Graduation Project Thesis- Document

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Degree project Circularity & Us Sponsor : IDEO GmbH (Munich), Germany

Volume : 1 student : akash sheshadri programme : Bachelors of Design (B. Des)

guide : krishnesh mehta

2017 communication design faculty (graphic dESIGN)

National Institute of Design Ahmedabad


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The Evaluation Jury recommends AKASH SHESHADRI for the

Degree of the National Institute of Design IN COMMUNICATION DESIGN (GRAPHIC DESIGN)

herewith, for the project titled "CIRCULARITY & US" on fulfilling the further requirements by*

Chairman Members :

Jury Grade : *Subsequent remarks regarding fulfilling the requirements :

Activity Chairperson, Education


Privacy Statement S p o n s o r e d

B y

IDEO GmbH

Kellerstraße 27 Munich 81667 Germany

No part of this document will be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any mean, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying or recording in any other forms without written permission from the publisher.

Akash Sheshadri and National Institute Of Design. ©2017 - 2018

Student Document Publication, meant for private circulation only. All rights reserved.

B.Des, Graphic Design, © 2012-2017, National Institute Of Design, Ahmedabad. Edited and Designed by - Akash Sheshadri National Institute Of Design

Graduation Project Guide: Krishnesh Mehta

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Originality Statement

I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and it contains no full or substantial copy of previously published material, or it does not even contain substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or final graduation of any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgment is made in this graduation project. Moreover I also declare that none of the concepts are borrowed or copied without due acknowledgment. I further declare that the intellectual content of this graduation project is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project’s design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged. This graduation project (or part of it) was not and will not be submitted as assessed work in any other academic course.

Student Name in Full:

Signature:

Date:

©

I hereby grant the National Institute of Design the right to archive and to make available my graduation project/thesis/dissertation in whole or in part in the Institute’s Knowledge Management Centre in all forms of media, now or hereafter known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act. I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my document or I have obtained permission to use copyright material.

Student Name in Full:

Signature:

Date:

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Acknowledgements This document is a consolidation of my learnings

who make the Graphic Design Department and

who are and have been a part of Echostream, Sikkim,

National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India.

imparting skillsets I would have never imagined to

speaking). Mrs. Sucharita Beniwal, Ms. Priyanka Tolia

of the four years of education I have received at the

my Graphic Design batch-mates here at NID; for have.

The past few months have been overwhelming just

India. This is where I learnt to swim (metaphorically for giving me opportunities to perform and learn.

as they have been intensive. I would like to take a

All of my faculties, Mr. Tarun Deep Girdher, Dr. Tridha

I extend my thanks to our Director, Mr. Pradyumna

father who have forever been my pillar of strength.

Das, Anjali Nayyar, Mr. Praveen Nahar, Mr. Jignesh

staff at NID for an enriching educational experience

moment to express my gratitude to my mother and

Gajjar, Mr. Rupesh Vyas, Mr. Anil Sinha, Mrs. Shilpa

They maketh me whatever I am today

Khakkar, Arathi Abraham, Tanishka Kachru, Sekhar

and what I will be.

Mukherjee, Madhusudhan, Mr. Bhavin Kothari for

I would like to thank Akshan Ish and the rest of my Vanessa, Matthias, Charlota, Franz, Karen, Shruti,

My homies, Rahul, Kendo, Swapnil, Abhilekh, Ayush,

Mr. Immanuel Suresh for his priceless wisdom and

Shubit, Mridul, Sandeep, Abdul, Sachin, Nishlesh,

sense of humour.

Anna, Jure, Marie, Eric, Sven, Trent, Francesco,

Alberto, Marcus, Barbara, Niki,Ramon, Andreas,

My guide Mr. Krishnesh Mehta for investing faith in

David, Samer, Katrin, Nadine, Leif, Moja, Axel, Franzi,

direction whenever I was lost. Respected Mrs. Aditi

Steffi, Matteo, Frederike, Karin, Tunga, Doris,Dave,

my project and offering me a sense of clarity and

Thomas, Micha, Minnie, Jana, Sebastian, Juli, Dario,

Ranjan and Mr. MP Ranjan for being an inspiration.

Chris Grantham. I would like to thank Franz Blach

I was blind but now, I see.

for his constantly inspiring personality and general outlook on Design.

Next I would like to thank Arjun K Das, Agya Sonam, Agya Ninzey, Ranveer and all the wonderful souls

I would want to be appreciative of all members a k a s h

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during the years.

their relentless contribution to design education and sharing their wealth of knowledge to help me grow.

family at IDEO Munich; Volker (best sensei ever),

Vyas, the academic department and the teaching

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Kunal, Swayang, Chandu, Bibhu, Sushant, Beda,

Harshal, Ramiz, Shubham, for staying true to the

brotherhood. Also Mani, Ashwarya, Sijya, Drishti,

Farah, Anushka, Osheen, Bidisha, Aanchal, Aswathi,

Boby, Shruti, Neeraja, Aastha, Shohini, Kokila, Aanvi, Kalyani, Angela, Oishee, Anusha, Mahima for being always being supportive and Venky, Rahul, Ribin,

Swathy, Sandeep for being elder brother figures. Penli for hearing me out and having interesting conversations.

I am forever in your debt. 0 0 8


The inquiry tries to present the foreseen future through the means of visualising the unification of circular practices/ products in the Circular Economy & its implications on consumer & brand behaviour.

Synopsis This thesis project adopts an investigative approach

by highlighting trends, visualising sacrificial concepts, conducting interviews, generating insights

and design principles to speculate a feasible solution for the times to come.

This Creative Research gives birth to provocations that inform future decisions within the realm of the Circular Economy.

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Contents p r o l o g u e

P r e m is e

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Design Education & NID

0 1 4

Communication Design

0 1 6

Nature of the Project

0 1 8

IDEO Munich

0 2 0

Foreword

0 2 5

Blue Sky Thinking

0 2 6

Understanding the Circular Economy

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Design Brief

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Articulating the Role of Communication Design

0 3 4

Timeline & Methodology

0 3 6

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r e s e a r c h

Provocation

How might we build a Unified framework for objects in the Circular Economy? Meta & Material Culture

Conscious Consumerism

Informed is the New Educated

Democratised & Decentralised

Post Corporate Post Consumerist Identity Trends & Ideologies Unification

Frameworks for Circular Design Metrics & Performance

Humanising Frameworks AIDC

NFC & The Way Forward

The Beauty of IoT and Machine Learning Sacrificial Concepts

Direction 1 Direction 2 Direction 3

Design Process & Approach

3 4 4 4 4 4

8 0 1 3 4 5

0 4 6

Ideal Attributes

Technocracy

0 0 0 0 0 0

Introspection

Qualifying Approach : From Intent to Deliverable

0 5 0 0 5 2 0 5 4 0 5 6 0 5 7 0 5 8 0 6 4 0 6 6 0 6 8 0 7 0 0 7 2

Discussion Guide Framework

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People

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i n f e r e n c e

v isi o n

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Insights

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Principles

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Final Concept

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Sitemap & Design

1 1 4

Concept Scroll

1 3 2

User Journey

1 3 4

Visual Design

1 3 8

Language

1 4 0

Style Inspiration

1 4 2

Documentation & Tools

1 4 4

Closure

1 4 6

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e p i l o g u e

Reflections

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References

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Citations

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Colophon

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Contact Information

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Design Education & NID � िडज़ाइन सं�थान रा�टीय In 1955 Pupul Jayaker, the noted writer on Indian

On April 7, 1958, the Eameses presented the India

Today the National Institute of Design is

Report defined the underlying spirit that would lead

educational and research institutions for Industrial,

craft traditions and the founder of the Indian Hand

Report to the Government of India. The Eames

met the renowned American designer Charles

to the founding of NID and beginning of design

looms and Handicrafts Export Council (HHEC)

Eames at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

education in India

The Museum had organized a unique exhibition

titled The Textiles and Ornamental Arts of India.

Ever since it’s inception in 1961 the National

between these two eminent individuals.

shaping the space and realm of design in India.

This would be the beginning of a lifelong dialogue

Institute of Design has been instrumental in

At the same time the Government of India was

Design education in India is yet to attain the

considering establishing an institute of design,

colloquialism of some of the other branches of

under the advice of Pupul Jayaker and other like-

higher education that young students aspire to

minded people.

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take up, but on the bright side, it’s quickly picking

internationally acclaimed as one of the finest

Communication, Textile and IT Integrated Design. NID offers professional education programmes at Bachelors and Masters level with five faculty streams and 20 diverse design domains. The overall structure of NID’s programme is a

combination of theory, skills, design projects and

field experiences. Sponsored design projects are

brought into the classroom to provide professional experience.

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The general environment and the culture that the teachers and students share is

conducive for growth and creative thinking.

Their socialist-esque pedagogy puts stress on observation, learning by doing, learning on field, liberal studies and its impact on design. Above all, projects in and around social design and crafts are encouraged.

NID Design Education helps students contextualise, generate insights and

develop a much needed rationale in Design Process.

Students who are enrolled into the program like the

People associated with NID are inspired

career in Design but eventually grow into the fabric

individuals who become nation builders

and contribute to both regional and global developments in the field of Design.

author himself, are initially naive and uncertain of a

motivated and gather more than just a sense of the insane possibilities in the field.

The NID Academic building designed by Gautam Sarabhai in 1964, reflects a sense of cultural and brutalist inspiration.

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Graphic Design Faculty of Communication Design

“In no other time were such questions raised as often as today: What is the relevance of communication in graphic design, and more importantly, what aspects of humanity and social missions can graphic design fulfill? I understand that too well graphic designs do not normally make direct statements with regard to the issues of society, such as global environmental issues. But I think graphic designers interested in communication must be brave enough to suggest in their designs, ways of thinking about various issues by giving favorable influences on peoples’ minds. I have to keep reminding myself what it means to be a creator, and that I should continue challenging my goals with an open mind.”.

Mitsuo Katsui

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_We have been witnessing dramatic change in the

typography & type design, publication design, image

way a graphic designer works. The rapid changes

making, illustration, photography, packaging, print

in the way communication is happening in recent

design, corporate identity, branding, information &

context of technological advancement has made

communication systems in digital domain as well as

thorough understanding of graphic design much

analogous medium.

more important than ever before. This programme prepares students to take on all kinds of new

Students, on successful completion of the

and relevant challenges in the field of Visual

programme would have acquired the competencies

Communication and specially in Graphic Design

to find placements with leading graphic design

domain.

firms working in the area of branding, publication, communication design and design for digital

Paradoxically, traditional skills have become

medium. They could also start their own design

more necessary than before. Quality and creative

enterprise.

solutions contextual to the user’s needs are still a basic human input. The fundamental importance

A graphic design student, in addition to a thorough

of creating a visual vocabulary through drawing,

grounding in design abilities and theoretical aspects,

the development of aesthetic judgment, values of

undertakes the study of the cultural and historical

form, proportion, image and word have become an

context in which designers need to function, as well

integral part of learning graphic design at NID.

as of the social and ethical factors that influence

During their period of study, students in graphic

design decisions. The ultimate aim is to stimulate

design are encouraged to work on a variety of

the development of independent critical judgement,

projects, majoring in the selected sub-domain

sound research skills, the ability to think creatively

of graphic design. The areas covered include

and practice design as a professional._ Philosophy of Graphic Design at NID

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Nature of the Project

This Bachelor Thesis Project is an introspection into

subject, so heavily layered and vital to our existence

unusable design, or things that look like pages from a

identifying touch-points within the larger subject. It

must be viewed as provocations. Efforts were made

does is project an ideal realisation for design solutions,

the realm of the Circular Economy. It started off by

takes into account ongoing advances and trends to

holistically paint a larger picture of the subject, which help in making informed decisions for the times to come.

on the planet. The insights and possible outcomes to broaden the horizons of Graphic Design as a

medium and discipline; and to search for answers

as technology-led; but in-fact follow the course of

The project looks at critical design as inspiration for

is as important as realising the need for change; and

The much needed grounding and contextualisation of

communication design seems to have answers.

history. The birth of newer interfaces everyday and the

The project tries to create a fertile landscape for

through time.

possibly be implemented. It is Retro Futurist in the

obsolescence of older ones exemplify this passage

A systems based understanding to achieve a solution

was sought after as the best approach to such a large

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which are non-conformative to existing methodologies.

that were more inclusive of other channels. How we on-board fellow human beings to the shared future

Emerging Fields within Graphic Design can be viewed

science-fiction book. But what this level of intervention

a ‘need’ to be understood and solutions that can

weirdest of ways where creating a need is seen as an answer to identifying a need. These attempts

in disruption are often misunderstood for creating

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methodology and has a speculative undertone to it. the project was a result of understanding a Human-

Centered Approach. The project opens up interesting points for conversation around the subject. Efforts

were made to achieve middle-ground when it comes to ‘how universal should something like this be?’ The project has a very open foundation that is reiterative and accommodative. Insanity will be embraced; only because it is individualistic and fun. Are we

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K e y w o r d s

compromising utilitarian functions to provide like-neverbefore experiences?

This thesis document and the project blog serve as an assimilation of research and presentation of learnings.

They try to silver-line contemporary notions and trends with a way of presenting the non-dystopian future. It is

nice to know that Graphic Design can address multilateral interrogations. The output was achieved in a manner that

reflects and connects all listed ideals in any way or other. It speaks about itself as one of the many possible outcomes and must not be looked at objectively or in isolation. Nothing must be that way. The thesis is theoretical, visualised by a graphic design intervention.

Graphic design projects are evolving to be more

seemingly spearheaded by introspection, intuition and inclusivity. Designers while being actively involved in

creation, are authors in themselves. Creative research

provides a wide playing field for those who believe Graphic Design as an agent of change.

creative research systems design speculative design design inquiry circular economy disruptive design interaction design critical design information & interfaces culture creation standardization post modernism futurism c ir c u l a ri t y

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IDEO Munich IDEO is an award-winning global design

agency that believes in creating positive impact through design.

P r o j e c t s The Munich Office has a diverse palette of projects ranging from

service design, emerging technology and future scenarios, interaction and experience design, industrial design, and culture. IDEO employs a

They address systemic challenges in the widest possible sectors.

systems understanding for their projects, and adopt a Human Centered

They are pioneers in design thinking and methodologies that have

significantly resonated with the clients they interact with and students undergoing design education in schools across the world. IDEO is

spread across the continents of the world with offices in Cambridge

(Massachusetts), Chicago, London, Munich, New York City, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Shanghai and Tokyo.

Research methodology, which very effectively envisions solutions

for organisations to implement. Projects boast a sense of innovation and technical complexity, with solutions that are lucid, simplified and visionary.

Team Meetings are these intimate informal environments, which often extend beyond project duties as teams travel all over the world.

Human centered research is actively advocated at IDEO to achieve

contextualised and implementable solutions. Key Insights and Principles that emerge from these lay the foundation for design work. Outcomes are collaborative involving more than a specific discipline. Roles are

allocated according to interests and personal strengths. Business design strategies are implemented hand in hand with Design work, to be able to effectively implemented by stakeholders. a k a s h

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Design Process at IDEO incorporates quick prototyping, sacrificial

concepts, coupled with human centered insights to arrive at a design solution. These sessions are amazingly fun and inspiring.

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W o r k

C u l t u r e

The IDEO family is a diverse community, of very ambitious, inspiring,

of individuality and things that make us happy.

culture relies on sharing and conversational practices within teams

strongly feel for.

Designers make most of whitespace time to address challenges they

enthusiastic and skilled members. The success of the IDEO work and operating offices. Designers are often, expected to take on

larger roles, opening them to things they might have thought was

An IDEO internship presents itself as an opportunity to learn and

translates into participation with no strict hierarchy. Individuality is

on-going projects, collaborating with a diverse team of designers to

something they could never do. Dialogue is strongly encouraged and

help address visual communication challenges beyond the realm of

both respected and encouraged.

conventional graphic design. These interventions involve creation of

multifaceted assets presenting ideas into meaningful bits, coming up

Reflections and share-back sessions are a regular affair in the office.

with Brand Strategies, aesthetics to amplify experience and creating

They are often critical of work and curate projects that they believe

assets that package insights and nuances of design process that

create impact. People at the office are extremely warm and make

clients can benefit from.

every individual feel at home.

At IDEO, it is wonderful witnessing design process transform into

The IDEO work culture is definitely a valuable take-away for clients

outputs, while being mentored and motivated. Lunch conversations

who interact with them.

\ I n p r a i s e t i m e

perform. A Communication Design Intern is expected to participate in

end up with tons of insights. People believe in making mistakes and

o f

learning from failure. Individuals inspire individuals inspire individuals.

W h i t e s p a c e

People strive for betterment and keeping ahead of the times. Most

of all IDEO’ers are humble individuals who are always eager to teach you.

“Because even before we are designers, we are makers”-IDEO Labs. Whitespace projects are these ultra-cool and mind blowing things

and ideas that designers come up with to interestingly utilise the time they have in-between projects. The projects that could be absolutely

Designers at IDEO, look forward to coming to work every morning, except maybe if they had a hard last night.

anything, are personal or team-based incubations for designers at

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IDEO Munich hosts creative sparx, an event where

professionals from respective fields, fundamentally talk about recent developments surrounding a given theme. This edition featured Design & The Circular Economy.

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As p i r a t i o n I would like to engage myself with technology enabled social-innovation with cultural research as a

foundation. The changing socio-political landscapes of our world sees many emergent problem areas;

migration of communities, ideological isolation of nations, our struggle with sustainable models of

development, evolving ideas of citizenship & civicobligations, preservation of cultural heritage &

moreover safeguarding identities at a time of massive digitisation & culture jamming.

While visual communication often rises above the

material world & ventures into territories of abstraction & expression; its implications are often real-time and

the nature of the change/impact is reformative. While tangible interventions address the blacks & whites,

the visual communication field of study sheds light on greyer values.

The strive of good communication design is to create free-thinking individuals.

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IDEO today is very dedicatedly working in the Circular Economy Realm. It is IDEO's expertise with systems thinking, human-centred research, emerging fields, organisational design and sustainable solutions that

make them an ideal front-runner in fostering Circular Economic ideas.

IDEO projects strongly reflect a sense of progressiveness and they try to communicate and implement sustainable decisions with the clients who engage with them.

They helped formulate the Circular Design Guide- a toolkit for

stakeholders (individuals and organisations) to help implement Circular Economic principles and assist transition into a shared future.

The offices at London and Munich, are super-interested and are very

closely working with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation; who are the face of Circular Economic change in the world today. The Pet project at these offices surrounds interventions in the sector.

A design inquiry into the Circular Economy was hence encouraged to be a subject of interest for a student project. The inquiry was

propounded as a Creative Research project providing interesting insights in unchartered territories, This project follows as result.

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Blue Sky Thinking

Areas of Interest

Standards as the norm

There are two primary areas of interest that could be subjected to analysis and

Digital gateways (interfaces) for interpretation

interpretation

A framework for standards and certification for products (as services) and services for circular economic enterprises and consumers to adhere to. a k a s h

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Visual manifestation of standards & certification Net Circularity of the product Products as living fossils

Data integrated/ embedded into products : Tracking

Think of carbon dating a product : to know where it came from and where does it go 026


Encoded visualisations : to be later broken into parts for comprehension | How:

Informing consumers of their choices

Block-chain documentation: Time stamps : Retrace histories, usage, sourcing,

product design

through a gateway “interface� ethics

Component breakdown explained

Consumers as an active part of sustainability models Service design is the new Universality Connected things

Involved enterprises

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Philosophies of the Foreseen future: Shared Future Internet of things

Mass Production

Millennial minimalists : what is this tech-enabled zen status. Bare minimum variables

Retro Futurism

being synthesised by machines to create the minimum viable product. Celebrate it as art: Franz’s pot: Top radius, bottom radius, aura map.

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Death of DIY? How do we combat it? Efficiency over pace

Possible Tangibles:(think only graphic design and system design) Visual system

Artificially Intelligent design a k a s h

Power to the people Post materialist

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Manifestation of these standards on packaging or misc.

The t-shirt company The hoodie company The sneaker company The trouser

Introspective Approach

List of technology & methodologies which would shape: Transparent solar cells

Proposed Methodology Study of standard Is my premise even justified?

Do we recognise a need for it? If so, what is the immediacy of it? Essential/ essence : the essence of essentiality.

What is it that is essential. Brands into mother brands into other brands,

company

ResCoM (Resource Conservative Management) Consumer goods: Food,

Electronics & technology Automobile, Travel

Nutrition Transport Education Shopping Culture Religion Economy Politics Media Entertainment Administration Rules & Regulations Public & private Shelter c ir c u l a ri t y

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Understanding the Circular Economy on seemingly permanent resources. The

The circular economy refers to an industrial

Circular Economy looks at sustainability rather

economy that is restorative by intention; aims

holistically, and is often lifestyle centered. It

to rely on renewable energy; minimises, tracks

looks at easy to adopt solutions for changing

and eliminates the use of toxic chemicals; and eradicates waste through careful design.

times, cultures and ever-evolving biospheres.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2013a)

Today, a Circular Economy is being realised through massive digital transformations,

often replacing or eliminating the physicality

of something, automated manufacturing and

The Circular Economy is an innovation face to

servicisation of products. Products are growing

the idea of Sustainability. It upholds all ideals

into shared utilities. Organisational change is

of Sustainability, with a focus towards how we

instrumental in helping companies re-imagine

utilise finite resources and divert dependability

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People are moving away from the idea of a traditonal consumer to a more conscious 'take what you need when you need' idea.

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their ideologies to commit to a sustainable

Economy needs examining of priorities to be

efficiency of resources, create products

mainstream stakeholders.

future. Manufacturers are seeing how to improve with positive impact for the environment, implementing recycling and feedback mechanisms to effectively.

People identifying themselves as the alternative

consumer, are looking at the idea of sustainability through a rational mindset. Consumers

The best thing about the Circular Economy is that it is Design Driven. Probably the first of its kind.

able to culturally fit and be more accessible to

Sustainability as a concept has existed within the human framework for years. Often they

were propelled by scientific findings that spoke rather objectively about the need to be more sustainable. Although this need was quite

apparent, to garner popular consensus it was

important to communicate the ideals to larger populations.

The Circular Economy establishes itself as a

larger and enthusiastic platform for scientists, designers, material innovators, sustainability researchers, manufacturers and motivated consumers.

are growing more informed just as they are

growing more critical of corporate consensus.

Manufacturers are hence being more sensitive to

hold their relevance in changing times. The Circular

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Design Brief /

C I RCULAR I TY

&

U S .

B AC K GROUND The foreseen future presents us with better

A speculative introspection into the shared future of the Circular Economy.

lifestyle choices, focussed on making most of

scarce resources & having our actions positively impact our living habitat. The conscious

consumer together with enterprises, industries

& their practices hold the fabric of a sustainable world. Industrial practices of today resonate

ideals of minimising waste & pollution, creating

energy efficient products befitting individuals & communities.

Circularity helps plug open ends into efficient

loops that have for long remained linear & wasteful. The self sustaining loops help optimise resources, reap economic benefits for stakeholders &

provide better quality products and services for consumers.

The ecosystem of the shared future celebrates the ideals of sustainability & collaboration

through better practices & shared responsibilty of manufacturers, brands and consumers. a k a s h

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PO S S I B LE

TANG I B LE S

· Visual system for circular standards

AREA S

OF

I NTERE S T

PH I LO S OPHY

There are two primary areas of interest that could be

The cycle of production and consumption is often a to

A framework for standards and certification for

of peoples whose choices inturn affect how brands &

subjected to analysis and interpretation;

servitised products & services for circular economic enterprises and consumers to adhere to.

& Questioning the conventional existence of brands & identities in this shared future and how the need

for collaboration would translate into how brands & consumers would behave.

The inquiry tries to present the foreseen future

through the means of visualising the implications of standardisation of circular practices and products on consumer & brand behaviour. The inquiry thus provokes a speculation in this transitional stage, where manufacturers are opening up to circular

& fro balance, where enterprises & brands affect lives enterprises behave.

Circular products embedded in a universal framework

· Generative systems for servitised products to be inducted into the circular economy

· Manifestation of these standards on packaging or misc.

· Digital gateways for retail experiences explaining circularity of products for consumers.

· Visuals for brands of the shared future.

of objects and services would assist these

endeavours while environmental impact would form the basis for marketing them.

Together with democratised resources, transperancy of practices, access to information, freedom of

PROPO S ED METHODOLOGY

choice, policy making & infrastructure, free trade,

· Building premise & studying existing models

services and consumers as individuals would redefine

· Mapping trends of the foreseen future

dignity of labour; enterpises as brands; products as ideas of sustainablity.

· Study of standards and the means of standardization · Building the proposed framework · Visualising scenarios of usage

· Visualising the future collaboration of brands · Regular Documentation

models and individuals are growing more informed.

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A r t i c u l a t i n g t h e

r o l e

o f

c o m m u n i c a t i o n d e si g n C u l t u r e

A r c h i v e

It is interesting to see the broader role communication

With the Circular Economy being integral to all of

Sustainability calls for little dependence on resources;

sustainability and especially the Circular Economy,

whether conventional or ad-hoc. Nations across the

materiality. Materiality matters and it is something

digital transformation and is seen a means to spread

Circular economy could be better defined through

reduce the reliance and need for physicality while still

servicisation of products and archiving of information,

vehicle for cultural research and influence masses

design plays a crucial role in archiving Information

that assist this transition. Machine Learning is

as the best way to approach challenges within the

translate in times of need.

that humans can understand and enjoy. Emerging

more meaningful.

design plays in the shared future. In the realm of

us, there is a need to organise practices of all kinds,

which has paved the way for information over

communication design influences and enables

world have cultural ties with the idea of sustainability.

important to us as human beings. We are looking to

awareness and motivate entities. With the increasing

cultural understanding. Communication design is a

staying true to human experiences. Communication

manufacturers are looking into designing systems

over. Moreover Human Centered Research is seen

for Ages. To help document and preserve and better

materialised into healthy conversational interfaces

circular economy. Communication Design makes HCR

Technology calls for simplification and re-design of

seemingly complicated ideas for integrating them into the mainstream. a k a s h

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O r g a n is a t i o n

A w a r e n e ss

Decentralisation is probably the best thing to have

Communication Design can help advocate

ideas are growing and social design is empowering

Economy. Communication design aids this effort,

happened to us at the moment. Open source

people through these tools. Communities are looking to organise, represent and network

efficiently. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME’s) that are engaged in sustainable

practices are struggling to find relevance and

promote their ideologies, in an increasingly digital scenario. Communication Design helps these organisations to continue their good work by

providing a platform for people to connect with them and implement solutions.

principles, benefits and ideologies of a Circular

opening many channels and increasing outreach. Communication Design can be instrumental to

organise, classify and simplify information and the variables in the process of standardisation. And

also come up with a visual framework to assist its manifestation on goods and services to be made

communicable to consumers. This an unobtrusive step towards making users aware and influencing their decisions when it comes to making more sustainable choices.

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a p r i l m a y j u n e

Timeline & Methodology j u l y

a u g u s t s e p t e m b e r o c t o b e r

The diagram is an intepretation of the Double Diamond process, illustrating the stages of divergence and convergence in a typical Design Process. The problemto-solution; intent-to-deliverable progression defines both creative and analytical abilities of a Designer. Plotted here are the various stages across a monthly timeline.

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I d e a t i o n

f o r

C r e a t i v e

B r i e f

S a c r i f i c i a l I n t e r v i e w s D e si g n Fi n a l

&

A v e n u e s +

P r o p o s a l

S t r e n g t h e n i n g

C o n c e p t s +

+

+

S c e n a r i o

G e n e r a t i n g

I n si g h t s

d r a f t i n g t h e

p r e m is e

B u i l d i n g +

+

D e si g n

+

R e s e a r c h

Dis c u ssi o n P r i n i c i p l e s

G u i d e s +

C o n c e p t

Vis u a l is a t i o n

c o n c e p t

+

P r o t o t y p i n g

+

I m a g i n i n g

P o ssibi l i t i e s

D o c u m e n t a t i o n

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P r o v o c a t i o n

HOW MIGHT WE BUILD A UNIFIED FRAMEWORK FOR OBJECTS IN THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY? Common platform for objects to be archived.

All commodities as personal belongings and shared utilities.

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038


The project tries to look at how we can organise and digitally enable the physicality of objects we purchase, consume, give-away or dispose in our daily lives. A unified framework for commodities makes

Moreover, archiving physical objects makes it

It is imperative that a common framework of

repair services to be implemented in the circular

importantly measure circular impact holistically

and measure impact. To keep record of how

it easy for standardisation metrics & restore-

economy. What the Circular Economy needs at the moment is a common consensus for consumers

and manufacturers to adhere to. This transition is aided by a wave of digital solutions in response to traditional practices. We are identifying and

encouraging culturally sustainable practices while helping newer companies figure out sustainable solutions.

easy to track usage and owner cycles and more with better efficiency. The Internet of Things is

proving to be a vital agent, enabling this archiving. Physicality of objects is reshaping to become virtual extensions. Products are evolving into

shared utilities and services. This is an indicator of how we as humans are realising the lack of

resources and are ready for interdependence. It kind of brings us back to agrarian mindsets.

connected objects exits to effectively quantify much we consume for how much is made. To massively cut down surplus and waste; and

mindfully manufacture. This will help to deploy

recycling and waste-management systems more knowledgeably. It will be nice to have common

guidelines for people to adhere to, and to make

it easier for newer ventures to easily adapt to the

Circular Economic Idea. Also, this effort should be effectively communicated to the larger masses and mainstream consumers to help inspire and motivate conscious consumption behaviour. c ir c u l a ri t y

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The project started out as an attempt

translate their ideals for the masses,

information technology in the circular

they have with ever-evolving

to understand the broader role of economy for the shared future.

Simultaneously it was also to understand the idea of Conscious Consumerism to

question the ideals of corporate identity for the future. To better understand how

Meta & Material culture

the ‘Meta’ affects the ‘Material Culture’. With increasing access to

information & digital nexus that transcend physical borders &

nationalities, the connected future represents informed individuals & Sustainability as a choice of their

lifestyle. The impact of multimedia and communication on consumer behaviour; what we purchase for

to help strengthen the relevance

audiences in ever-changing times. Globalisation marked the era

for the capitalist ideology; when

superdupermega food portions, freebies and cheap plastic toys

that came with a choking hazard

were in vogue. Not that they aren’t

around anymore- just that our fear of depleting resources is driving

our ability to meaningfully prioritise. The apparent rise of neo-liberalism along with advent of the Internet is

influencing Corporate Collaboration. The singularity of machines fuels the circularity for human beings.

what reasons; how we use and

dispose them; is significantly large. The transition into the Circular Economy is as much as an

ideological change as it is a change in operations for corporations. Sustainable communication

strategists are helping companies

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Conscious Consumerism & the Circular Economy

People are getting together to address the issue of consumerism which in-fact proportionately affects our abilities to become Circular. While conscious consumerism is the trait of a fairly

marginalised alternative consumer, efforts are being taken to

introduce and promote the idea amongst mainstream

consumers to ease our not-

so waltz into a self-sustaining

circular model. The idea of Conscious Consumerism and that of Sustainability

in general, is different for different people, cultures and socio-economic strata. For example Conscious Consumerism forms the essence of many poverty-

ridden households, mainly because of the lack of amenities and alternatives.

Which is very different from that of a sustainable choice centred around one’s lifestyle. Primary level education and providing sustainable resources and

solutions for suppressed economies to take care of their essentials. Incentive

based strategies are assisting convenience and motivating buyers to purchase more mindfully.

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The success of sustainability gravely relies on our collective abilities and a more informed relation with what we consume, in our everyday lives. How can we help consumers to make

better informed decisions? And what are those decisions?

The foreseen future presents us with

better lifestyle choices, focused on making most of scarce resources & having our

actions positively impact our living habitat. The conscious consumer together with enterprises, industries & their practices

hold the fabric of a sustainable world. In the times to come, where mere products would be accepted as services, processes as

ideologies, companies and brands would

be not just perceived by their products but by their entirety.

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People across the world are growing increasingly informed about what they are consuming & how it affects the environment around them. People invest faith in brands who are open about their processes and sources.

The Internet of things has opened up abundant possibilities through which audiences can independently gather, monitor, search and analyze data, thus proving to be a source of rational thought. Informed individuals grow to become conscious consumers. While for the culturally prevalent and ad-hoc sustainable practices, the digital age proves as a means to increase outreach, awareness and impact.

For the informed consumer, Value is mightier than Face Value.

Informed is the new Educated Brands grow to become equivalent of a parameter;

they stand for. As brands evolve into projecting a more

measuring and visualising impact for people. Organically

sustainable nature, they also evolve into being more

grown, local produce is appreciated. Companies have

individualistic. The informed consumer is critical of what

begun to collaborate with diverse domains and are

they use, and where it comes from.

becoming more vocal of their stands on sustainability & conscious of their environmental impact. Thus the brands today project a set of ideals with their products and services being just vehicles of the same. Companies are looking into their ideologies to form brands that are a better representation of the values

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Democratised & Decentralised Open source and the Internet of Things have hugely

Cryptocurrency is a wonderful representation of how

impacted our relation with information. The Circular

humans want to adapt to a more decentralised way

Economy largely fits into a time when ideals of a Free

of life, complete with the ease of access and the right

Economy are being realised.

to self-determination.

Together with information-technology the need

The Circular Economy is like the most fertile ground,

to search for alternative resources has conceived

to enable decentralised services. They not only make

the notion of the Gig Economy. Here stakeholders

it accessible to the large mainstream audiences, but

have their utilities shared, and a massive sense of

also make it convenient for users. Crowd-sourced

networking acts as channels. With Autonomy taking

data through trust based networking is proving to be

over manufacturing processes, human resources are

valuable like never before, as companies are tapping

soon to be diminished if not replaced.

into it like never before. Interestingly, algorithms have

Data is being crowdsourced, users are keen to participate & niche, adhoc solutions are efficiently implemented to audiences they were tailored for.

been employed to effectively curate and authenticate information.

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Post corporate post consumerist identity

Democratised Fabrication through the IoT & 3D printing are spearheading a cultural revolution.

Individuals are embracing Independence from companies, who were initially viewed as sole

providers. Sustainability has affected how people think, more conscious of what the buy and allowed

for the rise of alternative choices for humans. It is interesting to look at how brands will evolve, and

how corporate collaboration will affect the reach of products and services companies want to have.

While Brands today are celebrating human-ness and

diversity, would they eventually be diluted to an extent that

they question identity itself- is still a speculation. Or do they

become massive and unified to represent a collection of

ideologies, providing a collection of products & services?

Information & the Internet have made individuals into communities, and communities into movements. While it is not easy to isolate

consumerism from how we express ourselves, (the Internet has

only galvanised and glamourised it); the Circular Economy needs a

framework gracefully accepting and steering it in the right direction.

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TREND S

&

I DEOLOG I E S

A synthesis of what is to pave way for understanding what is to be. Ideologies of the foreseen future, present themselves as trends, enabled through breakthroughs in technology & know-how and failures of traditional and non-diverse frameworks.

D e m o c r a t is e d I n f o r m a t i o n Information is becoming democratised day by day through increased accessibility and subscription for content.

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D e m o c r a t is e d 3 d p r i n t i n g

I n t e r n e t o f t h i n g s

U r b a n f a r m i n g s p a c e s

3D printing will be seen as a means to conveniently

IoT is growing as a major enabler for

Urban Development and town planning of the

manufacture within the comforts of one's home. This puts

sustainable ventures. It is helping make

times, are massively re-stating the need for

an interesting perspective towards how certain objects

processes inexpensive and connected.

converting urban spaces into farms and are

3D printing is going domestic. With increase in fidelity,

encouraging citizens to grow domestically,

would be replaced by their 3D printed alter-egos.

through incentives.

M a c h i n e l e a r n i n g

P o s t C o n s u m e r is t

R a d i c a l T r a n s p a r e n c y The Circular Economy identifies Radical Transparency

Objects are becoming more intelligent and

The modern day consumer represents a will to

as one of the important organisational principles. This is

are now capable of teaching themselves to

break away from corporate propaganda. They

forever influencing how companies are communicating

execute tasks with efficiency rather than being

look at meaningful experiences and are coming

with consumers and improving products fit for the Circular

programmed specifically for carrying them out.

back to bare-essentials.

Economy.

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C l e a n E n e r g y

o p e n s o u r c e

P o s t M a t e r i a l is t

The strive for our complete reliance on Clean

Open Source provides for increased

The Post Materialist represents a larger idea

Energy as a source of energy, has been around

accessibility and a healthy environment for

of moving beyond physicality, materiality and

for decades. With increasing number of

development. The Circular Economy is an

economics to embrace innately human values

volunteers, clean energy forms the fundamental

idea with almost every inhabitant having a

of self-expression and autonomy. Communities

of a Sustainable world.

stake in it. An Open Source environment for

and Organizations invested in Sustainable

free exchange is crucial to the realisation of a

practices essentially illustrate traits of Post

Circular Economy.

Materialism. The idea is an interesting out-take on understanding Culturally Circular practices and how we can achieve in times of rapid digitisation.

D a t a E m b e d d e d Products are in-laid with electronics and sensors, that monitor activity. They help Digitally enable objects that enter and leave a Circular Loop, and effectively take decisions on them.

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A u t o n o m o u s E n v i r o n m e n t s

S l o w f a s h i o n

Home and Public spaces are evoliving into

Slow Fashion stands for sustainable clothing,

smarter modular structures, enhancing user

against traditional mass-manufacturing. Slow

experience while conserving resources

Fashion manufactures to last, respects ethics and is positive motivation in a sector often seen as a necessity.

B i t

C u r r e n c y F u t u r e s

Crypto-currency remodels traditional currency by making transactions cashless through a Peer-to-peer network. They enable the exchange of goods and services through the internet. These transactions are secure and documented. The Shared Future will be alternative; with a diversity in cryptocurrencies, also intended for super-specific use.

I n d u s t r y 4 . 0

Di g i t a l D I Y

Automation in manufacturing processes has

Hackathons & Maker movements are

existed for quite a while. Industry 4.0 takes it to

encouraging people to come up with solutions

another level, by increasing machine autonomy

and have a community-based ethic to help

formulating human-machine interfaces

others in need.

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u n i f i c a t i o n

Frameworks for Circular Design Metrics & Performance

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A number of models exist as toolkits and resources that attempt to unify all services and servitised products, and all stakeholders : manufacturers,

enterprises and consumers, through a common substrate of circularity.

The success of any circular loop. thrives on the net

efficiency and active involvement of all participants. It is hence necessary for all of human kind to formulate

How do we interpret the idea of Standardisation or Unification?

a standardised framework of circular metrics and

indices to help fuel the circular economy and thereby a sustainable future.

An overarching idea, seems like quite a challenge. What makes sense it to translate the ethic of

Standardisation and the underlying design principles

into something concrete, seemingly viable and easy to implement.

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Ideal Attributes Systemic & Avant Garde Forward Looking Integrated & Efficient Modus Operandi a k a s h

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H o w

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t h e

f r a m e w o r k

e x is t

a s ?

The framework must incorporate different levels

The ideal system would be progressive in nature

of smaller loops and how they influence larger

advise, transform and readapt, growing into a

of circularity. It must acknowledge characteristics ones & must establish relations between them.

H o w

s h o u l d

t h e

and eventually be intelligent enough to predict, larger colony of newer microcosms.

f r a m e w o r k

o p e r a t e ?

The framework should co-exist with industrial

it easy to trace and maintain. Enabling feedback

methods. A smart data embedded system makes

and overall functioning.

processes, purchasing experiences and disposal

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Adaptive & Organic Morphology Intuitive & Accessible Intelligent Socio-cultural Development Build a Bridge

H o w

s h o u l d

t h e

f r a m e w o r k

b e h a v e ?

The ideal framework should be modular in

inputs, parameters & specifications. Its discourse

scalability. It should easily adapt a wider set of

remaining consistent with the information it has to give.

essence, catering to changes in contexts and

H o w

s h o u l d

t h e

should change as per the stakeholder while still

f r a m e w o r k

l o o k

l ik e ?

Well designed frameworks must be easy to

as possible. Moreover, the framework should exist

of results should be made as seamless & instant

improved upon by all.

understand and use. Adaptations and generation

W h a t

v a l u e s

s h o u l d

as open source, so as to be made accessible to &

t h e

f r a m e w o r k

u p h o l d ?

The framework should celebrate the ideas of de-

economics. There is a need for a decentralised

the greater issue of sustainability through circular

consensus for stakeholders to adhere.

mocracy and open source, while trying to address

system (better be beta β ) to form the common

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Humanising Frameworks Any good idea worthy of being applied to human beings all over is standardised to ensure scalability , universality and efficiency of systems.

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With manufacturers gradually transitioning into

Circular practices, the need for standardisation is felt more than ever before.

Circularity represents an innovation led face of the idea of Sustainability. It not only incorporates the materiality of resources, but is largely driven by

analytics as data & internet : Information becomes a growing spine for servicised products and

optimisation of resources for manufacturers.

05 4


Standards, often are made keeping in mind a

generic over-arching framework.

reason they work so well and also why they could

operations, their customer experience or even their

mechanical understanding of constituents. The only fail to adapt is their conformity to a rigid system.

With concepts like machine learning and AI, slowly

entering the mainstream, much more in contact with our immediate environments, machines would break

“Organizations that are looking to transform their

industries can benefit from incorporating as many types of standard, shared and common features into their efforts as possible.�

away from conventional idea of mechanical.

The future sees data embedded into end of supply

Standardisation should be reinvented for the

track activity & usage, enable systems for collection

circular economy to fit ever-evolving lifestyles,

cultural contexts and human imperfections (cultural genome in the system needs to be re-introduced).

And that is why standards would evolve into a more

chain and in the hands of user objects, so as to of waste & efficiently run circular loops.

Frameworks are therefore seen as the mediators

between products and services across all genres,

What is the aspect of human expression that could add value to the system?

& between the manufacturers and end users.

Graphical interpretations of their circularity will help communicate their importance and differences in

the subtleties of how circular a product really is to aid conscious consumerism.

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t e c h n o c r a c y

A I DC

T e c h n o l o g y

Automatic Identification and Data Capture

(AIDC) is a broad category of technologies used to collect information from an individual, object, image or sound without manual data entry.

AIDC systems are used to manage inventory, delivery, assets, security and documents.

MICR, RFID, QR-Codes & Barcodes are everyday examples of AIDC technology . AIDC is either passive (invisible) or graphically generated as a unique identifier for the product or object it was made for.

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NFC

&

THE

WAY

FOWARD

Near Field Communication has been today widely

raises fundamental questions as to if this was the

and universal nature. Cash transactions & data transfers

necessary?”

accepted in day to day lives, for its massive ease of use are today commonly enabled through NFC. It bridges

right & intended use of the technology. “Is this really

tangible touch-points with digital and augmented ones

The Internet of Things is moving towards interlinking

NFC finds common applications by acting as a uniquely

ecosystems. NFC finds itself in an important time period

to try to create a seamless experience without hassles. run gateway for things as basic as opening doors to complicated stuff translating encoded data.

objects and turning domestic environments into

in human evolution. Enabling data to keep flowing, triggered by our actions.

NFC has found its popularity with re-thinking

The Circular Economy will benefit from a more functional

While being exploited by advertising & marketing, it

to monitor how we use and interact with our products.

interactive experiences for products and services.

application of the NFC technology, which may be used Consistently sending data back and forth to providers and manufacturers.

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T h e B e a u t y o f t h e I o T M a c h i n e L e a r n i n g .

The Internet of Things presents a wide

range of opportunity for solutions within

the Circular Economy. The primary reason

is that The Circular Economy is essentially a cyclic flow of ‘things’. Also, because the IoT presents a decentralised model for

is essentially extracted) are unified across products of varying kinds.

The IoT ecosystem feels the most organic of all models befitting the Circular Economy.

consumers to adapt to and is an ideal hot-

Internet of Things definition: The vast

are intervening at different levels to embed

Internet, including smart phones and

spot for crowd-sourced data. Corporations analytics within products they manufacture. However, a large requirement is strongly

felt to make sure these analytics (typically data capturing techniques and what data

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network of devices connected to the

Machine learning is an application of artificial intelligence (AI) that provides systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly

programmed. Machine learning focuses on

the development of computer programs that can access data and use it to learn for themselves.- Expert System

tablets and almost anything with a sensor

Efforts are being made to make objects

jet engines, oil drills, wearable devices, and

data. Machine Learning Interfaces are trying

on it – cars, machines in production plants,

more. These “things” collect and exchange data. - SAP

of

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independently perform, analyse and capture to humanise and communicate captured

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information back to users. What

Machine Learning does for the IoT

is eliminating the physical need for

tagging objects or computing them, to provide a seamless experience. Objects in the shared future will

effectively send data back and forth,

displaying real time status of use and

need for repair. The IoT of things thus will evolve into a massive platform

Devices like the Google Clip are

visualising apparent Circular Loops for

images, videos autonomously with the

of intelligent objects quantifying and each individual product.

helping capture moments by recording help of machine learning.

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s a c r i f i c i a l c o n c e p t s

How can our purchases be better informed & more circular? P a s s i v e

c o n c e p t s

A c t i v e

c o n c e p t s

Passive Concepts involve indirect enablers that

Active Concepts employ actionable touch-

the concept.

it was formulated for.

move forward towards achieving the agenda of

points that directly achieve the agenda for which

Users learning about circularity progressively

User trying to achieve circularity keeping that as

through actions.

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an objective. Circularity forms the main intent of their means of living.

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i n s pi r a t i o n f r o m t h e A l t e r n a t i v e & B i r t h o f a m o v e m e n t

Seek insights by observing and studying

Studying these progressive lifestyle choices

implement understanding into the mainstream.

we can organise and amplify their impact

alternative consumption behaviour and then

The alternative consumer is often involved in the sustainability effort consciously or

unconsciously. They generally have different

can help us understand better, as to how

by successfully integrating the mainstream audiences, who are seen as traditional consumers.

motivations and have varying degrees of

Millenial Minimalists

growing popular in cities, with social activities

Food sharing activists

organisation. For example food sharing is

organised surrounding it; while forest foraging is often individual centred.

While progressive ideas of sustainability

today are addressing concerns around “food�,

primarily because of its existence as a necessity over luxury, it is interesting to see how we can

broaden the spectrum to induct a larger variety

Solidarity Agriculturalists Home farming

Forest foragers

Dumpster divers

Second hand buyers Flea markets

Urban nomads

of essentials & objects.

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Pillars of creation The above principles formed the

basis of the sacrificial concepts. The purpose of the sacrificial concept is to put together a vision with

which participants can empathise

or be critical of, while opening them to possibilities and incite fresh

conversation. The concepts are

different in direction while having

significant overlaps. The insights from the interviews with the participants coupled with their reactions to the introduction of concepts, paints a

healthy synthesis & throws light on a million different creative avenues.

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Di r e c t i o n

I

The future sees brands as earnest collaborators spearheading

the circular economy. The need of this collaboration either comes through sharing of resources or translating ideology into action.

Brands will begin to move beyond their individual identities to adapt to a more collective one. Also brands who do not, face the threat of losing their credibility by informed users who trust transparency.

A digital/ AR experience that essentially breaks-down brands : to

either illustrate collective ownership or the price you bay for brand value. The experience aims to inform buyers of the future to learn about “how much of a brand is actually in your brand?” And teach them about real value v/s face value.

B r a n d

C o n s c i o u s n e s s

C o r p o r a t e R a d i c a l a k a s h

C o l l a b o r a t i o n

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Di r e c t i o n

I I

Grocery purchases of the future are made impactful with a gateway

to know the net circular rating of your vegetables, fruits, and all other things. Open source and networking based database of ratings,

will eventually end up as your net circular impact of your purchase.

Reputation points act as incentive for people to perform better and redeem them for benefits.

C o m m u n i t y A n a l y s i s I n c e n t i v e a k a s h

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Di r e c t i o n

i I I

The value of objects passed down throughout history increases with

their decreasing relevance in the current culture and utility value. This digital experience enables people to make permanent their most

coveted memories and stories of those objects : in those objects In addition to serving the emotional need the interface could

potentially store usage cycles, owner histories, maker & source

specifications while building upon a block-chain-esque idea of how we are surrounded by our products and memories.

C o l l e c t i v e S o c i a l E m o

O w n e r s h i p

N e t w o r k

Q u o t i e n t

I n t e r n e t

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Design Process & Approach

Do I like to user research ? Do I Like to build stuff?

I NTRO S PECT I ON

Brand driven approach suits. Easy to package, represent, replicate. Frameworks, systems, networking, communities, IoT, corporate collaborations, modules,

How do I see this Manifest? Intuitive v/s Confirmation of Intuition What are the kinds of information touch points I can identify and play with? Sacrificial Prototypes or Brandcepts Qualitative research > insights > design principles > actionable idea provocations > Ideation Workshop > Synthesis > Concept

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Q u a l i f y i n g A p p r o a c h F r o m I n t e n t t o D e l i v e r a b l e

gr a p h i c

:

d e s i g n

a ppro a c h

a re a

o f

i n t er v e n t i o n

h um a n

ce n t ere d

Appro a c h

h y per

u s a b i l i t y

a ppro a c h

·BRAND

·VISION ·GUI

d el i v er a b le

·FUNCTION OVE R FORM ·USER TESTED ·REAL TIME

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h o w

m i g h t

w e ' s

How might we help people understand their circular impact/ responsibility better? How might we better organise conscious consumers, to include larger audiences in the framework to amplify circular impact? How might we help to make our purchases value driven? How might we help objects have a meaningful post Consumption? a k a s h

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How might we's are re-articulations of problem

statements. They present a holistic way forward for

solutions, generally through a more multilateral view.

072


t h e

t h e

m a i n s t re a m

a l t er n a t e

co n s umer

co n s umer

a r e a o f i n t e r v e n t i o n

le a r n i n g

t r a i n e d

e n a b le d

pre s e n t

n e a r

f u t ure

n o v i ce

i n t erme d i a t e

familiarising with

practising

sustainability

sustainability

s h a re d

f u t ure

v e t er a n

self sustainable

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d is c u ssi o n g u i d e f r a m e w o r k

What is their idea & understanding of circularity?

P e r c e p t i o n o f c i r c u l a r i t y / s u s t a i n a bi l i t y

Concepts regarding sustainability are introduced to us early on; through school or cultural education. There

1

are varying meanings for people and they tend strongly relate to one of the many facets of sustainability.

With The Circular Economy trying to impress upon the masses, it will be interesting to understand how lucid or multi-layered the definition of sustainability becomes.

What are people's ideas about sustainability & circularity and what is in it for them?

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A w a r e n a b E c o l o g i I m p

e o c a

ss u t a l c t

2

Were they conscious of their ecological impact & how do they maintain it? What are common tools & resources they employ to measure & maintain it?

What are the different ways they like to visualise their ecological impact? For example, them using two toilet paper rolls a week as opposed to three. Or them planning train journeys instead of flying.

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What makes it difficult for them to be sustainable/ circular?

Obs t a c l e s

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Normal life is filled with compromise on both quality and how much. People claim being earth-conscious

prevents them from making the most of daily life. How can we help to change that? What level of intervention should governments and implementing bodies have to make this easier?

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C o n s u m p t i o n b e h a v i o u r

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How would they describe or quantify their consumption behaviour? Can people measure their consumption behaviour (maybe in terms of how often: frequency and how much: amplitude and the surrounding circular footprint. Do they stock? Or make purchases only when they need them? How does this behaviour affect their sustainability efforts?

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What are the familiar mediums people use to purchase, sell, re-buy, advertise etc.?

M e d i u m s o f e n g a g e m e n t

Do people shop on-line more than they visit department stores, or do they by it off from a local farmer’s market and sell off old stuff in flea markets on Sundays.

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Do they Shop on-line?

Is making a purchase a sensory experience rather than just a way to fill your shelves? Loss of Tactility Online? Garage Sales, Yard Sales , Flea markets.

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How do brands influence their purchases/ consumption behaviour? How critical are audiences towards brands that sell things to them? Would they want to strongly identify with a Brand? And why?

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&

What are people's motivations & intentions behind their decisions or be selective of their brands?

I n t e n t i o n M o t i v a t i o n

To understand 'conscious consumerism' better, people's motivations and parameters that drive what & how

they purchase must be understood. Though consumption behaviour may not be completely voluntary and is seen as necessary, manufacturers can affect to a great extent how conscious consumerism is realised.

Brands are manifestations of human extensions of companies and corporates. They maintain balance at

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a fragile intersection. Often brands play primary motivators and are the face of corporate collaboration.

Sustainability is massively brand-driven. Brands help to simplify and visualise lifestyle choices for individuals and become their means of measuring impact.

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I m p e r a t i v e I n f o r m a t i o n

What do they want to know and what do they need to know? Parts of the whole: Ingredients, etc.

Brand Behind: Breakdown of involved parties

Where it came from

Hazard Alerts: Health & Environmental risks

Source of parts of the whole:

Maker of the parts or the whole: Who are

8

involved in making it

Energy consumed in the process of production: Joules/vol

Type: Organic, Inorganic, Natural, Man-made

& manufacturers

Shelf Life: Longevity of the product

How to: Directions for Usage, Disposal Responsibly!, Repair!

Use Cycles: Objects that have been passed on, their past usage

Net Ecological/ Circular Footprint

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What kind kinship do people share with the things that they buy?

Ob j e c t s & C o m m o d i t i e s

What are common actionable products where people make an active decision

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of whether it is sustainable or not?

Do people have distinct memories or stories they associate with objects?

Does that impact how they interact with the object on a daily or long term basis?

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O r g a n i z a t i o n s , I n s t i t u t i o n s & P r o g r e ssi v e C h a n g e

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In what ways are personal consumer habits different from the community sense? In what ways can digital experiences add value to their efforts : organize & spread awareness What are the primary motivators for food sharing ideas?

How do wee see these motivators apply to seemingly non-perishable resources?

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p e o p l e

Sabine

s o i l r e c y c l is t , f o o d - s h a r e r Sabine who is a soil re-cyclist by profession, believes advances in the field of sustainability yield long term effects which take time to manifest.

She hates buying things in shops, and is very

particular about her groceries. She believes in having a contact and build a relationship with the farmer or producer of her things.

The most important obstacle in how sustainability exists Sabine points out, is that the Market largely regulates the price. Which in-effect impacts purchasing choices for the people.

“Really cheap things imply really bad working conditions”

She loves 2nd hand shopping for her clothes, and

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sometimes buys food from Bio-supermarkets if left

with no choice. Electronic devices are generally used

till the maximum extent and are also generally bought off on-line stores that sell them refurbished.

Sabine points out that peer pressure plays a dominant role of how brand-conscious someone is.

Just as she criticizes corporate collaboration to be a gimmick.

“They still can only pretend to be, but with no co-operation with companies it would be difficult for any of us to reach a given goal�

As a soil re-cyclist, she consults organisations and institutions on how frequently they need

to change their soil so as to facilitate a healthy local biodiversity and fertility. She is really

attached to objects and has preserved things

since her childhood & finds it really hard to give them away.

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Oliver

c a m e r a m a n , s u s t a i n a b l e

e d u c a t o r

For Oliver, sustainable development implies family

as a unit. “things that you can directly influence”

have more meaning as opposed to more generalised concepts. He links material sustainability with social sustainability. And accounts for both natural and human resources as influential factors.

“I don’t like things which are advertised”

The common obstacle he says is a Conflict of Interest, which keeps us from realising circularity in our day to day lives. He looks at circularity as economic growth

than just reduction, which is quite the essence of the idea.

Oliver is a frequent consumer of organic food. He says

in a city it is difficult to be sustainable.

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Oliver insists more PayBack Mechanisms should be enabled for people to stop consuming mindlessly.

He suggests a “Card for Sustainable Products”, that

reward you and says incentive of the right kind is good motivation.

Although Oliver says he is very brand driven, he doesn’t feel the need of good products to be advertised.

“Lot of information in the world already, it could use less penetration of information” But would love to see information more organized and well communicated.

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George

a g r i c u l t u r a l is t , C S A f a r m e r George runs a solidarity farm with his family in the outskirts of Munich city.

“Sustainability forms the basis of my occupation & livelihood”. His given understanding of the processes is motivated to provide his customers with the best quality local

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He has seen foodsharing evolve as a

stronger concept over the years & enjoys

being an important part of it. The concept holds great value and insights to be

translated into other models for products and objects like: cars, tools, etc.

George wants to farm on the ideologies

of permaculture, and transform it into a produce sold without middlemen. He is at times

helped by volunteers who work on the fields either to understand sustainable agricultural practices or nice way to spend time and learn more about it.

When it comes to fertilisers & other requirement for

permaculture garden- one that is design-

wise more intelligent and enables fair share ideas. As a agriculturalist he believes that

the soil should be covered all the time and has different opinions regarding the tilling of land to produce food.

George to run his farm, he prefers making them at

home over buying them. His homemade compost for his homegrown produce is healthier and definitely more economically advantageous.

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Janna

s u s t a i n a b l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s t r a t e g is t , f o o d s h a r i n g a c t i v is t

"There are even more factors that need to be highlighted in the process. They need to be more intuitive, more simplified."

Janna's understanding of the circular economy is how it is more systemic and network based, with both corporations and individuals at the heart of the change.

She understands that in the realm on

sustainability it is really hard to say which strategies work and which don’t.

According to her, the convenience of services &

their de-growth stories make it difficult for people to be more circular.

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Her understanding of quantifying impact is

wonderful. She says she doesn’t need to quantify her consumption behaviour. Since that data, just may not come of use. She prefers more comparative analysis, where facts are made obvious.

Janna only buys what she feels like. Postpones

decisions when it comes to gadgets and electronics, that will eventually be replaced when they wear out.

“Things that surround us aren’t always merely functional.” The recycling process holds

“Online platforms tend to destroy the global economy”

value to her since they are easier

“ I would like a fridge that tells me when I have to

easier to process for users.

re-buy something”

concepts that can be explained to people. “Systems should be

designed in a way that you can

close the circle biologically” She explains that frameworks should be less information heavy and

She has access to people who know more about

something she doesn’t & wants to buy.and insists the physical shops must keep existing.

Although Janna, has never really identified with a

brand she does believe that transparent brands win faith & can play a positive role in systemic change.

Transparency should be seen as beyond obligation.

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Zeno

f i l m - m a k e r , d u m p s t e r Di v e r

“It hurts to see, food being wasted & how much you pay for something when you can get it for free”

The dumpster diving culture has picked up

commendable momentum in Munich & Zeno is a proud dumpster diver.

Although in the formative phases it was perceived as a criminal activity, people are gradually growing more sensitive and understanding the important aspects of it.

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Although the primary motivation is how much you end up saving, he does it because it is actually the right thing to do.

While he scavenges through neatly laid out bins, he

points out that exotic fruits and vegetables travel over oceans to end up in thrash cans.

The art of dumpster diving involves a big backpack,

stealth & the responsibility to clean up afterwards.

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Maja

e a r t h C h i l d , f o o d g r o w e r

“I try to not consume things I don’t need.”

What she really needs

Maja, relies on reserves & makes sure she uses it

v/s What she wants to have

properly before she gets something new.

The primary motivation for her consumption is their

Solidarity Agriculture is popular both culturally and

impact on her health and body.

socially and she takes part for its fresh and locally

“Ethical production generally goes hand in hand with being positive for the health”.

grown produce. She loves buying furniture & home decor from flea markets & second hand sources.

Often what she buys is how she is economically at the moment.

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“I find them often more beautiful than new stuff, as long as it can be used why shouldn’t we”

The economics of being circular & sustainable

often discourages her from being so. She says it is

expensive to be as sustainable as imagined. She also

points out that the few percentage of people who are doing it makes it difficult to amplify the net impact.

She chooses not to be defined by brands and would avoid wearing clothes that have maybe a brand logo on them.

Although Maja finds purchasing experiences as

stressful & sometimes physically exhausting she admits.

“I like to buy things, it makes me happy, it is like giving a present to yourself”.

She enjoys the human interaction and tangibility

She finds objects that are given away to have a certain

Salespersons reactions & conviction > online reviews,

them different, and individualistic even though they

of buying as an experience & the products itself. feedbacks & opinions.

“ I am really not a conscious consumer that way”

when it comes to knowing the products and its

content information. She is cautious about the use

character that makes them more unique, which makes might have been mass produced. Objects remind her of specific memories and moments of the past. She

likes it when there is a story associated with a certain object.

of pesticides & chemicals when it comes to food & is

very interested by where probably the food grows and its relative location.

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i n si g h t s

Shared Value is mightier than in isolation. Brands show potential to be torchbearers for conscious consumerism.

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The value of any thing is multiplied when shared. Like memories, information and action is much strongly felt when put out

collectively. Circular frameworks are essential in understanding

shared resources and collective value. For example people opt for solidarity agriculture as it is value creation for both the provider and the consumer.

While people grow more informed, companies feel the urgency of being trust-keepers like never before. As they collaborate

to keep quality of production & to be more actionable on their environmental impact and share resources. People strongly

identify with brands that are true to their stance on sustainable

practices and are motivated to be loyal to what they manufacture. People can tell apart brands that are ethically invested.

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Human centered approach is the best way to unify practices & regulations.

When it comes to making major decisions regarding infrastructure of consumer products, often the consumers are kept out of it. Today human systems, regulations and unification are being

re-imagined inside out. The relevance and importance of people participation is crucial to the functioning of a Circular Economy. Standardisation is being humanised and democratised for

individuals and manufacturers to adapt with ease. Challenging concepts like Block-chain, are being simplified and being introduced to the masses.Â

Conscious consumerism is held together by the digital world of networking.

The idea of a Social Network may seem to be a post the birth of

the internet idea, but it’s relevance in times to come stays just as valid as now. Consumers act like collectives, often being self-

critical and setting certain targets to achieve. Peer groups help

individuals to feel as a unit, active and inclined. It is but natural for

the Circular Economy to adopt networking to reach as many users as possible. Social Networking platforms help individuals express

and advocate practices and values with being much more easy to understand and sentimental in nature.

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p r i n c i p l e s

How might we preserve & curate memories of objects that surround us; into an experience that lives-on beyond the life of the object? R e d e f i n e d

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Networking as a Social Institution.

While we might argue about the takeover of

social-networking on our daily lives, we also see social-networking as an enabler of change and

digital transformation. A circular economy could benefit massively from the idea of networking, sharing and documenting collective progress.

Networking forms the basis of sustainability since

most of us do not have means to be self-sufficient or depend on every other thing meant to perform a specific task. Networking enables change at a more global level, thereby increasing shared

resources, providing opportunities for collaboration with developing economies. We also imagine the

Participation equals winning.

People love to be a part of something. A movementlike under-current that upholds the ideals of the

circular economy positively motivates individuals to undertake responsibility. Companies end up

being summed into an individual to interact with

audiences on more personal levels. The Progressive ideas revolving around Sustainability in present times are massively participation driven. This is

widely popular, with food-sharing communities,

hackathons-fixathons whose success relies on

Participation. These activities are also structured in a similar manner, to include participatory

activities and a way of life, not merely a service or a subscription.

Internet as common platform for all things bright and beautiful. and treat it, conduct activities and

freely organise just like it was a Social Institution.

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Understanding the beauty of emotions.

Objects exist as witnesses to events, triggers

for memories and very strongly exist as social identification. They have for centuries been

extensions of our immediate self, confidant of

emotions and expressions and have demarcated

With a constant insecurity of information invasion

world steps into a world less-physical, interfaces are

we present and make this process contributive.

socio-economic and ethno-cultural groups. As the

Make most of how people express themselves.

The digital world tries its best to emulate human

emotions. Interface design today, is challenged with usability & novelty; and how to make it memorable

Small servings of Big Data.

being pushed to emulate these more than utilitarian attributes that objects inherently have.

governing our lives, we tread cautiously as to how With trust based networking forming the foundation of how we use digital services in times to come,

people have grown more open to strangers and

for all. “Materiality Matters”. The physical act of

Moreover, companies create brands to embody a

with it holds significant value among humans

product mindset to incorporate surveillance and

Information is processed in bits, concisely

more humanist and conversational.

Block-chain are being simplified, humanised and

buying something off a shelf, to inspect and interact

human spirit. Services are emerging from the rigid feedback mechanisms. Services of the future will be

across cultures. Buying things is an experience

that makes most people happy. A high degree of

uncertainty regarding the realisation of Conscious Consumerism, is in-fact due to our impulse driven

intangibility.

packaged. Today, relatively complex ideas like

very effectively communicated for people to start using them. Crowd-sourced data are often really

habits surrounding our purchases and use of things

tiny inputs by users, eventually plotting an entire

we buy. Gratification of human emotion through the

database. Smaller packages of information, makes

act of purchasing things we need, we need less,

it easier for users to participate and contribute. The

or don’t need at all, is precisely why the Circular

IoT paints a picture for the Circular Economy, where

Economy could use a bit of prioritisation.

information can be encased into different formats

and substrates we are comfortable interacting with, ultimately to be converted into an ocean of one’s and zeros, for a larger framework.

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Shelf Life is for the weak.

Although an object is supposed to have it peak

experiences, there is a clear need to manufacture products that withstand the test of time to serve their utilitarian functions. Also; with the Circular

economy encouraging servicisation of products and the use of shared utilities; objects must be

designed to be fit for multiple and changing user cycles.

performance moments in the course of it’s usage

Moreover, we as humans look at objects as a

ad-hoc rather inventive ways; post a typical shelf life

individuals. And we preserve and celebrate them by

span, people have the tendency to use them in

period. This speaks volumes about our relationship with objects.

tangible embodiment of memories or identities of valuing the object.

Today we are moving into times, where

manufacturers are making objects that are built to last and science and technology are coming up

with eco-friendly solutions for disposable ones. We are leaving behind the idea of ultra-consumerist;

use & throw, to embrace manufacturing and use of products that are sustainable in the long-run. With human resources being replaced by the idea of

Autonomous and the physicality of objects fading into being replaced by interfaces and augmented

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c o n c e p t

The Beautilist Experience The Beautilist Experience is an IoT powered solution in effort to document living histories of inanimate objects. a k a s h

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The objects become relics of information while continuing to serve their utilitarian functions

or by being a warehouse of memories & owner cycles & cultural & contextual importance for people who have them.

The effort aims to capture the essence of objects beyond their utility, in the lives of

people. It tries to understand the human-object relationship to be the underlying basis for the understanding and implementing a Circular Economic model.

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I n t e n t

P h i l o s o p h y

The intent is to create a framework of connected objects, which is a repository of information on the object.

Beauty Beyond Utility pushes the limits as to how we as people understand objects in our lives.

The idea is to emulate a block-chain-esque ethic

Through the passage of our lives, we have things

on, with changing owners. With the advent of the

away, or just retained. Objects are an extension of

to how the information is contained and passed

IoT & connected appliances within a household, a framework like this one, aids in efficiency of repair-restore models which companies and

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ourselves as humans, and then eventually, become artefacts of memories and emotions, once they

cease to function. Objects outlive their objectivity

services are taking massive interest in.

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we have inherited, purchased, gifted, thrown-

to become reminders of the past.

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P h y si c a l

Vi r t u a l

S p a c e

S p a c e

The physical space of the shared

The virtual space acts as a server like

future, would exist as museums, with

hub for all these objects. Memories

each object having a certain use

as testimonials, are fed as input in a

cycle or a story to tell.

digital gateway by people who have a memory to record. The object acts as a digital fossil of data, while the gateway becomes the interface to view your memories.

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B

Ă—

t h e

Ci r c u l a r

E c o n o m y

All efforts in the circular economy today are

The circular economy deals with the life-cycles

legitimately approach owners to purchase

systems for the products and services we

looking into how to assist maintenance and

giving away objects rather than throwing them

towards how we are making smarter overarching

of everyday objects, and now companies are

use. While metrics and standardisation are

disposal of them through the usage period.

slowly catching up , the interconnected world

The Beautilist Experience enables archiving

is growing, with more intelligent domestic

at an actionable level- displaying these owner

environments. The framework enables these

cycles and life-spans of registered objects.

mechanisms to be implemented efficiently.

The Beautilist Archive turns into a gold mine of

things they like, thus enabling the entire cycle of away. Memories captured by Human beings

and potentially the object itself (think machine learning) are almost forever archived into the larger database hosted by the Internet.

super-specific information; which stakeholders

More interestingly, people are growing more

(corporations and individuals) can tap into.

informed and incredibly conscious of their sustainable impact. With the rise of the

The Beautilist is a Life-Style Centred

off second-hand markets, which adds value

Sustainable values and principles. It acts as a

alternative consumer, people continue to buy

framework which very non-explicitly advocates

to products that may otherwise be seen as

social networking platform where users can

obsolete & thrown away. Thus objects continue to live on, impacting lives of people who use

them or provide a sense of identity for people who own them.

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B

Ă—

C o n s c i o u s

C o n s u m e r is m

With growing access & democratization of

are tempted to follow the ideal, by contacting

The entire Platform represents a Social

thoughtful about their impact on the

Inputting Memories into objects is seen as a

users. Imagine it to be like the Instagram of

information, people are growing increasingly environment. This is seen massively in how

we have considered food as a very important resource, and how we have switched to a lifestyle suited healthy for both us & the

planet. With brands & manufacturers making

Radical Transparency an important part of their processes, the volatile trust people & brands share, has only gotten stronger.

The Beautilist Experience addresses issues

owners they are interested in. Recording and

very natural way of how humans are expressive beings. Mass produced objects, thus get

this layer of individuality and identity by the

memories they house. The act of embedding

these memories into objects, personalizes the object even more; thus establishing a more

Institution of its own, with equally motivated Objects, for Objects, by People. One can add

other users to expand their Circles (of friends). The Beautilist indicates a movement like ethic, where sustainability values come through motivation by peer-groups.

intimate connection with its owner. Users are

thus motivated to mindfully use consume and keep the objects.

surrounding Conscious Consumerism in many different and non-direct ways. The Experience

encourages re-buy and giving away of objects and displays changing owner cycles. Users

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Objects as Living Fossils

Block-chain basics made Mainstream

While we are discovering sustainable materials to satiate our

The idea of a block-chain is soon to be adopted by human beings

generation of people who are advocating reuse, and frugal

interchange, streamlining manufacturing, enabling bit-currencies

appetite for using & disposing of things, there is an entire

on a multilateral level. Block-chains are, influencing Information

consumption of resources. The latter which is more achievable

and will gradually be made public to wider audiences.

daily lives.

Efforts are being made to simplify and introduce block-chains at

Human history is replete with cultural examples citing clear cases

information. Today major digital resources are heavily reliant on

The popularity of second-hand markets and flea markets speak

Privacy. Block-chains help secure, while they adhere to a common

and simple as an idea, inspires longevity of objects we use in our

preliminary levels, which will help sustain processes and archive

of our interest and ability to effectively utilise things we create.

trust-based networking and have to deal wisely with Information

for our times, indicating our enthusiasm for purchasing objects as

code of ethics.

of the object.

The Beautilist helps envision owner cycles of the said object, that

Objects of the future would record, behave and understand,

account for every object in its database, from when and where it

learning & artificial intelligence enabling objects to have intuition

exist. This helps us to collectively visualise The Circular Impact

artefacts, & memories & narratives as an added value to the utility

helps us to understand the usage patterns of the object. It helps

in addition to serving their functional purpose. With machine

was given birth to, who is using it, & when and where it ceases to

and perform voluntary functions, these tasks will be made more

and flow of resources.

seamless and barely input triggered.

Block-chains can also play an active part in enabling transactions

Objects will soon grow into repositories of information within

and exchange of physical objects, people take interest in.

establishing themselves as additional members of the family unit.

conscious consumerism.

themselves, and will be of greater emotional importance,

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Thereby, facilitating multiple usage cycles & encouraging

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Collective Ownership

Narratives & Objectivity

The Circular Economy is helping products grow into a broader

Culturally, humans have been known to have emotional

broadened into collective sense. Digital Transformation is helping

might have a special bond with. The process of crafting the

idea, that of services, our roles as consumers is equally

personalise shared utilities, through collective maintenance.

The re-use and purchase of second-hand products make the

idea of ownership more decentralised. Owning a bike has evolved into renting one. Such is also the nature of Sustainability. As the world moves into a direction where Utilities are democratised

attachments to things. We invest memories in things that we object makes the object ultra valuable. Although the advent of

the industrial revolution could be blamed for damaging objects

as craft & culturally changing our relationships with them; people continue to preserve, & take care of objects they are really fond of.

and manufacturers show increased responsibility towards what

Humans have always attempted to anthropomorphize objects.

owns what.

nicely established by stories we've written, the paintings we've

they manufacture, there are massive debates regarding: who truly

In the shared future, when the information dynamics of an

object would be just as valuable as the materiality of it; we may

be owning more than what we perceive we own. The Internet is

growing into a public playground, devoid of hierarchy (as to who

To an extent, they become human-like and feel as we do. This is painted. Together with technology, static objects are brought to life; so we can connect with them on a more personal level and

the usability is enhanced by making them smarter. Which brings us to a conclusion that objects are repositories of narratives.

gets their turn on the swing).

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The IoT as a Launchpad

Homespaces as Museums

Over the past few years, the Internet of Things has grown into

The Beautilist Experience will help domestic spaces evolve into

connect domestic objects, surveillance and sensing, and also

an Exhibit while simultaneously performing utilitarian functions.

an idea with multiple channels. People have effectively used it to map and monitor their immediate environments. With many such people, the IoT has snowballed into a movement, effectively

mapping and archiving a larger portion of the earth. The IoT is free and easy to use.

The circular economy deals with the life-cycles of everyday

libraries of information, with each individual object existing as The sofa you may be sitting on then; would have been either

purchased off the shelf, given away by a friend or existed dearly in your family as an heirloom. The memories you share with the object continue to exist in an archival manner, that would also document the cycles of use in its life-span.

objects, and now companies are looking into how to assist

The Beautilist Experience can be enhanced by augmented

This is where Beautilist makes it easy for predictive maintenance.

these objects. They can be used to teach people about

maintenance and disposal of them through the usage period.

The Beautilist is an effort in the same ethic, which uses the IoT as a launchpad. Users are actively involved in archiving their

immediate environments through documenting their memories

with their objects. Gradually evolving into a landscape that kinda

reality interventions to create interactive environments for

sustainability and teach them to value their possessions. The IoT lets users create diverse and domestic archives. We are

steering in a direction where archives are growing more local and decentralised.

archives most of the human objects. Not only does this pose as a rich reserve of stories for users, but also the framework is hyperfriendly for corporations interested in restoring, refurbishing or even resourcing objects from users.

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Plug-In to Play Modular Frameworks are lit. The Beautilist Experience operates

as a plug-in, which any object could be enabled with. In addition

to that, manufactured products(that usually come with a concrete list of specifications as to what they are) can be pre-fit with this plug-in which users can tap into whenever they want.

Pug-In's act like an unobtrusive feature, respecting their users'

time and personal space. The slow decline in popularity of native apps, to make way for Internet-based applications is a clear example. The IoT massively advocates this ideal, also since crowd-sourced data is better when users are at ease.

The Beautilist Plug-In could be integrated into products

companies manufacture, implying an already existing digital

profile for an object right when it leaves its warehouse. Within this

in place, manufacturers can estimate with profound accuracy and

qualitatively understand how consumers are using their products.

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si t e m a p & d e si g n

The Sitemap explaining the building blocks of the interactive environment. It explains the general flow of application screens triggered by actions.

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Application Habitat. The application habitat is where the experience sits; idle or engaged.

Splash Screen

Is a non-input loading page

displaying the logo & initiation.

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On-boarding Screens The On-boarding screens explain the idea,

philosophy and operations of the Beautilist

Experience. On-boarding is a one-time affair, eventually leading to a point where the user volunteers to register with the Experience and its database.

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Activity Wall The activity wall houses

memory posts of people in your circles. It links the user to individual

memory posts, displays appreciations on posts.

The user can access their own profiles, through the nav.

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The User & User Profile

The User Profile displays your Object

Inventory, through which the user can access their memory posts for their

respective objects. It displays basic bio

information; which is the user's name and location(Place,Country). One can access

one's circles (network of friends) through one's user profile.

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gateway Habitat. The gateway habitat is the Beautilist Experience, which is triggered by external action with the Physical Object. The object holds an NFC which on interaction with a mobile device activates the Beautilist Experience. The gateway Splash screen illustrates how a user can engage with the Beautilist Experience and input memories. A User can only input memories into an object he or she

physically taps into (privacy regulated). This would display the individual object's Memory Lane and Preliminary Information about the object.

The NFC Tag is essentially an NFC sticker; which is unique for each object. Users can tag personal belongings with the NFC

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Memory Lane

A Memory Lane is comprised of a string of memory posts. Every memory

uploaded for an object and by who; is housed in the memory lane of the object.

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Memory Post

A Memory Post is any encoded or

recorded memory uploaded into the

object on the application server. A user can archive events they closely relate to as memories; or write a testimonial

for the object through a memory post. It is typically a photographic image,

Video or Audio recording or text-based input where the users can express themselves.

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Poster's Profile It is the individual database of the user who has

uploaded the memory

post. A user can view the

uploader's profile name and

location, and can go through their object inventory. One can add the up-loader to their circles.

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Object Preliminary Information

u s e r

c y c l e s

o b j e c t i m a g e

The engaged object in view is displayed with its name, general description,

p r o d u c t

owner cycles, state of existence and

d e s c r i p t i o n

category of product. Every object has their object card.

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usercycles o b j e c t

n a m e

3

Jaden Jaspreet Julian

IN POSSESION.

t a g s

User Cycles & Object Cards Beautilist documents changing owners to origin

Cambodia

maker

Ikea, Sweden

UID#

IK34178CM

know the current state of possession and utility. Every object has a sequential list of

owners, displaying the current owner. The

user can access the profile of the owner(s)

over here. The Object Card is the experience's way of referencing in its database; through a

unique Object ID, where the object was made and who the maker/brand/company is.

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actions.

Post a Memory.

Listed down are typical actions that

Once engaged with the object, a user

Experience. All Actions can be executed

Posted Memories can also be deleted

can input a memory into the object.

Users can carry out within the Beautilist

by the user if they wish to.

with ease and have privacy regulations enabled.

Engage. Users can engage with specific NFC

tagged object, by tapping their phones close to the object sensor

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Click a picture.

Record a video clip.

or upload a clicked picture as a

into Objects, as a motion-based

A User can typically click a picture memory post.

Users can upload and feed videos memory post.

Type a testimonial.

Record an audio clip.

as scrollable testimonials for their

of sound or express oneself by

Users can type passages of text favourite objects or document a memory by writing about it.

A User can record a certain piece recording an audio clip and feeding it into the object.

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View & Read. When a User is not engaged with an Object in the Experience, they still

can view Memory Posts of an object and know more about a certain

object. Imagine it like you were going through your Instagram when you are not typically posting stuff.

Appreciate

Comment

memory post by liking the post.

expressing agreement or disagreement or just

Users can express their appreciation towards a

Users can comment on memory posts,

general interest. Users can delete comments they have made and comments people have made on posts owned by them.

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Add Users.

Users can add other Users to extend their Circle of Friends, and keep in touch with

the memories they post. These posts show up on a User's Activity Wall, which then

re-directs them to the Original Post and Memory Lane of the Object involved. Users can delete and remove friends from the Circles. Be happy and make friends.

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Text Message Users can text users within their Circles to have conversations,

contact them for re-buying objects and most importantly sharing resources.

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Main Nav The Main Nav is stacked as

hamburger Nav, on the top-left

corner of the screen. It re-directs

the user to their Activity Wall, User profile and Message Inbox. The is also the Global Search Bar for the

app; on the top of the screen in the

main nav. One can search hashtags, specific products and objects and

their unique Id's and also other user profiles.

The Nav's come in three neutral interface

colors; and show up quirkly in the color that

matches the colour of the adjacent screen at the time of interaction.

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c o n c e p t

s c r o l l

A Concept scroll explaining the Interactive experience. : Value Proposition, Key Features that maybe graphically designed to almost sell you something.

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u s e r

j o u r n e y

Jina is about to leave her house for pursuing further studies abroad. Javed is helping her pack her things.

Jina wishes to leave behind her beloved vase with Javed as a gift. She has had many interesting memories with the vase and now wants Javed to share the same.

She explains that the vase is registered with the Beautilist experience and that he can feed in his memories whenever he felt like.

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Javed now is a proud owner of a beautiful vase. Jina decides to demonstrate. She gently taps her phone onto the vase to engage with it.

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Once engaged, she clicks a picture on her farewell day; as a memory, she wants to remember. She proceeds to add the picture post to the list of many different memories in the vase.

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Javed now can see, who previously owned the vase and how it got passed on to him. He can also access information like where it was made and by who.

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l a n g u a g e l o g 0 & n a m e

Beautilist. The name is a forced juxtaposition of two words to make a third. (Classical Product

The Logo represents a three dimensional

Advertising) 'Beauty' and 'Utility' in this case. The name is personified to convey a collective

extrusion of the letter form; suggesting the

sense of identity like in the case of an alternative consumer who identifies by a common

three-dimensionality of objects.

name. Every engaged user is thus a Beautilist.

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c o l o u r s & t y p o g r a p h y

# 1 b 3 2 f f # d 8 d 8 d 8 # 0 0 f f c 9

futura bold oblique.

/ Helvetica Neue Light. The colours are inspired by current trends in web and digital design. They offer a sense of contemporariness and youthfulness. The

Typography is Bold. Digital design today sees a revival of Print design aesthetic.

Green end speaks for sustainability while the

Interfaces are incorporating bolder elements, following Typographic Hierarchy; and

purple speaks for digital design. The colour

are without a doubt inspired by Publication design.

+

applications are Flat, very much along the lines of Material design. So are the microinteractions.

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s t y l e i n s p i r a t i o n Web brutalism boasts a sense of bravery in terms of approaching interfaces. They add a sense of diversity to the internet.

Modern-day Web brutalism seems to have been inspired by pop-culture, flat design,

interactive GUI's and randomness. For the

project it interesting to have been inspired

by it to create an object reminiscent of the

times to come. It also proved worthwhile to experiment with a different aesthetic.

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Documentation & Tools b l o g

A certain stress was laid to dedicate an online

At IDEO, Design researchers work tirelessly to

A blog was formulated to not just document, but it

They are engrossed in data collection, synthesis

ensure the success of Human Centred Design.

presence for the entirety of the Design Process.

ended up providing massive clarity. Circulus-The Blog was influential in visualising the general direction of

and presentation of insights. Design Research directs the way forward for Design work. IDEO believes in a strong tradition of archiving,

the student project. It hosts a collection of ideas,

sharing of resources and making their design

insights, interviews with people, the discussion

processes transparent through documentation.

guide, sacrificial concepts, the envisioned idea, and articulation of the approach.

Also, the sacrificial concepts were meant

to be low fidelity, but creatively visualised as

more a clearly articulated, creatively put-forth

on Practice was strongly frequent. One had to

necessary occasions. These pictures generally

landing pages. Blog Updates and Reflection

sit down synthesise stacked information into a k a s h

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Circulus allowed for more creative approaches to the documentation aspect of the project.

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passages of text. Photographs were clicked on were images that seemed culturally relevant

14 4


Screens were created on Sketch, and an

InVision prototype was created to be used for visualising the tangible output.

Cinema 4D, Illustrator and Photoshop were

other design tools employed in the process to make the idea a reality.

to sustainability, portraits of participants who

Slowly it grew into a certain structure with more visually

brainstorm notes.

the blog into a tone that was heavy, darker, grotesque

were interviewed and the multicoloured post-it

The Documentation was intended to be freely

structured to enable a rather comfortable way of writing in the earlier stages of the project.

resolved decisions. There was a constant urge to push and speculative, but it kinda didn’t shape up to justify

the approach, so yes. Project Blogs provide a personal space for Creative Zen, Occasional Rants and even citations of references.

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Closure The project was an introspection followed by efforts in

that the shared future will be more for lifestyle-oriented

creatively visualisng an idea that would throw light on all

sustainability. It will be interesting to see how the Circular

intended aspects of the project. The project brings up

Economy rises above privatisation to be inculcated into a

interesting provocations and starting points for conversations

general framework implemented by the public sector. A unified

in and around the subject of Circular Economy and

model will be the first step towards realising this inclusion.

Consumerism in general. To see how companies evolve and brands prepare for a shared future. Deep inspection can

Internet and Sub-cultures have evolved; massively shaping

bring about revelations on fundamental values and the idea of

how we as humans have been communicating. So has social

materiality; something we might never do without.

networking and how it is helping companies connect with their target groups in a friendly manner. To be able to globally

The Circular Economy right now is looking to tap into

connect is to be able to have access to larger sustainable

mainstream markets (truly where impact matters). What it

resources and have a global impact.

could really use is a unification of sorts. Circular Standards are coming into the picture. Guidelines are being formulated

A standardised framework means we will be able to rightly

for manufacturers, to monitor environmental practices and

quantify impact. A holistic idea of Circular Economy and the

quantify the impact in general.

ambiguity surrounding it will be made much more simplified. Although this project ends in speculation it could be

The IoT presents a massive possibility for the Circular

implemented; if not in its entirety but for sure in its essence.

Economy to be realised at every household level. This means

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Reflections I belong to a middle-class family in suburban Bombay. Design

nervousness during my skype interview and how I had lost

Design as a field of study. However, it reflected culturally in

been out of my home country, and interact with different

sleep for those few days. It was also the first time I had ever

to me was never really naturally occurring, let alone Graphic

cultures. Each conversation presented itself as an opportunity

my household (as it does for most of us and we don't realise

to learn. Each project helped me contribute actively to

it). Watching my mother who elaborately laid out rangolis

discussions and work and sharpened my abilities. I grew to

in front of our doorstep and wore beautiful sarees. My

be more articulate (still can work on that a bit more), definitely

father carrying out temple duties and my grandfather who

more informed, with a constant sense of enthusiasm. Projects

organised his accounts are like a treat for any information

at IDEO open you up to an entirely different paradigm of work

designer. A creative environment was always encouraged in

happening all across the world in many different sectors. One

my upbringing; at home and school. My inclination towards

does fumble at first, but it eventually rubs on you so well you

design comes from the fact that I despise certain aspects

don't need to realise it. The curative process that IDEO adopts

of it, as much as I have admiration for it. Travelling through

is nurturing and organic.

part of project work has exposed me a plethora of socioeconomic and cultural landscapes, and challenges that

My project was in a way, my means of emulating a certain

design can address. I belong to a school of thought that puts

design process we believe in the studio, yet it was

people before design

personalised and exciting. It was a bold move to challenge

pre-determined notions and experiment with ideas to use as a

My IDEO internship proved to a valuable milestone for me,

means to understand the subject.

not only because it is what most students pursuing a design journey aspire for, but also it helped me perform and learn and be a better version of my former self. I remember the

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References

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Citations All content in the publication belong to the author. Images depicted are either clicked or are sourced via the interweb. The respective authors have been credited in the references section (Page 153). Copy written by Akash Sheshadri. Document proof read by Oishee Sen.

IDEO Logo designed by Paul Rand in 1991, re-iterated by Michael Beirut in 1997.

NFC Tag 3D generation done by Rahul Agarwal, Ramiz Anjum Laskar

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Colophon This document has been designed and written by Akash Sheshadri. It has been printed at Sonal Xerox, Ahmedabad; printed on

170 gsm Matte. Printing in Black was seen as a sustainable way to produce the output.

This document has been set in:

Aktiv Grotesk (Trial), which was designed as an intentional

alternative to the most ubiquitous typeface from the grotesque genre by Bruno Maag of Dalton Maag fame.

ITC Conduit, an industrial display, designed by Mark van Bronkhorst;

based on the letters on ordinary signage done by a non-professional published by ITC in 1997.

Frutiger is designed by Adrian Frutiger and released by Linotype Type Foundry.

All document related visuals, text, graphics, and the selection and arrangement thereof are the copyrighted works Tyrant Corporation.© 2012-2017. All rights preserved in formaldehyde.

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Contact Information IDEO GmbH

Akash Sheshadri

Munich 81667

Neptune's Living Pt

Kellerstraße 27 Germany

ideo.com/eu

906, Autumn Hay Bhandup

Mumbai 400078 akash.sheshadri@gmail,com

superduperdragon.persona.co

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Circularity & Us. A speculative introspection into the shared future of the Circular Economy.

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