David King Portfolio 2014
Hello, I’m Dave, a graduate of the Design for Industry course at Northumbria University. I believe that great ideas are born not out of sheer chance, but by good old fashioned hard work. In every project I strive to deliver original and exciting artefacts to delight and excite the end user. I hope that my portfolio reflects these qualities and that you enjoy my work.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE Education Northumbria University Ba(Hons) Design for Industry First Class Honours Placement 6 month placement at Mamas & Papas HQ in Huddersfield. Working in depth on a range of nursery products. Placement 6 month placement at forpeople in London working on a wide range of projects with the worlds leading brands. RSA Awards Winner Winner of the 2014 RSA Design Awards brief ‘Re-Invent The Toilet’
LIVE PROJECTS
Keeping Clean The very first project completed on my degree. Design a piece of shower gel packaging for a company that does not currently operate within the shower gel market.
Brand Attributes
‘GLOCAL’
Although HSBC are a global corporation, they strive to be flexible at a local level. This is encapsulated in their slogan ‘The Worlds Local Bank’.
HSBC are big investors and advocates of renewable energy and heavily promote the use of paperless banking.
ENVIRONMENT
HSBC pride themselves in being a brand that instigates progress. This can be seen in the many adverts showcasing their involvement in solving environmental issues.
PROGRESS
Initial Development
Initial experimentation using the HSBC logo in 3D form
MATERIAL CHOICE: WOOD
UNIQUE GRAIN
INK FREE GRAPHICS
SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE Graphics laser etched into wood
Further Development
Plastic membrane between 2 wood panels
Cut outs mimicking the HSBC logo
Final Design
Wood
Plastics
Sourced from FSC forests local to where it will be sold. Each batch of products is then unique to that area dependent on what type of forest it is sourced from.
Produced using glucose sourced from the same forests as the wood.
Bowers and Wilkins Live Project Design a portable travel speaker for Bowers & Wilkins that reflects their core brand values. The speaker will compete in the same market as the Jawbone JAMBOX and the Bose SoundLink.
High end
Product Landscape
B&W yellow kevlar speaker cone
Maximum performance form
Luxury materials
Low end
OPPORTUNITY SPACE
Hidden speaker cones
Reserved simplified form
Chrome and black finish across all low end products
Research
Why do people invest in high end B&W Audio?
B&W Customer Questionnaire ‘After I first got into the music biz and watched a top notch album produced, it’s a shame to know most people will only hear it through iPod buds or laptop speakers’ ‘It’s about making the equipment disappear and bringing the artist into my man cave.’ ‘The ultimate goal of my system, and why I invest so much money, is transparency. I want the speakers/ headphones to sonically disappear as if the music was live’
Results High end audio equipment was bought because the customer wanted to experience the sound as if it was live.
Refined Brief Deliver the live experience in a small and portable device that fuses the Bowers & Wilkins high end and low end product ranges.
Development
SPEAKER TECHNOLOGY/ CONSIDERATIONS
Positioning Speaker positioning and room set up affect how audio enters the ear. With a portable speaker this is a hard variable to control.
Size The size of the speaker housing directly affects quality. Striking the right balance between the two is crucial.
Omni Directional Delivers live sounding audio by dispersing sound 360째 around the speaker.
PHOTOSHOP RENDERS
SOFT MODEL PROTOTYPES
Product interaction was simplified in order to reflect the clarity of sound being produced.
The main interaction with Omni is the top disc which acts as a volume control. The user simply turns the disc clockwise to raise the sound and anticlockwise to lower it.
Omni
Design Detailing
A detailed CAD model of the speaker was constructed using component dimensions and DFM considerations in order to further develop the product form.
3� Driver
Lithium - Ion Battery
PCB
Kevlar Speaker Cone
Omnidirectional Cone
Volume Indicator
Mini USB
Aux
360째 sound means that Omni sounds great in any room no matter where you are.
Baby Swing Live Project HIGHLY COMMENDED An intense 2 week live project working with one of the most well known baby product brands to develop a new baby swing to fit into their product portfolio. As part of the project we were provided with detailed market analysis which cannot be shown in this document.
Research
Additional research was conducted in order to gain a better understanding of the market. This was done via influential parenting website Mumsnet and also by reading reviews of competitor products. Through this research it was found that the two most important factors when designing a baby swing are: Value
Portability
‘You can waste so much money on stuff like this and it only gets used for a few months’
‘Something you can easily move would be a good idea. I think the Mamaroo has to be plugged in so it’s not easy to move’
‘I got a second hand one, it was immaculate’
‘Living room, bedroom, kitchen, dining room, bathroom, friends houses.... I really think I’ve used it everywhere!’
Low End
High End
Low End Why pay more? Parents see the value of the baby swing but struggle to justify purchasing higher end swings when they essentially provide the same set of features.
Parent Focused Design
Portability
Visibility
Reassurance
One handed fold with a small footprint.
A clear visual line from all angles between mother and child with easy to access controls.
Visual and physical reassurance that the baby will be safe when left alone via head support, side walls and 5 point harness.
2 Stage Seat
Lie Flat
Allows for the swing to be used from an early age and is easy to clean.
Essential for using with new borns. Opportunity to extend product use as a sleeping platform.
Rapid Sketch Development
CO SY Designed to grow with your child.
Swing
Sleep
Sit
Your extra pair of hands
Lie flat bed for even the youngest of babies
Perfect for when you’re out and about
The Seat
Mo
tor
- +
Power Input
Motor Speed Output Control
At the heart of the Cosy seat is a motor unit. Having the motor mounted in the seat instead of the frame means that the most valuable part of the product can be used throughout its entire life.
Carry handle
Backrest adjust
5 Point harness
Toy arch release
Fully adjustable to lie flat
The Swing
Compact swing mechanism
Input plug
Connection Point
D ri ve Out
Foot operated speed control Power in/Speed Control
When Cosy is connected to the swing frame, the drive motor output connects to a flexible drive shaft that runs up through the frame arm and into the swing mechanism. Removing the motor assembly away from the swing mechanism means that the pivot point is no longer a visual burden on the frame.
The Base Mount
Using the Cosy base mount, mums and dads can use the seat in different locations in and out of the house.
Cosy can be reclined to lie flat for the youngest of babies
Seat rocks slowly on base using drive motor
Seat folds for compact transport and storage
Control/power unit connects to the back of the base
Inclusive Design Improve on an existing design using the inclusive design principles.
‘‘When asked about the things that concern them most about getting older, over two thirds of people say losing independence or becoming dependent on others’’
- Disabled Living Foundation Report, 2009
Existing Solutions
Existing teapot tipping products are sterile in design and pigeon-hole the user into the stigma of using a ‘medical product’. OBSERVATIONS
2KG
The wrist is under added stress due to it being so offset from the 2KG weight.
Little finger used to support the teapot in a horizontal position.
Due to the offset weight, the spout naturally wants to rotate towards the ground.
TEST RIGS
DEVELOPMENT
RSPB Live Project Design a bird box for nesting Robins that could be sold within an RSPB store.
The Robin
Key Nesting Habits: Likes to nest in small corners of the garden. They have often been found in watering cans, plant pots and even shoes. Nests no more than one meter above the ground. Prefers to nest in open fronted nesting boxes.
The Problem
Traditional bird boxes don’t offer the flexibility needed for attracting Robins.
The traditional method of attaching the bird box using a nail limits the number of suitable locations and attachment points.
The zip-tie bird box is designed to be placed in low level trees and vegetation, the perfect place for nesting Robins. The outer shell provides a place to fix the zip ties whilst the inner wood core provides warmth and protection for the Robin.
3D CAD A quick 3 day project to model a corkscrew in Solidworks using the master modelling technique.
Re-Invent The Toilet WINNER There are 2.6 million people worldwide who don’t have access to safe sanitation. Reinvent the toilet experience for the user and make it more accessible, human-centred and environmentally-friendly.
THE COMMUNITY TOILET There has to be a market for toilets. History has shown us that when there is demand, supply follows. Right now there is a need for toilets but not a demand. When people from economically lower sections of society gain access to money, they buy mobile phones and other luxuries but not think of having toilets. Jack Sim - Founder of the World Toilet Organisation
1 in 3 women lack access to a safe toilet. Instead they risk harassment and assault by defecating in the open. - World Toilet Day
Insight
Opportunity
Open defecation is often perceived to be cleaner and safer than using dark, cramped and damp public toilet blocks.
Take the perceived advantages of open defecation (clean, open air, safety) and use them to create an improved experience at the public toilet.
Only those health and sanitation programmes which could garner active participation and cooperation from the community and inculcate the sense of ownership among the locals have been successful. - WaterAid UK
Insight
Opportunity
For a sanitation project to be successful the whole community needs to be engaged throughout the entire process in order to create a sustainable solution.
Create a process that takes into account the unique needs of a community and involves them in the design, building and running of the project to create a sense of ownership.
Accessibility Around 20% of the poorest people in the world have a disability that affects their daily life. Current squat toilet designs have little to no accommodation for the disabled. Barriers such as smell and dirty conditions also block the most able members of the community from using a toilet.
Insight
Opportunity
The toilet space is often the thing that detracts people from using community sanitation. Dark areas, putrid smells and lack of accessibility for the disabled often exclude the most vulnerable members of the community.
Use local, accessible materials to create simple passive systems that create a lighter, cleaner disability friendly environment.
THE PROCESS
Every community has its own unique set of wants and needs in a toilet. The process is designed to discover these needs and manifest them in a toilet solution unique to the area by involving a diverse selection of community members from the very first step of the project.
Unite The first step in the process is for the NGO staff to develop a core group of community members to involve in the process. A diverse group is chosen by the NGO to include men, women, children, elderly and the disabled.
Community Workshops
Design
Workshops are run by NGO staff with the community group to discover their sanitation requirements. This is done as each different community will have their unique set of needs.
Designers commissioned by the NGOs create a bespoke toilet design based on the community requirements discovered in the workshops.
Build NGOs advise the community on developing relationships with local builders and material suppliers. A community building project is initiated by NGO staff to build the toilet.
Own Once the building is complete, ownership is transferred from the NGO to the community group for day to day running. The NGO will now step back and take an advisory role.
DESTINATION MUMBAI Mumbai has a population of 15 million people, half of which live in peri urban slums. High profile cases of rape and molestation of women in the city have created a sense of fear within the community. Sanitation is directly affected by this as women feel safer defecating in the open rather than using existing community toilets, especially at night when they are most vulnerable. This is how a community toilet may look in Mumbai if it were re-invented using the community scheme.
Workshop Outcomes Safety Women in the community fear for their safety when using a community toilets especially at night, often choosing to defecate in the open near their homes.
Design Outcomes Visual Security All doors open out into the central yard. Curving the building means that there are no doors hidden away in the dark out of sight.
Improved Lighting
Construction Local Materials Simple building materials available in the local area are used in the construction, specifically corrugated sheet metal, wood and bricks.
Lighting will create an inviting and safe space at night, this is particularly important for women.
Seating Seating for peak usage hours controls the large crowds that intimidate the more vulnerable members of the community.
Visual not Physical Barriers Breaking up the space using vegetation creates a sense of protection without being as dominating as concrete walls.
Ownership Community Space At the core of the building is the community space. This is a space to be used for day to day running, community sanitation workshops and cleaning equipment storage.
Workshop Outcomes Smell Smell is a big factor for users. A smelly toilet is perceived as being dirty so will be avoided by some users.
Disability Current public toilet designs do not accommodate for disabled users.
Cleaning Cleaning is often hard in toilets due to small cramped spaces and porous materials absorbing dirty water.
Hygiene Although most users attempt to keep their hands clean, some users don’t. The simple act of opening a door can spread harmful bacteria into the wider community.
Design Outcomes Disabled Use A simple drop down seat attached to the rear wall provides a sitting toilet solution for those not able to squat due to age or disability. Legs slot into grooves in the lower slab to provide stability.
Hands Free Both door lock and tap water are foot operated meaning that the user does not have to touch any potentially dirty surfaces during use.
Ceramic Floor Tiling the floor with glazed ceramic tiles reduces moisture absorption into the floor. This in turn reduces smell as urine can be easily wiped clean.
External Roof Solar Chimney A dark clay chimney heats up in the sun. The air inside of it heats and rises, this creates a negative pressure inside of the building which in turn draws in fresh, cool air through a soil heat exchange pipe running up through the floor.
A roof above the main toilet block helps shade the building from direct sunlight, cooling the interior. In turn this increases the performance of the solar chimney.
Light Pipe Passively reflects natural sunlight into the building using a simple reflective tube.
Placement April - Sept 2013
During the summer of 2012 I was lucky enough to secure an internship at M&P HQ in Huddersfield, UK. During this time I worked as part of the multidisciplinary in-house design team on a number of different products, all in different stages of development. Working along side designers, researchers, engineers and product testers I had a truly unique taste of the design process within an international corporation.
Armadillo
During my placement I worked with the Industrial design team on the development of their new lightweight pram named Armadillo. The pram is now in production and has been a huge success for M&P. The areas of work I was involved in were: Concept Generation User Testing / Consumer Testing (hall tests, fitting trials, usability) Product Testing (compliance, Integrity, FMEA) Product Landscaping (international) Prototyping (paintwork, 3D printing, assembly) Supplier Communication (modification and specification docs) CAD (generation of new and modification of existing parts) IP and patent creation and filing
Placement April - Sept 2014
forpeople forpeople are a multidisciplinary product design studio based in Kennington, London. They work with some of the worlds most famous brands and have been responsible for many high profile projects including re-designing the British Airways First Class experience. Whilst there I worked on a number of high profile projects with brands listed on the right, including an intense 2 month project with Yamaha where I was in a team of just 2 people working on a new flagship product. Areas of work during my placement were: CMF Development Prototyping Brand strategy Focus group/workshop planning and running Concept generation Supplier communication (prototypes, test rigs) Rapid ideation 3D CAD (Solidworks + Rhino)
Studio 104 Studio 104 is a design brand set up and run by DFI students in order to raise money for their final year show at New Designers. Working collaboratively as a year we released a line of T-shirts, hosted events and sold a range of products designed and made by us. At the core of the brand was an elected committee, each member having a selected responsibility in the running of Studio 104. My responsibility within this group was manufacturing and logistics. This entailed sourcing materials, prototyping, costing projects and quality control.
New Designers Team
The Studio 104 brand was chosen to be our theme for our show at New Designers, encompassing the feeling of collaboration and our comradery within the year group. I was part of the core team of people working day in and day out to design, source and construct the show.
Thank You. M: 07878196526 E: hello@davekingdesign.co.uk