Peer Comments for Upcycled Utility

Peer Comments for Project 2:
1: Doug Cusack: http://dougcusack-ides1031.blogspot.com/2011/10/project-two-upcycled-utility-box.html?showComment=1318850408553#c1364510018485120161

2: Cherrie Fillisia: http://cf-indesign.blogspot.com/2011/10/project-2-upcycled-utility.html?showComment=1318916077928#c4040459178847630025

3: Max Glanville: http://maxglanvillez3333044.blogspot.com/2011/10/up-cycling-poster_17.html?showComment=1318916490688#c533080288971680834

4: Sarah Howard: http://sarahoward1031.blogspot.com/2011/10/upcycling-utility.html?showComment=1318916842612#c4308672264322939637

5: Lizhaozhao:  http://lizhaozhao3329407.blogspot.com/2011/10/light.html?showComment=1318917070263#c4520852876182038534

Project 2: Upcycled Recycling

 Rationale

Project Two: Upcycled Utility

By Luke Messina

Throughout this project the exploration between industrial design and ecological sustainability has been a major issue as the environment and the minimization of solid waste into the environment is something that needs to be reduced dramatically if we want to preserve our future. 

My whole design of this upcycled utility was based on organic forms and nature. My poster was made up of a multitude of colours and from the beginning my idea was to use these colours in a way that my design can put emphasise on the beauty and elegance in nature that surrounds us all. For example, the long elegant curl of the design seems to copy the curl of a plant opening its branches and stems in summer and the varying colours throughout the design reflects the different shades of colours that you see when flowers bloom. 

Even though my inspiration gave me a few good ideas, I needed to somehow come up with a way to make my design minimize solid waste generation and be flatpacked into an Australian Post box (standard size). To start off, I experimented with a number of easy ways this type of material could join together through the use of folding and cutting and after a variety of models come up with a way to secure my strips of plastic together onto the frame, while still allowing movement within the design. Each strip is cut in the centre with a (X) and when fitted onto a round bamboo frame provides enough friction to stay in any place it is put, but is still able to be moved in a variety of different ways, depending on the user and their interests. The quality and strength of the material used is shown through the way each strip is held together and when the lamp is fully assembled, an elegant shape is formed by both the sharp edges and the curved shape.

Overall, I used about 55% of the material given to me, and although 45% of that material was not used it should not be classified as ‘wastage’ as it could have a variety of other uses. For example, the leftover material could be used partly for packaging, or could be included in my postage box as spare parts just in case a strip of plastic is damaged. Although I made my model by hand, it could however be mass produced using CNC (Computer Numerical Control) to cut the plastic sheet into strips. Although it says in the brief to consider your product and mass manufacturing, I do not believe that this would be the best option as mass manufacturing would have an even bigger impact on the environment, when the whole point of this project is to minimize solid waste generation.

In conclusion, the process of design in this product was constantly evaluated each week with the help of others, and I believe that this had a significant impact on the final design of this product which, in the end, will significantly increase the success of my product if it ever landed on the open market. 

Heroshot:

Cutting Diagram:

Overall I only used about 55% of the material, the wastage was 45% however, it could be used for other things, including packaging, back up strips for my lamp etc. Scale is 1:5, so the estimated dimensions of the poster was 1220x1840.... therefore in scale the size of the poster is 244x368 and i used a section which measures 204x232, so when a multiply them and subtract my wastage = 47%.


User Instructions:

Flatpacked:

Other Photos:

R.I.P Steve Jobs