Collaborating & Connecting

Boundaries are blurred and collaboration rules. This applies equally to the global movement of cultural traditions and to recent cross-over projects in the various fields of design, and even art. As local companies start to embrace a sense of place, people, and manufacturing, they also look out into global world of design and designers for collaborations and connections. For example, the Brazilian company, Melissa, (http://www.melissaplasticdreams.com/profile), is a good example of successful collaborations among different fields. The company works with only recycled PVC materials. The project is to reinvent the company’s name by bringing well known designers, such as Campana Brothers, Zaha Hadid, Viviane Westwood, Judy Blame, and Karim Rashid. They are all from different fields, most of them not related to shoe design, asked to translate their uniqueness into a shoe form. The final products often embody the designers’ style, but refreshing because it is in projects unexpected from them.

The design field gains with these collaborations. First, innovations in how a work came to be rather than how it looks. Different fields of design have different approaches to problems. It shows how there is x ways to get to a common product. Second, collaboration’s opportunities are forms of, as designers, reinventing ourselves. While, designers can get comfortable on the area of expertise, there are more to be learned about when stepping outside of the comfort zone. Third, products associated with well known designers can reach a bigger market. In that aspect, it can be a good market strategy for sustainable, or eco friendly products to broaden their niche in society. Lastly, it meets the aspect that so many modern designers miss when they called their pieces functional: it democratizes design.

As discussed in my previous post, industrial design seems to reach further than solving user’s need and being functional. Like the McDonald’s case study, the whole “functional” concept seems not to be used as first intended and user’s need goes beyond solving problem s to means of delivering a intentional “image”. How a product is translated by users? What kind of images does it convey? From the most complex to simple aesthetics, they carry the designer’s statement. It often reflects the creator’s field of experience. From that point, should one’s field of experience be limited to what he/she is good at? By focusing on developing a certain line of problem.-solving products, can we as designer reach innovation?

In the last ID history class, students had different opinions on the boundaries of being an Industrial Designer. When thrown the question: “Can design and art coexist?” while some students lean towards focusing on primarily solving user’s problem, a good amount want to bring fine art into industrial design. They feel limited when trying to fit solely in Industrial Design terms. I think that the whole idea of Industrial Design be based on problem solving and functionality is not the constraining element, but the definition of “problem”. For instance, re-designing a product around its aesthetics could be not for visual please, but intended to bring a new experience to consumers. Humans are not only body, but mind as well. Thus, the “problem” does not have to be always on the physical interaction, but also on the emotional aspect.

I believe that trying to limit design into categories or fields becomes impediment for innovation. As an Industrial Design student merged into Brazilian, Korean, and American traditions, I want to revel in this opportunity and be able to transcend to communicate globally. I am inspired by companies, like Melisa that show me, yes, this is the way forward, today.

The Hybrid Designer

As an Industrial Design student, I have been aware of the many branches in this field. However, more I tried to focus in a specific area of design more I find out new, alternative areas to ID. Different areas of design seem to cross each other and leave us to reconsider the definition of being an Industrial Designer. The “new” designers are more global than before. There is an open communication and appreciation among designers from different countries and fields. This brings alternative processes to design. The results are hybrids of ideas, concepts, and forms.

For me, the excitement in this new scenario is the merge of cultures. A designer that uses their local environment as source of inspiration allows new experiences to users from different backgrounds. Campana Brothers are Brazilian designers that explicitly bring the uniqueness of Brazilian culture in their design. The considerations that the designers take often reflect the historical and cultural particularities. In many of their interviews, they talk about the inspiration of their ideas coming not only from Brazilian nature but also from the social habits. They often reuse existing iconic products or local materials along with local techniques. The final designs are representations of the country’s qualities. The products carry a “message”. The forms are not always aesthetically pleasing or harmonious, but, as mentioned by the designers, “ugly” can be a stronger statement. They make the viewer go back to the manufacturing process and the manipulation of material, where most of the innovation is found. The final form is the result of it but the process is the discovery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK2rH3aAbic

Like the other winner of Miami Designer Of The Year, Tokujin Yoshioka’s exhibition for Issey Miyake shows how an innovation in the manufacturing production brings new experiences to viewers and consumers.



In Tokujin Yoshioka exhibition A-POC Making, the designer creates a space where the impact of the A-POC technology by Issey Miyake and Dai Fujiwara could be strongly conveyed. A-POC (a piece of clothing) is a weaving machine programmed by computer software that “prints” entire pieces of clothing with no sewing necessary. The roll of fabric contains the final garments. It is an innovative process in the garment industry because there is minimal waste of material and the consumers determine the final design. The users can determine the length and size of the garment by just cutting out of the fabric. In Tokujin Yoshioka’s exhibition, he emphasizes not the piece of clothing itself, but the process and the manipulation of material. This visual setting also brings up the idea of mass production. It is almost a piece of art being transformed into mass production. When does art ends and design begin? Does art means exclusivity and design mass production?



In the Campana Brothers interview, they talk about the first intention of the rope chair being one piece, a sculpture, but soon the demand for the chair made the designers think about ways to mass market it. Takashi Marukami’s concept is to bring art to the masses. The artist whole philosophy is about democratizing art by transforming it into products. Better dialogues among designers as well as between designers and users encourages modern designers not to be constrained by one field. There is a Brazilian shoe company called mellissa known for making recycled PVC shoes. The company just started a collaboration work with designers from different countries and fields to create designed shoes. This is an interesting project because it shows how cultural background as well a field background affects in the aesthetic of a product.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMvvOT0fQOM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs2Xnpw-L1o

All these collaborations among designers from different nationalities and fields of work confirm that there is no boundary in design. Rather than looking innovations in new technology and material, we can reuse and recycle the existing one and find innovation through different ‘eyes’. Innovations are not only in the material but how different designers approach them. All the ideas are influenced by what they studied for, as well as their culture. By using these experiences to design outside of their field, the result is nothing but innovative.

Ideal to Material

Looking through the lists of some many organizations presented in the A Better World by Design, I was really inspired to see the collaborative work of different fields of design to a common cause. We as designers want to impact society by solving user’s problems, but in what directions can this mind set lead us? All of the projects I went through were mind opening and potentially started from just questioning: what if? It is hopeful to see that idealistic thinking could lead to concrete solutions.

In Kevin Quale’s blog ( www.kevinquale.blogspot.com ), he discusses about the humanitarian designs coming from developed countries like U.S and their solutions based on misconceived ideas. I agree with him that creating an image of third world countries around piety hides the potential that they have. By providing immediate solution, such as food, medicine, and money can minimize, or better saying, cover the problem in a short term. However, it is not the best way to eradicate the problem in a long term. I believe that communities in third world countries do have potential to grow, and the best is to notice that and provide them with resources. That is why projects from organizations like KickStar (http://www.kickstart.org/) called my attention. The company proposes products not intended to solve immediate problems, but, in a long term, to support poor communities being self sufficient.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZei012CM0I

In Brazil, there is a cosmetic brand called Natura. The company has a specific cosmetic line called Ekos Natura that uses raw ingredients found in Brazilian biodiversity. However, what I found to be most interesting about this project is the preservation of culture and tradition. The mediators of nature and consumers are the indigenous communities that know how to use the nature in a non obtrusive way. There is more than creating a sustainable product, but supporting the natural and historical heritage of the country.

Andiroba
One of the ingredients that the company uses in many of their products is a tree called “andiroba”. Its leaves and seeds are used locally as medicine to prevent worm and lower fever. The company uses the oil that comes out of them to smooth skin and as natural insect repellent.

Castanha-do-Para
For many years Brazilian indigenous has been eating this kind of nut as essential antioxidant nutrition. Its oil has moisturizing quality.

http://www.natura.net/port/cosmoprof/ing/index.asp?urldest=http://www.natura.net/port/cosmoprof/ing/home.asp

I think that these two projects are relevant for their consideration of these developing countries’ culture and history. By providing support through products that would improve their profits or by financing their local economy, these local communities have the means to grow independently.

Design For A Better System.

From Dr. Bruce Becker’s presentation, I noticed that there is so much more than a product and user interaction. There is the service that is obtained through it. I am working in a Cell phone project for older users in one of my studios. By narrowing down our user’s group, I noticed that the more I focused on experience, the physical product becomes secondary. The older user group doesn’t care about how much innovation and technology they can get out of the cell phone, but how efficiently it serves to the purpose: connecting to family and friends. To come up with the best solution for a product, the first step for a designer is to research the market feasibilities and user’s need, they can use these acquired skills to observe and critically analyze the existing system and from that create solutions for a better environment. Designers are trained in a way to think systematically. When designing a new product, they have to be conscious of how it can be made, such as the manufacture order, materials, and cost. It is interesting to see how this project could somehow relate to some of the points discussed in Dr. Bruce Becker’s presentation. When he asked what would be the things we could create to construct a perfect shelter most of the answers were related to creating a “better system”: a system that would facilitate how a shelter work. A set of systems structured to create a better work hierarchy, to make most out of the existing energy and water, and to avoid confrontations among different cultures. All of them could be seen as System of behavior, where one’s action leads to the next. Observe, analyze, and create a system that like a cell phone (intuitively) explains “how to”.

To get to that point, designers have to take into consideration the history and the different cultures for a better assimilation from the user’s part. By that I believe designers are like anthropologist and psychologist. Like anthropologist, designers have to study cultural difference throughout time and space. They have to acknowledge the cross culture and do not impose judgment. Like psychologists, designers have to observed and analyze human behavior through a direct contact with the case studied.

However, contrary to those fields of studies, designers have the ability to use the collected data and come up with physical solutions to improvements. After hearing the lecture, it made me think about the emotion aspect of design. There are a lot of outputs when it comes to creating innovative designs relied on technology. It provides solutions to develop living life and humanity profits a lot from it. However during the lecture, the disruption of one’s before life in the refugee camps called my attention. The displacement of populations caused by natural disasters or political chaos affect people not only in their basics living style, such as location, nutrition, and health; but also, the merge on a different culture, the language barrier, and the separation from people can cause inner turmoils. This psychological distress is something that passes unnoticed or even considered superfluous in times of political and social disorder. However, I think it is an important issue given the fact that people in those situations often don’t express such emotions that are impediment for them to settle down. There are so many things that can be done to make their lives better but what is the point when they don’t feel like that?

This is the time when designers as anthropologist and psychologist can study different cultures, their traditions, beliefs, and habits, as well as observe the common behaviors from people who suffer from that. It would be interesting to see what kind of products and service system we, as a designer, could create as a response to their need. For instance, looking through the Cooper-Hewitt’s designing for” the other 90%”, I think that education is a good point of start because, as mentioned in the website, it “empowers people”. It gives them an opportunity to empower themselves as individuals and from that communities. Individuals are the core for a well working system. All that made me think designers on service of better making the world work.

Product and its meanings.

While designers desire to create innovative solutions that would affect the way consumers perceive the existing products. Designers do not have control on the meaning a product could take. In such transitory society the original intent of a product cannot be permanent. However, a product can reflect the moral codes and their enforcing behavior from a specific time in history.

In the two cases observed in class, the history of vibrator and the history of high heels, their meaning changed according to the way gender role was seen on society along history. These two products symbolized in different time submission and empowerment. In these opposite definitions, how much of its original intent is kept? It seems that a product is full of contradictions that one can never predict. Products with a specific target on mind might in many cases make assumptions or stereotype gender. This is shown when they misunderstand their target. For instance, the first home appliances were intended to release woman from the physical labor of housekeeping, giving them more freedom. However, they in some extent ended up imprisoning woman to the role of modern wife. Further, in today’s society is easy to see home appliances crossing gender. The Dyson’s vacuum is an example of a product released with female target in mind that turned out be more popular among male users. The unexpected behavior can be a sign of changing on gender roles.

A self cannot control how a product would be perceived in society even less what “image” it will produce. The body corset first used among aristocracy in the 16th Century was worn to aid woman to fit to a certain body image. Today, corsets still is accepted as means of achieving a body image, but connected to expression of sexuality. In that case, is it a symbol of sexual freedom or submission to an image? It can be interpreted either way according to the users. A product is never objective but exposed to one’s interpretation.

In that sense, a modern concept in the design field is the emotional products. They bring up responses based not on the meaning of a product but from users past experience that they emotionally relate to when they see the objects. By creating products that are somehow asexual, I wonder if it would be easier to keep their original meaning. By not trying to aesthetically fit to one group, the product would free itself from living up to a meaning that can never be fully defined.

Society creates the image, one cannot act independent to a construction of meaning but it’s a collective act. The meaning to a product it is structurally created given the time and circumstances. The product does not have a particular meaning but it can embody different meaning according to social ethics. And, perhaps, that’s the excitement in innovative designs, the unknown.