless, in a state of disrepair, obsolete, or replaced by renewed technology every year. It is said that:
I decided to narrow down the aspect of e waste that contributes to the above figures by up cycling a range of cabling. As our world is constantly developing electronics, attached with cabling that have become extinct. Deciding to focus on using RWY cables as they are used for basic audio video cables on analogy/stereo sound systems but since our entertainment systems are converting to digital/ HD quality reception these cables are useless. I also focused on using any cable of any thickness or lengths that are round depending on the weave I used that suited best. I decided to take the unused or broken cabling from mobile phone charges, laptop charges, electronic mice, printing cables, and internet connections due to their curvature profile. With this cabling I manipulated it by weaving to create a Bike Basket.
The idea of designing a bike basket for this particular project came whilst exploring for a product that utilised the properties these cables had. The cables have strength, flexibility – weave, durable, rigidity and are good with general temperatures. So doing extensive forms of research from looking through magazines, around homes and going to scrap yards, created a bike basket out of wire was a solid idea that embraced the cables capabilities.
The form of which I weaved contributed to the necessities of the basket as the nots/twists are close together to enclose items inside without falling out. This particular weave is seen to be one used for shopping bags that have the same particular purpose as a bike basket. I vied away from the tradition basket weave of an in and out/ under and over motion as it wasn’t able to provide an interesting aesthetic appeal wanted on the form of a bike. It provided an old traditional appeal rather than a contemporary look. I wanted to move away from the common to provide more craftsmanship and value through time spent on the detail of the weave. By doing so, it added elegance and/or sophistication to the basket. It also articulates to being more refined and suggestive to greater strength for a basket.
The choice of black cabling was due to the majority of electronics being black. The colour black also provides a neutral aspect to suiting majority of bikes but also acts as a feature to being sleek and contemporary for this generation of people. The coherent usage of the only black tones of wire but coordinating thickness added variation to the basket avoiding the very cheap and boring basket.
Looking at bike frames, basket weaving it was found that most needed a metal frame to support and make the basket rigid. So decided to use the idea of “up cycling” and extend that into finding a frame that is at its end of use. It is seen that only 44% of metal in 2003 was recycled were it is estimated that it could be 60 – 65% so by using this product could assist this recycling process. One that was found and used supposedly came from a filing cabinet system. It is seen to be at the end of its use as most paper work is becoming electronic and the up grading to more practical filing systems having been developed. I innovatively and originally adapted the wire frame to fit the structure of the bike. This was done by cutting down the frame to be a manageable and proportional sized basket for the bike. The basket had to be attached to the bike by bending the ends of the frame that retracted under the brakes and supported by the handle bars. This not only created an up cycled product but also an original self supporting system to attach to a bike.
The frame provided a very elongated and streamlining and geometrical structure. It enables to capture the language of being a simple basket that objects can be placed within. The addition of wrapping the wire along the external structure provided a defined line to the basket but also softened the hard frame. By using a different cable choice for the handles acted as a visual indicator as to which way round the basket should be.
- More than 17 million TVs, computing and electronic wiring is thrown into landfill each year.
- In a 2006 report, the International Association of Electronics Recyclers have reported that the current growth and obsolescence rates of various categories of consumer electronics had reached an average of 400 million units of e waste per year.
- Also the IAER stated that the US e waste is still the fastest growing municipal waste stream, from 3.01 to 3.16 million tons, where only 13.6% of that can be recycled and that most people don’t recycle it. Around 90% of this recyclable electronic material makes it to the landfill every year.
I decided to narrow down the aspect of e waste that contributes to the above figures by up cycling a range of cabling. As our world is constantly developing electronics, attached with cabling that have become extinct. Deciding to focus on using RWY cables as they are used for basic audio video cables on analogy/stereo sound systems but since our entertainment systems are converting to digital/ HD quality reception these cables are useless. I also focused on using any cable of any thickness or lengths that are round depending on the weave I used that suited best. I decided to take the unused or broken cabling from mobile phone charges, laptop charges, electronic mice, printing cables, and internet connections due to their curvature profile. With this cabling I manipulated it by weaving to create a Bike Basket.
The idea of designing a bike basket for this particular project came whilst exploring for a product that utilised the properties these cables had. The cables have strength, flexibility – weave, durable, rigidity and are good with general temperatures. So doing extensive forms of research from looking through magazines, around homes and going to scrap yards, created a bike basket out of wire was a solid idea that embraced the cables capabilities.
The form of which I weaved contributed to the necessities of the basket as the nots/twists are close together to enclose items inside without falling out. This particular weave is seen to be one used for shopping bags that have the same particular purpose as a bike basket. I vied away from the tradition basket weave of an in and out/ under and over motion as it wasn’t able to provide an interesting aesthetic appeal wanted on the form of a bike. It provided an old traditional appeal rather than a contemporary look. I wanted to move away from the common to provide more craftsmanship and value through time spent on the detail of the weave. By doing so, it added elegance and/or sophistication to the basket. It also articulates to being more refined and suggestive to greater strength for a basket.
The choice of black cabling was due to the majority of electronics being black. The colour black also provides a neutral aspect to suiting majority of bikes but also acts as a feature to being sleek and contemporary for this generation of people. The coherent usage of the only black tones of wire but coordinating thickness added variation to the basket avoiding the very cheap and boring basket.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Design for Life - Episode 6
Now there are only 2 participants left. The competition is based on the success and development of their projects to result in a winner. Philippe Starck continues to give advice and wisdom about design. He wants to see elegance in the design for demographics. He has standards in being a hard task master. He doesn’t believe everything is easy, everything is work, work, and work. He states that “if you start on a bad platform the rest will result reflecting that”.
As a designer if you get to the point where the product you have developed is unworkable or unmanufacturable you’re a failure. Design is about designing things that need to be done not developing dreaming objects.
When it comes to advertising it is a vital asset to make your product succeed. This is done through marketing your product. If your want people to buy your product they have to now about it.
The series ends with one winner being announced. It was because of her ambition that successfully got her through her project whilst fulfilling the brief.
As a designer if you get to the point where the product you have developed is unworkable or unmanufacturable you’re a failure. Design is about designing things that need to be done not developing dreaming objects.
When it comes to advertising it is a vital asset to make your product succeed. This is done through marketing your product. If your want people to buy your product they have to now about it.
The series ends with one winner being announced. It was because of her ambition that successfully got her through her project whilst fulfilling the brief.
Desgin for Life - Episode 5
The 4 remaining applicants are working on their prototype. Reaching the prototype stage is a vast investment for a designer. It is up to the designer to believe in their design enough to see it succeed. The applicants now have to gain professional cliental to convince them their design is feasible to being made and makeable. When it comes to prototyping it means that everything needs to be finalised in all aspects from aesthetics to functionality.
W e learn that as a designer you should always stick with the final idea and always be prepared to change them for an easier manufacturing process, unless for good reason as it may start as a great creation and turn out to be a disaster.
We are given an insight to the marketing world. The applicants find out that in order for your product to succeed, it can be through the branding. As the brand becomes familiar and know to the audience they automatically recognise its success and realisation to the target market making them buy it. It is highlighted that a brand is an experience, memory and promise. The applicants have to see how they can adapt the language of their product with the target market.
It can be seen through their development that there will be struggles and disappointments. They are put down over and over again but through all the criticism, it is a learning curve to see who will win.
W e learn that as a designer you should always stick with the final idea and always be prepared to change them for an easier manufacturing process, unless for good reason as it may start as a great creation and turn out to be a disaster.
We are given an insight to the marketing world. The applicants find out that in order for your product to succeed, it can be through the branding. As the brand becomes familiar and know to the audience they automatically recognise its success and realisation to the target market making them buy it. It is highlighted that a brand is an experience, memory and promise. The applicants have to see how they can adapt the language of their product with the target market.
It can be seen through their development that there will be struggles and disappointments. They are put down over and over again but through all the criticism, it is a learning curve to see who will win.
Design for Life - Episode 4
The applicants are going through an emotional journey as they are facing rejection. They are questioning their confidence and abilities. The project continues for the applicants to be developed to the prototype stage.
We are told that when you build a prototype you are making something real. It is what design is about and proving an idea to what it needs to be. Design starts with ideas. It comes from your memories, recollection of the mind that you get from outside and viewing the world. You as a designer have the ability to design and engineer. Communication is very important. The pitch and the visual communication are vital to succeeding as a product designer.
When it comes to getting help from outside sources it is questioned to the point as to what is really your design and what is someone else’s. Like getting ideas for logo’s should be developed from the beginning by you but it is seen to be only accepted when experts are needed in drawing or advise to develop in areas you aren’t an expert in.
Getting inspiration for a design project can come from unusual or normal things e.g from plants, nature or living. Inspiration can come from anywhere e.g. chair inspired by a leaf and water drop inspired the apple mouse. When it comes to technique it should be keep in mind that simple can be better. Philippe Starcks now selects four applicants to enhance their ideas into prototypes.
We are told that when you build a prototype you are making something real. It is what design is about and proving an idea to what it needs to be. Design starts with ideas. It comes from your memories, recollection of the mind that you get from outside and viewing the world. You as a designer have the ability to design and engineer. Communication is very important. The pitch and the visual communication are vital to succeeding as a product designer.
When it comes to getting help from outside sources it is questioned to the point as to what is really your design and what is someone else’s. Like getting ideas for logo’s should be developed from the beginning by you but it is seen to be only accepted when experts are needed in drawing or advise to develop in areas you aren’t an expert in.
Getting inspiration for a design project can come from unusual or normal things e.g from plants, nature or living. Inspiration can come from anywhere e.g. chair inspired by a leaf and water drop inspired the apple mouse. When it comes to technique it should be keep in mind that simple can be better. Philippe Starcks now selects four applicants to enhance their ideas into prototypes.
Design For Life - Episode 3
Philippe Starck has now decided to give them a generic task to test and develop their way of thinking. In the next project he wants to see the thought behind magnificent, the real product that can be sold. So their brief is to design any product that is ethical, ecological, demographic for daily use and not electronic. He wants to see and feel the honesty, soul and morals they have as designers. His goal for them is to invent more than redesign due to the necessity and purpose of redesign.
Philippe Starck’s designs reflect mainly sustainability. He wants the students to learn that his briefs are very broad as for them to be creative and not design. He believes that creation is creativity and not speaking design. He doesn’t want this project to be a redesign of a chair. He states “I don’t want redo redo redo”. Starck wants them to create a product which satisfies ethics, ecology and is demographic like the wind up radio. So we see their journey into the discovery of an idea through visiting the environment and seeing how people interact with it and from there improving a product to help them but also experiencing first hand. E.g. one person sleeps as a homeless person.
The applicants have to have self believe and confidence as Tom Edison states “invention was 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration but getting things to work is where the stress lies”. Starck wants his student to be convincing through the role they play as a designer who they are designing for. So he has asked them to go to a circus and be one of them. Meaning he wants them to think a certain way, take a risk and have someone intrigued by it. He has unconventional methods as to measure performance in pitching an idea on every level not just presentation like capturing consumers attention when a product is manufactured and global.
It is a crucial idea that we experience and understand the needs of the people as designers. But they may not know what they need so we have to be them to know. Designers need to be, feel, act like our market. We get told that getting fully formed ideas in less than a week is possible. To Philippe Starck it is important to know every aspect of your design.
Philippe Starck’s designs reflect mainly sustainability. He wants the students to learn that his briefs are very broad as for them to be creative and not design. He believes that creation is creativity and not speaking design. He doesn’t want this project to be a redesign of a chair. He states “I don’t want redo redo redo”. Starck wants them to create a product which satisfies ethics, ecology and is demographic like the wind up radio. So we see their journey into the discovery of an idea through visiting the environment and seeing how people interact with it and from there improving a product to help them but also experiencing first hand. E.g. one person sleeps as a homeless person.
The applicants have to have self believe and confidence as Tom Edison states “invention was 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration but getting things to work is where the stress lies”. Starck wants his student to be convincing through the role they play as a designer who they are designing for. So he has asked them to go to a circus and be one of them. Meaning he wants them to think a certain way, take a risk and have someone intrigued by it. He has unconventional methods as to measure performance in pitching an idea on every level not just presentation like capturing consumers attention when a product is manufactured and global.
It is a crucial idea that we experience and understand the needs of the people as designers. But they may not know what they need so we have to be them to know. Designers need to be, feel, act like our market. We get told that getting fully formed ideas in less than a week is possible. To Philippe Starck it is important to know every aspect of your design.
Design for Life - Episode 2
Some designers design things that are known by very few people, put in rare shops and are high in value and price meaning bought by few. He doesn’t like this idea. He wants demographic design, design for everyone. It is about creating objects that benefit everyone through value, are sustainable and function.
Now there are ten participants left. They move into a Muse house which is structured in a way that everyone has to bond with everyone. We learn that drawing, being an artist isn’t all about design by one of the contestants. Philippe Starck articulates that when we design something good or bad it is always bad which causes designers to challenge the design. New and more contemporary things are being brought into society and the art is in the experience of it. This reflects some of Starcks work which has been subjectively critique due to the originality and confusion of what is good and bad. He directs his participants to also take this view to extend their creativeness.
The most important thing Starck wants in design is sustainability. It is his duty to share a good design with the maximum of people. So the next project is about the evolution of products. He wants them to design to help Humanity to achieve its purpose and full potential. He wants them to get deep into the history of human mutation, to design an object that fits in the big world but most importantly to benefit humanity. E.g. jumbo jet, wind up radio, microwave, zippers, paper clips, and the purify straw. The brief is broad as he wants them to explore their creativity, to see their ambition. It will separate the good designer from the bad.
In approaching this project they have to learn about people. They have observed and seen problems with people around them before they start. They need to immerse themselves into the environments of other people to understand their behaviours. They go to a science museum for ideas but it is easier to look at smaller specific groups of people and design to benefit their lives and then make it generic. It ends with two contestants leaving due to their lack of effect and no innovation.
Now there are ten participants left. They move into a Muse house which is structured in a way that everyone has to bond with everyone. We learn that drawing, being an artist isn’t all about design by one of the contestants. Philippe Starck articulates that when we design something good or bad it is always bad which causes designers to challenge the design. New and more contemporary things are being brought into society and the art is in the experience of it. This reflects some of Starcks work which has been subjectively critique due to the originality and confusion of what is good and bad. He directs his participants to also take this view to extend their creativeness.
The most important thing Starck wants in design is sustainability. It is his duty to share a good design with the maximum of people. So the next project is about the evolution of products. He wants them to design to help Humanity to achieve its purpose and full potential. He wants them to get deep into the history of human mutation, to design an object that fits in the big world but most importantly to benefit humanity. E.g. jumbo jet, wind up radio, microwave, zippers, paper clips, and the purify straw. The brief is broad as he wants them to explore their creativity, to see their ambition. It will separate the good designer from the bad.
In approaching this project they have to learn about people. They have observed and seen problems with people around them before they start. They need to immerse themselves into the environments of other people to understand their behaviours. They go to a science museum for ideas but it is easier to look at smaller specific groups of people and design to benefit their lives and then make it generic. It ends with two contestants leaving due to their lack of effect and no innovation.
Design For life - Episode 1
The design for life series explores the mind and world of designer Philippe Starck. He describes himself as a door or bottle opener to creativity, the future and vision. The episodes are based on him finding new designers. His philosophy is based around how good design speaks of life and how it affects life. This is what he is looking for in other peoples products. He narrows it down to twelve applicants which are now let into the world of aspirations of Philippe Starck in Paris. He teaches them how they should be questioning everything, every design decision in a product and how their design decisions affect everyone in the future. In doing so challenges them with projects which will result in two people going home every week and the winner is awarded a six months placement at his agency.
His ethics on the design world are very strong not caring about how better designers are from each other. He is considered the bad boy of the design world due to his controversial aspect of design from the gun lamp to the clear chair. His design is a power to change society. He is going to try and teach that to his applicants. He wants them to understand and design objects to be beautiful, sustainable and useful that can be liked by everyone. He questions its purpose. For the applicants to get a feel of Philippe Starck’s soul they are staying in a personalised hotel full of his objects as a way to immerse them to him.
The first thing he states to the applicants is that it is a school of creativity not design and to speak less of design and more about things around us. He wants them to focus on creating things to improve society and civilisation. He tells them he is a professional dreamer. Whilst going through each applicant’s choice to join he indicates that he hates sculpture, he wants an object that belongs to someone.
In Project one he wants to see and understand how they understand creativity. He wants to get into their heads, to see what makes them tick. They are given 100 Euro to buy two products in an hour. The 2 products they choose have to fit one of these categories:
Function – useful and useless.
The idea behind this project is to see how there are too many designs and that we should be thinking about how they are useful and sustainable. The result of this project wasn’t successful for many. He wanted them to talk about the symbolism of the product and how they display the language of the above catagories. He wanted to see the story behind the product.
His ethics on the design world are very strong not caring about how better designers are from each other. He is considered the bad boy of the design world due to his controversial aspect of design from the gun lamp to the clear chair. His design is a power to change society. He is going to try and teach that to his applicants. He wants them to understand and design objects to be beautiful, sustainable and useful that can be liked by everyone. He questions its purpose. For the applicants to get a feel of Philippe Starck’s soul they are staying in a personalised hotel full of his objects as a way to immerse them to him.
The first thing he states to the applicants is that it is a school of creativity not design and to speak less of design and more about things around us. He wants them to focus on creating things to improve society and civilisation. He tells them he is a professional dreamer. Whilst going through each applicant’s choice to join he indicates that he hates sculpture, he wants an object that belongs to someone.
In Project one he wants to see and understand how they understand creativity. He wants to get into their heads, to see what makes them tick. They are given 100 Euro to buy two products in an hour. The 2 products they choose have to fit one of these categories:
Ecology – environmentally sound and not environmentally sound.
Gender – one that is female and male. Function – useful and useless.
The idea behind this project is to see how there are too many designs and that we should be thinking about how they are useful and sustainable. The result of this project wasn’t successful for many. He wanted them to talk about the symbolism of the product and how they display the language of the above catagories. He wanted to see the story behind the product.
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