Upcycling Unwanteds

I did a vase with photo frames, which can also be used as a lampshade. I made use of the shape of the coffee lids, and how it has different diameters of circles in one coffee lid, so that it can be stuck on the accurately cut-out polypropylene. The polypropylene and coffee lids are dependent on each other, because they act as fasteners. Without either one of the components, the final design wouldn't be achieved. As the transformation poster showed, no glue was used.

Besides being different from other products and glue-free, it also has the advantage to be customized. Since no glue was used, all the coffee lids can be easily taken out, without destroying anything. (Although they can be easily taken out, doesn't mean that it will fall off if someone touches it). Therefore, the coffee lids can be turned inside out depending on the user, giving the vase to have a capacity of maximum of 24 photos and a minimum of zero. The cut out bits (cut-out circles) of the polypropylene will not be thrown away as they will serve as circle templates for photos which fit into the vase.

Peer comments:

Jill Darbey

Hyo-Ju Cho

Julian Chow

Chelcie Nielsen

Daniel M. Kotzen

Seymour Powell: Designing Dream Machines

CFAAV 745.2/26

It's quite amazing how big companies like Seymour Powell also started their products by surveying the target market and brainstorming, which is the first step we're supposed to do whenever we have a design assignment.

The brainstorming session has no limits to it, so they just think and write down whatever things they want the market to sell. After that they choose the most useful and creative ideas out of all the ideas, and narrowing it down one by one. At this stage, they still don't know if it's plausible or not. Then, they sketch their concept ideas in less than 3 hours. After choosing the one concept that they think is the best, they make the model, ask other people's opinions and improving it over and over again. Up until the point where they're satisfied with it, they then make the real model. After that, they brought it to the market and put it on the shelf, then ask the marketing manager whether he likes it or not, whether it has its "personality" or character that distinguish it from the others. (It's the X-factor that leads us to buying the things we buy. X-factor is "Do I like it?", "Do I want it?")

In short:
Brainstorm > narrow the ideas > draw concept ideas > narrow the concept ideas > make model > make the real thing (after all the improvements until satisfied) > test it on the market (ask consumers what they feel about it) > go on production (if results are good).

For some of the projects, they need to survey their target market. So, for example, to design the Indian scooter, one of them went to India and observe, ask and investigate what the consumers buy and want, what they consider as good (the video shows that India has a different definition of sleek as angular and sharp, which is different from what Seymour Powell think of it). Then, they do all the brainstorming stage and went back to India to ask if they will like it or not, what they think about it. Then it goes on and on until the production stage.

What I learn from this video is that all designers start of by brainstorming and sketching their concept ideas, and the most important part is to ask other people's opinion, especially the target market. As designers, we have to receive whatever opinions are being given, so that we can improve our designs, because in the end, we are designing for the consumer and they're the one who's going to buy our products.

So in conclusion, designers work for consumers?

Annie Leonard: The Story of Stuff

http://storyofstuff.com/

Most of us don't know how the system really works, because no one teaches us about it. All we know is that we're using too much resources, and it's running out. (Although in the past decade we have been taught of recycling).

What Annie Leonard says is absolutely true - we don't know how much resources we use a day, how many people in this system paid with their future because they're forced to, etc. What's worst is that advertisements tell us that we're "wrong", except that they're the ones who's at fault for only showing us the shopping part, and not the extraction and production parts.

Also the national happiness fact that it has been declining is an interesting one. My father told me before about his childhood, and it sounds VERY different from my childhood. I didn't think about it very much, but now I know the reason why - because we choose stuff over families and friends. Some people think that stuffs can make them happy. May be. But not as happy as those without stuffs, surprisingly. Take the example of poor people, sometimes they look happier than we do. Why? Because those people have strong bonds between themselves.

Moreover, it kind of makes me feel guilty when she says, "... these (industrial) designers are so opened about it. They actually discussed how fast can they make stuff break but still leaves the consumer have enough faith in the product to go buy another one". But I realized that I am not them, so I don't have to feel guilty. And what I need to do is change this "System of Crisis".

Postal Present

I did a fruit bowl for my postal present. The design is very simple - it's just a flat tray bent with the help of a strip. The material used has to be bendable, strong and be able to retain its shape.

It is made up of 1 flat A4-size and a strip of cardboard. My initial idea for the material was metal, but then it would be dangerous because it will be very sharp. Then after talking with Peter, he recommended aircraft ply, but I asked the shop and it's very expensive (around $130 for 1200 x 1200). So another material recommended to try using was laminex, which was also too expensive. Therefore, I tried using polypropelene, but it wasn't strong enough. So I had to use cardboard.

The cutting diagram for the tray and the strip that holds it in place:

Peer comments:

Glenaldy Janto

Wawen Chen (Sarah)

Chelcie Nielsen

Susanna Li

Stanley Wong