(448) Week 03 - Ecology + Economy = good design

One of the 100 most sustainable corporations of the world in 2009 is the cosmetics company, L'Oreal. source: Global 100

(442) Week 03 - Constructing Type

Based on influential artists Alexander Calder and Bruno Munari, I was inspired to explore a more methodological and constructivist approach towards type and lettrines.

First in a purely aesthetical way, using a black ink pen and markers afterwhich I used a bamboo brush to put water over the whole.

As I was testing the technique I drew a "B", forgetting I should have drawn one of my three letters.

The effect was quite interesting and the drawing/wetting process reminded a bit of the improvisational aspect of Jazz music. Even in my the last lettrines I was experimenting a bit with knowing where I needed to end up, but not necessarily knowing how I was going to get there. It became a visceral activity that I enjoyed quite a bit.

Surprisingly, as I looked through a blog called boingboing, there was a post focusing on Jazz/bluegrass/blues music and one of the videos posted was that of the painter and sculptor Joan Miró and jazz composer Duke Ellington meeting for the first time for an improvised jazz session

For the following experiments I was inspired by the rubber mat of the stm public transport buses. It is a grid of rubber bumps and by the end of the night people's shoesteps covered some of them with dirt and water creating shapes. With this in mind, I drew a grid of dots in markers and used my bamboo brush again with water, drawing out various letters. The effect was eye-catching.









Such as Bruno Munari had created a type toy that allowed children to create letters by using a simple number of shapes, the Dainippon Type Organization created a type toy in 2006, which was also a set of shapes that could be put together into words which then the same shapes could be put together in a different way to create the Japanese character of that same word.

to draw a tree

to draw a tree

to draw a tree

Inspired by this puzzle type, for my second approach I cut out pieces of paper in shapes that reminded me of Alexander Calder's sculptures and assembled them together to form type and lettrines

With these same pieces I decided to test them out as an animation, which is not a finsihed product at all, but is aimed to be viewed as a "sketch".

Lastly, these are the original sketches of the Alexander Calder and Bruno Munari inspired lettrines.

(448) Week 02 - Ideas and Inspirations

Ideas:

What to make?

_Light fixture

_Jewelry

_Storage unit/system

_stool

_bags/totes

_

What materials to use?

_Discarded clothes

_Discarded wires or other

_Paper

_Repurposed wood

_

Inspirations:

"Made from wood residues from Plattenware, the residue lamp is an eco-friendly lamp that can also be a stylish and playful furniture for everybody. The lamp’s parts are connected with joints, which made it possible to become a fun wooden doll for your baby girl. If you do not have a baby girl at home, you can have it as an eco-friendly desk lamp and playfully mode the light from one position to another. With this product, wood residue will never be destined to our landfills ever again and eventually, our landfills will be drastically minimize, thus, less harm to the environment." from source

Made by Midas

"Elvis & Kresse Organisation (EaKo) has created a great line of products from handbags and belts to wallets and even a table set (recycled fire-hose placemats and coasters.) What is truly unique about their products is the time and effort that went in to make these truly sustainable and 100% recycled items. They even donate 50% of profits from the fire-hose line products to the Fire Fighters Charity." from source

Elvis & Kresse

-Ornj Bags are made of reused costruction fencing, salvaged from abandoned fields and work sites.
-All bags are available with a removeable felt lining to protect your valuables.
-Ornj Bags are great at the beach, market or anywhere a sturdy, vibrant tote is needed.

from source

ornjbags.com / ornj etsyshop

(492) Week 02 - The Burqini

The burqini is something that I never knew existed, but when I began researching it on the net, it seemed strange that it hadn't been thought of before! Except it has! We've just become less prudish, that's all. Lest we've forgotten that women used to wear full body bathing suits in the late 19th early 20th century, followed by having their hems measured and eventually exposing themselves to practical nudity. It's considered a female right to wear a revealing bathing suit, did women's rights activists fight for the right of being nude, or being respected? The Guerilla girls certainly had a different opinion of the nude. I'm a bit conflicted when I think of the dichotomy of choosing to cover yourself up and choosing to uncover yourself, they are both rights, so which is right? On the one hand, the burqini is fantastic in that it allows women who choose to wear the burka (or not) to enjoy activities they wouldn't otherwise. On the other hand, is that much cover up necessary to divert lustful eyes? As for the bikini, I don't think any woman older than 35 chooses to wear it with confidence (unless they do, but sometimes they shouldn't) or without a shawl. Not all women want to be gawked at 24/7 and not all would probably want to wear a burqini, but we should have the right to choose, based on religion or not. The worst is having our choices be dictated to us. On a last note, I think swimsuits should be seen as the fashion statement that they are and to categorize it between "show nothing" and "wear almost nothing" is very limiting as it could be such an incredibly fascinating creative medium in all sorts of fields.
source source source source source source

late 19th century bathing suit versus early 21st century bathing suit

victorian bathing suits source 1900s bathing suits source source source

(442) Week 02 - Lettrines 2

In class work of lettrines, exploring the imaginative bounderies of type.





Artists to look at:

Alexander calder (source, wiki)

Bruno Munari (source, source, wiki, futurism wiki)

(492) Week 01 - The Photograph

A film by Charles and Ray Eames for Polaroid

My chosen resource for the material photograph is a video made by Charles and Ray Eames for the SX-70 Polaroid camera. It essentially is meant to inform the prospect user how this amazing new product can work for them and change how they view photography, bringing the viewer and the subject closer than ever. The Polaroid was in fact a true revolutionary invention; the thought that you could take a photograph and it would instantly develop is something that still amazes today, and perhaps even more magical than digital cameras. Despite having gone out of production in 2005 and Polaroid ending its film production in 2008, it remains an iconic symbol of many people's lives. Most of the few photographs I have of my late grandmother are Polaroid’s. The switch from analog to digital was done very swiftly due to how accessible it was, how easily it could be transported, how it took up very little space and how it reduced waste both in terms of film production and photo developing. In my opinion, the Polaroid offered the same kind of wonder and power to the user that the digital camera does, the aesthetic is entirely different but the aims and process were quite similar, they both simplified photography for the general population removing the complicated task of photo adjustment and costly developing materials. When I was first introduced to my father's 1970's Olympus analog camera, he spent over three hours explaining how I needed to set all of the variables to take a picture; it was the only camera in the house. All I wanted to do was take a few photos of my friend before she moved to Vancouver! When I got my first digital camera, it was as simple as a Polaroid. Point, click and view!

(442) Week 01 - Lettrines

When I think of lettrines I immediatly think of Fairytales and old children's books. Based on this I was inspired to tell some of the brother's Grimm stories through the letters Y, Z and A.

Here is the first sketch, the letters are traces.

(448) Week 01 - Green and non green objects

Basic product analysis / Sustainability in product design

The objective is to measure the ecological qualities and faults of chosen products by demonstrating a critical point of view and a simple analysis of these products.

Brief: choose 2 products, a “green” one that has some true eco-design properties, and another that is far from being sustainable. (under 50$)

You can choose objects from your home, a store, pharmacy, … but bring them physically in class for your presentation. You should also prepare some images, videos, or anything that can help you present your analysis.
(short oral presentation of 5-10 minutes)

Your analysis should include information on the impact that this product has, environmental and socially.

Some topics that should be addressed:

- Is there too much material VS is the material used in a clever way?

- Easy to recyclable? DFD ? Re-usable ? Repairable ? etc …

- Too many different parts/moulds? Lightweight? ( transport )

- Is it really useful? How long will it live? ( longevity and durability )

- Is the packaging “overkill”? ( over-packaged )

- etc …

Green object: thai peanuts tin

A metal container with a plastic top caught my eye around eight years ago when I went to a dollar store after school. It was a product from Thailand and the only one of its kind I’ve ever seen in any dollar store since then. It contained peanuts that were cocnut cream flavored, coated in a crispy layer; it looked good, but there was no cream coconut flavour so I never hoped to buy more. However I loved the container the peanuts were in and wouldn't have minded buying more to have more of them, I’ve since kept it and don’t plan on ever throwing it away. The only thing I did throw away was the paper cover under the plastic lid. -Out of the ordinary, this made me want to keep it.

-When its purpose was fulfilled, I reused it to store other things.
-The combination of metal and plastic makes it ideal for storage as the contents can be seen.
-Materials can be disassembled which makes them easier to recycle as opposed to something that has different types of materials stuck together.
-The size isn’t too small or too big so it doesn’t get in the way of things I already have.
-Simple packaging = product.
-No recycling symbols on the materials, types of plastic and metal are unkown.
-Product was recalled in the US in 2000 for having Higher Than Acceptable Levels Of Aflatoxin source. Which is thought to have negative effects on humans and animals source.

~~~

Non green object: Earphones

I’ve gone through so many earphones and I don’t what to do with them when they either don’t work anymore or fall apart, the only choices I have seem to be the garbage or the storage box. It’s difficult throwing them away knowing they can’t be recycled (I think).

-Can be bought very cheaply or can be very expensive. Brake easily.
-Can only be thrown away, cannot be reused a different way.
-Cannot be disassembled or recycled.
-The materials used are also not recyclable
-Serves only one purpose, and its lifecycle ends once it fulfills that purpose.
-Good ones are more expensive but there is still that lingering fear that they can brake just as easily. Like the jack for instance.

Some companies are making their earphone packaging more eco friendly by using corrugated coardboard that is recycled.

Or even some products exist using wood instead of plastic for the ear piece as well as other materials that are more recyclable, for the chord.



What is recyclable and what is not? source.

Materials that are used to make earphones:

Plastic
Hard plastic is used for the outer shell of the earphone and serves to protect the sensitive inner workings of the device.

Aluminum
Inside each earphone bud is a small aluminum coil that acts as a type of transducer, turning the raw data into audible sound.

Rubber
Newer earphones use rubber around the earphone speaker. This is used to add extra comfort for the user.

Electrical Wiring
Earphones use wire to connect not just the earphone speakers to small chips inside the earphone bud, but also to connect the earphones to the TRS connector.

Copper
Many TRS connectors, or "audio jacks," are made of copper. Copper is an excellent conductor for electricity.

from source.

Addicted to Plastic, a documentary by Ian Connacher

trailer:

clip 1:

Clip 2: