It has been a busy year for Design Droplets. We have published over 200 articles this year, thats approximately one every two days. Design Droplets recently passed this years goal of 500+ subscribers and we are very close to 1,000 Facebook fans (as of writing we are 7 fans off 1,000 fans on Facebook).

So lets get into the trusty way back machine and have a look this years 10 most popular posts…

10 Industrial Designers Worth Following on Twitter

Portfolio Advice: Back to Basics

Designer Q&A with Feng Zhu

Sketching Resources for Industrial Designers

Designer Q&A with Craig Nottage

Q&A with RitaSue Siegel

ICFF 2009

My First Industrial Design Freelancing Job

Young Blood Designers Market 2009

Designer Q&A with Colin Redmond

And here are a five of my personal favorites that don’t appear in the top 10 (in no particular order)…

Top Five Industrial Design Books

The Design of Sustainability

JONESCHIJOFF Studio Visit Feb 2009

Simone LeAmon – Designer Q&A

Drew Smith – Designer Q&A

Thanks to all our fantastic readers and contributors for your support during the year.

Please take the time to share your favorite Design Droplets posts of 2009 (and why) in the comments…

These might also interest you.

• Link Love 6 Febuary 2009
• Link Love July 20 2009
• Link Love 31 August 2009
• Drew Smith – Designer Q&A
• Industrial Design Portfolio Advice: Back to Basics

agideas international design forum is on again in 2010. The upcoming design forum will be the 20th year the event has run – a big congratulations to Ken Cato and the agideas team and the long list of volunteers for reaching such an amazing milestone.

The forum will be three days of presentations conducted by over 40 of the world’s leading talents in design and creativity, including Alex Alvarez CEO of the Gnomon Visual School of Effects, Dan Formosa of SMART Design, Richard Ferlazzo of Holden and Alex Ritchie co-founder and creative director of E2.

The design forum will run on Tuesday 27, Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 April 2010.

agideas 2010 will be held at Hamer Hall, the Arts Centre in Melbourne, Australia.

Tickets are now available (get in early to avoid disappointment, they sell out quickly).

These might also interest you.

• Link Love 6 Febuary 2009
• Industrial Design: the product of human creativity
• Link Love 19 October 2009
• Graduate Showcase – Alexander
• Link Love 10 August 2009

The State of Design Festival (Victoria, Australia) is calling for expressions of interest from individuals, organisations and businesses for self-initiated public exhibitions, projects, installations, seminars workshops and creative events to be included in the Design for Everyone program 2010.

State of Design will run from 14 to 25 July 2010. The 2010 theme is ‘change by design’.

The Festival is seeking Design for Everyone content that showcases design and the Victorian design industry, and falls within four broad categories of eco-design aimed at the general public:

1. What I Use: Projects and events promoting the understanding of eco-designed products or instigating changed consumer behavior in response to unsustainable products

2. Where I Live: Projects and events promoting the understanding and application of eco- design principles and benefits in homes, workplaces, landscapes and public places

3. Sustainable Business: Content presenting new business models and systems developed to reduce environmental impact and improve business profitability

4. My Community: Content revealing how eco-design can be applied to socially innovative projects that can resolve social, cultural and environmental challenges

Submit your expression of interest online and be part of the Design for Everyone program 2010.

These might also interest you.

• The Lucky number is 3!
• Coffee & Connexions November 09
• Design Management with Ralf Beuker
• Graduate Showcase – Lawrence Yuen
• Product Designer @ Moose Enterprise

The crew at Design Droplets would like to thank all of our readers and supporters for a great year in 2009!

We wish you all the best for the festive season and for a prosperous and exciting 2010.

Just a note that there probably won’t be many posts over the Christmas/New Year period as most of our writers will be enjoying a short break from writing for Design Droplets. Our normal posting schedule will resume around mid January.

These might also interest you.

• Graduate Showcase – Lawrence Yuen
• Reminder – Internship Opportunity. Melbourne, Australia
• Fringe Furniture 2009 Call for Entries
• Humble Masterpieces: Everyday Marvels of Design
• 2010 Australian International Design Awards – Call for Entries

Drew Smith is a design strategist, trend analyst and journalist hailing from Sydney, Australia. Drew has worked and lectured in Europe, the UK and Australia. Currently freelance, Drew writes DownSideup Design, a blog where he muses on design strategy and trends in the automotive industry. He has worked for clients such as Toyota/Lexus, Volkswagen, Kia and The Movement Design Bureau.

In this fantastic interview Drew shares his thoughts and insights on a variety of topics including the current state of the automotive industry, how designers can be more strategic and the future of design education. Enjoy and please take the time to leave your thoughts and musings in the comments.

Highlights

• “The automotive industry is at a real crossroads and there’s enormous potential for positive change by thinking deeply about personal mobility and whether the car, as we currently know it, is the best solution.”

• “Australians have a tendency to see design as an elitist pursuit concerned simply with the aesthetics of things.”

• “It’s vital that young designers start building the networks that will allow them to tap into the best emerging practice from all over the world.”

1. Drew, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, could you please give me a quick introduction on yourself.

It all started when I was 6. There was a Porsche 928 parked across the road from the family home. After a brief conversation with my mum about whether it was a sports car or a race car, I decided a) that I was in love and b) I wanted to be involved in the car industry, whatever it took and I began drawing cars anywhere and anytime I could.

After an Industrial Design degree from UTS in Sydney and a Masters in Automotive Design from Coventry University in the UK I now work as a design strategist, primarily within the automotive industry, helping design and marketing teams better understand the cultural and technological changes that will affect their future product line-ups.

A typical project might include in-depth research into emerging social or technological trends and seeing how these will impact on the exterior or interior concept for a vehicle, benchmarking existing vehicles for perceived quality or brand relevance or analysing trends from the furniture, consumer product and automotive shows to inform and influence future concepts.

2. You currently blog your musings on design strategy and the automotive industry at DownsideUpDesign, how does blogging inform your design?

There’s two components to the interaction between my blogging and my work as a design strategist.

Firstly, to be able to blog, as you well know, one needs to be well informed, particularly when I’m talking about developing trends and how they might apply to the car industry, so I end up doing enormous amounts of reading across many different topics and media types. In that lies the very essence of how blogging informs my design strategy work: to help clients make strategic decisions about future products, I must be able to inform them of emerging social and technological trends and how they’re going to impact their customers and, by consequence, their product development cycle. Reading-to-blog helps me achieve the depth of knowledge I need to be able to assist them.

Secondly, blogging is a fantastic way to reach an audience of people who, although not necessarily working in the same industry as me, are interested in the same things I’m talking about. Because of this I can connect with these people either through comments on my posts, email or – if I’m really lucky – in person. When that happens, it’s incredibly powerful because I can very quickly test my ideas out, refine them or blend them together with the ideas of others.

3. What are your thoughts on the current and future state of the automotive industry, in terms of Design?

I think the automotive industry is at a real crossroads and there’s enormous potential for positive change by thinking deeply about personal mobility and whether the car, as we currently know it, is the best solution to all the mobility issues we face.

For a long time now I think there’s been a level of complacency within the automotive sector. Brands have capitalised on years of relatively easy success to branch out into ever-smaller niches or indulge in lazy evolution that does nothing for brand capital but allows them to turn a quick buck. The examples are manifold, Porsche and it’s Cayenne being the most well-known, but as the conditions for owning a car become more difficult I think consumers will be increasingly discerning about where they choose to spend their money. Car makers will have to work harder than ever to get mainstream customers to part with their cash so I’m hoping that this will lead to a refocusing on developing vehicles that solve more problems than they create or, perhaps more realistically, simply create less problems!

We’ve already seen the downsizing trend take hold in Europe which has seen car buyers moving down one or even two sizes of vehicle (say, from an Audi A6 to an A4 or even A2/A3). Just because down-sizers are trading down in size, however, they don’t want to lose the features or prestige of the car they’re leaving behind. Brands like Audi, BMW and VW have managed to create products that ease the transition back down through the product portfolio by making sure that their small cars look and, just as importantly, feel as good as their big ones so the sense of compromise is greatly reduced.

I don’t see the downsizing trend reversing any time soon and there were signs at the Frankfurt show that manufacturers are looking to provide even smaller products that are far better suited than the traditional car to the urban context, where over 50% of the world’s population now lives. The Renault Twizy, for example, is a 2-seater urban runabout that, to sit in, feels just like a much larger car, removing a psychological barrier to its adoption.

On the flip side, there are signs that some companies will simply squander this opportunity and continue to operate as they have been for the last 100 years. In my view, they’ll do so at their peril. One of the things that nearly brought down the Big Three (GM, Ford and Chrysler) was the stifling bureaucracy and stubbornness that ensured that when they really needed to change, and fast, they were stuck resolutely in the mud.

To that end, it’s been fascinating to watch the small start-ups like Aptera, Fisker, Local Motors and the like as they’ve adopted a much more agile approach to designing and building cars.

Local design and production is another interesting trend that I think will have legs, particularly as the financial and environmental cost of international supply chains becomes unmanageable. We’re already seeing the beginnings of this shift with Local Motors in the States and Gordon Murray’s T25 city car, which has been designed from the outset for local adaptation and production.

For me, though, the really exciting developments will look at automotive design beyond the vehicle (perhaps this is better termed mobility design). It’s my hope that we will start to develop – in earnest – integrated systems, rather than individual products, that will still permit us the freedom of the car ownership model while mitigating the social an environmental impacts that come with millions of individually owned vehicles.

4. You have worked in Europe as a Design strategist in the automotive industry, what is this Design strategy business all about? And how do you think Australian designers can be more strategic?

For me, strategic design is about integrating design at the very core of the business model. I think designers have been viewed, and indeed I think many of us have, to date, viewed ourselves as providing the end product. Anything beyond or before that is the responsibility of the market researchers, the sales and marketing team, the management team etc.

Design strategy is about taking our unique mix of problem solving skills and applying them to aspects of the business beyond simply creating a product in order to foster a holistic brand or business presence. It’s been really enjoyable to witness how the insights that I gained from the development of a product or a system can be used to develop and support a business model from start to finish.

I think the most important thing Australian designers can do is to start viewing themselves as having a fundamental role in the business of business. It’s no longer enough to view the delivery of design work as the end result. One of the quickest ways into this mind-set is to start reconciling brand values with design output, because if Apple has demonstrated anything, the strongest marketing material is the product you put into customers’ hands.

There are so many brands out there that speak one language but deliver another in their products. For brands to build strong, lasting and profitable relationships with consumers it’s imperative to remove the discord between the espoused and the experienced. I think industrial designers are amongst the best people to achieve that.

5. What do you believe the Australian design scene can learn from the European design scene or vice versa?

I think where Europe really excels is in the level of design awareness, both at an industrial level and more broadly in the public conscience.

Looking at the business side of design, there’s a far greater level of shared understanding between manufacturers and SMEs and designers and both the EU and national governments are working to improve this all the time.

While in England, I worked in a consultancy that accessed both EU and UK funding to connect designers with the manufacturing sector in the West Midlands, the once-thriving industrial heart of the UK. Because of rising labour costs and the explosion of the eastern European and Chinese manufacturing industries, you could see the lifeblood of this area draining away with each factory closure.

Working with both established designers and design students from Coventry University, we would run design interventions with these companies, helping them to see how they could take their machinery, processes and, most importantly, their invaluable knowledge and adapt them to new, more profitable product areas.

It was fantastically rewarding because, on the one hand, I witnessed the strengthening the manufacturing sector as they began to see the impact of design on the bottom line. On the other hand, students who might have been generalists on graduation learned valuable, industry specific skills.

When looking at the issue of public awareness of design, I think Australians have a tendency to see design as an elitist pursuit concerned simply with the aesthetics of things. We need to better demonstrate how design can positively impact other aspects of our existence, things like quality-of-life, the environment and the economy. We also need to better publicise design – and the Australian design industry – to encourage people to expect good design, not just be pleasantly surprised when they happen upon it. It’s not just a question of educating the public either. Our governments need to be encouraged to take a pro-design approach to the development of infrastructure projects and cultural initiatives so that design becomes an integral part of how our cities and states present themselves. The state of public design and architecture in New South Wales at the moment is such that it can make a grown man cry, despite the best efforts of Paul Keating!

What can the European scene learn from us? To communicate a sense of fun! Perhaps because there is such a strongly established, historical design conscience in Europe, there can be a creeping sense of stolidity in form, colour and material selections in European products (the mercurial Dutch aside, of course). Australian designers tend to be a little more experimental and, while not always hitting the mark entirely, there’s an authentically care-free spirit that runs through many of our products that sets them apart on the international stage.

6. What are your thoughts on the current design culture and design consciousness of Sydney?

You’d have to be a Melbournite to ask me that! Look, I’ve always used a little analogy to describe the difference between Sydney and Melbourne to the people I’m met on my travels and it goes like this:

Sydney’s the brassy, busty blonde in a sequinned Versace gown that’s slit up to here. She’s beautiful, glamorous and above all she loves to party.

Melbourne, on the other hand, is a tad more demure, a rich brunette dressed in Prada, thinking somewhat more deeply about the world around her.

Both characters, without question, have their merits. Having lived in some fairly grim European cities, Sydney’s youthful exuberance and devil-may-care attitude is so beguiling and refreshing but I sometimes wish we could be a little less light-hearted and take the business of design more seriously. That’s an area where Melbourne, in the Australian scheme of things, really excels.

I think that things will start improving for Sydney as our institutions get a handle on the importance of strategic design. Having just completed a semester of teaching at UTS, I had a great opportunity to sit and chat about the future of industrial design with my fellow lecturers along with other design professionals. The recognition of the importance of strategic design and the will to develop its practise is there, we just need to integrate it into teaching and promote it’s usefulness to industry and businesses alike.

Also, as I’ve said previously, I think Sydney also suffers from a lack of appreciation or awareness of design which means that, more often than not, we’ll accept second best. In the public realm we rely far too much on our natural assets, the bridge and the opera house!

Drew's MA thesis project, the Renault Helios, explored the integration of OLED displays into vehicle surfaces to facilitate customisation.

7. Having lectured in Europe & at UTS in Sydney, what are your thoughts on the future of Design Education?

The UK, where I previously lectured, and Australia both seem to be engaged – for better or worse – in a balancing of the economy, previously heavily dependant on manufacturing, to one increasingly built on the delivery of services. The challenge for educators is how to prepare industrial designers to productively interface with both.

We still need to teach the traditional design skills that enable the development of manufactured goods but there needs to be a greater focus on developing strategic and research skills that will enable young designers to dovetail their unique approach to problem-solving with broader business objectives. There are murmurings of a greater synergy between UTS’s Business and Design schools and this, to me, would be a really exciting development.

It also seems obvious to me that industrial design students are ideally placed to capitalise on the inexorable rise in the importance of interface design to the overall product design process. There are so many examples of great 3D design being let down by an awful 2D interface or vice versa. Students should be able to go out in to industry feeling equally at ease with both, allowing them to encourage a unified experience for the end user.

8. What key skills and traits will Australian Designers need in the future to remain relevant as China becomes increasingly focused on innovation and design as opposed to manufacturing?

Not having worked in China, or indeed with a Chinese company before, I’m hesitant to hold forth on this one but no matter where you work in the world, it’s your cross-cultural skills that will help you through the door and keep the machine of business well oiled.

When I was growing up, I was fortunate to spend some time in France and became pretty fluent in French. Despite the main language of the automotive design sector being English, having a European language to call on has broken down many barriers and allowed me to make connections that otherwise would have been lost in translation. The same will also hold true in China. I’ve also heard that understanding Chinese business etiquette is a key to success in that market, as in many ways the approach to negotiating and signing off on deals is radically different to ours.

Underpinning all of this, of course, is the need for designers to cultivate the openness, tolerance and generosity of spirit that is inherent to anyone wanting to make the world a little (or a lot) better.

9. Being geographically remote, how do you think Australian Designers can continue to remain internationally relevant and at the cutting edge of design?

As much as the internet has broken down many of the barriers that kept Australia somewhat in the dark by allowing us to stay on top of developments in design practice as they occur, there’s really no substitute for going out and gaining real-world experience in different parts of the globe.

As Australian designers, we need to take every opportunity to collaborate with designers and manufacturers in other parts of the world. In so doing we not only get to experience different approaches to design process and gain cultural insight but, in line with the answer to your previous question, we gain a better understanding of how to work cross-culturally.

Whatever way you chose to get your fix, be it a university exchange, working overseas for a couple of years or participating in shows or conferences, it’s vital that young designers start building the networks that will allow them to tap into the best emerging practice from all over the world.

Drew at work, photographing a Ford Fiesta for a design benchmarking project.

10. Drew, thanks for taking the time to talk with us here at Design Droplets. Do you have any final thoughts or advice for Design Droplets readers?

There’s always more than one way to skin a cat!

I always wanted to be the guy on the studio floor, sketching furiously day-in, day-out, but it was never going to be my bag. Thanks to some wonderfully supportive thesis supervisors, Nick Hull and Cherrie Lebbon, I saw that there were other ways to help shape the future of automotive design. Now, working as a design strategist, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Oh, and the Porsche 928 is still my favourite piece of automotive design.

These might also interest you.

• 8 Professionals every industrial designer should know.
• State of Design 2010 – Expressions of Interest
• Designer Q&A with Duann Scott
• Link Love July 20 2009
• Online Folio Solutions Part 2: Carbon Made Review

Daniel To and Emma Aiston (AKA Daniel+Emma) are the Adelaide based design duo who have gained notoriety in the global design community for their product collections Shapes and Solids. In this interview they share their design philosophy, talk about where they believe Australian design is headed and more. Enjoy and don’t forget to take the time to leave a comment or two sharing your thoughts on their interview.

Highlights

• “We see no need in creating big bold statements, instead we would rather design things that are more humble and undemanding…”

• “…as designers we should be having fun and reflect this sentiment in each piece we make.”

• “Exhibiting…not only allows you to see the big companies but also meet with other young designers that you can speak to and gain information from.”

1. Daniel and Emma, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, could you please give me a quick introduction on yourselves.

We (Daniel To and Emma Aiston) met whilst studying Industrial Design at the University of South Australia. After both graduating in 2007, we spent almost 2 years gaining experience with various design studios in London (Thorsten Van Elten, Committee, Marc Newson, Philips Design). After launching our first series together ‘Shapes’ at 100% Design London last year, and then taking the same collection to show during Tokyo Design Week at 100% Design, we returned back home to Adelaide, Australia. ‘Solids’, our most recent collection was launched during London Design week this year. This collection was also shortlisted for the Bombay sapphire Design Discovery awards where we came runner up.

2. You have both worked for internationally acclaimed design houses including Marc Newson & Phillips Design, how have your experiences working for big name design houses informed your current design practice?

Where ever we have worked we gain experiences both positive and negative. Each experience has taught us different skills, some on business structure, some on how to work together as a team and some on what not to be.

Solids

3. Can you tell me about the typical process you go through to create products?

Some ideas take months and others seconds. One thing that remains constant is that we work together. It might be one of us that has an idea first but we build on this collaboratively and nurture the design until it is something we are both happy with.

4. Can you elaborate on your design philosophy of ‘just nice’ ?

This is something that every design is entitled to. We see no need in creating big bold statements, instead we would rather design things that are more humble and undemanding, things that are lovely to look at and hold, that make you smile, something that you just have not because you need it but because you want it.

Stationary Container

6. You have recently returned from 100% Design London 2009, where you launched Solids, can you tell me a bit about Solids and about your experiences at 100% Design London?

Solids is a collection of desk objects based on basic 3D shapes, which was a natural progression from our first collection, Shapes, which was based on 2D graphical forms. For us this years 100% Design was better than the previous even though it was smaller, the atmosphere was more intimate and we felt as though the whole show flowed more freely. We exhibited in the 100% Futures section that promotes emerging designers and gained many valuable contacts that we would not have made if we just showed in Australia.

6. Why do you believe designers should be taking their wares to design shows/fairs like 100% Design?

While in university we only saw what was happening in other parts of the design world through the internet and magazines. By going overseas it has given us several opportunities to really see what the design world was like beyond the glossy paper. Exhibiting at 100% Design not only allows you to see the big companies but also meet with other young designers that you can speak to and gain information from. On the other end of the scale, when you exhibit in a big hall like 100% you get to be exposed to the main design magazines and buyers from all over the world.

Rubberband Ball

7. What has been the biggest challenge creating, promoting and selling your collections Shapes and Solids?

Having no idea what to do! We are currently dealing with many aspects to being independent designers that we didn’t think we would have to tackle for a little while yet! For instance at the moment we are grappling with the idea of manufacturing ‘Solids’…and then all of the promotion and sales that will go along with it. Neither of us are particularly good at being a salesman or woman so it is all a bit out of our comfort zone.

Clock

8. What is the key skill you believe Australian designers need to focus on developing?

Original work.

Dinner Set

9. Can you share your thoughts on the current state of design in Australia?

We believe Australia is beginning to establish itself as a nation interested in design and hopefully in the next decade we can see it grow. For us to be involved in the building of a proper design community in this country is very exciting. We are very passionate about staying in Australia, especially Adelaide and working from a place that we love doing what we love!

Fan

10. Daniel and Emma, thanks for taking the time to talk with me. Do you have any final thoughts or advice for Design Droplets readers?

I think for us we try not to take things too seriously! We are adamant that as designers we should be having fun and reflect this sentiment in each piece we make. For us we try not to place too many expectations on the work we do, and just go along for the ride…….which at the moment is a bit like being on a rollercoaster! Our advice would be to enjoy the little things in life, and take time out to smell the roses!

Radio

These might also interest you.

• Designer Q&A with Rob Curedale
• Simone LeAmon – Designer Q&A
• Q&A with Rebecca Wolkenstein of Caravan
• Designer Q&A with Lisa Vincitorio
• Q&A with Michele Azzopardi from Design Victoria

The Bathroom Innovation Award (run by Reece) is on again in 2010.

The Bathroom Innovation Award 2010 will be open to both design professionals and students and will give entrants the chance to share in $35,000 in prize money.

Entries for the Bathroom Innovation Award 2010 will be open from 1 March – 31 May 2010.

Award Prizes

Professional
$20,000
Student
$10,000
Tertiary Institution
$5,000

These might also interest you.

• 2009 Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Awards Launch

There are a reasonable amount books out there on the subject of industrial design and unfortunately I have not been able to read them all, yet. However I have read my fair share of books relating to design and industrial design, plus I also own what I feel is a pretty decent collection of design books.

So with this in mind, I thought I would share with you my five all time favourite books on, or related to, the field of industrial design.

Here, without further ado, in no particular order are my top five personal favourite industrial design books.

The Design of Everyday Things – Donald A. Norman

Design Management: Using Design to Build Brand Value and Corporate Innovation – Brigitte Borja de Mozota

A Fine Line: How Design Strategies Are Shaping the Future of Business – Hartmut Esslinger

Designing Interactions – Bill Moggridge

Read the Design Droplets review of Designing Interaction over here.

Designers are Wankers – Lee McCormack

You can check out a Design Droplets review of it over here.

What are your top five favourite industrial design books? Link up your must have’s in the comments, I am always searching for something new to read (as I am sure you are too).

These might also interest you.

• Designer Q&A with Tim Cox
• Designer Q&A with Gavin Bufton
• Did you Know? January 30 2009
• Designer Q&A with Rob Curedale
• The Design Droplets Job Board

Its been a while, but here’s some link love to finish up the week with. Enjoy and spread the link love.

Simplicity, purity and openness – an interview over at the Financial Times with Dieter Rams.

Design Offshoots – another design focused ning group.

Clients from Hell – need a laugh? Or need to vent?

Entrepreneur offers tips to online success – interview with Ponoko founder Dave ten Have.

The Ken Block Subaru - awesome!

50 Stunning Video Game Concept Art - some great concepts and renders.

These might also interest you.

• The Design Droplets Job Board
• Poll: Which CAD Package do you use most?
• Designer Q&A Podcast with Mark Goellner from AFFECT
• The Webs Best Industrial Design Forums
• Link Love 29 May 2009

Kathryn is a recent graduate from RMIT Universities Industrial Design program (Melbourne, Australia). Her fourth year final project is a collection of wearable art called ‘Quinntete – The Gift Series’. Quinntete was part of a year long development of Kathryn’s own design method and practice.

1. Kathryn, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, could you please give me a quick introduction on yourself.

I’ve finished this degree in my late 20’s, so I’m looking to do some serious career catch up. I’ve travelled quite a bit, but have managed to fit in a diploma of Interior Design and a semester at The National Institute of Design in India. For the last few years I’ve also worked for a fine art and jewellery gallery in Melbourne. This last year has given me some great ideas and direction for my design practice so I’m hoping to get a few of those underway soon…

2. Can you tell me a bit about your final year project?

It’s a collection of wearable art called ‘Quinntete – The Gift Series’. The pieces are specially commissioned for each person and are designed to be long-lasting, intimate and commemorate a special occasion. It has been a year in the making including a huge research thesis and development of my own design method. I currently have a total of five designs as examples.

3. Which part of the design industry do you hope to venture into?

I‘d really like to work in a range of areas, including international and community development, film, exhibition and interior design, jewellery and maybe even urban planning. I would like to become a designer who is able to move beyond traditional design boundaries and apply my skills to social and development issues.

4. What would your dream project be, if you could design for anyone or design anything and put it into production?

A good place to start would be with a project that places a more sustainable product at the luxury end of the market – maybe jewellery or fashion accessories – in the hope that this will instigate a change at the top of the food chain that would filter that behaviour down the line.

5. Kathryn, thanks for taking the time to talk with us here at Design Droplets. Do you have any final thoughts to share with Design Droplets readers?

Thanks Raph, I would just like to wish all of my fellow graduates good luck. We’ve been through a lot over the past 4 years and have worked extremely hard. Time to enjoy the summer……

These might also interest you.

• Realise your Dream 2009
• Your Thoughts?
• Link Love 6 July 2009
• 10 Industrial Designers worth following on Twitter
• Designer Q&A with David & Matt from Mothers Art Productions

Transmaterial: A Catalog of Materials That Redefine our Physical Environment is available through Amazon.

Edited by Blaine Brownell and published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2006, Transmaterial is, as it say on the cover, ‘a catalog of materials that redefine our physical environment’.

Transmaterial grew out of Brownell’s weekly email newsletter he shared with friends in an attempt to learn more about what was happening in the world of material innovation.

After a brief, engaging and easy to read introduction from Brownell, in which he delves into the seven broad categories he has created to classify materials innovations (Ultraperforming, Multidimensional, Repurposed, Recombinant, Intelligent, Transformational and Iinterfacial), the book dives right into the materials.

From interesting concrete variations such as carbon-dioxide absorbing cement through to fabrics such as Holofiber, a responsive polyester based textile, the breadth and depth of what is in this small book is impressive. Although it is important to keep in mind that Transmaterial is by no means a comprehensive guide to materials, but more of a “portable travel guide” on materials that provides “a brief snapshot within [Brownell's] on going effort to learn about and celebrate innovative materials”.

The book has an architectural focus, as oppose to an industrial design focus, and as such some of the materials are more suited to architectural applications than design applications. However, overall I am sure the majority of Industrial Designers would benefit from materials inspiration from the architectural world to fire up the brain.

Transmaterial is an exquisitely curated, beautifully designed (Anyone who picks it up this book will note the page template utilised has been well thought out to make both causal browsing and targeted fact finding easy) and considered book that will provide you with food for thought and inspiration when you are stuck for materials to explore or utilise for your next design project.

This book is a must for any self respecting material aficionado or Industrial Designer’s book shelf.

Transmaterial: A Catalog of Materials That Redefine our Physical Environment available through Amazon, as is its second iteration Transmaterial 2.

You can also visit transmaterial.net (the free online companion to Transmaterial) for a look at quite a few of the materials in the book.

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• Emerging Talent: Jaime Sanchez
• What skills do Industrial Design graduates need most?
• Designer Q&A with Brian Ling
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Edwin is a recent graduate from RMIT Universities Industrial Design program (Melbourne, Australia). Edwin is the designer of the widely acclaimed Audi Avatar concept car, a two time runner up in WHEELS magazine’s young designer of the year award and an aspiring car designer. Enjoy the interview, the beautiful Audi Avatar renders accompanying it and please take the time to leave thoughts and feedback in the comments.

1. Edwin, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, could you please give me a quick introduction on yourself.

I am an international student from China who has just completed industrial design at RMIT. A car enthusiast since I was 3 years old, I had a large collection of Hotwheels and Matchbox toy cars. Although love cars, I had never designed one before studying industrial design. I designed my first car in 2nd year and second car in 3rd year, both design were entered in WHEELS magazine young designer of the year competition of the particular year, and both received runners up prizes. Not bad as a first and second attempt of designing cars. I think, maybe, just maybe, I might be a good car designer one day.

2. Can you tell me a bit about your final fourth year project?

My final project was about designing the car of the future. I came up with the Audi Avatar concept car.

Audi Avatar Concept is a futuristic 3-seat electric super-car designed to provide drivers of 2037 the joy of driving that they had playing racing games when they were kids. Inspired by the 1937 Auto Union Type C Streamline racing car, the Avatar Concept is the 21 century avatar of its ancestor 100 years ago. Long range supercharge-ion battery driving 4 powerful in-wheel electric motors, together with ultra light aerodynamic body, enable the car to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 2.9s, reach top speed of more than 360km/h with nimble and agile handling. Finally, the computer generation can have the car and fun that belongs to them.

There are no conventional doors on the car, but instead, inspired by the jet fighters, there are three glass canopies. The main canopy opens forward together with the steering wheel and the dashboard; the two passengers’ canopies open backwards; and a side panel on the bodywork opens downwards to act as a step, making the event of getting in and out of the cockpit very special and easy.

The interior of the car is as simple and futuristic as the exterior. Single sheet transparent LCD dashboard displays all the essential data such as speed and mileage. The screen in the center of the steering wheel displays digital map. The information can also be projected on the canopy by a head up display. The whole driving experience would be like flying a fighter jet. There is a small but handy luggage space behind the driver seat for handbags and suitcases. It is also an arm rest for the passengers. The drive by wire system makes it possible to allow the interior to feature interchangeable steering module. The default is traditional steering wheels, the driver can exchange the steering wheel for joy stick module or even key board module depends on personal preference.

Four wheels are housed inside the car’s four “legs”. Each wheel contains an Audi In-wheel Electric Drive Unit, making the car an evolution in Audi’s trademark “Quattro” all time four-wheel-drive system. The long range Supercharge-ion battery which powers the in-wheel motors are separated into two packs located in front of as well as behind the cockpit, creating a perfect 50:50 weight distribution of the car for excellent handling. The “leg” changes its shape when the wheels are turning. The car features four-wheel-steering technology, with the front wheels doing most of the steering, and the rear wheels steer within 10 degrees for assistance, making the car extra nimble and agile.

Specifications

Length: 4480 mm
Width: 1900 mm
Height: 1060 mm
Wheel base; 3048 mm
Weight: 800 kg
Engine: 4 Audi In-wheel Electric Drive Units
Power: 544 hp (4 X 100 kW)
Torque: 4500 Nm (3319.03 lb-ft)
0-100km: 2.9 s
Top Speed: 360 km/h

3. Which part of the design industry do you hope to venture into?

I would love to get in to the automotive design industry. However, things are not looking pretty in automotive at the moment. I hope they start to get better.

4. What would your dream project be, if you could design for anyone or design anything and put it into production?

Well, because for the 4th year project, we were allowed to design anything as long as it is a car of some sort. So I designed that concept car, which is something that I’ve always want to design, a dream project, if I can call it. And now if I can get Audi to produce that Audi Avatar concept that I’ve just designed, even just to prototype it, that will be my dream come true.

5. Edwin, thanks for taking the time to talk with us here at Design Droplets. Do you have any final thoughts to share with Design Droplets readers?

If you have some time, please visit my new website that I have recently put up.

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Simone LeAmon Portrait Photograph Tobias Titz

Simone LeAmon is a Melbourne based interdisciplinary designer who runs the O.S INITIATIVE design consultancy. Simone has worked on a diverse range of design projects including interiors, furniture, products and creative direction for Australian and international clients.

Highlights

• “Someone once said to me that either; the work is the story or the story is the work. If you can see evidence of both, a project can be truly satisfying.”

• “The scope for self-marketing and promotion is considerably larger now with the Web. The forums for exposing your work are multiplying all the time. This said, you still need a strategy – and you need an angle.”

• “More designers should write and publish – but, it takes time to develop a line of inquiry.”

• “Australian designers are under-exposed both nationally and internationally. Design festivals only achieve so much…….”

1. Simone, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, could you please give me a quick introduction on yourself.

In the first person! O.K, I’ll do my best, excuse me if I don’t sound witty – it’s been a long week.

Central to my practice is the creation of experiences. It is this capacity to move people – emotionally and mentally that draws me to design. This said, it took me several years to formalise my practice as a designer. I commenced my career in the contemporary arts studying sculpture at the VCA. This training emphasised an engagement with concepts, materiality and process. Principally, it facilitated experimentation and exploration.

This led me to the coveted studio of Susan Cohn where my training continued. From this time on my practice embraced art, craft and design dialogues and inevitably took on an interdisciplinary character. Intent on forging a career as both artist and designer I felt the need to formalise my qualifications in design receiving a masters in industrial design from RMIT University. In the ensuing years I co-founded n+1 equals studio and pursued several international projects courtesy of arts grants and studio residencies.

Inspired and encouraged by the people I met in Milan while living there (2001) I looked for engagement with design manufacturers and galleries. Since that time I have established my own design consultancy called O.S INITIATIVE and worked on a diverse range of design projects including interiors, furniture, products and creative direction. I live in Melbourne and work with Australian and international clients and when I can I go overseas to the Fairs for business.

Simone LeAmon. Lepidoptera, chair 2009. Stainless steel, automotive textiles, polyester cord and foam. 110.0 x 130.0 x 120.0cm. Photograph Sean Kelly

2. One of your more recent projects that Design Droplets readers are probably familiar with is the Lepidoptera chair, can you tell me bit about this particular project?

Someone once said to me that either; the work is the story or the story is the work. If you can see evidence of both, a project can be truly satisfying. This was my experience with Lepidoptera, produced for the Cicely and Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Award at the National Gallery of Victoria in March this year. Traditionally the Rigg Award has focused on overtly creative and conceptual forms of craft and design – it isn’t about the perfection of 20th Century design philosophies. Hence, the project delivered an opportunity to practise what I enjoy most, that is; to develop a conceptual underpinning for a work and see where it leads. To this end, Lepidoptera was a journey – and when I completed the prototype I thought; mmm, you’re strange – but I really like you.

In 2008 I visited an automotive textile manufacturer on the outskirts of Melbourne. I was shown a vast collection of stillage (textile remnants) which had been developed for the interiors of Holden, Ford and Mitsubishi vehicles manufactured in Victoria over the past decade. I was intrigued and suggested to the company that I could do something with it, a couple of weeks later it was in my studio. For several months I entertained different design ideas, curiously none were furniture. When I was selected for Rigg Award I knew it I had to use it – the references to automotive, material by-product and Australian manufacturing was irresistible.

Regarding the title: Lepidoptera is the species name for butterflies, translated from Greek it means ‘scale’ and ‘wing’ thus, the chair draws on the anatomy of a butterfly’s wing to inform the lamination of the textiles and the structure. I had read earlier in the year how the concept of ’structural colour’ as evidenced in a butterfly’s wings was inspiring research in the areas of automotive paint (millions of tiny scales in layers of differing densities make the colour). Further reading into Australian butterflies and I learnt that there shifting habitats are assisting current perspectives on climate change. When pieces of information start to fall together in this way I get excited.

Simone LeAmon. Lepidoptera sketch 2009. Ink and oil pastel on paper. 30.0 x 40.0cm

3. Through out your career you have received a large amount of press for your work, apart from impressiveness of the work itself, what else do you to do make sure your projects are picked up by media and press?

I learnt the value of marketing oneself and work when I was making and exhibiting artwork in the mid 90’s. Starting out in artist-run spaces (galleries operated by artist collectives) I did all of my own marketing and promotion. I learnt from my peer group that making contact with arts writers, journalists, curators and collectors was critical to the overall success of your exhibition. A review in the paper brought relative notoriety and it assisted the development of your career. I also had a part-time job at Craft Victoria which facilitated many introductions. I graduated to writing the media releases for the Craft Victoria exhibitions and spoke to the press on a week-by-week basis, needless to say I learnt a few tricks.

The scope for self-marketing and promotion is considerably larger now with the Web. The forums for exposing your work are multiplying all the time. This said, you still need a strategy – and you need an angle. Targeting the media is essentially establishing dialogues with editors, journalists and publishers. You forward stories to people not the medium. If you pursue self-styled ‘gorilla’ marketing you still need an angle. In general, Australian designers manage the media themselves and few have any media training (this explains a lot). I can spend hours of my week responding to media requests from all around the globe. Whether responding or selling a story I understand that it is a critical aspect of my business – I live/work in an attention economy. When I catch up with my peers overseas during the Fairs they are often moaning about how much they are paying their P.R agent! It is an eye-opener to the cult of design and of personality. If you have an agent (they take a percentage of your income) manufacturers and the media assume your sought after. I would like an agent because of the time it would save me!

Simone LeAmon. I Wish, candle holders 2007. 316 Stainless steel. Dimensions variable. Photograph Tobias Titz

4. You have also written for, and been published in, various publications, how important has writing been to the progression of your design practice and of your career?

I believe it is important that designers have a voice. I recall reading essays in art school by the American artists Robert Morris and Donald Judd from the 1960s and 70s and I assumed it was part of a creative’s job. Writing was a means of spreading your ideas and ultimately promoting your brand of philosophy. I witnessed Susan Cohn write on the subjects of kitsch, technology and street jewellery and engage academics to write her catalogue essays. I began to write in the company of curating exhibitions for Craft Victoria – the texts weren’t great but they found an audience. Soon I was being approached by peers to write on their work. Young and emerging they knew how valuable it was to have someone to reflect on their work and go public with it. Only this was before the World Wide Web hence, we would send the texts to every art magazine in Australia! Few were printed.

I am accustomed to writing on my own work, the work of others and more recently on design issues in general. It can be immensely rewarding particularly when you have the opportunity to expose the wonderful work of a colleague or peer. For several terms I delivered an elective in industrial design at RMT called ‘design writing’. Many of the students who attended the elective now write for design blogs and magazines. I love reading their articles; there voices are full of enthusiasm and supported by great thinking. More designers should write and publish – but, it takes time to develop a line of inquiry. I am tired of reading mere opinion which does little more than polarise the community.

Simone LeAmon. Xeno, floor lamp 2008. Computer visualisation.

5. Can you tell me a bit about your design philosophy?

More?

O.K, lets put this in some context. I am drawn to design because it manifests in all facets of contemporary life. I am particularly fascinated how it (design) mediates all forms of capital including natural, cultural, fiscal and social.
I have always had passion for products that tell a story through process and material; I look for the narratives underpinning production techniques and materials. However, for me the most compelling aspect of design is developing a concept that communicates to the client and respective audience/market. Design is an opportunity to connect with people, listen to their needs and deliver experiences which reflect positively on society and of course the designer. Design should inspire peoples and cultures to grow, transform and look to the future.

Simone LeAmon. T-Light, table lamp 2008. Computer visualisation.

6. You currently lecture in Industrial Design at RMIT University, what are your thoughts on the current state of Australian design education?

You could drive a truck through the gaps in Design education in Australia. In my view one of the principal omissions is that there have been significant changes in the technological, economic and political landscapes – issues of sustainability, globalisation and the rapid mutation of design tools and manufacturing mean that little regard is given to these critical topics. It isn’t a reflection on the education institutions per se but more the acknowledgement of the rapidly shifting environment delivered in these three major areas. Gone are the days of mastery in one specific area. The Australian experience needs to enter the education system at some point.

Simone LeAmon. Glide, mousepad 2009. Wool felt and stainless steel. Photography Jeremy Dillon.

7. What are your thoughts on the current state of the Australian design scene?

Designers work in silos and for those designers focused on product most practice in relative isolation. This is an issue. Effort to establish a cross disciplinary dialogue and collaborative working sector is required if we wish to establish a scene comparable to other nations. The circumstance for product and industrial designers is exasperated when there is no national body or organisation. Investigations into the role of Design in local, regional and export markets need to occur to attract venture capital into the sector.

I often think that Australian (product) designers should be household names as like many Australian fashion designers. Shouldn’t we be investigating similar models to the fashion industry? What has stopped venture capital entering the sector thus far? We must remind ourselves that thriving design scenes exist in the company of healthy commercial frameworks. Australian designers are under-exposed both nationally and internationally. Design festivals only achieve so much…….

Simone LeAmon. Bodywork, female motorcycle suit 2003. Computer visualisation.

8. There are some people who would consider several pieces of your design work to fall into the realm of art, what are your thoughts on design versus art? Where is the line between the two?

It is true that people are often divided when speaking of my work – and, honestly I enjoy the conversation, practice should occur in the company of debate. Unfortunately, I find the arguments somewhat predictable these days. Once upon a time you could separate the two by means of intent, function and production but those days are long passed. The cultural and economic frames of both art and design (and craft) are shifting and many would suggest that they are morphing towards each other. We can’t afford to rest on our laurels, hybridity is reflected everywhere – in thinking, theory, science and biology so why not in production?

9. What was the hardest part of getting to where you are now?

Interestingly, it is the passage of time. It has taken longer than I anticipated to get where I am now.

10. Simone, thanks for taking the time to talk with us here at Design Droplets. Do you have any final thoughts or advice for Design Droplets readers?

Thank you – and keep up the great work!

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Jennifer is a recent graduate from RMIT Universities Industrial Design program (Melbourne, Australia) Her final project ‘Secure Cycle’ is a slash proof bicycle cover. The aim of ‘Secure Cycle’ is to promote environmentally friendly transport in Melbourne. Enjoy and please take the time to leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments.

Highlights

• “My design is a foldable bicycle cover which protects bicycles and bicycle accessories from theft, vandalism and weather damage.”

• “I feel environmentally it’s so important to get fewer cars and more bicycles on the road.”

1. Jennifer, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, could you please give me a quick introduction on yourself.

I am from Melbourne, growing up in the bayside suburbs. I’ve always loved the outdoor life whether surfing at the beach, hiking in the bush or jumping on my bicycle and cycling round the bay. My other passion has always been in art and design. This led me to study design and I am now graduating from RMIT at the end of this year with a Bachelor of Industrial Design. A highlight of the course for me was the privilege of living in London in 2007 and studying design at Kingston University.

2. Can you tell me a bit about your final project?

My aim is to promote environmentally friendly transport in Melbourne. Currently insecure and impractical accessory storage limit bicycle use. To overcome these problems I have designed a secure bicycle cover. My design is a foldable bicycle cover which protects bicycles and bicycle accessories from theft, vandalism and weather damage. The bicycle cover is slash proof, water proof, flexible, storable and fits the majority of bicycles.

3. Which part of the design industry do you hope to venture into?

I’m open to different possibilities at the moment but it will probably be related to the environment and sustainability.

4. What would your dream project be, if you could design for anyone or design anything and put it into production?

Well, there are many things I would love to design but my current dream project would be to get ‘Secure Cycle’, my slash proof bicycle cover, into production. Apart from the challenge and excitement I would get from pushing my design, I feel environmentally it’s so important to get fewer cars and more bicycles on the road.

5. Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to talk with us here at Design Droplets. Do you have any final thoughts to share with Design Droplets readers?

Thanks Raph. And if any of your readers would like to contact me, they can email me at jenscorner@hotmail.com

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Welcome back. This is the second in a set of tutorials where you’ll learn how to produce industry standard 3D Renders/Visualisations of your product designs and concepts.

Product Visualisation – The Studio Environment Vol.1

Product Visualisation – The Studio Environment Vol.2 (Currently Reading)

If you are new to this set of tutorials and would like to follow along, I suggest you start with Tutorial 1 – The Built Environment for previous steps.

For those who are unfamiliar, over the course of four weekly tutorials, we will be discussing the necessary skills to create this scene.

So banter aside, let’s mosey.

The Requirements

Difficulty: Beginner/ Intermediate

1. To open the example file, you will need 3DS Max 2009 and V-Ray 1.5RC3 or above. Download the example file at the end of each tutorial.

2. If you use the example file, please understand that the contents should not be redistributed in any way. Similarly, the content is not allowed to be used for commercial purposes.

Tutorial 2 – Materials & Textures

Overview

In the last tutorial we discussed various studio setups and built the environment for our product. In this second tutorial we will be preparing materials to add to our model/product. Materials are important because it plays a significant role in describing what your product looks and feels like – and ultimately this entire process is about conveying your design concept accurately and with flair. We will look into the major elements of creating VRay materials, using maps, and the basic ways to apply them to our model. There’s a lot to cover, so be prepared for reading. Some of the content may seem redundant if you’re familiar with materials but remember this is a guide for beginners and students – please bear with me. I won’t lie, this one’s a bigun.

Here’s a listed overview of the contents and topics this week.

Materials & Maps

VRay Material Settings

Diffuse
Reflection
Refraction

Creating Scene Materials

Metal
Porcelain
Plastic

Applying Scene Materials

Mapping Materials

UVW Map

Mapping Methods
Transform Gizmo

After completing Tutorial 2 – Materials & Textures, our scene should look like this.

1.0 – Materials & Maps

Here’s a quick spiel about the basics of materials and maps before we begin. Previously in Tutorial 1, we were given a list of materials and maps to choose from by clicking the ‘Get Material’ button. Materials are represented by the blue sphere icon next to each name, and maps are represented by the green rhombus shape icon next to each name.

In this tutorial, we will continue using VRay materials because they are built for effective use with the VRay engine.

Maps are instead used in map slots, which are located next to various parameters as a small square. Using a map will allow you to control the parameter with a texture as opposed to a static number or colour. You will see the effect of various types of maps in the following sections.

1.1 – VRay Material Settings

Now we’ll discuss the various settings of a VRay material. They are in large, quite self explanatory and the options are as usual divided into several rollout categories. There are however, numerous settings to discuss, so in this tutorial we will be looking at a few major components that will be frequently used.

In the ‘Basic Parameters’ rollout of a VRay material are three important parameters – Diffuse, Reflection and Refraction.

With these, we will explore creating various materials including plastic, metal, porcelain and glass. You can achieve a significant amount by only changing these three parameters. Additionally, links will be provided to other resources for further reading on materials and maps.

Note: You might find that the maps, reflections and refractions will look a bit flat and dull. It won’t appear like in the final scene render. This is because we don’t have any directional lights in our scene so the objects won’t pick up specular highlights. For our current purposes this is fine. The materials will come into full effect in Tutorial 3 – Lighting. With this in mind, let’s start looking at our VRay material basic parameters.

1.1.1 – Diffuse

Diffuse can be generally described as the base colour of the material. It is controlled by a colour swatch. Here we’ll look at changing the diffuse colour and adding a map to its map slot.

• Create a new VRay material in the Material Editor.

• Change the Diffuse colour swatch to an orange.

• Apply the material to one of the objects in your scene.

• Hit the Render button. You should have something like this.

You can see the effect it has on the colour of the material. Now we’ll see the effect of adding maps to a parameter. The square next to the diffuse colour is its map slot. You can add a bitmap and others to texture the material.

• Click the map slot for diffuse colour and select ‘Cellular’. This takes you automatically to the settings for this map.

• In the ‘Cellular Parameters’ rollout, set the first ‘Division Colour’ to a blue.

• Hit the Render button. Your object should look something like this.

Our object now has a pattern on it using the colours specified in the Cellular Parameters rollout. Notice that the original orange colour has disappeared. When you add a map to a parameter, its original value is replaced by the map.

1.1.2 – Reflection

Reflection obviously controls the reflectivity of your material. This is controlled by a colour swatch just like the Diffuse parameter. If you set the colour to black that means that there are no reflections, while white is fully reflective like a mirror. If you set the colour to a red for example, your reflections will be tinted red. Continuing with the same material, we will change the reflection colour.

• Click the ‘Go to Parent’ button. This will take you to the settings of the level above where you are. In this case, it will take you back to your VRay material settings.

• Right click the Diffuse map slot and select ‘Clear’. This will remove the Diffuse map.

• Change the reflection colour swatch to a mid grey.

• Now arrange the object/product to look similar to the image so we can see the effect of the reflections better. Hit the Render button.

You can see the effect it has on the reflectivity of the material. The orange is paler/whiter because it is reflecting the surrounding white environment. You can also see the second object being reflected in its surface. Also try changing the reflection colour to something other than white to black and see how this affects the reflections. Now we’ll add a map to the reflection parameter.

• Click the map slot for reflection and select ‘Checker’.

• In the ‘Coordinates’ rollout of the Checker settings, set the tiling to 5.0 and 5.0. This will effectively make the texture map look smaller on the surface of your object.

• Take note of the ‘Checker Parameters’ rollout. Colour #1 is black and # 2 is white. This means one of the checkers will reflect nothing and the other will be mirror-like.

• Hit the Render button. It should look similar to this.

Our object now has a checker pattern on it that is affecting the reflectivity of the material. In every second square is the original orange material that isn’t reflecting anything. Every other square is a highly reflective surface in which we can see our other object.

The second parameter we will be looking at here is ‘Reflection Glossiness’. This defines whether your reflection looks shiny or matte – in other words, whether the reflection is crisp or blurry. This parameter is instead controlled by a numeric value from 0 to 1. At 1, reflections look shiny and crisp. Lower values will blur the reflections. We’ll render an image to see the effect of this parameter.

• Right click the Reflection map slot and select ‘Clear’. Keep the diffuse colour orange.

• Set the Reflection Glossiness parameter to 0.6.

• Hit the Render button. Your render should look like this.

You can clearly see the effect it has on the blurriness of the reflections. Lower values will mean increased render times. Similarly, you can also add a texture map to define this parameter.

The last parameter we will be looking at here is ‘Subdivs’ or subdivisions. This is a common term in many 3D programs and is seen in various places throughout your Max and VRay settings. You can change the Subdivs for Reflection, Refraction, Lights, Cameras and many other things. In the case of Reflection and Refraction, it increases the quality and smoothness of how that parameter renders.

• Change the Subdivs of Reflection to 20.

• Hit the Render Button.

Rendered with reflection Subdivs at 20

Rendered with reflection Subdivs at 5

Our object has much smoother reflections with less noise at 20 Subdivs. Note that 8 Subdivs means 8*8 = 64 samples taken at the time of render. Thus, 20 Subdivs means 20*20 = 400 samples. Render times increase significantly so make sure you don’t go deep into the juju. 20 Subdivs I find is a reasonable amount to have for Diffuse and Reflection settings for a final render but that will depend on your how you choose to setup your VRay settings.

1.1.3 – Refraction

The refraction parameter can be generally described as the transparency of the material. Many of the options here are similar to reflections. Setting the colour swatch to black means the object will be opaque and white means it is fully transparent. Here we’ll create a glass material by changing the Refraction parameter along with Diffuse and Reflection.

• Create a VRay material in a new material slot.

• Change the Diffuse colour to a light blue.

• Change the Reflection colour to a light grey – very reflective.

• Change the Refraction colour to a light grey – very transparent.

• Apply the material to the second object – currently with a plain grey material.

• Now arrange the object/product to look similar to the image so we can see the effect of the refractions better. Hit the Render button.

The object does look transparent. The light grey colour we chose means the object is roughly 80% transparent. You will also notice that the Diffuse colour also has an effect on the material. Change the Diffuse colour to get different colours in a glass material. Note that if the Refraction colour is fully white – fully transparent – your Diffuse colour will have no bearing on the material.

Now we’ll try out the ‘Refraction Glossiness’ parameter. This works in the same way as Reflection, and blurs the refractions in the material. You can use this parameter for example to make your glass look like frosted glass.

• Change the Reflection Glossiness parameter to 0.7.

• Change the Refraction Glossiness parameter to 0.6.

• Hit the Render Button.

You see that the material has a hazy, blurred look similar to a frosted glass. Create a plain grey VRay material and apply it to both the objects in the scene, we will not require our Refraction material any longer.

We’ve now finished looking at the Refraction parameters and thankfully finished exploring all the basic parameters of the VRay material for this tutorial.

1.1.4 – Additional Reading/Resources

There are obviously many other useful parameters in VRay materials to learn about. As these tutorials aim to cover the entire rendering process, we don’t have the time to cover many of them.

There are however quick resources to use should you ever need to know what a parameter does. Spot 3D is one such resource for any VRay related content. For more on VRay materials, visit http://www.spot3d.com/vray/help/150R1/material_params.htm. I recommend you read up on it. It will not take long, and will be invaluable in future.

2.0 – Creating Scene Materials

Using the parameters we’ve just explored, we’ll now create the materials that will actually feature on our product. As this is a very simple scene we only have to set up three materials as follows:

1. Metal
2. Porcelain
3. Plastic

The metal will be placed on the first object – we will call this Product 1, the porcelain on the second – Product 2 – and the plastic will be used for the Twigs.

2 Cents: Creating materials should be approached logically. For example, if you want to create a copper material you would first think of what properties comprise that material. Copper is a reflective metal so the reflection colour will need to be somewhere between a mid grey to a white. The base colour of copper is similar to yellow so the Diffuse colour would be a mid to dark yellow. Approach the task systematically when creating complicated materials so you don’t waste time making incremental changes.

2.1 – Metal

The first material we will be making for the scene is a dark grey metal that has a kind of beaten copper look to it. We will be attempting this in two different ways – one with using a Displacement Map and the other with using a Bump Map. Each has their own strengths but first we’ll set up the material basics.

• Create a new VRay material in your Material Editor.

• Name it something like ‘Beaten Metal’, if you like being organised.

• Set the Diffuse colour to a very dark grey. (RGB: 10, 10, 10)

• Set the Reflection colour to a mid grey. (RGB: 70, 70, 70)

• Set the Reflection Glossiness to 0.8.

• Set the Reflection Subdivs to 20.

Metal Material Settings

Now we’ll look at the ‘Maps’ rollout in the VRay Material. From this rollout you can view and turn on/off all the main maps in your material.

We’ll begin by looking at a new type of map, the Bump Map. The name is self explanatory – a map is used to define or create bumps on the surface of the material. Bump maps are also controlled by the value of the colours in the texture. White areas in the map make the surface look raised up, while black have no effect. Note that bump maps only make the surface appear modified; it does not actually change the surface geometry. We’ll now add a map to it.

• Click the material slot next to the Bump map parameter and select ‘Speckle’.

• In the Speckle options, under ‘Speckle Parameter’ rollout, set the ‘size’ to 10.0.

• Apply the material to an object in the scene.

• Hit the Render button.

Notice how the appearance of the surface is changed and deformed. This is a very simple and effective way of making the surface of an object look more 3D and realistic. Play around with increasing the effect of the bump map by changing its value in the ‘Maps’ rollout. Similarly, you can control all the maps in this way.

Finally we’ll try out the Displacement map. This map works similar to a bump map except this actually deforms the surface geometry of the object – the effect is essentially 3D. Using displacement in your scene does come at the price of significantly increased render times. Regardless, we’ll give it a go.

• In the ‘Maps’ rollout once more, copy the bump map by right clicking the slot and selecting ‘Copy’. Then paste it onto the Displacement map using the same technique.

• Turn off the bump map by using the tick box next to its name.

• Hit the Render button.

Notice that the effect is significantly different to the bump map. The object will be slightly larger because the surface has been pushed out by the displacement of the map.

For the purposes of the scene however, we will be continue with the bump map. Clear or turn off the displacement map and remember to turn the bump map back on.

We’ve now completed creating the metal material for the Product 1 object.

2.2 – Porcelain

The second material we will be creating for the scene is a shiny white porcelain material.

• Create a new VRay material in your Material Editor.

• Name it something like ‘White Porcelain’ if you’re a control freak.

• Set the Diffuse colour to a light grey. (RGB: 220, 220, 220)

• Set the Reflection colour to a mid grey. (RGB: 120, 120, 120)

• Set the Reflection Glossiness to 0.9.

• Set the Reflection Subdivs to 20.

Porcelain Material Settings

We’ve now completed creating the porcelain material for the second object.

2.3 – Plastic

The last material we will be creating for the scene is a shiny dark grey plastic.

• Create a new VRay material in your Material Editor.

• Name it something like ‘Black Plastic’ if you struggle without a daily planner.

• Set the Diffuse colour to a very dark grey. (RGB: 15, 15, 15)

• Set the Reflection colour to a mid grey. (RGB: 120, 120, 120)

• Set the Reflection Glossiness to 0.8.

• Set the Reflection Subdivs to 20.

Plastic Material Settings

We’ve now completed creating the plastic material for the Twigs objects.

2.4 – Applying Scene Materials

Apply the materials to the appropriate objects if you haven’t done so already. Refer to the image if your mind’s a tangle at the moment.

• Apply the Metal material to Product 1.

• Apply the Porcelain material to Product 2.

• Apply the Plastic material to the Twigs.

At long last, we’ve completed the preparation for all the materials in our scene and have applied them accordingly.

3.0 – Mapping Materials

Having dealt with attaching various texture maps to a range of parameters in a VRay material, we will now explore ‘mapping’ those textures onto our objects. This is the process by which we take a 2D map and see how it looks when it is applied or wrapped around a 3D object. This allows us a great level of control over how the map looks on our object.

One of the biggest advantages is that we will be able to see the map in our viewport and won’t necessarily have to render the scene. There are multiple ways of mapping objects but in this tutorial we’ll be looking at the UVW Map modifier.

3.1 – UVW Map

The UVW map is simply a modifier that we add to an object. It allows several methods to wrap a texture map around an object. We will be looking briefly into how we can get greater control of the placement, rotation and tiling of a map using this modifier.

Note that you only have to add a UVW map modifier to an object if there is a texture map in the material that is applied to it. For example, Product 2 uses the Porcelain material we set up. This material did not use any maps, so the object doesn’t require a UVW map modifier. The same applies to the Plastic material for the twigs. Product 1 however, uses the Beaten Metal material which contains a bump map. Let’s add a UVW map modifier to Product 1 to view and control the bump map.

• Select Product 1 – it is made up of three separate parts so select all three. Do not select the twigs.

• In the ‘Modify’ tab add a ‘UVW Map’ from the modifier list.

• Now go to your Beaten Metal material in your Material Editor and open the options for the bump map.

• Click the ‘Show Standard Map in Viewport’ button. In your Perspective viewport, your map should be visible.

We’ve now set up the UVW map for Object 1 – pretty simple. Let’s look at some options and settings now.

3.1.1 – Mapping Methods

To view the UVW modifier settings select it in the modifier stack of the object it is applied to. Remember there are three parts to Object 1. If you make changes to the UVW map on one, the others change simultaneously. This is because we added the UVW map to all of them at the same time – it has created an instance of that UVW map. If we were to apply the UVW map to all the parts separately, when we make changes, we will have to change them all manually. Using instances will save time for this reason.

• Click one of the parts of the Product 1 object. You can Group them if it makes it easier. Click the UVW map in the modifier stack.

• Click once to see its options and twice to edit the modifier. The name in the modifier stack will be highlighted yellow when you are in editing mode.

You will notice under the ‘Parameters’ rollout a list – Planar, Cylindrical, Spherical etc. See the image below. These are the various methods or types of mapping. Play around with them and see how they effect the way the map is applied to the surface of the object.

When you select a method, you will see a spline cage in the viewport that roughly describes how the map is being applied. See the below image.

For most objects, including complex objects, the box method is the most effective mapping method. Once you’ve finished playing around, select the box method to continue on with.

3.1.2 – Transform Gizmo

When you are editing your UVW map, you can use your standard transform tools – Move, Scale and Rotate – to control the map. Make sure you are in editing mode – the modifier will be highlighted yellow. When in this mode, the object doesn’t move or scale but the map does instead. Play around with moving, scaling and rotating the map.

• When you’re done playing around, click the ‘Reset’ button in the ‘Alignment’ section of the UVW map options to return to the original settings.

• Now scale your map until it looks similar to the image below.

There are multiple ways to scale or tile a map. For example, you can do it through the map settings in your material, or scale your UVW map using the transform gizmo, or use the ‘Tiling’ parameter in the UVW map settings.

We’ve now explored the basics of UVW maps and completed the preparation for our metal material.

3.1.3 – Render Update

In the words of Rafiki from Lion King – it is time. With all the preparations for our materials completed, it is indeed time for an updated render. Hit the Render button.

Excellent, all the materials are in play now and our scene is beginning to take form. Against insurmountable odds, you’ve made it through 3700 words. You deservedly receive my congratulations for making it this far.

We’ve now completed Tutorial 2 – Materials & Textures.

4.0 – Summary

We’ve discussed the fundamental mechanics of VRay materials and explored the affects of various material parameters. We’ve looked into using texture maps for a variety of purposes and learned the basics in mapping those textures onto our objects. With this knowledge we’ve set up the materials for our scene and are one step closer to the final render.

Using our environment and materials, we will explore the possibilities of lights and global illumination next week in Tutorial 3 – Lighting. Refer to the content overview section in Tutorial 1 for a more detailed topic list.

If you would like to see more work from this project and others, you can visit Kooque. Comments and suggestions are welcome. I sincerely hope this has been of some use and hope you return for next weeks tutorial.

5.0 – Source Files

Here are the source files for this and previous tutorials.

Ink.zip – Contains MAX file with 3D model.

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Tosika is a recent graduate from RMIT Universities Industrial Design Program (Melbourne, Australia). His final year project, Modus Operandi (Mode of Operation) looks at the redevelopment of council approved ‘skate-safe’ zones within the CBD. Enjoy and please take the time to share your thoughts and feedback.

Highlights

• “Keep on thinking”

• “…if I had to pick one industry I would have to say sportswear and equipment design.”

• “I like the idea that a skatepark can create personal challenges for individuals as well as provide a place for social entertainment.”

1. Tosika, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, could you please give me a quick introduction on yourself.

I’ve lived and studied in Melbourne for most of my life. I actually feel quite lucky to be in Melbourne because there is so much going on in the design industry. I’m exposed to so many different scenes, styles, and cultures. It’s definitely something that helps me develop ideas and progress as a designer. I’ve just finished my bachelor of design (Industrial Design) at RMIT University this year. My Background is in interior design and graphic design, which I had studied a few years prior. Industrial design offers a nice middle ground where I can blend different skills together to create products for all types of people.

2. Can you tell me a bit about your final project?

My project is called Modus Operandi (Mode of Operation). ‘Rookie Re-vert’ and ‘The Barrel’ are both urban skate obstacles designed for street skateboarders, rollerbladers and BMX cyclists. This project involves the redevelopment of council approved ‘skate-safe’ zones within the CBD. These sculptural installations are designed to reduce the amount of damage caused to street furniture by drawing skaters away from sensitive sites and unsafe locations.

New skateparks keep popping up in suburban areas these days; so skateboarding and other similar types of activities are definitely growing in popularity. Its great to see that local councils are approving sites and are starting to get involved in these types of projects.

Rookie Re-vert is the first half of the project where the users were able to get involved and help develop the product. Local skateboarders had an influential role throughout the design process. They shared their experiences and contributed valuable information to each design phase.

The Barrel is an installation that was inspired by the skate and surf culture of the 1960s and 70’s. The curved apex was designed to feel like you were surfing through a large barrel wave. Each surface was sculpted specifically to appeal to different riders with varying abilities. Now beginners, intermediate, and experienced riders have the opportunity to hone their skills at a safe and comfortable pace.

3. Which part of the design industry do you hope to venture into?

Thats a hard one because I have a tendency to cross between a few different fields. But if I had to pick one industry I would have to say sportswear and equipment design. In 2007 I started up a street-wear label called IXX Escha Clothing. It’s a mix between boutique fashion and skate-wear. I enjoy collaborating with other local artists and designers to create a unique style. At the moment, the clothing is available at a few different boutiques and outlets around Melbourne. It’s something I intend to push out to other cities around Australia. If I had the chance to branch out I think I would have to venture into sporting equipment and other hardware for extreme sporting activities. It’s a pretty fast passed industry, but I like to keep busy.

4. What would your dream project be, if you could design for anyone or design anything and put it into production?

I would like to travel overseas and build a large indoor skatepark. I guess you could call that a cross between product and interior design. Either way, I think it would be a really interesting project to be involved in especially if it involved a team of designers. I like the idea that a skatepark can create personal challenges for individuals as well as provide a place for social entertainment. So I guess it’s not just about the about the product itself, but what others could potentially do with the product.

5. Tosika, thanks for taking the time to talk with us here at Design Droplets. Do you have any final thoughts to share with Design Droplets readers?

Thanks to all those who helped me with this year long project.

To everybody else – Keep on thinking.

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Haley is a recent graduate of RMIT Universities Industrial Design program (Melbourne, Australia). Her final project is based around reducing the amount of bottled water being used and encouraging the use of drinking fountains. Enjoy and please take the time to leave your feedback and thoughts.

Highlights

• “The driving force behind my final project was a campaign to reduce the amount of people using bottled water”

• “Knowing what your most desirable outcome is and working backwards helps to put a realistic vision in place.”

• “Don’t always take design to seriously, at times you need to fail to learn. There is no better place to do this than while studying. I am not talking about failing subjects, but having an idea fail or turn out completely different from you thought it would originally.”

1. Haley, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, could you please give me a quick introduction on yourself.

Thanks for having me here on Design Droplets. I have always been known for my day dreaming and creativity, as a child and stuck as a middle child in the outer suburbs of Melbourne there wasn’t all that much to do so I would amuse myself making things out of any thing that I could find. Working with my hands has always felt natural and is something I never tire of. I finished high school knowing that I needed a place that was diverse and creative where I could branch out and develop my skills.

I have never really been one to follow the pack, and see myself as more of a quite observer collecting information and ideas. Last week I finished and submitted my final project so my time as an Industrial Design student at RMIT has come to an end, I wish to pursue my studies in the Chinese (Mandarin) language which I have been studying alongside my final year. After studying abroad in China for a year I developed a deep interest and think it may also be beneficial to later on.

2. Can you tell me a bit about your final year project?

The driving force behind my final project was a campaign to reduce the amount of people using bottled water, as not only as its unsustainable environmentally and putting additional stresses on drought stricken areas, but its costs people a lot of money. Researching into why people don’t use tap water proved a need for the redesign of current drinking fountains and the system surrounding drinking fountains. People can’t refill bottles with the current designs, addressing issues of hygiene from how clean the water is to how clean the drinking fountain can be kept was also a major part.

The innovation in my final design comes from using a modular system so it can be easily upgraded and modified over time to suit different user and council needs. There are 3 main parts to the design, with an additional 2 depending on its location and user needs.

Part A is the basic design, just the mechanics of how it works with a faucet and a handle strapped to a pole secured into the ground.

Part B contains a covering for part A to protect it from the elements outside and to encase a water filter, as this helps to address peoples concerns about clean water.

Part C is a sculptural sink which provides information about the filtered water, and is something that can easily be recognised.

The other additional parts include a drain as this is needed when out in the streets and in park areas that lack good drainage design and a sculptural dog bowl that can be placed at the bottom and collect water to be placed in parks that are dog friendly. Please visit my blog to find out more about this project (I will shortly be uploading my thesis document).

3. Which part of the design industry do you hope to venture into?

That’s a hard one as my interests are quite diverse. I have recently found a passion for writing about design, but I would have to say social and sustainable design are two of my core interests. Sustainable design sets a certain criteria for my work and I find it to be more flexible as everyone can clearly see this from the start. I like to design products or systems that lead to change no matter how big or small this may be.

It is important to not loose focus as lots of people can come out and start comparing the real sustainability of objects and you just see what you are doing as entirely flawed, but some projects have to work in stages especially if you are changing peoples behaviour. Knowing what your most desirable outcome is and working backwards helps to put a realistic vision in place.

4. What would your dream project be, if you could design for anyone or design anything and put it into production?

My dream project sounds really nerdy, but I would love to create a design museum for other passionate creative people and children to ‘come and play’. I guess it comes from a strong passion for learning and the desire for a place where I could go and always gain inspiration.

I find that a really good exhibition at a museum has the right balance of observing, reading and interaction, where you walk away having had a good time and subconsciously learning at the same time. I imagine there to be a workshop in the middle that you could just play with any material you desire somewhere that can just fuel your creativity, make and create.

Reading random facts and interacting with exhibitions has always been something I loved. It would be less of a museum filled with history and more fuelled with play and experimentation, just a place to go when you get stuck and need to re-open up your mind. It would be a great project to work on as I love all stages of the design process from start of the idea, through the research, design concepts, refinement, prototypes and the final outcome that everyone sees and holds. I seem to be drawn towards larger time consuming projects, as with a smaller one it’s finished before I can really get stuck into it.

Maybe this could be done on some kind of small scale where it’s a design game aimed to help re-open your mind. I guess I feel that designers can do a lot when they start to get creative. I think we all need a tool or place to go to get re-motivated and fall back in love with design. I love to mixed hand crafted objects and pieces with larger scale productions. I guess a little bit of customisation can help to make something feel like you own.

5. Haley, thanks for taking the time to talk with us here at Design Droplets. Do you have any final thoughts to share with Design Droplets readers?

Thanks again for having me. My final thoughts, and some advice to other students, are engage in as many design competitions as you can, there as so many out there that its easy to find one that will suit your projects and interests. Don’t always take design to seriously, at times you need to fail to learn and there is no better place to do this than while studying. I am not talking about failing subjects, but having an idea fail or turn out completely different than you thought it would originally. Design can also use a bit more humour.

Lastly when undertaking a big project, follow leads and directions that  you are really passionate about, as it will give you the motivation and drive to overcome the hurdles along the way. Research is vital to any project, it can really shape and guide what we do as designers. Sometimes we all get caught up in our assumptions and just know why something is without fully understanding it, taking a few steps back and pretending we know nothing can reveal what is hidden. Try and engage as many like minded people in your project as you can, you will be amazed how many there really are when you start looking. Design for me is a social thing so getting feedback and enthusiastic people can only open up your mind and bring out creative ideas.

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• Transmaterial: Book Review

The Art of the Start - The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything by Guy Kawasaki

Sometime ago I purchased Guy Kawasaki’s The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything and I have got to say, that if you are a design entrepreneur or entrepreneur of any kind (it could be selling your own products, running a design event or some other endeavour) then The Art of The Start is more than worth the money you will shell out on it and time it takes to read – which unlike some business books, isn’t ridiculously long.

The book is completely focused on one thing, how to get anything (business, event or any idea) up and running, using 20 years of Guy’s experience in the field of start ups as the basis for the great advice contained within.

We all know those typical business and business planning books that go through mountains of theory before they don’t get to anything remotely useful for a startup. The Art of The Start is NOT one of those books – I want to make this point crystal clear, it is a down to earth, practical and very useful book. It is filled with gems of information that will actually help you get whatever you are starting up and running.

The Art of the Start covers all the stuff you are going to need to think about in order to get your startup going, from thinking up a fantatsic name for it through to recruiting people to work in it. A couple of my favourite pieces of advice from the book include:

On naming your startup:

“Don’t Compromise on your name.”

• “Have a first initial thats early in the alphabet”.
• “Avoid numbers”.
• “Pick a name with verb potential”

“Use slides to lead, not read…if you put too much detail on the slide, the audience will read ahead of you and not listen to what you are saying.” – In my opinion a fantastic piece of advice for anyone doing any sort of presentation.

The Art of The Start doesn’t occupy a slot on my book shelf – it’s usually found on my desk or I carry it in my bag regularly for ease of reference whenever I am thinking about a new project, business idea or refining what I am currently doing with Design Droplets. In fact The Art of the Start has been one of the most useful books for getting Design Droplets up and running/refining it. It is one of the few books I constantly pick, read, re-read and actually use.

If you decide to take the time to read The Art of The Start then I hope you find it as useful as I have.

The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything by Guy Kawasaki is available on Amazon.

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• You know you’re an Industrial Designer when…

Ross Didier is a Melbourne based designer, he runs Ross Didier Design which designs one-off pieces for architecture-specific spaces and ranges for manufacturing production for a wide array of clients. In this interview Ross shares his thoughts on dealing with manufacturers, design for manufacture versus design for one off and sustainability in the Australian furniture industry.

Highlights

• “Be prepared, be very, very prepared!”

• “By creating great dialogue, I have found opportunities to clearly hear what the client wants and then share my own creative philosophies to a final stage.”

• “It would be good if the Australian creative scene could be packaged in some intellectual way…”

1.Ross, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, could you please give me a quick introduction to yourself.

Hi Raph. Good to meet.

Firstly, can I mention that I like your business name. An old friend of mine, that I catch up with once a year, somewhere in the world for a good old creative chin-wag, were talking of such topics of persistence and time a few months ago in London. We were discussing how signature styles develop and concepts mature over time like a dripping tap.

We were detailing this idea of filling the bath quickly where the temperature of the water was either ice cold or boiling hot and then how much energy was required to maintain these temperatures over time compared to the gradual drops of a dripping tap filling the bath at room temperature.

It was a really fascinating topic that left a morning hangover but I really like the journey of creating a body of work over time.

As for Ross Didier : a contract chameleon specialising in product design.

Tiller Chairs

2. Your business stems from family manufacturing enterprises that started out in the 1930s, can you tell us a bit about the transition from manufacture to design service?

A difficult one to define as manufacturing and design are so inter-linked and over 70 years I suppose different personality types that drive a business also carve their future course.

Dice

3. You have exhibited at design fairs including the Milan Salone Satellite and the ICFF, what types of things do designers need to consider if they want to exhibit their wares at these types of shows?

Be prepared, be very, very prepared! Exhibiting internationally is an exhilarating opportunity but very expensive.
You really need to define the agenda that you’re going for and then sometimes wait years to receive results.

Obelisk Sofa

4. What advice do you have for designers who are new to dealing with manufacturers?

I like the relationships that have developed with some manufacturers. The personal link has been the reason why projects have grown and why others have had an expiry date. I find that if the relationship takes root it can be brilliant.

Udder Chandelier

5. You hold BA degrees in Fine Art Sculpture and Industrial Design, what are your thoughts on design versus art?

Design is a conceptual sell out and Art no longer has a relevant voice! Aarrrgh, always a good battle for debate and always capable to ruffle a few feathers but I think it is an inspirational topic to keep alive. Some designers like to blend the two seamlessly and blow over the subject with irrelevance but I like to keep the differences clear.

Elfin

6. You design products for architectural and interior projects, can you tell me a bit about designing for an architectural or interior design project as oppose to designing for straight manufacture and distribution?

Designing for architectural and interior projects is approached as site specific, loaded with all the concerns for one-off practicalities and sometimes fitted installation. Product planned for factory multiples is very much designing for market positioning where choice of materials, manufacturing technique and intended market volume, all effect the final result. When designing for a site specific space the aesthetic is already directed to some degree: the building may be all glass and means that electrical wires need to be concealed from view, or an outside court yard may be very large which requires a grand sized bench to accommodate or simple form chairs are used on mass in a public seating foyer so it does not appear too busy as a single installation. Products for straight manufacture have different priorities, and I often find have a lot more of my own personality imbedded.

Connected Table

7. Two important parts of a project where you are designing for a client are, clear communication and providing support for the client, can you tell us a bit about how you go about this?

I worked in a factory once that had an old poster about making a swing. It showed a picture of what the designer conceived, what the engineer would construct, how the manufacturer would make, what the accountant thought could be afforded, what the children desired, what the council thought appropriate and then finally what the client really wanted. Now, it’s obviously not that easy but this has really stuck at the back of my mind about designing to brief. By creating great dialogue, I have found opportunities to clearly hear what the client wants and then share my own creative philosophies to a final stage.

Lush

8. What are your thoughts on sustainability in the Australian furniture industry?

An undefined area at present and a little messy in management but at least it has started and is on the radar. I look forward to the day when you can confidently specify standard product that is sustainable without question. When all timbers are responsibly plantation grown, plastics and metals have been recycled where capable, polyurethane foams replaced by alternatives, no toxic additives handled by humans and all energy gained from non-depleting sources. These are industries that can grow incredibly and the current combined efforts between scientists, manufactures, inventors and designers are creating a new Renaissance.

Bombala

9. Which up and coming Australian designers do you think people should be watching and why?

I see new designers and older established designers that I think are worthy of more industry credit. The world in general should be watching Australian talent as more are positioned on the international platform and defiantly making ripples on the world scene. It would be good if the Australian creative scene could be packaged in some intellectual way and take on the world like Droog did in Holland, New Britannia did in UK, Belgium, Denmark, etc, but this takes government initiative and guts.

Tongue Lounge

10. Ross, thanks for taking the time to talk with us here at Design Droplets. Do you have any final thoughts or advice for Design Droplets readers?

If you ever need to make the choice of working on a prawn trawler or for Matt Blatt, definitely widen your career horizon and go to sea.

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• 6 months on

A fantastic opportunity now exists for an experienced (3yrs+) product designer to join Moose Enterprise (a leading toy design company in Melbourne, Australia) for a 3 month contract commencing in late January 2010.

For more info or to apply visit the Design Droplets Job Board.

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