Giorgia D'Agate Portfolio 2020-2023

About

I am an adaptive designer who is aspiring to work within the commercial side of the deign industry. I enjoy timeless design with an interest of exploring unknown processes to myself which aid me to design unique pieces.

I have customer service and supervisor experience in the retail industry. I am looking to start my career in Design to develop the skills I’ve learnt through-out my studies. As a hard-working person, I’m flexible, have a creative approach to problem solving and good time management with a committed and diligent attitude.

Contact

Email - Giorgiadagate@gmail.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/giorgia.dagatedesign LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/giorgia-d-agate

Education

Nottingham Trent University

BA(Hons) Furniture and Product Design

Work Experience

Creative Designer, Intern at Mark Industries Ltd. (July 2021- January 2022)

- Laser cutter operation.

- Research, development, and production of new products.

- Assisting in client-based projects - this would include CAM for manufacture, using small power tools, detailing/ quality control, assembly, and finishing.

Store supervisor, Simmons Bakers (2018-2019) (July 2021- 2022)

- First work as a shop assistant and was promoted to supervisor after 6 months.

- This included roles such as daily cash and audit reconciliation, ordering, setting up and closing the shop, dealing with unhappy customers, and keeping a close eye on my team.

Architecture Workshop Support, Nottingham Trent University (2022-2023)

- Help organise the space and help students with queries they have.

- Assist within the space. This involved cleaning, assisting students using the machines/ modelling projects.

Skills and Software

Adobe - InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator

CAD - Solidworks, Fustion360, Slic3r

Sketching

Model-making

3D Clay Printing

Other interests

Hiking, Crafts/ Painting, Photography

The University project was provided with The Conran Shop to design a timber product that sits proudly within their product portfolio. It may be functional, or decorative, but certainly enduring.

Inspiration

In today’s digital age, where virtual interactions dominate our daily lives, there is a growing concern about the potential disconnection between humans and physical objects. As the world becomes increasingly digitized, the significance and tangible presence of objects seem to diminish, raising questions about the impact on human experiences and relationships.

Research

Due to the limited material choice in the brief, I took the opportunity to explore the process of Wood Turning as I have limited knowledge of this process.

I also wanted to explore ways in which shapes I could create that might entice the user. A spinning motion as a form of engagement along side the process of turning seemed fitting, which lead to the start of defining shapes.

Ideation and Prototyping

After this research was carried out, full-scale models were created to develop and define flaws.

As wood turning was a new process to me I learned the limitations to what could be achieved to help narrow down to the final piece. With these unusually shaped pieces, alongside my limited skill of turning, the vessels were turned by a technician at Nottingham Trent University.

Final outcome

These vessels aim to encourage interaction through the motion of spinning, when prompted, which stimulate positive emotion and entertainment when associating with this everyday object. Adding motion creates an introduction for enticement and engagement for the user to create a connection with a ReVolVe vessel of their choice.

There is also a functional side to ReVolVe. Some vessels allow placement of small items like keys or jewellery from the front side and when placed ‘upside-down’ they become a standstill functional item that allows placement for small objects on the vessel. Having these two options, one where the vessel spins and the other stagnant leaves it open to interpretation of how it is used by the consumer within the space.

This was a Self-Directed project driven from my own interests. I want to explore a process and its capabilities but with one I haven’t tried before. The idea of a mix of traditional/ natural material with manufacturing techniques was particularly interesting to me, so I looked into ceramic and wood techniques.

Inspiration

When researching about different processes I came across the 3D Ceramic Printer. By coincidence the Nottingham Trent University had one witch has not been in sure for over 2 years which a great opportunity to delve into this manufacturing process.

Research

As this was a new process a lot of time went into learning new software and hardware in a short amount of time.

Along side this, research on past, current and future uses of the process was conducted, however a common theme was theoretical or experimental based so I wanted to explore the possibility of commercialisation with this process.

Ideation and Prototyping

Due to being a new process, there was a lot of trial and error. However through many failed attempts I taught myself to overcome discouragement which allowed me to produce a unique table top. This development lead to a bespoke outcome for the end user to customise through what style of tile they would prefer.

Final outcome

Radii is an Oak table that consists of a bespoke 3D ceramic tile centre. All these tiles are 3D printed with clay, some with an extruded pattern. These patterns are made up of triangle ridges to show off the natural finish of the 3D clay printing which came from exploring the process. The tiles currently used are fired until vitrified to keep the natural look and feel of the clay to compliment the coiled ridges created from the printing.

Internship at Mark Industries

About

Mark Industries is a Design and Digital Fabrication workshop that offers a consultancy and a fabrication service for other Designers, Architects and private clients. They specialise in CNC manufacturing.

My Role

I worked as a creative designer for a period of 6 months. The tasks my job entailed were supporting within the workshop and design team, from CAM drawings to manufacturing products. Some of my speculative work can be seen and was fortunate to work on client and studio based projects.

I was put under management for the Laser cutter during my time there. This allowed me to gain the necessary skills of team communication, time management, relevant software and hardware.

Skills Gained

- CNC manufacturing

- CAD drawings for CNC Manufacturing

- Laser cutter manufacturing

- Sketch-up

- Illustrator

- Material and making knowledge (specifically in Plywood)

I also had the opportunity to liaise with clients on certain projects.

04 Extras

4.1 Clothing rail 2022

This is a clothing rail designed to replace the idea of the ‘laundry chair’ as seen in many bedrooms. It still allows the user to throw the clothing items on the furniture piece without taking away another furniture item function.

Project time: 3 weeks

4.2 Drawings of multiple concepts

Dissertation Abstract

The use of staged authenticity is becoming more and more aware to the public, notable changes are being introduced throughout many industries. This dissertation explores culture appropriation in the context of tourism within Thailand with references to how TV and Film media affects these topics.

The literature review explores the current impact of tourists in the tourism industry, on local communities and businesses relating to the use of cultural or traditional craft. The research focuses on the influence of TV and Film in the tourism industry, specifically within Thailand, and how this affects the local areas and residents’ attitudes towards tourism. This points to how tourists behave and attitudes toward these industries and how aware they are of the impacts.

The Primary research consists of questionnaires and interviews with people that have travelled to Thailand, delving deeper into their personal experiences and thoughts on authenticity on reflection and strongly suggesting it’s what their intention as a tourist. It explores how the public celebrates culture and how they validate their views as well as the activities of Thailand travellers and their influences on these choices. Finally, it highlights the feeling of authenticity and its importance to tourists’ experience differs according to the environment.

If you would like to find out more, please get in touch.

Thank you.