Mega Factories

Mega Factories

IKEA has about 300 stores in 36 countries. It also includes 42 distribution centers and around 100 suppliers. These "mega factories" were create to keep up with the incredibly high demand of consumers across the world. Their chipboard products are the most produced and consumed good in IKEA. They have factories dedicated to producing a single type of product such as dressers. The amount of material they use in each of these facilities is hard to grasp and the production machines are equally as crazy. After visiting IKEA in Kansas City, I was able to see that a majority of their products are made out of chipboard that came from these facilities.

Waste= Food

Waste= Food

In the movie Waste= Food, companies like Rohner Textile, Nike and Herman Miller give us hope in a world where environmental waste is second to consumer goods.  We have already gotten a glimpse into Asia's horrible waste problem in The Electronic Wasteland but the facts presented in this film adds more to the shameful, wasteful material society we live in. Luckily, these companies have taken charge of environmental issues and hope to expand awareness to minimize waste in the future.

Rohner Textiles re-formulated there dyes after they realized the harm they were causing. Their dyes are non completely non-toxic and actually clean the water. They also decided to give their textile waste to farmers by forming it into felt that can be used for crops. These solutions benefit the the environment as well as the company and their image.

Nike aims to eliminate all of their waste by 2020. This is huge for a company of this size. Their new philosophy is that they design to dis-assemble. This allows them to reuse a majority of materials from old shoes that are recycled. They have also developed a new line of shoes that is completely reusable. Although it lacks aesthetic qualities at the moment, it is a major step in protecting our environment.

Herman Miller also decided to take part in the environmental push. Like Nike, they decided to focus on easy dis-assembly and replacement parts. They also changed their product facility to be environmentally friendly. They use natural light and air flow to reduce their production costs and keep their facility green.

This was an inspiring documentary and it was nice to see that some people are doing to the right thing for the environment. They showed us that there are great solutions that can be implemented into even the largest manufacturers in the world.

Chapter 3: Design and Designing

Chapter 3: Design and Designing

Chapter 3 gave us insight on the design process organization. It talked about ideation, iteration, and design details. This process is what we have been using for all of our projects in industrial design and seems pretty straight forward. The chapter also went into detail about the importance of inspiration in design and having resources we can use to benefit our own design products. I really want to start taking advantage of my resources here at the University of Kansas. I have heard many times that the Spencer Museum library has awesome design and architectural resources free for us to use but I have only been there once this year. I have also heard this advice from many speakers at hallmark symposium including the last industrial designer Vivian Beer who messes with many different materials and processes. 

El Dorado

El Dorado Inc. Field Trip

This was an extremely brief field trip and we received very little information about their technologies. Though the lecture about being on time was completely unnecessary, he did give some good advice about what we should be doing as current design students. 

Who they are: Hybrid architecture in KC, MO. Their design + build philosophy means that el dorado acts as both the architect and the general contractor.

Products: Commercial, residential, civic, institutional, public art and industrial studios

Markets: Offices, art projects, architectural commissions, charity work

Materials: Concrete, composite ( building insulations), wood, electrical systems, plaster, cement, ceramic, tile, metals, plastics.

Forming Technology: Testing prototypes downstairs

Cutting Technology: Hot wire cutter for cutting foam, circle saw, band saw

Joining Technology: Rivets, nails, bolts

Finishing Technology: Sanding

Hallmark

Hallmark Field Trip

The Hallmark manufacturing plant was also located in Lawrence. This place was massive as I had expected. I have driven by the facility many times and have always wondered what their process was like and if we would ever visit them. Luckily we got to for our final field trip this semester.

Who they are: Greeting card manufacturing facility

Products: Greeting cards and envelopes

Markets: Retail

Materials: Paper, Ink, wood, rubber, flitter, clay-coated boxes

Forming Technology: Machine Folding, laser cut card press, melting, screen printing

Cutting Technology: Die cutting and laser cutting

Joining Technology: adhesive, stamps

Finishing Technology: Foil, puff print, flitter, glow in the dark, digital printing, tinting, silkscreen

Berry Plastics

Berry Plastics Field Trip

Berry Plastics was one of the largest manufacturing facilities we have seen this semester. They are conveniently located in Lawrence, Kansas. It was really cool seeing major companies such as Mcdonalds on their production line. A lot about this place reminded me of our Huhtamaki trip. 

Who they are: Berry Plastics is provides innovated packaging and protection solutions.

Products: Packaging, protection solutions, tapes, adhesives

Markets: household, personal care, beverage, food, healthcare

Materials: Plastics such as high density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene 

Forming Technology: Sheeting, Injection molding, thermoforming

Cutting Technology: Die cut, punch, 

Joining Technology: Molds

Finishing Technology: Labeling, Ink press labeling

Dimensional Innovations

Dimensional Innovations Field Trip

This company was the exact type of environment I had always imagined for an industrial designer. It is also the same type of environment I would wish to work in in the future. They were very professional but also friendly and relaxed. I really like their "idea factory" where we could get a sense of the type of products they have worked on and also see how they develop their ideas for products. Their sister company Shields Caseworks had some awesome products that really caught my eye as well. 

Who they are: DI is a design and fabrication studio whose factory, design development and marketing branches are all in the same building. They are based out of Kansas City. The company is composed of 6 disciplines: Brand, Design, Technology, Build, Launch, and Innovation.

What they do: Their umbrella of work encompasses theater and stadium development, branding, and product design among other things. 

Products & Services: Theaters, stadiums, businesses/brands, branding, product design, fabrication 

Markets: Colleges, stadiums, theaters, various businesses

Forming Technologies:SolidWorks, BrakeBender, 3D printing, general fabrication forming tools

Cutting Technologies: CNC router, High precision CNC, Shear, Laser cutter

Joining Technologies:Welding, Bolts

Finishing Technoloogies: Lighting options, texture, paint

Chapter 2: What Influences Product Design?

Chapter 2: What Influences Product Design?

Chapter 2 explains how today's design process is surrounded by 5 influences. The five influences are the market, technology and science, investment climate, environment and industrial design. 

The Market: Shows that it is desire rather than necessity that leads consumers to purchasing goods.  Every year, consumers desire better functionality and greater aesthetics for their products. However, a successful designer can and will create a need for some function or product before consumers know they need it. This allows the designer to create interest in something new rather than respond to a need by looking at the current market. 

Technology: Technology can greatly influence the design process although it is the least predictable influence by far. Innovations with science and technology can completely change design processes as well as materials whenever they come to be. They create a drive for designers to innovate and take advantage of new developments that open uncharted avenues of design. 

Investment Climate: Turning a design idea into a reality depends on investment as well. wanting to create a product that is innovative and necessary brings about confidence to investors. This is vital for product development and commercial production. These investments should also be backed by the protection from competition;retaining control of intellectual property such as trademarks and patents.

Environment: Sustainability is an important factor in the design process nowadays. Designers need to be aware of our environment and the effect our production has on it." Diminishing the quality of the world in which we now live and threatening the well-being of future generations." Designers must find a better way to solve these issues in the near future. Recycling has seen a rise in popularity among major production companies in recent years which is a great start to this major issue we are faced with. 

Industrial Design: Aesthetics has a huge impact on consumers. It can add beauty to something and create interest. Just because a product is highly functional does not always mean that product will be successful. A product must be designed with appeal as well as function for it to truly work. Industrial design plays a huge role in the consumption of products today. 

Chapter 1: Function and Personality

Chapter 1: Function and Personality

This introductory chapter basically explained how materials are a crucial part to consider when designing any product. Materials chosen can completely change the product itself whether that be it's function, production processes and costs, and the actual tactile feeling it has in someone's hands. For every design problem there is a material solution. There are thousands of materials out there and switching from one to another may greatly effect that given products success. Materials help with both products functionality as well as their personality. I think a great example of this is the Apple iPhone and Macbook Pro's. Image if these devices were constructed out of mainly plastic instead of their notorious stainless steel and and glass/plexiglass. They would lose their sleekness which would greatly effect both personality and functionality (strong, durable materials). to create a successful product like Apple has, it doesn't just have to function properly, it must be simple and convenient for the user and have a personality that "satisfies, inspires, and gives delight". This chapter also mentions how to build a brand from the inside out. The order of this list goes: material, product, packaging, identity, retail, digital, service, systems, organization and then brand itself. This is something that I will definitely keep in mind in the future. 

How it's made/ cell phone dissection

PCS Touchpoint tp2200 Phone Dissection

For this project we were asked to dissect and old cell phone and research the materials processes used to make the phone. I was able to find a very old cellphone at my house and began taking it apart. I was surprised at how well put together this phone. It was interesting to see how they can fit so many parts together and still have an only slightly thick cell phone. After completely seperating the parts, I researched the materials that made up this particular phone.  

Plastic Housing: Polycarbonate/ Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene

LCD: (Liquid Crystal Display) glass, Silicon dioxide, indium, polymier with liquid crystals

Keypad: Silicon Rubber

Keyboard and screen circuit board: fiberglass base, mined raw materials including copper, gold, lead, nickel, zinc, beryllium, tanalum, coltan and other metals. 

Copper Speaker

Battery: Litium Ion- contains lithium, nickel, cobalt, zinc and copper

The Electronic Wasteland

The Electronic Wasteland

Every year, thousands of expensive, perfectly functionable products ( including TVs, computers and cellphones)  are thrown out for the next best thing. Everyone now-a-days has to have the best of the best in their possession. What a lot of people don't realize is that these products they throw out are creating a literal electronic wasteland.  This 60 minutes special was meant to inform viewers about the problem this is causing and show them where all of this waste is ending up. We throw out approximately 130 thousand computers a day in the United States alone.  Devices such as computers contain many rare earth metals including gold and silver. They also contain dozens of chemicals that have been know to be very toxic when exposed to them. 60 Minutes decided to trace waste from here in the US to their final destination. This recycling event claims that all of their collected waste is recycled properly in the US and not dumped somewhere else. After tracing this waste that was shipped, they discovered that it was ending up in Asia to be broken down for those precious metals. I found this very shocking and frustrating that they are either completely lying about their promise or they are not committed to the cause enough to ensure that their waste is ending up where they think it is. When shown the wasteland in Asia you could see that the environment was a complete disaster. They were even trying to cover up what was happening there even though it is harming the people and the environment. This problem is only going to get worse if we don't educate ourselves more on this issue and don't get involved.

Potential Solutions:
 1. Create electronics that can be modified and added to over time. This would allow someone to hold on to a cellphone or computer for much longer.

2. Inform the general public more about the issue. They could include information on or with an electronic product that has been purchased so buyers can see what is happening.

3. Force large companies that are rapidly making these products to dispose of the waste themselves properly. If they keep producing things that we don't need to make millions of dollars off of them then they should have to pay the extra money to properly recycle their own materials.  

Materials: Metals

Materials: Metals

Ferrous: 
-Ferrous metals are magnetic. 
- Contains iron, produced and used in larger quantities, make up more than half of all metal consumption.

VS

Non Ferrous: 
-Non Ferrous metals are non-magnetic (exceptions of cobalt and nickel)

Alloy: 
-Alloys are hybrids of different metallic elements combined to enhance properties and reduce costs. 
-Steel is a good example of an alloy metal. 

Wrought iron/ Cast iron:
-Low cost structural material, heavy & soft that is relatively easy to form hot or cold. ---    ---Wrought iron contains less than 0.2% carbon and largely replaced by steel, traditionally used in architectural metalwork and fencing, useful in construction industry, high thermal conductivity, cast iron contains between 2-4% carbon.
-low to moderate costs.

Steel: 
-This is the most common metal. It is used for many industrial and domestic applications. 
-Carbon steel: low, medium, or high carbon content ranging.
-Low alloy steels are made up of iron, carbon and up to approx. 10% of other metals
-Stainless steels contain iron, less than 1% carbon, 10% chromium or more and other alloys and is resistant to errosion.


-4 main types of steel include: 
austenitic - ductile, strong, non-magnetic 
ferritic - less strong, magnetic, generally used indoors 
martensitic - hardest but least corrosion resistant
precipitation - hardens to high strength with moderate resistance.

- More than 3/4 steel production is carbon steel. Stainless steel are used mainly in decoration and functional applications.
-Cost fluctuates



Aluminium Alloys:
- Lightweight and conductive metal that is non toxic 
- Used in a range of decorative and functional applications. 
- Pure aluminum is ductile and has good strength to weight
- Used in a wide range of applications: packaging, drink cans, cooking equipment, planes, trains, ships, construction.
- Cost moderate to high.

Magnesium Alloys:
Better strength to weight than aluminum but more expensive. Often alloyed with aluminium, silicon, and zinc. Explosive especially in powder form. Bright flame used in pyrotechnics and flares. many applications are the same as aluminium. costs moderate to high.

Titanium Alloys:
- Alternative to aluminium and magnesium, limited to applications that demand high strength to weight and superior corrosion resistance. 
-Naturally occurring oxide that forms on the surface. 
-High costs

Zinc Alloys:
- They exhibit high resistance to corrosion 
- Low viscosity and a relatively low melting point. suited for casting, and forming small, bulk, sheet, complex, and intricate shapes. 
- Resistant to atmospheric corrosion. 
- Moderate costs.

Copper Alloys:
-Copper alloys are ductile, have a low melting point and are easy to form. 
-Copper develops a protective and decorative patina on its surface, changes color over time. efficient thermal and electrical conductor. considered hygienic, many bacteria neutralize when they come in contact with it. Brass is an alloy of copper and up to 40% tin. used for its conductive properties, electrical cables, heating elements. cost low to moderate.

Nickel Alloys:
- Mainly used for electroforming, electroplating and as an alloy in stainless steel. 
- Good resistance to oxidization and corrosion. 
- Moderate to high cost.

Lead and Tin Alloys:
- lead and tin alloys and pewter have low melting points. 
- efficient for casting, can produce high detail. 
- "white metals" are used in casting applications and often plated with another metal. 
- cost low

Precious Metals:
- silver is bright and highly reflective, has to be polished and or colored over often to keep its brightness. not an effective conductor. silver ions have antimicrobial properties. 
- gold is very soft and malleable and ductile, can be beaten into thin sheets, known as gold leaf. 
Pure gold is yellow, different colors are produced by varying the alloy content. 
Red or pink gold contains copper, white gold contains platinum, silver or zinc, purple gold contains a precise measure of aluminium, blue and black are also possible. the purity of gold is measured in carats, 24 is pure, 18 ct is 75%. 
-Platinum is the most rare and precious and most expensive, its hard, durable, ductile, resistant to corrosion by abrasion, oxygen and many chemicals. it is a good conductor and catalyst. costs high to very high. 

Huhtamaki

Huhtamaki

Huhtamaki is the leading manufacturer of consumer/specialty packaging. They have 12,800 employees worldwide and are headquartered in De Soto, Kansas. They make a massive 800 million in annual sales and have a total of 15 locations worldwide. This was the largest manufacturing company as well as facility I have been able to tour so far in Materials and Processes. Huhtamaki primarily uses paperboard, plastic resin, molded fiber and metals such as aluminum and carbon steel. This specific plant, founded in 1994, deals with paperboard since they primarily make cup stock. I learned that there is a lot more to making a simple cup. The paperboard has to be bleached white and is poly coated(LDPE) and clay coated for smoothness. A very thin layer also protects the ink that is applied.  Like Lawrence Paper Company, Huhtamaki also considered the environment and resourcefulness when making cups. They need durable materials that act as a good barrier but also need that material to break down over time. They recycle everything. The trimming, which we got to see,  are sucked through a giant vacuum and compacted together very tightly. They are then sent to a pulping facility within the company and reused to make more products. The process of making the cups in this facility was actually very interesting. We saw the sheeter which cuts rolls of paper and the 8 color printing press that copies the design onto the paper. The technology of this facility was amazing. I was fascinated with the system of tubes that launched cups through the air and all over the place. They also had suction box movers that allows employees to move boxes with out physically lifting them. Then there were the robots. This was the probably my favorite part of the tour. These self-driving robots were programs to work like forklifts and do a lot of the labor automatically.  This was a great experience and very eye opening.

Markets: Retail and consumer goods

Materials: paperboard (bleached white), plastic resins, molded fiber, metals and engineered plastics

Forming Technologies: Sheeting

Cutting Technologies: CNC router, dye cutting

Joining Technologies: Steam activated adhesives

Finishing Technologies: Industrial printing

Lawrence Paper Company

Lawrence Paper Company

Last week our class was able to visit Lawrence Paper Company's large facility. Since 1882 they have worked with companies of many different products to design, manufacture and deliver corrugated box and retail displays. Before we visited this manufacturer, I imagined it would be a fairly simple and boring tour since all they do is make boxes. I found out that there  is a lot more to it than that and I was pretty surprised at all the work that goes in to making these boxes and displays. Some of the most impressive things on this tour were the rate at which they can create their boxes with a large assembly line and their insane amount of custom dies they make in-house to create the perfect box that is required. The company is also very resourceful and considers the environment with every process they go through. I liked that they created customizable boxes that can easily be altered when placed in a store in order to save paper, money and time. There was also a very impressive Engico machine that was extremely large and able to make a box from start to finish. This machine is 1 of 4 machines ever made and the only one to be located in the United States.

Products: Box packaging and displays, retail and market

Markets: Hallmark, Wishbone, over 15 thousands accounts

Materials: Corrugated Cardboard, paper and dye

Cutting Technologies: CNC router, rotary dye cutter

Forming Technologies: Flexor Folder/Gluer by Falcon

Finishing Technologies: Dye/ Tinting, rod coater for finsihing

Joining Technologies: Flexor by Falcon and cornstarch based adhesive

Design and Thinking

Design and Thinking

Within the first five minutes of this documentary I was already getting great tips from professional designers". Don't fall in love with your first design. Keep exploring past that one idea." I think this is a really important point, especially for me. I am definitely guilty of this from time to time. I end starting a project an focusing all of my attention on one of my first ideas instead of furthering my exploration. Doing so could lead me to something that is even greater. This documentary also made a point that" every idea has a material solution". I had never thought about all the possible solutions to design problems until I started exploring those solutions when stuck on a project. I have yet not find a material solution and can assume that I never will in the future. This documentary made some really good points and it was great to see design companies like the Mission Bike Company explain their goals and strategies with design and thinking. 

Sketches of Frank Gehry

Sketches of Frank Gehry

Frank Gehry is a world famous architect who is known for his "paper-architecure". He decides to create many, many sketch models using paper to create his ideas before they are finalized and commissioned. I was very impressed with his spontaneous, somewhat crazy ideas that other architects would not be able to pull off. He stays open-minded when looking at design. This allows him to create some of the best architecture the world has seen, including the Guggenheim museum and the Ray and Maria Stata center in Cambridge. I have never been one for making a lot of models because sometimes I feel like it could be a waste of time. After watching an expert architect mess around with paper for a long time, I think I changed my mind. This video showed me that experimentation is key with design. 

Zahner

Zahner

When I first arrived at Zahner, I was immediately impressed by the scale of their architectural projects they worked with. Just sitting outside was a massive prototype that took up nearly a whole parking lot. It is hard to grasp the scale of things that are placed on top of buildings and such until you are standing right next to them. That was definitely a first for me. Zahner is a local architectural and metal fabricating company that has been around for nearly 115 years. They primarily use zinc, copper, steel, aluminum and most non composite metals. To cut they're metal they use an extremely powerful water jet than can slice through thick metal without a problem. They have chimbo punch that allows them to create and patent they're own designs in the metal. They also have common CNC routers and laser cutters. They actually used rivets to attach most of they're metals together which surprised me at first. Before we started the Light/Lite/Structure/Skin project I did not see rivets being used often. This was the largest manufacturing company I have been able to see so far and enjoyed the visit in Kansas City.

Materials: Titanium, steel, zinc, copper

Forming: Punch and finger breaker

Cutting: Water jet and shears

Joining: Joints, rivets

Finishing: Polish, oxide

Show & Tell/ How It's Made

Show & Tell/ How It's Made

Our first assignment for Materials and Processes was to select an object of our choice and research how it was made from a raw material into a finished product. I chose to research the standard pencil because it's a tool that pretty much everyone uses and needs but I had yet to know how exactly it came to be made. As you already know, pencils are primarily used for writing and drawing. 

There are hundreds of companies that manufacture pencils worldwide but one of the biggest in the United States currently is Dixon. Pencils are constructed using cedar wood, graphite, glue to hold the graphite, synthetic rubber, aluminum to hold the eraser, paint and sometimes foil stamps. 

It was interesting to discover that pencils originally start as large blocks of cedar. They are then sliced accordingly to create a sheet divided into ten square pencils. these divided sections have been cut in half, filled with graphite and then glued back together. They are then shaped into the form we know and use. The next step is attaching the rubber eraser, painting the wood and finally stamping the side with foil lettering. After watching this entire process, I realized how effect the steps were for mass producing such a product. 

Matthias Pliessnig

Matthias Pliessnig

Pliessnig is an industrial designer who specializes in making boats, wall panels and benches by steam bending wood.  Pliessnig's market includes business lobbies, schools, hospitals and hotels.  Steam bending requires many years of experimentation and testing to perfect. I was very impressed with his persistence with experimentation with such a tedious thing to work with throughout the years. He uses light oak wood as his primary wood to do this. This wood is cut, bent, sanded and put together using copper rivets and many clamps. It is then sanded and polished. 

This was definitely one of my favorite speakers at Hallmark Symposium. I found his forms and use of steam bending really interesting and also inspirational. It was great to see a unique use of material and process in industrial design. This was the first time I have seen something like this and I'm excited to see what he will take on in the future. 

 

Star Signs

Star Signs

Star Signs, LLC provides custom fabrication and installation of commercial signs, large architectural signage and graphics products. They provide complete project management to ensure the success of each project. In design and fabrication, Stars balance issues of design, technology, quality and cost to ensure they fulfill the expectations and vision of their customer.

They primarily use aluminum when creating signs but try to work with whatever the client wants like acrylic and digital signage.  Some of their unique materials include:
• Custom steel mesh and steel fabrication
• Custom patinas and faux finishes
• Stone and masonry
• Custom illumination

Like Reuter Organ Company, Star signs uses a CNC Router to easily cut out complex shapes and patterns. They form their signs using primarily a roller press and join parts together by welding and using adhesives. They have options to either paint, texturize or add lighting to finish the sign. 

Their work can be found all over Kansas City and various places across the country. They have worked with some of the biggest companies in the area including the main Boulevard Brewery Sign and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art entrance signage, both pictured below. Some of their other work includes : Legends Shopping Center, Kauffman Stadium wayfinding, JQH Arena wayfinding, Atchison, KS Hospital Directory and many more.

Boulevard Brewery

The Nelson-Atkins Museum

I was surprised at the range of signage they were capable of doing for a single company. Their work ranged from LED lighting to video signage. We were able to see large scale exterior signage as well as small scale interior wayfinding and graphics while touring their warehouse. 

CNC Router

Reuter Organ Company

     

Reuter Organ Company

Since 1917, Reuter Organ Company has been making, reconditioning, refurbishing and upgrading custom pipe organs in Lawrence, Kansas. Every part of these organs are made and put together in one warehouse, making it one of only four remaining organ companies worldwide to do the same. Reuter makes organs of many sizes for churches, schools and concert halls. Each organ consists of 61 pipes      (made out of copper, zinc, tin and led) as well as exterior and interior wood ( poplar, basswood and whatever the customer wants). Reuter goes through 12,000 pounds of led and tin a year for their more common smaller organs. It was interesting to find that the keys are made out of cow bones and the valves either used goat, sheep or kangaroo skin. Pipes were first cast on a stone table that would then be shaped and cooled. They also had a high-tech CNC router that could be programmed to cut difficult and large shapes. The only thing that Reuter has assistance with is all the electrical components that are installed towards the end of development. The average organ takes about 12 weeks from start to finish. This was a great experience for me. It is the first time I have been able to observe a complex product in production from start to finish

.

Completed Book

This is my complete Shaping Design book. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Being in Industrial Design, I wasn't quite sure I would enjoy this project. Though looking back on it, it was an enjoyable experience. The hardest part with this project was definitely the printing process. Besides that it went pretty smoothly and I feel that my finished product is well crafted. 

My Book Jacket

Final Jacket Design

Full Jacket

Final Cover Page and Contents Page

Shaping Design

Final Jony Ive Spreads

Jonathan Ive: Designing Tomorrow

Jonathan Ive

Jonathan Ive serves as the Senior Vice President of Design at Apple Inc. Ive, with the help of his design team, is responsible for the exceedingly popular products we use today. His iconic designs range from the iMac computer to the beloved iPhone.  Ive has influenced many industrial designers over the years and is recognized as one of the best designers in the world. 

Ive was born in Chingford, London in 1967. As a boy, he became curious as to how things worked.  In the book Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products, Ive says     “As a kid, I remember taking apart whatever I could get my hands on. Later, this developed into more of an interest in how they were made, how they worked, their form and material” (Kahney). Ive eventually studied industrial design at Newcastle Polytechnic where he developed his skills and his unique style. His career began after college when he co-founded a design company called Tangerine. This design consultancy developed many different products including power tools and televisions. In 1992, Apple offered Ive a job in the United States where he would work closely with their co-founder Steve Jobs. Their first project together was the creation of the iMac computer that resulted in record-breaking sales and unprecedented recognition. Since then, Ive has been the head of design for all of the products Apple has to offer.  

Jonathan Ive has been recognized with a vast amount of design awards over the course of his career with Apple. In 2003, he was named Designer of the Year by Design Museum London. In 2007, he received a National Design Award in the product design category for his work with the iPhone. His Apple designs are also permanently displayed in collections of museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern art in New York as well as Pompidou in Paris.

One of the most recognizable aspects of his designs is the shear simplicity of his products. Ive approaches design with a minimalist attitude. The result is a sleek product that appeals to millions.  Apples four main products, the iPhone, iMac, iPod and iPad, all incorporate the same uncomplicated, straightforward forms that at the same time are remarkably well made. Ive pays a great deal of attention to every little aspect of his work. When asked what it is that distinguishes the products he designs, Ive replies “Perhaps the decisive factor is fanatical care beyond the obvious stuff: the obsessive attention to details that are often overlooked” (Richmond).  It will be interesting to see what lies ahead for this innovative designer as he continues his revolutionary work with Apple. He has inspired many and will continue to do so in the future.

Final Speaker

Final Speaker

This was probably my favorite project so far in BDS. I was really happy with how my final vessel turned out and I had fun throughout the process of designing and making it. Though it did take many hours in the shop and brainstorming I definitely feel it was well worth it. I think I succeeded in creating a great speaker while designing it to the simplicity of the iPhone. The most difficult thing for me during this project was being confident in my cutting with the band-saw and worrying too much about making a mistake. After seeing my final vessel I realized I did most everything very well. If I could do this project again I would have utilized the architecture wood shop more in order to get more one-on-one time. I felt that we did not get much help in the design wood shop and we were pretty much on our own. This project was really beneficial for me and made me excited for future projects I will get to work on in the industrial design program.