Bennett is very focused on the idea of the small details of life that people take for granted and using those small details to fuel design and solutions. Stuff as mundane as using a pole to rest your bicycle against or tying your teabag string around your cup handle creates an idea that can potentially become a design. He explains that a lot of designs are staring you right in the face and we don’t even know it which after watching this video, I strongly agree with.
Another point Bennett made was that every aspect of a situation has to be considered when designing a product. Not only what the user perceives to be their need but also the uncurious needs that they do not notice. Two of the illustrations he used for this was when nurses felt they needed a new two handed gadget for spinal surgery but when more closely examined, they situation that most nurses found themselves in would only allow them the use of one hand and thus the brief and design had to be modified. The second illustration was that of one of the Ikea designers redesigning storage for kids. To do this he had to completely forget about the conventions of storage and think like a child which resulted in a very unusual way to store things.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Yves Behar: Creating objects that tell stories
Usually when one thinks design, they think ergonomics, function or aesthetics but very rarely do they think values. That was what this video was trying to drive home, the important of values in design. Most of his designs have human values in mind, for example the water bottles for more healthy drinks as well as a an ingenious “toy” that encourages imagination and the $100 laptop was designed with the thought of less fortunate children in mind which ultimately directed the design.
As well as values, Behar also touches on the “full human experience” which is what he kept in mind when working on a few of his projects. He didn’t want to just “reskin” the old technology but completely overhaul the design from the inside out working on every aspect of the design to create a completely new experience as well as a design. This is something I feel to be quite important as design isn’t just about stealing an idea and tweaking it but should be about a completely new way of doing something or thinking.
As well as values, Behar also touches on the “full human experience” which is what he kept in mind when working on a few of his projects. He didn’t want to just “reskin” the old technology but completely overhaul the design from the inside out working on every aspect of the design to create a completely new experience as well as a design. This is something I feel to be quite important as design isn’t just about stealing an idea and tweaking it but should be about a completely new way of doing something or thinking.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Ross Lovegrove: The power and beauty of organic design
After watching that video I cant get past how huge an ego that man has although not much can be said about it because he has designed and worked on some very beautifully and interesting designs. About his opinion about more organic design in the future I cant help but to wonder if that is truly the path the industry is taking. I do believe that design may become more environmentally aware and may use organic matter as inspiration but I cant agree on everything that lovegrove proposes. A lot of his designs seem to be more art than product and this may suit him just fine but looking into the future, the function and practicality of the product must be in a balance with the ascetics and sustainability of the design. I think the main take-home message I get from this video is that belief in ones ideas are essential to design success, however the ability to take onboard other ideas and opinions are just as important.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
David Kelley: The future of design is human-centered
After watching that video I am quite inspired and excited about the direction in which the design world is heading. The ideas and concepts that were presented in the video all show a much stronger human centered and environment centered approach to technology that seems to be catching on and growing. From the Prada store becoming more interactive and becoming a completely new shopping experience to the ease of scuba diving without even getting wet, the advances in technology is quite refreshing and I can’t help but be excited about the future.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Good Design
Ezy-As
The Ezy-As is a pressure garment applicator that can be used for both arms and legs. It was primarily designed and manufactured to reduce the pain, time and effort involved in putting on these garments. The device itself is made from a durable, high-impact plastic and comes in three sizes, small, medium and large. It allows patients to put on a wide range of compression garments including knee high or full leg stockings either open or closed toe, tubular bandages including the shaped support style, travel socks and arm gauntlets as well as others.
Line – The lines are quite ridged and straight and although there are some curves to the design, the lines are there for purpose and functionality rather than ascetics.
Balance – The only point of balance for the Ezy-As is its larger “u” shaped base on which it is suppose to stand.
Contrast – The ridged straight corners and lines of the outer side contrast to the smooth round curves of the back side of the Ezy-As. Each has and serves a different purpose.
Form – It has a cheap, ridged looking, “get the job done” form that makes it look durable and simplistic to use.
Colour – The colour provides a quick reference to the different sizes while also giving it a lively feel in the hospital or clinical setting.
Texture – Smooth, durable plastic created by injection molding.
Proportion – Solid colour and shape. Larger at the bottom to allow for more balance when the product is not in use.
The Ezy-As is a pressure garment applicator that can be used for both arms and legs. It was primarily designed and manufactured to reduce the pain, time and effort involved in putting on these garments. The device itself is made from a durable, high-impact plastic and comes in three sizes, small, medium and large. It allows patients to put on a wide range of compression garments including knee high or full leg stockings either open or closed toe, tubular bandages including the shaped support style, travel socks and arm gauntlets as well as others.
Line – The lines are quite ridged and straight and although there are some curves to the design, the lines are there for purpose and functionality rather than ascetics.
Balance – The only point of balance for the Ezy-As is its larger “u” shaped base on which it is suppose to stand.
Contrast – The ridged straight corners and lines of the outer side contrast to the smooth round curves of the back side of the Ezy-As. Each has and serves a different purpose.
Form – It has a cheap, ridged looking, “get the job done” form that makes it look durable and simplistic to use.
Colour – The colour provides a quick reference to the different sizes while also giving it a lively feel in the hospital or clinical setting.
Texture – Smooth, durable plastic created by injection molding.
Proportion – Solid colour and shape. Larger at the bottom to allow for more balance when the product is not in use.
For more information about the Ezy-As please visit:
http://www.designawards.com.au/application_detail.jsp?status=4&applicationID=3442
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Shape of a scent
For our first class in ides 1031 we were given separate scents and told to create a container for them. The container had to reflect every aspect of the scent we were given. The scent my group was given turned out to be a perfume by Cindy Crawford. This is the shape I came up with:
The shape reflects how I interpreted the smell. The smooth fragile petal like base was my representation of the fragile, subtle and smooth smell I experienced when I first smelt the fragrance. After smelling the fragrance for awhile, however, I found it became a lot stronger and had a more raw potent smell. I represented this by the center “bud” of the shape which I made by ripping the plasticine to create a “raw” look about it.
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The shape reflects how I interpreted the smell. The smooth fragile petal like base was my representation of the fragile, subtle and smooth smell I experienced when I first smelt the fragrance. After smelling the fragrance for awhile, however, I found it became a lot stronger and had a more raw potent smell. I represented this by the center “bud” of the shape which I made by ripping the plasticine to create a “raw” look about it.
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