C4 Create innovative and functional designs.
Initial knowledge/skills rating **
September 2011
Working as an engineer is certainly about designing functional products but innovative, what exactly does that mean? What is the difference between innovative and inventive and is that an actual word? Where is my Ipod and the dictionary apps?
Innovative – adjective - being or producing something like nothing done or experienced or created before.
Innovativeness – noun – originality by virtue of introducing new ideas.
Inventive – adj – (used of person or artefacts) marked by independence and creativity in thought or action.
Inventiveness – noun – the power of creative imagination.
All right, I could say my work is innovative but um I still don’t feel confident…… I need to think on this one. I need to question why I do not class my work as innovative.
Innovative – adjective - being or producing something like nothing done or experienced or created before.
Innovativeness – noun – originality by virtue of introducing new ideas.
Inventive – adj – (used of person or artefacts) marked by independence and creativity in thought or action.
Inventiveness – noun – the power of creative imagination.
All right, I could say my work is innovative but um I still don’t feel confident…… I need to think on this one. I need to question why I do not class my work as innovative.
Wednesday 26th Oct ***
Following our critic with Dean and Bhav it became clear to me that to design something unlike something else you could buy on the market is to design something that is original and unique. I think in my own mind I have never rated anything I have designed because to me it is not an invention worthy of a patent. I guess I have been confusing the meaning of the word ‘invent’ with the word 'design'.
To acknowledge the true definition of design enables me to give examples of my own designs. Which makes me feel more confident about my own abilities.
Following our critic with Dean and Bhav it became clear to me that to design something unlike something else you could buy on the market is to design something that is original and unique. I think in my own mind I have never rated anything I have designed because to me it is not an invention worthy of a patent. I guess I have been confusing the meaning of the word ‘invent’ with the word 'design'.
To acknowledge the true definition of design enables me to give examples of my own designs. Which makes me feel more confident about my own abilities.
Saturday 11th Feb
Design and Make Project
Bespoke Bedside Table
Like I said before I never think of my own design work as very innovative and maybe that is just a frame of mind. After all here is the bedside table I made for our Design and Make module. It looks very ordinary and functions very well as a standard bedside table accommodating ordinary bedside items like a clock radio at the level to my bed. It fits within the allotted space and has a style that blends with its surroundings. The cavity below the table top will store books and papers as I had wanted.
So at first glance it is not very innovative or is it?
So at first glance it is not very innovative or is it?
Sectional Storage
Just lift the lid to reveal a bespoke storage area for my arty items as well as more conventional items found on a bedside table such as tissues and some medical creams. I have difficulty being organised and will quickly misplace things I want. However if I have a dedicated home for things I can keep them tidy and organised more easily.
Sliding Shelf
The clock radio that needed to be removed before the lid could be opened can now be stored on the pull out shelf below. For extra stability the glass of water sinks into its own little hole preventing accidental spillage especially near electrical items.
Mood Lighting
In the lid I mounted two bespoke cast glass fish. At night the glass fish can be illuminated giving a gentle glowing light.
Colour Changing Glass Fish
Depending on the light setting used you can choose a white or coloured light or scroll through a rainbow of colours which change the colour of the fish; a very relaxing mood light.
Illuminations!
For brighter light just open the lid.
Pewter Jewellery Hooks
For the final piece of individuality, mounted on the side, are five cast pewter shells used to hang my jewellery on.
It is definitely functional without a doubt. I have definitely bought creative elements together in a way I have never seen before but I remain uncomfortable with the word innovative. Maybe it is just the way I was bought up where pride was considered sinful. I feel like I am having personal emotional difficulties accepting my own work rather than my own work not meeting the criteria of innovative.
I think it is time I asked other people what they think of what I do but the thought of that scares me!
I think it is time I asked other people what they think of what I do but the thought of that scares me!
Systems and Control Project
Electronic spider money box
My next design is my spider money box I made for my Systems and Control project. Although unique by virtue of a one off design, a moneybox is nothing new.
With eyes that flash every time a pound coin is added and a tune is played every fifth pound coin, this spider is different from anything I have seen before.
I do however want to carry out some modifications that will improve the function of the spider money box. At the moment the power supply is outside the spider. I designed the spider to house a 3v cell battery. Unfortunately I discovered cell batteries do not drive pic chips. Also the spider is fragile and comes apart too easily.
I plan to cut a web to mount the spider on giving more strength to the overall assembly and provide housing for a 3AA battery pack. To use 3AA batteries instead of two will give a longer life before the batteries need to be changed. To do this I must also change the resistors attached to the LEDs for those with a higher value.
I plan to cut a web to mount the spider on giving more strength to the overall assembly and provide housing for a 3AA battery pack. To use 3AA batteries instead of two will give a longer life before the batteries need to be changed. To do this I must also change the resistors attached to the LEDs for those with a higher value.
Saturday 11th February 2012 ****
So is my work innovative or not?
I have decided my work is functional and meets criteria for being innovative and yet I still have difficulty accepting it! If I am going to confidently teach about innovation I must be secure in my understanding of the meaning. It is one thing being unfair to myself out of a comfortable habit but it is quite another passing on those insecurities. I am going to be brave and seek the opinions of others starting with my family and working onto my peers at university. Maybe a questionnaire.
My husband agrees technically my work is innovative. My daughter supplied insight into the way I work generally. When I am introduced to a new material I like to find out what you can do with it and then try to apply it in new ways, pushing it to the limits producing work unlike anything I have seen before. This is true. She also pointed how often do I copy anything that I have made.This is a fair point.
So is my work innovative or not?
I have decided my work is functional and meets criteria for being innovative and yet I still have difficulty accepting it! If I am going to confidently teach about innovation I must be secure in my understanding of the meaning. It is one thing being unfair to myself out of a comfortable habit but it is quite another passing on those insecurities. I am going to be brave and seek the opinions of others starting with my family and working onto my peers at university. Maybe a questionnaire.
My husband agrees technically my work is innovative. My daughter supplied insight into the way I work generally. When I am introduced to a new material I like to find out what you can do with it and then try to apply it in new ways, pushing it to the limits producing work unlike anything I have seen before. This is true. She also pointed how often do I copy anything that I have made.This is a fair point.
My activity board
This is the activity board I have designed and made to be used by the pupils that attend Step by Step school for children with severe autism
My initial thoughts here were it is not very innovative. I was so severely restricted by the low abilities and disabilities of these children, that I felt my design was also severely restricted.
Throughout the design process I was continually learning about these children and with every new fact i learned new restrictions were imposed. Bright colours would distress the pupils as would sound, smell and moving lights. Designing for children with severe autism is nothing like designing for stereotypical children. They do not learn in the same way and they do not interact with the world in the same way either.
During our end of year show I voiced my opinion to Bhav stating it was just an activity board. Her comment was yes but I could have made it like every other activity board. She does have a point here it is nothing like all of the activity boards I found during my initial research
My initial thoughts here were it is not very innovative. I was so severely restricted by the low abilities and disabilities of these children, that I felt my design was also severely restricted.
Throughout the design process I was continually learning about these children and with every new fact i learned new restrictions were imposed. Bright colours would distress the pupils as would sound, smell and moving lights. Designing for children with severe autism is nothing like designing for stereotypical children. They do not learn in the same way and they do not interact with the world in the same way either.
During our end of year show I voiced my opinion to Bhav stating it was just an activity board. Her comment was yes but I could have made it like every other activity board. She does have a point here it is nothing like all of the activity boards I found during my initial research
Existing activity boards
I could not find the pictures that I used on my mood board on my computer so I just got one off the internet. I looked at the activity boards in catalogues. This was one I had seen. It was not until now that I realised just how different my activity board is. Mine is so much larger. I love the mix of bright colours but I know when I showed Mrs H the board I was assembling on my kitchen floor. I asked her what would have happened if I had used bright colours? She said at first the children would have been over excited, then distressed and finally their behaviour would become challenging and possibly violent. The school would not have used the board. It is lucky that I realised in time the significance of the effects of colour. I guess I look at my board and do not think it is very exciting but it does fill a need that is not met by existing activity boards.
I guess I need to separate the words beautiful and exciting from the word innovative in my head.
I am confident in creating functional designs and even competent. Just because i am uncomfortable about accepting the term innovative should I allow this to stop me claiming my final star? On a good day no.
Final skills rating *****
I guess I need to separate the words beautiful and exciting from the word innovative in my head.
I am confident in creating functional designs and even competent. Just because i am uncomfortable about accepting the term innovative should I allow this to stop me claiming my final star? On a good day no.
Final skills rating *****