Backstory: A singer, Shannon, found out from the doctor that she is slowly losing her sense of hearing. However, she has a very important performance coming up soon. That performance marks her debut as a singer. She waited very long for it and wants to do it very badly and so she tries to hide her condition from others.
Character:
Independent, high self-esteem, perfectionist. A talented singer who dreams to be famous.
Scenario: The scenario starts in the studio where Shannon is practicing for the performance as usual and her instructor, Dave, slowly starts to notice something unusual about her voice and tune. As Dave eventually finds out about her condition. He suggested for her to lip sync for that performance. Being a girl with high self-respect, she refuses.
During the last lecture, we were introduced to 3 main nodes that influence the aesthetics or “form” of a product:
Function. Human factor. Emotion.
How different people’s opinion about a product may be influenced by certain associations that are important to them, such as: – How useful it is – How comfortable it is
– Whether it provides a link with their past etc.
Function.
In my opinion, I think that a functional based product is something that compromises on the physical beauty or even the user’s comfort and focuses more on the product’s functionality and practicality. An example of this would be medical equipment such as an ultrasound machine.
Ultrasound machine An ultrasound machine is a product that requires a certain knowledge in order to use and it is used to see internal body structures through the application of ultrasound. It is mostly used to find the source to an illness or examine pregnant women. I think that products which are used in safety-critical situations such as an ultrasound machine are where aesthetics may never predominate. The designing process would be more on “how it works” instead of “how it looks like”.
Human factor.
I would say that a product that is more human-centered would be one that provides comfort that fits their target market and prioritizes user’s experience. For example, a baby stroller which is designed for both the parents and the baby.
Bob Revolution Flex Stroller
Baby stroller I think a well-designed baby stroller takes into consideration both the comfort of the baby and the parent.They would provide ergonomic features such as ultra padded seats and shock absorbent head pad for a fragile baby, height adjustable handle bar for the parents, high-impact polymer composite wheels, etc. In this case, the designing process focuses more on fulfilling the comfort and convenience of the target users.
Emotion.
I think that a product that focuses on the emotional factor is one that leaves an impact on the user, and makes them feel good. One example I could think of is the classic rubber ducky.
Rubber ducky The ubiquitous yellow rubber ducky is something that probably everyone is familiar with and has a long history since the 1970s till today. The product is eye catching and provides a soothing presence for toddlers during bath time. This childhood toy evokes a sense of playfulness in everyone, creates good memories and fulfills emotional satisfaction.
All in all, different products comes with a different purpose and target market, I think that as a designer, we should learn to differentiate and consider all these three components that influence the aesthetics of the product from the start of the designing process and hopefully strike a balance between all of them.
Felting Relying on wool’s ability to mat and tangle to create a stable fabric.
“Felt is one of the oldest known textiles because it is the least reliant on technology: moisture, heat, friction and wool fibers are the only materials required to create it.”
Dimensional Felting
Material needed: – Felting needles – Foam Pad – Wool Fabric / Wool Yarns
Steps:
– Layer the wool pieces on your palm and wet them with warm water – Start in the center of the project and work towards the edges, rub the wool gently with hand soap and must sure it is thoroughly saturated
– Squeeze the wool dry and place them on a foam board
– Using a felting needle, poke through the felt and repeat
– Continue poking, adding more wool to fill in the gaps along the way.
– Stop when you are satisfied with the result.
Class photos
Process
THE BIRTH OF MISS TEDDY
The head
The body
Needle broke
Needle broke…
The snout
Looks scary
The eyes
The hand!
The legs!
Where is my ears?
First ear
So cute!
It took me 5 hours to make this. For a few times, I felt guilty for poking such a cute teddy with needle. I felt like I was slowing killing it. Ironically speaking, I was actually creating it and making it stronger~
” What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger~”
THE COMPANIONS OF MISS TEDDY
Materials
Stick
Adding pink
Loving the texture
Dreamy Flower
Flower and stick
Flower~~
Love the colours
So cute ^^
Challenges
I feel that dimensional felting is one of the most time-consuming and patience testing techniques I’ve learned. The continuous motion of poking the felt, this painstakingly slow process is one of the challenges I think everyone faces when felting. Nevertheless, I really love this felting technique and the beautiful result it gives. Excited to try out more different felting techniques! Final outcome
Other felting techniques I have yet to try – Nuno felting
– Wet felting (Excited to try and upload more~ Stay tuned!)
Learning points and application
Felt’s durability makes it ideal for almost any application, its ability to blend with other natural fabrics makes it versatile and light. Felt ranges from pieces of commercially manufactured felt that are made from manmade fibers, to handmade felt that uses the finest animal fibers. I would say that felting, although is a painstakingly slow process, it is a therapeutic activity. It might also be life-saving as well. I mean if I ever get stranded on an island, I can apply this technique to make clothes and keep myself warm. 😀
