Jeffrey Chandler: Bad Design

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Bad Design

As seen in the pictures below, the drawing table has a fault in its design. as seen in the first two pictures the rulers are lying flat on the table as they are suppose to however they are not using the full extent of the drawing space. When the operator goes to use the full extent of the space the small wheel on the end of the arm, at the bottom of each picture, rolls off the table lifting the rulers off of the table and creating a loud banging noise.

BEFORE (Wheel on the table)

AFTER (Wheel rolled off the table)

To correct this design is quite simply to have a longer arm that is connected to the wheel. this way the full extent of the table can be used in a stable and safe fashion. The longer arm design is shown below.

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Objects That Tell Stories

Yves Behar wishes to create designs of importance which incorporate to a large extent the human experience. this concept become the centre of his designs for example the $100 laptop made purely with the idea to enhance the education of children in third world countries and enrich there experience at school with a technology that they may never usually have been able to use. Not only was the price of the computer a fundamental part of the design but also the range of colour combinations which make each laptop personalised to each user, and the robust materials that were used with the type of lifestyle of the market in mind.

The leaf lap another of his designs aims to enhance the consumers experience by allowing them to control brightness and colour changes to reflect their moods and feelings. These kind of designs enable stories to be reflected on a more emotional and mental level rather than metaphoric shapes and images that have been used in the past e.g. gagoils, pictorial stories. Designs such as the leaf lap now tell stories of the consumers moods and feelings.

The messages were not as strong in this video however the ability to design and enhance the consumers experience, whether it be of educational purpose, lighting or even sexual, is the strongest take home message. In shaping me as a designer it has helped me acknowledging that the most successful designs are those which focus strongly on relfecting a consumers world and help to enhance it.

Organic Design

The video was very inightful into how organic forms that exists all around us can interlink with the way in which we design. before watching the video my concept of organic design was something that was representational of a tree, flower or some other plant like form. However my perception has now dramatically changed as I have learnt that every living organism has a roll to play in organic design, whether it be full scale or at a microscopic level.
This enables me to grow as an industrial designer because it has opened my eyes into the flowing shapes which are crated by nature that can then be transferred to a design. Things like cells and the shape of DNA, or the structure of bones and how food decomposes are all aspects of the world we live in that had not revealed themselves to me as something incorporated with design. Now I perceive design as something that is all around me and that any naturally made form can be converted to a contemporary design. As Ross Lovegrove was explaining, nature has evolved over millions of years to become what it is, so why not use it rather than coming up with completely new ideas in a matter of weeks.

Reflection: Human Centred Design

David Kelley’s presentation was very insightful into a new appreciation of human centred design. After viewing the video general designs that I see in day to day situation have become noticeable as such designs which incorporate the consumer as well as the aesthetic and technical benefits of a product. The most important take home message which I found was that design is evolving. What was once a profession to design a product of specific technical purposes, a designer is now much more than that integrating human’s more and more into the design concepts as the years go by. The video has helped to acknowledges this allowing me to look at recent products and clearly see how the human consumer has become more involved in the design process over time. For example a phone which was once primarily used for calling someone, has now turned mobile with a range of features such as MP3 players, cameras, videos, and internet not to mention the ever evolving aesthetics of the phones.

With an insight into the eyes of a world class designer it has shown me the benefits of incorporating humans as the centre of design concepts. By listening to the concepts coming straight from the designer, simple designs and ideas were pointed out that were largely beneficial to the human centred consumer and therefore more popular amongst consumers, such as the mirror with a 10 second delay, such a simple idea and yet incredibly beneficial to a general shopper. I believe these insights help shape me as an industrial designer because they have pointed out the need to go beyond just the aesthetic and technical uses for a product and to start focusing on the user as the centre of design concepts. My opinion of design is now not just to create a product of aesthetic quality to commit to a use but to now consider human emotions, actions, and responses as the fundamentals of a design concept.

Livingcolors

Philips Livingcolors LED Light
Designer: Paul Thursfield, the Philips Design Senior Strategic Designer
Manufacturer: Philips

Wouldn’t it be great if you could alter the colour of the walls within your home at the push of a button to reflect your mood and feelings of the time. Philips has created an exceptionally slick lighting design which takes the way we perceive lamps a leap into the future. Lighting is all about atmosphere and Philips undertook extensive research into this area and found that, “People believe an atmosphere that has been created can enhance the mood they are in, but that they are resistant to the idea that an atmosphere can change their mood. Lighting plays a big role in the creation of atmosphere, but we discovered that it is difficult for people to describe this in words. Therefore we went about creating a vocabulary of light” Explains Laura Taylor, Innovation Design Director at Philips Design.

With this in mind Philips set out to create a new originality to the way lighting and lamps are used in daily households. By incorporating the latest in LED technology Philips had produced a product for the average consumer that until now had not been seen or affordable with this kind of technology. Other systems on the market were either far too expensive or had to be operated by a professional light designer which simply was not adequate for day to day use amongst general households. The Livingcolors lamp can be owned for just $200.

With such a strong initial concept the over aesthetics of the design was of the utmost importance, “It had to have its own signature, a clear identity” says Paul Thursfield, the Philips Design Senior Strategic Designer. The design needed to be unique enough so that it was clearly identifiable however at the same time could not be so unique that it would scare off the consumer. They concluded with a bulbous, exotic shape with smooth soft lines with the light emitting from an almost flower like centre which could be seen through the rounded surface. The body is made from E-star injected into a mold and then subsequently blown while the heatsink is made from cast aluminium. The end result is a delicate but eye catching design of simplicity and perfection. It has changed the way in which the daily consumer distinguishes a lamp and with its definitive, original design, low power consumption and the ability to “lighten” the mood it is sure to jump off the shelves at an alarming rate.

LINE: Soft flowing lines
SHAPE: Organic Bulbous form representational of a flower. it has a beautiful but tough exterior which sits stably on its flat base.
TEXTURE: Smooth texture adds to its slick aesthetic appeal.
COLOUR: The lamps transparency gives it a very crisp and professional look, while at the touch of a button the colour of the lamp can alter to fit the mood of the consumer.
PROPORTION: At just 20cm high the lamp is of elegant proportions to the average household room. Enabling it to sit quite pleasantly, shining onto the wall while not creating a beacon of distraction.
BALANCE: The lamp is well balanced on its flat base however is angled to enhance the aesthetic appeal as well as making it able to spread light across the walls rather than just the ceiling.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Bad Design

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Jeffrey Chandler

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About Me

Objects That Tell Stories

Organic Design

Reflection: Human Centred Design

Livingcolors

Shape of Scent