Doodling for Dollars

An interesting article that discusses how "employees at a range of businesses are being encouraged by their companies to doodle their ideas and draw diagrams to explain complicated concepts to colleagues."

   

Read the full article here.

- K

The 5Rs of Great Design

You’ve heard of Reduce-Reuse-Recycle, But that’s only part of the story. Shifting from a world where we try to just do “less bad” to one where we are actually creating MORE GOOD — is the thought process behind a Restorative Economy.

To that end, designers in the o2-Global Sustainable Design Network tossed around ideas to see how we can use the old 3Rs we all know and love, and add just a few bits to it, to create an impact ranked list that will help bring us not only back from the brink of self-destruction, but put us on to the path that will take us to the next level.

To be sure there are WAY more Rs than 5, but the idea was to keep things simple but inclusive, and still be really useful.

Innovation Action-list: The 5Rs of great design

RESTORE
Use materials (and support firms) that help reverse damage or — add — to natural capital. Restorative Economics, the next step in sustainability evolution.

RESPECT
Examine impacts the item will have on stakeholders, as well as eco-systems — social plus environmental justice, look for the win-win-win scenario (triple bottom line). Fair trade, cultural respect, noise/light/visual pollution (the physical stuff of an industrialized society), clear property rights, accessibility issues, universal design issues.

REDUCE
Reduce the materials needed to do function, including: less materials used (includes product life issues [1 LED bulb = MANY incandescent]), less weight to transport (reduce fuel demands), less energy to manufacture, less energy to store (aseptic pack vs. refrigerated milk), less energy to use (LED bulbs vs. incandescent, coldwater wash vs. hot), reduced toxicity (reduce to ZERO).

REUSE
Reuse something already manufactured, and make item easy to BE reused with minimal or NO remanufacturing (packaging AS product).

RECOVER
Create item to be fed BACK into the resource loop (includes Cradle to Cradle), have a robust and easy to use system to RECOVER materials, and USE RECYCLED substrates to make the item (100% PCW paperboard) wherever possible. Under this R we would naturally tuck the old favorite — RECYCLE the things you recovered.

Looking at things in a Cradle to Cradle light for RECOVER and RECYCLE you can’t have one without the other. Recyclable has no meaning unless it’s been Recovered.

It must be noted in the cycles of a Cradle to Cradle model, RECOVER/RECYCLE is the most energy intensive of the Rs. Manufactured items should not be created with a one way trip, or even a virgin renewable resource manufactured good that goes straight to compost, as a first choice. This option should be the — last stop — as part of a well managed system that incorporates the other 4Rs as well.

Paper, paperboard, and pulp (wood, kenaf, bamboo, agripulp, etc.) are great examples of a renewable, biodegradable resource that makes many many useful reuse and/or remanufacture trips (Technical Nutrient) before it’s time to retire them as compost fodder for the next growing cycle (Biological Nutrient).

Sustainability means:
Never having to say you’re sorry.


- K

Source

Paper Shoe Pt 2 – Initial Constructing

We experimented with a lot of different paper shapes and focused on how to make the paper strong enough to hold up a person.

We tried tubes:

Then honeycomb sheets:

Then folded paper springs:

We tried to combine some of these forms to make a sort of mock up sole to test out:

These forms seemed pretty strong themselves but then it was time to test our sole:

Hurrr…even though the structures seemed strong they were no match put up against the full weight of a person. The areas most effected were under the balls of the foot and the heel. The paper spring, although seemed strong, under lots of pressure, flattened and spiraled in on itself. Honeycombs didn’t stand a chance.

Welp, back to the drawing board it is…

- K

Paper Shoe Pt 1 - Objective and Original Concepts

Challenge:

- Design a shoe constructed only of paper and white Elmer's glue that has a 5/8" sole and a 1" heel.

- Attempt to walk in the shoe 25 feet.

Creative Solution: My group decided to design a running shoe which means we had to take into account the flexibility of the sole as well as how to make sure that the sole had the strength to hold up a person. we wanted more of a fitted shoe that would also have the durability to live up to the wear and tear of running.

User Profile:

- Age: 18-45

- Height: 5'8"-6'8"

- Weight: 160-190lbs

Original Concept Sketches:

- K

World Industrial Design Day Video Challenge

This year marks the 5th anniversary since the inception of World Industrial Design Day, which was created in 2007 on the occasion of Icsid's 50th anniversary. To celebrate the milestone, the organisation is asking the global design community one simple question - What is industrial design?

To facilitate the collection of ideas about 'What is industrial design?' Icsid has launched a social media campaign. All Icsid Members and friends are encouraged to participate in this year's video challenge by submitting their definition of industrial design in 10 seconds or less.

Read more: http://www.dexigner.com/news/24988#ixzz1teKpcTKJ

As outlined in the video, Icsid is looking for 10-second videos submissions that essentially complete the phrase, "I think industrial design is..." Once you're video is recorded, upload it to YouTube with the title, "Hey Icsid Industrial Design is" so that it can easily be searched online. You can also post the YouTube link to Facebook or Twitter.

- K

Read more: http://www.dexigner.com/news/24988#ixzz1teLbuYx1

Discarded to Precious

Recently we finished a Discarded to Precious assignment in our design class. The assignment was to basically take something people throw away and make it something awesome. I obviously decided that I was going to make clothing, a dress to be specific.

Why? I really have no idea. I guess I just wanted a reason to use a sewing machine and say I made an outfit. All the cool kids can sew.

Anyway, I decided to use plastic bags and iron them together to make them stiff. When you iron plastic bags together, they become really WEIRD.

Which one is not like the others

This is with the pattern I made by hand. It wasn’t too bad, but for whatever reason I had no idea how to sew this when it came down to curves. I figured it out, but I don’t really know how.

Beautiful

Basically what it looked like in the end after sewing it and sticking some duct tape to the bottom of it for some ‘hem’.

I wish I could show the whole process, but I forgot to take pictures of most of it. And as much as I’d love to show pictures of the completed model, but I’d rather not have a human model in it. So MAYBE ONE DAY.

The back is a lace up with some old shoelaces I found from a pair of shoes I used for Halloween. They have no traction, so I won’t be using them again. I figured that much so why not use the shoelaces right?

Seemed like a good idea at the time

My partner on this blog took most of these pictures for me because I am incompetent. So rousing applause!

Anyway, I didn’t get much more than a book.

There aren’t any pictures in it so that means I have to read it.

Not really sure what it’s about.

- A