DESIGNER PROFILE AMALIA PHILLIPS
ABOUT ME
My design process revolves around colour, simplicity, and sustainability. I am dual nationality Czech and English and when designing I look to my Czech heritage and take inspiration from culture and nature. My practice focuses on modelling ideas and creating an interactive point to design from. Sustainability plays a major part in my design ethos when considering materials. I believe that colour sets the mood and atmosphere for the product and materials show the true meaning behind the idea. My main interests include playing in concert and big bands for over 10 years, achieving Grade 8 Clarinet, Grade 6 Piano, and teaching myself Saxophone and Guitar. I also have an interest in photography, graphic design (especially looking at layout and composition) and growing my own plants.
Touch Collection- StudioIlse
INFLUENCES AND VALUES Lucie Koldova is a Czech product and furniture designer. I admire her work and collaboration with Brokis creating the “iconic Muffins and Balloons” lighting collections. The voluminous glass lights embody her uniquely elegant style and I look to her designs for inspiration and material choices when it comes to sustainability. I believe Ilse Crawford’s philosophy of having human experience at the centre of all decision making enhances behaviours, and captures what ‘good design’ should be.
“A simple mission to put human needs and desires at the centre of all that she does … creating environments where humans feel comfortable ... designing furniture and products that support and enhance human behaviour and actions in everyday life” -StudioIlse.com, 2021
Nurture- StudioIlse
AWA- Lucie Koldova
Touch Collection- StudioIlse
INFLUENCES AND VALUES I resonate with Cecilie Manz’s design ethos and her creative theory of starting every project with three keywords: “functionality, simplicity and quality.” [Luxiders Magazine, 2018] I believe that less is more, and beauty can come from colour and simplicity.
“Colour is a fundamental element in the creative process. I have always developed a specific palette in the earliest stages of each project, because it is a way to assert the product’s identity.” -Cecilie Manz, 2018
Mingus- Cecilie Manz
INFLUENCES AND VALUES Environmental considerations play a big part within my design values. The world is changing and as designers we have a responsibility to think about how the products we create will affect the world around us.
“Nature is our biggest ally and our greatest inspiration, we just have to do what nature has always done. ... It’s now time for our species to stop simply growing, and instead to establish a life on our planet in balance with nature — to start to thrive.” - David Attenborough, A Life on Our Planet, 2020 “It’s surely our responsibility to do everything within our power to create a planet that provides a home not just for us, but for all life on Earth.” - David Attenborough, 2020
A Life on Our Planet- David Attenborough
VITAL DISH DRAINER The Vital dish drainer was created when looking at homes that are filled with a modernist and vibrant feel. The homes I researched were full of colour and linear structures. The dish drainer incorporates simplicity and colour to the kitchen inspired by Judy Darragh and Grant Major’s modernist house in Auckland. I experimented with linear forms when designing the product and this was driven by the manufacturing processes of laser cutting and press moulding. Each dish drainer is made completely from one piece of laser cut 2mm stainless steel, which is press moulded into its unique shape and powder coated in the three bespoke colour options. The product would appeal to collectors who appreciate unique, sustainable, durable design, with the colour options of Jade, Lemon and Amber. I wanted the collection to stand out in the consumers home, maintaining simplicity within the structure but having an impact with colour. Exploring form and colour was at the forefront when designing the range of dish drainers. I developed the design to allow drainage throughout the whole product, with a unique cutlery holding design, resulting in a simple yet vibrant piece to the kitchen. The idea that the drainer can live a lifetime in a home means that the products longevity was vital when designing.
freundevonfreunden.com
TAILS’ SMART BOWLS The aims of this project were to develop a smart product that can allow a dog owner to be more engaged with their dog’s health and well-being. Producing a Tails’ smart product that captured the brand’s ethos and sustainability was important whilst being simple and effective to use. My primary research showed that all participants tend to over-feed their dog or give treats out of love, and participants would be interested in a device that can accurately monitor food and especially water intake. The smart food and water bowls work by weighing the contents of each bowl continuously, adding the weight consumed to the daily recommended amount within the Tails’ app via Bluetooth. The app is completely personalised for the dog, specific dietary requirements and amount of activity can also be added in the app to allow the owner to have a better insight into the dogs’ diet and well-being. The smart bowls are made from food grade stainless steel which makes them strong and durable. The base of the bowl is made from ABS and has a non-slip base, ABS can be easily recycled and is long lasting making it a sustainable product.
ORACLE This group project was centred around the normality of life after COVID-19 when colleagues would return to work. Office rituals would be affected due to COVID-19 rules so we saw an opportunity to create ‘Oracle’, a product that would be an interactive tool to connect colleagues collaboratively, bringing back a new normality. Oracle’ was created for the office to enhance daily rituals. All devices would be synced so that colleagues can collaborate. The product functions by showing work related notifications on the top display, popping up to signal the user which can then be pressed down to be disabled. There is a speaker built into the top pop-up feature to communicate with other colleagues via Bluetooth and voice notes can also be recorded. The base of the product has a light which shines whichever colour the user programs it to, this would signal social elements such as when to take a coffee break, a screen break or lunch break. The top pop-up feature has a top interactive touch screen as well as a cloth weave speaker and microphone built into it. The main body and base of the product is made from stainless steel with a powder-coated finish to allow colour variations of the product to be made.
Pexels.com
CONCLUSION As a designer I particularly enjoy the modelling and final rendering processes, as the product shows its true from and is essentially brought to life in these stages. Throughout these three projects I have enjoyed the ‘designing for production’ project the most as it allowed me to create a product that I find simple and unique. I have also recently taken a new interest in packaging design, especially looking at layout and this is where I hope to secure my placement this year. Looking into the future, I hope to work within a brand of like-minded designers, perhaps for a commercial company including home ware design as I feel as I can apply my design ethos best in that environment. I would like to work within a company that involves hands-on making to gain more experience in the manufacturing process, working with natural materials such as wood, woven fabrics, and ceramics. As I am dual nationality, I would like to secure a placement opportunity in Czechia to develop my Czech speaking and connect with my culture and environment.
Atmosphere- Cecilie Manz
REFERENCES Attenborough, D. A Life on Our Planet 2020 [digital images]. Crawford, Ilse. “Ilse Crawford | STUDIOILSE.” Studioilse.com, Intropik, 2021, www.studioilse.com/ilse-crawford. Accessed 29 Jan. 2021. Crawford, I. Nurture 2018 [digital image]. Crawford, I. Touch Collection 2016 [digital image]. Freundevonfreunden.com. Grant Major and Judy Darragh’s New Zealand art haven 2019 [digital image] freundevonfreunden. “Grant Major and Judy Darragh’s New Zealand Art Haven Where Sculpture and Film Collide.” Freunde von Freunden, MoreSleep, 2019, www. freundevonfreunden.com/interviews/auckland-grant-major-judy-darragh. Accessed 29 Jan. 2021. Kia, Kara. “David Attenborough’s Best Advice for Sustainable Living | POPSUGAR Entertainment UK.” POPSUGAR Entertainment UK, 7 Oct. 2020, www.popsugar. co.uk/entertainment/david-attenborough-a-life-on-our-planet-documentary-review-47859957#. Accessed 5 Feb. 2021. Koldova, L. AWA 2019 [digital image]. Koldova, Lucie. “Lucie Koldová – Brokis.cz.” Brokis.cz, 2014, www.brokis.cz/lucie-koldova/. Accessed 29 Jan. 2021. Manz, C. Atmosphere 2017 [digital image] Manz, Cecilie. “Cecilie Manz, Designer of the Year 2018 - Eco Design - Luxiders Magazine.” Sustainable Fashion - Eco Design - Healthy Lifestyle - Luxiders Magazine, Luxiders, 5 Mar. 2018, luxiders.com/cecilie-manz-designer-of-the-year-2018/. Accessed 29 Jan. 2021. Manz, C. Mingus 2012 [digital image]. Manz, C. Workshop Coffee Table 2018 [digital image]. Pexels. Business Chair 2020 [digital image]. Phillips, A. Frydek Mistek 2020 [digital image]. Phillips, A. Oracle 2021 [digital image]. Phillips, A. Tails Smart Bowls 2020 [digital image]. Phillips, A. Vital Dish Drainer 2020 [digital image]. WWF. “10 Best Nature Quotes from Sir David Attenborough.” Wwf.org.au, 2020, www. wwf.org.au/news/blogs/10-best-nature-quotes-from-sir-david-attenborough#gs. sb0r0x. Accessed 5 Feb. 2021.
Workshop Coffee Table- Cecilie Manz
CONTACT EMAIL- amaliaphillips96@gmail.com MOBILE- +44 (0) 7842 677 899 INSTAGRAM- @apmpdesign ISSUU- issuu.com/amaliaphillips6767