First Utensils

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/4ymrdg/www.siouxlandmuseums.com/museums/exhibits/l_c_gifts_mandan/teachers/artifact_pages/28_eating_utensils.htm

Answers to Questions

I interviewed Dan Baird, Kory Miller and Josh Klein and here are their responses...

1. How many times a day/ per week do you wash dishes?
Josh- once a week
Kory- everyday
Dan- once a day
2. How long does it take you to set a table on average?
Josh, Kory and Dan all said it doesn't take any time because they don't set the table...shocker.
3. Do you find yourself feeling uncomfortable when you hold this spoon?
Josh, Kory and Dan said, "No it's fine."
4. Are your kitchen drawers typically cluttered with silverware?
Josh- "No I keep mine in a three sectioned stand."
Kory- "No because I have a tray that separates them."
Dan- "No."
5. Do you run out of specific utensils?
Josh- "Yes, frequently."
Kory- "Yes, mainly just knives."
Dan- "Yes."
6. How often do you get up from the table to grab a specific utensil that you forgot?
Josh- "Never."
Kory- "Every once in awhile."
Dan- "No, not really."
7. Do you find yourself cutting your food more often with a fork or a knife, or both?
Josh- "A fork."
Kory- "A fork."
Dan- "A knife."
8. What do you think is a positive quality about the metal spoon?
Josh- "It is efficient."
Kory- "It is smooth and helps me eat ice-cream."
Dan- "It doesn't break."
9. What is your favorite utensil and why?
Josh- "Fork because I use it the most."
Kory- "A spoon because it is soft."
Dan- "A spoon because I like scooping things and it makes me think of ice-cream."
10. What do you think about adding a fork and a knife to a spoon?
Josh- "I think there is already a spork."
Kory- "Awful."
Dan- "I don't think it'll be efficient."
Pictures from the Interview...

IDEO video and Handout

The IDEO video and Handout gave new approaches to designing creative objects. The tactics that they used seem different than any other company. IDEO has designed many everyday objects that we use and benefit greatly from. They redesigned a shopping cart during the video and went through the designing process which was inspiring to viewers to create new designs. The video and handout explained the use of a "mind map". This allowed designers to think of words off the top of their heads that relate to their old object so that they can better their new design. This helped with our group because it allowed us to freely throw out ides that we could use. With these mind maps our group could also determine which product would be best to redesign and would be the most fun to work with. A main theme of IDEO is to never reject an idea and to not shy away from the crazy sounding ideas. This too gave our group confidence in throwing out ideas to think more about our new design and reconstruct in a whole new manner.

Ditching Incandescent Lightbulbs

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2ABdws/www.good.is/post/stop-living-in-the-past-ditch-your-incandescent-bulbs/

Article on Lightbulbs

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2h54gO/www.fastcodesign.com/1665172/an-incandescent-bulb-that-lives-entirely-on-your-computer-screen

A New Kind Of Lightbulb

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/6e7nmF/www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/modern-design-incandescent

LightBulb Article

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/9x7U9n/www.infowars.com/stock-up-on-incandescent-light-bulbs-in-fact-buy-a-lifetime-supply-of-them/

Reasonings...

My well designed object is a fluorescent lightbulb. In the video of Don Norman and the article of Dieter Ram several main points targeted were to make a product to support the mass consumers’s basic needs and be environmentally friendly. The fluorescent lightbulb not only provides light which is obviously an essential part of everyday needs, but also is friendly towards the environment!

Lightbulb drawing 2

In this drawing I used gesture to draw and then used contour in a thicker line to show the second technique. With the gesture lines it was easier to see where to start the contour lines. It helped to keep me in contact with the lines of the object. To the viewer this shows how to start drawings in a simple form and continue to draw and add in details. This allows me to continue adding and seeing the object in different lines.

Bottom of the lightbulb

In this drawing I used lines again to show certain volumes and shapes of the object. I placed the object higher up in the square to concentrate on the bottom of the lightbulb. This conveys to the viewer all parts of the lightbulb. I feel as though we don't concentrate on the bottom, rather we focus on the filament when it shines. Through this I took time to look at all parts of the lightbulb.

Scribbled lightbulb

I used scribbles to create my drawing. This was a fast drawing to grasp the minimal shape of the lightbulb. This conveyed the simplicity of the object and the first "stage" of the drawing.

Lightbulb- full view

After shading with graphite around my object I filled in details of the object. After that I put in cross contour lines to give the object volume. Through this the viewer can see the roundness that the bulb contains. The graphite around the object creatures a dark background which intensifies the use of a lightbulb.

Middle part of a light bulb

file://localhost/Users/katie/Desktop/blog%20pics/_DSC0911.JPG

I think what makes this image successful is the use of lines. I used lines to show the volume the object has. Through this technique cross contour lines also appear. This image communicates to the viewer the different uses of line that can determine its volume and size. 

Objectified

The video called Objectified presented key topics about design and how to make good quality designs. A design is supposed to be as simple as possible. A sleek, effective and innovative design is the key targets that new designs should hit. This was my favorite concept because I feel like when I was growing up the designs consisted of unnecessary buttons and such. Now the designs have done a 180 and try to have simplicity in all designs. The best company to “keep it simple” is Apple. The designers in the video raved about this company and I agree with their reasonings. They argued how Apple changed design in a time when it needed to and how their products are simple on the outside yet, one object can do multiple functions. 

Another topic was that the best designs can be reused. In the video the designers used the layout of a toothbrush that had a handle made of wood. They described how you could change out the bristle part of the toothbrush with different handles which were carved from wood. In this portion of the video they also gave different designers that have come up with designs from various reusable materials. I found this part really interesting because I never would have thought to use some of the material that they substituted in. 

One of the major points this video made was producing a good design for mass production. They wanted to target the biggest group of consumers and provide them with products that nearly all of them needed. I never really thought of how designers came up with their ideas, even with simple products such as a trashcan. Through this video I acquired an understanding of what goes on “behind the scenes”.