W/C 17 Oct 2011 Marisse Mari

Design Thinking

I found this lecture quite thought provoking because it made me analyse the way I approach designing products and what the benefits of designing are. For example this link from the design council shows how innovation is helping to reduce the amount of alcohol related crime.  When I consider designing as a subject I don’t associate it with subjects such as going to the pub on a Saturday night, but as the article shows it is an invaluable resource to sit down and go through the problems of the original design and look at a redesign that doesn’t affect the functionality of the product yet makes it safer and prevents any alternative uses.  It's made me appreciate designing more as a skill.

Working on ....
Uni:

I’ve now finished my design sheets – shown below.  Jess and I are discussing what design elements we like the best to come up with a final design.

Personal:

I have began to start making some pieces – I’m particularly drawn to square shapes when making rings and earrings.  I think I like this shape better than the traditional circle as it is different, yet simple.  Just by changing the shape of the ring you have automatically added interest to the ring, any other design elements that are now added to the ring are a bonus.  Everyone knew what a clock looked like and it’s function, yet when Salvador Dali painted the melting clocks, they suddenly became a more interesting subject.  I find Dali’s work really interesting, I only really began to look at his work last year, but now find myself drawn to it quite often.  I like the fantasy aspects of his paintings and the dual reality that seem to always be apparent.  For example although the main subject of a painting/sculpture may be fantasy there is always a true reality aspect to it.  In the Persistence of Memory the melting clocks and creature are fantasy yet the cliffs in the background are a scene from his home, similarly with the Lobster Phone (or Aphrodisiac Phone), the phone and the lobster are very real items but to have a lobster as the receiver of a phone is complete fantasy.

Visited:

Lady Lever Gallery for Finishing Touches exhibition, the World Museum, Liverpool and the Great Northern Show

I found the Finishing Touches exhibition really interesting.  It was fascinating to watch the styles change through the years, however you could still see the handmade quality of the accessories.  The level of detail in some of the items was phenomenal especially considering that many of the items were made literally by hand without any of the modern machinery used today.

I hadn’t been to the museum before and was excited by the content.  The most impressive thing I learnt about however was the caddisfly.  The larvae of the fly create a protective cocoon around themselves by using whatever they find at the bottom of the water body that they are in.  What is interesting is that they can be bred in a tank with flecs of precious metals or gemstones in the bottom of the tank.  The larvae will use these materials to make the cocoon for themselves.  When the shell is discarded you are left with a totally beautiful yet random bead.  They are the natural equivalent to electroplating.

The Great Northern Show was good fun.  There were lots of designers displaying their work, it was good to meet the designers face to face and ask them questions about their work.  Some of them were more helpful than others, but everyone was happy to offer encouragement for degree work.  I particularly liked the work of Alan Ardiff.  His work was amazingly detailed and well designed, many of his pieces using natural body movements to cause the piece to move and create a moving scene.