Melinda Kingsland
Mikee Ronquillo
Nicholas Baroni
Deon Pazpinis
Helen Holman
Wednesday
Cormack Packaging Awards
Rationale:
Baby Buds cotton applicators are an innovative design that is both practicle and portable. It’s a must have for any busy mother who needs that extra support in giving her baby the gentleness and softness they deserve.
Baby Buds are different to existing cotton buds on the market as they offer a more hygeinic way to handle the cotton bud. Contaimination occurs when the user retrieves the cotton bud via the cotton tip, instead of using the plastic handle. Additionally, there is no product waste as the cotton bud is dispensed one at a time.
Baby Buds are refillable so as to reduce waste. Simply purchase a cartridge to refill the dispenser and the cotton buds are ready to be used again. Each cartridge contains 6 cotton buds which is the perfect amount for when on the move.
Constructed of 1mm polypropylene, the packaging is light-weight and comfortable in the hand.
Baby Buds are ideal for every mothers’ bag for that extra support and softness when needed most.
Sunday
Video Blog C
'The Light Bulb Conspiracy'
This video highlights the fact that planned obsolescence occurs all over the world- it's the secret mechanism at the heart of consumers society.
This video highlights the fact that planned obsolescence occurs all over the world- it's the secret mechanism at the heart of consumers society.
We live in a society dominated by a growth economy whose logic is not creating because we need things but just for the sake of it.
Since the 1920s, planned obsolescence has become a part of the consumers world, where by they desire to own something a little newer and a little sooner than is necessary. It interesting to find out that although the light bulb has always been a symbol for ideas and innovation, it's also one of the earlier examples of planned obsolescence. This is because lasting light bulbs are a ergonomic disadvantage'.
This theory of being 'designed to fail' emerged during the great depression by Robert London in order to relieve New York from its poverty- If the consumer does not purchase, than the economy does not grow. He pushed for it to be compulsory by law, however it never made any progress. London was trying to achieve a market where there would always be a need for new goods and labour. All products would be given a lease of life with a set expiry date after which it would be considered dead. Consumers would then turn them over to a government agency where they would be destroyed.
20 years on and this idea returned , channeled via a desire. Design and marketing seduced consumers into wanting the latest model. Critics of the growth society point out that it's unsustainable in the long run because it's based on a flagrant contradiction.
All industrial designers should view this video as it will give them a greater appreciation for design, particularly sustainable designs that have an 'after-life'. They will consider this element in their future designs which will create a trend in the market.
- the theory of planned obsolescence began as early as the 1920s to relieve America from the great depression.
- A product life cycle is a modern euphemism for planned obsolescence
- Today, desire is the main driving force of planned obsolescence
Wednesday
Video Blog B
'The 11th Hour'
The opening of this film highlights the continuing and worsening devastation occurring all over the world. The reason for this- human interference.
The two most important and complicated relationships on earth are that of human society and earth. It's important for there to be a balance between them, for us both to co-exist. Interesting to hear that when people talk about saving the environment, in a way is misstated because the environment is going to survive and human society is the one who may not survive, or it will continue to exist in a world that we may not want to live in.
The main point of this film is to inform their viewers that the biosphere is sick and we are causing the destruction to our life system. As we destroy nature, we will be destroyed in the process, unless we find a solution to save our ecosystem. An interesting fact stated in the film is that homosepeans are very new to earth- we arrived very late in the calendar of the earth. If the earth calendar started 1st January and now we are at 31st December, humans arrived 15 minutes before midnight on 31st December.
What caused this devastation to the earth? The human mind. It threw us out of balance with the rest of nature. We can't keep thinking that we are separate to nature- we are one. This alternative thinking is causing us to live in disharmony with the planet. The industrial revolution has made a huge negative impact on our environment. Nature was considered a resource and was seen as abundant and now with decades of devastation, society is feeling the effects. We are using too many resources too fast- Particularly oil. Our entire life is subsidised by oil.
This global disturbance of climate change/global warming is a world-wide crisis. The direction to go is to start being de-coupled from our dependance on oil through efficient transportation, better insulated houses and development of renewable alternatives like solar and wind, and getting those to become the major part of the market using efficiency as the transition. Unfortunately, this should have started 30 years ago.
All industrial designers should watch 'The 11th hour' because we must be informed of the current global events and we can help find and design products and opportunities to help combat these issues. Our designs must be sustainable as we are designing for our future.
Video Blog A
Giving Packaging a New Life
How it's Made: Packaging
How it's Made: Packaging
It’s amazing how many
of us know little about the everyday products and their packaging we interact
with. It’s not until we research
and discover the processes involved in creating this packaging that we realise
the sophisticated process and technology applied/involved to create them. Efficient and economical is the key to
this process with as many as 10,000 units of packaging, specifically aluminium
cans are produced every hour using highly technically advanced machinery. It
starts with a disc shaped aluminium ‘slug’ and travels through a series of
steps and tooling to produce these cans. Great human intelligence and skill has
created this machinery to make it as time efficient and cost-effective as
possible, eliminating the need for human interaction and reducing the potential
risk for error and contamination.
It’s important for
other industrial designers to see these videos and have an understanding of
these methods. This will help them
with their future designs and the way they construct the object for creation
with machinery. It also helps to design a product that has a life after its
consumption to reduce waste and landfill. Surprisingly, the relatively simple
aluminium can be melted down and re-used many times over without deteriorating.
Whereas recycling tetrapack can end up in a variety of different products i.e.
the aluminium layer is separated from the others and is added to the mix of components
that make up cement.
Key messages that can be taken from
these videos are:
- * Everyday
packaging of consumer products, experience a variety of processes using
technically advanced machinery.
- * Many
packages continue their life cycle in other products.
- * Machinery
can monitor the quality control of packaging by an infrared system.
- * Fully automatic
sorting plants, cut costs of sorting and preparing plastic packaging by up to
50%.
Sunday
Australian Design Awards 2011 - 'Golden Circle Chilled Juice Bottle'
Pros:
- An elegant, streamlined design not yet seen in a juice bottle.
- An ‘anti-glug’ pouring design.
- Sculptured central handle is the first consumer touch point.
- Visually appealing against other competitors on a supermarket shelf.
- Ergonomic shaped handle makes it easier for the user to lift it from the fridge door.
- Comfortable pouring.
- A sense of sophistication, much like the style of a wine carafe
Cons:
- Would the ‘anti-glug’ system still function once the juice bottle is half empty?
- By having the handle at the front of the package, it would be difficult for the user, particularly if the user were a child, to place a second hand at the base of the bottle for additional support while pouring.
'Southern Cross Packaging Design Awards 2011'- Puffs To-Go Travel Pack
A leading brand in facial tissues, ‘Puffs’ is a staple in homes across the United States and Canada. The success of the products has been based on helping people fulfill their needs for comfort, softness and cleanliness with high-quality and gentle products, because, ‘a nose in need deserves Puffs indeed’.
One product within the ‘Puffs’ product line, which in my opinion, could be in need of a re-design, to provide easier accessibility and convenience for the user, is ‘Puffs To-Go Travel Pack’.
Its current design features include a small plastic film, which has been folded and sealed around a small stack of folded tissues. This sized package is ideal for keeping in purses, pockets, automobile glove compartments etc. where the larger tissue cartons would be problematic or impossible to keep. In use, the user grasps the end of the tab and pulls in the direction of the arrow to break the perforations and pull back the opening flap, thereby exposing the tissues. Once the perforations are broken, a re-sealable tape attached to the edge of the flap will secure the package.
There are a few deficiencies in this product that could be addressed for better performance and ease for user. Due to the nature of the pocket pack being smaller and unable to function as a regular tissue box, it can be difficult to consistently withdraw only a single tissue. This occurs because it’s challenging to distinguish one folded tissue from the others since the edges of all the tissues within the package are exposed as a group, consequently the user often grasps more than one tissue.
After a while, as tissues are being withdrawn, the seal is un-stuck and stuck again and will eventually lose its adhesive purpose. Therefore, the packaging will not be secure and unable to provide protection against substances that would soil the tissues e.g. dirt, water, sand and render them useless.
The action of opening a tissue once pulled from the package is a tad awkward, as the user must manipulate the folded tissue to locate and grasp an edge in order to unfold, open it and then use it. This is an ineffective use of time withdrawing and opening the tissue, as in most occasions when dealing with tissues, time is limited. As a result, there is a need for a tissue pocket pack in the Puffs product range whereby one tissue can easily be withdrawn one at a time with ease, convenience and comfort.
The re-design for this product would be based upon the function and operating elements of a standard, full-sized tissue box. Essentially, the new packaging would allow a stack of individually folded tissues that have been individually folded in particular way to be withdrawn from the packaging, much like a standard tissue box.
To dispense a tissue, the user must first open the outer cover, which then reveals a second cover underneath, having a rectangular opening, whereby tissues are removed. In order to remove the uppermost tissue from the package, the user merely inserts two fingers within the exposed area of the cover and grasps the edge of the tissue situated within the centre of the tissue, and then pulls it out of the package through the opening. In doing so, pulling the tissue out through the opening while grasping an edge causes the tissue to open (unfold), which is an added convenience for the user. The exposed fold of the tissue is about midway between the opening of the tissue lid, for the user to be able to see and grasp a tissue with ease. The opening is rectangular in shape, being large enough to allow removal of the tissues without tearing them, yet small enough to contain the tissues within the pack when the exterior cover is open.
Once the tissues have been exhausted in supply, simply take a stack of tissues (6 tissues per stack) from the box of refills that have been already divided into a group, remove the film that binds these together, and open the top two covers and position the tissues in the area provided. To close and lock the tissue opening cover, simply slide the lip into the base of the container and lock into place.
Refills can be purchased in a 12 pack, and are available in the entire product range, ‘Puffs’ has to offer: Puffs Basics, Puffs plus lotion, Puffs ultra soft and strong, Puffs plus lotion with the scent of Vicks. In the words of ‘Puff’, ‘There’s something for every nose’. To make it that much more convenient for the user, a countdown from 6-1 will be printed on each individual tissue within a group, to inform the user of how many tissues are remaining in their pack.
It’s structure will be supportive, dirt and water-resistant, made from 2mm injection molded polypropylene. When in comparison to it’s existing material of polyurethane film, polypropylene is much more reliable is it doesn’t tear or puncture. The environmental impacts are minimal, as the packaging is not supposed to be thrown away and replaced once used, therefore there will be a decrease in waste.
On the back of the product, prevention pointers are provided for that extra support and comfort of knowledge. For example, ‘eat right, sleep tight, and exercise often to keep your immune system strong – and illness at bay’. A personal touch, for the user to understand that ‘Puffs’ do care about the their health and well-being.
In conclusion, this re-design of the ‘Puffs To-Go Travel Pack’ provides easier accessibility and greater convenience for the user, when wanting to withdraw a single tissue.
Monday
'Upcycling'
Not only does the modern kitchen require the latest, sleek and innovative designs but a recent movement gaining great momentum are products that are of recycled materials. For those who want to keep on trend, environmentally conscious objects are a must in any household.
Introducing the, ‘White Pages’ Knife Block, made of 80% discarded materials, it’s main objection is to reduce waste and its impact on the environment. Paper waste being a huge issue in Australia, this knife block will ease this pressure and perhaps incorporate other waste materials in the future.
In 2007, Australian households and businesses recycled 75% of all old books. A further 21% were re-used – to prop up computer monitors, wrap breakables and a range of other uses. These figures highlight the success of these phone books being recycled or reused as objects, tools and products around the house.
This idea can be achieved by collecting and re-using out-dated phonebooks discarded by communities into the ‘Sensis Book Recycling Program’ or ‘Visy Recycling’, while, unwanted Perspex off-cuts will be sourced from ‘AB Plastics’.
The ‘Sensis Book Recycling Program’ started in 1999, with just 4 percent of books were recycled or reused. Since then, almost 160 million Yellow Pages and White Pages books have been recycled or re-used. Today it is at 96%. There is great potential for this product to be successful on the market as it is a desirable product, which can be produced at a minimal cost and sold at an inflated price.
Simple in design, the knife block is suitable for any kitchen and can accommodate any knife set the user owns as the knives easily slip into the pages of the phonebook providing support and storage. It holds around 10 knives, depending on their size in a fashionable array for easy access and is light enough to be moved around at will.
The ‘White Pages’ Knife Block is committed to reducing waste and making our environment cleaner in order to provide a better future.
Friday
'Design for Life'
A seemingly ‘tacky’ show with the main objection to boost Phillipe Starck’s profile, takes the format of elimination week by week. However, ‘Design for Life’ exposes Strarck’s quirky personality and approach to design. He believes this competition will create a fresh design aesthetic to Britain, as there has’nt been many leaders in this field. To create an ‘english style’. I did appreciate the way in which Starck explained design to the 12 candidates. . 'you don't make good design if you think about design', he continues, 'you make good design if you speak about life, sex, flesh, sweat.'
Monday
Tuesday
'Objectified'
The goal for industrial design has always been mass production - producing standardised objects for consumption by millions of people. e.g first emperor of china came up with standardising the design of the arrows so that each arrow would fit any bow.
The challenge for designers is to be influential and make designs that have an impact on the user. We need to look at the world and understand what people need. Looking for ways to improve the way people do things and improve their daily life, without them really knowing or thinking it. There should be a story embedded in every design.
Dieter Rams, a world renowned industrial designer makes a clear and accurate opinion regarding good design. He states:
Good design should be innovative.
Good design should make a product useful.
Good design is aesthetic design.
Good design will make a product understandable.
Good design is honest.
Good design is unobtrusive.
Good design is long-lived.
Good design is consistent in every detail.
Good design is environmentally friendly.
Good design is as little design as possible.
This list should be consulted frequently throughout the career of any designer.
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