Pranav Mistry: Sixth Sense Tech

Check out this presentation by Pranav Mistry on some digital interface concepts that could change our future relationship with computers, devices and the digital world.  If you take away the filleted boxes with screens and buttons, what does that mean for industrial designers?

Objectified / Form Function showing in Bellingham

OBJECTIFIED
Showing at the Pickford Cinema, Bellingham, WA

Sponsored by WWU Industrial Design Program

and An Ideal Shop: Carefully Curated Goods

Objectified, by Gary Hustwit’s. Objectified is a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. It’s a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about the designers who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability." -Objectified website

Preceding will be the theatrical premiere of Form Function, by Jason Morris and Western Industrial Design students. This purely visual short film shows an industrial design creative process that starts with abstract sculpture and ends with a functional object. Music by Moby.

Friday, Oct 2 - Sunday, Oct 4 @ 2:00 PM

We are very excited to have an industrial design focused screening here in Bellingham!

Hope to see you there!

Thanks,

Jason

Nissan Leaf Electric Vehicle Design Critique

It looks like Nissan will beat the major automakers to the market with an affordable fully electric car, the Leaf. You can read more technical specs at the Wired blog.

Design Critique

The challenge for designing a new car that has unique technology inside is whether to make it look different and unique or not. The GM Volt takes the approach to look like a modern muscle car with a large bonnet signifying a giant powerful motor within, even though it may not require such space. The Prius has a distinctive look that is now associated with being a "green" vehicle. Even the new Honda Insight looks like a Prius at a glance, although the original Insight was quite different and more aerodynamically efficient.

The Nissan Leaf resembles other new 4 door hatchbacks like the Honda Fit or Yaris, but with a few slower reverse curves as surface creases. The front hood slopes down to the bumper almost tangentially to the windshield. The allows for great visibility, but also implies that the power plant is tiny, which conveys "underpowered", which may or may not be the case. The small air vent in the front is appropriate in size since an electric motor doesn't need the amount of cooling of a combustion engine. The over sized headlights make the car look smaller because of their proportions and what we associate with typical headlight size. But why add the chrome extension behind the lamp area? It extends and complicates the headlight shape beyond what it functionally needs. The the wheel design is uninteresting, un-aerodynamic, and bland. Why can't they pick some sweet rims? The graphics on the side are fine for marketing photos, but they need to nix them for production. Where is the aerodynamics? A better shape would increase the speed and range. All of the those creases and edges don't help with that.

Full Electric Vehicles for the Future?

I think that hybrids are just a transitional stage toward full EV's like the Leaf and Tesla. Why even use a combustion engine except for long distance travel? Hundreds of parts to fabricate, lubricate, break and corrode. The next car I buy will have to be a full electric. The new Tesla is appealing. But meanwhile, my dream would be an electric AWD Subaru (because our family loves our ugly Forrester) What does it take for Detroit to wake up? Going bankrupt? ..Oh that's right, they have.

Cross-Disciplinary Education of Design and Engineering Students

This September is the IDSA International Conference: Project Infusion in South Beach Miami, FL. I will be presenting a paper on design education: Swapping Students: The Cross Disciplinary Education of Design and Engineering Students.

Here's the summary:

The problem: Engineering students have difficulty thinking creatively and don't value the contribution of industrial design. Conversely, industrial design students lack understanding of materials, processes, and the importance of engineering. Animosity, misunderstanding, poor communication and disrespect. Is this how the relationship between industrial designers and engineers is fated to be?

A solution: As an attempt to remedy this, an industrial design professor and an engineering professor decided to switch students for one quarter each year, each teaching their contrasting discipline and perspective. The engineering students are exposed to creativity techniques, user empathy, and visual communication. Industrial design students are experimenting with injection molded polymers, carbon fiber composite lay-up, thermoforming and materials science. The two groups later are combined into design teams to work on an industry sponsored project together. This cross pollination has been beneficial to students in preparation to work in a competitive world market that is multi-disciplinary and desperate for innovation.

See you on the beach!

Children's Furniture Designs Awarded Scholarships

"Six students from Western Washington University's Industrial Design program received recognition and $6,000 in scholarships for their children's furniture designs as a part of the annual Mount Baker Products Furniture Design Competition. Western students, children, parents and a panel of three community members selected the winning designs among 20 different student projects.

First prize and a $2,000 scholarship was awarded to William Losleben of Sultan for "Pupil," a penguin-inspired children's easel and desk; second prize and a $1,500 scholarship was awarded to Thomas Kloucek of Portland, Ore., for "Rocking Ship," a sideways rocking rocket ship with educational graphics; third prize and a $1,000 scholarship was awarded to Nolan Leh of Bellingham for "Cove Desk," an elegant minimum waste children's study desk that can be flattened for shipping; and fourth prize and a $500 scholarship was awarded to Heather Harris of Juneau, Alaska, for "Nigel," a plywood pelican with removable canvas bag hamper (pictures of individual projects avilable upon request).

The top four prize-winners were judged by Josh Thomson, owner of Josh Thomson Construction; Michael Flaherty, member of Artwood Gallery in Fairhaven and part-time faculty at Western Washington University; and Lisa Van Doren, owner of IDEAL: Carefully Curated Goods in downtown Bellingham.

Parents and their children awarded Kyle Thomas of Tacoma with the Parent and Child's Favorite Award and a $500 scholarship for his "Puzzlin' Giraffe," a rocking chair with interactive number and letter puzzle pieces. Western students awarded Paul Summerson of Sedro-Wooley with the Student Choice Award and a $500 scholarship for his "Turn Table," a round table with interactive functional gears.

Scholarship money and wood for the projects were provided by Mount Baker Products, Inc.

"The staff at Mount Baker Products immensely enjoys supporting this annual event. It has been a pleasure to witness the imagination, creativity, and enthusiasm that the Industrial Design students and their instructors bring to this contest," said Tim Shannon of Mount Baker Products. "We feel it has become a valuable educational experience for all involved."

(written by WWU office of communications)

Hoima Cargo Bicycle being made in Jinja, Uganda

Tristan Allen is working in Jinja, Uganda with the Bicycle Sponsorship Project Workshop (http://bspw.org) and has set up a small frame building shop to create a small production run of the Hoima Cargo Bicycle. Here are some pictures that he just sent. Read his blog for more details. And they could use some funding for this to work, so please consider contributing to the project.

Form Function video online

Form Function is a video that exhibits a design process from abstract form sculpture to finished design.

The students were to create abstract form sculptures without knowledge of their purpose. These were critiqued and revised further, focusing on the elements of form, proportions, contrast, gesture, and negative space. They were then given the form’s purpose, either to be an urban vehicle, furniture, space, or digital device. The forms were then revised to be functional and more appropriate for its purpose, without losing the dynamic essence of the original sculpture.

All of the design work is by the junior industrial design class of Western Washington University from January to April 2009. Sarah Blott, Beth Blair, Jon Holmdahl, Anders Mavis, Evan McCormack, Tucker Spofford, Phelan Miller, Jon Mitchell, Ryan Mahan, Justin Lund, Erin Yoakum, Antonio Mendez, and Yuzu Nelson.

Directed, edited, camera, and project design direction by Jason A. Morris.

Music is Live Forever by Moby, used with permission by MobyGratis.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXRvpkmdynA