'11th Hour' reflection

This film gives great and somewhat shocking insight into how our way of life is affecting our environment. The harsh truth of it is that we are not only destroying the environment around us, but also destroying ourselves. After all, we are not separate from nature; we are a part of it. The film shows us that we need not learn about the environmental issues to understand what is happening, we merely need to look around us. ‘Saving the environment is misstated, the environment is going to survive, and we are the ones that may not survive’.

The 11^th hour expresses the urgency to act now in order to make a change for the future. Everyone can do little things in their daily lives to change our impact on the earth. We need to change our earth from one that is ‘acting like an infected organism’; to one that has a harmony between people and nature. After all ‘we did not inherit this world from our parents, we are borrowing it from our children’.

As a designer, I believe it is important to make changes for the future in our designs and products. Already we are seeing a big push towards eco friendly products. Products are becoming more and more sustainable and are being recognised for their environmentally friendly attributes. Such attributes are turning from hindrances in a product to a positive reason to make and purchase them. The whole image of ‘green’ design is changing for the better. It is being realised by designers and consumers alike that aesthetics and function does not need to be substituted for sustainability and recyclability.

Being a design student, I believe it is very important for me to understand what is happening and that every little bit helps. By designing for sustainability, I can make a positive impact, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. This film has influenced me to look for solutions in my designs to help put the balance back into our world.

Charette 1

Mind Mapping;

Physio Attatchment

This design doubles as a stool. It has a removable backrest and adjustable legs for customization.

This design features an adjustable backrest with extra lumbar support as well as a padded seat that is contoured to fit and eliminates sharpe edges. It also includes a foot rest and drawing pannels.

Physco/Socio Attatchment

This design incorporates drawing panels and a movable photo frame panel to capture moments and memories to be shared with friends and fmaily during events like dinners and parties.

This design incorporates the chair as a canvas and allows the user to add their own personal touch to the chair. It creates a connection with the chair on a personal level. By ikea supplying paint and decal kits with the purchase it becomes easy to personalise your own chair. It also features a larger backrest and a foot rest for increased comfort.

Final Design;

Our final design uses a combination of both physical and physco/socio elements in creating a product that is both physically comfortable but also connects with the user in a deeper way. The use of a larger padded backrest, seat base and the addition of a foot rest makes the chair a pleasure to sit on. We also added feet extension wedges so that the user sits into the chair on an angle, not on top of it. It also has a hidden storage feature for use during special occasions or storage for general purposes such as cutlery, homework or books.

I wouldnt say this design task challenged my design thinking, but it certainly opened my eyes a little more to the importance of promoting long term satisfaction in a product, product attatchment and product endurance. As a designer, you hope that your product will last as long as possible in the possession of the user and not replaced or simply thrown out.

I feel that designing beyond the original product was a great creative exercise for design. It was like the chair was the canvas and we were the artists. With little limitations and plenty of opportunity for immaginative design it became a fun and useful process. We were able to make the original product connect with the user in a multitude of different ways, essentially creating a brand new product.

The collaborative problem solving activity was good. It enabled us to get a variety of different ideas on to the table during brainstorming. It was very interesting to see where the people's imaginations and creative thoughts were taking them and seeing how familiar or different your path was.

If i was to design a piece of furniture from scratch i would look deeply into how it was going to connect with the user on different levels in order to ensure a long product life in their home. I would want to design it so that the user couldnt possibly throw it away, something with a personal or sentimental value with the owner. It would be a product of great quality, but also practical in manufacture as well as use.

Objectified Reflection

‘Every object tells a story, if you know how to read it’. Henry Ford

‘Good design is as little design as possible’. Dieter Rams

‘If you are a person who recognises good design it distinguishes you from all of the naive and corny bourgeois of the past, the past being everything up to that minute’. Rob Walker

‘Design needs to be plugged into natural human behaviour’. Naoto Fukasawa

‘Objectified’ gave a lot of insight into how products and society share a complex relationship and the role of designers in this relationship. Henry Ford’s quote describes how products can hold a special significance to certain people through the stories and memories that they hold. As designers, a good way to achieve a product that can stand the test of time is to design a product that allows for a personal connection, allows for stories to be told and memories to be shared about it. Dieter Rams talks of how good design is simple and ‘honest’, ‘easy to understand’. Function and form working together to allow a smooth and long relationship with the user.

For the user, relationships with products are a way that society can learn about one another and learn about ourselves. Certain products say different things about the people that we are. Rob Walker mentions that by owning a ‘well designed’ product, we feel that we are separated from the norm, the people of the past. It’s a way of asserting our position in society as an informed and up to date person. But I believe that this is merely a superficial view of the relationship that we have with our products. I believe that there are products out there that really become a part of us and our lives for more than the boasting of new technologies and innovations. They have timeless memories and moments instilled in them, products that are connected emotionally to the user. A good way to achieve this is by following what Naoto Fukasawa said in the movie and design a product that connects with human emotions and behaviours, allowing for an ‘honest’ relationship with the product, not a superficial one.

My Footprint

This exercise has opened my eyes to the effect that my lifestyle choices have on the environment. It was very interesting to see it in such a visual representative way....it really hit home. Hopefully i can reduce my footprint in the future becasue somehow i dont think there are 4 free earths out there with my name on them.