An eco-friendly replica....?

This caught my eye when sifting through the Guardian online. 

We looked at being green in 1st year design studies but nothing to this extreme. May be just a tad far fetched, but made for an interesting read all the same.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/jan/27/green-replica-buckingham-palace

Taking a bite out of apple...

I have come across an article that caught my eye when reading through. One statement in particular threw up questions in my mind that i have been pondering a lot in the last couple years, coming into more and more contact with people that are so hugely concerned with effectively living their lives through social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace.

A project being run through IDEO called 'I miss my pencil', focuses on the sensorial side of everyday products and interactions. The project is an attempt to take ideas beyond the conceptual and develop to the 'curiously concrete', in what has now become a very virtually based era.

'My first thought when I got the request to cut a corner off the MacBook was that it should be a bite or two, literally shaped like you would take a bite out of a sandwich. And this quick experiment could represent us, as designers, biting back at the technology that people are so enthralled with that they don’t realize it takes up so many hours in their life never to be recovered. — Jim Feuhrer'

This statement reminded me strongly of how several of my family members of the older generations have expressed their views on increasing technology usage in younger people. I do feel that although computer usage for some reasons such as investigating and letting yourself be known to possible future employers, i agree that to a large extent, youngsters in this day in age are loosing the capability to effectively and confidently communicate with people face to face due to persistently communicating through social networking sites. 

Our generation has been referred to as being 'technology natives', we have grown up with the development of internet and knowing that certain knowledge is at the touch of a button. But it is important to remember that for all of the useful and factual, researched information, there is also a whole pile of crap! I think that the quality of speaking to people about history and personal accounts of situations and experience etc has been lost due to opting for the ease of knowledge. 

Recently i was out purchasing a Mac and my mum was considering buying a blackberry as needing a new mobile. My dad said something that i will never forget...

'when i was your age, if id gone home and said ive been and bought an apple and a blackberry my dad would have thought i was making a pie!'

Although instantly defensive as i have grown up in this environment i do agree with him to a large extent. To a great extent people are missing out on face to face communication. Being friends with someone on Facebook means very little, yes you recognise them when your out and about how often would you walk up to these people and have a proper conversation that involved real laughter instead of writing 'lol'.

By all means i agree that in the developing technological world there are huge benefits to being connected globally through the wonders of internet and mobile, but i think there needs to be a step back and consideration for how much time and effort people put into checking what people have had for dinner or how bored they are. How about going out and talking to someone rather than telling the world how bored you are. 

I believed this project on IDEO illustrated an effective way of rebelling against what is increasingly becoming a world of closed off communication.

http://labs.ideo.com/2009/11/02/taking-a-bite-out-of-apple/

'Procrastination is the Thief of time...'

I remember when i was younger, my parents would always say to me 'procrastination is the thief of time'. I spent so much time finding something else to do when i should be working for school for example. I found this video that reminded me of this. I thought it was an interesting piece of film that would probably speak to thousands. It is cleverly created and i thought it should be shared further.

Procrastination from Johnny Kelly on Vimeo.

Now i am doing the course i enjoy and have a passion for i don't find myself procrastinating work wise, but there will always be something that we find a way to put off.

A lab the size of a postage stamp.

Found this video very intriguing. A talk by George Whitesides about condensing a Lab to the size of a postage stamp. He explores safety aspects of current Lab environments in the third world and in military medicine, to name a few. He considers how 'sticks' can be eliminated, needle-stick injuries that could transfer infections diseases. He also researches inexpensive materials that the test can be created from and concludes how the Lab can be produced from Paper and Carpet tape. This also adds to the safety aspects of the development as the tests can be burned rather than just thrown away, still leaving an element of risk if someone was to be exposed to an infectious test. Current paper medical tests are already available but in a very simple form, in this instance, mobile technology has been tapped into to provide a greater aid in developing medical treatment. Photos can be sent for medical advice to a more knowledgeable individual if required.



Considering the question he leaves us with at the end. I think that George Whitesides has hit simplicity on the head with this development, creating a medical aid that is Safety conscious, effective and yet inexpensive.

Key Questions...

WHAT could this project be about?

find an are or insight that you feel passionate about...

WHY is it worth exploring?

justify this with research and support your reasons....

HOW might you go about it?

carefully consider how you could gather the information you need....

WHO will so it and when?

what tasks will be assigned to different people....

Key questions to bare in mind when tackling 'Engage Lochee' Project, taken from a Lecture given by David Townson.

Garland Light

I think these light shades by Tord Boontje are beautiful pieces of design. I plan to invest in asap! I think they create a lovely effect, giving living space a bit of an edge.

Hulme Park

Research for my current Design Studies Project has led me to find other similar projects that engage the community and give people a place to be proud of. I have come across a project that took place just one mile from Manchester City centre, Hulme. The area, notorious for muggings, robbery and poor housing to name a few, deteriorated dramatically in the 80's and was described as 'a kind of living hell'.

The park was designed to be secured by psychological barriers rather than physical ones. The space was designed to allow a number of users from teens to families or bike riders to feel like they had a contribution to the area. This in turn makes people more proud of the space they are in and it is less likely to be abused.

The re-development of the park was taken on in the Designing out Crime project through The Design Council. The local council secured substantial EC funding Neil Swanson took on the £2.2million re-generation project. His aim was to make people feel al-together more safe in the park so tackled issues like size, width at all points for example, and surveillance, new housing was to be built facing the park. Creating an increased sense of security for visitors to the park and giving the new homes a nice view.

The park was to provide for all ages in the community. The project worked in collaboration with the community to make this happen. Due to the public having their input, the park has been much more of a success as it is a space that the community is proud of. The park was described by a local police officer as 'a triumph of design'.

I think we need to bare aspects of this project in mind when tackling our project brief. Although Hulme park was on a larger scale and issues tackled were perhaps more severe. We need to consciously make sure that we are considering the views of the local community and giving them what they want rather than designing something that people do not feel that they have had any involvement in. People respond well to being included and in turn are proud of the achievement.

http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/Case-Studies/All-Case-Studies/Hulme-Park/

Engage Lochee

This semester, my other project brief is beginning to pick up speed. We will be working on a project that is about engaging the social community.

The brief:

'This semester you will be working on the brief: Engage Lochee: catalysing social change through design led citizen participation. The brief will involve you working closely with clients in the community and the public sector. The public sector comprises of many different bodies and organizations and as such you will be required to facilitate effective engagement with a number of key stakeholder groups (e.g. local councilors, government officers, retailers, community groups, local residents, and possibly more).

As research and design practitioners, you are being asked to identify problems that affect the community and then to develop a new product service system to help fix them. Your design solution should make significant and positive changes in the local community and to the everyday life of people. You will bring your skills and knowledge as design visualisers, facilitators, communicators, thinkers, mediators and integrators to this project. The interaction you have with stakeholders affects your design outcome. You will be primarily the listeners in the first stages of this project – you need to be mindful and sensitive to your interactions with all stakeholders.'

So far we have been out to Lochee and done some observational research and spoken to some of the local people to see what they would like to see happen to make a social change.

A couple of our group have gone and visited a local school and spoken with the headmaster. We felt that targeting youngsters and setting up a project that they could be involved in would give them pride in their local area.

We are currently brainstorming possible systems that could be implemented to involve both the older and younger generations in Lochee to engage them with the community.

'electric mo0ns'

With this new interaction design project that we have been assigned i have taken an increased interest on different aspects of this design field and how many thousands of ways there are for interaction design to take place.

Looking for examples that may inspire the team project i came across a project that really caught my eye and i found incredibly interesting, a project by Robert Henke & Christopher Bauder called 'electric mo0ns'. It is an installation made up of 100 white balloons floating in a darkened room. The 'balloon ballet' is created through synchronised movement and lighting in reaction to chosen music. The movement and lighting sequences can be controlled through a computer interface.

The movement of each balloon can be individually controlled, editing the formations and visuals that the piece can create. Changing the visual impact depending on different sequences or music that it is played to.

The project developed through many research stages before reaching its final form from 2001 to 2004. The early stages of the project remind me strongly of the child's pin art sculpture toys.

The installation was also used as a performance piece, using only 64 of the balloons and named 'ATOM'. The patterns and movement are manipulated to create 45-60 minute performances. The project was entered to a competition run by 'TODO', an interactive design company. They won the BIP, 'building interactive playgrounds', award due to its 'participative, spectacular and playful attitude'. It fitted in perfectly with the clubbing context of the award. The performance was shown at 'Elettrowave Festival' in Arezzo, Italy in 2006.

I think that the installation is a fascinating pieces of interactive design. The performances create atmospheres that affect peoples moods. The performances look soothing and relaxing. However i find them fascinating, having dramatic impact in a very controlled manner.

http://www.electricmoons.com/index.htm

The British Pint just got safer!

Finding a current live issue on the Design Council's website i was intrigued at how dangerous the British pint had become! Current news reports inform us of crime rates and alcohol related injuries etc, but here the issue has been stripped right back to the route of the problem. Not only are there increasing debates on the level of binge drinking but the fact of the matter is, there is a problem with the item that holds the drink, as well as the consumable fluids.

The Design out Crime project is tackling many different areas with experts in design, technology, consumer affairs and crime working to solve many increasing problems facing the nation. The 87,000 glass related injuries due to alcohol every year is currently costing the NHS around £2.7 billion every year. This has thrown up a huge issue and as said earlier has resulted in a project that looks clearly at the basis of this and ways of improving the typical 'British Pint Glass'.

Not ever having been involved in any way with glass crime i am still aware of the fact that, even out with intentional crime, glass, of any description can cause problems in busy nightclubs/bars. As a student having been to a fair few, i have often come home with slight injuries due to broken glass on floors, or people having a slip of the hand and the glass shattering. This initiative, although looked at from the perspective of glass crime could be the start of a much safer environment all together when out and about socialising.

The developments of new pint glasses appears to have taken the direction of having fine layers of resin on the inside of the glass to stop it shattering, or having two layers of glass, held together using a fine layer of bio-resin, which is a concept similar to that used in car windscreens, even if dropped the glass would stay held together.

As part of this initiative, the Design Council are already in some talks with major pub chains to try and trial these 'Glass Plus' glasses and should be ready in around 12 months time. It is these subtle changes to the route of the problem that should make the greatest effect. Telling people how they should behave is never going to have as significant results and by designing products that are subtly safer, in theory, this should help prevent many glass related crimes. It has been said that 'Designers need to become more creative than criminals', this statement is very true, as we are increasingly needing to find other pathways into finding the route of specific problems and develop methods in which subtle, clever changes can then create the greatest impact.

Designing the next generation British pint glass - the design story from Design Council on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/9191412

Phonofone ii

Reading Digital by design i came across the Phonofone ii designed by Tristan Zimmermann for his company Science & Sons. It was created as a symbolic object, requiring no external power source or batteries, the Phonofone ii feeds from an electronic object to improve its function. The object amplifies music from personal headphones, using the conductive properties of rigid ceramics to create amplified music that is similar to that produced from a laptop. The material used has very low environmental impact.

I really like this design based on the fact that it looks like quite a traditional object. It is elegant and classic looking although a very contemporary piece of design. It plays on the beauty of classic objects, using something very clearly recognisable from the music industry to create a piece that, unlike the majority of standard speakers, brings elegance to its surroundings, visually as well as musically.

I think this kind of object could be great inspiration for the project that i am working on, creating sound. As it promotes clear style choices to bring elegance as well as function to your designs. The carefully considered design choices here make this product seem classy and modern, even though the function is particularly basic. It has made me consider to a much greater effect, the final detailing of a product and how considerably the choice of form and finish can affect the overall impact that the product has.

Inspiration from Megumi Fujikawa

I have been doing some research into the work of Megumi Fujikawa. I think that her 'Glowing Places' is very good inspiration for a project like the one i have been presented with. While working with Phillips Design she worked in collaboration with the Helen Hamlyn Research centre at the RCA and designed interactive lighting for large public interiors. The project explored new and innovative ways for people to actively interact with light beyond the standard action of flicking a switch. The research project developed public seating that glows, dims, flashes and changes colour depending on people using the seats throughout the day.

This kind of interaction makes people feel like they are having more of an impact on their surroundings. Trying to find a way of incorporating this kind of interaction but with sound rather than light into this project could highlight some interesting takes on the project and develop into something that is exciting and innovative. When people feel that they are having a positive impact on different things then they feel important and in turn more happy in themselves. Designing something that people feel they are having an involvement with can make the users much more appreciative of what it is they are interacting with, be it furniture or anything else. This is something which i will be exploring much more closely during my idea generation stage of this project.

Getting to Grips

Today has been a day of successes. Firstly beginning to get to grips with the functionality of a MacBook and beginning to find directions for my new project.

The Brief:

'Create a meaningful interaction between a digital input and an analogue output of vice versa. this could be an object playing along to a specific track or perhaps music that is created depending on its own surroundings. This module is out to test you design and technical abilities; there is no strong user requirement.

Think about the aesthetics of your objet, although this is a very techie module it is nice to show an honest technical aesthetic. Do you want to hide away the workings of your object or do you want to have them on show? Maybe take reference from old automated music machines such as the player piano or the musical box.'

After receiving our new brief a week ago i felt a bit baffled by the level of freedom i had to take this project in any way that was seen fit, with the agreement of other group members of course. We are targeting interaction design much more which i find exciting as will give me another new take on the world of design and work of interactive designers already successful in this area.

General day to day living has given me a few insights that i intend to explore further for this project. Travelling at the weekend i was inspired by the train tracks and the sounds that are created. I think that i will explore this idea further and see what possible ideas could come from this inspiration. Generally being around other people, both socially and in more formal lecture environments has made me question how this idea of interaction to create sound could be integrated into peoples general day to day living. Creating sound/music by taking a walk to the shops or making a 'music diary'... the possibilities are endless with this and hope to come up with some more insights in the very near future.

Starting to Blog

As a student designer, i feel that i am beginning to find my feet in the world of design and beginning to find exactly what it is that i enjoy. Hoping to continue to clarify my direction, i intend to discuss findings that i find inspiring and interesting. The briefs that i have been given this semester are already exciting me, and i am intrigued to see where these projects will begin to lead in the next couple of weeks. Keeping a record of my development should help in future projects to perhaps make changes where processes have not been successful in this instance.