Legs Eleven

The 2012 brief Legs Eleven captures the wonderful world of children under 11 years of age. A product which is targeted for children's use (a drink or food product) or used for children (a children's medicine or bath product). The product must strike an emotional connection between children and their parents as a reliable and convenient product. 

For week two, I generated four very different concepts that explored a range of different recycled materials.  I started with initial research which involved looking at sustainable packaging guidelines online as well as taking photographs of existing products within my local supermarket. 

Video Reflections: The Light Bulb Conspiracy

The documentary-style film The Lightbulb Conspiracy takes a historical look at the introduction and creation of the concept of design obsolescence. With the fall of prices within the industrial revolution, people started shopping for fun rather than need, influencing companies to increase profits by controlling the rate at which consumers repurchased their products. The film ultimately looks at the disastrous affects that design obsolescence is having on our environment and the ramifications from this economy-boosting initiative.

Initially, the concept came into design during the start of the depression within the 1920's, when it became an issue of the economy grinding to a halt because people reduced their buying; if consumers do not purchase, the economy does not grow. A man of the name Bernard London proposed a radical theory  to end the depression, to make design obsolescence a planned law to create a balance between capitol and labour, where there would always be a need for goods. Although this concept was never adopted, the idea was out and the lightbulb was one of the first products that took advantage of this profit-creating theory.

Looking at the history of the lightbulb, it can be observed that over the course of the last 100 years, the lifespan of a lightbulb has been greatly reduced to increase company profits and more frequent repeated purchase. Bulbs regulatory lifespan was dropped from 2500 hours to 1000 hours with an aim of controlling consumption. Adolf Chalet is the late designer who invented the 100-year light bulb, a bulb that has been burning constantly for over 100 years to this day. This unique design demonstrates that design obsolescence is an unnecessary con to force people to spend more money, more frequently than is actually necessary. It is ironic that the lightbulb was one of the first victims of planned obsolescence  in the sense that it is a symbol for innovation.

Another product that was brought to light with designed obselesence was a home-use inkjet printer. The printer had been manufactured to have a set lifespan of 1800 prints, made possible by the insertion of a chip within the electronics that instructed the printer to stop printing after the manufacture set default number of prints. The repair of the printer at this stage of use was made to be over twice the price of a new printer, forcing the consumer to obtain better value through the deliberate disposing of a still-functional product. Another example of planned obsolescence was seen with the introduction of the ipod. The irreplaceable battery which had a life of 1500 hours meant that when the battery was expired the product could not be fixed, forcing the customer to make a repurchase. Consumers were so outraged with this marketing con that a class action lawsuit was filed against Apple and won, producing the outcome of an extended warranty - the underlying problem of planned obsolescence still remains an issue.

The concept of planned obsolesce was initially marketed to consumers within the 1950's, seducing them to own something a little newer and sooner than necessary. This concept of  buying has led to people using products as an expression of their identity. Older forms of identity, such as community memberships and relationships with the land have been replaced by the consumption of products.

The Lightbulb Conspiracy gives an accurate depiction of the effects of planned obsolescence on our natural environment, highlighting that although it boosts the growth of the economy, it is not sustainable. Within deign, product lifecycle had become the euphemism of planned obsolescence. The video aims to inform people of the weaknesses that have been purposefully built into design, and how this greedy and manipulative concept has seen the astronomical rise in unnecessary waste that is destroying our natural environment.

Video Reflections: An Inconvenient Truth

Al Gores' film, An Inconvenient Truth is a political documentary focusing on the issues of global warming and climate change. Being both presenter and author of the film Gore uses his position of power to get his message across to the audience, starting with his introduction "I used to be the next president of the United States". In this way the audience is positioned from the word 'go' to trust and listen to the views of this once popular, once loved political figure. 

Through the use of multiple cartoon analogies, Gore uses humour to create an entertaining educational environment for his audience. The convincing arguement of Global warming is presented with hard-hitting scientific facts and data, presented in a way that demonstrates the earth has a dire situation occurring at this very moment, and something must be done about it. "The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to its close, In its place we are entering a period of consequences" -Churchill.  The film ultimately aims to spark an emotional state within the audience, to influence a change in behaviour to counter the effects of climate change.

The majority of the film is constructed in a way to make the viewer feel as if they are part of the audience in one of Al Gores worldwide conference presentations. The arguement is made to appear far more superior in this regard, due to the international scale on which this high-flying and influential figure has reached. But Al Gore is not just presented to be a figure of power and intellect, the film gives insight into his life at a personal level, drawing the audience in through nostalgic memories from his childhood. This conflicting  technique, makes the film far more personable, fuelling the audience to feel a moral responsibility to jump on board and act against climate change.

Gore points out that the only factor impeding civilisation from acting against the issue of climate change is the lack of political will. "Humanity already possesses the fundamental scientific, technical, and industrial know-how to solve the carbon and climate problems..." - S. Pacala and R. Sacolow. Politicians hold the issue of climate change at arms length, because if they acknowledge it then they will have the moral responsibility to do something about it. "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on him not understanding it" - Sinclair. As a result of ignorant politicians, Gores audience, and aim has shifted to educating the world, "one person at a time", until his message influences a changed perspective and a moral responsibility.

This passionate and heart-felt documentary demonstrates a significant and relevant message on the issue of climate change; being that whether or not you have chosen to acknowledge it, it will increasingly affect every single person who shares the earth. Gore influences the audience to care about the beautiful world that is our home, so that "it will be there for your children". One step at a time, moral responsibility can be demonstrated by a small change or contribution. It could even be as small as turning off your lights.

Video Reflections: Giving Packaging New Life & How it's Made: Packaging

Industrial designers and the public in general are enlightened with the education of current packaging manufacture and recycle technology, which can be observed through the documentary-style video episodes from Giving Packaging New Life and How it's Made: Packaging. The two video series educate and inform its viewers of up-to-the-date technology and how it is utilised to gain the maximum efficiency from the materials produced in todays fast-consumerable world.

Specifically looking at the video episodes from Giving Packaging New Life, there are a myriad of different material recycling categories and techniques demonstrated to the audience, including paper, tetrapak, tinplate, aluminium, glass and plastics. New technologies have enabled an increase in automation, resulting in the requirement of less manual labour associated with the different stages of the recycling processes. A prime example is the worlds first automatic sorting plant in Hannover Anderten which not only stands as a symbol for design innovation, but also reduces the cost of sorting by up to 50 percent.

In taking a look at some of the recycling processes from paper to plastic, some useful statistics (retrieved from Germany) aid to inform the audience of the significance and importance of recycling in todays manufacturing world. Waste paper accounts for sixty percent of the amount of paper used to make new paper and tinplate accounts for forty percent of the raw material required for steel production. The recycling of plastics is a new innovation in the manufacture of products, as up until he 1990's plastics were incinerated or land filled as there was not the infrastructure available to recycle them. This advancement in technology has meant that in todays society, more than two-thirds of the plastic that is produced is recycled. Of the packaging produced, eighty-seven percent of aluminium packaging is recycled, while 2.7 million tonnes of waste glass are recycled each year. These figures demonstrate to the audience why recycling is so important in the contribution to the creation of new packaging; the amount of new material is significantly reduced, creating a more sustainable way of life.

Moving on to the video episodes from How it's Made: Packaging, the audience is not only shown a range of different manufacture and recycle processes, but are also given an insight into the treatment and handling of landfill. When rubbish makes its way to landfill, the process does not stop there. Energy is harvested from the methane gases produced by the decomposing waste to power turbines for the creation of electricity. The methane is also converted to liquid natural gas for the fuelling of garbage trucks that collect the waste. Although the concept of landfill is not desirable, technological discoveries and advancements have allowed the process to be tailored for the creation of a means of a self-sufficient cycle. The video gives an insight into the entire process of manufacture, from production, to recycle, to  disposing of waste.

The packagings cardboard, tubes, tetrapak, aluminium cans and glass bottles and jars are all demonstrated to the audience through the video episodes. The processes required to produce these packagings have been designed to maximise efficiency whilst minimising cost, producing packaging using the least material necessary in the fastest time possible. The most interesting fact revealed through this video series is associated with the production of aluminium tubes of paint. During manufacture, the tubes are coated on the exterior surface with a layer of polyester enamel paint, which is structured in a way that allows the paint to stay intact and crack-free when the tube is twisted and squeezed. The special properties of the paint mean that the printed writing on the product remains legible even if the product has been pushed and pulled out of shape. The series educates the audience about the different machinery and processes that occur during the different types of manufacture, giving an insight into new discoveries, new processes and a general understanding of how things are made.

Through watching the series How it's Made: Packaging and Giving Packaging New Life, the audience is able to better understand the processes associated with recycle and manufacture. Through this education, more conscious decisions can be made in terms of recycling and sustainable ways of living. The development of new technology, such as the automated recycle machines, increase the efficiency of the recycle process while reducing labour and cost, ultimately with the intention of reducing the impact that humans are having on the environment; leading us one more step to sustainability.

Project Two: Upcycling

Seat belt webbing is a very durable and strong material; making it perfect for incorporation into designs such as bags, where this material property is put to use. This material appealed to me as a fitting choice for this assignment, as it is effectively at its end of life when the cars in which they are found are sent to landfill.

I sourced the seat belt webbing from some car wreckers in Blacktown called Pick 'n Pay. Each belt cost $5, being almost 2 metres in length. For the design of the bag that I made for this assignment, approximately 4 and a half seatbelts were used. This product is able to be mass-manufactured, as it only requires the supply of seat belt webbing, used recyclable bags and a sewing machine.

As a material, used seat belt webbing is easy to source, from car wreckers and car heaps. Each car produces four seat belts, each belt measuring about 2.2 metres in length. On average, one auto recycler landfills over 270 kilograms of seat belts every month.

This bag effectively upcycles seat belt webbing, fulfilling the criteria of the brief. The design of the bag is reflective of the style of objects found within a boutique store. The bag is made from seat belt webbing, with a lining of recyclable shopping bags. The front of the bag is held shut with velcro strips. This is a simple and sturdy design aimed at people who carry numerous books to work or university. The sleek appearance of the material allows the bag to fit nicely into an office environment.

Task 6: Design For Life

The Design for Life television series hosted by world-renowned designer Phillip Starke was a series that placed great emphasis on the design process and the expression of individual creativity. Each of the six episodes within the series followed the Journey of 12 competitors from the United Kingdom, each battling to win a six month placement within Phillip Starkes school of design in Paris. Through viewing this series a great detail of insight and understanding can be gained on the different approaches to design, and how different ways of design thinking can be embraced.


According to Starke, good design speaks life. It represents sex, flesh and sweat. Starke is known as the 'bad boy' of design. With a talent for capturing attention, his design philosophy is simply that good design is beautiful, useful and sustainable. With the selection of 12 competitors from hundreds of design entries, through the series Starke is looking to discover the best new talent in the UK. The search for new ideas where the designers go out of their comfort zone to open themselves up and give everything.


The competitors began the competition in Paris where their design decisions would be challenged and critiqued. The highly critical nature of French culture would motivate the competitors to generate 'good design'. With the commencement of the first project, each designer was allocated the same brief; to find two different products within a supermarket that represented two themes: function and ecology; one item being useful and one being useless. Through the undertaking of this project, Starke was given insight into the designers different ways of thinking, so that he could better understand how their creative minds work. This brief encouraged the competitors to look for the stories behind the products. A myriad of product were brought to the table, ranging from a glass mixing bowl, nappies, batteries and a childs water bottle, right through to condoms to name a few. The end of the first episode saw two people eliminated from the competition, where their design ideas were too simple and not developed enough for Starkes expectation.

Product designers effect every day of our lives. Every product is the result of a design decision, and it is these decisions that will affect our lives in the future. For many designers the most exciting parts of design are the beginning and the end. From the generation of all forms of limitless creations, to when the product becomes a realisation of all of the creative efforts and technological restrictions undergone by the designer. Starke is regarded as the most prolific designer of the generation. His democratic products embrace the future through their sustainability. Through this competition, Starke is looking for a creative mind that can embrace his thinking and design approach; a designer that can push ideas to the limit.

After the elimination of two competitors at the end of the first episode, there were only ten competitors left at the commencement of the second assignment. With a brief to create a product that will help humanity and reflect evolution, Starke aimed to seek out the most ambitious thinkers. It was up to the competitors to find out who in humanity they were trying to benefit, and become familiar with their target by understanding how they live: observing human behaviours. With such an open brief, the competitors returned with completely different and creative ideas through their individual interpretation of the brief. Concepts such as fabric lint, floating communities, personalised t-shirts, water meters, a bamboo bin and an interactive tunnel were just some that were presented as ideas to help humanity interact better with their environment. This was a very interesting episode to watch as the competitors wasted so much of their time tossing around ideas, that it restricted the quality of their final presentation. This resulted in two competitors being sent home, as their ideas failed in the exploration of the brief in a creative and extensive manner.

The expression of creativity and ideas rely on self belief and confidence. Some believe that it is ninety percent perspiration and ten percent inspiration. With the incorporation of performance in a design presentation, the pitch of an idea can be greatly influential on the audience. When designing for a target market, you should design through experience. Where the designer can immense themselves in the world they are designing for, to understand the lives of others. To think, feel and experience.

Within the third episode, the competitors failed to impress Starke in their response to an open brief. The brief stated five simple guidelines; the product designed must be ethical, democratic, ecological, non-electronic and be a product of daily use. For Starke, the goal in design is always invention. Although each of the designers came up with a design invention, their lack of research and knowledge in the area they chose to focus on let them down. Starke decided not to eliminate any competitors, but rather have them each re-do their designs and produce a model; as individual competitors. Teamwork in a competitive environment in this case meant that the dreamers were restricted, and the level of work was levelled; not one competitor stood out from the others at this stage.

With the revision of their designs in the fourth episode, the eight competitors returned to Starke with their ideas. Only four people made it through to the next episode, with designs of a childrens posture chair, anti-mugging glove, magnetic dinner set and an aged walking frame. I found this an interesting episode as the designers became very stressed with the pressure of the competition, hindering the quality of the designs that they were producing. Even after a warning from Starke about their lack of performance and laziness, some of the competitors returned with models that reflected no effort or attention to detail whatsoever. Not surprisingly, these were the four people that were eliminated from the competition.

Through his design career, Starke moved onto form not function. From huge scale interiors to things within the home; democratic design and affordable products. A successful product designer is one who can generate ideas through experience and observation. Where there is a definite technical understanding. For industrial designers, the craft is working out the engineering. With Starkes favourite project always being the next one, his standards are only as high as he sets for himself. As a prolific and influential designer, many of those within the design world find it hard to escape his shadow.

For the four remaining competitors, episode number five saw the opportunity to have their designs produced into prototypes. With the requirement of technical drawings and finalised ideas, Starke was looking for those who had the most successful and feasible designs. Although the posture chair was an extremely clear and researched design, this failed to impress Starke as the internal mechanism of the chair was too complicated; for Starke, less is more. The anti-mugging glove fell to the same consequence, it too failed to impress Starke, mainly due to the lack of research and understanding of the technicality of the product from the designer. Only the Magnetic dining set and aged walking frame made it to the final round, leaving the last two competitors, Mike and Ilsa to battle for the six month placement at Starkes school of design. Within the world of design, ideas are only turned into prototypes if a client believes it has a potential as a solid investment.

With just two remaining competitors in the final episode, the opportunity to win a placement at Starkes design agency would launch the successful designer straight into the heart of the design world. Both Mike and Ilsa made it to the final round as their products were ambitious and inventive. They met the criteria of the brief and appealed to Starke as they were both highly functional. The opportunity to learn about design advertising was experienced by the competitors, and ultimately would have the last point of influence on Starke. With both products being a qualified success, the aged care walking frame won as it was a more ambitious product. It sculptural form appealed greatly to Starke, resulting in Ilsa winning the six month placement in Starkes design agency, where for the next six months, she would have the invaluable opportunity to work alongside one of the worlds most renowned designers.

Design is about making things that can be done, not just about dreams.

Project One: Experience Enrichment

Icerush is a stainless steel hand tool designed to cruch ice for making cocktails. The size and shape of the design allows for the user to crush ice inside a generic cocktail shaker, before the other ingredients are added.

The design is easy, simple and fun to use. The shape and size of the handle is easy to grip and comfortable to hold whilst crushing ice. The unique shape at the base of the crusher allows for ice to move to the edges while whole pieces of uncrushed ice can remain centered for easier and more effective crushing.

The target audience of Icerush are females aged between 20-35 years, who enjoy entertaining. For the out-of-home female who loves to get dressed up and entertain in a classy manner.

Referring back to the brief, the Icerush product design promotes a pleasurable living relationship with the user, as it makes the experience of making cocktails easier, and therefore more enjoyable. The process of crushing ice creates a feeling of gratification, as the user is able to achieve a 'smarter cocktail' through the use of this product. The shape of the handle is large and easy to grip, making the ice-crushing experience comfortable, where the hand is not stressed by the repetative action.