Inspirational & creative ramblings of a self-confessed geek – Things I like, things I find and things I’m doing.
As promised, following on from last week’s mini series opener of the Open University‘s short animations on Design In A Nutshell, I now bring you part 2.
Revealing that there is so much more to arts and crafts than all the mess of glitter and glue at primary school, I give you Design In A Nutshell – Arts and Crafts.
We do not reject the machine, we welcome it
Part 3 on Bauhaus follows next week.
With landfill sites overflowing, and an ever-increasing focus on people recycling and reusing materials we still have a lot of waste thrown away. Even recently the UK government’s waste advisor Wrap announced that retailers were failing to meet packaging waste pledges, with food, drink, and packaging waste in the UK supply chain totalling about 6.6m tonnes a year, and costing £5bn!
I’ve posted on the topic of packaging before with the very clever idea of Universal Packaging and everyone’s favourite guilty culprit Easter Eggs, but a quick search online reveals websites and entire Flickr groups dedicated to absurdly packaged items.
Do headphones necessarily need large vacuum-formed plastic casing stapled onto a cardboard backing, or does Amazon need to use such large boxes for small individual items?
The worst offender I have come across is probably this.
That’s right, nothing. Just packaging. Packaging for NOTHING! It pains me as a designer that someone actually came up with this, with developers and retailers then thinking it was a good enough idea to manufacture it and sell it on the high street to unsuspecting customers.
A lot of this waste is not necessarily the fault of the consumer, I definitely think that more could be done by designers at the packaging development stage to think and act creatively about how products and goods are housed. Many companies are starting to address this, albeit driven by costs of materials in packaging affecting their profits rather than environmental factors, however many products are still over-packaged.
Whilst reducing waste is a step in the right direction, designer Aaron Mickelson is striving to eliminate waste entirely. The idea is that by designing packaging that is 100% functional to the product itself, it can very simply ‘disappear’ by the time you have finished (or even started) using it.
A few of my favourite ideas:
Nivea Bar Soap (or any brand of bar soap for that matter)
Replacing the heavy paper carton that is useless as soon as the soap bar is removed, the disappearing package is a septic-safe, water-soluble paper.
You take the whole package into the shower and once wet it dissolves leaving nothing behind.
(reminds me of something that Creative Review did a few years ago)
GLAD Trash Bags (again, applicable to most other brands too)
Instead of the heavy paperboard box, the packaging becomes one of the bags itself. Very clever.
The necessary information is printed directly onto the last bag, which, in turn, holds the entire roll together.
The original packaging doubled (albeit very poorly) as the liner dispenser, this is improved upon here as bags are pulled out from the centre of the roll until just the final bag remains.
Twinnings Tea Bags
Traditionally tea bags come individually wrapped and stacked in a cardboard box, which is ultimately discarded. The solution is to stitch them together with inpermanent glue into a self-standing brick (it is admitted that with almost all food goods that packaging is near impossible to remove entirely).
Each tea bag tears off with the folder becoming the hanging tag. As a bonus this idea actually increases the available print area to provide information and graphics as the product is used.
More great ideas on The Disappearing Package.
It was with great sadness that late last night I read that Jonathan Speirs had passed away after a long battle with cancer.
You may not know who Jonathan Speirs is, but I am sure you will know his work. Speirs is the lighting designer responsible for such incredible designs as the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, Barajas Airport in Madrid, and the Gateshead Millenium Bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Working as a lighting designer myself I am more than aware of his work and what he has done for the industry. I never met the man, but like so many others, was continually inspired by his works. My Creative Director at Neolight Design knew Jonathan well and worked with him for many years, not least on the facade of one of the world’s most iconic structures – the Burj al Arab, with nothing but praise for him.
Through others I was very much influenced by his teachings and works, the cleverest of details simply transforming buildings and projects to something awe-inspiring.
Jonathan is a huge loss to all involved in the creative and design industry, not just constrained to either lighting or architecture. I even noted Speirs as one of my greatest sources of inspiration when Lighting Magazine interviewed me last year!
Tributes from colleagues of Jonathan’s over on Lux Magazine say so much, as does an incredibly poignant tribute from Mark Major, Jonathan’s friend and creative partner.
This is absolutely brilliant. The design and manufacture of Raleigh bicycles in the mid-40s, as told by a designer to a father and son.
The process of manufacture is traced from the beginning; the design on paper and the raw materials. We see what goes to make the steel tubes of the frames, the handle bars, the gear wheels, the pedal cranks, the pedals, the spokes, the wheels and the hubs, until at last the complete bicycle is ready for testing.
More information on this short film over at the British Council Film.
Hat tip to Mr. Jolly for sending this my way.
Three years ago a group of seven Cambridge University undergraduates embarked on a summer of genetic engineering, specifically at a bacterial level.
The multi-disciplinary group of designers and scientists designed DNA sequences that encouraged the bacteria to secrete coloured pigments at wavelengths within the spectrum of visible light, meaning that us humans can see them.
This synthetic biology of a single DNA sequence is known as a BioBrick, a mix of designed genes from existing organisms that enable certain types of bacteria to be even more useful.
For example, programming the bacteria to produce a warning colour if toxins are present in what would otherwise be unsafe drinking water. Indicator potential such as this led to E. chromi winning the Grand Prize at the 2009 International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM).
E. chromi – living colour from bacteria. Really fascinating stuff.
Follow @echromi on Twitter for their latest project updates.
Before the likes of Jonathan Ive there was Jerry. Jerry Manock. He was Apple’s very first designer.
Recently he said this, and something about it has really stuck with me over the past few days (probably the concern of which I can relate to it!).
I get really upset when I’m walking downtown and there are three young people walking toward me–all with their heads down. I try to make eye contact to say hello, good morning, and nothing.
The disconnect there bothers me, and that’s going to get nothing but worse. I’ve got my iPhone and GPS and news anytime I want it. But my mindset is: I’m not married to this thing. I don’t have to look at it every five minutes. I can kind of use the technology for what I need. I feel pretty balanced that way. And I’ve made a conscious decision not to go with all the social-media stuff, because it takes up too much of my time. I can’t read a book. I can’t sketch. I can’t go to movies if I’m constantly tweeting somebody.
Jerry Manock
In 1977 Jerry Manock joined Apple as a design consultant and designed everything of the original Apple II (the first successful, mass produced personal computer) bar the circuit board, even down to the beige colour, Pantone 453.
If you want to read more about Jerry there is a great profile on Seven Days here, and read the full article (including that quote) on Co. Design.
As I work in the lighting industry I tend to keep a close eye on new technologies, more efficient ways of using light and working to meet increasingly ‘green’ needs. So when such a novel lighting solution found it’s way into my inbox it really caught my eye.
A bottle of water with a few drops of bleach is all it takes to provide a lighting solution to the light-deprived slums of the Philippines. The mere simplicity of it is staggering. Nature at it’s finest being exploited for those that need it, spreading sunlight throughout places that rarely see it.
It is almost like taking a step backwards in terms of pushing new technology, but really this is the kind of thinking and innovation that we should be embracing.
Designed to emit clear light for around five years, it is incredibly sustainable. Just watch the video and you’ll see what I mean.
The simplest of solutions, the most cost effective of products, and all developed to aid some of the world’s poorest people. Light can have an incredible effect on state of mind, motivation, circadian rhythms and general health as a whole. This simple product will really benefit the entire community, and bringing it to people who have little or no money, or even electricity, is a fantastic solution.
Two very enthusiastic thumbs up.
On new years eve, and in typical Brazilian fashion in front of 2million people and on a beach, Rio unveiled their logo for the 2016 Olympics.
First off, I like it. That was my opinion when it was announced last week and I still stand by it. The Rio emblem was designed by local design agency Tátil, who add the Olympic accolade to the already impressive portfolio containing the likes of Fiat, Philips and Coca Cola.
I could spend the rest of this post critiquing it and (inevitably) comparing it to London’s for 2012. I will address the latter somewhat, but what’s really grabbed my attention through all of this is how transparent and open Tátil have been about their development process for the logo.
Bidding for the Olympic logo is not something agencies tend to take lightly, the rigorous and government regulation clad process is challenging enough, and then you throw in the need to represent an entire nation and impress a global customer base… phew! Well, five months on and 139 agencies later, Tátil emerged victorious.
The logo itself has come under some criticism for perhaps taking too much inspiration from the American Telluride Foundation, but this has quite swiftly been brushed aside by Tátil’s Fred Gelli, putting any likeness down to coincidence and “that the broad concept of people embracing each other is not novel”.
My absolute favourite aspect of the logo is the incorporation of one of Brazil’s most famous landmarks, Sugarloaf Mountain, refuting the copyright accusation perfectly.
It’s no accident that the beautiful curves of the logo match the elegant and sweeping lines of the landscape perfectly, drawing on the ideal source of local inspiration.
Any good logo, especially one intended for such global appeal, will work well across a range of media. The London 2012 logo falls slightly here as I’m yet to see it used really well. There is the odd piece of good graphic design, not to mention the excellent mascots, but the Rio logo seems really on top of this whole affair, perhaps stemming from the fact that it was initially intended solely for 3D use.
If you thought the Sugarloaf Mountain link was obscure, then what do you think of being able to spot the word RIO in the logo itself? Look again, a bit harder. There. Can you see it? I can vaguely make out the letters myself, but I’m much less convinced of this notion’s intent.
The soft-edged, morphing people are right on the money. They evoke emotions of unity and togetherness, as well as the carefully selected colours accurately depicting environmental issues of a warm sun, fluidity of water and natural rainforests. Brazil in a (colourful) nutshell.
There’s even a rumour started that the colours in Rio will change and morph with each day that brings us closer to the olympics, maybe leaving us with a completely different look come the opening ceremony! I hope that’s true because that would be fantastic attention to detail.
It really couldn’t be further from London’s jagged-edged, bright pink effort. To be fair, I dislike the London 2012 logo much less than when it was announced, and it is memorable, we’ll give them that.
It’s great to see some of the sketch work behind the idea too. Much like the Tron process I was pleased to find last week, I love seeing the development of a brand or idea and these illustrate this perfectly.
On their own the sketches and brush strokes may seem rather innocuous, or perhaps irrelevant, but put them as part of the overall development process and you start to see the bigger picture, the iterations gone through to achieve the final and lasting result. Even evidence of some rather well represented market research.
Representative of a global event, full of optimism and achieving success – I Looking forward to seeing it animated on screen, surrounded by creatively sourced and lively Brazilian character mascots. Keep an eye out here, as soon as they’re announced Inspirational Geek will be posting thoughts on them!
You might be starting to sense some sort of a theme here, and you can probably imagine my excitement when I discovered the following images over on the Wired’s Underwire blog.
As a fan of both the original film, and Daft Punk, I’m not only particularly looking forward to my trip to the IMAX later this week for Tron:Legacy, but as a designer I’m often intrigued and fascinated by the process that films and products take. How do the concepts and sketches on the back of an envelope compare to the final artefact? How did that prototype model help to iterate the design and whittle it down to what we see before us? I’m especially looking forward to the visuals, and seeing how well they’ve been executed (incredibly well if early reviews are anything to go by) when compared to the original film’s somewhat questionable, yet still groundbreaking for the time, special effects.
Some may say it ruins the illusion, but with me that’s far from it. Understanding the process enhances the end product, helping me to (ever so slightly) understand and appreciate what went into it, and now Disney have offered us a mere teaser behind the scenes in their latest venture, Tron:Legacy.
Designer Daniel Simon was the main guy behind the 2010 light cycle design, and having a background working for Ducati you must agree puts him in good stead to acheive the glossy heights that Tron:Legacy aims for. I’d say the (shortened) process shown, of working through concept sketches through to final models and artworks, is fairly typical in the world of industrial and automotive design, though the standard is far from typical as it of the highest calibre.
The final light cycles did change ever so slightly when the 3D models were truly put through their paces with a physics engine. Trying to work out how a 3tonne motorbike reacts on a glass floor at 90mph is quite something! So full credit to Disney for the attention to detail in really executing the realism. Even the small items such as the air brakes on the back of the bikes are inspired by genuine real life working examples of brakes on jets.
Even the completely new items have been created such that the mechanism for it comes across as entirely plausible, leaving you not even batting an eyelid in questioning how it may (or may not) work. That’s great detail design.
While at university I was the subject of a 3d body scan which, when mapped to a video of me in a lycra suit covered in tiny silver markers recorded by eight strategically placed cameras, translated to a bio-mechanically correct 3D figure of, well, me! You won’t need me to tell you it wasn’t a patch on the cameras Jeff Bridges had inches from his face allowing the crew to triangulate and stream footage of his every facial movement to impose an aged version of his head on another body.
The recording, mapping, and final effect shown in a hugely condensed three steps.
The special effects team for the film’s costumes claim the lights in the film ”were by far the craziest thing they’ve ever done”. Not being sure how to achieve the effect they were after they gave every effects house in LA a small budget to find something that would work. In the end Quantum Creation FX came up with a polymer-based “stretchy thing that would bend, deal with sweat, not hurt anybody and still get bright enough,” perfect for the job in hand.
Measuring 1/8th inch thick, the illuminated tube lamps were screen-printed and incorporated into the trim on each sleek suit, all powered by a lithium ion battery on a wiring harness running the length of the suit. This self contained unit allowed perfect lighting, consistency and reaction throughout the whole film.
You might also notice that many of the outfits in the film fit rather more snug than usual. Each character had a custom moulded outfit created by laser scanning each person and sculpting a life size foam figure upon which to mould the outfit from a CNC machine. The result was a millimetre perfect fit for each protective, yet athletic prowess permitting, outfit.
If you’re in any doubt over what I’ve just said, or maybe you’ve already seen the film and are still somewhat baffled, then check out the rather good Tron Wiki which should reveal all. No excuse not to know your Recognizer from your Solar Sailor now!
I had the chance to go down to Earl’s Court on Friday and check out 100% Design. Plenty of inspiring and creative work, from recent graduates and independent designers to larger established companies.
Electrolux did well to get a spot near the entrance, and giving out a decent bag early on (the staple of any good exhibition stand) meant that most attendees were walking round advertising Electrolux throughout the afternoon! The Electrolux Design Lab was most impressive, in particular showing off Kitchen Hideaway, Kitchen Elements and the eventual winning concept The Snail.
100% Materials offered a fantastic talk from two recent Central Saint Martins masters graduates. Monica Sogn first showed an exploration into ‘Making nutrition a tangible matter’, followed by Chiara Onida showing off the beautifully exquisite ‘musical’ carafes and wine glasses.
One of the most impressive feature installs was Roca‘s “The Wave”. A 15m kinetic light installation that consisted of 40 motor controlled hanging rods with integrated LEDs all set to move and simulate ripples and waves.
Ciclotte offered a refreshing product design take on the traditional exercise bike.
My favourtite stand (and quite a few others’ too) was the completely original and amazing cardboard installation from Creative Trust.
Cell Lighting displayed the extraordinary Lighting Kaleidoscope, a pixel-esque grid of LEDs which attracted plenty of worthy attention.
Spam Ghetto gave us a unique and interesting spam-based generative wallpaper.
Lots of shades and lamps were dotted throughout the exhibition too, however, the stand out piece of lighting for me was Lasvit‘s Bubbles in Space. It just looks incredible, and the 320 separate components can be scaled right up to a 4m diameter version that’s available!
Plenty of international graduate work on show too, with 100% Norway, 100% France (namely Elise Fouin) and 100% Italy amongst others all having solid representation.
Running down the centre of the exhibtion were some of the more playful opportunities. Grohe hijacked JAM’s T2 three-way table to play table tennis with their new shower heads, Blueprint‘s Claystation allowed budding interior designers to create their own “three-dimensional room-set, complete with staircase, doors and windows” from one “ingenious piece of paper engineering”, as well as a custom cardboard chair design.
Other notable mentions include many of the products from Myyour, almost everything in the Hidden Art Design Store and Object Design‘s ergonomic chair rig and 3D CNC machine demonstrations.
Due to 100% Design’s no photo policy most of the pictures here have been borrowed from their Flickr stream.
