Part 1 : School vs Industry

In the foreseen circumstance that there might very well be a hundred parts to this series, I shall begin by documenting the random ( sometimes irrelavant and incoherent) thoughts that pass through my tiny mind.

I shall not attempt to list "Top 25 things I should have learnt in school", though that caption might garner more interest. This is just my wayward process of documenting my growth as a young practising designer. Besides, believe me when I say I could come up with "Top 100 things I should have learnt in school".

In Part 1, I'd like to address what it means to be a designer, THEN vs NOW.

Back in school, we were nourished with design process charts, design thinking modules, how to produce good design etc. Everything was taught with methodoligical precision. And being so young and impressionable ( Ok at least I was), I sucked it all in like a sponge.

As a student, being a good designer meant following the design process to the tee, being able to come up with fresh perspectives to everyday problems, as well as having a good set of skills. ( Model making, 2D and 3D renderings etc).

The questionable area is, design cannot be taught. It is a genre so subjective and diverse, that unlike engineering, no two people can arrive at the exact same design, even though the brief is exactly the same. It's called talent. Or creativity. Can it really be taught?

I believe that design is like playing the piano. At first you learn the process and methods, but after a while, you've got to let all go, and design with your heart.

And so, being a typical student, being a good designer simply meant "getting the A". Getting the A meant:

1) Designing an aesthetically pleasing product that all your professors agree on
2) Showing good analytical process in deriving the final solution
3) Having an exorbitant amount of work ( sketches and renderings) to show that you've slept under your desk again for 5 consecutive days, and indirectly proving just how hardworking you are
4) Being able to describe your work with concise explainations (good training because if your designer vocation doesn't work out, you can still become a salesman).

Good designer = having a good design + good set of skills

So what changed? Having spent a close 4 years in the industry, I realized that no matter what product you're designing, it's always boils down to ONE THING.

Money. Money. Money.

You can produce the most beautiful design, you can render the most realistic renderings, you can have the world's best design skills, but if your design doesn't sell, then that's the end of you. In other words, having the best design doesn't necessarily make you the best designer......understanding your market would.

So unlike school, having a good design process won't suffice. The key is to understand what your clients are asking for, and design a product that would fit their target segment.

Good designer = good sales of products (irregardless of whether your product looks like crap or not)

Munny makes the world go round.

Hypershot/Modo

Looking for Hypershot and Modo. (More Hypershot).

Lemme know if you have it, or know where to get it. :) I will buy lunch.

Please email me at dianne.loh at gmail.

Chris Bangle Leaves BMW

Chris Bangle, the highly controversial design director of BMW, takes his final bow. I'm not sure why people dislike him so much, and blame him for screwing up the new generation of BMW cars. I stubbornly think that he's quite the genius, and that people just don't get him at all.

I like his conceptual thinking, his passion to explore new grounds in the automative industry. And highly conceptual work seldom sits well with the public, because conceptual work is often raw, and filled with flaws.

I became a firm fan after I saw this.

Architecture, Industrial Design and Product design

When people ask me what I do for a living, the reply "Industrial Design" never fails to raise an eyebrow.

In the past, people have often mistaken Industrial Design as design of industrialized products, such as cranes, heavy machinery etc. Of course, people also often ask me what the difference is between Industrial Design and Architecture.

I had quite a hard time explaining to people that I do not design buildings. One simple way of explaination is : Industrial designers design in centimeters, whereas architects design in meters.

We're the guys who design the small stuff, such as mobile phones, DVD players, Modems etc.

And then comes the question, " So are you guys product designers then?"

Well we're definitely also classified as product designers. And to explain the key distinct difference between Product Design and Industrial Design is a little tricky.

Industrial design focuses on designs with heavy mechanical and electrical dependency. Meaning objects like Mobile phones, DVD players etc.

Product design focuses on areas such as furniture, lifestyle products, anything from waterbottles to pens. Basically products that have less complicated internal structures.

Of course the two disciplines are very loosely termed, and can be intertwined intrinsicly. Industrial design is a deeper form of design, as compared to PD. Manufacturing processes know how and engineering based knowledge is extremely important. And no matter how much I detest engineers, I hate to admit that we are somehow, semi-engineers ourselves.

This is the best way that I know on how to differentiate the two. Hope it clears up the air, and if any of you have a better way of explaining it simply, do lemme know :)

ID Sketching

Found a cool sketch site that teaches you 2-point and 3-point perspective sketching. ID Sketching shows you everything from basic line drawings, to line weights, to marker renderings.

I did follow some of it :D

So I did a quick sketch of a foot massager. ( Set the horizon line slightly above eye level)

And confused myself with my own perspective lines ( in yellow) . The whole thing looked odd. Errors circled in red. Oops.

So I re-did the sketch. This time, I didn't draw in the pers boxes. ( So i wouldn't confuse myself) LOL. Added in the line weight, using techniques such as Lines A, B and C.

Added in some colour. I've got limited copic markers.....so didn't really have a great spectrum to showcase highlights.

And my white prism colourpencil is broken. No highlights. :( I'm gg to microwave it now). According to the guys @ ID Sketching, it helps to prevent breakage. I hope my oven doesn't explode.

Sometimes it's not the design.

Firstly, please don't ask me why I have photos of urinals, since I obviously do not use one.

But I am highly amused by the perverse thoughts that go through my head when I see this.

I'm not sure if normal toilets provide separating boards in between urinals. I assume if there are boards, the main purpose of it would be to shield the privacy of the users from err.....roving eyes of other users.

So I'm not entirely sure what the purpose is, for putting up boards that hang the same height as the urinals. I imagine that IF I were standing there, I'd be able to see my neighbour's little toot in its full glory.

And exactly how are two guys going to stand there at the same time? I can only conclude one thing. The placement design was designed by a gay.

Obviously.

Dedon

I'm bringing up Dedon, because they seem to be advertising their loot in every single design magazine I've been reading thus far.

The one thing that caught my eye a few years back, was this particular piece, The Orbit.

A good mix of form and function, not to mention eye-catching. And it looks pretty comfortable too. Who doesn't like a chair with a convertible top?

A few years on, Dedon goes on to design other signature pieces like these.... The Phoenix.

And of course, their Slim Line Range. Their designs seem to command a strong architectural influence, yet still retaining a lightweight elegance that does not overpower.

That was until....I saw this recently, The Summer Cloud.

I'm not sure exactly what to pinpoint on where this design has gone wrong, but it looks too Over The Top, and sticks out like a sore thumb when looking at their entire range as a whole. The "shade" provides little coverage to the person lying there ( must see their magazine where it showcases actual people lying there).

Also the sun moves so quickly, and getting up to rotate the bed just seems like too much effort.

Thankfully, this is labelled under their signature pieces. Good Avant Garde attempt though.

Tic Tac Toe

I really love simple designs that make u go "Hmmmm." And this is precisely what Shahar Peleg did. The childhood board game is so old school, yet when designed this way, it brings a fresh new perspective to it. I likey!

From http://dvice.com/archives/2008/07/mirror_tic_tac.php

Nixon

Nixon

When someone mentions Nixon, I can only think about their watches. A fairly high maintenence watch, meaning if it gets scratched, or broken, or torn in some areas, the part that need to be shipped in can cost almost 3/4 the price of the watch itself!

Anyhoo....this is Nixon's newest. As usual, the promise of design excellence lingers. Looking mighty sharp there I must add.

All natural wood. It does make you look twice doesn't it? It just so happens that the clock screen is so tiny, that it makes reading the time a virtual struggle. This watch is NOT for anyone with poor eyesight.

CORDLESS 1930's Style Retro Phone

CORDLESS 1930's Style Retro Phone

Got this off Gizmodo.

Interesting 1930's modelled phone that cordless. A must have for any retro fan. Going at US$189, it's pretty decent.

More info here.

WIll you Marry me?

So I've been looking at a lot of design stuff lately but nothing really prompted me to feature it here. So I visited my old links and let myself be immersed in pure amazement once again as I surf my idol's website.

TOMMY FORSGREN will you marry me?

Designers often ask themselves if it's imperative to join design competitions to further elevate their skills. The most politically correct answer would be, "No, because there are many good designers out there who do well without joining any competition."

The sad thing is, most of them aren't good enough to be classified good. So unless you can draw like the fella above, pls......do join a competition or two.

PIMP ME

PIMP ME TYRES

Pimp me up till I cannot be pimped anymore! Found these tyres off a website someone sent me. It's in Korean.....so I can't really give any two cents. enjoy!

If Women ruled the world

IF WOMEN RULED THE WORLD

This is how design would be affected if women ruled the world. Hilarious. enjoy!

My own project

SIDE PROJECTS

Brief:
The theme for this competition is Innovative Fusion of Art and Technology. The competition is in search for an innovation that can transform a mundane object into a piece of art as well as furniture. We are looking for a common design as a unifying element for the Circle Line. The seats can be in a series of the same design or variations of the same element. The inspiration for your design may take a historical reference, sculptural form or be simply whimsical in nature. Whatever inspires you, the seat must be ergonomically designed to be comfortable and safe for all users. The choice of design will be based on the artist's ability to evoke both pleasure and inquisitiveness using the visual and tactile nature of the seat. The challenge in creating an art seat is to mesh together the functional and essential everyday element which is the ‘seat’, with the subjective, imagery associated with the element which is the ‘art’, all within the context of the train platform.

Concept:
Inspired by a canvas behind a glass panel in a painting, these transparent chairs become the panel, waiting to be filled by humans, the art. The way people sit, their clothes pressed against the chair, their body shape and posture, creates an ever changing art piece, framed within each chair.
The suspended transparent chairs create an illusion that people are floating in air. Each human body becomes an admirable sculpture.
The transparent material still allows sweeping views of the station. Each chair is suspended by industrial cables and is held in place by the tension of the cables.

The presentation board.

VITEO

VITEO - INVERTED SHOWER

VITEO - Featuring a clear and functional design by Danny Venlet, ideal for the garden or around the pool and can also be used on a jetty or a patio. You step onto a white, round plate made of non-slip plastics and with your own weight you launch mechanics which produce a water jet about 4 metres high. The water comes out of little holes along the brink of the disk, then falls gently down in the middle. Water supply results from a standard hosepipe with a „Gardena“ connection.

JB Classics

JB CLASSICS!!

While growing up, JB's fascination and love for footwear led him to become an avid sneaker collector. JB envisioned that one day, he would be able to bring art to life. JB classics intermingles the world of footwear fhasion and art design into a wearable piece of art.

Here's my favourite pair of the whole collection. Such a perfect blend of artsy, yet not too cutesy...with a tinge of coolness.