My Year as a Bespoke Lighting Designer
Reflective Report Lauren Bell 1417395
5 3 1 2 4 //Introduction
//business context
//overview
//Progress and experience evidence
Co n t e nts Page
Page
Page
Page
//Achieving my goals
Page
Page
1.1 REPORT INTRODUCTION
(1)
2.1 visual overview
(3)
3.1 heart of haberdashery
(5)
4.1 timeline
(10)
5.1 CONCLUSION
(20)
1.2 pERSONAL dEVELOPMENT
(2)
2.2 skills recap
(4)
3.2 Where and what
(6)
4.2 project breakdown
(11,12) 5.2 REFERENCES
(21)
3.3 meet the team
(7,8,9) 4.3 Selfridges-
pLAN REFLECION
4.4 Martini-
skill analysis
skill analysis
4.5 Leaf Eddy-
skill analysis
(13-15)
(16-17) (18-19)
1.
1
Report Introduction This reflective report will offer a comprehensive and detailed overview of my year on placement at Haberdashery. I intend to observe the aims and objectives written in my personal development plan and analyse if I have fully achieved them in the year. I will reflect on each experience and design challenge and offer an analytical response to how it corresponded to my objectives. I aim to discuss how successful my development was, if there could have been improvements and how I currently feel having completed my placement.
Haberdashery
I
appreciate the importance of completing a reflective report to summarise all the key elements of my placement period and to analyse if my decisions at the company allowed me to develop to my full ability. I aim to demonstrate my journey through presenting a time-line of my year at Haberdashery, the projects I have been actively involved in and note all my key responsibilities and achievements. W This report aims to be extremely visual and include a display of images that truly demonstrate the beautiful and interesting designs and sculptures I have been involved in managing, assembling and designing throughout my year at Haberdashery. The use of info-graphics will offer a visual interpretation of my skill development and growth.
1.1 1.2
Personal Development Plan A
fter a few months at Haberdashery I completed a detailed personal development plan that would aid me in developing a number of skills I felt important to improve upon. I wanted to ensure that the placement experience was as valuable as possible; keeping a detailed log of my day-to -day life at the studio, it allowed me to look back on each design experience and analyse how my skills have improved and developed. To reiterate my main aims and objectives is an important aspect of the reflective report as it allows me to assess how, and if, I have developed in specific areas. I assigned myself the following 9 aims and objectives that I would consider when completing every given task. As a designer, having a high skill standard when using the is extremely important, I aimed to also and build good business relations within the design community.
2.
Haberdashery is an extremely successful lighting company with a high standard of knowledge and equipment within the electronics sector. Having identified this, I wanted to improve on my skill set, spending time on PCP design, soldering, programming and wiring. Having an on-site workshop was one element that initially attracted me to Haberdashery and setting an aim of perfecting my and spending as much time prototyping using the lathe, milling machine and band saw were elements I also considered to be important. Maintaining professionalism while working for a successful studio is extremely important and I set myself the goal of building my confidence when dealing with and understanding certain process and material limitations when designing. The soft skills I wanted to improve upon were my skills, which are essential when completing large scale projects within tight deadlines.
As a designer I aimed to grow in confidence when making important based on my own tastes. I identified that being decisive and confident in my decisions was not my strongest skill and hoped with experience this would improve. Finally, the last skill I aimed to focus on was the relationship between and business. To do this, I spent time observing Karen, the studio’s social media expert, in marketing the through Twitter and Instagram to elevate Haberdashery’s presence within the design industry. Having outlined my main aims and objectives I am able to proceed in comparing my experiences and work at Haberdashery to my original hopes and expectations.
Recap
1.1 1.2
Overview
My year at Haberdashery has been an extremely valuable experience. I truly feel I have grown as a designer and feel fully prepared and equipped to face my final year at Brunel.
Fact
2
Placement
Time Distribution ADMIN 5%
Project Span and Location
WORKSHOP 40% CAD 25%
16 Projects
After completing a day-to-day electronic diary of my time at Haberdashery, I was able to construct an informative and detailed time distribution graph to reflect how my time was spent throughout my placement period on average. It was extremely helpful reflecting on these digital logs of my experience as they offered a platform to analyse the nature of my position at the studio and how it aided my skill development. I personally feel I have achieved a lot during my 11 months at Haberdashery with a fantastic group of well-rounded and talented people.
2.1 2.2
I qualification SKETCHING 40%
I have participated in 16 exciting projects with a number of designers at the studio, assisting in assembly, organisation, design input and installations. I gained a CSCS qualification which allowed me to develop my health and safety skills when on both a construction site and within a workshop environment.
3.
2017
MEETINGS 5%
My time has been spent completing a number of interesting tasks within a variety of sectors within the design industry and on a number of projects all over the world. Day-to-day life at the studio is a variety of working on prototypes in the workshop, designing elements of large scale sculptures, corresponding with manufacturing companies, researching into processes, working with experienced designers in assembly and collaborating with clients to create impressive end results.
Haberdashery encourage discovery and growth. I had the opportunity to attend the DARC awards in London where an array of sculptural lighting was displayed and compared. The event was enlightening as it allowed to me to network and socialise within the lighting design industry. I took inspiration from award-winning lighting and this aided me when working on new projects at the studio.
2016
london 1 awards
Paris Nigeria
Russia Qatar Beirut
ELECTRONICS 15%
2 design festivals
w
Recap
Skills
4.
Following my personal development plan I felt it necessary to recap over my main aims and objectives for the year and fully outline the nine main hard and soft skills I wanted to develop and refine. These aims were always in focus when completing tasks within the studio.
1
Adobe Suite
2
Electronics
Networking
4
5
6
wORKSHOP
business
7
8
social media
decisions
3
2.1
manufacturing 2.2
9
organisation
3
The Heart of
5.
Haberdashery
Haberdashery are a bespoke lighting design studio located in the heart of vibrant Dalston, London. They have an excellent reputation amongst the luxury lighting and sculpture industry, designing and constructing over 200 bespoke pieces in exceptional locations worldwide. Spanning from Nigeria to Paris, Chicago to impressive locations all over London, including The Shard and One Hyde Park. As a tight knit collaborative team of designers the studio strives to combine their impressive knowledge of traditional materials with new and innovative lighting technologies. Their catalogue of demanding clients are forever impressed by their network of high quality manufacturers and gorgeous lighting design concepts. The company started A FEW years ago with a handful of visionaries, Mac,Ben and Dan, hoping to build a successful lighting company. Today there is a collection of 30 product designers, graphic designers, engineers and production experts. At the studio there are a number OF PREVIOUS bRUNEL STUDENTS WHICH IS A REFLECTION ON THE IMPRESSIVE PRODUCT DESIGN COURSE PROVIDED AT THE UNIVERSITY.
3.1 3.2 3.3
WHERE H
aberdashery is located in the heart of vibrant Dalston. We all have our own desk and equipment. There is a workshop on site which is perfect for prototyping and assembling components. The freedom to use all the workshop facilities is essential when developing my prototyping and design development skills, and is something that seemed very attractive when looking for a placement.
6.
What T
he studio consists of a tight knit group of around 20 exploitative thinkers and boundary breaking individuals. The company has worked on a number of unique projects all over London and worldwide. They are market leaders in the bespoke lighting industry and have designs all over the world. Haberdashery combine interesting narrative and great design.
Why W
e attended a branding workshop to reevaluate haberdashery’s core values , branding and image to the public. It was an extremely open discussion and it was great for me to be apart of to really learn what the company feels is important. I can confidently say that unity and freedom of speech is important, and with Haberdashery’s exploring nature, we all as designers have the freedom to discover new things, make mistakes and ask any question.
Market H
aberdashery’s position in the market place currently is at an exceptional level. We as a studio are market leaders in the bespoke lighting industry. They have extensive experience in working all over London in fantastic locations. It is fair to suggest our main competitors are over seas and there isn’t a company London based that has tackled the bespoke lighting industry as successfully as this company. I chose this company over lighting companies in the Dalston area, including Visual Energy, as I preferred the style and complexity of the products Haberdashery produce.
vs O
ur main competition in the bespoke lighting and sculpture industry is outside of the UK. We have one main competitor that is London based which is a substantially smaller studio owned by Eva Mendz. Our big competitor is a company that focuses on glass design and manufacture, this puts us at an advantage as we offer a wider range of processes and materials. Lasvit produce and impressive range of glass lights and sculptures. Our other market competitors include Studio Drift, Preciosa and Bec Britain.
3.1 3.2 3.3
Dan
D i r e c t o r s The Company was started by three like minded individuals known as Mac, Ben and Dan. They set out to create a company based on trust and knowledge, creating beautiful lighting designs and bespoke sculptures that not only offer outstanding visual results, but offer a narrative for the user to enjoy and empathise with. Mac has a background in Production and Product design, Dan with experience of Product Design and Ben’s love and flair for Fine Art and Editorial Photography is a combination that has lead to the success of this creative and skilled studio.
y l l a S Mac
Ben
3.1 3.2 3.3
7.
Tab
p r o d u c t i o n The production team at Haberdashery is the backbone of the organisiation and seamless operations of the design team. We have weekly meetings with the team to ensure we’re reaching deadlines on time ensuring the flow of projects is always on target.
M
a
n
a
g
e
r
Tab conducted my relaxed interview and welcomed me into professional and social life at the studio. She ensures the studio is run efficiently and impressively managed all members of the studio.
y n n Je
n o s Ali
Joe
3.1 3.2
h b
E E
A S
D P
O
O K
F E
Jennifer is the head of bespoke at Haberdashery and has an impressive catalogue of knowledge in regards to the market of luxury lighting. She builds great relationships with a number of impressive clients.
8.
P r o d u c t i o n d i r e c t o r The studio has a number of big project running side by side with a number of designers working on multiple projects at one time. Alison ensures the production and punctuality of projects is running smoothly.
d d
E I
R
S
I
E
C
G T
N O
R
The studio has a unique and impressive balance between creativity and a logical approach to design. Joe offers an analytical and realistic voice at haberdashery. He has extensive knowledge in regards to manufacturing, materials and processes and offers his advise with a number of projects.
3.3
D e s i g n e r s The design team is a collection of senior designers, including Dave and John and Josh. Designers, including Nate, Eduardo, Mike, Alex and Dan. The graphic designer is Julie and our social media expert, Karen. Calum is the workshop manager and Sam is a fellow intern.
Nate
e v a D
e i l u J
m u l Ca
n h o J
Ed
Mike
x e l A
n e r Ka
Sam
Dan
h s o J
3.1 3.2 3.3
9.
4.1 4.2
Week 01 05/09
Interview
02
12/09
First Day
03
19/09
Design
Junction
04
26/09
CSCS
06
10/10
Qualification
Leaf
07
17/10
08
24/10
Virgin Install
09
31/10
Christmas Mayfair Project
Install
11
14/11
Olive
12
21/11
Atrium
13
28/11
14
05/01
Branding Leaf Workshop Eddy
15
02/03
Martini Bar
16
4
15/05
17
24/06
18
13/06
Darc Selfridges Canopy Awards
19
05/08
Avenue Road
4.3
Last day
4.4
11/08
Haberdashery
timeline of experience at
10.
20
4.5
Breakdown
Project
The project breakdown section of this report will offer a detailed examination of each project I was actively involved in throughout my year at Haberdashery. I will delve into the main aspects of my duties and key responsibilities on each project, the details of my journey towards completing each design challenge, the skills I developed and my overall reflections on each experience.
Reflecting on my personal development plan, I will offer a response to each specific hard and soft skill I aimed to develop and analyse if I have been successful in accomplishing the goals I set out to achieve at the start of my placement period. I will list any aspects of my skills development that could have been improved and how I will rectify this going into my final year to ensure I am a well balanced designer with an impressive and strong skill set.
11.
I appreciate the importance of offering a comparison between my initial expectations and my current achievements. This will highlight if my placement period has been a success, and a useful experience towards my development into a successful designer. I will briefly recap on the projects I included in the PDP report, and any minor design projects I was involved in. I will offer a detailed overview of my four main projects and incorporate visual measurements of my hard and soft skill development while competing the projects.
4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5
Project
Breakdown
12.
Design Junction was a lighting design festival that was an opportunity for the company to display work and demonstrate what we do for potential customers and future clients. It was my role to assist with the install and ensure it was completed successfully; a challenging experience and my workshop skills were put to the test. My main duties included the assembly of the stand, with support from Calum, I drilled, cut, painted and constructed the main structure before organising our bespoke lighting products.
After a month working for the company I was entrusted with creating an innovative flat-packed Christmas decoration that would be sent as a thank you to all of our suppliers and clients.
Mayfair 77 was a gorgeous bespoke lighting design that consisted of 8000 glass tubes. The light was designed for a prestigious block of apartments in the heart of Mayfair.
This non-profit project was a true reflection of the spirit of Haberdashery and their great relationships within industry is a detriment to this lovely gesture. I had the freedom to design, make and develop, and I was introduced to a new process, Photo-etching. I grew to understand how a suitable Illustrator file was to be made so the process could be completed, and I worked closely with our graphic designer, Julie, as she supported me in the design illustrations.
One of my main aims for my development on placement, is to become a comprehensive and realistic designer that understands the design process from sketching to installing the final design. Experiencing an install first hand and having to assist with bringing the final piece to life in its environment offers an excellent insight into how attention to detail and seamless design is important. You appreciate the minor details of a design that make the user experience effortless, from installing, using and maintaining.
Haberdashery as a brand and company were evolving and I was lucky enough to be present during that time. I had the chance to attend a branding course that aided the studio in identifying what was important to the company and the core values it wanted to portray to the industry. It was a chance to develop an understanding of what it takes to create a successful business and the steps taken to construct an impressive brand within the design industry. It was an enriching experience that gave me an insight into the branding elements when creating an image.
Haberdashery install all of their designs. This was an amazing element of the year that I learned a lot from. I gained a CSCS qualification on health and safety within a construction environment. The Atrium project was the largest install I participated in that was a n 11x8m dome located in a gorgeous apartment block in Mayfair.
4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5
Project
Selfridges
Haberdashery had the fantastic opportunity to design and construct a spellbinding structure for the Wonder Room in Selfridges, London. The lead designer, Dan, and Graphic designer, Julie, were truly inspirational in executing such a large scale project so effortlessly.
The whole Haberdashery studio was involved in the preparation and assembly of 1,080 intricately photo-etched brass panels. These panels would be connected to a large ring, 63m in circumference, and offer an interesting and unique narrative reflecting the process of creating jewellery from raw material to final product. I had the unique chance to observe the steps taken to put together and execute a high-end large-scale project to a refined standard and within a tight deadline.
13.
I was incredibly hands-on during this design project. From constructing models to show the clients, preparing and organising the large-scale assembly job and putting in hours of work to ensure the construction of the piece was seamless. My experience on this project was extremely valuable as a young designer. My project management and organisational skills matured greatly. In addition, my skills in regimented assembly and attention to detail were also refined during my work on this project.
4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5
Origin of Wonder
Sculpture Narrative
Haberdashery has taught me the importance of a strong narrative when producing bespoke and refined products. Designing sculptures with a strong story and reasoning behind every detail builds interest and intrigue when observing a sculpture. “This latest sculpture explores the processes involved in extracting and refining the precious metals and gems into finely detailed objects of desire via a series of intricate graphics across more than 1,000 photo-etched brass panels. These are arranged around a 20m diameter circular formation, suspended above Europe’s most prestigious retail space.” “The sculpture flows between three distinct chapters: the ‘Origin of wonder’, ‘Savoir-faire & craftsmanship’ and the ‘Illuminated article’ . ‘Origin of Wonder’ is a perfect example of how Haberdashery apply a highly creative, narrative-led process through a detailed approach to management and logistics to create stunning, original artworks in complex environments.”
14.
4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5
Development
50%
skill
My organisaltional skills were truly out to the test when completing this design challenge when organising 1069 brass panels. I assisted the lead designer, Dan, in ensuring all the panels were correctly organised, cut and rolled into the correct curve, ready to be added to the sculpture. I managed a team of people in organising the composition of 17 different panels in 3 different finishes. The success of this project was down to the regimented routine of assembling this product and the long hours working on perfecting this design. I was praised by the lead designer for my work on helping organise this system.
`The install was an interesting aspect of this project as it needed to be installed during the night. This was to ensure that the shop floor was not effected by the installation of this massive piece.
45% 40%
40% 35%
30% 20%
This project really challenged my workshop and organisational skill the most, and i feel it pushed me to think ahead and plan a lot more. I gained a lot of information in regards to new processes and manufacturing possibilities, learning the number of different ways to finish brass. There was photo-etching, powder-coating and patina finishes.
Summary
55%
15%
4.2 4.3 4.4
Improvement and Development Graph I constructed this graph as a visual reflection of how I felt my skills developed throughout completing this project. The percentages represent the level of improvement I personally feel I achieved at the end of the design challenge. I am extremely focused and wanted to ensure each individual goal I assigned myself was being fulfilled and improved upon with every element of the project. Leaf Eddy was a well-rounded challenge and allowed me to develop a number of these goals. The percentages shown are a personal estimation of my improvement, taking into consideration how my time was spent, what I learned and the outcome of the project.
15.
4.1
4.5
mARTINI
Bar
Martini bar was a fantastic project that I was given as my first challenge as a lead designer. This Martini Bar design was going to be displayed in an airport in Bangkok and a lounge in Beiruit. I was entrusted with completing these two projects within an extremely tight deadline. I was responsible for the manufacture and assembly of each component. I needed to ensure these two projects were completed and executed to a high standard and ready to ship on the arranged deadline. I had weekly meetings with the production team to ensure the project was running smoothly, collaborating with the design director, Joe, ensuring the success of the project.
16.
My role included refining each individual component of the bespoke sculpture, gathering quotations on each component, appointing suppliers to produce the parts, assembling and altering the components, meeting the final deadline and organising the shipment of the product. I experienced managing and completing a large scale project at a successful company and it was a very enriching 14 weeks of work.
“
4.1 4.2 4.3
We like to throw our interns in at the deep end
�
4.4 4.5
50%
50%
Development
skill
This was an extremely challenging project that pushed me out of my comfort zone, in regards to making quick decisions and overcoming obstacles along the way. This project was very focused on communicating with manufacturing companies and ensuring parts were manufactured on time and to a high standard. Referring to the visual graph of my development it is easy to suggest that the three skills that I developed and refined the most was my workshop skills, manufacturing and processes knowledge and my organisational and time management skills. I spent time refining components in the workshop, drilling holes to correct any
17.
30%
35%
50%
40% 30% 35% 20%
mistakes made by manufacturing companies. This was an extremely large assembly job that needed to be sub assembled and shipped and packed to Beirut and Qatar. I managed this and had assistance from our other intern, Martin who was extremely helpful throughout this process.
4.1
10%
The lighting units for this project needed to be modified and tested. My time working on this allowed me to understand the wiring of the GU10 lighting sockets and bulbs and the steps taken to ensure they were completely safe and approved by studios design director, Joe.
Summary
4.2 4.3 4.4
Improvement and Development Graph
Martini
4.5
Eddy
s n o i t i ompos
LEAF
Leaf Eddy is a sculptural piece that connects a flock of gorgeous bone china leaves to the wall in various designs and orientations. The connection between the decorative leaf and the wall join is rotational and gives the user the freedom to adjust. This was a well -rounded project with a number of exciting elements. Haberdashery were evolving as a company and as a result aimed to transform from bespoke sculptural lighting to a product range which was accessible to a wider market. I was given the opportunity to develop and refine an existing bespoke piece into a product that can be sold off the shelf. The functionality of the part needed to be refined and the compositions and product packaging needed to be designed. This project offered a fantastic platform to develop a number of skills I aimed to improve.
18.
My role in this project was to refine the functionality of the ball join that connected the leaves, to condense the number of leaves provided to a manageable pack that can be sold off the shelf, to decide on the manufacturers that would produce the product and to create appropriate packaging. I was responsible for the development of this project and organising all aspects of getting the product to market. The first step was to refine the functionality of the piece. Magnets were originally used to hold the leaves to the stem in the wall but these proved to be unreliable and allowed the leaf to slip. I started extensive research into silicone casting and played with the idea of having a silicone insert that would add friction to the connection between leaf and stem. I connected a number of
C
silicone providers and gained extensive knowledge with regard to shore hardness and how this affects the usability of silicone. I 3D printed a number of moulds to carry out silicone casting in the studio and created a number of inserts to test tolerances and insertion of the stem. I gained a number of contacts within manufacturing companies and through my research I learned the process of vacuum casting and compression moulding. My confidence with dealing with manufacturing companies was growing and my professionalism when getting quotes and information was at a high standard after completing this project.
4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4
I
refined all the brass machined components and hand made a number of parts as part of the prototyping process. As this project was being offered as a product that the user will not take home and install, user interaction with the product was extensively considered and ease of use was a high priority.
4.5 Leaf Eddy offered the user the freedom to design wall installations as the pack came with a set of post-it notes that the user can use to create patterns on their wall to install. I understood that a set of guidelines would be appropriate to offer as an inspiration booklet with suggested pattern that the user could follow.
Using Illustrator, I constructed a number of patterns and orientations that the leaves could be arranged in. The packaging design of this project was a challenging aspect as the leaves were held in vacuum-formed trays that needed to be designed and produced.
Development
skill
Overall it is easy to suggest that Leaf Eddy was the project I developed the most in each specific skill. I spent a lot of time on Illustrator and Indesign creating leaf compositions and this allowed me to explore a variety of tools on the software and resulted in a large improvement. Regrettably, I did not have the opportunity on this project to improve on my electronics knowledge. I achieved a 60% improvement with my workshop skills, as I spent a lot of time refining components and prototyping the rotational join and the packaging possibilities. My business understanding grew and improved by 60% also, as brand image needed to be considered and the cost of retailing the product was perfected.
19.
My ability to be decisive in my design decisions reflects the hard work I put into the project and keeping a high level of organisation with my work was essential. I kept a detailed log of my design development, a project box full of prototypes and a folder of meeting presentations I prepared to pitch to the studio. I am extremely grateful for having earned the lead design role in this project as it offered a platform for me to explore a variety of processes including vacuum forming, investment casting and corresponding with machinists. I thoroughly enjoyed bringing this product to launch and feel proud of the end result.
Summary
60%
60% 40%
60%
50% 45%
40%
15%
4.1
10%
4.2 4.3 4.4
Improvement and Development Graph
Leaf Eddy
4.5
5
Conclusion
Report
My personal development plan offered a guideline to encourage growth and success. Having compared and contrasted my expectations, goals and objectives, I feel that I have succeeded in completing a worthwhile placement and made the most of my time in a fast-paced and inspiring company.
After completing a staff review with my managers it was reassuring to learn that they were impressed with my performance over the year and would be happy to welcome me back to the studio after University. I feel this is a result of my hard work and persistence with every task given. Working for Haberdashery has altered the way I work in an extremely positive way, improving my skill set as a young designer and as a sociable individual.
20.
I look forward to returning to University to demonstrate my growth as a designer. Reflecting on my original report and the specific goals I assigned myself, I am extremely happy with my achievements following my year at placement. Initially I underestimated my development but after comparing my current skill level to my expectations following the PDP document I feel I have excelled in the areas I was most conscious. With each high-pressured project coming to an end, my focus and drive grew, my organisational skills were becoming a regimented routine and I now feel fully ready to complete my final year at University. I feel I have thrived in a high-pressured environment and my confidence in making
A year at Haberdashery decisions based on my taste and design opinion has grown. I feel I have the ability to make successful decisions based on the function and form of a product. The Martini Bar project was a demonstration of persistence and challenged my time management skills under high pressure. Leaf Eddy offered a platform for me to explore Inventor and make full use of the Adobe Suite. Having the unique opportunity to work for a company with excellent workshop facilities, industry connections and to have spent the year working alongside a number of truly talented designers has been an enriching experience.
5.1 5.2
References
report
5.1 5.2
21.