Objectified

Objectified is a documentary about the complexity in manufactured objects we have today. Objectified deals with the relationship of products, the people that use them and most importantly the designers that designed them. After watching this video I was completely inspired, not knowing on what to expect I haven’t seen many documentaries set out on design and its explicit focus on just design in products. This video was probably the most inspiring one amongst the others I’ve watched and reflected this past semester. One of the most inspiring and insightful quotes in the documentary came out of Dieter Rams a former design director for BRAUN in Germany as he says Design is : Innovative, It must sell the product, aesthetically pleasing, product is honest, unobtrusive, consistent in detail, environmentally friendly and offcourse the most important in my opinion must look as little as designed as possible. This quote made out by Rams pretty much sums up a perfect design an affective design that qualifies and progresses through the mentioned points and stages. He also states that there are very few companies that work by that manor but the ones that do are extremely successful as an example was brought out by apple.

Objectified spans through a number of different designers from Marc Newson to Karim Rashid, to big car developers such as Chris Bangle and leaders and directors of big firms such as Smart design and IDEO. Every single designer had their own opinion towards what good design was and every single opinion is credible and understandable, ideas that can be taken into account and implemented as a young designer I am today. One of the most interesting scenes I have taken a longing to for my future scene would be the design offices and practices of SMART design in New York. The way they tackle issues for example handles through the development of many working practical prototypes with a mix of human interaction for the development of an optimum beneficial solution. I would like to see myself in that scenario working with a team going through different stages of design development in a more practical manor suggestive manor.

Objectified was a very inspirational documentary, I found it very insightful in terms of what to expect once I get out into the industry and by the looks of what there is to expect, challenges to face and resolve I am quite excited. Objectified should be watched by every student for a gathering of inspiration and clarification on what a product is when it comes to designing.

An Inconvenient Truth

This documentary deals with the increased human influence on global warming. The documentary is a very educational source in reaction to climate change and the affects that have been put on to the environment in the past decades. Al Gore a former runner for president explains some of his research and findings due to the affect of Co2 gas and the relation it has to climate change and global warming. Through a number of charts, graphs, photographs and many witnesses he helps bring up and uphold his argument. After watching this documentary I was a little stunned on the affects of some certain areas for example glacier struck areas in Peru and South America just melting away at a drastic pace. It wasn’t just the southern hemisphere but he also had some examples of similar affects in the northern hemispheres where the ice caps of Nepal are going through the same process. Therefore it is evident that global warming is a global phenomenon not just a study or affect that came out of one region of the planet.

An Inconvenient truth is a documentary that helps raise awareness in the classroom in regards for finding a proper solution for this issue. The documentary itself is packed with evidence. Them being true or not, believable or unbelievable to certain scientific groups are a separate issue but there is enough evidence to comprehend and realise that there is something different happening in the world today. It is a great source for the classroom in these upcoming generations to learn and understand on how the future will develop if action isn’t taken at a serious level.

Studying Industrial Design this video is quite important into understanding and seeing the specific changes to the planet caused by climate change. Every designer has their own understanding of climate change and its causes being false or real. A video like this is necessary to watch to expand a little bit more knowledge on the subject and decide from then on because a video like this brings allot of insight and suggestion on what could happen if we disregard or disagree with something that is pending in time.

Reflection.

Product service system

Modular Vertical garden system.

Assignment 2 was a little different to any another assignment I have encountered in the past studio assignments over the years. The description and the requirements of the assignment to me were a little bit vague at first but after reading up articles of research in relation to different product service systems it finally started to make sense. The biggest difference to this assignment from all the other was that it was a group assignment and it being a group assignment everyone had very different opinions and views on design which created the biggest challenge of all, which came down to including a little bit of everyone’s thoughts into the final design.
The variety of systems we could have went by and pursued would be health, food and transportation. We research all three and some had more systems within them than the others for example health and transportation which amongst those two had some really good system and there was no reason of refinement and improvement. Food was the category we went by because we saw a big gap in the health food sector and figured that a product system needs to be put in to improve involvement in this category with a sustainable manor.

The modular vertical garden system was the finished product we came up with which works in a PSS system within the community garden for the maximisation of space and involvement inside the community garden population. Designing the system wasn’t a problem; we came up with it within the first week of research but coming up with a product that runs that system was the biggest challenge of them all. Every week we would come in with a new product to fit into this system, it ranged from starter pack baskets, hydroponic pots, fernery, a moving wall and a number of different concepts for a vertical garden. Most concepts and ideas were unrelated or already on the market that’s why we had to think deeper into a product that is different and provides necessity. The modular vertical garden system was a great idea and concept it was easy to construct with minimum instructions for the users and its design was well suiting for a community garden after looking at it from developed renders in its primary setting. Our biggest challenge in the design was the selection of an appropriate material. We wanted the material to be appropriate in an outdoor setting which prevents it from UV radiation as well as rain and heavy winds. PP was the selected material since its worked with all categories of degradation, our biggest downfall was that our pots came in a white colour which we came to realise in the final days of completion, white meaning it is a virgin plastic not recycled giving us a bad choice on material selection. This was a great lesson learned from this mistake and would be carried through material consideration in the years to come.

The project in my opinion went well.Learning and researching diffrent PSS models and their succes in this current economy was a great benefit to understand and implement.PSS should be included in many products for the boost of sustainablity adn the economy in this current stretch of time.

Every group member contributed evenly and had constructive opinions for the final design. My favourite part about building this model would be the model making, model renders and offcourse working with my group members. The model surprisingly took us 4 days to make; we were all skilled in the workshop so we worked on separate parts at once which came out with a great finish in the end.

Story of Electronics, Story of Bottled Water.

After watching the video “Story of Electronics “ and the “Story of Bottled Water” part of the “Story of Stuff” project I have gained allot of insight into the lifecycle of electrical products as well as something vastly consumed as bottled water. The Story of Electronics was the more intuitive one of the videos in terms of finding out and learning new concerns of its affection to the environment. As It was pointed out in the video many electronics are designed to break, basically designed for obsolescence so we can go out and purchase a new one every time there is an improvement for example computers and their updated processes. As a consumer of lots of technology I tend to stick with a purchased item as long as I can hold on to it regardless of it being slow or incapable of many things in comparison to what is out there. I have been aware of this design strategy for quite some time now and from then on it has taught me not to consume as much or be sucked in for the latest craze of technology because before that i was just that, had piles of broken low quality mobile phones along with mp3 players just jammed up in a drawer not knowing on what to do with them even though some of them still worked perfectly. As the video stated there a strategy for future designers is to design products that would last to reduce pollution and waste due to them being obsolete in the near future. I totally agree with such strategy and I also believe that there are some brands and appliances that do uphold that notion even today with their high quality products along with their warranty and ease of part replacement. I’ve still got products in the house that have served me well for more than 10 years and those are the companies and brands I am loyal to first.

In regards to bottled water, the short documentary film was very insightful and I believe I am a part of the cause in terms of reducing waste due to bottled water. I use my water bottle for all my water consumption only when I am somewhere where tap water isn’t accessible that brings me to a point of purchasing bottled water which I then reuses over a period of time in the future.

I do agree these videos are very important to industrial designers especially the electronics one since it deals straight with the refinement of current product design techniques and it states quite specifically that it’s time for a change.

Reflection

Reflection

After finishing this assignment I have gained more knowledge and interest in what it takes to design a disaster aid product. The experience wasn’t easy especially for the target group I was designing for. Bangladesh is a very poor country and designing something cheap and affective for that community comes as a challenge. The float pack in my opinion was a great solution to the individuals living in the monsoon affected regions of Bangladesh. Those regions are affected greatly every year experiencing large amounts of flooding and great loss to vegetation. With these areas been isolated from land and surrounded by great amounts of water there is no easy access to reach these people and the only alternative will be by boat. If these food packages can be distributed to those affected regions civilians have great convenience in picking up their aid. The afterlife will also be affective as there is a more convenient way of transporting valuables along flood affected regions.
Another issue to think about in this design would be to think of a system and how it would be run by the aid workers. For example how many bags will they distribute? Will they distribute new bags or will they take them back? A number of issues still need a bit of thought in order for this project to work properly in terms of distribution and system.

The model prototype was quite a challenge to produce, this being the first time I have ever worked with a fabric to create an appearance model. Figuring out the size and dimensions of the overall product was also a challenge as I had to calculate the volume of air needed to provide a 15 kg rice sack buoyancy in water. Those 2 aspects of the model were the most challenging.

In overall I think this assignment had turned out well if provided with a little extra time I would progress with finding an ideal system of distribution. This assignment has taught me a lot in terms of materials cost and efficiency. It has also taught me about the many devastation disasters that had occurred in the past 20 years and the dramatic affects it had on the people, learning on how to decrease that devastation toll through design is a great matter to consider.

Rational
Gleb Labazine 3293245
Designing for disaster.

Float Pack:

The basis of my concept is focusing on the cyclone regions of Bangladesh, typically areas that are strongly affected by the monsoon season. The region affected experiences heavy floods and cyclones during that season due to its land being way below sea level. A lot of crops and vegetations are lost during this season of disaster. People affected in these areas are usually isolated and surrounded by water where the only way to reach them is by boat.

The Float Pack is a food aid distribution package and it provides to those in affected areas a more effective and reliable way of receiving their emergency food aid. The Float pack will carry a 10kg sack of rice along water to serve per individual. It has inflatable qualities along sides to keep it afloat and is made from a waterproof material that similar to a dry bag (PVC coated nylon). It has back pack straps, adjusters and clipping so it can then be used as a back pack to transmit the contents of the bag (it being rice) across land to a nearby village, a safe haven or a place of refuge.

The Float Pack is distributed off boats into waters where the rice sacks are put into the Float Pack then inflated with a Co2 gas gun. With the application of pressurized air within the inflatable properties the bag conveys more buoyancy when it is thrown out into the water, therefore less change of it sinking once it hits the water surface. The inflatable component of the bag was designed by the measurements of volume contained by conventional air and the amount of it needed in cubic meters to keep a 10 kg bag afloat. If the bag is blown manually through the manual valve it would be just as effective as pressurizes air in terms of keeping the weight afloat.

Once an individual has The Float Pack in their sight they would drag it in to shore and fit it on as a backpack. Once they have reached the safe refuge they can take out the contents and keep this bag for future comings. This would include packing their valuables in a secure waterproof bag and a means of transporting them safely along water from one place to another over a period of time. The material this it is constructed from is a food safe material, it would keep the contents safe from leakage and contamination. Instructions are also included on the bag which are only represented in a graphical form for aid workers and receivers to understand the practicality of this bag on how it should be used and prepared.

Due to my research I have discovered that there really isn’t a conventional method of distributing food along water to those in need in flood affected areas. What my research has showed me were people lining up in heavy flooded conditions, standing waist high in line waiting for their rice sack. It has also showed that there is great difficulty bringing back the sack of food onto dry land without dropping the sack into contaminated water. That is where this idea took off, providing a more efficient system of distributing food can create a more affective, healthy and an unproblematic method of receiving food especially in that affected region.

Giving packaging a new life.

After watching the 7 prescribed videos I have gained more insight and knowledge in the recycling methods of different materials. Understanding how the waste is separated and sorted out with a number of sorting methods which are selected for each material made me realize the complexity of the recycling procedure. Each method of separation is exclusive to the material that is being recycled, for example metal is picked up by a magnet, composites are picked up by infrared technology which them separates the material in two and paper is turned into slurry when it is shredded and soaked in water baths. This makes the process more systematic and efficient and the process is always being updated and refined with new technology.

The product life cycle is also well demonstrated in this video swiftly and concise. It mentioned in one of the videos that at the beginning of the 90’s there was no suitable way of recycling plastic and the only way to get rid of it was to put it into an incinerator and burn it. I’m glad they found a solution to their recycling dilemma, a solution that made the material more reliable, credible and efficient after its use, since it can be reused on an ongoing cycle for development of other products.

Learning about the different stages and different element of recycling is crucial and important at this stage of industrial design. With the knowledge gathered designers can focus on the life of the product along with its efficiency of being recycled without leaving a mark on the environment.

My Ecological Footprint


http://myfootprint.org/en/your_results/?id=1168621











Judging by this survey Im a little below average on most things except food. If I maintain my way of life of how im spending it now,It still creates some sort of impact on my part of preserving our planets ecosystem. I eat healthy, enough to sustain my well being so lowering my food footprint will only cause loss to my physical health. I guess eating more green and less meat is an option and a diet that can be induced and considered.

Experience Enrichment: Peer comments.

http://jasonvergara.blogspot.com/- Jason Vergara
http://alissahsanders.blogspot.com/- Alissa Sanders
http://danielkotzen.blogspot.com/- Daniel Kotzen
http://mmlockley.blogspot.com/- Mitch Lockley
http://lam-angela.blogspot.com/- Lam-Angela

Upcycling Peer Coments

http://hyo-jucho.blogspot.com/- Hyu-Ju-Cho
http://stanleywong1.blogspot.com/- Stanley Wong
http://z3255629christopherhui.blogspot.com/ - Christopher Hui
http://mmlockley.blogspot.com/- Mitch Lockley
http://juliaryxiao.blogspot.com/- Julia

SEYMOUR POWELL: DESIGNING DREAM MACHINES

Designing dream machines discusses the industrial design role in more complexity and understanding as they perform in their practice. With basic design steps of the development process a product can be achieved which satisfies the consumer and the target market with its successful innovation.

Firstly there needs to be a clear understanding between you and the fellow consumer this can be achieved through constant communication with the consumer so both the parties are on the same page. A brainstorm of ideas is the initial step in design and vital in the design process of a product. With the brainstorm there are ways of communicating the design in a clearer sense such as drawing and sketching the concept ideas of the product. The designer should understand the product well along with its target requirements so the proposed ideas don’t become rejected which a designer must take in well and look at as an opportunity of refinement and redevelopment as an understanding has been reached.

This video was very interesting and informative as we get to take an inside look of how industrial designers operate first hand. Very helpful in the identification of the many processes which will generate a lot of help in my future assignment and career.

Ross Lonegrove - Organic Design

Ross Lonegrove is after intelligent form which he believes can be captured from nature alone. These holistic forms can have an effect on people’s emotions, leading them on to inspiring nature as a basis for design or other outlooks. He nicknames himself as Captain Organic for that very purpose.

Many of the designs he had presented came from his idea of a natural form or how the form of natural objects can make design more pleasant to look at and admire. In his beginning design presentation he had demonstrated his idea of “skin of water” by presenting us with a water bottle. The concept of the water bottle he had proposed looks very natural in its form when the water is inside the vessel. Not only does it look natural it also performs natural things such as the fitting of any hand and usability in relation to the ergonomics of the primary design. Ideas such as this should be well experimented in many designs today since we will become more appealed to it through it overwhelming emotion.

The car idea that he had projected wasn’t for my liking but on the basis of natural design it fall in well into that category. Not only is it a car that is run by battery (which already limits the hazard impacts on the environment from our current cars) but it also turns into a street light form many other sustainable purposes. The cars shape and form is very unordinary and I guess we aren’t ready for that change but in the future time will tell as more and more sustainable solutions will be need due to the current affects of the world right now.

As an industrial designer this video has been very informative and has opened up my eyes to newer more effective ways of thinking about design and demonstrating it. With a more natural form more can be achieved and learned from not only just an object but also from the natural environment.

The story of stuff- Annie Leonard

At this day and age the current “linear system” doesn’t look very promising for the ease of a sustainable environment. Not many of us are aware of what this linear design beholds within its process; in reality it is actually putting our societies, culture and the environment into great danger. With a finite amount of resources we have available to us the process is bumping up against its limits.

The linear system includes the extraction, production, and disposal stage all these stages produce harm into our planet with every step. In her research she had pointed that 80% of the world’s natural recourses are wasted and at the pace we are driven now by industries it isn’t long since all of it will be put to waste.

Because of our consumer driven ways happiness has depleted from the 1950’s with the amount of advertisements we see now on TV, they give us an urge and compulsion to go out and buy more. Little do we know that our current stuff will become obsolete and eventually turned into trash, ready for disposal. After we have cleared those things from our life the cycle of ruining the earth will begin again adding more toxins into the atmosphere leaving us less hope for a cleaner future.

As an industrial design this video is critical to our understanding of sustainable design. Things should be designed more on the basis of lasting longer and for a further trend than an obsolete design that is perceived to break and may need an immediate replacement. Design should avoid the current linear system and work on a newer more sustainable effort for the production of new things.

Magazine notebook sleeve.

The magazine being in the same proportion size of a 15 inch notebook triggered off an idea of a seemingly purposeful design for a laptop sleeve. Street magazines are placed there for the public to take free, the more magazines taken the more waste it will create, the more useless they are. They are usually seen lying around on sidewalks, piled up in the corner of your room or jammed between seats on trains. The magazines are of no value meaning if anything these sleeves will be very profitable with a greater use and value. Street magazines especially BRAG have very pleasing graphics and striking colours which work well on the aesthetic grounds of this laptop sleeve. Having a magazine laptop sleeve has a concept that undermines other people’s perception and thought to other convention laptop carry cases or sleeves we see today. Almost deceiving in its context as it is recognized as a magazine, it is made on the basis of it being a product with more purposeful use and one’s enrichment.