Placement Year Reflective Report

EMILY STRUTT

PLACEMENT YEAR REFLECTIVE REPORT DESIGN INTERN DÃœSSELDORF, GERMANY

enhancing ambience

11/07/16 - 21/04/17

CONTENTS About Moree

1

As a Design Intern

5

Reflection and Specific Learning

11

Moree Bar

13

Alice XL Outdoor

17

Conclusion

19

Sketches and Work

21

Photo Diary

23

ABOUT MOREE Moree is a German brand, based in Dßsseldorf, which specialises in illuminated furniture, products and accessories for interiors and for outdoors. Moree has a vision of clear forms, using high quality materials and creating intriguing light through innovative LED technology. It is important to the company to design in a way that is timeless and stylish. The furniture’s LEDs can be controlled by remote, which enables endless colour possibilities and flexibility to adjust any mood in any situation - enhancing the ambience. The collection is extensive and forever expanding with new items. The diverse range is suitable for home, office, hospitality, commercial, indoor and outdoor use and is available in over 30 countries.

Moree also rent out their products with an option to customise each one individually. Any company logo or advertising material can be applied by using foils and prints. Branded furniture can be perfect for awards ceremonies, events or exhibitions, creating stylish areas for networking and

Cube with branding

Moree at Orgatec 2016 Tradeshow

entertaining. The light from the products shines through and illuminates the branding, enhancing the endorsement and attracting attention. Moree has a very good reputation and has worked with some large companies. Previous projects include working with Sony, Villeroy & Boch, BMW, Radeberger Group and Red Bull.

The company is made up of two areas, Design and Administration, of which the founders Christian Drawert and Annette Wasmuth head respectively.

The pair started collaborating through working at Marktunddesign, a design consultancy in the same area of DĂźsseldorf-Kaiserswerth, Germany.

There are three permanent staff at Moree, the two founders who are also the managing directors and one sales representative. Each year the company hire interns to support each department. Whilst I was working at the company there were two interns, both employed to work for the design side of the business.

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The company name Moree is inspired by the Moiré effect. This is a pattern produced by overlapping similar but slightly different geometric lines and shapes. The company and the pattern are similar in the way that they both alter perception. Moiré changes how geometric designs look and Moree furniture can effect how space and environments look and feel through light and colour.

An example of Moiré pattern

Only the highest quality materials are used in Moree products to guarantee durability and excellence. The main materials used are steel, aluminium, glass, wood, felt and a unique, translucent polymer composite that has been developed exclusively for the company. This plastic material is perfect for the furniture as when the LEDs illuminate it, the right amount of light shines through to create an intriguing glow.

Production happens at a workshop and warehouse in the city of Wuppertal, which is east of the Düsseldorf showroom and office. Having the two close together allows easy communication between designers and makers, which is especially helpful in development stages - this can be when

making improvements to existing designs or when working on new ideas. For example, the makers can advise if drawings are physically possible to build or not and point out any issues with material choices because of machining or cost.

Some market competitors of Moree include Lapalma, Fatboy and Slide. These European companies share similar outlooks, designing innovatively and in a modern style. Comparing the companies to Moree you can see likeness in the clean lines and geometric shapes of Lapalma, the personalities behind Fatboy products and the use of LEDs and plastics by Slide.

Alice XL, Moree Bar & Lounge sketches 03 | 04

AS A DESIGN INTERN As my first job in the design industry I was very excited to get started at Moree and also to live and work abroad. During my time at the company I worked alongside another intern, Rob Howard, a product design student from Bournemouth University. Daily tasks included office organisation, using Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop, and working in Solidworks.

At the start of my internship the company was beginning to plan the layout of a tradeshow booth to exhibit at Orgatec, a commercial furniture trade show in Cologne. The previous intern had begun a Solidworks assembly of this so I continued with it, however with new dimensions and designs for the walls, floor and how we would display the products, I did start afresh to make sure it was completely accurate. It was important the drawings of this 3D assembly model were easily understandable with no mistakes, as these plans would be sent to an independent booth maker for construction at the trade centre. This assembly drawing included details such as; instruction for power outlet positioning, how the LED screen system would fit in the back wall of the booth, placement of all products, shelf construction, and colour names of wall paint and floor tiles.

I was lucky to attend three different trade shows during my time on placement. I went to Orgatec (as we were exhibiting at it), imm Cologne and Euroshop. These were great opportunities to do research for the company and see what

Images clockwise The showroom Delivery at the warehouse ED Barstool photo shoot Working at a tradeshow Experimenting with LED slscreens in products

05 | 06

Solidworks drawing of the tradeshow booth

Moree products at Orgatec 2016

competition there was, but also for myself to see what was on trend and inspire me for my future work. Research was a very important part of my role as it helped me to generate ideas and solutions for new Moree products. I would not just be looking for product inspiration but also looking for new and inventive materials, components and other design elements, such as graphics and how companies presented themselves. Anything I saw that I thought could be helpful to Moree I would document and then discuss with Christian and Rob back at the office.

Whilst working at Moree some of the products needed developments and changes made to them.

For example, some had to be adjusted to house new LED units that worked out to be more cost effective. Any changes made in the 3D Solidworks files must have an updated 2D technical drawing to go with it. I had to make sure the 3D and 2D files were named the same and with the date so they could be found together in the system quickly when needed. These would then be sent to the makers so they could carry out the changes to the correct measurements. Both the office and warehouse needed to have the most up to date files to ensure the correct version of the product is being produced and sold.

With our internal documents updated I would then have to make sure all customer correspondence was correct for the latest product models. This included assembly manuals, flyers and brochures, all of which were created in Adobe InDesign.

Christian was very specific about the style and layout of these documents, consistency was key to show the company’s design language and

Making changes to the Ora Home frame 07 | 08

Pages of Collection 2017 Brochure I created in flipbook style

help customers recognise the brand. Working to Christian’s high standards really helped improve my accuracy, especially with alignment of elements on a page. Each document has to be in multiple languages as the company trade worldwide. I would use the Internet to translate English to German and French, and then my boss would check and correct my translations before publishing.

Once I had updated any manuals, flyers or brochures I would then have to upload them on to the company website for customer access. The two largest brochures, the main 2017 Collection and the Moree Bar brochure, I uploaded to a website called Yumpu to create an interactive flipbook – these can be read like the print copy, giving the user the ability to click through it and turn the pages, instead of just appearing as a scrolling PDF. I would then integrate this on to the website by using Wordpress page tools and html editing.

Other updates I had to do online included writing SEO key words and meta descriptions, this

increased the website pages and images presence in search engines such as Google. I also had to update price lists for business customers, create complete new pages for new products, check that product descriptions and technical data is correct and send out e-mail newsletters. I learnt a lot about Wordpress through making this work; I had never used the platform before but now feel quite confident with it.

Some of my other responsibilities were assisting at photo shoots, developing designs and concept generation. The photo shoots I helped with were for the wooden versions of ED Barstool and the Moree Bar at Innside Hotel. I then edited the photos from the shoots in Photoshop for use in promotional media. Some more projects I worked on were: an illuminated drinks tray and cooler for Red Bull, creating a static version of the ED barstool and the Lounge Ice Series which was adding an ice bucket to the LED table collection. I also worked on the Moree Bar and Alice XL Outdoor but I will go into these in more detail further on in this report.

Abnehmbarer Eisbehälter/ Removable Ice Bucket

Glasplatte/ Glass top

Tischplatte/ Table top

30 mm MAX

Eisbehälterschale/ Ice Bucket Tray

Ø 300 x H 150

Lounge Ice instruction manual diagram I created 09| 10

REFLECTION AND SPECIFIC LEARNING This internship has really benefitted me, professionally and personally. My computer skills have improved significantly since working for Moree. Throughout my time here I have worked on completing tasks more efficiently and completing work to the highest standard possible.

Through product research I’m much more aware of the furniture design market Moree appeals to and I am able to understand and work in the design language of the company. I am more conscious of what is already on the market and what competitors are producing - I am mindful not to design anything that could be seen as a copy.

My technical skills have improved too and I am now a lot more confident in my own work. I am now better at designing with reality in mind, taking into account material costs, production costs and profit - learning this will be invaluable in future situations.

I do feel I did a lot more graphic design work than start to finish product design during my time at Moree. However, I did work on developing existing products and did a lot of research into materials for potential new products. All of the skills I have learnt are transferable and beneficial to my career path.

My Solidworks knowledge has increased drastically and I found using the software almost everyday and spending more time practising with it really

helpful. Sometimes it was frustrating when I didn’t know what exact tool to use but through trial and error and help from Rob and Christian I quickly grasped how to use the program. I have also improved a lot using Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop and know how to use many more of their tools, effects and features.

Before starting at Moree I set myself the goals that I would have more confidence in my work and myself and I also really wanted to design something that would go into production. I definitely have grown as a designer, in my practical skills and also in my thought processes.

I didn’t manage to design an entire product for the company however I was proud to see the developments I made to the Moree Bar go public and hear customer feedback.

Living and working abroad has been a massive challenge but completely worth it, for it has helped me become a lot more independent, certain of myself and certain that this is the profession I want to be in. I see my internship as an opportunity of a lifetime and know I really did as much as I could to learn as much as possible and embrace a new country and culture.

11 | 12

MOREE BAR One of the main projects for the year was the Moree bar. It was announced to the public whilst I was working there, with its debut being at the Orgatec tradeshow. The bars special feature is that it incorporates two separate multi colour LED units to illuminate the front and back areas in different colours at the same time. Like most other Moree products the bar is controlled by remote.

The bar collection includes a selection of different sized modules that can be connected together in different configurations to create whatever shape the customer desires. The bar was mainly aimed at commercial customers, with the intent that it would be suitable for events and in business environments. The bar is available to buy, rent and customise with branding.

Even after it was announced to the public the Moree bar was still being developed to make it

Bar line drawings 13 | 14

more efficient and cost effective. Rob and I worked on the metal frame design in the modules to make it stronger and include a solution to adjust the height of the shelves. We also worked on changing how the frame attached to the base and front panels, so if needed the user can remove the base panel and the structure will still support itself. This is for if larger contents needs to be stored under the bar and would sit on the floor instead of on the base panel. The control box was also adapted to make it easier for the user to switch the LEDs on and off. These seem like small changes but really

Sketches of Moree Bar brackets, endcaps and base options

increase the usability and value of the modules.

We worked on adding extra accessories to the bar modules, for example locking doors to turn the shelves into cupboards, different feet options including wheels to make the modules easier to move around and including the option to add sinks and fridges, which would greatly help if used in the catering industry.

The bar modules are made from painted or lacquered wood and all the LED components are hidden inside the wooden panels and control box, which is attached to the inside of the frame.

Compared to other LED bars on the market, which are largely rotation-moulded plastic forms, Moree bar is very high quality because of the materials used and how customisable the product is. It is manufactured at the Wuppertal warehouse like all of the other products but due to its size and complexity is a lot more expensive to produce - one individual module sells upwards of 1,200â‚Ź.

Render of more elaborate bar configuration 15 | 16

ALICE XL OUTDOOR The company already has a freestanding lamp called Alice XL. Made out of felt, it is very fashionable and channels Scandinavian vibes, however the material is not suitable for outside use. The aim was to research and develop the lamp so that it could function in all weathers.

I started by looking into waterproof materials and comparing their properties and the prices I could find them being sold for online. Christian was looking at sourcing the material from China, as this would be the cheapest option, so I looked at what was available on global trade sites like Alibaba.

After lots of discussion it was decided that textilene, a woven decorative PVC fabric, was the highest quality choice and would be best suitable for the Alice XL Outdoor. Other materials that proved to have decent qualities were nylon, synthetic rattan, olefin fiber and woven vinyl.

The product was not finalised, as samples of the textilene material needed to be ordered from different suppliers to be tested before any final decisions could be made.

Left: Alice XL (in felt) Right: A render of Alice XL Outdoor proposal with textilene texture

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CONCLUSION Looking back, my internship has given me opportunities to see lots of different sides to working in furniture design and I enjoyed working in a small company. My confidence has increased immensely, in my work and myself. I feel that I did a lot more graphic design work than product design however still helped develop some existing products and improved my Solidworks skills. I was excited about the Alice XL Outdoor so hope that the research I collected will help future designers to make it a reality.

If I were to do my internship again I think I would try to ask more questions and ask for more help immediately if I was ever unsure. Sometimes it was unclear to me what exactly my boss wanted, but I think this was sometimes because of the slight language barrier. I think I should have been bolder about my own designs and shown my ideas and sketches to Christian to see if there was any chance at producing them, but it was always so busy in the office with other work, there weren’t too many chances to.

Overall, my placement was a positive experience and I am very grateful for what I have learnt from Moree. Getting to live and work abroad was an adventure and has really inspired me to continue with my studies, work in the design industry, and maybe one day even work for myself.

Word Count 2733 19 | 20

SKETCHES AND WORK Some scans from my placement diary: showing ED measurements, bar stool ideation, Lounge Ice bucket measurements, peg component flat sheet dimensions and lighting product ideation.

21| 22

PHOTO DIARY

Moree showroom and office in Kaiserswerth

Düsseldorf by the Rhine

Working with Rob

First Moree Bar 60° module photo shoot

Updated Collection 2017 Brochures printed and LED screen experimentation

23 | 24

Packing and unpacking for Orgatec

Moree Bar brochure delivery and new bracket inspection

Discussing new products

Last evening in DĂźsseldorf

Delivery to the warehouse 25 | 26