Erin Parker - Furniture and Product Design Portfolio 2023

ERINPARKER|FURNITURE AND PRODUCTDESIGNER

ABOUTME

Hello!

I am Erin Parker, a Nottingham based Furniture and Product Designer.

I am due to graduate from Nottingham Trent University in July 2023. As a visionary furniture and product designer, I am a keen problem solver adapted to a user sensitive approach by balancing form and function. I develop my design work through sketches, models, and CAD renders. I believe that design should be honest and made for a purpose.

Key Skills

-Solidworks certified at the level of Associate

-Keyshot

-Adobe Creative Cloud

-Marvelous Designer

-Microsoft Suite

-Sketching

-Prototyping

-Researching

-Problem diagnosing and solving

-Project and time management

-Communication and presenting

07921 053931

erinparker.co.uk

@erinparkerdesign

erinparkerdesigns@outlook.com

Issuu/erinparkerdesign

linkedin.com/in/erinparkerdesign

Links available here:

Vine Spiral

01 | Connect

Modern Day Telephone Seat | Individual University Major Project | Furniture | 16 Weeks

| The Brief

Design a piece of furniture to promote privacy and a positive engagement when connecting with others via mobile phone calls. It should limit the rude behaviours such as wandering and taking phone calls in populated spaces within the home. Mobile phones have made these behaviours commonplace because we are no longer tethered by landline phone chords.

| Inspiration

I was inspired by the reliance on technology and especially mobile phones. I realised what was once a widely popular piece of furniture in the 1930's and 1950s had now become redundant. The original telephone seat was created as a reaction to the chords tethering people to the wall and preventing them from moving around. The invention of mobile phones allowed freedom for phone calls but with freedom comes a lack of manners. Over the past few decades people have become increasingly rude when taking phone calls because they no longer have a designated space. Therefore, opening a gap in the market for Connect.

| Key Research

|

Renders

To see a more visual and aesthetic outcome of Connect, quick renders were produced in Solidworks, and more detailed renders were produced in KeyShot. This allowed for more fine-tuning of Connect such as the tabled detail of the legs and the shaping of the cushions.

Prototyping

Connect was developed and tested for comfort and function through a 1:1 scale mock-up that was improved through multiple iterations. This made sure that connect was fit for purpose and was a suitable size for domestic hallways.

| The Outcome

Connect takes the humble yet redundant old telephone seat and adapts it for modern day problems. With an ash frame and bouclé upholstery, connect is a place to sit and lean for mobile phone calls in the hallway away from others in a domestic environment.

Solving the problem of taking a mobile phone call in a room populated with others, which can be perceived as rude.

When coats are placed on the coat hooks, they act as an additional acoustic barrier to keep the phone conversation even more private. The tactile bouclé gives the user something to fidget with, a behaviour I discovered through research, mobile phone users have adapted to perform during phone calls to fill the void in our brains of what we experience with in-person interactions and eye contact.

The purpose of connect is not to discourage technology, but to persuade people to be connected but in a more private and polite manner.

Wine Side Table | Individual University Minor Project | Commercial Furniture | 9 Weeks |

The Brief

This University project was briefed hypothetically by The Conran Shop. The aim of this project was to design a sustainable wine table suitable for 45-55 year olds. It needed to be compact with a focus on the storage and consumption of wine. It needed be 'plain, simple and useful', fitting in with Conran's ethos and to be small enough to fit between a sofa and an armchair/ two armchairs so that it can be used as a surface to pour and place wine glasses during a conversation.

Inspiration

I was inspired by the Conran shop founder, Sir Terence Conran. The bright blue Formica is symbolic of the founder Sir Terence Conran's famous 'Conran blue' that he was often seen adorned in, as well as demonstrating his "plain, simple, useful" ethos. The wine focus came from his restaurateur background and personal love of wine. These subtle nods to Terence Conran were a response to his passing in 2020, and to keep his legacy alive.

|

Renders

Before manufacturing Vine and to perfect small details and measurements, Vine was rendered in Solidworks quickly and then finalised in KeyShot. This gave a realistic look into the proportions and also the scale of the design.

Prototyping

Vine was developed through a cardboard prototype that was updated and edited to perfect the strength and structure. The cardboard prototype was strong enough to hold a bottle of wine, two glasses and an ice bucket.

| The Outcome

Vine is a free-standing wine table designed to be situated between two people sat on sofas or armchairs. The bright blue Formica and the raw plywood edge finished with beeswax creates a contrasting modern twist.

The bottom shelf has a cut out to place an optional ice bucket for chilled wines like white wine, rosé and champagne. The top shelf has a cut out to allow a bottle of wine to be placed, the shelf below has a routed-out section directly below which allows the bottle to sit in place. The shelf below also has two routed out sections and cut slots to place two wine glasses upside down which prevents them collecting dust when not in use. The tabletop has enough space for two glasses when in use, along with the bottle of wine. Vine is easy to assemble and made from only six components. The joins are all dry and require no further fixtures due to the strength created in the joins and friction from the beeswax. This gives it the option to be KD. The lips on the wine glass holder and bottle section allow it to be eaily transported with items included.

03 | Spiral Product Design

Furniture and Product Design Agency | Speculative projects | 1 Year University Placement

| About Spiral

Spiral is a 25 year old buying agency and design consultancy that specialises in home furnishings from India. Based in New Delhi and London. The products span all types of home furnishings, such as furniture, textiles, lighting, and accessories

| My Work with Spiral

I worked as a Junior Designer for a period of 12 months with Spiral. The tasks my job entailed were supporting and assisting on product design, from the concept to CAD renders, and GA drawings. The development time for each project was short and I often worked on multiple projects at the same time. Some of my speculative work can be seen on the right. I was fortunate enough to work with many notable clients such as: Made. com, Westwing, Kogan, Dwell at Dfs, Anthropologie and Mackenzie-Childs.

| Skills Gained

My placement with Spiral gave me a chance to develop my CAD skills especially in Solidworks. I also gained valuable knowledge of materials, manufacturing, scales, and proportion.