Sunday, 25 March 2012

Peer comments

1) http://shixiaomeng3361028.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/rationale.html?showComment=1332754363766#c2374403222067635979

2)http://maxglanvillez3333044.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/product-poster.html?showComment=1332755046422#c186300517818031115

3)http://janraymondgerardino.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/studio-2a-project-1-bioinspired.html?showComment=1332755333649#c7963593912955151902

4)http://clementyoongides2161.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/project-1-bioinspired.html?showComment=1332755604490#c2710970794038895955

5)http://z3377160yvonneshaides1031.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/favum-new-kitchen-storage-experience.html?showComment=1332755929034#c2958718627128857459

Project 1: BioInspired

Rationale: CAPE GB FRUIT BOWL

The brief asked to design a storage system that was bio-inspired and ask ourselves “what would nature do here?” My design “Cape GB fruit bowl” was inspired by the Cape gooseberry this fruit is a tomato like fruit that is encased by a papery husk that protects it against bugs and insects that may eat it. Also with this husk it allows the fruit to stay fresh when picked of the tree for 2-3 days. With the conventional fruit bowl we get fruit flies, flies and cockroaches that may find its way onto the fruit. So to solve this problem I developed an opening and closing fruit bowl that allows you to close it when you don’t need fruit to allow the fruit to keep clean and away from insects that may contaminate the food. Also when opened it allows more fruit to be stored in the two separate compartments when visitors and guests are around. With this design I would probably like it to be made of a clear plastic so you could view the inside and see what fruit is available before opening it to take what you want. I believe this would solve the problem of insect contaminated fruit!!



Sunday, 11 March 2012

An inconvenient truth


I watched the movie “An inconvenient truth” and learned many things to do with global warming, impacts of humans on planet earth, conspiracies that are to do with the environment etc. Former vice president of America Al Gore speaks in the video about how everyone should be concerned about where our world is going to head to in the near future if we don’t do something about it now.  With scientific facts he backs up his concerns on global warming and explains how it has already began to affect the environment we live in today. I learnt that if we continue along this path and do nothing about the problems Al gore has showed us we face terrible consequences.  What that kept me interested and entertained was that he related his own personal experiences to what he was explaining about. Giving us picture examples, showing us graphs and explaining what they mean helped rather then just reading about it. Al Gore is a great speaker in this video and kept me interested till the very end of the film.
What I took away from this video was:
1)   That they are a lot of natural disasters happening all around the world and it has gotten worse during these past 100 years.
2)    What I can do as a individual to help: He states in the film "Each one of us is a cause of global warming, but each one of us can make choices to change that with the things we buy, the electricity we use, the cars we drive; we can make choices to bring our individual carbon emissions to zero.……… But in America, the will to act is a renewable resource."
3)   If we don’t do anything to reduce human generated green house gases there will be more climate changed happening.
As a industrial designer this film is important because “us” designers need to be aware of these problems because we are the ones that will try to fix these problems by designing products that will be environmentally friendly.

Monday, 17 October 2011

Project 2: Upcycling Utility




Rationale:
Within an ecologically ‘advancing’ context, the need for upcycling is an important feature of modern society. Due to the impact of our ecological footprint, I have chosen to design an upcycled adaption of a spherical lamp. My design highlights the use of synthetic paper at its’ core due to the durability of the material in comparison to recycled paper and cardboard. I chose to cut the synthetic paper in the shape of circles in order for a visually appealing lamp once strung onto the base of the structure. I did not choose to portray an upstanding lamp due to the fact that hanging lamps exude versatility in terms of adapting to different atmospheres and room settings.
The choice of different sizing for the cut out material was due to a trial and error process by which I also experimented with patterns of the same size. The initial product lacked body when lit up due to a ‘clashing’ of the circles; therefore the final result is what I believe to be efficient in design and practicality. By implementing circles of differing sizes, I was able create a final product which, when illuminated, created depth and enhanced the overall atmosphere of a room. I also believe that the final product I have created is economical in terms of materials used as well as encompassing an essence of ‘upmarket’ value. The only materials used in the final product consisted of synthetic paper and thread, emphasising the products’ ecological nature.