1. Designing and designers
Looking at the different approaches to designing.
Brian Russell
Nicola Deacon

2. How Design Evolves Technology Push and Market Pull
Technology Push is a process by which the advances in science and technology are used to create new products that consumers might want.
For example, mobile phones have developed from a simple communication device for making calls to personal computing devices or ‘personal digital assistants’ (PDAs).
Market Pull describes how the inspiration for new products often comes from the needs of society. Market research and analysis of existing products can help manufacturers improve their products.
A good example is the development of gloves that allow you to still use a touch screen phone.
Environmental, Social and Political factors might also influence the need to develop new products.
For example Fair Trade chocolate and electric powered cars.

3. The Influence of Fashion
The influence of fashion and trends on product design cannot be over-estimated. Many manufacturers employ agencies to predict trends in colour, pattern and style.
Many products will have seasonal changes, with customers changing their wardrobe on a annual basis and their home interior every 3-5 years.
Fashion can be influence by changes in society and the economy. For example:
During the 80’s the UK economy was booming and there was a rapid increase in demand for ‘designer’ products to furnish the city apartments of upwardly mobile consumers. Modern high-quality leather and chrome furniture was popular and fitted well with the money-driven business-like ethic of young, ambitious professionals.
Today people generally have more eclectic tastes and demand products that will enable them to achieve a more individual look. This poses a challenge to manufacturers, who have to respond quickly to market pressures.

4. Design Methodology Empirical designing Intuitive designing
Systematic designing

5. Empirical designing Trial and error designing
Modelling most likely route
Dyson use modelling and testing as their preferred method of designing

6. Intuitive designing
Sum of past knowledge
Often very specialised areas

7. Systematic designing Separate discreet stages
Sub-systems often dealt with by others
Teamwork most common

8. Where do we get new ideas?
Nature
Geometry/mathematics
The man made world
Other designers
Other products
Rarely from looking at a piece of blank paper!

9. Nature
Patterns and texture
Structure and form
Colour

10. Observational work of plants
Designers such as William Morris have used detailed drawings of plants to create new designs

11. Looking at anatomy
George Carwardine designed the first Anglepoise lamp in the 1930s based upon how the human arm works

12. Geometry & mathematics
Geometry and mathematics is all around us

13. Islamic design Mathematics is a strong influence
Based on grid patterns

14. Celtic design
Still a popular influence today
Based on geometric grids

15. Fibonacci series
A series of numbers to create well proportioned rectangles
1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89
Any adjacent numbers

16. Geometric form
Particularly used in architecture and some domestic products

17. Grids
Often the starting point for textile designs

18. Geodesic domes
Very strong structures based on geometric shapes

19. Existing products Which came first?
Ideas are often developed from existing products

20. Retro design
Modern products based on styling from the past

21. Philippe Starck
Often unusual
Always fun
Not always practical

22. James Dyson Best known for the innovative cleaners
Strong use of colour and form

23. Jonathan Ive Senior VP at Apple
Innovative styling and micro electronics

24. Robin Day World’s best selling chair
Developed polypropylene moulding techniques

25. Mary Quant
Led the sixties look
Short skirts
Geometric designs

26. Philip Treacy
Unusual forms

27. Richard Sapper
High Tech
Post Modernism

28. Giorgio Armani
Softer suits
Lightweight fabrics
Well tailored

29. Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Mix of geometry and stylised natural form

30. Vernon Panton
Exciting plastic furniture

31. Henry Beck
London Underground map
Format copied around the world

32. Arne Jacobsen
Futuristic at the time
Laminated plywood

33. Design movements Arts & Crafts movement Art Nouveau Art Deco Bauhaus
Modernism
Memphis
Post Modernism

34. Art Nouveau
Nature a strong influence

35. Art Deco
Geometry a strong influence
High glamour

36. Bauhaus First real attempt to train product designers
Form follows function

37. De Stijl Absolute abstraction Simple slabs
Primary colours, black & white

38. Memphis
Surface pattern
Strong colours
Rebellion

39. Design task
Research and undertake a study of a 20th/21st century designer and their designs which have an impact today’s society.
Materials
Influences
Technologies
Presentations in one week’s time