RR08

I thought the last two chapters of Heskett brought up some good points. Design has to continue to grow ans develop into new things. The book talked about the importance of having completely new ideas, not just recreating something that already exists. I think this is really important. The book also talked about designing to help people in the lowest levels of poverty. I think this is also important. One idea that I liked was the new packaging for light bulbs that can be used as a shade in houses that just have a bare bulb as the light. It's something so small and I would never think of that but I think it's a really neat idea.

J08

team:
http://breannaraynedsgn200.blogspot.com/
http://macadocious.blogspot.com/
http://peainmysoup.blogspot.com/
http://lynchdsgn200.blogspot.com/
http://dsgnproberg.blogspot.com/

I was not in class for the first meeting, but when I came in Wednesday the team had already come up with a really good idea and we spent the class fine tuning it.  Our idea is to try and bring the outdoors in and to educate kids about nature, focusing on bugs. Our idea is to make a lamp that is bug themed and comes with some information about different bugs. The lamp will be packaged in a container the kids can use to create their own bug habitat. 

I think our team has been working well together and everyone has been contributing ideas. I contributed the idea of making the packaging able to turn into a box to put bugs in and that idea turned into the packaging we have now.

documentation:

 

RR07

The last half of the book I thought had a lot of good ideas. I liked that they questioned the way we do things and made you stop and think about all the bad things we are doing to the planet. And they offered suggestions of how things can be changed. Just simple things like creating packaging for products that is good for the earth and will actually help nourish the soil, rather than just build up in a landfill. Or changing the way soap is made and sold; making different kind of soap for different ares with different water, and selling the soap in a solid or powder form. And making washers that are designed to do x loads of laundry and will reuse and conserve the amount of soap that is used. I think more people need to start questioning the way things are done, and start implementing new, more eco-friendly ideas.

CR07

I liked the activity we did with the spaghetti. It was fun to do an activity. I found it interesting that kindergartners do best at that activity. On Wednesday we watched the videos about Charles and Ray Eames. I liked the one about the thing that does nothing. Although when we were watching it I didn't realize that that was the whole clip; I kept waiting for something to happen but nothing did.

J07

outdoor camping and recreation:
1. http://www.rei.com/ 
2. http://www.campmor.com/ 
3. http://www.coleman.com/coleman/home.asp
4. http://www.cabelas.com/ 
5. http://www.gandermountain.com/

indoor home goods:
1. http://www.homegoods.com/index.asp
2. http://www.pier1.com/
3. http://www.crateandbarrel.com/
4. http://www.ethanallen.com/
5. http://www.restorationhardware.com/

An interior home good is a product used in the home as a functional and/or decorational piece.

A04

"S"

"X"

"F"

"J"

"A"

"O"

"H"

"T"

"I"

"V"

"B"

"W"

J06 - design and the environment.

I think design and the environment is an important topic. I am especially interested after watching the TED talk and reading Cradle to Cradle in the concept of Biomimicry. I think it is a fascinating idea to look to nature for design inspiration, and I don't know why people haven't done this sooner. By getting inspiration from nature, people are able to create things that aren't going to have all the harmful affects that so many things today have. Below are some articles and videos to further explain this concept::

what is biomimicry?
This is a link to the Biomimicry Institute website that explains what Biomimicry is and gives a few examples. The website also explains what the Biomimicry Institute does and how you can get involved.

 

In this video they briefly explain Biomimicry and give an example of a new way to create energy that scientists are working on developing in Austrailia. It is an ocean power system that mimics the way a sharks tail moves side to side and they are using this movement to generate electricity. 

grooves gather water

This is an example of one way Biomimicry could be used to gather water by looking to the thorny devil for inspiration.

This is a more kid-friendly video, as it is hosted by a kid, but again it gives good examples of how we can use Biomimicry.

15 coolest examples of Biomimicry
More examples. My favorite ones are the lotus effect hydrophobia, imitating the surface of the lotus leaf to create water-proof surfaces, and the butterfly-inspired displays, where they make use of the way light refracts to create colorful images.

This video explains how HOK (a global architecture firm) is teaming up with the Biomimicry guild to form an alliance that will create sustainable, natural living environments. They are going to start in Connecticut and create houses and buildings that will mimic nature in how they function.

RR06

It's really sad and disgusting to think about how much waste we as humans produce. Really it's kind of embarrassing. For so long we have taken advantage of nature and created things only for our own benefit, not taking into account what we might be doing to the rest of the natural world. Recently we have started to realize how much damage we have caused and we see that something needs to be done to change things. In the book they talk about how it's not enough to just be "less bad", but instead we need to recreate how we do things. We need to look more at nature and the animals and take cues from them on how to be more environmentally conscious. I liked the example of the ants. Everything they do benefits not only themselves, but also things around them. There are many many more of them than us, but comparatively we create so much more waste. I agree with what they say about how we don't need to move backwards to a time without technology, but instead we need to use our technological advances to create better, less damaging products.

CR06

I'm not sure where I stand on the issue presented in the movie. I think for the most part I agree with what the movie was saying. Once someone's creation has been put out into the world, I think people should be able to use it and build upon it or get inspiration from it. At the same time though I think people need to be given credit for their ideas and their work needs to be respected. 
On the issue of patents, I agree with what someone had during our class discussion about putting a time limit on how long a person can sit on an idea before they have to give it up and allow someone else to take it and build on it. I also like Gabe's website idea where you can put your idea out there and then team up with someone who can make your idea happen.

RR05

Just from the introduction I think I am really going to like this book. First of all, I am fascinated by the fact that the pages are plastic, and am still surprised at how heavy it is every time I pick it up. I think these guys have a lot of good ideas, similar to the talk we watched about how we need to look more at nature and take after it to create things that are less harmful. I am excited to read more about their ideas.

CR05

I thought the videos we watched in class Wednesday were interesting. I thought that McDonough brought  up some good points. I think that we do need to be more green, but I don't think that it is going to happen very quickly. The problem I see is that being green is more expensive, and the way the economy is now, more expensive is not a popular option. Also, I think you need to have everyone on board with it to really make a difference. I thought Janine's talk about looking to nature more for design ideas was very interesting. She said that we're not the first to design and she's so right. We need to take after nature and focus on function. One example she used was the Sharklet technologies, which is a more natural anti-bacterial surface taking after the sharks who never have things growing on them. I also really liked the video about the Lifesaver bottles.

RR04

Chapters 7 and 8 discussed identity and systems. Chapter 7 discussed how hard it can be to change a well established identity. An example they used was Britain trying to replace their red phone booths with new all glass ones, but people didn't like it, because the red phone booths had become such a fixture in British culture. I thought it was interesting to learn about how Whirlpool has created washing machines that will wash an 18 foot long sari without it getting tangled for people in India, as well as adding a soak cycle for people in Brazil who believe that clothes are not truely clean unless they have soaked before being washed. By making all theswe things possible, Whirlpool has been able to identify with many different kinds of people. Chapter 8 about systems discussed the importance of a well designed system that can be followed by all people, such as roadway signs with the specific colors and symbols used. It also talked about modular systems in things like kitchens and Dell computers, where you are able to choose the size products that fit your needs.

CR04

I really liked the video we watched about accessibility. I thought that wheelchair was awesome and I hope that it becomes available to people soon. After our discussion about accessibility, I have started to notice how much there is really a lack of things such as ramps for handicapable people. 
I enjoyed the scavenger hunt. It was fun to actually do an activity, even though it was very cold out.

RR03

In chapters 4-6 Heskett talks about "giving the users what they never know they wanted". Designers work to create things that no one else has thought of. He also talks about involving the consumer in the design process. An example of this is IKEA, where you can go to the store and design any kind of room you want, and things come in pieces so you have to assemble them yourself and you end up with your own custom room. In chapter 6 about environments he compared the American use of space to the Japanese use of space. In America, we like to have a lot of space and spread things out, which really isn't necessary. He says that because we have all of this space things like bathroom fixtures haven't changed much over the years because they haven't needed to. In Japan though, they don't have as much space, so they have to come up with more efficient and compact designs.

CR03

Last week was a short week; only one class. We talked about the design process. It is a long process. The part I found most interesting was once you have a product, you need to test it out and make sure that people understand what it is for and how to use it. Like the example used in class was just handing someone a water bottle, without telling them it's supposed to be a water bottle, and see if they think to use it as a water bottle. If they can't figure out how to use your product, then it's not going to be very successful.

CR02

On Wednesday we talked about what designers do. I think I have been really naive about what I think design is. I think I have always just grouped the idea of designing into one big category when really there are so many different kinds of design. I am hoping that this class will open my eyes to the various aspects of design and make me more observant of things around me.

designer investigation

Ten things about James Dyson

1.       One of his early inventions was the Ballbarrow; a wheelbarrow with a ball instead of a wheel.

2.       In the factory where the Ballbarrow was made there was a lot of dust, so Dyson created a cyclone tower that used centrifugal force to pull the dust particles out of the building. He wondered if he could use that same idea in a vacuum cleaner.

3.       It took him 5 years and 5,127 prototypes to get the world’s first bag less vacuum cleaner.

4.       He invented the Airblade hand dryer that dries hands with clean unheated air in less than 12 seconds.

5.       He was knighted in 2006.

6.       In 2002 he created a water sculpture that made it appear that the water was flowing uphill.

7.       He started the James Dyson foundation in 2002 to support design and engineering education.

8.       He was born in Cromer, Norfolk, England.

9.       He studied furniture and interior design at the Royal College of Art for 4 years before moving into engineering.

10.   He was awarded the Prince Phillip Designers Prize in 1997.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dyson

http://www.dyson.com/about/story/default.asp?searchType=story&story=airblade

Ten things about Jonathon Ives

1.       He is the principal designer of iMac, PowerBook G4, MacBook, unibody MacBook Pro, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

2.       He was born in Chingford, London

3.       He studied Industrial  Design at Northumbria University

4.       He moved to the United States in 1992 to pursue a career at Apple Inc.

5.       His work is said to be inspired by the 1960s German designer Dieter Rams.

6.       In 2009 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the Rhode Island School of Design and was also named Honorary Doctor of the Royal College of Art.

7.       He was named “world’s smartest designer” in 2010 by Fortune magazine.

8.       He introduced color and light into the computer world where before all computers were cased in beige and grey.

9.       He has over 300 design patents.

10.   He won the Design Museum’s inaugural Designer of the Year award in 2002.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Ive

http://designmuseum.org/design/jonathan-ive

Michael Graves.

Michael Graves is an American architect born July 9, 1934 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He received his architectural training at the University of Cincinnati and attended Harvard University for grad school. In 1960 he received the Prix de Rome fellowship from the American Academy in Rome and spent 2 years studying in Rome. He taught architecture at Princeton University and has also been a visiting professor at the University of Texas, the University of Houston, UCLA, the University of Maryland, the University of North Carolina, and the New School for Social Research in New York. He has published a number of scholarly writings. Graves is one of the New York Five, a group of five architects whose work was in the Museum of Art exhibition in 1967.

Drawing is an essential part of Graves’s work. There have been exhibits featuring his drawings and sculptures. He uses a lot of natural colors. His use of color and architectural composition has been a big influence in the design of buildings as well as interior design. Graves is responsible for the design of many buildings including the Humana building in Louisville, Kentucky, the Portland building in Oregon, the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Florida, the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Steigenberger Hotel in El Gouna, Egypt in association with architect Ahmed Hamdy, the International Finance Corporation Building in Washington D.C., and many more. He has also recently started designing furniture and other household items such as dinnerware, flatware, tables and chairs, jewelry, and even a telephone. His most famous is the teakettle with a whistling bird. He has a line of kitchen ware items at Target stores.

In 2003, an infection left Graves paralyzed from the waist down, but he still continued to work and create. He has won many awards including 7 National Honor Awards from the American Institute of Architecture for completed buildings, 31 design awards from the Society of Architects, 14 from Progressive Architecture magazine, and 7 from Interiors magazine. He has had a very successful career.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Graves

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Five

http://architect.architecture.sk/michael-graves-architect/michael-graves-architecture.php

found faces

side of SEL

refrigerator

sink

wii console

Survey

Hunting Down Design

Barcelona Chair. Designed by Mies van der Rohe. It was designed for the Spanish Royalty to oversee the opening ceremonies of the International Exposition of 1929.

This is the Bubble Club Chair by Philipe Starck. It originated in Italy and made entirely of plastic. I'm reading darco magazine

There is 12¼-degree angle that occurs throughout the building which refers to the divergence between the city planning grid and the campus planning grid.

This is the SEL. I like all of the arches.

This is Thompson library. It has been renovated/expanded 3 times since its original construction, but the east facing side has remained the same.

http://breannaraynedsgn200.blogspot.com/        Breanna Adkins
http://dsgnproberg.blogspot.com/                      Zach Bergman



We worked well together. The first stop was the Wexner center. While there we looked on the computers to figure out which other buildings we needed to go to.

RR02

RR02 – ch 1-3

These first three chapters made me realize my ideas about design are very narrow. I have taken design for granted. I realized that I never thought about how design has been around forever. Even the basic design of making an arrow to hunt with, I never thought about how someone had the idea to design that. I found it interesting to read about the Japanese toothpick. I thought a toothpick was a toothpick, but the Japanese toothpick is influenced by Japanese culture so it has that part to prop it up off the table. I also thought it was interesting to read about the design of the face of a radio. It was hard to mass produce something with a completely smooth surface so it had to have steps/different levels on it.