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Design for Life: Starck finds his British protégé

Ilsa the college lecturer in 3D design from Liverpool wins a place on Starck’s team. Her walking aid Flo for the elderly impressed the judges. In this the last episode of the program Design for Life Mike and Ilsa had to finalise their designs and work on an advertising campaign for the products.

Advertising posters needs

• Product name

• Logo

• Tag line

• Images

They both met with an advertising team. Advertising is all about letting people know the product exists and promoting the benefits of the product. Mike and Ilsa are instructed to design a poster. They need to have a product name, logo and tag line.  

Advertising is all about letting people know

Ilsa appeared to be all over the place. She continued in her style of complicating everything. She confused the advertising team by changing direction a number of times. Ilsa found it hard to stay focused on the project.  

Mike decides he wants his product (dining setting for the visually impaired) to appeal to the general public as well as the blind. The advertising team like his product name ‘Stable’. He explains Starck was unimpressed with the name. They convince him to use the name as it sums up in a word the main features of his design. He also has to redesign six items. Starck wants his intelligent design to be elegant. 

Comments on design

• Design touches us in our daily life

• Design is about solutions to problems

• Design is not easy

• Great design requires work work work…

• Designers need to think bigger

Results

Ilsa and Mike present the advertising posters to Starck. He is impressed with both. Ilsa had selected an image of Charlie Chaplin as part of her image. Starck thought she should find a modern image. Mike did very well considering he had to design six items. Starck was impressed with his design particularly the knife. Ilsa impressed Starck with the sculptural design of the Flo mobility aid for the elderly. He said it was the most beautiful object he had seen in a long time.

The budding product designers had impressed. Starck considered both joining his team. In the end Ilsa won because her design was ambitious and completely new won the six month placement with Starck’s company in Paris.  

The Decorating of Houses Continues

In chapter two of her book ‘The Decoration of Houses’ Edith Wharton encourages designers to consider the purpose of the room to be decorated. The tastes and habits of the people who will occupy the space also need to be taken into account.

Wharton stresses the importance of individuality as a priority of the time (late 1800’s). She believes people should have their homes decorated in a way that will allow them to be comfortable in their own way.

“It seems easier to most people to arrange a room like some else's than to analyze and express their own needs” Edith points out people can also be caught up in the traditions of the past. These unconscious tendencies need to be put aside. Comfort and convenience should be the main consideration she states.

When decorating a room consider:

• The purpose of the room

• The tastes and habits of the occupants

• Convenience

• Needs

• Individuality

• Design principles

However Edith does caution the reader against going the other to extreme and discarding things because they are old fashioned. Using the Golden Mean as a guide will make it easier to furnish rooms. the Golden Mean sometimes referred to as the Golden Section is a measurement used by the Ancient Greeks.

They believed using the measurements in building and design create perfect proportion. The ratio used 0.618 to 10. A rough example is to use 1/3 of 10 =3.3, 3.3 x 2 = 6.6 which works out around 2/3rds. The what some call the perfect number is thought to have been used in various buildings, The Parthenon,  Taj Mahal and the Great Mosque of Kairouan. If you visit this link you will find information on the replica of Parthenon in Nashville http://www.nashville.gov/parthenon/

“… to penetrate the mystery of house furnishing it is only necessary to analyze one satisfactory room and notice, wherein its charm lies” 

The era in which Edith was writing this book was a time of great change. The new rich middle classes had money to spend. They wanted to appear cultured and accepted by the old moneyed families. To achieve this they used cheaper imitations of past styles. The higher classes held on to the traditions of the past. It was against this trend Edith spoke out.

New decorating styles were emerging; Art Nouveau and the Arts and Craft movements. Edith appears to have wanted to bring balance. A lot of what Edith had to say is still relevant today. Are people still following fashion trends at the expense of comfort, individuality and good design?

Design for Life: design prototypes, branding and design presentation tips

Enjoyed Starck’s Design for Life program so much this week. Philippe continued his search for a new generation of design talent. He states his aim as; ‘to encourage designers to design with the aim of helping their society to a better life’.

This week four designs were turned into prototypes. Before a product can be considered for this stage of the design process a company would need to really believe in the possibility of success. Creating a prototype is big investment in a design idea.

The company selected to create the prototypes have worked with Starck for twenty years. John Philippe has developed many of Starck’s famous designs. The students were sent off to improve their design ideas. Jess was instructed to find a material suitable for her self defense glove. She was instructed to make the glove look good/ fashionable.

Ilsa needs to turn her mobility aid idea into a workable design. Trevor’s child’s stool needs to be developed further to become less complicated. Mike’s dining setting for the visually impaired needs to be more stylish. The students are encouraged to find solutions to design problems. Ilsa works on the function and safety of the aid. She visits a group of ladies looking for the main points of function.

Trevor must simplify his design to survive in the competition. He works on a mechanism with a pushdown clink in moving motion to be moved using the hand. Mike spends his time working on  creating a stylish design of his setting.

Think like designers, designers find solutions

Starck wants the last detail considered in each design. The students need to work and think like designers. Designers find solutions. Designers need to hold onto their design ideals. 

Branding

The students are required to create a brand. Great branding creates a promise, then an experience, then a memory. This is a brilliant way of explaining the ideals of branding a product or service.  

Aim of Branding

• To creates a promise

• Then an experience

• Then a memory

Market research is a vital activity needed to develop a brand. Students need to find a name, logo and develop some graphic designs to promote their product.

Presentation of Branding Ideas

Ilsa presents her ideas in a complicated fashion and takes too long. This means her ideas are not clearly expressed. Mike reveals his branding ideas quickly with little detail. His branding ideas are not positively received. Jess also gives a very short presentation the name she has selected considered no good. Trevor’s name for his product ‘Move Me’ is well received and his colour selections thought to be intelligent.

The way the students presented their ideas could have been greatly improved. At this stage Ilsa’s brilliant design could be scraped. If the competition was determined by this she could well lose her place. Trevor gets the most positive feedback. This indicates the importance of design presentation. 

Tips to help you present your design ideas

It is so important to be able to successful sell your design ideas. Listed below are some tips to help you present your ideas successfully.

• Use short point form statements not long sentences

• Do not use the words I, me or my. When you use the words I, me or my it tends to indicate a personal opinion. You are presenting a professional well thought out design solution not a personal preference.

• Use clear uncomplicated visuals. Create visuals that can be viewed easily and interrupted without  needing to be explain. They need to be self explanatory.  

• Believe in your ideas

• Present your ideas with confidence and passion

• Be prepared for questions

• Clear concise presentations can sell your design ideas 

The prototypes are revealed

What an exciting moment for these budding product designers. Ilsa’s mobility aid is stunning and very well received. She appears to be the clear winner. Jess and Trevor are criticised because they have not evolved as designers. Mike wins a place in the final. He achieves this on the basis of his helping people design idea not on his presentation or the prototype.   

Can’t wait to see who wins