My Manifesto

Sustainable Design

I bought bin bags the other day from Sainsbury's, and when I opened them I saw this was written on the bags:

I thought that was amazing! This is one example of sustainable design.


I am now going to talk about a sustainable design I have read about recently. Its name is Seabin, and was developed by two Australians. Seabin is an automated rubbish bin that catches floating rubbish, oil, fuel and detergents. It was designed for floating docks in the water of marinas, private pontoons, inland waterways, residential lakes, harbours, water ways, ports and yacht clubs. Those are the perfect places for mother nature to bring the rubbish that Seabin will catch.

Below are the goals of the Seabin project. I have highlighted the words I believe demonstrate sustainability.  

• To help rid the oceans of plastics and pollution.
• To create Seabins from the most sustainable materials and processes available.
• To have the lowest carbon footprint possible in the production of the Seabins by means of alternative materials and processes. Also by reducing shipping and having the Seabins manufactured in the countries of installation.
• To create and support local economies with the production, maintenance and installation of the Seabins world wide.
• To educate people and cultures about being more responsible with the use and disposal of plastics.
• To convert our captured plastics into energy.
• To reuse or recycle our Seabins for other uses and or applications.

   

The 4 Design Orders

The orders of design correspond to the areas in which design applies. The orders of design are the following:

1) Symbol: communication with symbols and images

2) Object: the design of artefacts (i.e. engineering, architecture and mass production)

3) Action: activities and services

4) Thought: the design of the environments and systems within which all the other orders of design exist. It is the understanding of how these systems work.

These four orders relate to the disciplines graphic design, industrial design, interaction design and system design.

The Role of Advertisement

Advertising is a business tool to showcase products or services. Advertising is everywhere. We see hundreds of ads everyday, sometimes without realising it. Advertising is part of our daily life and plays the four following roles :

1. Marketing role – Advertising aims to satisfy the consumer needs and wants through goods and services.

2. Communication Role – Advertising focuses on mass communication to inform potential customers about the launch of new products or services.

3. Economic Role – Advertising plays a big part in the price elasticity of products and services.

4. Societal Role – Advertising shows what’s trendy in society and what could be the next big thing.

Ambient media (or guerrilla marketing) means placing ads on unusual items or in unusual places. I think this strategy is very efficient, for I believe people pay more attention to the unusual than to the usual. Potential customers experience the idea of the new product or service more directly than just seeing a poster advertisement. Below are a few instances of ambient media found online:

24 Images

The skin has many tones...

I choose to take photographs of the human skin because I think it is so beautiful and rich in different tones, patterns and textures. The veins resemble hills or rivers, and each freckle is unique in its shape.

This is a tribute to the beauty and subtlety of the human skin. 

P.S: I am aware that there is no variety in my photos in terms of skin colour; I only photographed myself and my partner, both white. I would love one day to take pictures of other skin colours to add to this project :)

The Role of Packaging

Packaging was initially created to protect product integrity. This includes protection during shipping/storing; prevention from dust and oxidisation; and conservation of fresh flavor and taste. 

However, today the focus turned to manufacturing products which are easy to carry, striking in appearance, and easier to use. 

Furthermore, not only has packaging become a part of the product itself, but it also supports our lifestyles by enhancing convenience (i.e. the ability to consume products at any time and place).

Packaging plays a crucial role in marketing, because a correct packaging can set a brand apart from its competitors. In fact, packaging is even more important than advertising!

 Green packaging

I choose an example of a green packaging in order to explain what it is. The project is called Happy Eggs and was developed by polish designer Maja Szczypek. Happy Eggs is a packaging concept for eggs that uses sustainable materials and production methods.

The packaging is made of heat-pressed hay and recalls the natural habitat of eggs: nests. Plus, hay is a natural, quickly growing and renewable material.

Two Artists with Strong Ethics

1.Vik Muniz

Vik Muniz is a Brazilian artist whose work depicts social and political issues. I will take one of his projects - Wasteland - as an example illustrating Muniz's aims as an artist.

Wasteland is a 2010 documentary filmed in the world's largest garbage landfill, located in Brazil. Muniz works with poor marginalised people who pick the refuse, a job that is crucial in remediating modern culture's overconsumption and careless disposal. Together with the garbage pickers, Muniz creates art out of recycled materials, which he photographs and then put in auction. 

Muniz returns 100% of the proceeds to the subjects so they can improve their labor union to educate and protect the workers of the landfill. The artworks stand as testimony that art can indeed change lives in small and great ways.

2. Liu Bolin

Liu Bolin is a Chinese artist famous for his series of images entitled Hiding in the City, in which he literally paints himself into urban scenes. Camouflage, in the animal world, is used as an adaptive tool to protect against predatory attacks. Bolin declares that his art is a protest against the actions of the Chinese government, who is known for censoring their artists. 

Bolin’s camouflage photographs denounce the censorship and oppression contemporary artists are often confronted with in China. 

Alphabet

I created my alphabet with water on a red surface. The result is a creepy-looking collection of letters, liquid and resembling blood. Good for horror movies...