Design For Good - Why don’t people switch off? @designforgoodfoundation - Tumblr Blog

Following on from research into Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, I have added a feature into my design which solves the problem of mobility. By adding a battery pack and wireless section onto the the side of the unit, I can allow users to simply unhook the device from the wall and walk around the house with it. This will allow them a new level of interactiveness as well as making it easier see energy usage. I have also added facilities for users to store their own notes by making the pick-up hole go all the way through the unit, allowing parents and other users to hold on to something paper instead of it being entirely digital.

#Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec

The 'Lianes' lights are designed to be entirely adjustable, and so maximise the use of lights and the accessibility to the user.

This is a really cool idea and I think the concept of giving the product maximum interactiveness and availability is something that I can try to include into my own designs as it is something that is likely to increase interest in the product and make it more attractive to users.

#Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec

Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec have been producing work at the 'Galerie Kreo' for over ten years, an arangement that has led to them using the gallery as a self confessed 'sketch pad'. This has recently led to the development of some very interesting lighting

- "The Lianes are interconnected lamps. The general idea behind the Lianes is to incorporate and unify all the elements of the lamp - from the long cables to the fixation points to the actual lit shell. In order to make this possible, every single interrelated element is covered with black or flesh-coloured leather - even the fixation points that allow the Lianes to be hung from the ceiling." - Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec

#Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec

Reworked Smart Meter designs using influence from Morag Myerscough's designs, which use large, bold type, often directly on to the surface.

This design also follows on from design changes made in response to the Barber Osbergy designs I have researched, which led to the more simplistic colouring and bright colour blocks which attract attention, making the product look sleeker and more professional.

Overall, I am much happier with this as an outcome and solution to the problem than I was with the old green one. This product looks a lot more finished and professional, as well as being more attractive to adults and parents, who are the people who would be actually buying the product.

It still provides a solution to the original issue, by telling the user how much electricity is being used, as well how much it is costing per hour, and comparing this to previous days and weeks. It can still be used by children, but is now less likely to just have switches played with by children (this was an issue brought up in the critique - that kids might just want to mess around with the switches because they were brightly coloured, and this could cause damage to the fuses) - with this new colouring, it is still visually attractive, but to a different audience, although the bright orange is still interesting to children. Now it has the interest to both kids and parents, as well as being noticeable enough to encourage conversation and enquiry from guests, possibly leading to extra sales.

A selection of work from Myerscough studios

Lots of the work here is very bold type, printed/painted directly on to walls - this is something that seems to be very effective - it has a certain element of simplicity, but at the same time the type is a very neat and technical stencil - it has curved edges and no serifs to make it easier to read quickly when it is very large and up on a wall. If this is something I can translate onto my Smart-Meter, then it could have a much more striking effect.

#morag myerscough

Morag Myerscough talking about her interests in design and what makes her a designer - an interesting description and something I have to explore in relation to my project - how does someone else go about solving a problem and what can I learn from this?

She has created models etc. to work through and help explain her idea to clients - A model could help me explain and give a better presentation at the critique

#morag myerscough

Morag Myerscough is the multi-award winning creator of Studio Myerscough.

#morag myerscough

A new, smarter and sleeker smart meter inspired by BarberOsgerby's colour block designs.

I think this new design is a lot more visually pleasing than before - It would look more at home in a smart, designer or minimalist kitchen. Maybe it would require a change of target audience from children to adults (Young professionals, maybe?) but to me this new design gives a much cleaner and more trendy kind of look which I really like.

Barber Osbergy - designs

Very simplistic and stylish - can this inform my designs and help me create a solution to the problem?

I really like the simplicity of the products, and the blocks of colour seem very aesthetically pleasing - can I use this in my own work? currently the designs for the smart meter use a range of colours, but is this too much? the effectiveness here is obvious - I will try and experiment with different colouring on the smart meter.

#Barber Osgerby

Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby are the pair of designers who have become world-famous for their design of the Olympic torch for London 2012, as well as the winners of numerous design awards internationally.

#Barber Osgerby

An attempt to visualise reflective lighting alongside the smart meter model - the results are interesting, and I think they are visually very effective - maybe, with some development, I could start to create house sets, where the smart meter can come with suggested additions. I could look into creating something influenced by the Tom Dixon design, but with more of an emphasis on energy saving.

#Tom Dixon

This is a much simpler and possibly more effective solution to the problem - If a light is surrounded by a reflective surface, but reflecting the outside instead of the light-bulb, then will it make the light more noticeable? as well as being interesting, this design offers viewers a chance for reflection in reality, as well a reflection in thought as to what their own energy consumption habits are.

Maybe this is the equivalent of the fun theory, for adults? if we make something visually attractive, is it more likely to make us learn/think?

"The British designer wanted to combine energy efficiency with the round design that people love about the incandescent. The quick start 25-watt T5 bulb is Dixon‘s own creation, and the standard E27 thread allows it to be used a wide range of light fittings. The bulb is great by itself, but it can also be used as part of three new chandeliers Dixon designed. The wide conical shape is similar to other lights Dixon has created, as is the light-enhancing reflective backing."

The use of mirrors here is something that I think can be looked into as a means to supply more light using still the same amount of bulbs - as well as the visual presence - it poses the question of whether i want to focus on a practical solution to the problem at hand, or a more decorative and thought provoking solution.

#Tom Dixon

Tom Dixon - Jack Light

I think this product actually steps outside of its original purpose as a designer lamp and actually could work for my project - if I change the physical appearance of the light, then there is more awarness of the fact that the light is on, and therefore more incentive to turn it off when you leave

#Tom Dixon

In response to the incandescent ban, designer Tom Dixon created an over-sized energy efficient light bulb.

Tom Dixon designs lighting and has 'a commitment to innovation' - Hopefully by studying some of his work i can see if there is a way I can directly address the problem - by changing the actual lighting/ discovering a way of reducing energy consumption in the home without actually changing peoples consumption habits.

#Tom Dixon

I really like this one - it is simple, and the colours help to emphasise the message - I am thinking of using this as part of a selection of products to go along with the smart meter - a series of posters to stick around the home etc.

Better than the last one - nice and bold, easy to read

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Design For Good - Why don’t people switch off?