Joss Nichols Product design
2024 Portfolio
@studiojln
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About me Introduction Slowdays Ome Stow LSTD X FCP Small scale projects: Primary Five Big Tree
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About me
My name is Joss Nichols. I am a young product designer from the United Kingdom. I am a new designer from Nottingham Trent University, having completed the BA Product Design (Sandwich) Degree. Having undertaken an internship learning from an up and coming footwear designer and a mentorship from the product team at Dr Marten’s, I have pushed my craft beyond traditional Product Design and have become experienced in sustainability and cyclical design. I am passionate about mixing both these principles of conscious design to create visually exciting and functionally enjoyable work which creates a real bond between consumer and product. I am a hands on maker, fusing my practical prototyping skills with my process visualision to create effective outcomes.
As a designer and a maker I use my multifaceted skills to create a connection between consumers and their products. Sustainability is at the heart of my practice. I want to maintain a constant level of ethical sustainability that promotes durability, longevity and user connection throughout my design. Sustainable cyclical intentions are made by the designer from the very beginning and are the bedrock of my practice. I endeavor to be a positive presence in design. Introduction
Introduction
Slowdays
Slowdays is a sustainable footwear project which utilised 100% waste leather from English tanneries to create a durable and versatile mule style shoe designed to be in circulation for an extended period. Slowdays mixes the principles of cyclical design with stylistic inspiration taken from japanese outerwear and minimalism. “Design a mule with an enhanced durable life cycle, designed to be a daily versatile wear by the user, focusing the design on utilising waste materials” Slowdays
Slowdays
Focus and Intention The footwear industry is responsible for 1.4% of Global Green house gases per year. The industry will produce 22 billion pairs of shoes in 2023. Overproduction of unsustainable materials in these shoes will be thrown into landfills and the ocean, where they will pollute and continue to harm the environment. Slowdays is a sustainable footwear platform which utilises 100% waste leather scrap from C.F.Stead tannery to produce durable and versatile footwear. Slowdays aims to provide the user with a durable alternative to last for years to come by making footwear from the backlog of waste material produced by the industry, reducing the strain on landfill.
Slowdays
Process Slowdays is constructed from 100% waste stream leather, using no virgin-materials is the end goal of the footwear platform. Featuring a recycled polymer outsole and custom design recycled Aluminium hardware, the mule aims to stay in circulation for as long as possible. After initially discovering a reliable and durable waste stream material, designing for longevity whilst retaining a stylised japanese americana inspired aesthetic, which can remain versatile, became the end result. From designing and creating the footwear, to personally shooting and styling the lookbook imagery, my craft has been pushed far beyond just product design. Ideation
Ideation
Packaging + Identity Forming a product identity heavily inspired by japanese outerwear and the design style of “GO OUT Magazine”. Focusing on a facet of style which values durability and craftsmanship over trend driven aesthetics. The font style links to Japanese Americana, along with mimicking the undulating raw edges of the scrap leather pieces and the footwear’s origin from the shape of the leather offcuts. Creating 100% recyclable product packaging and marketing additions like stickers and inserts creates a well rounded and developed product package to expand brand awareness.
Slowdays
Ome
Ome
Ome is a light designed to promote comfort and wellbeing. Ome creates a calm and inviting environment through soft warm lighting, a custom textured face and it's small squat design, creating a warm and inviting presence to any room in the home. Ome aims to create a space which promotes the user to engage in wellness activites and enhances the sections of the day that the consumer uses to unwind and de-stress. Ome
Ome
Ome
Ome
Process Mixing a soft and warm glow from Ome’s hidden bulb, with the shallow grooves and flowing design make for a deep and calming light effect. Constructed from 100% african mesquite, Ome’s base doubles as homeware alongside its function as a light for relaxation. Taking inspiration from “chubby design” the squat design of this light doesn’t impose on the space, but aims to enhance the environment to encourage wellbeing practices. The low light having as minimal impact on melatonin as possible, encouraging sleep instead of being a disruption. Ome
Stow
Stow
Stow is furniture peice designed for inside and outside the home. Stow is a stool that takes inspiration from Japanese and Korean outdoor products and camping. Crafted from maple with a canvas seat, Stow folds away to be easily stored when not in use. Stow’s use of clean lines and a soft colour palette make it an easy and modern addition to the home whilst retaining the functionality of outdoor products.
Stow
Stow
Stow
Stow
Stow
Process
Process
LSTD x FCP
Collaboration:
Love Saves The Day Festival x Fashion Communication and Promotion
This project was assisting and working creatively with Fashion Communication and Promotion students at NTU to design, prototype and finalise an item of merchandising for their upcoming collaboration with the team behind “Love Saves the Day” festival. The final outcome being a custom designed minimalist heart shaped padlock, which expresses the themes and inspirations behind the festival. Working to achieve their vision whilst adding my own personal design style created an outcome that was well recieved. Collaboration
LSTD x FCP
Process Opting for a minimal aesthetic, whilst taking into account the current and future trend predictions of outerwear and “gorpcore” styles became the final drivers for this product creation. Aligning the lock’s design with the key iconography of Love Saves the Day festival links the merchandising to the brand’s ‘radio-tower’ imagery featured on their current branding. Created through 3D solidworks CAD modelling and prototyped through 3D printed PLA plastic which is featured in the photoshoot and final brand presentation. Collaboration
Primary
Small scale: Primary coffee grinder
Primary is a coffee grinder designed within the limits of primary colours and geometric shapes. By designing within these limitations the simple and minimal form of Primary was produced. Constructed from 100% recycled Aluminium and finished with gloss paint the Primary grinder creates a statement in the kitchen whilst retaining the key principles of minimalism. The removable grinder cup and wireless functionality ensuring that the user experience is seamless and enjoyable. Primary
five
Small Scale: five
Five is a maximalist chair for the household. Five invites the user to explore their interactions with the peice and how they position the chair in their home. Constructed from a timber and foam interior and upholstered in pastel pink and green shag-carpet material, Five is comfortable and light, which when combined with the handle-style backrest, invites the user to move the chair around their home.
five
Big tree
Small scale: Big tree
Big tree provides an interactive environment that facilitates both play and learning. Big tree is a space that allows children to decide how they want to play. The bespoke micro-garden beds give the children an area that changes throughout the year, whilst giving teachers a platform to physically demonstrate the importance of the natural environment. Big tree
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