F>ST FORW>RD DESIGNING FOR THE NEAR FUTURE PRODUCT DESIGN DEGREE SHOW 2014
01 / 02 Introduction by Dr. Gordon Hush 03 / 06 MEDes Graduates 07 / 25 BDes Hons Graduates 27 / 28 Sponsors Acknowledgments
www.gsaproductdesign2014.com
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DR. GORDON HUSH Head of Produc t Design Programm e Leader (B.Des/MEDes) and M.Des Design Innovation
FAST FORWARD: DESIGNING FOR THE NEAR FUTURE The Degree Show presentation of work by B.Des and MEDes Product Design students at The Glasgow School of Art offers a moment for reflection and for anticipation. The reflection allows a consideration of how far removed from traditional product design our new graduates are, of how they are located within the historical evolution of their academic discipline. On the other hand, the moment of anticipation always seems to be bound up in the work produced by the students during the final year of their study. In the work on display we can see design as epistemological practice, as a form of investigation of the near future: we can anticipate and speculate about the world that we are soon to inhabit.
perform as they begin their professional lives: they must juggle the concerns and ambitions of users and stakeholders, while also resolving technical, material and aesthetic considerations. The task of giving experience a material dimension, of producing objects, interactions and services that enable human beings to live their lives in novel ways, is no easy thing. Product Design at GSA has moved beyond the traditional concept of the artefact, into services, interactions and experiences, but it has also re-imagined the relationship we have to such design outcomes. That is to say that rather than imagining the functional or aesthetic role of the designed object, our graduates are exploring design as a contribution to culture, as things that Projects undertaken this year contribute to the manner in which we demonstrate the balancing act that live in contemporary society. young product designers are called to
As a consequence the 2014 B.Des Degree Show presents work that explores the future of food through its 3-D printing, how to engage children in issues over what they eat and how it is grown, how the Scottish Government’s Curriculum for Excellence can be realized in the classroom, what the future of digital protest is after the Arab Spring and the Occupy Movement, how Scottish independence might change the flavours and tastes that define our cultural identity, how the death of a loved one will differ in the digital era, and how to commission a bespoke monster for your local area. While the Master of European Design (MEDes) graduates have worked with the NHS to explore how chronic pain will be experienced by a population living longer and with greater need for health care services, they also explored the future of self-help organisations in a digital world and the role of “story-boarding” as a means of innovating the design process. The breadth of ideas and the imaginative pursuit of new forms of life, living and interacting is breathtaking. The degree show reveals exactly what it is that makes Product Design at GSA so special, even unique: it is the means by which design is utilised to imagine a preferable future, one that we might wish to live in, rather than a continuation of the present. The making tangible of time yet to come, the materialisation of the future in the present day, means that the ways in which we might one day live can be tested, discussed, contested and accepted or rejected. In this manner design and designers take their place in the academic and intellectual arena; they place themselves in the service of society and its citizens. The three projects undertaken by the graduating B.Des students exemplify this aspiration: the first, Mini-Modular, explores what living in a small, off-grid modular environment might be like; the second, the thematic project entitled Digital Epidermis, examines how the human body shares the world with digital data and what this means after WikiLeaks and the Edward Snowden affair;
while the third, the self-initiated personal project allows young designers to explore the world they live in and to propose how it might shift or change as a result of their professional engagement with it. Design is often described as “thinking through making” and it is in this spirit that the graduating cohort of B.Des and MEDes students present their work to the world. The thinking explored and exemplified in this work are a means of critically engaging with tomorrow as it seeks emerge from today, it is a demonstration of the ability to imagine a future in order that we can consider that future, to evaluate and critique the manner in which we might live before it actually happens. The gift that design seeks to share with the world is precisely this conjuring of the near-future in the here-and-now just as we accelerate towards tomorrow – the work of these young designers creates a space for thought, for reflection and for critical evaluation; it allows testing, it enables debate, it prompts critique and it does so by providing designed artefacts, services and experiences, things you can touch, taste, kick or bump into. Product Design at GSA makes the material world of tomorrow available for discussion today, in doing so it empowers every citizen by involving them in a conversation as to what the world will look like in the future, what sort of a world they wish to live in or leave for their children. This is the power of design.
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ANDREW WILSON e . hello@andywilsondesign.com w. andywilsondesign.com I am a Master of European Designer who studied in Cologne and Stockholm. Studying, working and living overseas, I believe, has challenged my attitudes, beliefs and perspectives and has helped me to explore and identify who I am. Design, I believe, has endless applications. I have observed, participated and demonstrated the importance of human centred design in areas of business and industry throughout my academic and professional career. However, I think that consciously designing our own lives is rarely something that we consider and something vital for our own well-being and fulfilment. My interest in conscious self-improvement over the last 3 years has led me to develop an in-depth understanding of the subject and to conceptualise digital design solution. I have observed that listening to our intrinsic qualities can help us to live more authentic and fulfilled lives. This summer I will partner my experience and passion for self-improvement with my skills in service, interaction and experience design with my entrepreneurial aspirations at the Glasgow University and Santander start-up programme to develop this concept further.
TAE YONG KIM e . designl ab@taykim.com w. taykim.com While studying and working for the last four years in UK, Germany and Finland, I began to see myself as a user-centred product designer as well as a design researcher. Having studied design in Europe and having an Asian background enables me, not only to enrich and bring valuable insights to projects, but also to bring a unique approach with a broad view to understand user and market in diverse perspectives. During my study, I have acquired a wide range of tools and methods to find innovative design opportunities to problems. For my final project, I researched and explored values of ‘storyboarding’ as a research tools in the front end of product design process. By involving non-designers within a design process, I revealed new considerations for how to create a convincing tool for storyboard in order to bring the advantage of comics’ language, as well as sustaining the participant’s engagement and creativity.
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SANTINI BASRA e . s antini.b asra@gm ail.com w. s antinib asra.com This year, the body of work which I have produced has primarily concerned itself with, and situated itself within, a space of personal interest—that between the ever blurring realms of fact and fiction. Increasingly I have found this space of interest; not only does it offer rich potential for creative intervention, but it also characterises work with a focus on both narrative experience, and the extreme behaviours of fringe users. This year I have explored two themes which sit within this space; the relationships that exist between the virtual and the physical, and the impact of myth on everyday life. While within both projects I have employed a similar approach, I have chosen to explore this realm from two contrasting viewpoints. ‘Digital Epidermis’, a speculative proposal, intends to question and explore, while ‘Monster Tourism’ reframes an abstract concept as a commercial proposition. This body of work does not align with the common expectation of the usability focussed ‘product designer’, instead it explores unconventional modes of design, engaging with a complex range of social, cultural and ethical concerns which present themselves to the contemporary designer.
AIMEE BROWN e . arjb12@hotm ail.com w. arjb12.wix.com/aim eebrowndesign During my four years at GSA we have been exposed to a wide range of interesting and engaging projects. For me personally the projects that have inspired me the most have been those relating to people’s health. The delivery and design of healthcare is a topic I am passionate about, partly due to my own background and also my involvement with the NHS. Part of the course I had the opportunity to attend a design school in California. My time studying in California reinforced my love for making and has given me a solid base of skills which I apply to my projects. Combining this understanding for social research and practical design thinking, allowed me to pragmatically think how products and services can change people’s behaviours. My Self- Initiated project looked into Children with Juvenile Arthritis and how to encourage the child to take ownership of their condition and pain by medicating themselves through the use of nonmedicational treatments.
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LEE CARLTON e . l eecarl tondesign@gm ail.com w. l eecarl ton.com With briefs populated with questions, my design response is to add more. To be a designer today, is to be a storyteller of complex ideas. My interests lie within altering societal processes, to harness public opinion and create a movement for change - or at least prompt others to question it. Through the context of current issues, design can become an accessible tool for understanding the effects of our social behaviour in an engaging medium. The conclusive project of my four years, prompts consumers to join the debate of Scottish independence, through the familiar medium of food. I am interested in the ways in which food can become a creative solution to cultural and political confusions, as there is no other material that comes as close to us, as human beings. My strength as a designer is not in the resolution of artefacts, but in the creation of props to convey a detailed and speculative narrative. Design becomes a means to communicate the bigger picture.
ALICE GUNN e . alice_gunn@hotm ail.co.uk w. alicegunn.com As a lover of ‘things’, I spent my first three years at GSA narrating design stories with an analogue protagonist. Titled ‘Senseware: the future of sensory experiences in the digital age’, my dissertation examines dystopian literature as a means to look through a dark lens of our future and explore the growing number of everyday activities that have been replaced with digital alternatives. However, this year, with a brief titled ‘Digital Epidermis’, continuing with this mind-set became a little tricky. Ironically on reflection, the outcome of this project best represents my position as a designer. ‘Raw Dater’ removes technology of the digital age from circumvention, pushing my practice to reframe the role it could play in the next generation of its application. My conclusive project at GSA follows the same theme of augmenting the physical with digital technology. Facilitating for remote protest using the internet, this project plays on the power of the online world – where no critic can be silenced.
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DUANE HARRISON e . contac t@duan eh arrison.co.uk w. duan eh arrison.co.uk After having studied and worked in five different countries, I aim to draw from this experience to research, design and develop new ways for companies to serve customers. This includes using design methods to discover customer insights and implement new ways for companies to grow and sustain business. My projects always begin by discovering the hard facts to understand the customer’s world - what they do, how they do it and why it is meaningful. After collecting a wealth of data, it is analysed holistically to identify the patterns of their behaviour. Most recently I have been interested in how design can help small startups. Working with a clothes swapping startup, I have questioned how clothes are obtained and used. In the coming months I will bring all of this experience together to support design & research for an urban transport startup which is launching globally. It is designed to help users figure out the best way to get around a city and I will be happy to use design to help improve our everyday lives.
FIONA JANE MACLELLAN e . b yfion aj an e@gm ail.com w. fion am acl ell an.com I have studied at Glasgow School of Art, Köln International School of Design and ENSCI, Les Atelier, Paris. My approach to design is humancentred, with a touch of fairy-tale. “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination encircles the world.” Einstein, 1929. In my first week of Product Design, I recall being told that we must become experts overnight in whichever direction our project necessitates. I believe that this skill, honed over the years, along with a problem solving and imagination equips me with a solid foundation for a career in design. I have experience in cultural exploration, experience design, branding, future forecasting and multimedia storytelling. I am currently living in Scotland and seeking the next opportunity.
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SAM JOHNSON e . Samuelp eterjohnson1@gm ail.com w. Samuelp eterjohnson.com I regularly reflect on how fortunate I was to get into the Product Design course at Glasgow School of Art. The projects have been testing and the assessments gruelling, but I can say with absolute certainty that the past four years have been the most productive and rewarding use of my life so far. This reward has not just come from the work I have produced, but also from the understanding of self that GSA offers as a creative institution. I come away from my time at GSA not only with a better appreciation of my own talents and skills, but also an understanding of their use and application in a wider context. I can see how I, and other product designers from this course, are capable of adapting to, and solving problems in a variety of situations. In this way, GSA does not produce product designers anymore; the world has enough of those. It produces problem solvers and I am proud to be one of them.
MATTHEW KESSON e . kessondesign@gm ail.com w. m atthewkesson.com Read; Write; Touch; Look; Speak; and now even Tweet. We are overwhelmed with so many ways to communicate with each other that how we communicate has become as important as what it is we are trying to say. It is this aspect of design that I found really fascinating and challenging as I think the essence of good design is how well it speaks to its user by conveying its idea and engaging with them. ‘Dog’s best friend’ is very much from the individual, niche user’s perspective and was an investigation of the personal physical relationship between product and user. ‘Clever product recycling’ was much more about reaching out to a wider audience. Examining how the reworking of an idea, and a product can invite the user to think differently about an existing preconception, and to encourage participation within a community. I think as we reach saturation point with the overload of communication being fired at us each day it is increasingly important how we choose to communicate so that what we say is heard, and most importantly understood. As designers we are not only creators but also communicators of ideas and this is what I have tried to explore this year.
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YASMINE LI e . yasmin eyt.li@gm ail.com w. yytli.com Born in the East, grew up in the West has allowed me to develop a unique way of thinking as a designer. For me, design is about simplicity and the experience. Design does not have to be complicated nor does it have to be a physical product. It is important that the users’ emotions and behaviours are taken into consideration while designing an experience for them. What I learnt over the years from studying at the Glasgow School of Art is every little thing in our life is an experience and can be a design opportunity. These design opportunities can affect the way we think, act and change our emotions. For my final project at the Glasgow School of Art I focused on my root from the East and my upbringing in the West and used the culture differences between the two to help restore balance in life.
ANNA SUSAN MCCAHON e . ann amccahon@li ve.co.uk Breasts are what visually define a female from a male. What does this mean for a woman who has her breast removed? Is she any less feminine? Any less female? Once warned “Don’t become the girl who accidentally does fashion design” I started out at GSA with an interest in aesthetics, for the most part this interest has remained over my four years but I now have a stronger sense of social responsibility. Objects should not just be pretty; they should be both useful and beautiful. I love developing a personal bond with a user or user group and using their personal stories and experiences to create a product. My final project started out as a follow on from my dissertation on The Evolution of The Bra, in Working Class Britain, a study of feminism and socialism and the way these relate to the fashions of women’s underwear. The subject of mastectomy kept appearing in literature, the more I researched the more I became fascinated with the notion of the altered female form. I met with women who had been through breast cancer and mastectomies and knew these were the women I had to design for.
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JOSH BENJAMIN MCDONALD e . jbmcdesign@gm ail.com w. jbmcdesign.com Due to GSA’s attitude towards design I approach Product Design from a completely different point of view. The approach is unique and has allowed me to be creative in a vast range of areas, individually and as part of a team. I now appreciate the significance of communication with intended users within the design process – I am the Jack of All Trades – who has been taught all aspects of the design process, master of some but not of others. The design tools that I take from GSA will enable me to create and communicate innovative design solutions. I am excited as I anticipate getting to the point where I design something that is used in the real world. Obesity is at epidemic proportions in our county. The main driving force behind my digital epidermis brief was to develop a near future preventative solution to the obesity problem. The project investigates the use of 3D food printers as a household appliance and how it can be used to address the obesity problem.
YEERUH OOI e . yeeruhooi@gm ail.com w. yeeruh.com The systemised world, which we inhabit, shapes our day-to-day behaviour in ways that we are largely unaware of. Spanning across different societies and cultures, systemisation in design always aims for efficiency, but must conform to specific lifestyles. However, it is only when something breaks down or malfunctions do we become acutely aware of our dependence on our constructed systems such as power, water and transportation; all of which are distinctive from place to place. Raised in Malaysia, and having studied in the UK and in the USA, I am interested in the ways design can impact the quality of life within a diverse range of cultures. Intrigued by individuals and their personal habits, my design approach heavily relies on observing and analysing data. Instead of focusing on immediate solutions, I strive to work towards gradual changes, intended to be more effective over time. Overall, I firmly believe that design practices can be implemented in all forms from tangible products to an individual’s experience.
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HAR SHADA PATIL e . h arsh ada.p atil025@gm ail.com We are part of a generation who shop at duty free; eat food off plastic trays served at 3700 feet above sea level; listen to the world with borrowed headphones. We pass through countries as if passing through corridors; impermanent residents of nowhere-land. We are a product of globalisation, known as Global Nomads. For us, one home is associated with parents, another with a partner, a third in the place we are in and a fourth in the place we dream of being. Home for us is a work in progress. Travel, for me, is like being at home. Nobody body ‘belongs’ in an airport or a train station, they are there for a fraction of a moment and for once I am in the same position as all the others, or actually, they are in the same position as me. Movement is a fantastic privilege, but movement only has meaning if you have a home to go back to. Home has been the focus of my design practise this year. As I graduate and embark on yet another journey of finding a new home, I hope, I will be able to carry this area of study forward.
STEVE PAYNE e . s tevep ayn edesign@gm ail.com w. b eh ance.n et/s tevep ayn edesign Design is the language of optimism, an on going conversation about what could be and how we might improve the world that we inhabit. What are our real human needs? What would make our lives easier and more enjoyable? In what ways can we make technology more accessible and useful to our society? I came to GSA because I wanted to join this discussion and alter the direction of my life; I have been fortunate enough to do that. In doing so I have been welcomed into a community of likeminded people who have inspired, motivated and nurtured me. I have also learned that being a designer is a position of privilege. It is having the permission to question, dream and to create. A license to diverge from the current thinking and explore the murkier domain of what if? Meaningful design is inclusive; it should involve other disciplines and, most importantly, engage with the people being designed for. This human focus is at the heart of the process I have learned during my time at GSA.
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VIET NGO THE e . v.thengo@gm ail.com w. vietviet.co.uk For me designing is a way of exploring. It is an excuse to examine subjects I would not otherwise have a chance to delve into. I have been able to reach out for a range of hidden resources, talk to people and specialists I otherwise couldn’t have. And in those explorations people’s stories and responses are where the excitement comes in. That is when the journey turns into an adventure. Those conversations bring together people’s collected knowledge, experiences, viewpoints and realities. That is how I approached my Graduation Project: Different Smarts. I set off by examining senses, then through one person’s story, I gained a new perspective on Dyslexia, where I decided to go. While exploring this area, I had a chance to visit both people who perceive, process and learn differently and specialists in the field of education, psychology and cognition. Their expertise and stories directed my journey into the destination of Metacognition. To keep me on track, I constantly make analogies between my projects’ journeys, my own travels and a broad range of handson experiences, which are a crucial part of my everyday life. They inform both me and my design practice.
MARIA TOWNSLEY e . m aria.townsl ey@gm ail.com w. info@darcl td.com Four years at Glasgow School of Art has let me explore and develop my skills in product development, prototyping, branding and packaging. Giving me a solid foundation to become a professional product designer. I plan to start a business in order to continue my final degree project with the hopes of launching a product in the market by the end of 2014. Throughout this project I have developed a passion for business and management aspects of design. I hope to continue my education next year at Winchester School of Art, studying for a Masters in Design Management, which will allow for professional repositioning of my career into a more specialised field. BDes Product Design has enabled me to engage with extremely interesting and beneficial material, and has given me the confidence to apply design-led innovation to future employment opportunities.
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YUANJIE ZHOU e . mr.yuanjiezhou@yahoo.com w. yuanjiezhou.com The fast paced development in the technology sector provides us a way to diversify our lifestyles. Our course teaches us to draw upon expertise from different industries and link them together. Unlike conventional product design courses elsewhere, at GSA we are taught to pay attention to services and user experiences. Other designers, I believe, we pay more attention to reality. Our designs are based on social research and user experiences. Objective reality is much more important than subjective thoughts. Therefore our designs address the social needs more. Personally, I am interested in design that solve the current social issues and impact the quality of our life. Living here has helped to compare and contrast life and cultural difference between here and China. I have tried to compare and summarise those differences and use my designs to improve different lifestyles. My work ‘Living with Smog’ is an example of this. It is strong in design research and user psychology has been used successful to require insight that has led to a successful outcome. As a designer living in a digital age, I am interested in how to use technology to meet user’s physical and psychological needs.
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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:
DEBBIE AU
JANE MACLELLAN
ANGELA BROWN
GARY MCDONALD
DAVID BROWN
YVONNE MCDONALD
VANA COLEMAN
GRANT MORLEY
SEBASTIEN ACTIS- DATTA
EILEEN KESSON
DARYL HARRISON
FI SCOTT
JONATHAN HARRIS
HEATHER SHIELDS
MR AND MRS DUNCAN HILL
DEREK SMYTH
HOWARD JOHNSON
YEEVON
EWAN MACLELLAN
STRUAN WOOD
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Gordon Hush, Stuart Bailey, Elio Caccavale, Mil Stricevic, Ian Grout, Tom Warren, Kirsty Ross and Janet Kelly for your help, guidance and continuous support throughout the course. Valerie Nicolson to whom without, nothing would ever get done. The Glasgow School of Art Student Association. The patience and expert assistance from workshop staff. Struan Wood, Stewart Gairns and Robert Kaysen for orchestrating the degree show making team and to everyone who played their part. To all our sponsors and people who contributed on Kickstarter in order to make the show possible. Photography: Ross Fraser McLean / StudioRoRo Illustration: Vana Coleman / halfpastplum.com Print: The Newspaper Club / newspaperclub.com As a class we would like to thank you all for your help and support.