The Equinox production 'Designing Dream Machines' (1995) follows English Industrial Designers, Richard Seymour and Dick Powell for 9 months.
The documentary highlights some critical aspects to developing successful product designs.
Early on, both Seymour and Powell draw attention to the importance of 'engineering appeal' to capture the interest of consumers. They call this quality the 'x-factor. The 'x-factor' immediately draws a consumer to one specific product. As Powell explains, with reference to kitchen appliances, a consumer often initially decides upon the product they want, and only then starts to consider it's functionality.
Powell also provides an insight into the juggling act of developing a successful design from concept to product. He notes that it is a constant challenge to provide adequate attention to each of the various aspects that make up a final product, including shape, ergonomics, functionality and price. This is a valuable tip as it is all too easy to become single-minded about one aspect of a design, only to neglect other significant aspects.
Over the course of the documentary, it is apparent that Seymour and Powell are constantly mindful of the end-user. This is highlighted by how frequently they directly seek out fed-back from consumers, retailers and producers.
Seymour's designing of the BSA Bantam motorcycle is particularly interesting and challenging because of the power of the brand. Unlike the project involving Tefal, the BSA undertaking needs to say 'BSA' immediately to the consumer. This poses significant challenges and displays just how important shape, and form can be to a product. It again, also showcases the importance of receiving consumer feed-back, as this process allows Seymour to capture the market's impression of what constitutes the essence of a BSA motorcycle.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Project 3 -Upcycling Unwanteds
Product Poster -
DIY vacuum former -
The Fridge Frame concept was driven by a consideration of the unwanted material. My initial considerations revolved around using unwanted plastic. During this period I considered a variety of plastics including plastic bags. I finally chose to work with milk bottles due to the smooth surface, uniform colour and workability of the material.
The notion of creating a frame from unwanted plastic seemed an appealing means of taking advantage of the light weight nature of the material. The light-weight of the frame also allowed the item to b easily affixed to a fridge with the us of a magnet.
The construction of the frame was performed using vacuum forming. This was a challenging undertaking, but allowed the HDPE (milk bottle) to be transformed into varying shapes, that would not have been otherwise achievable.
The final frame has a frosted glass appearance, and offers a light-weight means of affixing photos to the refrigerator.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Project 2: Postal Presents
The Pencil Hub
The 'Pencil Hub' was design as a response to the 'Postal Presents' brief, which required a functional item that could be mailed in a C4 postage envelope. The product is constructed with a 6mm clear acrylic base. The top comprises of 1mm polypropylene sheeting with a 2mm EVA foam underlay.
My intention was to create a functional pencil holder that emphasises the fun and playfulness associated with drawing. The shape, colour and textures of the various sheet materials have all been chosen with a mind to engaging the user, and creating a lighthearted atmosphere.
My initial designs for the 'Pencil Hub' played with the general silhouette created by pencils sticking out from a sheet material. This silhouette immediately reminded me of an echidna's shape.
My preliminary designs focused on manipulating the shape of the echidna. As such, the initial models had an a-symmetric profile. However, as the model progressed, the general shape evolved and became more sophisticated. This was an anticipated result of playing with the animal shape and progressively identifying the essence of the shape. At this point the model took on a semi-circular profile.
A key challenge to designing the Pencil Hub was creating an item consisting of sheet materials, that is visually attractive, while remaining easy to construct. It was with these challenges in mind, that the final form emerged. The two piece construction (the 'Pencil Hub' is mailed as two pieces: top and bottom), offers a user-friendly, intuitive assembly, while the minimalism also provides an elegance to the product.
The choice of colours (blue polypropylene, and green EVA foam) are as much about deriving an emotional response, as they are about the function of the product. The colour contrast highlights where to place pencils, and also indicates which side of the sheet is 'up' when constructing the product (no circles are visible on the under-side).
In essence the Pencil Hub is about bringing a sense of fun to the work desk, in a functional, and elegant package.
The 'Pencil Hub' was design as a response to the 'Postal Presents' brief, which required a functional item that could be mailed in a C4 postage envelope. The product is constructed with a 6mm clear acrylic base. The top comprises of 1mm polypropylene sheeting with a 2mm EVA foam underlay.
My intention was to create a functional pencil holder that emphasises the fun and playfulness associated with drawing. The shape, colour and textures of the various sheet materials have all been chosen with a mind to engaging the user, and creating a lighthearted atmosphere.
My initial designs for the 'Pencil Hub' played with the general silhouette created by pencils sticking out from a sheet material. This silhouette immediately reminded me of an echidna's shape.
My preliminary designs focused on manipulating the shape of the echidna. As such, the initial models had an a-symmetric profile. However, as the model progressed, the general shape evolved and became more sophisticated. This was an anticipated result of playing with the animal shape and progressively identifying the essence of the shape. At this point the model took on a semi-circular profile.
A key challenge to designing the Pencil Hub was creating an item consisting of sheet materials, that is visually attractive, while remaining easy to construct. It was with these challenges in mind, that the final form emerged. The two piece construction (the 'Pencil Hub' is mailed as two pieces: top and bottom), offers a user-friendly, intuitive assembly, while the minimalism also provides an elegance to the product.
The choice of colours (blue polypropylene, and green EVA foam) are as much about deriving an emotional response, as they are about the function of the product. The colour contrast highlights where to place pencils, and also indicates which side of the sheet is 'up' when constructing the product (no circles are visible on the under-side).
In essence the Pencil Hub is about bringing a sense of fun to the work desk, in a functional, and elegant package.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Annie Leonard: The Story of Stuff
In 'The Sotry of Stuff', Annie Leonard exposes the fundamental flaw in the 'production cycle'.
The 'production cycle' is the method of production adopted by every developed nation, and increasingly by the developing world. The cycle starts from natural resources and continues through production to product use. The fundamental flaw in this cycle is that it is actually not a 'cycle', but rather a linear process. As a result the end product is never re-integrated into the natural environment. Used products are discarded and pollute the natural environment.
Annie Leonard highlights the urgency of this issue by noting that 30% of the worlds resources have been used in the last 4 decades. She also recognises that it is not only the government that is responsible (through regulatory supervision), but also the individuals. People have the power to change these methods by altering their purchasing habits to be environmentally mindful. Ultimately it is the individual consumer, and their money that will motivate change.
The 'production cycle' is the method of production adopted by every developed nation, and increasingly by the developing world. The cycle starts from natural resources and continues through production to product use. The fundamental flaw in this cycle is that it is actually not a 'cycle', but rather a linear process. As a result the end product is never re-integrated into the natural environment. Used products are discarded and pollute the natural environment.
Annie Leonard highlights the urgency of this issue by noting that 30% of the worlds resources have been used in the last 4 decades. She also recognises that it is not only the government that is responsible (through regulatory supervision), but also the individuals. People have the power to change these methods by altering their purchasing habits to be environmentally mindful. Ultimately it is the individual consumer, and their money that will motivate change.
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