Adrian Leones.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Reflection [Proj3c']['.2]

Project two started with enthusiasm, excitement and curiosity and continued to do so towards the end. Not for the actual project (still had fun though), however working as a group for the frist time on a design project, especially with awesome mates seemed like a fun brief to begin with. Enthusiasm, the foundation of what i felt at the start, excitement to finally do a project with mates and curisoity to see if we pull it off.

We all had our roles, yet we still wroked as one, Due to our friendship over the years we knew eachothers strengths and weaknesses. WIth that knwoeldge we used it to our advantage, each person running with his initiative with the porject in what ever he was doing, however constantly consulting with the rest of the group.

WHat i learnt about group dynamics 'group collobartion' is that groups need to work as one, regardless of whatever job he is given. Yes, you can assign roles o do a job to get the overall project done efficently. However a team project needs to be a team project. Work as one. Keep eachother in the loop, consult what your options are and walk through with the rest the process youre undergoing. Thats what makes it brilliant, and that's what we did. I also learnt that even if you're part of a group, you still need the initiative, the drive, as if you were doing it by yourself, to get the job done. None of that codependence mindset where you think you need to wait for the groups approval or meet up just to do work. Take the time efficient, have initive and get the job done while keeping your group intact.

[Final Task] Cap&trad3

The industrial design community should react to the issue of cap and trade because designers are designing products that consumers use every day. What can create CO2 emissions? The manufacturing of products and the transport of products and the way people are using those products. The industrial design community should take that on board and also that the cap and trade isn’t something the community can thank in the future. Even though we design products, the big business men are still a major player in the scheme of things, they want quick cash and this is probably their best bet to keep it at that.

The movie presents a point that, the three devils do in fact make the solution presented unreliable. But the three devils aren’t only enough, any solution that can be exploited isn’t therefore a solution. However even if the cap&trade system were to be put in place, designers can play a huge role in making the solution work. This is through our designs, making our products reduce the need for fossil fuels as the movie suggests that the simplest solution is leaving the resource in the ground rather than just using it with a cap. Using our products, we can force the world to be a better place, or give awareness to increase citizen action. By increase citizen action, their will be a bigger demand for products that will benefit more to our world and therefore reduce the emissions. I do agree on citizen action, however education and the increase for demand is required to make a heavy change.

Monday, April 19, 2010

[task5.:Design4Lif3:.]

Through this six part series (Design for Life) we follow the journey of handpicked designers to compete against one another to win the opportunity to be able to design under the wing of Philipe Starck. We, the audience, are able to see how designers use their own style in design and their own design process to try and live up to Starck’s expectations. As a designer following this series episode by episode, I can’t help but wonder if this is what life will be like after university. However as Philipe Starck continues to critisise, comment on peoples work and eliminating the group so that only one survives I’ve come to see that his way of thinking, what he demands and expects from his competitors is similar to what can be demanded in the industry.

I like how Starck looks beyond just the product and really dissects a product by really thinking about the story which he does during episode one where the bike can be analysed to have been manufactured via slave labour. When it gets to the nitty gritty of product design however, his comments are awesome. His designers had to keep in mind to design something that would intrigue someone while being ambitious. I should take this on board, try something new, be different, not just simply redesign an existing product. I guess this is for later in my design life. Not necessarily designing for a big corporation. Concept generation in episode 3 made me go, oooooo3r. When I saw how angry he was at the level of work the designers produced. I thought they did enough work. But to him, the amount of work they needed atleast was to have a design with all technical aspects nutted out. To him this must be done before you pitch to a client, and I should really take that to heart because industry life is coming soon, I better get to it. Starks “lazy” term: not pushing ideas to the ultimate limit is also what I’m taking on board to, being dedicated and motivated enough to push ideas to its limit, really got me thinking of how I approach my work. Do I become lazy, do I push ideas to it’s true potential….

This final quote is what I’m probably going to keep in mind for the next few years.
“Must harness a real breath of skills, you need ideas, internal source, memory, personality, recollections, the creative influences that you’ve soaked up, second source, looking outside, observation, talking to people, seeing whats around there. Know the technical aspects, the designer has to work out skill and craft. Worthless if you can’t communicate. They fail without showing passion and convicntion, articulate argument. That pitch is everything.”

Sunday, March 28, 2010

11th Hour [Task 3HREE]

“Key for our survival…..only animal on the planet that actually was able to recognize we could affect the future with what we could do today. We look ahead, recognize where the opportunities are, where the dangers lay and choose accordingly to survive. Key for our species.”

So basically, after an hour of knowing the wolrds dying, and that in effect, we will die with it through the constant reminder of global warming and other issues such as resource depletion and pollution. The last thirty minutes gave me insight on ways humans as a whole can improve their ways to stop these dangers that seem like the “Gods revenge on us”. Seriously why are we living like this, do we not fear extinction?

“Key for our survival…..only animal on the planet that actually was able to recognize we could affect the future with what we could do today. We look ahead, recognize where the opportunities are, where the dangers lay and choose accordingly to survive. Key for our species.”

As a designer, I fear that I may contribute to this disaster aiding designs for the mass consumption, even though I make it moderately sustainable or eco friendly, businesses in the end want cash, and they’ll go through the cheapest way to manufacture, which may be the worst for the environment just to get that cash they want.

“We do have technology, how can we use our understanding of science, along with our understanding of culture and how it changes, and create a culture that can exist with science and technology with nature.”

Even if every designer does design for the good of the planet, will the rest of the population care? Will they? Fffffffffffffffffffffffffff- I don’t know. The documentary raises awareness and points onto help. One part claims if people were to all use solar power, reduce waste etc. 10% of our effect on the planet will reduce. Is that good enough? I did ponder over the idea about designing buildings like a tree, a city like a forest. That was an idea by one man, however will people actually want it….

lifestyle[OPTIMISATION] .:Charette #1:.










Sunday, March 14, 2010

.:OBJECTIFIED [TASK 2WO]:.

oNE hOUR To wATCH this videO. Firstly, I thought, Double-U-Tee_eff, waste of time. Haha daaaaaaam was I wrong. At the end, I was heavily inspired, felt so keen to pick up a pen and start designing (*cough* studio work). “A central goal in design is to create an appropriate environment where people feel good”. Society, consumers buy to feel good in many different ways. They buy to make their life easier. They buy to increase their self esteem. They buy to get the latest product out there. So designers have to design to fulfill these kinds of needs. However, there is more to it than that I reckon. I believe design is much more than just designing to make things in life easier. When I’m out there in the field, I want to do so much more, I want to change the world, not simply design for a company to get a quick buck so that someone out there can just buy an object that’ll last what probably one or so years and then just replace it. This is also considered in the video that “focusing on what’s now or very next is that it’s not very forever”.


The video provided a variety of designers giving their input on their own idea of what design is and how it relates to the people their designing for. Which got me thinking, asking questions like why I like design, what interests me about it, what I’m really designing for or how can I impact the world. It also widened my views as a designer that I’m designing objects that will be used in society, a lot of thoughts come to mind. Do I design to give a specific reaction or leave it to the consumer to decide. “Our real audience is ourselves”. Consumers buy objects that means a lot to them, which I highly agree on. So if I can design to draw the consumer due to the meaning I can portray. Then maybe my relationship in society will be sweet.