hello, my name is MARTA MONGE and this my
PORTFOLIO collecting highlights of my best projects so far
PROJECTS product design
SMALL CHANGE transitioning to a cashless economy
THREAD
making in-shop purchases a digital experience
communication design
DE SILVA GARAGE layout and visuals for exhibiton proposal
research and art direction
ANALOG DESKTOP
exploring more physical interactions with technology
BORDER CROSSINGS an unusual view on the EU migration crisis
SMALL
CHANGE PRODUCT | concept, prototyping, cad modelling, UX/UI, video
We were asked by VISA Europe to explore the escalating diffusion of contactless payment technologies and propose new ways of embedding them into objects that can be more specific, communicative and engaging than a card. Contactless payments currently have a 30 ÂŁ cap, limiting them to small purchases usually made with coins or notes. In transition towards an increasingly cashless society, we thought of a device capable of sweeping up small change.
group project CSM + VISA 2015
can design support the TRANSITION towards a CASHLESS society?
Small Change is a device aiming at facilitating the transition towards fully
cashless
payments,
while
keeping a reference to the very human act of exchanging money. The coin, iconic representation of currency, is
turned into a smart
device belonging to the internet of things - keeping the tangibility of cash that digital is still missing. The product developed allows to visualise
the
abstract
nature
of
modern money and puts, through constant feedback, the user in control of its budget.
The digital coin consists of an ink screen to display the value, while the tactile edges invite the user to rotate the coin like a watch dial. The device is connected to your personal bank account and can be used to transfer funds from / to another coin.
(VIDEO) click on it to open webpage
We
focused
on
interactions
revolving around the smart coint and its ability to work off the wrist and create more natural payment methods. The scenarios picked all share a certain discomfort in managing cash - sharing a bill, giving pocket money to your kid, depositing money on a piggy bank -. A brief video shows how the coin would
make
effortless.
such
transaction
THREAD
We were asked by VISA Europe to
PRODUCT | concept, prototyping, cad modelling, UX/UI, video
by 2020.
imagine the form and functionality of contactless wearable devices How can payment systems be located on the body without being wrist-based? Can VISA create a device with its technology in it, but a more high-end appeal? Thread is a fashion-oriented payment device which borrows the language of fashion accessories, and aims to enhance customer loyalty, bridging the gap between the online and in-store shopping experiences.
group project CSM + VISA 2015
can in store purchases be a DIGITAL experience, and vice versa?
Considering
the
growing
role
played by social media in guiding purchases, we looked at ways of connecting digital “opinion leaders” (fashion bloggers, trend spotters, professionals or amateurs) to the intuitive act of spotting an outfit while rooming the streets. Thread in fact connects the payment device directly to a
fashion-
oriented digital network. Consumers wearing the brooch and related app can detect each other
through
their
phone’s
camera, see each other’s purchases and rate them. Many positive ratings on a specific garment are turned into advantages - such as discounts,
VIP
tickets,
private
views - issued by the brand itself to the wearer.
We set ourself the brief of designing for a specific brand and its target user - developing the device as if it had to be sold in their stores. Given its more feminine feeling, we focused on brooches, material finishes
such
as
copper
and
marble.
We embedded into the
device key technology requirements - biometric authentication, connection to mobile-based app, RFID chip - set by VISA, as much as materials and shapes matching the fashion partner’s brand image.
FINGER VEIN SCANNER
LOW ENERGY BLUETOOTH
RFID TAG
Inside the shop, the detacheable part can be lifted over the payment terminal to authorise the specific purchase
of
fashion-related
products. A finger vein scanner in fact
ensures
safe
purchases
through a biometric authentication system. Outside of the shop, the brooch acts
as
identification
sign,
making the wearer’s purchases detectable owners.
by
other
device
(VIDEO) click on it to open webpage
A brief video gives an understanding of how the user interface of the AR app would look like. It renders a simple scenario when a user’s attention is caught by someone else’s look. While
checking the garment
brand,
he’s spotted himself by
another user - action which triggers a series of rewards.
DE SILVA
GARAGE
The project is a proposal developed
GRAPHIC | layout, print, digital sketching, logo
aimed at celebrating their head of
in collaboration with Italian studio Yet|Matilde
for
Volkswagen,
design Walter Maria de Silva's life and practice on the occasion of his retirement. The proposal was presented through a printed catalogue - collecting all materials related to his professional development and ethos - and an app, showcasing an exhibition proposal. I was involved in the ideation of the
exhibition
and
developed
layout of the print and digitally sketched visuals displayed on the app.
group project Yet|Matilde for Volkswagen 2013
can a LIFE be turned into CHAPTERS and chapters turned
Research brought us to identify 7
into SPACES ?
light metal frame, with walls made
main steps in the life of the designer. We conveyed them in the catalogue through different chapters and reproduced such timeline in the exhibition, with a modular structure made of 7 identical containers, playing with the metaphor of a garage. Each of them was conceived as a of white fabric panels - creating a closed yet not oppressive space, where all surfaces could be used for projection. A first introduction to the exhibition was given by an app, that progressively
explored
all
sections, providing scenographic representations together with few more technical visuals.
THE ANALOG
DESKTOP
RESEARCH | prototyping, cad modelling, UX / UI, video
We were asked to envision future developments of the workplace, by
looking
at
current
trends,
depicting scenarios populated by personas, surrounded by a brand new set of products or systems. The outcome would be a day in the life of a character that describes her/his ordinary work day. We looked at the most traditional and less technologically advanced of desk-based jobs. The office secretary. What could the future of such office work be like?
group project Central Saint Martins (UK) 2014
can OBIQUITOUS digitalisation
We observed the ubiquitous digitalisation of tasks by looking at office desks all over the world. Much less paper, way more flat screens, but still the urge for some leftovers from yesterday's analog world. Post-its, paper notes, all kinds of stationery. Small actions
feel more
that still happen to be more
HUMAN ?
stationary
meaningful
than
their
digital
counterpart. We though of a basic kit
that
allows
to
accomplish all basic office work tasks through a more physical and rewarding
experience,
where
technology is not invisible but can instead be seen, touched, adjusted.
(VIDEO) click on it to open webpage
BORDER
CROSSINGS
“Border Crossings� explores the
RESEARCH | ethnography, craft, art direction, print, video
Maghrebi migrants and the perilous
phenomenon of illegal migration, focusing
on
Sub-Saharan
and
journeys they face, chasing the elusive European dream. The project twists the traditional vision of clandestine immigration provided by media, by creating a fictional, even though realistic, development of the current situation. It exaggerates the public hysteria and fear fuelling anti-immigration feelings, portraying the migrant as a threat lurking outside the gates of Europe.
graduation project Central Saint Martins 2015
With the migrant’s point of view, I tried to look at the journey to Europe and the many ordeals that
what does travelling mean when you are an ILLEGAL?
the
status
of
“clandestinity”
entails. The result is a series of atypical travel tools, rendering the ingenuity and craftiness of an illegal traveller. Looking at the map of the leading migrant routes, every object belongs to a different border, being it a natural - the Sahara desert, the Mediterranean sea - or political - the frontier between France and the UK - one. Behind them there’s not a designer, but an illegal migrant, determined to complete his journey.
THE STOWAWAY LUGGAGE SET item name
LADDER LAUNDRY BAG location of fi nding
"THE JUNGLE" CAMP, CALAIS, FRANCE mode of use
Used as luggage to transport personal items. The bag handles have been modified to create a small ladder, with the aim of facilitating the climb on commercial vehicles queuing at Calais Ferry Port to cross the Channel and enter the UK.
THE STOWAWAY LUGGAGE SET item name
FARADAY SHOULDER STRAP BAG l o c a t i o n o f fi nd i ng
"THE JUNGLE" CAMP, CALAIS, FRANCE m o d e o f us e Disguised as a shoulder strap bag - it contains a collapsible mylar structure. The material used for thermal blankets - distributed by ONGs to keep
warm - is here
adopted by illegal stowaways to hide from border control’s thermal imaging cameras used to scan the inside of trucks.
THE CLANDESTINE LIFEVEST item name
WOVEN NASSA FLOAT location of fi nding
LAMPEDUSA HARBOUR, ITALY mode of use
Traditional fishing net, can be frequently found on old fishing boats used as migrant vessels. A clear plastic bag has been inflated
and
turning
it
insered
into
a
inside,
makeshift
floatation device - to be used in case of lifevests shortage on illegal vessels sailing from Libyan coasts.
THE DESERT CROSSING BAG item name
BAKSHEESH ROLL UP BAG location of fi nding
BUS STATION, AGADEZ, NIGER mode of use
Long rolled up bag used as makeshift seat. It's filled with personal items, to be offered as bribes (�baksheesh in Persian) at every checkpoint on the Sahara route, in exchange
for
permission
to
continue the journey to Libya, where Europe-bound boats sail.
(VIDEO) click on it to open webpage
(PRINT) click on it to open webpage
you can get in touch with me at
marta@martamonge.org martamonge.org 07463541024