Final Project: Class Exercise- Research

During today's class, we talked about what research is and how can the knowledge acquired from research be applied to any individual's project. Research, especially for Product Design, is a vital factor of the process as I need to ensure that all aspects of my design are carefully considered. 

My project will be a multipurpose product which will be hung up on the wall. When it is folded, it will act as a storage area but when it is unfolded it can transform into a desk to study or eat. I decided to explore the work of a well-known product designer, Marc Newson to get inspired by him. 

We used 4 questions to reflect back on our research.

Name something you have researched in the past for art, design or media.

Marc Newson is a well-known product designer that creates unique outcomes using innovative techniques. I wanted to research Marc's work in particular as his work never fails to amaze me. He is undeniably my favourite product designer that inspired me a lot throughout the years. 

Explain how you researched this.

The source I used for my blog post was Marc Newson's website as it contained both biography and projects he did in the past. My first paragraph was primarily focused on a brief description of Marc's life. Later on in my blog post, I made sure to clearly specify the project I am working on and how it links to Marc's work. As I will be designing a multi-purpose desk, I decided to look at 3 of Marc's table designs that he created as a means of analysing them in- depth and picking up on new techniques. I navigated through his website and selected 3 different products that I could analyse. Looking at tables specifically helped me pick up on new techniques, colours, patterns or materials that could potentially be used in my own design. I wrote a blog post for this research and tried to include as much detail as possible. 

What facts did you discover?

Marc was born in 1963 in Australia.

His first exhibition was at the age of 23 and the pieces of work he presented have arguably become some of the most fascinating contemporary works. He created the Lockheed lounge where he was awarded a grant.

He is known for creating products made out of unusual materials.

He studied jewellery and sculpture in university.

In his designs, he uses smooth geometric lines, translucency and tends to avoid sharp edges by bending the material and forming rounded edges.

Newson was listed in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World and was appointed The Royal Designer for Industry in the UK.

What NEW conclusions have you discovered?

Looking at the way Marc creates a simple piece of furniture using unique techniques that turn the product into a very innovative design is very fascinating to me. One common element I noticed in the designs I looked at was the simplicity created within the object. Marc creates minimalistic designs which are very effective, something I am aiming for. He bends the material used to form an unbroken line from the beginning till the end which created a streamlined design with rounded edges. This is a technique that I would further like to explore to see if it is possible to implement in my own design. I also looked at the material used and evaluated whether this is or isn't suitable for my own design. He uses patterns and bright colours to make the design more eye catching and intricate. I was inspired by him to include bright colours in my own design, however, I will be researching this more in the future. 

Research INTO my major project

My project will be a multipurpose product which will be hung up on the wall. When it is folded, it will act as a storage area but when it is unfolded it can transform into a desk to study or eat.

Researching into my project can be very beneficial to see how different products evolve over the years and what the preference of the users is. Some research I can do for my own product is to analyse the history of product design. Looking at product designers from decades ago and analyse their style of work. I can compare that work to current product designers and see how products can evolve and change over time. I can look into the materials used over the years and compare them. Ideally, I would like to specifically target multipurpose furniture so it can be directly related to my main project. 

Researching my target market in detail can be very beneficial as the needs of users change over time. Looking closely at products from the past and comparing them to modern day products can make me realise how a lot of the products functions were modified to fit the specific requirements for users nowadays. 

I can look at factors such as aesthetic, colour theory, materials and overall shape of the design and see how this can be influenced by social factors and cultural factors over the years. I can conduct questionnaires to allow the users to freely express themselves. The questionnaire can include people from a diverse background and a variety of ages to further realise what design can be suitable for most and how the background of each can affect their preference in products.  Additionally, I can research different artists that come from different backgrounds to observe how they use their unique culture or style to create their own pieces of work.

I would like to further research on the work of different designers such as but not limited to, Marc Newson, James Dyson, Arne Jacobsen, Achille Castiglioni as they were all born in different countries and have completely different styles of work.

Research through my major project

For my main project, I experimented with both SketchUp and Fusion360 to design my desk. I used both software to design the same product and compared factors such as overall outcome, how easy navigating through the website was, how much time it took me to create it and how easy it was. SketchUp is a software that I am more familiar with and had the opportunity to develop my skills over the years which is why I decided to proceed with that one. Throughout the next week, I want to experiment more with the SketchUp and try out different tools. Moreover, I will be using Adobe Photoshop to include my final designs and create a product design board. My product design board will be how my final work will be presented. I did not include testing on photoshop as there are not many alternative software that I can use to do this and I feel comfortable using that one. 

Before designing my product on software, my initial ideas will be made using pencil and pen on paper. I can use coloured pencils to visualise how it will look like with colour. Drawing my initial ideas instead of designing it on software will be less time consuming. Initial ideas are usually brief sketches just to get an idea of the overall image. It is also easier to fix mistakes on paper. 

Additionally, I will be researching different materials for my outcome. Sustainability, durability and how environmentally friendly it is are vital properties that my material has to include. I will be also researching different components and how I can use them to fold and unfold my table. I can also carry out a test with a miniature model to see if it works in real life as I will not be manufacturing the table. This will allow me to see if my components and materials work well together. Another test can be purchasing the material I decided to include and put it through various stages to see if it will deform, scratch or break easily. Some stages can include a free fall to see if it is impact resistant as my desk when unfolding will encounter some resistance. 

Research for my project 

I need to look more into the concept of 'conservation' and 'effectiveness/ productivity'. The primary purpose of my multi-purpose desk is to conserve space and materials. It conserves space as it combines a table and storage in one. I want my desk to provide maximum productivity to the users to keep them focused while studying. To achieve this, I can look into features such as colour theory. Will the colours affect the productivity of the students as they might distract them? Will my materials or varnish smell so they won't be able to focus? I will also look into various mechanism of folding and unfolding my desk to see how I can conserve materials and use them effectively. 

These are some of the factors I will be researching and analysing in my future blog posts.

Concluding, I really liked this class exercise as it helped me organise my thoughts and start focusing on my product by breaking down all the elements I have to research.