Blog Comments

Here are the blog I have commented on:

1. Camille Kordek: Project One, Hero Shot
2. Kirstie Cocokios: Experience Enrichment
3. Ping Song: Project 1
4. Luke Messina: Project 1, Experience Enrichment: The Water Wiper
5. Jackson Walker: Experience Enrichment, Storyboard

Technical Drawings - incognito

Rationale

Rationale

The ‘incognito’ is a ceramic grater intended to grate horseradish, ginger and/or other root vegetables. It can be used as a presentation centerpiece or on the bench top of any household kitchen. The design was inspired by the Japanese culture with its beautifully manicured 'Zen gardens' where a feeling of tranquility and calm fill the atmosphere. This sense of ease is what I attempted to recreate through the grater; through texture, colour and proportion the user feels a sense of peace and calm when using the tool.

My piece attempts to push the boundaries of how one interacts and views the grater in their everyday. ‘Incognito’ presents itself as though a piece of art, a sculptural item not intended for functional use. This idea encourages discussion and thoughts about what it does and its purpose. In turn, this forces the users to pick it up, feel the smoothness of the wood, the texture of the pebbles contours, run their hand over the ripples on the plinth and experience the coolness of the ceramic grater on its base. This curiosity and desire to learn makes for an enjoyable product.  Once its true purpose is discovered, a sense of accomplishment and understanding is gratifying for the user.

The ergonomic pebble shape, made from Yakka wood, makes the user feel comfortable as its smoothing texture enriches the user experience and enables them to pick up their root vegetable of choice and grate it. With its shape comfortably fitting the users hands, ensuring fingers are kept away from the grater, makes using this grater a pleasurable experience. The wooden plinth is made from Black Wood, a highly intricate and textural wood that further emphasizes the Japanese ‘Zen garden’ feel. Carved into the surface of the plinth are ripples radiating in the shape of the ceramic grater on the underside of the pebble. This tactile feature is a physical and emotional link to the Japanese garden theme while also adding an alternate dimension to a flat surface. Similarly, in Japanese design history, designers have used the cold rigidity of ceramic with the warmth and natural beauty in wood to make evocative and highly personal hand tools. This is an ideology that I believe makes the experience of using hand tools enriching in peoples lives. The ceramic grater comprises of small sharp triangular pyramids that when rubbed against the vegetable cause it to break apart into smaller pieces. Ceramic as a cooking material is food safe and easy to clean. Also, with the advancements in ceramic manufacturing technologies the blades rarely become blunt. This is a user benefit, as the grater would not need to be replaced for a long time., thus reducing waste and encouraging families to keep heirlooms. 

Product Poster storyboard

This is my storyboard... Hopefully it is clear how my grater works!

Hero Shot

Here is my hero shot for my 'incognito' grater. 

Video Reflection - Story of cosmetics, bottled water and electronics

The following videos, ‘The story of cosmetics’, ‘The story of bottled water’ and ‘The story of Electronics’ talk of a system in crisis. We live in a word focused on the consumption of ‘stuff’. This involves our daily lives where we are constantly purchasing items that we have been coerced and coned into buying through corporations’ use of advertising and the development of social trends that society has adopted in conjunction with what becomes available to us.

The Story of Cosmetics

The current cosmetics industry has adopted a 1950s mentality where the previously unknown chemicals and toxins used in cosmetics are still being used in today’s products. This shows that these companies still have other agendas when designing and producing these products. Previously they had little knowledge on the harm these toxins have on our body; but now they continue to produce product that are harmful instead of substituting proven beneficial alternatives that are both better for humans and the environment. When toxins are put into something they will no doubt end up in the system of the user – ‘Toxins in, Toxins out’. A new attitude to producing these products is needed. The video suggests the precautionary principle where if there is doubt to the harm a toxin can have on someone or something, it is better not used.

The story of Bottled Water

What lead to the mass consumption of bottled water was the trickery and misleading advertising of 1970 producers, conning people into believing that tap water was unsafe and in some cases ‘carcinogenic’. This method was used to drive profits of companies producing bottled water after they realised that their profits could only reach a certain level, and would flatten out. One of the issues with bottled water is the waste. Most bottles at this point are being discarded in landfills, and/or shipped over seas to countries where infrastructure is not as strong and disposed of there. The video suggests that the bottles be down-cycled to produce another viable product. Another issue is health of people and the cost it incurs to use bottled water. Bottled water, in the US, is not regulated to the same standard that tap water is plus the cost is over 500 times the price of tap water, which is practically free for the average person.

The Story of Electronics

Electronics have become a major part of our everyday living when rather than designed to last forever are being  ‘designed for the dump’. This means their in-built obsolescence (or the designers choices) dictate how long a product is to last and operate in a person’s home. Existing products, in some instances are being shipped to eastern countries where they are then dismantled, its valuable parts sold and the rest either put into landfill or burned. This is a major health risk and environmental disadvantage as the toxins that have been built into these products are then emitted in harsher forms after the products life. The video suggests new ways of minimising waste and harm on human during the products use. Firstly, initiating ‘product take back’ to ensure that companies design responsibly and ethically, as they will be the ones who dispose of the waste. Secondly, make electronics modular and allow parts to be changed rather than the entire product. Finally, it is even more important for the products to be designed to last, that way they can perform an alternate task in the family home; a piece of remembrance, a memento in a families history to be passed down for generations to come.

By Mitchell Harris 

My Design Career

Here are just some thoughts on the following questions... 

Why do you want to have a career in the design industry?

• The design industry is a dynamic and vibrant community of creative minds that want to try and make the world a better place. This is achieved through the systems, products, architectural environments that encourage creative thinking and inspiration to people who come in contact with them.
• Having the ability to be apart of a person’s everyday life by changing how they do things and interact with their surrounding environment.
• With our world changing as much as it is, there is a greater need for efficient and effective design to make the impact of the human race as positive as possible.

Why have you chosen to study Industrial design at UNSW?

• I originally entered into the Industrial Design program at UNSW as a way to get into University. After completing my HSC I wanted to go into Architecture, either at UNSW or Sydney Uni, but with my ATAR being lower than desired I accepted my offer at UNSW in Industrial design.
• Before starting this program I saw it simply as a stepping-stone into Architecture. But now that I have started, I see this course more and more as a career that I could pursue.
•  Then again, after completing Fundamental in semester 1 I saw the creative process, rather than the design process, as an avenue that I would be more interested in. Focusing more on the ‘art pieces’ in design rather than the mass produced and ‘consumer’ based products.
• I accept that in order to get to the level of creating ‘one off pieces’ understanding the industry and the processes behind it is important

Who has inspired you to pursue a career in Design?

• Like many other young Australian design students, Marc Newson has achieved a level of recognition that is an ambition for many. Coming from an average Australian family living in Sydney, seeing his transformation from an everyday person to a household name is a great achievement.
• The architectural pieces of Zaha Hadid have also inspired me to pursue a career in design. The fluidity achieved in her buildings through using such rigid and contrasting materials is inspiring. Her alien like designs push boundaries of engineering and styles for her period.

What do you think the future of design will be?

• I think the future of the design profession will become more and more important as new ways of completing everyday tasks is needed. With the environment and cultural diversity of the planet become our main focus designers will be required to make broader and a diverse range of products to cater for larger number of people.
• The concepts and ideals behind design, I believe, will become integrated into everyday thinking allowing people to explore creative ways of doing the simple things in life. This conceptual way of thinking allows for a greater understanding of ideas and empowers people to think outside the box.