Candra Provenzano

Current Design Thesis Theory:

I believe that the best application for Pixie Engine technology is for use by first responders during emergencies. The tracking and locating capabilities of Pixie make it an extremely valuable technology for fire fighters and Red Cross workers. The larger the catastrophe and the more responders that are called on, the need for Pixie grows. What makes Pixie Engine independent of other technologies such as GPS is its foundation in RF signals, allowing it to work with no infrastructure such as cell phone towers. Enabling Pixie to communicate within 200 meters of each other, even underground. On a macro level Pixie could be implemented into cellphones of the future and help families not only keep track of loved ones locations in real time but they could also receive alerts giving them information and locations of shelters. As well as receive instructions and updates provided by the individuals local government. A system could be designed for this technology to only be used during national emergencies, separating the use of Pixie with other rivaling technologies.

Arguing Designers: Karim Rashid vs. Hella Jongerius

Rashid: What is the connection that these workers will have with this technology? This is a super hi-tech device that will be used during a situation that has been going on since the dawn of civilization, if the whole fire department isn’t running on the newest technologies will you use these archetypes to design this product?

Candra: I think that form will absolutely follow function in the regards of designing this object to be used for fire fighters. The need for heavy duty and heat resistant casing to be built around the actual technology will be a design innovation in itself but also an opportunity to use the design language of fire houses to create a working object that fire fighters will be comfortable using. Fire fighters depend on their tools to keep them alive and I believe that Pixie’s technology has the possibility to be rated highest during an actual rescue situation, this will build a relationship between the fighter and their Pixie.

Hella: Will the final designed object hold character even though its been industrially produced? This product will help families be reunited with each other and there for has the capability to be a very emotionally connected object. How will this be transcended if it is located in a common cell phone?

Candra: This projects blue sky possibilities are most dependable on what technologies will be developed in the future. Pixie creates a new form of infrastructure between people and technology, and if this becomes true of more the technology of cell phones then the design language and connects between individual and technology will evolve with it.

Images:

www.flickr.com

design.socialblog.us

alvaraalto.fi

scrapbook.citizen-citizen.com

A group of ‘designers’ that I think are breaking new ground is the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability in Philadelphia.  They are working with Mayor Nutter to make Philly the “greenest city in America”.  They are working in collaboration with dozens of city agencies and other organizations to help guide their work in the years to come.
They are pushing the boundaries because they are trying to make a change that’s hopefully city-wide, which could influence other cities to follow.  They are looking to, and in the process of, reducing emissions, developing green spaces, and creating new storm water management solutions.  Not only does Philly already boast the nations tallest ‘green’ structure (Comcast Center) but Philadelphia will also soon be a leader in solar energy production with the development of a solar system in Bucks County.
The participation of the communities in Philadelphia is critical for their plans to work.  People living in Philly are encouraged to recycle and collect rain.  If you are located within a watershed area in Philly you can receive a rain collection barrel for free.  Not only does it save the resident money on their water bill but it also helps keep the sewers from overflowing when storms hit.  The city is also promoting other ways of travel other than car, such as public transportation or bicycles.  The city has recently devoted one lane on two streets in center city to bicycle traffic, running east to west from the Deleware to the Schuykill.
There’s another initiative going on called TreeVitalize,  which is pretty much what it sounds like, revitalizing the city with trees.  Adding more trees will beautify the city, create cleaner air, and also help with the water levels.
Some plans from the Office of Sustainability are easily and immediately implemented but others may take much longer, for example the proposed plan for the Deleware River which would include;  7-mile long trail along central river front, new parks and improving existing ones, easier access to river, creating greenways along the rivers edge, and to create a natural rivers edge and restore the habitat.
Philadelphia is full of people willing and ready to make the changes necessary to make a more sustainable city, these people paired with the Office of Sustainability  and hopefully we’ll soon become a city for others to model themselves after.

Chris Mufalli

www.phila.gov/green
www.phillywatershed.org/rainbarrel
www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.com
www.planphilly.com/actionplan

One of the biggest aspects of design is thinking into the future and asking the question what is next? The Australian designer Marc Newson bases his whole design ideology around this thought. In the movie Objectified he uses the term “fundamentally non-disposable” to describe some of his pieces and explains that he chooses forms that suggest the future so his products won’t date so soon. Newson’s thoughts about the future of form is clever but not what I would consider actually being the future. For me what is new and exciting thought isn’t always in the ID world, british clothing designer Alexander McQueen not only pushes the boundaries of form, semantics, and architecture within his garments but he also uses laser cutting technology on his leather pieces. To us that doesn’t seem so fancy but for a fashion designer to take industrial techniques and use them in their field is conmendable. Industrial designers have to master multiple skill sets like graphic design or video skills since our field requires us to be the swiss army knives of the working force and I think that it is beneficial for designers to be aware of all aspects of design that are happening right now. For me right now means more then just industrial design, and right now McQueen is years ahead of our time.

Image: www.alexandermcqueen.com

-Candra Provenzano

On the topic of innovation, I recently came across two companies that are pushing the boundaries of design with their innovative alternatives to cigarettes. The first is TRIBUDESIGN, a Lebanese design and consulting studio that specializes in product development and interior and graphic design. TribuDesign focuses on redesigning traditional items in unconventional methods in order to create new ideas and explore new concepts. They have designed a new product, Nargile White, which applies new aesthetic codes and introduces new social behaviors while using cutting edge technologies and carefully selected materials; Natural acrylic stone, stainless steel, and leather.

Another innovative group is Electronic Cigarettes Inc. They are determined to changing the way people smoke and view smoking forever. The electronic cigarette they designed is a vapor-producing alternative to smoking a cigarette. It’s a cigarette that doesn’t produce tar or even burn tobacco. It’s a cheaper cigarette with no sales tax that utilizes inexpensive nicotine cartridges that can save you loads of cash! These cigarettes don’t actually produce smoke so you can smoke it anywhere; a restaurant, a bar, in class, even on an airplane.

_Adam Rusiski

My senior thesis is about using an urban setting to create energy. Our team’s goal was to generate electricity by using waterpower, but today we have decided to work with wind power. During our research I remembered a show that I watched during the summer, “Mega Structures” from Discovery Channel. In that episode, they were building a commercial building -Bahrain World Trade Center- in Dubai. The building has two towers, which are shaped like sails. They are designed to get as much as wind in between these towers. 3 wind turbines were placed in the middle of these towers to generate all the electric that the building needs. This week’s assignment was to find a design group and talk about their work. I did a research on the designer of Bahrain World Trade Center who is called Atkins Design Group. The same design group designed the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. It was also shaped as a sail. I can see that they were combining architecture with nature in their designs, and we can see this in their early designs. They decided to go green and implement the green idea in their designs. The Bahrain World Trade Center is a good example for that. The success of this building must have inspired them because now they come up with another wind-powered structure.

To have more information about this concept: http://earthfirst.com/dubai-reveals-plans-for-green-skyscraper-shaped-like-a-wind-turbine/

I am glad that some companies see the success of these projects and investing in them, even though it is still not quite the right idea to use all that money just make a hotel or a commercial building, but I think it is a good start to make people realize this technology is reliable. Looking at these high technology buildings made me believe that, if I come up with a costly design project, I need to go to Dubai.

Can Onart

Over the past week, I have looked at many different unconventional designers and designs on the web and have seen some pretty interesting things. One of the things that I came across that sparked my interest was a line of Fruit Juice Packaging designed by, Japanese Designer, Naoto Fukasawa. He says, “I imagined that if the surface of the package imitated the color and texture of the fruit skin, then the object would reproduce the feeling of the real skin.” This is a clever way of redefining the normal rectangular juice box packaging that we are normally used to seeing. His design approach is influenced by an Eastern philosophy called Hari (which involves concepts of “tension” and being “well balanced”). In product design, Hari is about finding the most suitable shape to express an object, or rather for the object to express itself. This is a theory that he tends to design by and you can see this in his various works. I think his design does a good job at creating an interesting and rather unorthodox experience for the user.

-Tim Peet

I have a weird fascination and relationship with water.  Over the summer I almost drowned and died after being dragged under a bridge away from my canoe during a flood. I have ridden ten foot waves and freed dive with flippers of the depths of the ocean.  I swam on a swim team till the age of eighteen.  You could say that I have spent most of my life in water and it; will always be part of my life. On my usual day of skimming thought my favorite art design websites I stumbled upon photos  of  large rafts built of found materials on the  river.  The article was on Swoon a street artist who launched a two-summer project with a group of fellow artists called “Miss Rockaway Armada,” in which they created three connected rafts from salvaged urban materials like wood and foam blocks, added some recycled car engines, and floated 800 miles down the Mississippi River, stopping along the way to give art workshops and gallery openings.  These boats pay homage to the old river shipping vessels that once traveled these waters.  The artist documented their time on these makeshift vessels and created art along their way.  These vessels appear to me as a forced collaboration with individuals that you love to work with.  Swoon has built these floating sculptures that project from  serene surrounding environments.  These vessels are a way of travel but also re interprets the way we look at art and interact with it.  The vessels dock at nearby towns allowing visitors to board and explore each individual vessel.   The boats are outfitted with hidden paintings and prints made by Swoon and her fellow artist.  These prints range from intricate lace patterns that evolve into objects to portraits. This also increases the value of the visit of the art because these vessels stay for a short period of time so the visit is more precious.  As a designer I focus on my work on values moral and personal and the relationship that the user gets when interacting.  These boats are a form of design because it opposite of mundane normal galleries with white walls and people standing in front of the same painting.  This work inspires me to create  objects that aren’t designed to the whole world but something that shows my craft and efforts  and is shared to smaller amount of people to share and enjoy.

-Pender The Pirate