Blog Comment 2

Kang, Hae Lin
http://liah90.blogspot.com/

Bailey, Mitchell
http://mbailey3255374.blogspot.com/

Chiang, Wesley
http://thatssoeames.blogspot.com/

De Graaf, Simon
http://www.z3337777.blogspot.com/

Gu, Yuliang
http://guyuliang1990.blogspot.com/

UPCYCLING

For this project, I used magazine as my material. Magazines are easy to obtain, and once you have finished reading the magazines, they usually become rubbish. This is why I think magazine is a very suitable material for this project. Almost all household have magazines inside their houses, and once in a while, they would just pile them up together and throw them in a recycle bin. I think that this is such a waste, as magazine can be quite useful even after being read.

In order to manipulate the material, I've decided to cut them, fold them and roll them up. The original methods is to roll them with pencil. But I decided to measure them correctly and cut them, to get the consistency in thickness. I also roll them into a solid form, with no gaps in each roll, so that it's more sturdy, although it does make it heavier. Then I compile them together using PVA glue into the shape that I desired.

I decided to make them in different diameters, so that it gives pattern to the product. It also helps giving forms so that it's not symmetrical, and the small pieces helps fill in the gaps to make it stronger. The different colour on every roll, I believe is the beauty of the material, and it enriches the aesthetic value of the design.

Design For Life

In this series of evocative videos, Phillipe Starck exposes his philosophies on his designs. Stark talks about usefulness and sustainability in designs, and how design should help to have a better life. Disguised as a reality show, participants engaged in such a manner to expose Stark's ideals. During the video, Starck keeps implying to the contestant how design should be sustainable. However, at the same time, design has also got to be beneficial to the society.

I find it very interesting how Stark kicked out designers, because they were just trying to please Stark, even though their designs are good. I think this is a very important lesson for us, uni student, to think about why we chose to design. We do not design to please our tutors.

Blunt with lots of criticism, Starck's evaluation of useless products were illustrated by ipod cases and their irrelevance to real world issues stirred the contestants. Harsh as it might sound. But it's a harsh truth of the industrial designer and mass production in this world.

But what I think is the important thing in this video was to realise the story behind the product. Finding out about why it was made and the story behind it. Another part of it was also to find out the ending of the story. By understanding these things in designing products, thus we can design for life, knowing where the product will go in the end.

Last but not least, I have to say that this video reminds me of my own studio life here in UNSW.