Design Real

Konstantin Grcic has curated a show about industrial design at the Serpentine, called Design Real.

I am gutted that I am on the other side of the world, and won't get to see it, but there is a really great website (I think it's designed by Alex Rich, I could be wrong) where the products within the exhibition are explored in-depth, in a dynamic and inspirational manner..

There is also a dezeen podcast with the man himself giving some personal insight into the project.

If anyone gets to see it, don't bother e-mailing me to tell me how great it was.

It's arrived!

So after messing (resrearch) around with my Lego set this week, I decided to finally get an Arduino.

I made an order on Thursday, and it turned up Friday.

I'm really impressed by the Arduino and the online commmunity it has spawned. I also ordered the book 'getting started with Arduino' by one of the founders, Massimo Banzi.

The book is really fun to read, gives a short history of the project with some really inspirational contextual information. Its accessible and is written in a way, like the design of the Arduino project, that is easy to get into and enables you to start doing 'stuff' immediately.

Arduino was developed to teach interaction design, and I'm hoping to pull it into some of the teaching that happens at the university, as well as developing my own projects using Arduino.

A big thanks to Tim at mindkits for being so helpful and getting my order dispatched overnight.

So what are YOU waiting for?

Get Tinkering!



Arduino Starter Kit



Linked up to my laptop with some blinking LEDs!

What is Sustainable Product (or Industrial) Design? (POLL)

In addition to whatever comments you may have, I have also set up a poll on the RHS.

Get Voting!








PS - I am not sure how optimistic I should be with this considering the number of readers - but I'm giving it a go!

What is Sustainable Product (or Industrial) Design?

We are currently trying to develop a standpoint on sustainable design within the Industrial Design Department. Obviously it is something we are all dealing with within our respective areas, but we are trying to develop a department wide manifesto, which has thus far been lacking.

Its funny that many students are talking about / attempting to design in a sustainable manner, yet how they engage with ideas of sustainability in their own lives is often non-apparent.

As many will be aware, the idea of 'sustainability' is something which I have been trying to engage with in my own practice for the past five years or so, with varying degrees of success.

But what does sustainable industrial design mean to you?

Any comments are welcome.

It's on!

I think I have been approaching this blogging thing all wrong.

When working full time it's quite difficult to get the time or motivation to write somert, but people out there are looking for opinions - that they can agree / disagree with, or take some inspiration from, be that positive or negative.

Its taken me nearly nearly 3 years to realise that this can be my little soap box.

Beware design world.

Thinking Objects: Contemporary Approaches to Product Design

is a book by our friend Tim Parsons.

So this is not just a promo for Tim, who is a great guy, very clever and a great designer, but as I am reading this at the moment, I thought I'd put up a few thoughts.

Firstly I think it's a great book. As a reader for students and designers it gives a great overview of product design as a discipline, touching on many different aspects of design, including designers motivation, ethics, and how to operate in the real world - something that many design books avoid.

The book is well laid out graphically, with references easy to find, and aspects of subjects expanded on in specific areas.

Although sometimes chapters lack an in-depth investigation into the nuances of the subject areas (some of the design 'research area' may benefit form a little more thoroughness), as the aim of the book is to be a platform to other reading materials and specialist knowledge, I can't be too hard on that.

I have found Tim's perspective on design very enjoyable, and he poses some valid contemporary questions of the Industry with astute observations. I am sure some of my international colleagues would claim that the approach is very 'euro-centric', and many of the examples within the book are from a school of thought (poetic, witty - cottage industry objects') that are a prevalent in European, especially UK design and it could have been interesting examining the 'superstar' Industrial Design (Grcic, Morrison) with many of the more gritty, mundane realities of life within a consultancy, or on working for low-to mid end clientele (rather than Morroso, Magis, Apple et al), a position that many designers end up in.

This said, it is one of the best introductions to design, and the many design related issues which are inherent in our profession, that I have read for a long time. The book will open doors to a richer design practice and thought process, and would be a great edition to any Michael Marriott bookshelf.

Arts on Sunday

I was interviewed alongside four other designers from the Creativity and Surplus Exhibition for Radio New Zealand National, 'Arts on Sunday' Programme.

I haven't and won't be listening to it, as I was there, and hate the sound of my own voice, but if you are interested, then open your lugholes!

Bean Bag Bench

The Bean Bag Bench was featured in an article about the Surplus and Creativity Exhibition, in the Weekend Dominion Post.

Two Fingers to General Negativity

So, after the opening of the Surplus and Creativity: Design and the Readymade opening the other night, I was informed that a member of staff from a local tertiary educational institution referred to the exhibition as 'being like a first year project'.

Now I am the first to admit that there is a variety in quality of execution of work within the show - but I thought this was a bit strong - verging on moronic!

It seems that designers, and many others (go and look on the dezeen website) seem to have a constant negative view on anything and everything.

There is some absolutely great work in the exhibition, including Holly McQuillans zero waste work - which just the shear engineering is breath-taking - never mind the complexity of print placement etc

It amazes me that someone in education has a knee-jerk reaction about something - and behaves like I used to when I was in my first year at university; calling everything 'crap' as I didn't have the depth of knowledge, skill, understanding or intellect to appreciate how hard, emotional and courageous completing any design project and placing it in the public domain can be.

Now I am all for critique, I have a big mouth which leaves me open to criticism and vindictiveness, and am now quite thick skinned, but what I object to is any moron (mainly on the internet) with an uneducated opinion who throw's it around thinking (a) it means anything and (b) they are in the right.

The Foldable Skateboard that I did for 'Carry On' earlier this year has been all over the internet - with many people (mainly skateboarders and FYI I have skateboarded for over 20 years) completely ripping it apart, saying 'its dangerous', 'a waste of time', 'would never work' etc.

What they don't seem to read is 'its an art concept'. It was never meant to be functional - but a narrative of a story of a group of skateboards, that coming back from Barcelona had to break their skateboards in half, as Iberian Airways refused to let them aboard with 'dangers weapons'. How nice it would have been for them to fold their skateboards up, and take them on board - hence 'Two-Fold'.

What I am trying to say, is 'think before you speak'. If you are going to critique something, make sure you understand it, understand the surrounding context and back story, and maybe give a perspecive on how you think it could be better. Then link to some of your own work so people can judge your authority.

Its much easier to be negative than to try and explore, understand and empathise with people who actually have the guts to put work out there.

ECC Architects Quiz

On Tuesday night myself and my good friend sarah peachey, alongside two of her colleagues from Tolouse Lighting Consultancy entered the annual ECC architects quizz. To cut a long story short, we won (YAY) and walked off with over $1500 of Magis, Artemide and Flos Prizes!

Suffice to say I went home with a J-MO Air Chair (with Arms to match my other two at home - result!) and a silver Tolomeo Micro.

Well done guys - see you next year.