Joss Nichols Design portfolio

Joss Nichols

designer with a focus on interaction & sustainability

Industrial

A little intro to me as a designer

OME

Merch production

Cross industry convenience

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

The smaller stuff

WHERE TO FIND ME

The important details

04.07

08.11

12.13

14.15

Ome is a light designed to promote comfort and wellbeing. The table lamp fosters a calming and inviting environment through its focus on soft and warm lighting, which when combined with a textured face, to add depth, leads to a cosy and comforting space. Due to it’s small squat design, Ome doesn’t impose on a room but rather blends in seamlessly and pulls the light levels below the eye, having a minimal impact on melatonin production and subsequent sleep. Ome is designed to enhance a room in the later stages of the day to allow the user to de-stress naturally.

A squat “chubby” design ensures Ome easily blends into a space and is soft and non threatening on the eyes.

The textured face adds a deep shadow which the soft glow of Ome’s wireless light can travel across.

Stacking pulp-based packaging for safe and sustainable shipping and storage.

the process

01

Beginning the design process with a focus on “chubby” design as a proven method for calming silhouettes.

02

Sketch modelling was essential for determing the size and proportions for both aesthetics and usability.

03

Initial CNC prototyping for proof of concept and user testing, finished in water based paint for colour testing.

04

Final prototype finishing by hand to remove any imperfections that could impact on the final light quality and form.

Slowdays is a footwear model which uses 100% waste leather offcuts from English tanneries. The current model focuses on producing a durable and versatile “mule” style shoe which is designed to be in circulation for an extended period. Slowdays aims to tackle leather wastage in the UK by utilizing waste materials meant for landfill particularly through cyclical design and repair culture and bringing sustainability to the forefront of footwear design.

The driver for this project is the unsustainable state of the footwear industry. Currently, the footwear industry is responsible for 1.4% of GHG emissions, having produced 22 billion pairs in 2023, and set to produce more in 2024, overproduction of unsustainable virgin materials will continue to pollute and harm the environment. To combat this, Slowdays sources 100% of its leather from ethical waste streams in the United Kingdom. By combining usable, ethical waste with a durable design and a cyclical repair system, Slowdays bypasses the need for virgin materials, reduces the strain on landfill, and provides the user with a long lasting and versatile shoes.

A focus on outerwear and technical fashion design aims to bring a functional and versatile aesthetic to outlast trend.

The biopolymer sole is designed to be replaced by the brand without having an impact of the environment.

Reclaimed “waste” suede from C.F.Stead tannery in Leeds, makes up the durable double stitched uppers.

the process

The process of Slowdays began with identifying a reliable and ethical waste stream supply. This came from English tanneries which throw away perfectly good leather offcuts due to extremely strict standards. Using this leather as much as possible, from the uppers, to the straps and the midsole cut down the waste produced, adding ethical materials around this to fill in the blanks. Combining this with an aesthetic inspired by outerwear and Japanese Americana, aims to remain timeless and outlast trends.

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Merch production )

Love Saves The Day

Collaboration

This project was working creatively with Fashion Communication and Promotion students at NTU to design and prototype an item of merchandising for their collaboration with the Love Saves the Day festival. The outcome being a minimalist heart shaped padlock, which expresses the inspiration behind the festival. Opting for a minimal aesthetic, and taking into account the current “gorpcore” styles became the style drivers. Aligning the design with the iconography of the festival links to the ‘radio-tower’ imagery featured on their branding. Created through CAD modelling and prototyped through 3D printed PLA plastic which is featured in the photoshoot and final brand presentation.

Cross industry convenience

Stow is furniture peice designed for inside and outside the home. The visual concept of the stool takes inspiration from Japanese and Korean outdoor products.

Crafted from maple with a canvas seat, Stow folds away to be easily stored when not in use.

Clean lines and soft colours make it an easy addition to the home whilst retaining the key functionality.

Honourable Mentions

Bigtree

Bigtree is a piece of outdoor play equipment designed to be used in and out of lesson time. Aimed at providing a space for teachers to educate about nature and the lifecycle as well as an exciting and stimulating piece for equipment for play time. With bigtree there are no defined rules and bigtree can empower the children to decide how they learn and play, taking inspiration from the Reggio Emilia learning approach.

Locomo

Locomo is a playful furniture piece designed to bring fun to the user’s home. Constructed from a light wooden interior and finished with a shag carpet alongside a “handle” backrest encourages the user to pull or carry Locomo around their home and enjoy the furniture in as many places as possible.