PRODUCT DESIGN PORTFOLIO 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 enthusiasm for design drives me to produce high quality work and motivates me when sketching and modelling my ideas. My love of music inspires my ideas forward and channels my creative mind further in design. 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.
CONTENTS 01. VITAL DISH DRAINER A bespoke dish drainer made completely from one piece of laser cut stainless steel. 02. TAILS’ SMART FOOD AND WATER BOWLS Tails’ smart food and water bowls weighing the contents of each bowl. Not affiliated with the Tails.com company. 03. ORACLE ‘Oracle’ is a COVID-19 interactive system within the office to enhance daily rituals, working with the company MATTER. 04. BREATHE PURE A cardboard air purifier with planter option. A cheaper way to produce more air purifiers, allowing more people to have them in their homes breathing cleaner air.
Nurture- StudioIlse
05. GREEN BOHEMIA A small indoor greenhouse with traditional cut-glass engravings from Czechia.
01. VITAL DISH DRAINER Brief: Explore the commercial home-ware market, developing a single or range of products specifically for sheet material manufacturing such as laser, water and plasma cutting. Outcome: A dish drainer made completely from one piece of laser cut stainless steel, press moulded into this unique shape and powder coated in bespoke colour options.
INSPIRATION THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT My inspiration came when looking at homes that are filled with a modernist and vibrant feel. The homes that I researched were full of colour, linear structures and greenery. These are some other products and styles that have influenced my design process along the way.
Freundevonfreuden.com
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DEVELOPMENT & IDEATION Throughout the project I explored variations of stainless steel egg holders, dish drainers and planters for watering. The development of my designs through modelling and sketching led to a simple, sustainable product that accurately uses sheet metal for the home-ware market.
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BACKGROUND The Vital dish drainer was created when looking at homes that are filled with a modernist and vibrant feel. The product was developed when experimenting with linear forms and driven by the simplicity of manufacturing processes. Each drainer is made completely from one piece of laser cut 2mm stainless steel, which is then press moulded into it’s unique shape and powder coated in the bespoke colour options, Jade, Lemon and Amber. I wanted the product to stand out, maintaining simplicity within the structure but having an impact with colour.
Freundevonfreuden.com
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MANUFACTURING Each dish drainer is made completely from one piece of laser cut stainless steel, which is press moulded to its unique shape and powder coated in the bespoke colour options available. The dish drainer works by holding up to 4 plates on the higher tier, glasses, and cutlery on the lower. The drainer has a height of 11cm and a width of 40.5cm and could be bought at a retailed price of ÂŁ57. The bespoke item can be made to order in any colour way, depending on the customer.
02. TAILS’ SMART BOWLS Brief- Design a smart feeding system that monitors how much a dog eats and drinks for the Tails.com brand, capturing their brand and design ethos. Outcome- Tails’ smart food and water bowls that weigh the contents of each bowl continuously, adding the weight consumed to the daily recommended amount within the tails app via Bluetooth.
INSPIRATION THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT My inspiration for this project came through Tails’ ethos of being sustainable and I wanted to show this through my products development with materials and simplicity of the design. These are some other products and styles that have influenced my design process along the way.
PetKit
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DEVELOPMENT & IDEATION Throughout the project I explored variations of dog feeders, different ways to measure a dogs weight and smart bowls to accurately measure food and water intake. The development of my designs through modelling and sketching led to a simple, clever and sustainable piece of technology that accurately represents the Tails.com brand.
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BACKGROUND- ABOUT THE BRAND The aims of the project are to develop a smart product that can allow the dog owner to be more engaged with their dog’s health and well-being. Producing a Tails’ smart product that captures the brand’s ethos and sustainability, whilst being simple and effective to use to monitor how much the dog eats and drinks. The company Tails is becoming more eco-friendly and recyclable with the materials they use to package and distribute their food. The main colour theme throughout the brand is predominantly shades of blue with many other neutral pastel shades.
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MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING The smart bowls weigh the contents of each bowl continuously, adding the weight of the food and water consumed to the daily recommended total within the Tails’ app via Bluetooth. The dog’s profile, specific dietary requirements and amount of activity can also be edited and added within the app to allow the owner to have a better insight into the dogs’ diet and well-being. The smart food and water 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.
03. ORACLE Brief: Design a COVID-19 safe product or system that will enhance the daily rituals of the employees within an office workspace, designing for the company MATTER. Outcome: ‘Oracle’ is an interactivity point within the office enhancing daily rituals. All devices are be synced so that colleagues can collaborate.
INSPIRATION THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT This was a group project and we realised the main problem would be the normality of life at work. Office rituals would be affected due to covid 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. These are a few images that inspired the product’s form, visuals and where it would be situated.
Amazon
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DEVELOPMENT & IDEATION Throughout the project the group explored variations of socially distanced seating booths with a sound buffering design, extendible tables for home and interactive devices for the office. The development of the designs through modelling and sketching led to a simple, interactivity point within the office connecting colleagues and enhancing daily rituals.
FEATURES AND HOW THE PRODUCT IS USED Work related notifications would be shown on the top display and would pop up to signal the user, which can then be pressed down to silence the notification. There is a speaker built into the top pop-up feature to communicate with other colleagues via Bluetooth, voice notes can also be recorded. The base of the pod has a light which shines whichever colour the user programs it to, this signals social elements such as when to take a coffee break, a screen or lunch break.
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MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING The device is 10cm tall with a diameter of 8cm and can be made to order in different colour ways to add a personal touch to the workspace. 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.
04. BREATHE PURE Brief: Design an innovative electronic product that utilises Cardboard as its main material. The product must incorporate an element of electronics/ technology, that is appropriate to your target user. Outcome: A cardboard air purifier with planter in the centre. More cardboard air purifiers can be made at a lower cost making them more affordable to buy, allowing more people to be breathing cleaner air in their home.
INSPIRATION THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT My main inspiration came from the brand Natede who have created natural air purifiers that amplify airflow to speed up the natural air purification process, eliminating a larger number of pollutants from indoor air than a typical plant. These are also some other forms that have influenced my design process.
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MANUFACTURING The air purifier is made completely from cardboard with a cylindrical HEPA filter situated inside. The polluted air is drawn up through the bottom vent via the cylindrical fan fitted inside. The air is then drawn through the HEPA filters and clean air comes through the top cardboard vent. There is a cylindrical opening in the middle made for a plant to be fitted inside, the cardboard would be lined so that no damage is made from the plant.
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PRO CARTON COMPETITION This project was selected to represent Nottingham Trent University in the Pro Carton Young Designers Competition looking for innovative applications for carton board.
BACKGROUND Air purifiers are not handled often and there are no physical buttons or interactive features on the device so the cardboard will not wear if placed correctly in the correct environment. If the purifier does become damaged, it is not costly to replace the body of the air purifier as it is made from cardboard which is low in cost to manufacture, and the damaged body can later be recycled. Due to the low cost of cardboard, more cardboard air purifiers can be made and sold at a lower cost. Therefore, more people can have them in the home, breathing cleaner air and reducing health implications.
05. GREEN BOHEMIA Brief: Create and develop a product or system that shows who you are as a designer. Outcome: A small indoor greenhouse, that creates a beautiful atmosphere for home, with traditional cut-glass engravings from Czechia.
INSPIRATION THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT Sustainability plays a major part in my design ethos as well as colour and materials. From looking at who I am as a designer, I look to my heritage for inspiration and have always admired the work of Lucie Koldova a Czech furniture and lighting designer.
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BACKGROUND This project was really important to me as it was all about who I am as a designer. Looking into my Czech heritage and taking inspiration from forms and colour showed to create a beautiful product. I have a great interest in gardening, having worked at a garden centre as a plant cultivator and now keeping over 15 plants myself, I knew I wanted to create an indoor garden feature as well as showing my Czech heritage.
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MANUFACTURING The indoor greenhouse would be made from pine wood with traditional Czech cut-glass engravings on the lower panels. Pine develops a nice, rustic patina from age and use and as it is lightweight it would make the lid easy to lift off the base. The glass panels between the framework are secured with a tongue and groove joint holding the glass in place. Lead crystal would be used as the glass has at least 24% Lead Oxide in its composition. Lead Crystal is traditionally used for cutting as it is often produced with a thicker wall.
EXPERIENCE. Stafford Grammar School Sixth Form- A Level Product Design (A), Art and Design (A), Psychology (B). 2018- Intern with the design team at Henry Squire & Sons Ltd. Sept. 2018-June. 2019- Teaching weekly piano lessons for younger students. 2018- Waitress at the Artisan Cafe, Eccleshall. 2018- Plant cultivator at Hooks Green Herbs. 2017- Volunteer at Hilcote Valley Railway, Eccleshall. 2016- Volunteer at Eccleshall library.
REFERENCES. John Squire CEO. “Amalia Phillips worked at Henry Squire & Sons ltd during August 2018 to gain work experience in all aspects of manufacturing from design to machining and assembly through to logistics and sales. Amalia was enthusiastic, well mannered, and attentive to detail. She demonstrated very good interpersonal skills and was able to work effectively with all members of the Squire team. She had particular interest in the 3D industrial design process and showed original and creative skills culminating in her designing and printing, by a 3D printer, her own product. I would have no hesitation in recommending her to a future employer.�
ACHIEVEMENTS. 2019- Grade 8 Clarinet. 2016- Grade 6 Piano. Played in Concert Bands and Big Bands for over 10 years. Self-taught Saxophone and Guitar player. 2019- Design and Technology Senior Award (Stafford Grammar School) 2017- Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Qualification. 2016- British Kung Fu Association- Blue Sash 2016- Duke of Edinburgh, Bronze Award. I have a great dedication to personal fitness, training 5 days a week for over 2 years.
SOFTWARE SKILLS My software skills include the InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, SolidWorks and Keyshot.
CONTACT EMAIL: amaliaphillips96@gmail.com MOBILE: +44 (0) 7842677899 INSTAGRAM: @apmpdesign ISSUU PROFILE- issuu.com/amaliaphillips6767