Story of Cap and Trade
as designers this video shows us the importance of designing products that have a minimal environmental impact in terms of a carbon footprint. we can achieve this in many ways. by making a product that has a very long life, or making products out of environmentally friendly materials or made by evironmentally friendly processes. we can also look at end of life recycling and end of life secondary uses. by focussing on such product attributes in design, we will be able to aid the reduction of carbon emissions and our carbon footprint.
Design for Life
Starck wanted his design ethics to rub off on the young designers and he wanted to teach them about the importance of good design. Starck wanted the young designers to put themselves fully into their design projects and tasks and think beyond the physical and aesthetics of a product, but to the language and emotional attatchments that a product can hold to a consumer. Starck was very strong on sustainability, but also hammered into the students his hatred of useless products, products that should have never been made in the first place.
Overall it was a very insightful and interesting show, and it was great to get a look at a rawer Phillip Starck and his design philosophies
'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 11th 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
Final Design;
Objectified Reflection
‘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.