Hero shot

Project 2: rationale & poster

Rationale

The Key Zester

Unlocking that citrus flavour has taken an all new eco friendly twist. The Key Zester is made from anodized aluminium keys which were on their way to landfill after being incorrectly cut at Bunnings Warehouse , along with plastic irrigation piping off cuts sourced from Green Life Landscaping.

Manufacturing The Key Zester began with sourcing the keys. Bunnings were more than happy to supply me with their miss cut keys as I was diverting them from landfill and as Bunnings strives to reduce their environmental impact. The keys were sourced from two stores and were a mix of steel and anodized aluminium. On average across NSW alone approximately 7000 keys are incorrectly cut and end up in landfill. Once the keys were sourced they were sorted into two groups, being the steel and aluminium. As the keys would be coming in contact with citric acid I undertook some tests which saw lemon and orange zest placed onto both steel and aluminium keys for 24 hours. After observing the keys, it was clear that the citric acid had had an affect on the steel keys and not the aluminium keys. This result concluded with the use of the coloured aluminium keys. the aluminium keys were considerably lighter than the steel keys which was a great advantage over the steel keys as weight was a major concern with the design.

A small hole was then drilled into the tip of each key. Using stainless steel wire, two different sized rings were formed and the smaller was threaded through the drilled holes in 28 keys. The irrigation pipe sourced from Green Life Landscaping was off cuts from multiple jobs. There was no use for this piping as the lengths were to small and previously had been thrown in the garbage, contributing to landfill. The piping was sterilised then cut into 10mm lengths then threaded onto the larger wire ring between each key. the piping acts as a spacer between the keys.

The steel keys which were not used in the manufacturing of this product can be crafted into a range of other products including coasters and candle holders.

Overall The Key Zester is an elegant sculpturally formed product which evokes a high level of sophistication and a highly perceived market value. This product has greatly reduced the amount of house keys which enter landfill each year and has minimal impact on the environment throughout the manufacturing process. The Key Zester is perfectly sized to fit the palm of the users hand making it easy to hold and use. As all of the materials used in this product are non corrosive and rust resistant it can be washed easily and is dishwasher safe. The Key Zester is an excellent example of how products which are essentially waste can be upcycled and crafted into objects of practical utility and sophisticated elegance.

Video review: Design for Life

Through out the six episodes of Pilippe Starck's Design for Life we are given an insight to Starcks design world. Starck describes himself as a door to creativity, the future and vision. His philosophy is based around how good design speaks of life and how it affects life. He invites armature designers to apply for the chance to work with his design agency. Starck selects twelve applicants and teaches them how they should be questioning everything, every design decision in a product and how their design decisions affect everyone in the future. The fundamental thing which he teaches the applicants is that they are now part of a school of creativity not design and to speak less of design and more about things around us.

In project one the idea behind the project is to recognise how there are too many designs and that we should be thinking about how they are useful and sustainable. Starck believes in demographic design, designing for everyone. 'It is about creating objects that benefit everyone through value, are sustainable and function'. The most important thing that Starck wants in design is sustainability. Throughout project two Starck encourages the applicants to learn about people. 'They need to immerse themselves into the environments of other people to understand there behaviours. Project three sees Starck take a different approach and he decides to give them a generic task to test and develop their way of thinking. He wants the students to learn that his briefs are very broad as for them to be creative and not design. It is crucial that we experience and understand the needs of the people as designers. For Philippe Starck it is important to know every aspect of your design.

Getting inspiration for a design project can come from unusual or normal things, for example, plants nature or living. When it comes to technique it should be kept in mind that simple can be better. At this stage Starck has narrowed down the applicants to four and throughout the fifth episode we learn that as a designer you should always stick with the final idea and always be prepared to change them for an easier manufacturing process. We are given an insight into marketing and the applicants are taught that in order for products to succeed it needs to have a strong branding and marketing statergy. It can be seen through the emotional development of the applicants that there will be struggles and disappointments. They are constantly put down but through all the criticism, it is a learning curve to see who will win.

Starck has again refined the number of applicants, now down to two. The competition is based on the success and development of their projects to result in a winner. Philippe Starck continues to give advice and wisdom about design. The series ended with one applicant being awarded the winner due to her ambition to succeed whilst fulfilling the requirements of the brief.

Comments: Project 1

Alex Lord: http://http://3332091.blogspot.com/
Stella Ho: http://http://stellaanddesign.blogspot.com/
Daihyun Jang: http://http://3331203.blogspot.com/
Aryetta Pazpini: http://http://z3333129.blogspot.com/
Andrew Lee: http://http://elementofhiphop.blogspot.com/

Experience Enrichment

Pleasure Analysis

Context of use

Rationale

Experience Enrichment

HERO SHOT

Leaf inspired garden trowel

Video review; Objectified

Through out the video, objectified, it is explained that everything that exists has been designed. Objects connect with consumers through their form, colour, size and direction. These connections are created through consistent interaction and use. When we look at every product we evaluate certain aspects of it without even being aware of it, for example when we look at a car we observe its colour, shape and make. All these aspects which make up a product have been designed and evaluated many times by a team of designers and this is often overlooked when observing products. Through this video, presented my Gary Hustwit, the interpretations of products from consumers is discussed and thus is a beneficial video for industrial designers.

'From the moment you wake up, almost everything that fills your world has been designed in one way or another'. Every product which you interact with such as your mirror, shower head, basin, kitchen utensils and clothes have been designed and is interacted with multiple times a day. All of these products are often taken to granted and it is very unusual that a consumer thinks about the enormous amount of time taken by designers to design and produce such a product. People do not pay attention to design when it performs to their expectations and exceeds expectation, they simply take it for granted. When people notice that a product has been designed it is usually a bad design as it has caused the consumer to think about how it was designed and question its design. Designers design products with the aim being that the consumers do not pay attention to the design and how it was designed. The post-it note is an example of a product which has been designed by a team of designers yet subconsciously connects with the consumer as they observe the colour, shape, texture and form. Such a product is used in everyday life and not once do we internationally think of its design, and the process which it would have undergone to be finalised as the product being interacted with a the present time.

One of the few companies which take design seriously in the twenty first century is Apple. Apple create products which interact with consumers numerous times each day and through every use each product connects with the consumer as they subconsciously observe its efficiency, function and beauty. Each and every product designed by Apple has had so much consideration and thought put into every detail no matter how small. Apple's design team has been able to refine the design, materials, manufacturing process to create products of beauty and simplicity while still maintaining elegance in the function of the product. Being able to combine great function and elegant form and aesthetic appeal is a great achievement in the design world and such products are the model of future designs.

Through viewing this video a deeper understanding of designs, consumers and their interactions, and connections with each other, is gained. 'Almost everything that fills our world has been designed', this quote from Gary Hustwitis a very powerful quote as it alerts people to the process of design and educates designers about the importance of creating subconscious connections with consumers.