JOURNEY BOX ( FIRST YEAR)

For my first year project I was to design a 12 x 12 x 12 metre space only using ramps, stairs, bridges or platforms. I had to firstly read a book of my choice which was The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe and then design inside this space which incorporates the main points of the book. At any point in the space there should be a reading area which is suitable for one person to enter at a time. This was some my final work produced on sketch up:

DESIGNING MAKING PROJECT!

For my brief I was asked in a group to produce a furniture piece. Myself, Paula and Vikki designed a multi functional unit which could be flat packed and put together with cable ties. For our final design we used plywood and Formica (which is a type of laminate plastic sheeting) in red and white. As we had no skills in a workshop environment we found this project quite challenging but it came together in the end and worked well. We were unable to finish part of the design ( the seat and triangle shapes) because of the week of bad weather but during this time i worked on a manual for our design:

ASSIGNMENT 4 READING & REVIEWING

Assignment 4: Reading & Reviewing

Activity 4A

BOOK- DESIGN METHODS BY JOHN CHRIS JONES

Design Methods by John Chris Jones firstly evaluates traditional methods such as design by drawing and looks into how today's designers adequately address the difficulties within today's demands. Part two of this book addresses 35 new methods that have been used to support both designers and planners. Jones focuses on different methods which he has chosen personally by reliable sources to make it easier for designers to find a method to suit specific design situations. The authors goal is to improve the quality of design by responding to the rapid change in design tasks and to give readers a broader view of design.

Jones reviews the strengths and weaknesses of all the design methods to this book which gives a bias opinion to the reader. The main views discussed by the author are that the traditional methods of design by drawing are too simple for such a fast growing complex world. He believes that the new techniques in part two used are more successful although there is no evidence to back this up as they are so recently developed. Each method is hard to compare to each other as they are so diverse. 

One of the most interesting methods is Page’s cumulative strategy which aims to reduce the effort spent on form and composition that may turn out to be unnecessary in developing as a designer. An example is used here to understand the method in which pages strategy looks at how an educational space such as a classroom needs to be thought through before designing such as how the sunlight effects the room? Is the blackboard in the right position away from sunlight? material cost and what the future may bring to classrooms, designing ahead. Only then must design decisions be made this is to reduce the amount of trial and error design decisions. A good scientific and technical background is required for this process to succeed. This method may restrict designers flow of thought and creativity as they are unable to understand the complexities of technical experience although designers may fail if they don’t take this on board. 

Brainstorming is one of the most well known methods in this book for designers. The aim of this method is to produce many ideas very quickly in a group environment. No ideas are allowed to be criticised and all ideas are welcome its quantity more than quality. After sharing ideas    the most important ones should be improved and evaluated afterwards. This is a reliable and quick way of expressing different peoples thought process at any stage of the design process. The brainstorming procedure is recommended by Osborn (1963) in his text on the subject. He states that it is a worth while exercise as it reduces the time needed to order the results. Although carefully controlled experiments have been carried out by Taylor, Berry and Block (1958) which argues Osborn’s theory that although there maybe a quantity of ideas its doubtful that they are of high quality. 

Throughout this book John Chris Jones has a unique approach to the philosophy of design and throughout is questioning the aims, purposes and goals of different design elements. He is questioning what design is and if design is more of a way of living in itself rather than  designing with a product in mind?

JOURNAL- KILLER PRODUCTS IN THE ECOSYSTEM: THE ROLE OF DESIGN IN KILLER PRODUCTS BY MELEHAT NIL GULARI

This article explores the similarities between the ecosystem and the market space. Killer products are compared to ‘killer weed’ which is a type of alga that stops other plants from growing, therefore may be harmful to the whole of the Eco system. Products are often described as killer as they cause other weaker companies similar to them to loose money or even go bust. Gulari analyses technical products such as iPod, QWERTY keyboards and digital cameras and summarises what makes a product so marketable and also the role that design has towards the popularity of the product. 

In certain markets often weaker, less desirable technologies are forced to gradually disappear when killer products arrive. Killer products are usually seen as smarter and more technologically innovative to the mass market. Applications which are useful or particularly significant such as new features, applications or functions are more compelling for consumers to buy as they are more superior to other technologies. The author also explores the effects of positive feedback which may cause a snowball effect and the network effect. The network effect is when a service becomes increasingly more valuable as people use it such as mobile phones, house phones and Internet therefore people are encouraged to become part of a system which increases profit for companies. The example of fax machines is used to illustrate Metcalfe’s law (figure 1). 

Figure 1

Radical innovation which is also known as ‘disruptive innovation’ is often a significant factor for particular markets as they are replace older technologies. Secondary sources such as The Innovator’s Dilemma by professor Clayton Christensen are mentioned in this journal which explains how a new product or service is able to take over other companies and disrupt an industry. 

Killer products are sure to influence an individuals choice, identity and freedom. They also affect human relations and communication habits. Nowadays it is all around us from email  and facebook to mobile phones and often if we meet someone that doesn't have one of these we would class them as a bit odd or old fashioned. A killer product maybe one which we feel that we couldn’t live without such as a telephone, how on earth would we contact anyone? 

IPod unlike any other media player don’t play music files from other stores therefore they created iTunes which is a clever way of expanding more profit. IPodsipod is advertised in different situations such as movies like Firewall, the Bridget Jones’ Diary and also TV series House.   

In this article we have assumed that the designers main role in creating a killer product is the approach of developing new technologies, to understand the users needs and expectations and looking for gaps in the market to explore further. This is an on going design process which is sure to evolve over the years. 

ACTIVITY 4B

Design methods by John Chris Jones evaluated many different methods to be used in certain design situations. This is a very important book for designers and is inspirational in many ways, not only does it show us many different ways of tackling design issues it gives us certain situations that it has been used in and what the author thinks about these processes- the strengths and weaknesses. John Chris Jones is a very respected designer who is the founder of the design methods movement and has been highly praised in many international journals. I have explored into more detail different sources which Jones has referenced to through out the book such as Christopher Alexander who adopts more clear and natural design approaches which are similar to Jones opinions. Also reviewed George Sturt’s book The Wheelwright’s Shop which is mentioned in part one of the design methods book which looks into how the working lives of the craftsmen has dispersed due to the large use of technology these days. Design Methods is a book which every designer should show interest in as it doesn’t need to be read page from page you are able to just flick through which methods that are most suitable for your project. 

Killer products in the ecosystem by Melehat Nil Gulari has been written in a very different way as it discusses caulerpa taxifolia (killer weed) in the ecosystem and comparing it to popular products. Although the viewer may feel that there isn’t really any point in adding information about the killer weed as this may not be as relevant. The paragraphs about each subject aren’t intertwined together as one they are separate, therefore seem less important to review them both at the same time.This journal article is easily understandable as it talks about very recognisable products which are popular in today's market such as the iPod, QWERTY keyboards and PC’s  so is easy to relate towards. We are given a glimpse  into today's market and what the designers role is towards products. This subject on great design has been researched further as I have looking into how Steve Jobs who is the inventor of Apple iPod and how he brought in third parties such as PortalPlayer to design the iPod. The main criteria for the iPod killer design is to work from the inside out, add components then produce a sleek and simple design which is unique to the market place. It’s also interesting to mention how Apple work together in partnership with both Sony and Toshiba to make the internal components. 

The writer, Melehat Nil Gulari is also a very well respected individual in the design world as she has received an honours bachelors degree in industrial design and has worked in many projects such as designing Fiat cars and working in IKEA’s design team.  

Although the article on Killer products in the ecosystem is totally different subject from Design Methods I feel that they support each other as Design Methods is about how to make designers think in a certain way so that they can have a broader outlook on design therefore making better products for certain markets while the article is talking about how to make products more popular that they become killer products. Both indicate certain methods in their design processes. As Design Methods was written in 1980 it is less up to date than the journal which was written in 2007 making the journal more adaptable to today's society. 

ACTIVITY 4C

If I was to further my knowledge in this field of interest I would research which methods are more effective traditional or new methods? I would also inspect further into what makes a product popular and how it is effecting other businesses. Such as how much impact did the Apple iPod have on say stereo systems or Walkmans. The technology world moves at such a fast pace, that I would look into new designs that are being launched into days market and discuss why they are either going to be killer products or are not going to have an impact on any area. Would the impact of great design businesses have a bad effect on our ecosystem and are killer products actually a good thing in today's society or are they crushing peoples individuality and relationships?      

ACTIVITY 4D

Alexander, C. (2005) Alexander centering [online], Architectureweek building culture.

Available: http://www.architectureweek.com/2005/0727/culture_1-1.html  [accessed 15/12/10]

AlexF. Osborn: Father of the brainstorm [online], Sky mark.

Available: http://www.skymark.com/resources/leaders/osborne.asp  [accessed 15/12/10]

 Crucial Marketing. (2006). Network Effect. Market Terms.com.

Available: http://marketingterms.com/dictionary/network_effect/

 [accessed 15/12/10]

Gulari, M. (2008) Killer products in the market ecosystem: the role of design in killer products, The Design journal, vol 11(3), Berg publishers: Oxford, pp239-254

Isaksen, S. (1998) A review of brainstorming research: six critical issues for 

inquiry [online]. Creativity research unit.

Available: http://www.cpsb.com/resources/downloads/public/302-Brainstorm.pdf

 [accessed 15/12/10]

Jones, J. (1992). Design methods. 2nd ed. Canada: John Wiley & sons, Inc.

Sherman, J. (2002) Inside the apple ipod design triumph [online]. Electronics design chain.

Available: http://www.designchain.com/conerstory.asp?issue=summer02 [accessed 15/12/10]

Sturt, G. (1923) The wheelwright’s shop, Cambridge university press: Cambridge.

Wallace, R. (2006) Be smart, be simple Design Management Review 17(2), pp 19-21

G CASINO FISH LOGO DESIGN!

As part of G casino's efforts to win the hearts and minds of the staff they are running workshops for all departments. 

The theme of these workshops is teamwork and customer service. One of the videos that they are showing is of a fish market in Seattle where the team have created a fun environment to work in despite working with smelly fish all day.The video shows how they encourage their customers to join in the fun and as a result they have crowds of people round their shop to see what is going on. G Casino would like to give all attendees a small gift to take away which will remind them of the messages that were discussed during the workshop.They were using the small t-shirts that you can stick on a car window and will have on one side the four messages from the fish video.

My brief was to design a fish that could be printed on the other side of the t-shirt.The fish had to be fun / cartoon style and incorporate the G Casino logo. 

Here is what I came up with and what designs were used for this:

SNOW, SNOW & MORE SNOW!!

The past week for me has been absolute madness! Snow, snow and more snow! I thought as the weekend went by finally the snow has stopped and it'll be back to university tomorrow. How wrong was I! Woke up this morning to the usual 6.30am alarm just to look out my window to see heavy snow falling from the sky.  As I made my way to the bus station with my welly boots, gloves and scarf on I thought to myself I have to make it to university today I've already missed a week because of the weather. I even packed a toothbrush just in case I got stranded in Dundee but i didn't even get that far. Firstly the trains weren't running to Dundee so there was a good amount of people waiting for my usually quiet bus. 45 minutes passed and finally my bus arrived, only to be told by the driver that the bus was going no further and the buses were cancelled to Dundee. Hopefully tomorrow is a more successful day for me and i can actually make it to university... who knows though with the weather being this unpredictable!

Here's some very snowy photos:

HOW DO BRANDING AND ADVERTISMENT INFLUENCE CHILDREN?

In Fridays lecture with Jonathan Baldwin we discussed how branding and advertisement influences shopping decisions. Advertisements don't make people want to buy the certain product, they are shown so that when you go into a shop and are wondering which product to buy, you always buy what is recognisable to you, which most of the time is something which has been advertised.

We also watched a panorama programme which highlights the issue of how influenced children are on branding. It was astonishing to see young children only picking clothes which are branded as they wanted to fit in at school and not get bullied for being different. For me when I was growing up I didn't care about branding I was more interested in being a kid- climbing trees and playing in the back garden with my siblings.

We are now living in a very materialistic world where the pressure for parents to buy expensive brands is sky high. To accommodate to there child's needs they are working more hours to buy brands but is it really worth it?

Here's an article from the Daily Mail about how branding effects children:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1043473/School-children-called-geeks-wearing-cheap-clothing.html

SOUTH AFRICA

After leaving school in 2006, at the age of 18 I travelled to Johannesburg in South Africa for 8 months. During this time I taught children between the ages of 7-14 art. In my spare time I used to meet up with one of the other teachers and paint and draw different african scenes.

 South Africa for me was a very inspirational place- full of colour and culture. It was such a huge leap for me to go from a very secure, ordinary day to day student life to becoming a teacher and living in a place that didn't seem the safest and without any recognisable faces around. During my time I travelled around the coast of South Africa back packing and went on safari.  Looking back on this experience I'm so glad I had this time to grow up, become independant and learn about the world. You can only learn so much from books but by far the biggest learning experience is when you have to imbrace a different culture and way of life.

ABOVE- My art classroom!

ABOVE- The school I taught in :)

ABOVE- Drumming class, when I first arrived in S.A.

HOW TELEVISION AND BRANDING BECOME STICKY- ASSIGNMENT 3

For this assignment I firstly started my research in the library, using both cross search and by browsing the shelves. For this assignment I focused on the book The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell I researched into how brands become more popular and become sticky. I started to browse the product design shelves then by reading the blurb on the back of the books was able to find the books which are with most relevance for my subject. I also researched online into different academic journals using the library database.

Bramston, D. (2009). Basics product design idea searching. Switzerland: AVA Publishing SA.

Explores subjects such as why we are drawn to certain brands and noticing certain target groups and how taking risks is an ideal part in searching for new ideas. This relates to back to the stickiness factor and how Sesame Street had to relate both to children and adults, therefore having to take risks.

Clarke, P. McAuley, A. (2010). Parental evaluation of popular brand names given as christmas gifts and sources of information used in these decisions. Journal of consumer marketing. 27 (6), p534-542

This article looks into what both parents want to buy children for Christmas and what the children really want for Christmas. While parents want to purchase traditional non branded toys for there children, children want the branded products as these are recognisable from toy advertisements. Children see branded products as a positive thing not only are they functional but they have a symbolic and emotional connection for the child. This explains why Sesame Street is not only a television programme but a brand as children feel a connection therefore crave these products.

Gulari, M. (2008) Killer products in the market ecosystem: the role of design in killer products, The Design journal, vol 11(3), Berg publishers: Oxford, pp239-254

Explores the similarities between killer weed and killer products. Examples of iPod, QWERTY keyboard and PCs are evaluated and there is a greater understanding of the designers impact on products. This refers to Sesame Street as they produced a wide variety of different products which became sticky. 

Jones, J. (1992). Design methods. 2nd ed. Canada: John Wiley & sons, Inc.

Using creative and scientific techniques this book explores methods that suit certain design situations so that it is easier for designers to associate well in different areas of the industry. This refers to Sesame Street as many scientific experiments were done to see what children where interested in on the television and what wasn't relevant for them so they could cut parts from the show. 

Noble, C. Kumar, M. (2010). Exploring the appeal of product design: a grounded, value-based model of key design elements and relationships. Journal of product innovation management. 27 (5), p640-657

Highlights that there is much more to design than function and form. One of the key factors to successful branding is to have many people behind the scenes to look into research and marketing. Many elements of Sesame Street were looked through by researchers, product designers, costume designers, interior designers, etc.

Lambie, M. (1997). Brand identity for television with knobs on. London: Phaidon Press Ltd.

This book provides an insight into television design and how popular scenes including certain identities, sequences and symbols. It also discusses how the programmes must create a relationship with the viewer. Researchers from Sesame Street looked into how the children interact and engaged with the programme.

Mittal, V. Walsh, M. Winterich, K. (2010). Do logo redesigns help or hurt your brand? The role of brand commitment. The journal of product & brand management. 19 (2), p640-657

Examines the impact that brand logo's have on the consumer. When changed committed customers mostly respond negatively to this as most people dislike change to products they already react so positively towards.

ASSIGNMENT 3B ONLINE RESOURCES

For part of my assignment I have produced a top 5 list of websites which are related to interior & environmental design. I found this very useful, some are websites which have helped me through the past couple of years to find research and interesting information on interiors and others are websites which I will most definitely use in the future.

TOP 5 INTERIOR DESIGN WEBSITES

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/

Greatly interesting website full of British architecture.

http://www.archdaily.com/

Exciting imagery, really creative, contemporary work, architectural news, products, projects, events and interviews from architecture around the world.

http://www.treehugger.com/

Is the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream, green news, design solutions and products.

http://www.dezeen.com/

This website shows the most popular and influential architecture and design blogs on the Internet. Wide variety of content and always updated.

http://www.architecturesdesign.com/

Explores emerging practices within architecture that aim to merge digital technologies and virtual spaces with tangible and physical spatial experiences.



I also created a top 5 list of other sites which are a mixture of interesting blogs & news reports, which I also have interests in.

TOP 5 NEWS WEBSITES

http://www.nexis.com/

This website is great for accurate and reliable information for research and news.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/

BBC is the largest broadcasting organisation in the world there programmes inform, educate and entertain.

http://www.esciencenews.com/

Keeping up to date with fast evolving science. Fascinating look into science subjects such as the environment, climate, health and medicine, psychology and sociology.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Great news website keeps you up to date on news culture, environment in both the the UK and around the world.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Updated constantly, full of news, travel, technology and fashion.

SELLING WAR LECTURE

In yesterdays lecture by Jonathan Baldwin we were discussing how visual language communicates to the viewer. We looked into war advertisement in Germany and Russia and compared this to the British advertisement. It was made clear from the images of  German & Russian advertisement that they used visual artists to design there posters and were aimed at a certain target audience were as the British were very direct in there approach to communicate to the viewer and there posters were simple and more effective as they were aimed at everyday working class people. 

                                                               

 We were also shown artwork in which war artists were sent out and embedded with the troops and painted what they saw there, these for me were very powerful. You are shown a glimpse of what it's like to work in those situations in Afghanistan where photographs are not allowed. For me this lecture made me understand how much impact advertisement and artwork has on viewers.

DESIGNINGMAKING- RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

For my latest project my brief was to in a group  research, develop, design and make a piece of furniture or object reflecting contemporary culture and domestic life. I firstly started by looking at contemporary furniture, product design and sustainable materials. Through brain storming we became interested in flat pack furniture and found some interesting approaches to this.

 We also agreed that we wanted to design a multi functional piece of furniture. This image is probably what started our flow of thought:

It's sleek, contemporary and can be used in multiple ways. We started to think about what we could design which is multifunctional, not only can it be moved but is also easy to put together and small enough that it can be useful in small dwellings. We researched into Ikea and the types of furniture they sell, who there target market is and sales statistics. From this we got a better idea of what route we should go down for our design. Through much development we eventually came up with quite an interesting design:

It is a desk, storage, bookcase and seat so would be suitable for any working individual in either a small dwelling or office. We have decided that we would use glossy laminate formica sheets in lime green and white as these are very fresh, funky and contemporary colours. To hold all the finger joints together were using cable ties as this is a different approach from using glue and is easier to transport the furniture as cable ties can be removed easily and are so widely available.

FURNITURE & TECHNOLOGY

After last weeks lecture on make things make sense I decided that I would research into how technology and furniture could work together as my latest project is to make a contemporary piece of furniture. I found some interesting pieces of furniture. One which is a rocking chair that comes with a built in speaker system that will rock your body to the sound of music stemming from your home theatre. This also has a concealed iPod dock along with dedicated controls and a display on the arm rest.Whats really interesting about this chair is that you can use it in a variety of ways for watching DVD's, listening to music or playing computer games.

Another great invention is this book light which works very simply- when the book is on the light the light goes off, when you remove the book to read it it lights up so you are able to read your book. I thought this

was a really great idea as it is very practical, easy to use and would work well in many homes.

Finally this  funky light seat which I found very eye catching by Kiwi & Pom, I could imagine this piece in a contemporary student space or at a funky disco bar. This illuminated piece of furniture is constructed from over 200 linear metres of elecroluminescent wire.

I feel that last weeks lecture has given me a greater understandment and a different outlook on design and technology working together. This is a great way of looking at design which I will carry on exploring through my projects in the future.

THE TIPPING POINT- HOW DOES SESAME STREET RELATES TO DESIGN?

For my mind map I looked into how Sesame Street relates to design. There is a vast amount of different designers that go into making Sesame Street from the obvious such as set designers who design the scenes which the show takes place, to the product designers who design the merchandise such as toys and games for the children who watch. 


 I decided to take this idea from my mind map and created an A2 poster which looks at how product design is a main part of Sesame Street as many products sell so well out there just because Sesame Street are branded on them. Through this assignment I have learnt how everything in life is designed from the chair we sit on to the food we consume. Absolutely everything!

V&A EXHIBITION WINNER

Recently I visited Abertay University where there was an exhibition showcasing 6 different designs for a new building which would be situated at the heart of Dundee's waterfront. Yesterday the winner was announced as Kengo Kuma & Associates. The museum which they have designed has a large interior space which the public can enjoy and surrounding this is a museum store, restaurant and cafe. I feel that this is a well worthy winner as it has a visually exiting impact both inside and out and will attract many visitors from Dundee and elsewhere.

MAKING THINGS, MAKE SENSE!

During yesterdays lecture we were asked to look at design and technology hand in hand and think about how this could integrate into our lives. There were quite a few interesting projects which Hazel White has been involved in. One which really interested me was the charm project in which she got a variety of individuals and gave them each a piece of jewellery, a pack of different charms and a book to log their responses. This was interesting how different people interacted in different ways to the piece of jewellery which they had and also the emotive response they had towards these pieces. We also looked into technology and the human form and how jewellery tells a story. Personally I feel that yes its an interesting avenue to explore for designers but also technology can be lost in translation and be hard to interact with without instructions which for many people such as the elderly who haven't always had technology around can find it hard to follow.

BRAINSTORMING SESSION!

Yesterday I met up with others from my course for some lunch and to chat about our brainstorming ideas. For each topic we got a large sheet of paper and post it notes and all added our ideas on how design relates to each topic in the book The Tipping Point, for my topic it's Sesame Street. We then all had a chat about what we had written, divided the notes into groups and went into more depth on how each topic relates to design subjects such as interiors, costume, etc.

 Our next activity is to produce either a mind map or an A2 poster for our chosen topic, which I will add to my blog in a couple of days!