project three : laser cutting issues

So I decided that I was going to recut my lamp shade out of acrylic. I was given feedback on my last assignment to perhaps use a nice material to make it more believable as a product. I chose a frosted clear acrylic and thought that this would be nice as it would allow for the light to glow through. So I set off to the laser cutting workshop and was ready to get everything done. It did not go well.

Firstly, while I was setting up the file on the computer something with the keyboard went wrong and it stopped working. We ended up having to shut down the whole computer which took about 15 minutes to get back up and running. Once I had finally started my cut, maybe about a quarter of the way through, a piece of the protective paper caught fire. It melted one of the corners of the acrylic sheet. Because I wanted to use the offcuts for my packaging, this was not so great. I was thinking that I would just have to come up with another way to package the product and continued the cut. Everything was finished and I was a bit disheartened but it was alright - at least I had something done. I was wrong. Although the spacing was measured perfectly, the lamp shade just did not stay together. The acrylic was too smooth to lock into place and everything fell apart. I wanted to cry. I would have to go back to the workshop again and recut my lamp out of a different material.

weekly challenge six (again) : poster

For this weekly challenge, we had to make a poster for our end of ti exhibition. Here is my submission:

project three : laser cutting, packaging, and poster drafting

This week I laser cut my wooden components for my final product. I've now included four different shape sets which will allow people to construct their own unique design for the lamp shade. Each of these shapes all fit into the same one base, and are all the same height, so when used together there will still be a sense of cohesion in the lamp's design. I'm pretty happy with how they are all looking together at the moment, and have created some interesting looks so far. It will be great to see how other people interact with it when it's on exhibition - if people will of for real crazy and weird designs or for a more ordered one.

Unfortunately, the extra width that the laser cut added to the gaps in the base pieces means that the interlocking of the parts is too loose at the moment. I will need to recut these again a tiny faction smaller to accommodate for that extra width. Not really a big task though so not too worried about it.

I still haven't started making my packaging - I think I really need to have all the components together first before doing this to see how they all work together in a flat pack. My vision is for it to be very sleek and compact to make for easy distribution.

I have also done a draft advertisement poster for my lamp. At the moment, it's just using an image of my prototype so obviously that will have to change. I was struggling a little bit with how to fit all the explanations on the page required by the brief, while still making it look like an advertisement. But, I've decided to think of it as more of an ad that you would find in a home decor magazine.

That's pretty much where I'm at at the moment - have quite a bit to get onto for the weekend!

project three : development of design idea

Based off of the research presented in my last post, I would like my revamp-a-lamp design to encourage participation in making by including users in the design make-up of the product. This will be achieved through two ways: offering the product as a flat package where users have to assemble the lamp themselves, and also offering a variety of parts so users can have more of a choice in the final design of the product.

Flat Pack:
Inspired by IKEA's flat pack packaging method, I am exploring how offering my product unassembled can help engage users in the making process. In order for this to be successful, the assembly of the lamp needs to be simple and supported with easy to follow instructions. This would require providing all components needed for the lamp as separate pieces.

Customisable:
My initial prototype consisted of laser cut pieces which were then slotted in to a base to form a type of lamp shade. In order to make the product more customisable to users, I  want to offer various pieces for the lamp shade which are different shapes and sizes. This way, users can chose which pieces to slot into the base to create a unique lamp shade. This further engages users in the making process as then become the designers themselves.

project three : innovative production and distribution processes

NIKE Reuse-A-Shoe:

NIKE's reuse-a-shoe programme utilises repurposing practices for sustainable and economic gains. The process encourages people to return old sneakers to NIKE stores where they will be sent off to be recycled. The rubber from sneaker soles are then reused for a number of products such as track surfaces, interior surfaces and garment pieces.

I like the idea that NIKE encourages users of their products to see that the life of their products goes beyond the point which users define as then end of it's lifecycle. NIKE cleverly employs the repurposing of materials in order to enhance their "sustainable" and innovative image, further creating brand equity, while increasing economic success by reselling these products.

This idea of repurposing products and materials directly relates to maker culture and practices, as a products lifecycle is extended.


IKEA Flat Packs:

While IKEA is often criticised for their generic designs which lack durability, their approach to production and distribution of their goods revolutionised the furniture sales industry. While there are many innovative aspects of IKEA's manufacturing and distribution process which is central to their success, their flat packaging of goods allows for low costs and easy distribution which offers a more ecological approach to the distribution of goods.

However, something that is not often considered is how the flat packaging aspect encourages users to engage with the making process. By distributing goods that are not already assembled, consumers are essentially a part of the production of the product. This means that users are prompted to participate in making and therefore exposed to maker culture and practice.

This is achieved through the simple design of the products which offers a user-friendly assembly process.

An idea of the maker culture that resonates with me most is participation - getting people to engage with the making and the process of designing. This is something that I would like to explore in this final assignment. I think I can use the idea behind IKEA's flat packs that incorporates users into the making process. In this, I want to take the revamp-a-lamp idea and offer it as parts that users assemble themselves. However, in order to extend this idea, I will explore options of user customisation and adaptability of products, where users have a part in the actual design makeup of the product.

project two : final prototype

project two : self assessment

project two : instructions

Here's the instructions for the process I went through to make my lamp:

project two : 3d printing

So my 3d printing experience didn't go too well... I don't know what was going on but the printer would extrude the plan fine, then when it began printing nothing would come out. Then it started making funny nosies. Then lots of us started having problems.

Since there was no technician down there we didn't really know what to do. Thankfully, Dan offered to print the file for me.

weekly challenge : six

I'm sharing a family portrait I made. My three siblings all live in different places now (Melbourne, Rural Queensland and London) to my mum and I. It's pretty hard to ever get us all together so I composed this family portrait for my mum for mothers day.

project two : 3d printing

I have been looking at heaps of different 3d print files for lamp bases on yeggi. I found this base which suited my lamp design quite well. I downloaded that file, and made sure the proportions would fit my light bulb.

I now have to venture to the 3D printing workshop to print this out...