video reflections - seymour powell: designing dream machines

‘Designing Dream Machines’ featuring Dick Powell and Richard Seymour gives the audience an insight into the design processes and practices; from the pen to the final product. Powell Seymour focuses on creating a sound concept and nurturing the idea. A great example was the batman motorcycle, it displayed the strong development process needed to design that ‘x-factor’. The video also focuses on the industry concept of ‘client satisfaction,’ designers need to be aware of many factors including the client’s needs and requirements. Communication is an integral part in the design process; without meeting the client’s needs, design is not complete. This video emphasises the importance of identifying the problem and the stages of working through solutions until the manufacturing process.

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project three: upcycling unwanteds

Squirreel iPod Cozy - Long gone are the days of making mix tapes, but the classic cassette tape isn't completely useless. This design takes a 'back to the future' approach, mainly comprised of old cassette tape reel along with off cuts of felt and polypropylene. The product merges the past and present, through upcycling the internal magnetic reel and knitting it into a practical crafty cover for current media wares.

For the most part, the product is made from completely from waste material with the cotton thread being the only virgin material used. As the brown tape is quite ordinary and unattractive, I chose to create a squirrel motif to make a whimsy and more appealing design. The plastic latch at the top creates a closure for the cozy as well as adding to the overall design by balancing out the motif on the front.

As cassettes are rarely used these days, most tapes are thrown out in the rubbish (if they aren't still lurking in people's garages) and therefore being added to landfill. By breathing new life into this vintage object, it increases the value of the obsolete product.

The final product is not unlike my original concepts, I wanted to use the tapes for a practical purpose and found that utilising the reel would be a good idea to do so. Through trial and error, I came to the conclusion that knitting the reel seemed to be the best solution for creating a new material out of a virtually defunct item. Constructing an iPod cover stemmed from the idea to merge the past and the present, which seemed ironically fitting. Surprisingly, making the product used approximately 70% of a standard 60 minute tape, meaning it effectively made good use of the original product.

Peer comments:

Brett Rushbrook

Danielle Taouk

Kate Barclay

Kiran Kashyap

Nina Harcus

video reflections - annie leonard: the story of stuff

" ...you cannot run a linear system on a finite planet indefinitely" - Annie Leonard gives a frighteningly truthful and informative talk in her video: "The Story of Stuff". Extraction, Production, Distribution, Consumption, and Disposal; Leonard has broken down the cycle into five sections.

Extraction is the process of, what Leonard frankly puts it, "trashing the planet". We are using up all the natural resources by mining and cutting down trees, etc. As the planet has a limit, and we've already used up one third of the planet's resources, it's only a matter of time before we have nothing left.

Production uses energy to run factories that pump out toxins into the air, which is not only bad for the surrounding environment, but also for the population. Toxins in, toxins out means we're enclosing ourselves in a toxic habitat and leaves by-products and pollution.

Distribution is the act of selling the goods to keep inventory moving so as to make room for the production for more goods. The cost of products are externalised, we aren't paying for the goods we purchase. It ends up like a reverse domino effect, others are paying for our products; shop assistants pay by receiving poor wages, the people in the production phase are paying by risking their health, and the environment pays by having its resources exhausted.

People consume to upkeep the flow of production, 99% of the material goods we purchase are disposed of within 6 months. This is so because of two reasons: planned obsolescence and perceived obsolescence. Products are intentionally made to break down within a short period of time to accelerate the level of production; the more people buy the more goods can be produced. Perceived obsolescence is an interesting notion, it makes us think that the products we own are out of style and that we need to buy more goods. Advertising and the media target consumers to think they are less than they are, thus buying more material goods. Advertising brainwashes consumers into thinking they need to ‘keep up with the Jones’ in order to be happy. It seems like a vicious cycle; we work then come home and watch TV to then be bombarded with advertisements that tell us to shop, go out and buy things we most likely don’t need then go back to work to pay off the things we buy. The pattern repeats itself and therefore keeps the cycle of material goods alive.

It's shocking to find out how the products we purchased are disposed of landfill and incineration don't seem like healthy options for both the planet and its inhabitants. Industrial designers need to look into more sustainable options when designing goods. Recycling is an effective alternative to eliminate the extraction stage. By keeping the cycle of material goods in mind, industrial designers have the chance to make intentional responsible decisions when it comes to making products.

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