Frame Backings

I wanted to look into different types of backing for the frames, so I looked into finding a wood that would make the cork sturdier as I still need to find a cork that provides an appropriate thickness.

After going to Bunnings I found both MDF and Plywood that are sourced from sustainable resources. They are from Australian Forestry Standard which oversees the operation of the Australian Forestry Certification Scheme (AFCS). The Scheme is made up to two Australian Standards, the Australian Standard for Sustainable Forest Management (AS4708) and the Australian for Chain of Custody for Certified Wood and Forest Products (AS4707). 


Companies that process, remanufacture and trade in wood and paper products can encourage sustainable forest management by purchasing and promoting their use of wood from certified forests.

Material Research: Cork

Features

• Cork is a sustainable product, that is both renewable and recyclable
• Resilient and durable to wear and tear 
• Cork trees are never cut down - they live more than 200 years
• Cork is the only tree that regenerates stripped bark 
• Water Resistant 
• Honeycomb structure makes it such a sturdy material
• Elasticity, Compressibility and Flexibility
• Thermal insulation

Difficulties

• Cleaning - can stain easily
• Frequent Maintenance
• As its popularity begins to grow, so do the prices  

Shop 'Til You Drop: The Crisis of Consumerism

Consumers within todays society now have so many things that trucks are necessary in the removalist process, there was a time when consumers could pack everything they owned into one car. This shift within society is due to the amount of products that are designed for todays consumers and new innovations that constantly being discovered. With innovation constantly growing, consumers are in the mindset that they NEED these new products, when in fact they are not a necessity. This want for new products has a growing impact on the environment in which is constantly in danger, as designers it is essential that this growth of innovation is considering our changing society. With so many new innovations it highlights the importance of using renewable materials, and sustainable processes as  throw-away products are continually creating waste.

The way products are marketed today are very effective in making consumers want every product on the market. Consumers rarely need all these products - this allows for a large future for society to provide products that create that necessity as well as providing that want, therefore making it a useful and well designed product. This will remove the fact that consumers purchase products purely for it just seeming to be 'cool' but also adding that multifunction of being useful and a necessity whilst also being sustainable.

Three take home messages:

1 .Consumption should be an expression of one self, to represent who you really are and not mass influence -  consumers feel a sense of inclusion to society if they have what everyone has.

2. With innovation constantly growing and consumers being influenced that they need these products, the importance for renewable and sustainable products is a constant necessity and consideration for designers.

3. Need of a product is rarely thought of for consumers, the way a product is marketed and targeted greatly affects the thought of necessity for consumers, majority of the time it is generally a want.

Concept Posters - Green Gifting

Weekly Progress Report

Matthew Holihan 
Matt liked my second concept the best, due to its multifunction. Although its a simple idea Matt believed it was quite an effective solution. Matt thought my third concept was weak compared to my other design solutions I presented him with.

Peter Calaitzopoulos
Ideas for my first concept of making the frames different shapes and sizes inside the actual jigsaw pieces eg. circular, so the person isnt restricted. Pete thought the second concept was strong, liked the idea of making it interactive for different uses. Thought my third concept was quite weak overall.

Feedback from Tutor
Preferred my first concept of the frames because it can be altered and changed to fit each individual user, just need more concepts and ideas on how these can be mounted and more research into materials. Also more work on a focused target market because it will give the product more meaning and more emphasise on its value as a gift.
My second concept wasnt as strong, could be developed into making them have a scent when heated up? Needs more design consideration.
My third concept was very weak as my material didnt consider the weight of what it had to support, not a very strong idea overall.

Lessons from other Tutors
Try and think of a product that will allow a user to constantly want or need to interact with, therefore creating that emotional connection

JPEGs: J Hooks with Handy Pegs

I love the simplistic and effective design of this product. Inspired by the classic wooden clothes peg, these hooks can manage just about anything from your keys to coats and bags. Each Jpeg come with powerful magnets so you can put them on your fridge to hang an oven mit or apron. These would be useful for almost any type of person it has such a broad area of use.

Peer Review

1. Matthew Holihan

http://mattholihan.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/rationale-socially-responsible-packagin.html?showComment=1366182809469

2. Rebekah Fraser

http://rebekahnfraser.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/final-studio.html#comment-form

3. Bryce Beard

http://brycebeard.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/rationale.html?showComment=1366188286337

4. Steven Poyser

http://stevenpoyser.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/assessment-1-submission.html?showComment=1366189065109

5. Alexander Chittenden

http://alexanderchittenden.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/the-driveway-blend-rationale.html?showComment=1366189544115

It is not that children are hungry - they are starving for what they need to grow and thrive, they are MALNOURISHED. This reduces the mental ability and immune systems of children - this increases the risk of dying from common diseases, and increases the amount of children that drop out because they cant remember what they are learning. They receive Corn Soy Blend from the US but it is not the right kind of food that children need to provide a solid amount of nutrients for children and babies growth.

Vac Forming Moulds

After creating my paper moulds and liking the idea of being able to take apart each portion, I later came up with an idea to have each of the portion lids and bases to be able to fit into each other almost like lego pieces. I now went onto making my moulds for these so I can vac form them for my final product.

Trial Models

With my enitial solution and first paper models I wanted to create something that was fun for kids, had the correct portion sizes and was easy for palletisation.

I found this solution solved most of these although I then thought that the way they all connected could be improved more so that each portion could be disconnected and either saved for later or the actual packaging could be used for future storage of items.