123

D

The_Element_of_Design

James Withington Product Design Portfoilio

123

D

1) Meet James A brief insight

2) Slope Seat

A transformation to spectating from the embankments

3) Wave Table Contents

The table held together with no fixings

4) Heart Table

A triumph of lamination

5) Connectory

The editable connector

6) Bee Happy Hive

Honeycomb happiness and sensory centre

7) Features In the spotlight

123

Meet James

My passion is Functional Design, I like things to work. Then and only then, they can look good. When they fail... and they do; the first thought should be to 'fix it', and not replace it. When something cannot be fixed, the materials should be easily reusable. ​ I enjoy approaching complex projects with a practical approach and simplicity in mind.

The_Element_of_Design

D

The_Element_of_Design

My work is currently single item production, focusing on the serendipitous nature of the materials that I work with.

1

123

The_Element_of_Design

The Slope Seat

The_Element_of_Design

D

2

PROBLEM? Millions of spectators sit on raceway embankments, often sitting on damp grass, on a blanket or foam pad because conventional sporting and outdoor seats are limited to gently sloping surfaces.

SOLUTION: A lightweight, anodised aluminium chair with stretched canvas seating for warmth and comfort. The leg frame situates on the slope with four independent articulating feet adapting to the uneven surface. A single friction knob either side enables the user to set the seat at the optimum angle or to collapse it ready to transport. To enable cold working assembly, the aluminium components are inserted through sewn tunnels in the canvas before being polyurethane bonded for superior strength and flexibility.

123

PROBLEM? Modern products are designed with built in obsolescence, built to be irreparable, built to fail built with landfill as a final destination! Material salvage and recyclability is made impossible or uneconomic by permanent joining methods.

SOLUTION: A simple and effective way of holding components together. A plastic connector which is purposely designed to mate a table top to a table leg, and which is 3D Filament printed before being gently heated and formed in to the required shape. Components such as legs and stretchers simply slide in and lock together. A broken piece can be simply replaced or changed. Likewise, the components can be removed and used elsewhere in the meantime, they can take the shape of an interesting item which can be admired and cherished by all.

The_Element_of_Design

The Wave Table

The_Element_of_Design

D

3

123

The_Element_of_Design

The Heart Table

The_Element_of_Design

D

4

BRIEF: Investigate lamination. Explore the laminating process, discover the potential shapes and structures which are achievable.

OUTCOME: Four by four-piece repetition resulting in a square table construction with subtly tinted inset glass top located on machined brass corner mounts. The concentric, uniformly reducing and distributed shapes are mirrored and arranged resulting in a delight of kaleidoscopic views. Dedicated right angle formers were fabricated in order to shape the twelve pieces and six interlocking layers of Maple veneer strip into a corner section. Four sections are then arranged and joined to create the table shape.

123

PROBLEM? Today’s consumerism attitude often means a minor fault results in a functional item being thrown away. BRIEF: Develop a ‘3D printable fix’ which can be downloaded anywhere in the world to prolong the use thereby reducing items going to landfill.

SOLUTION: ‘The Connectory’, a simple structure utilising the essential thermoplastic properties of filament printing. Two, or more ends are drawn to the exact profile of the material for construction. Printing takes place in a flat orientation meaning no scaffold printing and therefore ZERO waste. The centre ribbon is gently heated and shaped to enable construction. When the construction is no longer needed, the connectors can be re-heated and re-shaped for a second, third, fourth purpose. With no hard fixings, constructions can be easily repaired.

The_Element_of_Design

The Connectory

The_Element_of_Design

D

5

123

The_Element_of_Design

The Bee Happy Hive

The_Element_of_Design

D

6

BRIEF? Create a self-contained pod or den that has a sensory interior where primary aged school children can feel safe and go for some time out if required. It should have sensory elements and upholstered seating within for quiet time. It should also look appealing from the outside.

SOLUTION: A singular or honeycomb modular system. Self-contained and free standing, the design incorporates the sensory requirements whilst providing the children with a comfortable and safe place to take time out. The honeycomb structure has a connection to nature and is also an interesting visual object which provides several educational segway’s. The modular pods are designed with components which are easily changed or updated providing the user with endless variety of sensory surfaces possibilities.

123

University of Wolverhampton Level 6 Product and Interior Design students 2019. Excited and raring to embrace the challenge of designing for the Sensory Pod challenge. Launched in the October by ‘Incube Ltd.’ and scheduled for presentation in the December means minds and efforts must be focussed, an excellent insight into the real world. James’ design was shortlisted to the final 6. Winners to be announced January 2020.

The_Element_of_Design

Features

The_Element_of_Design

D

7