Bill Moggridge: What is design?

Bill Moggridge: What is Design?

Bill Moggrigde’s “What is Design” establishes the broad spectrum of what ‘design’ can be. Throughout his talk, Moggridge describes the variety of ways design can be explored through prototyping, social networking and innovation. Through the process of creating ideas, we are able to construct versatile innovations , and re invent previous creations to adapt to modern society.

Human interaction is a key element to the designing process, we learn by doing and most of what we do is subconscious. We use this for design to harness our attributes and through various methods, learning and analysing are able to provide thoughtful design.

Moggridge states that design is no longer just about creating a product, but now days more about thinking how design creates a feeling of what it is. We explore three significant elements consisting of context, personal and social environment. Rather than just design things today, it has now expanded to health and well being too. We are continually making design more accessible to society, making everything we do more interactive and beneficial.

Social networking, technology allows us to have a greater intertwined connection such as the Tangible Earth Demonstration that communicates using media. The flexi glass earth, is computerised and moves through hand movement gives a whole new dimension of design.

By making design more accessible, such as the social innovation of getting water, they’ve  applied a sustainable book on how to achieve cleaner water. So the design process now has delved to a much deeper level and significant focused on a social impact. Moggridge describes how we continually have sustainable design and yes we should choose materials that save the environment , but we should also look into the greater aspects of renewable energy. Such as the organic insulation made from mycelium which is much more beneficial and made entirely from organic materials.

Design is no longer about just creating new products to be aesthetically appealing, but rather to be explored at a greater aspect on how it can be beneficial socially and environmentally as well.

Peer Comments

Cherrie Fellisia http://cf-indesign.blogspot.com/2011/09/project-1-studio-2011-mortar-pestle.html?showComment=1316004069470#c4961784719409898365

Patrick Dunn http://patrickdunnindustrialdesign.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog-post_8876.html?showComment=1316005737132#c6612689373728188394

Kirstie Cocokios http://kirstiecocokiost.blogspot.com/2011/09/experience-enrichment.html?showComment=1316006200259#c8611949832659546661

Oun Vimolpatranon http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6561537982608082039&postID=2757288373634078349&isPopup=true

Kevin Peng http://kevinpeng3373311.blogspot.com/2011/09/potato-peeler.html#comments

Product Poster Usage Storyboard and Hero Shot

Rationale

Rationale

The appearance of an Ice Cream Scoop does not always initiate the feeling and presumption that it is wanted to be picked up and placed in our hand to be used. My redesign of this universally used tool is to create a more pleasurable experience whilst using this typical household instrument. The focus of my design is to initiate our senses both sensually and visually to create a tool that will trigger a feeling of delight and pleasure. Conventionally, ice cream scoops tend to appear like a giant spoon that is chunky and not aesthetically appealing to hold. My intentions for this redesign of an ice cream scoop was to achieve a product unique and unconventional, yet still appealing to the consumer market. I wanted to create an ice cream scoop that initiated a connection and produce the thoughts of what it feels like to have ice cream. I decided to create a cone shape ice cream scoop to illustrate and present a playful connotation of what the utensil would be used for. The simplistic cone structure is made from one sheet of metal (for the appearance model I have used Aluminium) which is then hammered which then forms into a cone structural.  Ergonomically the cone structure can be comfortably and easily held in either hand. Unlike conventional ice cream scoops, the opening mouth of the cone allows easy scooping of the ice cream, even through hard ice cream with ease.  The product would be made of stainless steel as it would achieve and maintain a flawless elegance to it all. Being created from a single template that is then bent and moulded around a cone form, it is much easier for manufacturing as it only consists of a few steps in producing  the product. The Conical Ice Cream Scoop is an unconventional creation of the classic ice cream scoops,  the cone shaped scoop not only is individual but also is playful and appealing to the consumer market.

Annie Leonard: The Story of Stuff

Annie Leonard: The Story of Stuff

Annie Leonard really delves into a deeper insight of how humans are the main source of initiating all these problems associated around the world. Over time it is in our nature as human to feel the need to continually buy more stuff. There are many continual domino effects starting off with Material Economy which is created by the Government and Cooperation. This then leads to extraction, natural exportation and trashing of the earth. Leonard explains and provides a greater picture on how our earth is rapidly running out of resources, and we are undermining the ability to live here on this earth.

Our modern day society socially accepts that when something breaks too easily it is much better off to by a new one rather than repair it. Our over consumption of products has reduced to a ridiculous amount of waste that is stored or incinerated. When developed countries have used all their room for storing and ‘removing’ waste we ship it off to third world countries. In the long term this does not do any benefits to the earth at all. Either way, the energy used to remove our waste produces heavy amounts of toxic chemicals with synthetic toxics creating toxins out. 80% of the earth’s original forestry has gone, and toxic chemicals are building up through our food chain. The constant loss of local areas, people living in these areas from third world countries are forced to move into society’s large cities and to find jobs working with harsh chemicals.  These chemicals can cause significant damage to the body externally and internally and effect our environment.

Our planet produces way too much pollution, consisting of over four billion pounds of toxic chemicals/year, with this continual outcome, and continual growth of the world’s population are planet may soon longer have not enough resources.

We are a nation of consumers. In the 1950’s, it was designed to ramp up the economy with consumer goods that were ‘planned obsolescence’ ---> designed for the dump. Stuff was cheap so that it would break easily, making us instead of repairing it (because it would be more expensive) we would buy what seemed to be a newer and better improved product. It has become part of our human nature to shop continually, wanting more, getting the latest trends so that we will be valued and accepted into present society. Through studies and research it seems that the more stuff we have the less happy we are. Although we do try to maintain and improve our environment through recycling, not even that is enough. The waste coming out is only the beginning of our problems, the tip of the ice berg. Our system is in crisis, it’s changing our climate and the earth we once had is rapidly disappearing.  Leonard explains it’s time for us to change are initiative, we need labour rights, reclaim, transfer, renew, provide sustainability, equity and green chemistry.

So being an industrial designer, isn’t just about creating something that is aesthetically appealing but we must look at the greater picture as well and remember how what we design and create can be beneficial and sustainable as well.

As Leonard said, “ Old ways don’t happen, people create it. So let’s change it.”

My Design Career and Product Sketching

My Design Career

As a kid, I enjoyed drawing and making arts and crafts. It‘s amazing what you can do with just a few pencils and a piece of paper. Throughout high school one of my favourite subjects was doing visual art. I enjoyed the creative aspect of it, letting our imagination go beyond the usual parameters, there was no right or wrong.  Though at times it seemed that it would take forever to think of a brilliant idea for a project, however once it was done you could would feel content. Most of the times I enjoyed the process of creating works, even though they would be time consuming, seeing the effort and work applied on it was such a good feeling. To design something can be a fun and growing experience. The process is a journey where there are changes and additional/removals of ideas, and the end result may not be as planned, sometimes even better.

After the HSC I still wasn’t certain want I really wanted to do at uni, I even considered doing a science degree but I was always interested in the design/art area. In both areas, they are challenging in their own way. So I decided to take on the degree that required a lot creative thinking.  I chose to do Industrial Design at UNSW because I heard of its more practical approach and here there is greater sense of a ‘uni atmosphere’ (compared UTS...). Hearing about Industrial Design, I was interested in the variety and broad options an Industrial Designer could lead to. The ability to create something to be aesthetically appealing and have a functionality towards the object is what drew me to do this course.  Having gone through first semester, I’ve learned how design is very subjective and initiating an ideas can be a tiring process and that that there will be endless sleepless nights to come

Even though I’m only at the beginning chapter of becoming a designer, the first semester has really broadened my eyes on how significantly important designers can be towards society. I’ve come to notice, practically everything we have around the house or in the street, has gone through the hands of a product designer. Even though sometimes we hardly notice the ergonomics and appearances of the product, I’ve learnt that to become a designer we must go through an extensive process to create something beneficial yet beautiful as well. Whether we’re creating a piece of furniture, or an automotive vehicle, being a designer means to continually improve our products, both  in functionality and aesthetical appeal.

Exhbit Product Sketches

Design Confusion Poster