ID [PNW]

Here's the final edit of Form Function... 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. Creative solutions are rarely found by using conventional problem solving methods.  Students must be encouraged to try alternative processes for attacking a problem.  Professional industrial design projects begin with a design brief, but because of preconceived notions the brief itself inhibits the designer’s creativity.  This creative process removes hindrances to creativity by restating the design problem in abstract, non-objective language.  This process begins with abstract form creation without knowledge of the design’s purpose. The form creation is done with guidelines made by the instructor, who creates the rules to correspond with the design’s objectives.  ...

I just got notice that both of my short films have been selected for the Northwest Projections Film Festival !  One is Form Function , the one about my design students projects transformed from sculpture. The second is called The Tree Was Here, and that was my documentary project from last fall, about tree ring science.  It features the work of Chris Robertson of Western Washington University's Environmental Studies Dendrochronology lab.  That was done with my class partner, Ryan Christoffersen.  They will show at the Pickford Cinema in Bellingham, April 16th-18th.  

This a sample of 3 projects from Form Function, by Jason Morris and Western Industrial Design students; Erin Yoakum, Justin Lund and Phelan Miller. 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. It premiered at The Doctober Documentary Film Festival 2009, Pickford Cinema, Bellingham, WA, US. Creative solutions are rarely found by using conventional methods. This short film shows a design process that begins with abstract form creation without knowledge of the designs purpose. The form creation is done with guidelines made by the instructor, who creates the rules to correspond with the designs objectives. Only after these abstract sculptures are complete is the designs purpose revealed. A selected form study is then evaluated for ideas and inspiration, which is refined applying the realities of the design functions. This film shows the sculpture spinning slowly and tra...

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 ...