Sustainability

We have now been given the next part of our brief for our sustainability project where we have to renovate a run down house for a client called Emma Fraser.

Emma is a book restorer who is looking for the house not only be her home but a place she can also work from with a studio space and reception area where she can deal with clients. It is really important that we understand all Emma’s needs as this is a place that she would theoretically spend a lot of time.

Meetings with the client in person allowed us to get to know her a bit better and understand what sort of job she does and the things that she requires. Asking questions from what materials she liked to what does she likes to do in her past time, we were able to gather a rough idea of what she would and wouldn’t want from the house and getting a general feel for her needs. This was useful but when Emma talked about all the equipment that she used for restoring the books it was hard to imagine what these looked like and how big they were…next came the visit to the lab she works in. It was really good to actually see the equipment rather than just visualising it and estimating roughly how much space it would take up within the studio. Taking photo’s and asking yet more questions we were able to step into Emma’s life and get yet another insight to the way she worked. The part I found particularly beneficial to look at was the desk where she worked at. Here I was able to see how she liked to organise things and set things out when she was working, something that I just wouldn’t have got from a question and answer session.

This is really relevant just now with the assignments that we are doing in the Design Studies part of the course – getting to understand the people we are designing for. It’s been helpful for me for the two to be running along side each other and some of the skills that I have already learnt doing the previous assignments have proved useful when conducting this new brief. I have been able to apply new skills that I have learned practically in this project so far to the Design Studies assignments and gained a greater understanding of how much you need to get in the mind of the client. Book restoration is nothing that I know about but after quizzing and looking at how the client works, I feel I know enough now that I can begin to design a space most suited to her. Take this afternoon for example, while travelling back on the bus home after getting a tour of the lab I tried to place myself in Emma’s shoes. The studio will be the main part of this project as this is the place that she would spend the most time during the day (Emma stated that most likely it would be 9am-5pm) so it will be important to consider certain issues of comfort: height of the desk, width of the working desk, the light that would enter the studio (this is very important to take into consideration for restorer’s as the light can interfere with the books), where the machinery would be placed within the room, etc. With so many things to think about, the way in which I was visualising things allowed me to start thinking about possible design solutions.

Meeting with the client is such a useful process for me (even if the project will not really go ahead) because I am getting used to working with a real life client and designing for them. The process behind this project is a good way to learn more about working alongside the client and listening to exactly what they need and want.

After completing the first part of the brief, (refer to earlier blog - A picture can tell a thousand words (series9)) I didn't understand how beneficial this part of the project was until after this week. This week we focused on trying to get into the mind of client, before we were actually working like the client would be (okay so maybe not exactly!). I found myself sprawled out over my bedroom floor - constantly trying to find more room to do my work - a problem that might be similar to Emma. It wasn't until now that I realised how helpful it was to actually practically get involved in the thought process that we need to undertake.

With thanks:
http://www.helensanderson.com.au/images/Gallery_Rm8/w99_open_close_book.jpg

A picture can tell a thousand words (series9)

An example of the final idea.

When I think of a book, I think of a story. Some people may think of childhood, pictures or bedtime. Whatever your interpretation of it, many other people might not agree with you.

The next part of our sustainability project asks us to create a book using our subject that we had to discuss in groups (Environmental Design) as the central theme. With no other input, we have to interpret the brief and decide what we think a book is. By using the information that we gathered in the research part we have to decide in what way we want to use this to communicate our ideas...

A clipping of the brainstorm.

A little unsure at the beginning of what I wanted to do, I decided to brainstorm the idea of a story. Trying to think quite broadly, I tried not to think as a designer...
Chinese whispers and digital stories are all ways to communicate a story but they are not your conventional book.
Looking at different types of unusual books that had been created I stumbled across a lot of interesting ideas.

Black Spot Books


Ed Hutchins, Starbridge

Jennifer Collier, Letter Dress


Shannaleino.com

Each one of the examples above convey a different message so it is important for me to think carefully what I wish my story to communicate.There is a saying that a picture can tell a thousand words so bearing this in mind, I want to create a response to the brief that is visual.

Digital Stories:
Does a story have to be physical, something that you can hold in your hand? Can it just be a series of images?

Some examples of the digital strories I created using Photoshop.

Physical Models (and the final concept):






When working on the group research part of this project, I found that each of the group topics interlinked and connected to one another so I want this idea to be the underlying constant within the story. My solution to this was using a piece of thread. Each picture in series9 is connected to another image - all connected in some way. Using the one piece of thread this was not an easy task and I cannot tell you the amount of times I had to pick knots out of the thread.

Pages from my sketchbook, showing my thought process.

With thanks:
http://heatherpizzitola.com/wp-content/uploads/il_fullxfull.918609871.jpg
http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/blogon/upload/2008/02/CollierLetterDress.jpg
http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/news/06/10_books_movable_parts.jpg
www.shannaleino.com

The 'Greatest' gadgets invented?

I came across this article about the greatest gadgets ever invented and although I agree with some on the list. Others, well...are they really the greatest?

As you would expect things on the list include the colour television and mobile phones with cameras. Some people might say well okay these are good inventions but they are not essential...try telling my mum that who is obsessed with Coronation Street and all those people fixated with getting the next facebook profile picture.

One thing that did strike me that was on the list was the eBook. For me books are something quite special as they remind me of a childhood where, yes I'll admit it, I was a bit of a geek and loved reading. Nothing could beat the noise of the spine on a new book cracking and the smell of the new pages as you flicked through the book. Surely something electronic just takes the whole concept of books and turn it on its head?

Why would anyone want to spend hours in front of a tiny screen reading a book that they cannot feel in their hands?

I suppose the up side might be that your bag isn't as heavy carrying loads of books around with you but surely if a book is worth reading it is worth a carry...

Assignment 1: Arguments and Evidence

We as humans are very sensitive to the environment around us, whether we are conscious of this or not. In the chapter, The Power of Context (Part one), Gladwell presents Bernie Goetz to us. A seemingly 'normal' man, who was approached by four black youths and asked for $5 on a subway car. Goetz shoots at these youths and leaves one paralysed but is still hailed as a 'hero'. Crazy?

Three of these four youths were carrying screwdrivers (clearly looking for trouble) and they had all committed previous offences, so really Goetz was cleaning up the streets, wasn't he? I mean he was clearly a normal man who had had enough of the violent crimes occurring and decided to take a stand! Wrong! Gladwell and the reader delve into Goetz's past and learn about how he was merely an accident waiting to happen. He was a class example of an emotionally unstable person - bullied as a child, abused by his father, a social misfit... It was only a matter of time before the environment around him made him 'tip'.

Reading The Tipping Point was very interesting for me. Never before have I read a book that has made me think about things so much or agree with statements I had never questioned before. The book for me was very enjoyable but at times sometimes hard to read. Gladwell presents many ideas all at once, sometimes bringing points up which had be discussed previously and this sometimes confused me.

Creating the mind maps made me understand things more and reinforced ideas that initially I had found hard to understand. I choose the Power of Context chapter to look at in more detail because for me it was the most interesting chapter. I had never thought before that crimes could be committed because of the environment around us. Splitting the chapter into different parts allowed me to focus on key points, e.g. Crime, Goetz, etc, and mind map these into more detail.

The mind mapping allowed me to understand more of the book than would have been possible by writing screeds and screeds of linear notes. If I forgot anything while I was mind mapping the first time I could always go back and add more (even my own opinions).