For this journal assignment, I decided to explore the idea of “design like you give a damn.” This is the concept of designing for the improvement of the world, especially for those parts of the world that are living in poverty and in substandard conditions. I think that this is an important part of design that is just starting to become popular in the design world. It is one thing to make all of these new designs and products, but they must be able to be used by people. When we design for people who don’t really have anything, this product becomes so much more valuable and useful.
The first source I found is from INDEX:, a non-profit organization that works to promote and apply the idea of “designing to improve life.” I found an article on their website that discusses their design process that they use in order to create products that will truly improve the lives of people. It is a really interesting article because it describes how form, impact and context combine to design to improve life.
INDEX: Design Process
INDEX: holds a design competition and give the Design to Improve Life Award to designers who come up with ideas that exemplify the ideas of INDEX:.These awards are presented in the areas of body, home, work, play and community. I found an online book that describes the winners in each of these areas and their design. This book is really interesting because contains some interesting elements and products that I originally didn’t consider in the field of design, such as a book and an exhibit.
INDEX: Awards
After seeing some examples of designs that improve life, I found a few videos of interesting takes on the design of everyday products.
First, I found a video describing a new type of drywall that is better for the environment. 40% of carbon emissions are due to building operations. The video explains the process and future of a drywall that is clean and recyclable. This video also contains interesting facts about the process of building a home and how detrimental it is to the environment.
Drywall Video
The next video I found is about the process of growing your own clothes. This is a very interesting new process that has huge potential in the future. Organisms harvest into a material, which is like leather, which can then be sewn and formed into clothing. There is one major drawback to this design, but it has huge potential for the clothing market, or even the entire manufacturing processes.
Grow Your Own Clothes
The last video I found takes design to a whole new level. It describes the organization Project H, which works to improve the public education system. This organization is now stationed in Bertie County, NC, which is an impoverished area with a low emphasis education. The designers at Project H are looking into ways to redesign the education system to improve the lives of the children.
Designing Education
Overall, I have found some very interesting articles and videos about “designing like you give a damn.” I think it is important for students to learn some of the benefits and factors of designing for everybody in the world, not just the select few who have money to purchase high end, technological products.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Course Reflection 04
The last four classes have been work sessions for our Coleman for the Home Project. I think this project was the perfect way to wrap up the quarter because we are working on a project that encompasses the three areas of design: product, interior and visual and communication.
I have really enjoyed having time to work on the project in class. I think it was beneficial to have the long brainstorming sessions that my group did and it was very convenient to be able to do these in class. The first two days, we were brainstorming ideas and trying to figure out the specifics of our product. During the third class, we discussed ideas for the packaging and the kiosk for the product. In the last class, we shared our work we did on the computer to model our ideas.
I will talk more about the process of the project in my Journal 9, but the work my team completed in class has been extremely productive and beneficial to the process of our project.
I have really enjoyed having time to work on the project in class. I think it was beneficial to have the long brainstorming sessions that my group did and it was very convenient to be able to do these in class. The first two days, we were brainstorming ideas and trying to figure out the specifics of our product. During the third class, we discussed ideas for the packaging and the kiosk for the product. In the last class, we shared our work we did on the computer to model our ideas.
I will talk more about the process of the project in my Journal 9, but the work my team completed in class has been extremely productive and beneficial to the process of our project.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Reading Reflection 03
I found the book Cradle to Cradle very thought-provoking. These days, the major phrase is “reduce, reuse and recycle.” I thought it was interesting how the authors disagreed with this statement. William McDonough and Michael Braugnart believe that the best way for a product to be designed is that at the end of its life, it can be reused to make something of equal or better quality.
This is the concept of “upcycling,” which is a term that I have never heard before. I thought this was an interesting concept because with recycling, eventually a product will be thrown away after one or two lives, but this is not the case with upcycling. An average television is composed of 4,360 chemicals. Some of these chemicals are able to be reused and are valuable, while others are toxic. Isolating the valuable elements from the toxic ones would allow them to be upcycled and create a system of quality materials (110).
I also thought it was very interesting how they viewed the Industrial Revolution. So far in my classes, the Industrial Revolution has been portrayed as a mostly positive event. In my industrial engineering classes, the Industrial Revolution was the key event to all of the processes I am studying. In this book though, the Industrial Revolution is viewed as a system that “put billions of pounds of toxic material into the air, water, and soil ever (18) ” along with creating regulations to prevent people from being poisoned. When you think about it this way, the Industrial Revolution sounds like an extremely negative event in the development of the modern world.
I often think about the damage that humans have done to the world in the past 60 years and it is shocking. Personally, I find it scary because if changes are not made to the way that we design products and systems, the world will be drastically different in 60 more years.
I also like how the concept of biomimicry was also discussed in this book. In the example of the cherry tree (72), the fallen blossoms can be considered waste, but instead people see them as beautiful. These blossoms are then decomposed and provide nourishment to many organisms. The authors mention the idea of designing our systems and products this way, where the “waste” is beautiful and in touch with nature.
While reading the book, I was shocked by the multiple references to the danger in the products that we use everyday. One example is the natural indigo dye, commonly used to die jeans, contains mutagens that deplete genetic diversity (42). Other examples of dangerous materials are plastic water bottles and polyester shirts (38). These dangers just make me wonder if humans are becoming too scientific and if we are really just screwing ourselves over by constantly developing new materials and methods to improve existing products.
One section of this book that I found interesting was Chapter 5: Respect Diversity. I feel that when trying to create the optimal design for a product or system, the “bad models” would be eliminated, while eliminating diversity. I thought it was interesting how there are over 8 thousand species of ants in the world. Even though an ant appears like a simple system, 8 thousand different types are needed in order for it to survive in different places and by doing different tasks (120).
Overall, I thought this book made me think about some of the products that I use everyday and how they could be designed better to have a positive impact on the environment and user. I did feel like the book was pretty repetitive though and I got bored at some parts. Even though I thought the plastic pages were cool, I found the book heavy and hard to hold open.
This is the concept of “upcycling,” which is a term that I have never heard before. I thought this was an interesting concept because with recycling, eventually a product will be thrown away after one or two lives, but this is not the case with upcycling. An average television is composed of 4,360 chemicals. Some of these chemicals are able to be reused and are valuable, while others are toxic. Isolating the valuable elements from the toxic ones would allow them to be upcycled and create a system of quality materials (110).
I also thought it was very interesting how they viewed the Industrial Revolution. So far in my classes, the Industrial Revolution has been portrayed as a mostly positive event. In my industrial engineering classes, the Industrial Revolution was the key event to all of the processes I am studying. In this book though, the Industrial Revolution is viewed as a system that “put billions of pounds of toxic material into the air, water, and soil ever (18) ” along with creating regulations to prevent people from being poisoned. When you think about it this way, the Industrial Revolution sounds like an extremely negative event in the development of the modern world.
I often think about the damage that humans have done to the world in the past 60 years and it is shocking. Personally, I find it scary because if changes are not made to the way that we design products and systems, the world will be drastically different in 60 more years.
I also like how the concept of biomimicry was also discussed in this book. In the example of the cherry tree (72), the fallen blossoms can be considered waste, but instead people see them as beautiful. These blossoms are then decomposed and provide nourishment to many organisms. The authors mention the idea of designing our systems and products this way, where the “waste” is beautiful and in touch with nature.
While reading the book, I was shocked by the multiple references to the danger in the products that we use everyday. One example is the natural indigo dye, commonly used to die jeans, contains mutagens that deplete genetic diversity (42). Other examples of dangerous materials are plastic water bottles and polyester shirts (38). These dangers just make me wonder if humans are becoming too scientific and if we are really just screwing ourselves over by constantly developing new materials and methods to improve existing products.
One section of this book that I found interesting was Chapter 5: Respect Diversity. I feel that when trying to create the optimal design for a product or system, the “bad models” would be eliminated, while eliminating diversity. I thought it was interesting how there are over 8 thousand species of ants in the world. Even though an ant appears like a simple system, 8 thousand different types are needed in order for it to survive in different places and by doing different tasks (120).
Overall, I thought this book made me think about some of the products that I use everyday and how they could be designed better to have a positive impact on the environment and user. I did feel like the book was pretty repetitive though and I got bored at some parts. Even though I thought the plastic pages were cool, I found the book heavy and hard to hold open.
Journal 07: Peer Dialogue #3
Jonathan
The first thing I noticed when I went on Jonathan’s blog was the cool videos he has posted about new screen and device technology. These videos show a flexible phone that works by bending the screen to press the buttons. I think this is an interesting idea and I look forward to seeing if anything comes out of it.
For the home goods assignment, Jonathan posted a picture of a really unique coffee machine. I would be interesting in learning how this specific machine works and how expensive it is.
I also agree with Jonathan about enjoying the classes with the speakers. I think its cool how he has already used Prezi for one of his presentations.
You can see Jonathan’s blog at: http://design200.wordpress.com/
Lindsay
I enjoyed reading Lindsay’s thoughts on the last couple classes. I agree with her about the competitiveness of the design program here and enjoyed hearing from the students about their experiences in the program. I also thought it was cool how Lindsay enjoys picking out the colors to paint her house. My mom always asks me to help her pick out colors but it usually turns into too long of a process for me!
While looking through her trade show pictures, I really liked the IKEA exhibit. I think this it is a really creative approach to making a room by using large magazine covers instead of walls. This attracts people to the exhibit and in turn, will help to sell your products.
I also thought it was interesting how we had some of the same items for our letters. For example, we both used glasses for “b” and we both used a lamp for a letter.
You can see Lindsay’s blog at: http://design200lm.blogspot.com/
Becky
There are many things from Becky’s blog that I enjoyed looking at, such as her letterforms and her course reflection. I thought that her letter “A” was very creative because you usually don’t look at a magnetic clip from that direction. Also, her “y” is part of a lofted bed that I also have in my room and I didn’t notice it when I was looking for letters. I thought it was cool how she took the number “3” and rotated it to look like a “w”.
I share many of the same thoughts as her about the Rip!: A Remix Manifesto movie we watched in class. I thought I was disappointing learning how Walt Disney copied his ideas from other pieces of media then copyrighted them to prevent people from doing the same. I also think it is ridiculous how “Happy Birthday” is not public domain. It is things like this that just make me frustrated with how ridiculous some laws and regulations are today.
You can see Becky’s blog at: http://bbeaulieu11.blogspot.com/
The first thing I noticed when I went on Jonathan’s blog was the cool videos he has posted about new screen and device technology. These videos show a flexible phone that works by bending the screen to press the buttons. I think this is an interesting idea and I look forward to seeing if anything comes out of it.
For the home goods assignment, Jonathan posted a picture of a really unique coffee machine. I would be interesting in learning how this specific machine works and how expensive it is.
I also agree with Jonathan about enjoying the classes with the speakers. I think its cool how he has already used Prezi for one of his presentations.
You can see Jonathan’s blog at: http://design200.wordpress.com/
Lindsay
I enjoyed reading Lindsay’s thoughts on the last couple classes. I agree with her about the competitiveness of the design program here and enjoyed hearing from the students about their experiences in the program. I also thought it was cool how Lindsay enjoys picking out the colors to paint her house. My mom always asks me to help her pick out colors but it usually turns into too long of a process for me!
While looking through her trade show pictures, I really liked the IKEA exhibit. I think this it is a really creative approach to making a room by using large magazine covers instead of walls. This attracts people to the exhibit and in turn, will help to sell your products.
I also thought it was interesting how we had some of the same items for our letters. For example, we both used glasses for “b” and we both used a lamp for a letter.
You can see Lindsay’s blog at: http://design200lm.blogspot.com/
Becky
There are many things from Becky’s blog that I enjoyed looking at, such as her letterforms and her course reflection. I thought that her letter “A” was very creative because you usually don’t look at a magnetic clip from that direction. Also, her “y” is part of a lofted bed that I also have in my room and I didn’t notice it when I was looking for letters. I thought it was cool how she took the number “3” and rotated it to look like a “w”.
I share many of the same thoughts as her about the Rip!: A Remix Manifesto movie we watched in class. I thought I was disappointing learning how Walt Disney copied his ideas from other pieces of media then copyrighted them to prevent people from doing the same. I also think it is ridiculous how “Happy Birthday” is not public domain. It is things like this that just make me frustrated with how ridiculous some laws and regulations are today.
You can see Becky’s blog at: http://bbeaulieu11.blogspot.com/
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Journal 06: Online Scavenger Hunt
This journal focuses on outdoor and indoor products.
The following are links to 5 websites to companies who sell outdoor camping or recreation equipment:
Coleman- sells mainly camping equipment
http://www.coleman.com/
Gander Mountain- store that sells hunting and outdoor equipment
http://www.gandermountain.com/
LL Bean- sells clothing and equipment for outdoor use
http://www.llbean.com/?nav=gn
Cabelas- hunting and fishing store
www.cabelas.com
North Face-sells clothing and equipment for outdoor use
www.thenorthface.com
The following are pictures of booths at outdoor trade shows:
Transformit. “The North Face Exhibit at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2011”. http://blog.transformit.com/
Martin Oberhauser. “Adidas Outdoor Trade Show Booth.” http://www.behance.net/gallery/Adidas-Outdoor-trade-show-booth/681578?sms_ss=twitter&at_xt=4d4da29b1e2de848,0
Jervis Bay Kayak. “JBK Team- US Outdoor Trade Show.” http://jbkayak.blogspot.com/2009/07/jbk-team-us-outdoor-trade-show.html
The following are 5 links to home goods retailers:
Home Goods- sell home goods
www.homegoods.com
IKEA- sells furniture and accessories
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/
Crate & Barrel- sell home décor, furniture and accessories
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/default.aspx
Pottery Barn- home furniture and décor
www.potterybarn.com
Williams Sonoma- sell cooking equipment and kitchen accessories
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/
The following are images from indoor goods trade shows:
“Best Kitchen Table Designs in International Kitchen Expo and Exhibition.” http://www.trade-exporter.com/kitchenbath/best-kitchen-table-designs-in-international-kitchen-expo-and-exhibition.html
“Saudi International Furniture, Interior Design & Home Decor Expo”.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=212102308809003&set=a.212102145475686.61390.138017522884149&type=1&theater
http://blog.marbleandgranite.com/files/2011/01/179053_10150122904834595_346740069594_7634539_3196222_n.jpg
My definition of a home good is a product that is placed in a home to provide a function or a feeling. Examples are appliances, furniture and decorations.
The following are images of different home goods.
Appliance Repair Miami Site. http://appliancerepairmiamisite.com/
Guide to Home Furniture. “Essential Home Furniture”. http://www.roundtreeandrichardson.com/tag/home-furniture.
“Wall Décor for the Home.” http://www.home-decorator.tk/latest-about/wrought-iron-bed-description
The following are links to 5 websites to companies who sell outdoor camping or recreation equipment:
Coleman- sells mainly camping equipment
http://www.coleman.com/
Gander Mountain- store that sells hunting and outdoor equipment
http://www.gandermountain.com/
LL Bean- sells clothing and equipment for outdoor use
http://www.llbean.com/?nav=gn
Cabelas- hunting and fishing store
www.cabelas.com
North Face-sells clothing and equipment for outdoor use
www.thenorthface.com
The following are pictures of booths at outdoor trade shows:
Transformit. “The North Face Exhibit at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2011”. http://blog.transformit.com/
Martin Oberhauser. “Adidas Outdoor Trade Show Booth.” http://www.behance.net/gallery/Adidas-Outdoor-trade-show-booth/681578?sms_ss=twitter&at_xt=4d4da29b1e2de848,0
Jervis Bay Kayak. “JBK Team- US Outdoor Trade Show.” http://jbkayak.blogspot.com/2009/07/jbk-team-us-outdoor-trade-show.html
The following are 5 links to home goods retailers:
Home Goods- sell home goods
www.homegoods.com
IKEA- sells furniture and accessories
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/
Crate & Barrel- sell home décor, furniture and accessories
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/default.aspx
Pottery Barn- home furniture and décor
www.potterybarn.com
Williams Sonoma- sell cooking equipment and kitchen accessories
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/
The following are images from indoor goods trade shows:
“Best Kitchen Table Designs in International Kitchen Expo and Exhibition.” http://www.trade-exporter.com/kitchenbath/best-kitchen-table-designs-in-international-kitchen-expo-and-exhibition.html
“Saudi International Furniture, Interior Design & Home Decor Expo”.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=212102308809003&set=a.212102145475686.61390.138017522884149&type=1&theater
http://blog.marbleandgranite.com/files/2011/01/179053_10150122904834595_346740069594_7634539_3196222_n.jpg
My definition of a home good is a product that is placed in a home to provide a function or a feeling. Examples are appliances, furniture and decorations.
The following are images of different home goods.
Appliance Repair Miami Site. http://appliancerepairmiamisite.com/
Guide to Home Furniture. “Essential Home Furniture”. http://www.roundtreeandrichardson.com/tag/home-furniture.
“Wall Décor for the Home.” http://www.home-decorator.tk/latest-about/wrought-iron-bed-description
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Course Reflection 03
In the last four classes, we have learned a lot about design, legal issues and the program at Ohio State. I enjoyed the lecture on color and the slides that showed all the different ways to find color combinations. I never thought of color palettes as being made through a method of choosing complementing colors.
I also thought the lecture on legal issues was interesting. I have heard of patents and trademarks but I never knew the difference between the two. Also, I didn’t know that the patents only last a certain number of years.
We also watched the video Rip!: A Remix Manifesto. I thought this video was intriguing. I didn’t like the randomness of the video and how there were so many random clips and music layered on top of each other in the video. I did find the topic of the video very interesting. I have always wondered how mash-ups are made and how they are legally able to use clips from other people’s songs. I didn’t feel as if the video gave a clear explanation as to how Girl Talk is able to use other’s music.
We also had speakers come into class from Design Circle and Cobego. I liked how Design Circle came in because I learned more about the design program at Ohio State. I wasn’t aware of the entrance exam that is required to be admitted into the Design School.
Cobego is a design firm that was founded by 5 OSU grads. I enjoyed looking at the projects that they have done and seeing how design can be applied in the real world. I also liked how they are industrial designers and that is what I am interested in.
I also thought the lecture on legal issues was interesting. I have heard of patents and trademarks but I never knew the difference between the two. Also, I didn’t know that the patents only last a certain number of years.
We also watched the video Rip!: A Remix Manifesto. I thought this video was intriguing. I didn’t like the randomness of the video and how there were so many random clips and music layered on top of each other in the video. I did find the topic of the video very interesting. I have always wondered how mash-ups are made and how they are legally able to use clips from other people’s songs. I didn’t feel as if the video gave a clear explanation as to how Girl Talk is able to use other’s music.
We also had speakers come into class from Design Circle and Cobego. I liked how Design Circle came in because I learned more about the design program at Ohio State. I wasn’t aware of the entrance exam that is required to be admitted into the Design School.
Cobego is a design firm that was founded by 5 OSU grads. I enjoyed looking at the projects that they have done and seeing how design can be applied in the real world. I also liked how they are industrial designers and that is what I am interested in.
Assignment 04: Letterform Seek and Find
The following are images I found around my room of objects that look like letters of the alphabet. I put the photos in black and white because I found it was easier to focus on the shape of the object rather than all of the colors.
Science googles that look like a "B"
A drawer handle that resembles a "C"
A pencil cup that looks like a "D"
My dryer rack looks similar to an "E"
My desk lamp looks like an "i"
A hook on my bed resembles a "J"
My towel hook looks like an "L"
My stapler looks like a "M"
A cheerio resembles an "o"
My headphones look like a "P"
My bed resembles a "T"
My tv stand looks like a "X"
Science googles that look like a "B"
A drawer handle that resembles a "C"
A pencil cup that looks like a "D"
My dryer rack looks similar to an "E"
My desk lamp looks like an "i"
A hook on my bed resembles a "J"
My towel hook looks like an "L"
My stapler looks like a "M"
A cheerio resembles an "o"
My headphones look like a "P"
My bed resembles a "T"
My tv stand looks like a "X"
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