Design Droplets » Designer Q&A

Interview: Dr Shane Moon

2011-05-03T08:33:15Z

Dr Shane Moon, a presenter at the 2011 AGIdeas International Design Week, speaks about market research, how designers can harness it to produce successful outcomes, some of the misconceptions designers hold about market research and much more.

1. Shane, welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to chat, could you please give a quick introduction on yourself and your background.

My life has been understanding human behaviour. But as a sporting nut – selfishly I started out studying brain chemicals and their impact on sporting performances hoping to find the magic bullet to make be a faster triathlete! I didn’t find it per se but along the way got to work with some great Olympic level athletes, that is, until I snatched up an opportunity to go into the clinical and forensic fields. Basically, I got to do some profiling and assessment of serious violent offenders who were in maximum security prisons or a community setting. Mind boggling insight into the bad side of humanity but never a dull a moment thats for sure. As cliche as it is, consumer behaviour came out of left field over some casual conversations with marketing & advertising friends – next thing I new was facilitating focus groups and as they say the rest is history…

2. You are the co-founder of Inner Truth, a neuromarket research company, can you talk a bit about what Inner Truth’s work and what neuromarket research is?

Inner Truth focusses on combining conventional research with the latest technological and theoretical advances in the cognitive sciences (i.e. psychology and neuroscience) to truthfully identify the insights behind the right big ideas being created. Our work is focussing on several elements across the marketing mix from package design, to print, to TV commercials, to branding and so on. We use conventional research to get consumers to tell us about their preferences, usage behaviour, cultural norms etc but combine this with recording eye movements and full brain activity recording called electroencephalogram or EEG for short. This way we can understand what parts of the brain are activated that consumers are not aware of and cannot tell us about but directly influence their decisions.

3. Where does neuromarket research fit in with other more traditional types of quantitative and qualitative research techniques?

Despite, EEG being quantitative data collection, that is, our brain activity is measures in numbers, I prefer to classify neuromarket research fitting closer to qualitative side of research. Meaning if you picture a continuum with qualitative research on one end and quantitative on the other neuromarket research is closer to the qualitative side of that continuum.

4. Some Design Droplets readers will be unfamiliar with the area of market research, can you explain how market research can informs and fit with product design and development?

Market research in general is great for product design and development because you can get to understand many things from the consumer or end user perspective. For example, by diving into the lives of consumers (i.e. by in home research, diaries, ethnography etc) you can identify endless opportunities for new product developments that in the end make our lives easier – think of the microwave, dishwasher, modern day ovens, vacuums, etc. Likewise, by talking to consumers you can understand how they use products already and see immediately how designs could be changed to improve the product or alter it to offer the user a better experience. Again picture the modern washing machine and how it has changed over the years from the early models which were simple big scrubbing boards and tubs of water!

5. How can neuromarket research methodologies assist product designers?

Neuromarket research fits into the picture through the design phase best, that is once concepts are initially developed but not necessarily into full production yet. Understanding the subconscious responses to design concepts allows to you modify the concepts to really make it a BIG IDEA that creates some intense neurological connections with consumers.

6. You have specialised in market research for over ten years, what are some of the misconceptions that designers have about what market researchers can or cannot do for designers?

I think the biggest misconception is that market research takes away from the creative process. Great designers and creatives in agencies understand and embrace market research as like a lighthouse beacon, used as a guide to steer one through the dark of consumer responses. With the introduction of neuromarket research into the toolbox this light is even brighter and more effective than ever.

7. Can you share your thoughts on how you believe ever advancing market research techniques and new widespread changes such as the emergence of social media will change the way that products are designed and developed?

I think gone are the days where businesses create products and expect consumers buy them – that is old logic of marketing and business; it really was a one sided affair. Love or hate globalisation from a business perspective, from a social globalisation perspective businesses must change the way they think about product development and design. The new marketing and business logic is that businesses must work collaboratively with consumers and have a two way dialogue that co-creates value for both. If you go it alone as a business now – you will be left out in the dark.

8. Shane, thank you for taking the time to share your story and insights. Do you have any final thoughts or advice for Design Droplets readers?.

My pleasure and always happy to talk about how research compliments design. My parting thoughts would be that designers should reconsider any negative views and consider market research not as a barrier rather as an enabler for design success in the marketplace.

Andrew Fallshaw – Bellroy

2010-11-15T22:26:33Z

Andrew Fallshaw is a true design and entrepreneurship chameleon. So far Andrew has consulted in design and engineering in Melbourne and London, worked his way from designer all the way to head of two major divisions of Rip Curl’s global surf-wear empire, started an investment group, founded several successful and diverse companies (his latest is Bellroy, who make amazing wallets - available in the Design Droplets Store) and along the way he has still had time to surf and enjoy life with family & friends. In this interview Andrew discusses design, innovation, founding a business and much more.

Andrew Fallshaw

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

Thanks for asking Raph. I’ll give it a go…
I’m Andy/Ando/Roughnut, and I do a bunch of things these days to help establish and run really good businesses, while also hopefully contributing a few useful things to this world.

2. You started out as a designer at Rip Curl and eventually ended up as Global Chairman of Men’s Equipment and Board Shorts. Can you tell us a bit about this progression and transitioning from design to a more business focused role?

Haha, yeah, I guess there was a bit before Rip Curl that helped with that transition. I grew up in a family of wheel makers, where we’d talk business most nights around the dinner table. I then studied industrial design and product design, before finishing with a product design engineering degree.
So all of that, as well as some design and engineering consulting in Melbourne and London, gave me an almost completely irrelevant grounding to start designing hats, belts and accessories at Rip Curl. Basically, after returning from London, I approached Rip Curl because I really wanted to work for them. With no obvious openings for my direct skill set, they found a position that would let me get started with them, on a junior salary, but with a foot in the door.
I designed a couple of seasons of these apparel accessories, before an opening came up for a Product Manager of Bags and Equipment for the Australian division. Product Management is basically like being Steve Jobs for your division (although with 1/20th his talent). You work on briefs, marketing, strategy and sales, trying to grow your successes and improve your offerings. So if you are a pretty diverse designer who is used to getting involved in the business and marketing aspects, it can be a nice transition.
Our Australian team did well, so we scored more of a global gig. We then did well globally, so I was also asked to help with the global boardshort program. Because boardshorts are the lead product category for a surf brand’s marketing, that role involved loads of global coordination to get agreement on key trends and directions between all the Rip Curl regions. Then boardshorts was doing well, so after 4 years in the company, I thought I should go and become a novice again, at which point I left to become self employed.

Very Protective Wallet - Bellroy

3. There are plenty of Design Droplets readers who would love to work at Rip Curl, can you give us an insight into design and company culture at Rip Curl?

It’s diverse, depending on the division and the region you’re in. All the cliche stuff is there… you go to work in shorts and flip-flops, and if you score a good position you get to travel the world, with regular meetings in Bali, Hawaii, California, and the Basque coast, and sourcing trips throughout South East Asia. You surf at lunch, you surf with your boss, and if you don’t surf, you sometimes feel a little left out.
But like any successful company, there’s also long hours and shitty jobs to get done. There’s 4 seasons to get out each year, so it’s fast paced design without much down time. Some regions are more rewarding than others, and some divisions churn through the staff faster than others. But what seems to be the special part of a surf company is that you’re surrounded by crew that love the surf lifestyle, and so you don’t mind a few late nights or stress monkey situations, because you know you’ll get to go surf tomorrow.

Investling Companies

4. Since leaving Rip Curl you have founded and been a director of several companies and you also run Investling, a small investment group that loves building value from good ideas. Can you tell us a bit about your experiences founding and growing businesses?

Yeah, it’s a pretty massive change. A few of us founded Investling together, so thankfully I’ve had some awesome talent to lean on. We started with Electrodrive, a business that helps people move heavy loads with the help of battery powered goodness (from moving heavy hospital beds to small aircraft). We then also bought into the IT business that my brother had started, and we began to look for opportunities that would fit with our skill sets and staff talents.
We thought opportunities might be hard to find, but they started flowing really quickly. Either from clients we worked with, friends we rated, or ideas from along the way, we pretty quickly started spotting gaps that really should be filled. My bro and Lina (the other founder) are really switched on with supply chain, business systems, and programming, so it’s a really neat fit with my design, marketing and brand skills.
The risk side is not too bad, because we’re pretty lean with the way we start our businesses. We try to get something simple and focused to market, and if that proves there’s a gap that we’re filling, we start to scale up the resources behind it. We make sure that any business has a switched on leader who can spend at least 51% of their time on that business, and then we bring the network of resources in to support them.
So I feel really lucky to be able to work from home, work on businesses rather than just in them, and get to see our joint decisions leveraged by great teams. Happy days.

Ultimate Bag - Rip Curl

5. At Investling the focus is on building value from good ideas, what is your process for identifying a good idea?

I guess each of our businesses has been built around an insight, and those insights are usually about identifying an unmet or wrongly met need. But that’s only a tiny part of it…
For strong value to be added, you need the right business model, resources and processes to come around that idea. OK, so that’s sounding like wank. Ummm, go to http://investling.com/approach , and you’ll see how much time we spend trying to understand patterns in this world. We read, discuss and seek out ideas from loads of sources, so that when we look into the world, we can sometimes see when there are incomplete systems that we might be able to improve. Darn, that still sounds like wank…

Bellroy Wallet Range

6. What advice would you give to designers who are considering starting their own companies/business?

Design is only a tiny part of the picture. Unless you fluke it, you need lots more skills that just design to make a successful business. Either go out and get those skills (marketing, sales, business, etc), or find some partners that have all that and need a designer like you.
If you want a comfortable and predictable life, don’t start a business. Just go and work for someone. If you still want to give business a try, please don’t start a T Shirt brand. Or a magazine. Start with something that doesn’t have 3000 other people starting that every second of every day. Look for the niches, the things that are not so obvious. It will be much easier to succeed.

7. How important is organisation and focus to developing a business or bringing your designs into the world? Any tips on being organised and keeping focused?

Someone has to be organised. It doesn’t have to be you, but it really helps if it is. Too many designers think it’s OK to be all scatter brained and ‘arty creative’, when it’s just not (you create headaches all around you). Designers should deal well with constraints, and that means they need some structure. Read Getting Things Done. It’s a cracker, with some nice zen appeal. When you learn to get the simple things in life organised, it frees you up to be more creative. Strange but true.

Rip Curl Luggage

8. You have a fair amount of experience in the manufacturing area, if a designer is looking to get their products manufactured what 5 things are most important for them to consider?

Without the right marketing ideas, business model, distribution model, supply chain and business ecosystem, a product is a paper weight. Design is only one small piece of the puzzle, and you need to get most of the other pieces sorted for a design to work commercially. So having said all that, here are 5 things that might help with the design part of the puzzle:
1. To borrow a line from IDEO, prototype, prototype, prototype. A CAD drawing does not count as a prototype. You really want to be holding and playing with physical prototypes that trick your brain into thinking they are using the real thing.
2. Chose trustworthy partners. You’ll need loads of help and guidance, and you want someone that will stop you before you charge ahead with a dumb decision.
3. Don’t spend all your money on the first cut. We rarely get things right the first time, so save some coins for when you realise the changes you should have made.
4. Bust your gut working and reworking the design, but don’t let pursuing perfection paralyse you (paraphrasing Churchill). There’s a great Kent Bec quote that I think every designer needs to understand:
“By far the dominant reason for not releasing sooner was a reluctance to trade the dream of success for the reality of feedback.”
5. Customers rarely pay extra for ‘eco’, but it helps get them across the line. Some good first steps in achieving more responsible design seem to be make the design better (so people use it for longer), and eliminate the worst toxins (like PVC phthalates).

Bellroy - Carryologists

9. What are your thoughts on the current state of Design education? What do you think designers coming out of University really need to know?

Ummm, I hope I don’t piss too many designers off with this call, but I think big chunks of the graduating Product Design world are stuck in the 80′s (when their lecturers last worked). The 2 biggest gaps I see in lots of new designers are fashion and product humility.
By fashion, I mean a great understanding of current trends. Products are sold into marketplaces, and you need to understand what is going on in that marketplace. What are crew wearing and reading and thinking and digging? What are the cool brands and why are they cool? Sometimes you can rebel against this, but only if you really understand your user.
Sony has not been cool for years, because they are stuck believing ergonomics matter, when the whole world has shifted to User Interface and Experience. If you still think Sony is cool, you need to get out more. Time in retail is awesome for this. You graduate believing that designing a product with a dolphin as inspiration is cool, then you get in retail, and realise that no-one gives a shit about the designer’s inspiration. In fact, no one cares about the designer full stop.
Which leads me on to product humility. Our world is full of stuff. If you look at Japanese design (other than their sports cars), products are generally styled really minimally so that they fit with all the other products in your world. Nothing clashes too badly, as most products are clean and geometric. Then look at US design, where every product is trying to be a hero of curves and effects. Everything clashes with everything else, and the consumer’s world becomes garish and confusing (don’t get me started on Dyson). Graduates often try to put too much design into an object. We shouldn’t see the designer in a product. That’s distracting.

Rip Curl - The Search

10. In terms of current trends are there any companies or people that you think are doing really great, innovative and interesting things?

Yeah, there’s a small wallet brand called Bellroy… sorry, couldn’t resist. Ummm, yeah, for sure. Nike continues to blow me away with their resistance to mediocrity. Some of the stuff they are doing in Japan and the NSW and ACG stuff is still amazing, in a way that few big companies manage to maintain.
Apple is stupidly incredible, but everyone knows that.
And a huge hero is IKEA. To produce so many reasonably desirable products at such radically low prices is just awe inspiring. They have to massage so many constraints, and yet they still manage a creative and interesting output. Big heroes.
I haven’t mentioned any ‘star designers’ there. I guess that gets back to product humility. I don’t want a Marc Newson or Phillipe Stark design. That ends up more like art than design. I want products from a great brand that connect with my values. The designers should disappear into that brand, and contribute to products that heighten that brand’s appeal.

Plastic Castors

11. Andrew, 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?

Do more: Design more. Make more. Fail more. Get feedback on those failures. If you raise your output, your quality will rise faster than if you remain precious with it. That’s what I’ve found anyway

Matias Corea, Co-Founder & Chief Designer at Behance – Designer Q&A

2010-10-29T03:56:38Z

Matias Corea - Chief Designer at Behance

Matias Corea, Co-Founder and Chief Designer at Behance shares his thoughts on his personal design philosophy, making ideas happen, creativity and typography. Please take the time to leave your thoughts in the comments, enjoy.

Matias Corea portrait by Julia Soler.

1. Matias, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to chat, could you please give a quick introduction on yourself.

My parents are Argentinean and both architects. I was born in Barcelona, where I studied graphic design. My roots are in typography and print, but I fell in love with interactive design when I started Behance with Scott Belsky. I have lived in New York City since 2002 and I feel at home here. I’m a jazz lover, and I love driving my vintage BMW motorcycle around the city.

2. Can you talk about your influences and personal design philosophy?

In my school years in Barcelona, electronic music was omnipresent and offered many opportunities for design – flyers, posters, branding for clubs. That was a big source of inspiration for me, as it was a medium which gave me a lot of freedom and space for exploration. After class I would do my school and freelance projects at my little desk in my father’s architecture studio. All the conversations I overheard, the models being built behind me, the shelves packed with books and the work of the architects of the modern movement really left a mark on how I see and think about design.
To me, design is about solving problems, that’s what ‘being creative’ means to me. Limitations, boundaries, barriers, obstacles. I think that happens in every single creative project, even when we do personal work.

3. You are the chief designer at Behance, can you give a quick overview of Behance (what it is, where it came from, why it exists etc…) and share a bit about the development of Behance from a design perspective?

Behance is a company with the mission to organize the creative world. Everything we do serves that mission. We have developed the Behance Network, the largest Creative Professional community online, to help creatives present themselves and their work. We built the Action Method, a system for productivity on paper and online, and the 99% content site and conference, to share the best practices of the most productive creative people and teams.
We believe creative people have the most ideas, the most power to affect change, but the hardest time making those ideas happen. Design can play a huge role in helping people not just generate ideas but execute them. That’s why Behance is a design-driven company, always. Our audience is creative professionals, and we believe they are more likely to use systems they are attracted to. Design is also important in terms of usability – if our mission is to organize the creative world, then everything we put forward needs to be intuitive and incredibly easy to use, so that’s always a primary goal when facing a design challenge.

4. You are a fantastic example of design skills being highly transferable. You trained in Graphic Design, dabbled in Architecture through your fathers architecture practice, then jumped head first into web design with no prior experience, are involved in creating the 99% conference and co-created the Action Method products (product design). What are your thoughts multidisciplinary design and design skills being transferable to any field a designer puts her or his mind to?

I think all designers should be multidisciplinary. Design to me is a way of living and thinking, it’s about solving problems. In many ways, the process across fields is almost identical when we have a problem to solve.
The biggest challenge in jumping from print to web design was to understand that websites are basically visual databases. To be able to really take advantage of the possibilities for communication and information transfer that exist online, you need to open your mind and start thinking about the overall systems at play. Growing up in my father’s architecture studio helped me understand this. By looking at the blueprints of huge hospitals and other large, complex buildings, I learned to embrace dependencies between elements and to think about the big picture, not getting caught up in the visual details before the structure and flow of the system is defined.

5. While Behance provides amazing platforms and tools to empower designers and others to make ideas happen, what do you think designers can do to empower themselves to make their ideas happen?

We can provide all the possible tools in the world, but it’s up to designers to decide to use them. You have to want to change the way you work. What is it they say, that admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery? Scott, my partner at Behance, recently wrote a book on this topic called Making Ideas Happen. He talks about how creatives get “addicted” to new ideas, and then when it comes to executing, they lose steam and focus.
Choose one thing and stick with it until it’s done. The best way to get there is different for everyone, you have to find the system that works for you and that you will actually use.

6. You love typography, what tips can you give product designers and industrial designers on using fonts on products?

There’s a subtlety to typographic work that a lot of people neglect. That’s why most people don’t even know what a typographer does for a living. Anyone can put type on a bottle or packaging but only the ones who understand typography can make it belong to the object.
I don’t think there are set rules or tricks to good typographic work, I think there should be a learning process in which you develop a feel for what works and what doesn’t. Collaboration with an experienced graphic designer is the best starting point to be able to do typographic work on your own.

7. Irrespective of whether its graphic, fashion or product design, in your opinion how is the web changing design?

I find it more interesting how design is changing the web. At the beginning, it was all about the tech side, the coders, the engineers. But every day we’re realizing that innovation comes as much from the designers that are trying to push the boundaries and think of different ways to use that technology. In many ways, technology is now trying to catch up with the creative uses that designers are finding for the medium.
On the other side, the web is allowing people around the globe to get more exposure, which brings to the surface better work, which ends up raising the bar across all fields in the creative industry.

8. How important is organization for making ideas happen?

Essential. There’s an excess of ideas and a lack of good execution. Organization helps to prioritize, and that leads to smart resource allocation, from personal energy to monetary management.

9. Apart from the Behance family of sites and products, what reading (online or offline) material would you recommend for designers?

For those who want to learn the basics on typography and understand where everything comes from, I recommend The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst.
And, anything that is not about design – I really believe that inspiration and growth come from stepping outside of your ‘bubble’, your comfort zone. So I would suggest reading about other things. I think that it’s also very important to travel outside of your country. It may sound like a cliche, but different cultures and landscapes really do help open your mind. Most of my best ideas come from these moments of exploration and distance.

10. Matias, 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?

We need more designers that understand the web and can push it forward. Web design is no longer about applying the corporate color palette and making it look pretty. There’s a growing need for designers to take the lead in shaping the way we get information. Designers need to realize the role the Internet will play ten years from now, and trying to jump on it then will be much harder than starting now.

Chris Jackson, Northwards Design – Designer Q&A

2010-09-27T23:59:33Z

Chris Jackson is a lecturer in Industrial Design at Massey University in New Zealand. Chris runs design studio Northwards Design and previously spent a time working at Habitat with Tom Dixon. In this interview Chris talks about open source design, the current state of New Zealand design, transitioning from the United Kingdom to New Zealand (in a design sense) and much more. Enjoy.

1. Chris, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to chat, could you please give a quick introduction on yourself.

I am originally from the UK and ran my own studio in London working for clients including Marset, Habitat, Innermost, Dark, The Guardian and 100% Design. I also spent a period working for Habitat when Tom Dixon was Creative Director. In 2006 I organised and curated the sustainable design exhibition TEN, then left England and travelled for a year before landing in New Zealand.
I am now Lecturer in Industrial Design at Massey University, Wellington, whilst also developing practice-based research projects with different manufacturers, designers and collaborators from all over the world.

Pythagoras

2. You run a design studio called Northwards Design, can you tell us about some of your latest projects?

I am just tidying up a design for this years TEN exhibition that will be based around the theme of Craft / DIY and a set of plans or engineering drawings that the public will use to make the design. I am also developing an ethical design research project with villagers in Cambodia and a small UK manufacturer. I am in the midst of a new lighting concept for an existing client and developing some older projects for manufacturer, including the Pythagoras stool, which I took to the ICFF last year. In terms of clients, I don’t really like naming names as you can never tell how far a project will get, and if it will make it to the public domain in the current climate.

Time Travel - designed with Paul Stafford

3. You have transitioned from the UK to New Zealand, what is the biggest difference you have noticed in terms of design and design culture? What similarities have you noticed?

I came to New Zealand from running a studio in London, which is a nucleus for design and creativity both in the UK and internationally. Some of the best galleries and exhibition spaces in the world hold cutting edge exhibitions and shows, and it has a dense design scene. I think this is lacking in New Zealand. Without any big tradeshows or fairs there is no really big celebration of design. This is obviously related to the small population and its remote location.
The nearest thing at the moment is the BLOW festival run by Massey University in Wellington, which is a combination of Graduate Degree shows alongside professional exhibitions, guest lectures and talks. Although it is a relatively young event, the program is growing and improving year by year, with great events crossing many disciplines.
There are also some great spaces like The New Dowse in Wellington that have a dynamic, provocative program of national and international exhibits, curated by passionate and insightful staff.
Similarly to England, there are lots of self-motivated shows and craft fairs that are initiated by the independent creatives, that are idiosyncratic,fun and inspirational.

4. In the world of design robust intellectual critique is largely absent, what are your thoughts on how designers and the design world can develop much more robust critique practices?

Good designers are all reflective practitioners. They are often the ones who are most critical about the work, and go through a robust process to arrive at the final conclusion. They will garner opinion from peers, colleagues and any relevant stakeholders within the project. This type of critique happens as a matter of fact during the design process, and is not necessarily broadcast or recorded, but is manifest within the final design.
I think we need to rely on some of the better journalists and design magazines that are still out there who understand design, designers and the process and can write critically, rather than acting as facilitators for advertising.
Within academic journals there is often critique and enquiry into design objects and projects, but because of their location and the manner in which they are written, it is not attractive or accessible to designers or the public. Maybe there needs to be some sort of sphere that sits between academic writing and a glossy design magazine, which is accessible to readers yet provides thoughtful, insightful and constructive critique as a focus rather than a consequence.

Superlow sofa

5. What are your thoughts on the future of design in terms of open source and manufacturing on demand?

Manufacturing on demand is a subject that I have researched within my own work through companies like Ponoko and Shapeways. There are a few interesting points to pick up on. Firstly numbers. You reach a critical mass with numbers in on demand manufacturing, where should you be fortunate enough to receive a large order, you are better to invest in different manufacture process that is more economically viable.
The materials are currently somewhat limited within these online portals, and to my understanding there is not one manufacturer with a series of different techniques and methods under one roof. When you examine Industrial design objects, many of the richest and most engaging are made from a combination of materials that rely on different expertise, and methods of assembly, to make them a reality.
When working through online portals, you can have components sent back to your studio, assemble them yourself, and ship them out again, but this is still only viable for smaller objects, and negates the positive sustainable attributes of the system by adding more shipping to the process when objects are also prone to damage, loss etc
Open source is again a worthy and innovative idea in terms of resources. Reflecting on some of my own projects that use an open source philosophy, it would be interesting to find out some hard data about the actual degree of up-take by members of the public to assess how successful ideas like creative commons licenses are and what effect they have in terms of countering problems of sustainability and their wider contribution to the design community.
Open source makes better sense in the context that it was conceived because technology and software are in constant flux and development, so having a means where skilled individuals can develop a product in a dynamic and diverse way is logical. A product designer works toward an end goal, where the function and use is embodied in the objects physicality. There is not the same amount of opportunity to maneuver in terms of personalising or adjusting it for an infinite amount of uses and needs. If the user doesn’t like the product, they won’t buy it, and if they are not a designer, then having something manufactured for them self can appear daunting, even prohibitive.
In both these models, marketing and promotion is the link between the concept and it’s take up by the public. Promoting products through the internet, blogs and a personal website, which is how many crafters and designers using manufacturing-on-demand portals operate, is a very transient thing, and has a very short life-span in terms of longevity of exposure.
For a manufacturer to accept a design into their catalogue they need to see value and long-term possibilities within the project. The product is promoted in different ways, tradeshows, exhibitions, magazines etc, experiences and images that stay around in people’s conscience for longer. There is also the opportunity to develop the product to a more refined level. Should technical problems develop, the manufacturer can resolve these through the life of the product, making it more engaging, useful and sustainable.
I think there is lots of potential in terms of combining technologies and design when dealing with open source and manufacturing on demand. It has worked best for me as a prototyping platform and to get ideas off the ground quickly. I’m sure as the field evolves it will provide further opportunity to innovate and challenge the industrial status quo.

Skyline

6. You currently lecturing at Massey University in New Zealand, how does this inform your design practice?

Feeding off the students enthusiasm and different perspectives on design is probably the major attraction. They are always looking and practicing at the cutting edge, so this is a great thing to be around, and sometimes inspires my own projects and thinking.
I am also very fortunate to be surrounded by experts and leading practitioners within a number of creative fields which affords me the opportunity for collaboration and to build new relationships that may have not happened anywhere else.

Pandora - Designed with Peter Mac Cann

7. You have designed and brought many unique and successful products to market, what advice would you give to other designers who are aiming to do a similar thing?

I think people need to think about what they want to do and what they want to achieve. I once asked a student why they studied design and the response was ‘I want to be like Tom Dixon’. Of course this is fine, but there also needs to be an appreciation of the cultural context and history that great designers and business people like Tom, Jasper Morrison, Ron Arad, Patricia Urquiola et al, came through, and the fact that many of us are mere mortals! I think reality TV has a lot to answer for in terms of certain aspirations.
Products have been the ultimate goal for many designers over the past century, but this mindset is changing rapidly. We now talk more about experiences and systems, multi-disciplinary practice and collaboration. Design thinking and process is as important as producing an object – and much more sustainable! We are now asked how we can translate design thinking into solutions for an ageing population and to solve problems within the health services. Designers are working in all sorts of margins that were never previously considered and the ground is fertile for new approaches and business models that utilise design methodologies and our unique perspectives on the world.

Metropolis

8. You have collaborated on a number of successful design projects, how important is collaboration in design?

I think collaboration is very important in contemporary design practice, as it broadens your view and understanding of design, and it’s many facets. You can only have so much personal expertise, so collaboration means you can go down avenues that you would either be unconfident of, or incompetent in. Collaboration also speeds up the design process, as there are less mistakes and backtracking from shared knowledge.
Collaboration is also a good way to build a far-reaching and eclectic design network. As design develops, you never know how you maybe working in the future, where or with whom, so developing a good network is also vital to developing your career.
At the same time, not everyone can collaborate. I have met a number of people who are so obtuse or hard to get along with, that you know that it would be very difficult to work with them. You should have a good feeling about collaboration. You need to put your own ego aside and be open to new ideas, opinions and really listen to what people are saying. I often collaborate with people who are friends and who I have respect for. If these people are not initially friends, then we generally end up as good friends by the end of the project.

3x3 Lamp

9. What are your thoughts on the current state of design and innovation in New Zealand?

There is something in New Zealand called ‘the number 8 wire mentality’, which is a reference to the ‘can-do’ attitude of kiwi’s being able to make anything from a particular gauge of garden wire. I think this has developed into a great spirit of innovation in the country, which is polarised in the film industry through the likes of Weta Workshops.
Companies like Formway Design have developed a great philosophy and design acumen and bring innovative products to the world market. There ‘Be’ Chair is the latest of these projects, which is also sold under licence through Knoll. There are also smaller companies like Wishbone studios who are developing unique and desirable ideas.

Chair 53

10. Chris, 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?

Thanks for the considered questions. I think the biggest piece of advice is to persevere, have faith in yourself, and don’t pander to what you see in magazines or the latest trend. Build a body of work that you are confident in, rather than designing for notoriety. The work is the most important thing……..and be nice to each other!

Check out Chris’ studio Northwards Design and Research and Object a space for his conceptual, design research initiatives.

Dan Formosa of Smart Design, Designer Q&A

2010-09-28T00:20:40Z

Dan Formosa is a consultant in product design and design research. He is a co-founder of Smart Design and has developed successful products in a wide range of categories for companies worldwide. Dan holds an undergraduate degree in Industrial Design, and both a Master of Arts and a Doctorate in Ergonomics and Biomechanics from New York University. This interview is part of Design Droplets coverage of AGIdeas 2010 where Dan Formosa presented on 28th of April 2010.

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

My background is in design, and also in ergonomics and biomechanics. That means I have always been interested in the “human” side of design – how design can affect our quality of life, improve performance and affect behavior. One of my first jobs out of college was joining the Eliot Noyes office to design the first IBM PC. That was 1977.

CIMZIA Pre Filled Syringe (photo: Smart Design)

2. You are one of the founders of Smart Design could you please give us a quick run down on Smart Design?

Smart Design was started primarily by several people who went to college together. It was a collection of friends. The grouping was initiated by Davin Stowell, who was working with Corning Glass, and included Tom Dair and Tucker Viemeister. Davin was taking on early projects and was busy enough to require additional help. We based our methods on the type of approach we were carving out at school – that designers should be hands-on, and that design should be about understanding people as opposed to things.
In a very early project, Davin defied marketing research at Corning Glass by designing a single serve, freezer-to-stovetop item called the GrabIt Bowl. While it initially failed their marketing studies, the design group persevered and it went on to become Corning’s best selling product ever.
In the first project we all worked on as a group, also for Corning, we undertook an ergonomic design problem in which we pulled together techniques in biomechanics and cognitive psychology. This was a type of an approach that no other design group was undertaking in the US at the time, so it was an early test of our beliefs about what and where design should be. It was very successful and laid the basis (and provided the needed credibility) for our approach to design, and for much of our future work.
Throughout the 1980s we touted the concept of “design for everyone,” often a battle to convince companies that design had that sort of potential – and also that design research was an important factor that can lead to innovation, benefitting consumers and the company we were working for (Most companies at the time regarded design as a superficial coating, applied at a point in the project when it was too late to make a meaningful impact. And designers never interacted with consumers – that was marketing’s job.)
By the early 1990s our point had been well made.

For Corning Glass Works, Serengeti sunglass line 1985 (photo credit: Smart Design)

3. Who and what inspires you?

My personal attitude towards design is very much influenced by the fact that I grew up in the baby-boom age, born in the 50s with childhood and teen years in the 60s. The student movement in the 1960s, and into the 70s, called for changing everything. We had very little respect for authority, so even now I like the idea of breaking rules. Inspiration comes from many fields, but based on people rather than things – and that can mean anyone from a musician to a political figure.

4. Smart Design has designed many products, services and experiences across many different areas, what are the advantages of working across a variety as oppose to narrowing yourself to designing and specialising in one area (e.g. consumer electronics)?

Since our focus is designing for people, then that is the common ground. The same surgeon performing a delicate hospital procedure will also be home barbecuing for a party that weekend. While the product, situation and context might be very different, the people remain the same. Some people may be surprised how much we borrow or adapt design ideas, or make direct connections, between products or situations that, on the surface, seem quite different. If, for instance, we know how to design kitchen tools to include people who have arthritis, we also know a lot about accommodating the hands of female doctors, who often have difficulty using medical instruments historically designed for male doctors.

Ford Smart Gauge - Designing better drivers. (photo credit: Ford Motor Company, 2009)

5. Can you walk us through the development of something like the UCB/OXO Cimzia Prefilled Syringe or the Powermat Wireless Charging System, and in the process shed some light Smart Design’s Process and Design Methodologies?

We worked on a string of projects lately where we had a chance to “reinvent the wheel.” One of them is the Ford SmartGauge. Ford asked us to develop the interface for the instrument cluster on their 2010 Fusion Hybrid. For the first time they were incorporating two LCD panels, to each side a mechanical speedometer, as opposed to the mechanical gauges they have always used. Their request called for creating an “emotional connection”. We made a different recommendation – since driving style makes a big difference in fuel economy, we can help save fuel by developing an interface that would feed back proper information to the driver. So for the first time ever, the instrument cluster is telling the driver not just about the car’s performance – it’s telling the driver about the driver’s performance. This coaching is helping drivers get more than 10 additional miles per gallon.
With the OXO/Cimzia syringe, we set our goal not on the physical device itself, but on “compliance”. Our ultimate goal is to help get the self-injected medication successfully into each patient, once a month a prescribed. This sounds like a subtle distinction, but it makes a big difference in our design focus. We’ll automatically talk more about the people than the product, knowing that each individual’s perception and physical ability can have a significant impact on our overall goal. Our concepts and design directions follow accordingly.

6. Smart Design was founded in the 1980′s and has since grown it into a global leading product design company, what advice would you give to today’s designers who are setting out to start a design business?

We’re seeing a lot of acceptance of work methods that, even if appropriate ten years ago, are now obsolete. Many design groups will tell you they have a special “propriety” process that will lead to innovative solutions, when in reality most designers follow a common process. We also see too many design groups still following the lead of marketing research, no doubt because in many cases marketing groups within companies fund design projects. Marketing research is not design research, and there is so much to be done to advance the potential of design. I would therefore suggest that designers starting a business stand for something. Set out on a mission, have a passion for design and a vision of where they want to take their profession. Given that, stand by those convictions.

Johnson & Johnson Wondergrips Toothbrush (photo credit: Smart Design)

7. You have said previously that at Smart Design you “don’t care about the average people, we look at the extremes.” Can you expand on this? Why are people in the extreme more important to product designers than average people?

The average person provides little help for design. It’s a bit of a culture clash we have always had between marketing groups and our design team. Marketing often targets an average consumer, or subgroup, often defining that average in specific detail. For design, however, that average provides little information. For instance, design a doorway for an average person and half the people will bump their heads. We have always seen lots of opportunities in design by understanding the ends of the spectrum, not the middle. The slowest and fastest, novice and expert, shortest and tallest, and so on.
More specifically, we have taken an approach maybe even more unique. Many companies design for an average person, or a “persona” (an often used technique in which a fictional person is described, and given a name, based on a culmination of many people). I personally was never able to warm up to these fictional representations. Instead we have taken the approach of designing for a small group of actual people. We’ve been calling this approach “Six Real People,” although in reality the number can be six or more. It turns out that designing a product or service that six actual people love is far more difficult than designing for a fictional average or persona.

8. Quite a few of your peers (at other global consultancies) have recently been writing books on their experiences and methodologies, is this something we might expect to see from you in the future? And how important do you think it is for designers to share knowledge about their practice with others through mediums like books, blogs, videos etc…?

Definitely important. We’ve been sharing a lot of information – points of view, approaches to design, and specific design methods. But mainly this has been happening through conference talks, workshops, special lectures and online whitepapers. The book discussion has been coming up more and more often recently. So maybe.
We are also big fans of blogs, since they provide such a continuous, fluid means of communication – and often two-way. Also video. We have been getting much more into that medium, and will continue to do so.

XM Satellite Radio (photo credit: Smart Design)

9. What are your thoughts on the current state and trajectory of Industrial Design and Product Design, globally, as a profession?

Design can be a tremendously powerful force. While some people are pioneering efforts to realize that potential, many design groups are simply following past established protocols. Overall I see a bit too much timidness in the profession, a bit of insecurity and an unfortunate desire to “belong” rather than to stand out. In reality design has the ability to significantly affect human performance and behavior. It can also save energy, bring people together and improve lives worldwide. Designers as a group have the potential to fulfill a social responsibility, the extent to which still may be underestimated.
While some very noble efforts are recognized (at both the top and bottom of the world’s “pyramid”) they are often not leveraged to the extent they could be. Much of design is still a closed loop, with “outsiders,” such as financial, business and political leaders, just starting to appreciate its potential impact. So while the trajectory is pointing upwards, that line is not nearly as steep as it could be as we enter the 2010s.

Microsoft Windows Structural Packaging (photo credit: Smart Design)

10. Dan, 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?

Just that, over here, we’re all maybe a little secretly jealous of the tremendous opportunity designers have in the Asia-Pacific region. Of course there has been really great design work and thinking coming out of the region for quite some time, but future opportunities are plentiful. While there is a tendency for everyone to want to think globally, this does not mean we need to homogenize our thinking. I hope we can all appreciate, and thrive on, our own heritage, beliefs, and local points of view – and share those with the world.

AGIdeas NewStar – Interview with Brianna Hammond

2010-09-30T03:45:07Z

In this interview graphic designer Brianna Hammond sheds some light on what the AGIdeas New Star award is all about and why you should be attending AGIdeas (as of publishing, tickets to AGIdeas are almost all sold out, get in really really quick if you want to attend this years event).

1. Brianna, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thanks for taking the time to chat. Can you give a quick run down on yourself?

Well, I’m 21, I live in Adelaide but I grew up in a small country town called Tumby Bay in South Australia. I’m currently in my Honours year of studying graphic design (Visual Communication) at UniSA. I love graphic design (obviously), photography, and playing Tetris. In January this year I traveled to Italy to complete a two week trial at Fabrica – the Benetton Group Communications Research Centre in Treviso. I was given this opportunity by winning the NewStar award at AGIdeas back in 2009.

2. In 2009 you were one of the Winners of agIdeas newstar award, since we are here to chat about NewStar – can you tell us about what the NewStar competition is?

NewStar is a great competition run by AGIdeas every year. It offers the chance for students and new graduates to have a trial at Fabrica in Italy, or two weeks work experience in a choice of leading international design studios. To enter the competition, you send in the three best pieces of your work, whether it be 2D, 3D or multimedia.

Decembeard Poster - A poster advertising the need for constant prostate cancer support.

3. What opportunities has winning the NewStar competition opened up to you?

Winning the NewStar competition paid for my return flights to Italy and enabled me to complete a two week trial at Fabrica in Treviso. I met amazing, talented people from all around the world.

4. Can you tell us a bit about your 2 week experience at Fabrica – the Benetton Group Communications Research Centre in Treviso, Italy?

My experience at Fabrica was amazing. Everything from the architecture of the building (by Tadao Ando) to the daily Italian Mensa (cafeteria style lunch), was exciting and new to me. I was briefed to do four projects during my two week trial, which was a lot of hard work, but I also had the chance to socialise with others and talk to them about the inspiring projects they were undertaking. It is a great creative environment in which I was constantly in awe of the talent around me.

Libraries SA annual report - A selection of pages from the Libraries Board of SA annual report.

5. Part of the NewStar award is an exhibition of entrants work, even if you hadn’t won the award, would entering have been worth is solely for the exhibition?

Of course! Being shortlisted was for me such a big achievement in itself. To have my work seen by international designers was an added bonus. Entering is worth it even if you aren’t shortlisted, it is a great chance to have someone else see your work and it is always good to collate your best work, just to see where you’re at.

6. What advice would you give to students who are considering entering this year or in future years?

Just go for it! It’s free to enter so why not?
I never in a million years thought I could possibly win it, so my winning the competition just proves that entering is worth it, even if you don’t think you stand a chance.

Looks Can Kill - Two posters from a campaign that I created after researching the issue of photo manipulation affecting body image.

7. What are your overall thought on agIdeas and why should people attend?

AGIdeas is great. You get to mingle with like-minded people, see professional’s work and hear them speak. I always leave Melbourne with an overwhelming amount of inspiration to do my own work, and even if you don’t recall the words of every speaker a few months later, it is worth it just for the motivation to be creative, not to mention the after-party!

8. Brianna, thank you for taking the time to talk. Before we wrap up do you have any final thoughts or advice?

To see more of my work you can go to www.brihammond.com

Wanted Creativity - This piece was created during my trial period at Fabrica. It is a call out for Fabrica applicants that is published in Colors magazine. This wanted creativity was made particularly for the Sea issue coming out later this year.

Greig Brebner, Blunt Umbrella – Designer Q&A

2010-09-30T03:49:24Z

Greig Brebner, designer of the Blunt Umbrella, talks about his journey developing the umbrella, design in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, and the various parts of the commercialization process.

1. Greig, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to chat, could you please give a quick introduction on yourself. (about a paragraph).

I am essentially a designer with a background in mechanical engineering design. I have always had a strong knowledge in plastic design and manufacture with my family owning a plastics manufacturing company. My professional background has seen me work for a major healthcare company in New Zealand and for a high tech company in Cambridge, UK developing wireless internet products. In this latter position as a mechanical design engineer my role was to design enclosures and antenna solutions for their technology. I would say that some of my ideas on the peculiarities of design aspects with regards to wind loadings were developed here. This proved helpful for designing the ultimate umbrella canopy!
My design philosophy it is “simple is better”. If you are struggling with a design that is becoming more and more complicated, more than often it isn’t going to work. And by work I mean in the entire sense, as a product that can be produced easily, as a product the end customer will appreciate and not struggle with. And the simple designs can be the hardest to come up with. They are the ones that when you look back you go why wasn’t that done years ago. And that is a real compliment when that is said about your design.

2. It has taken almost 10 years for you to create the Blunt Umbrella, can you share a broad brush overview of this journey with us?

It started when I arrived in London from New Zealand and I quickly realised how prolific umbrellas are in a large metropolitan city that relies heavily on public transport for commuting. Umbrellas there were more a necessity and more a part of a person’s attire. This intrigued me as did the fact they kept nearly taking my eyes out! I always look for things to design or change so I set myself the goal of developing a safer umbrella. When I started looking into umbrella design I reached the conclusion they weren’t maximising the canopy tension and this also went into the mix. As an umbrella canopy needs that tension to perform. So, it then took me approximately four years of countless prototypes until I arrived at the essence of the system we have now – which we term our radial tensioning system. Then it was a leap into first up tooling followed by the patent process.
I was then joined by Scott Kington who has a background in business development and together we formed a company about 5 years ago now. The idea was to get it to a point where we could decide whether to commercialize it through royalties or as our own brand. And since then it has been chasing significant investment, setting up manufacturing in China, refining the design into a production scale capable product and testing, testing, testing! Then came the branding and the first up marketing and the discussions with distributors, as well as our web presence to help push the interest through the early adopter community.. . .

3. You began the development of Blunt in the United Kingdom and then headed home to New Zealand to continue it, what are some of the differences between design and product development in the United Kingdom versus in New Zealand?

There are such huge differences between companies that it can be hard to determine whether the differences are company specific or country specific. I’ve worked for large companies and start ups. The large companies usually allow you the luxury of throwing resources, particularly money, into developing an answer. However, it can get bogged down in having to follow a structured team approach. Smaller companies require a more flexible approach which sometimes works out but then again sometimes it doesn’t. By this I mean, if resources are an issue then you look at reaching the product solution in as cost effective way as possible – and this can lead to very creative answers. However, there are certain applications where this can end up being a constraint. New Zealand is effectively quite isolated and is dominated my small scale businesses. Both these factors have pushed New Zealanders to become very adaptive to finding solutions. We are forced into undertaking many roles in the design process – whereas in my time in larger companies, and in the United Kingdom, we were more specific in our tasks.

4. You started off selling small quantities of blunt umbrellas in local Auckland stores and have now moved into much larger production (20,000+ umbrellas), what are some of the key differences that entrepreneurial designers need to be aware of when moving from boutique/batch production to large scale manufacturing?

I would say money and cashflow are key issues. That no matter how well connected and resourced you are, these things always take longer to scale up. Thus the focus shifts from being a design driven idea to a product that requires a business set up around it. And for designers like me that love to come up with unique and functional products, the business aspect can start consuming your time. So share your ideas and get people on board that have the passion for your product and the energy to set the business up around it.

5. Can you share as bit about your experience manufacturing in China? What were some of the challenges? What was expected and what was not?

The key for us was finding the right area of China to go to. As there are two distinct areas of China for umbrella manufacture with a definite delineation in the quality of umbrellas produced. The biggest reason we knew where to go is we tapped in to the expat community in China, who had already been there for many years – which meant we weren’t repeating mistakes that had been made in the past. We have a New Zealander who was the ex Design Director for a famous German umbrella brand and located right near our factory, who oversees a lot of our work there. So the greatest challenge to me would be identifying the right partner to work with – and we achieved that by tapping in to the knowledge of people that had gone there before.

6. Many Design Droplets readers are familiar with the process of designing a product (concepts, prototyping etc…) but can you give us some insight to the next step, the commercialisation process?

For the commercialization step you are going to need funding and it is as simple as that really. To get the funding you are going to need to convince your investors that your idea has potential to be a commercial success. And most will want to understand why your product is unique and will sell, and how you can protect that idea without the bigger companies coming along and simply getting that idea to market faster. i.e you will probably need some form of IP protection. And that requires more money! Unfortunately in the end it really is about the monetary value your idea or product can generate. Lots of good ideas will fail just because that funding source dries up. So, realize at the beginning it will take a lot more money than you think, longer than you think and find those investors that are going to support the idea long term.

7. Another major part of bringing a product to market is branding and positioning, what key things do you believe designers need to consider when they reach this stage?

Branding and positioning can be hard subjects to work through with their own unique issues. Branding can be a very confusing area as unlike in product design, where a solution either works or not, branding is very subjective. It’s more a feel. But even before you consider branding you need to consider your positioning and – more so for consumable products – you won’t be able to work your positioning out until you know your true costs for getting your product to market. So, work out where your product positions itself, then find someone that lives in the branding world that relates to where you think the product needs to be positioned. No point getting a Harvard educated professor to brand a product for skateboarders..and vice versa. And finally, remember simple is best. It can always go a different direction later but start with clean and simple.

8. So far what has been the biggest challenge of your journey with Blunt?

Just perseverance, looking back there a so many things that could stop the journey. From committing to the patent process, to the tooling costs, to chasing investment, to moving production to China. So many steps that without the belief that what you have is special would not make it possible. So you must believe 100% in your product being a better solution than anything else on the market.

9. What are your thoughts on the current state of design and innovation in New Zealand?

New Zealand has always been an innovative place because of the isolation factor. From the early days, it has always the mentality that anything can be fixed or made better. And there are some wonderful designers and design innovations stemming from New Zealand. Our big hurdle is translating that on the international scale. And the reality is, with a country our size, we require the help of countries that can manufacture to scale to make that happen. As with most countries though, not all companies are innovative, so I am really only talking about the ones that fall into that category that realize design can drive the business to new levels.

10. Greig, 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 Raph. My last comment would be that if you are thinking commercialization with your idea make sure it passes that test of uniqueness. It’s a long road but if your product is truly unique enough then you’ll find fellow believers and the journey will be easier. Don’t hold it all to yourself unless you want a lot of not much. Be prepared to share the idea around. And keep being creative as it truly makes the world a more interesting and beautiful place.

Greg Holdsworth of Return To Sender – Designer Q&A

2010-10-29T04:00:58Z

Greg Holdsworth

In this insightful interview New Zealand based designer Greg Holdsworth of Return To Sender touches on, designers utilising local materials and manufacturing, sustainability, the environmental issues surrounding coffins, how plastic is perceived and much more.

1. Greg, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to chat, could you please give a quick introduction on yourself.

I can’t remember the birth of my environmental consciousness, but it was long before it became part of popular culture. It may have been seeing the sheer volume of waste heading into the local tip – we are all insulated from this now as our waste magically goes ‘away’. At least having a local tip kept people in touch with the end of product life cycles. Whatever the reasons, I have tried to bring this consciousness into everything I have been connected with over the years. My opportunity to make a significant difference came shortly after selling an Auckland based publishing business. I embarked on my product design career with a degree from UNITEC in Auckland. Upon completion of the degree I was faced with an opportunity so I took a risk. People liked my final year major project – but could I make a business from it?

2. You are the designer and founder of Return To Sender eco-caskets, can you talk about where Return To Sender came from and what inspired it?

The seed was sewn many years ago. My wife and I had had embarked on a big overseas experience and had a phone call in Paris one week in to the trip – her father had died. By the time we flew home his body had been returned to the family home. We spent some time standing around the coffin and couldn’t help noticing that the metal handles weren’t cold – further inspection revealed they were actually metal coated plastic. Having discovered this it was obvious the wood grain was artificial as well, not to mention the lining fabrics. From an ecological point of view this all seemed very sad, but the worst part was the mis-match of values between the man and the box he was lying in. My father-in-law was passionate about wood, spending weekends working on old sailing boats. He would have been horrified.

Artisan in St Mathews cathedral. Photo: Charles Howells

3. Return To Sender started off as a project in your final year of product design at UNITEC, can you share with us how you made the transition from university project to commercial entity?

There was a lot of positive feedback with the project and I had a friend who had just started a funeral directing business. I made a few caskets for her and then started talking to other funeral directors. This worked well as I had a ‘friendly’ first client who didn’t get upset as we worked through a few practical refinements. The next step to commercial entity was extending the range. There were only a few funeral directors forward thinking enough to use the Artisan – we figured the best way to get alongside the more conservative firms would be to offer some less radical designs, and then gently introduce them to something more edgy.

4. What has been the biggest hurdle you have faced in commercialising Return To Sender?

I like being the designer but in a small business you also need to be everyone else…. CEO, sales person, accountant etc. I don’t like being the sales guy, so the hurdle has been forcing myself to do it (without being side-tracked on an interesting design issue). The good news is that this doesn’t last forever. Most of my sales are repeat orders and the best new business comes from clients who discover us (rather than being ‘sold’ to). This sounds simple but I think its a significant insight, it happened in our publishing business also.

For Metro magazine. Photo: Charles Howells

5. Your coffins are designed and manufactured in New Zealand and they produced using New Zealand timbers. In your opinion how important is it for designers to utilise local materials and manufacturing?

If you look at freight, many calculations point to things like supermarket goods having the biggest impact on the drive home from the shop – far greater than shipping from abroad. The same applies to plywood, which is very efficient to ship. This gives me some flexibility, which is just as well as NZ made plywood only comes in two flavours, treated or untreated (pine). Some of this ply is manufactured in China anyway from New Zealand logs. Solid wood is a different matter. So far I can source all I need locally. In terms of manufacture I am very uncomfortable outsourcing overseas. If everyone did this we would loose our capability to do anything useful…. could we really live sustainably if we were all accountants, lawyers and politicians?

6. With the proliferation of plastics and technologies like injection moulding traditional craftsmanship is something that has been lost in many areas of product design. Do designers have a role to play in reinvigorating appreciation and use of local craftsman and their skills?

Firstly, I would say there is nothing wrong with plastic – in fact its a fantastic material. What is unfortunate is the perception that its there to be thrown away. If we appreciated plastics and used the material for quality goods that lasted we could stop depleting a precious resource and reduce toxic waste streams. To answer your question – definitely. Products can convey meaning, there is an area between product and craft where craftsman qualities can reach a wider audience and product can be re-introduced to art. I like stripped down simplicity but a renaissance of decorative objects would be food for culture.

7. Should sustainability be a central tenant of the design profession or something that can be considered as an add on to the design and development process?

If sustainability is not the central tenant of the design profession our grandchildren will have nowhere to live.

Artisan in the park. Photo: Greg Holdsworth

8. Can you tell us about the environmental impacts of ‘normal’ coffins versus Return To Sender eco-coffins?

Normal is different in each country. In New Zealand coffins are like cheap office furniture – MDF, fake woodgrain and plastic handles / liners. This contributes to claims of 45 pollutants being released at some crematoriums, including dioxins from PVC woodgrain. MDF is tough in terms of impact resistance but it has little strength (think sagging bookshelves). This means you need a large mass to make something strong. Some Return To Sender coffins are a fraction of the mass of MDF units and have attractive wodgrain already – no need to conceal it with fake woodgrain. We integrate wooden handles in most cases so there are no extra parts and there is no opportunity for funeral directors to add metal coated plastic handles. The story changes if you look at the United States. They mainly use metal caskets, consuming over 100,000 tonnes of steel, 3,000 tonnes of copper and bronze, and over one and a half million tonnes of reinforced concrete for vaults each year. If we can replace this with minimal quantities of bio-degradable renewable resources the impact would be very significant.

9. What are your thoughts on the current state of New Zealand design?

Pockets of excellence would be a good description. It surprises me how we find out (sometimes by accident) about great work that has been going on for years in a back room somewhere. In some ways it would be nice to have more cohesion and showcase things more but its probably just a reflection of scale. Events like the Melbourne Design Festival are great but New Zealand probably just doesn’t have critical mass for that sort of thing yet.

Holdsworth Design Christmas Tree 2009. Photo: Greg Holdsworth

10. Greg, 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?

Just ‘keep up the good work’ and thanks for inviting me. My main piece of advice for anyone wanting to build their own business is summed up in one word – ‘tenacity’. Bigger picture (life and business) can be summed up in ‘Wabi Sabi’.

Interview with Gretha Oost of Half A Teaspoon

2010-09-30T04:04:32Z

In this interview Gretha Oost of Half A Teaspoon, a Melbourne based sustainable design and product development company, talks about the development of their soon to released product 321 Water.

1. Gretha, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to chat, could you please give a quick introduction on yourself.

I have a background in corporate communications and moved to Australia from The Netherlands in 2004. I now reside in Melbourne and run a sustainable design and product development company. Half A Teaspoon is dedicated to making a positive contribution to the environment by bringing products to market that inspire consumers to use water consciously.

2. You are the founder of Half A Teaspoon and the inventor of 321 Water. Can you tell us about your vision for Half a Teaspoon and 321?

After reading about the environmental impact of bottled water in Anita Roddick’s ‘Trouble Water’ I researched why people drink bottled water and why we don’t re-use water bottles. Then I combined the features of both products into one. 321 Water is Re-useable, BPA free, convenient, great tasting water fresh from the tap is stylish and developed to protect the environment from more rubbish.

3. You have worked with Melbourne Industrial Design studio Charlwood Design to create the actual 321 Water Bottle. Since Design Droplets primarily features Industrial Designers, can you shed some light on the other side of the coin, from the perspective of being an inventor who engages an Industrial Designer or Design Studio? What do you expect from the Designer/Studio? What should they expect from you as a client?

Charlwood Design has proven experience with sustainable design so I knew that I was on the right track. My vision was to make a reusable drink bottle that filters tap water and is both visually appealing and practical for the mainstream, style-savvy consumer. Charlwood got it right from the start.

4. What did you look for when searching for an Industrial Designer to take your vision and turn it into reality?

We looked for an industrial design agency that has established itself as a provider of total product development, with expertise in sustainable design.

5. You are funding the development of 321 Water through a Crowd sourced funding model, can you tell us a bit about this model and why you chose to take this path as oppose to more traditional funding paths?

After winning the People’s Choice Award on the ABC’s New Inventors (July 2009) we received an overwhelming amount of enquiries. People wanted to know where they could buy 321 Water. This proved to us there was a demand and we then came up with the idea of crowd sourcing 321 Water. Let the demand create supply rather than the other way around.
We need 10,000 orders before production can begin. We have now reached half our target and already started the production process.
In addition, the process of securing finance and obtaining investors began in October 2009. The launch of 321 Water is scheduled for end of June 2010.

6. Marketing is an incredibly important part of taking a product from just a design to a commercial reality. Designers often think they have an understanding of marketing, but in many respects they don’t. As a marketer, what pointers on marketing would you give to designers who are trying to make their products a commercial success?

Think about who your target market is and start communicating with them as soon as possible. The crowd-funding model immediately got us in contact with our customers and they have taught us a lot.

7. What have been some of the challenges of bringing 321 Water to reality?

The main challenge is to get all the funding to start the manufacturing process. When taking the path of crowd funding there are many wonderful people who put their faith in us by paying already for their product. This is a huge responsibility but then again it is a massive motivating factor as well.

8. Half A Teaspoon received a funding grant from Design Victoria. In what ways, apart from monetary support, did this help bring 321 Water closer to reality?

Being a small business with exciting ideas, it is difficult to move them to the next phase. This grant has made it possible to go out and speak to interested parties. We are now not just talking about an idea we have an actual working prototype to show. This made our vision a reality and gave us the confidence to move forward to the next phase.

9. What is you opinion on the current state of the Australian Innovation?

I think that Australia is a very inventive country. Probably for the same reason as the Dutch, being a small population compared to the rest of the world, maybe we feel the need to prove ourselves. But it’s great and provides lots of opportunities.

10. Gretha, 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 really, really believe in it, go for it. Be persistent! Don’t think it is going to be easy, the good thing is that taking a new product to market is an amazing and exciting journey.

Sonny Lim Designer Q&A

2010-10-29T03:58:45Z

Sonny Lim - Senior Designer BMWDesignWorks USA Singapore

Sonny Lim, Senior Designer at BMW Group DesignworksUSA Singapore, shares his thoughts and advice on the role of a senior designer, working in-house versus working for a consultancy, working across multiple offices, the state of design in Singapore and much more.

1. Sonny, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to chat, could you please give a quick introduction on yourself. (about a paragraph).

My heritage is probably the most interesting thing about me. My parents are originally from Singapore & Malaysia but moved to The Netherlands a long time ago. I was born and raised there so my native language is actually Dutch! That was just pure luck because The Netherlands is an amazing country for designers. Great design community, lots of talent and very self-critical. After graduating from TU Delft and working in Germany for a couple of years, I got the chance to move to Singapore for my current job. It is funny how working as a designer brought me full circle and back to my roots.

2. You are currently a Senior Designer at BMW Group DesignworksUSA in Singapore, can you tell us a bit about BMW Group DesignworksUSA?

There are around 135 people working for BMW Group DesignworksUSA, spread over three studios in LA, Munich and Singapore. Obviously we do many projects for our mother company which includes BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. We also work with a lot of external clients and design everything from consumer electronics to aircraft interiors and yachts. However, as a Strategic Design consultancy we can do so much more than just designing beautiful distinctive products.
We can show other companies how to define their entire product range in order to stand out, how to create new innovative products & services, how to become a design leader, how to be more sustainable and so on. It is much more holistic and mature approach towards design.
You have to look very closely at the world around you. A good analogy would be an architect who creates a city wide master plan rather than designing just one building. Or a graphic designer creating a complete corporate identity and not just a logo. The impact of strategic design on a company is much larger and more permanent.
Personally I think this approach and project mix makes it one of the most exciting design consultancies in the world. And we definitely have the longest name.

3. As Senior Designer, what are your roles and responsibilities, as oppose to the roles and responsibilities of someone who is a ‘designer’?

A Senior Designer takes the creative lead in a project. In other words he pulls and steers the less experienced designers while still creating designs himself. He is also the go-to-guy for any questions, feedback and to get things done. There is a fair amount of project management involved too: reviewing designs, planning, filtering information for the team, translating client/engineering/marketing/vendor feedback to relevant designs and so on. It is really like keeping a lot of balls in the air while trying to be a designer at the same time.
I enjoy the multiple roles and responsibilities and it keeps things interesting. It is very satisfying to guide a design team so they create great ideas as opposed to just focusing on your own work. When I started working I wanted to leave my mark in the design world and get exciting products out on the market. But after having done that for a couple of years, I felt a need to grow creatively. It is only natural that more experienced designers want to take more project responsibility too.

4. You have worked for companies in-house (Sony Ericsson and Adidas) and you now work for a consultancy, can you tell us a bit about the difference between working in-house and in a consultancy? How much of a difference is there in areas like workflows and methodologies?

Working as an in-house designer you usually work on one kind of product and experience everything from the first sketch to production. You really become a design specialist in that particular field. Your daily work is focused on creating the best product possible. As a consequence you learn a lot about designing a real product and the realities of mass-production. You also work closely together with other disciplines like marketing, engineers and developers. You learn how to listen to others and when to fight for your design. I think in-house design departments are great places to start your career. There is enough time and resources to develop your skills. Lots of opportunities to gain experience and to get an idea how big companies work.
On the other hand, a designer can experience many different projects and clients in a design consultancy. It could be a car interior design one week and a context research project the next. BMW Group DesignworksUSA tries to let designers work on as many different kinds of projects as possible. Cross fertilisation of skills and flexibility of mind are key to innovation and creativity. Usually there is less time for a project and deadlines are tight. You learn how to focus on the most important aspects and use creativity tools effectively to generate maximum results in the available time.

5. One of the key requirements in any design project for an established brand is designing the product to fit within that brand (its history, its current state and its vision for the future). When designing for a particular brand, as oppose to designing for a new brand or for no brand, what do designers need to take into account?

The designers need to have a deep understanding how the brand works, what the brand thinks is important, how they want to present themselves. In short: their brand values. More than often brands tend to describe themselves in relatively general terms like high-quality or innovative. It is part of our job to find out how these values translate into a tangible design. How to show a particular quality or value in a product is a creative process too and an essential skill when working with established brands.

6. BMW Group DesignworksUSA is an international team with offices across the globe, what does this mean for designers at the project level?

On a project level it means that every designer can tap into a vast pool of knowledge and experience from the entire company. Sometimes we get up a bit earlier or stay longer in the office so we can talk to the other teams in LA or Munich and share our thoughts. In the Singapore studio everybody is fluent in two or more languages and has worked around the world. That helps tremendously in communication and cultural sensitivity. Occasionally a designer flies to the other studio for a couple of weeks or even months to work on a project.

7. In one of the products you have designed, the Sennheiser OMX 980 earphones, you used materials extremely effectively to create a product with an aesthetic that speaks about exclusivity and luxury. In your opinion how important are the materials used in a design and do materials influence the overall success of a design?

Very important! Materials are often underused in product design. However they are only one aspect of a successful design. On the earphones we started with understanding Sennheiser’s heritage and brand, which spans more than 60 years of audio excellence. They have a simple philosophy of creating the best possible audio product and are commercially very successful. Sennheiser earphones were well built and monolithic but a little austere in their essentiality. I didn’t want to detract from any of that, but I did want to add something more in terms of recognisability. That ‘something more’ had to start from the silhouette, what you see first from a distance, to then continue along the surfaces and into the smallest detail.
The idea of aiming for a distinctive silhouette is based on two things. The first is technical in nature: there are many parts that need to come together and the earphone has to be comfortable. We wanted to emphasise how ergonomics and Sennheiser’s sound expertise define both function and aesthetic elegance. We worked very hard to make the earphones as simple and light as possible. For example the OMX980 has half the amount of hinges and moving parts but is more comfortable and elegant than competitors.
The second aspect is communication: defining the ideal design symbol gives the brand incomparable strength.
Every detail, including material, is conceived with quality in mind and expresses a sense of exclusivity, but also the characteristic purity of a precious object. One of the secrets of this earphone range is surface treatment on a very small area. It is the feeling of knowing how to balance convexity and concavity, and the way light interacts with the surfaces. This is where our expertise and finesse in automotive surfacing is visible. Our earphones do not look like technical dentist’s instruments but like objects of desire.

8. Can you talk about your creative process and where you get your inspiration from?

I see design as looking for possibilities and possible futures, instead of only solving present-day problems. Products are a means of get people to behave and to feel in a particular way. Products earn their meaning in their interaction with people. The way you use a product is determined by the context for which it is designed. This context can be the world of today, tomorrow, or may lie years ahead. Future contexts demand new and different behaviours. My creative process is context-driven and I often ask myself questions like: “why does this product exist? And why does it exist in this way? What aesthetic conventions does it use? How has it evolved to be like it is?” The fun part is developing the meaning and a vision of what the product should mean to users. In essence this is the story the product should tell.

9. What are your thoughts on the current state of design in Singapore?

Singapore has a young and compact design scene. There is definitely a lot of attention for design and many people understand its value. In addition it is actively supported by initiatives like the DesignSingapore Council. The quality of design education varies quite a lot but the best design students are able to globally compete on the highest level. One of the biggest obstacles is cultural in nature. Academic achievements and grades are often perceived as more valuable than creativity and there is a lot of peer pressure on the kids to perform. Of course this attitude might lead to well-educated accountants and lawyers but rarely produces good designers. Ideally Singapore would have a design kindergarten where creativity is channeled and given a proper place.

10. Sonny, 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?

In Asia companies have a tendency to treat design like ketchup. It is seen as an instant and easy way to make a product look good. If companies want to gain a long-lasting competitive advantage, they need to invest time and resources to get their design management right. Deep thinking and taking the time for development lead to great design. There is no design award for speed or consumer recognition for fastest time-to-market.