This next section is meant to assist you in the stages of your project. It gives you context and reason of moving the project forward.
(1) I have defined (a) an item of furniture (b) context / situation (c) Function
(2) I have then Built specifications over this list i.e
A chair
for working in the electronics lab
for soldering surface mount components
It should be X mm height to work with a table at X height
It will be made on the shopbot
it will use easily available fixtures from the DIY store
It will have a magnetic section for holding tools
(3) I now have parameters to work with within my project
I can consider the tools I will be using (I have already looked on the fab lab site and looked at the core set of tools, but I have also gone to the autoprogettazione site and looked at the different tools offered at fab lab turin, then I have scoured the web for the different capabilities of different labs) so I look at the design parameters for these tools. I have already had lectures about this which are online, and I use the workshop technicians, and sites like Ponoko to get more information.
(4) I develop constraints from the specifications above. I look at ergonomics data on chairs from the library and online. I also use existing chairs as references to develop measurements, shapes and forms that I can use.
(5) I examine the process of soldering and the other operations that happen around this.
(6) I make models and full size mock ups from a range of different materials. Some are rough and ready and use existing furniture, some are made in the workshop using traditional tools to test my thinking.
Note:
Just because this is a digital fabrication project DOES NOT mean that all you use are digital tools (unless you have decided this in the specification above). You need to use a combination of traditional model making, testing, prototyping with a consideration to how this would be made by someone in the fab lab, and what level of skill they require.
(7) When I am not sure about something in my design I test it to see if it works. It could be a hinge, or slotting system - but I never merely assume it won’t work and move on to a completely different idea. I use making and prototyping as the way to empirically test my designs.
(8) When I have developed the work to a stage I am happy with, I then make it with the tools in the fab lab. I have developed the files from the lectures and what I have learnt online to be well detailed and executed with the available technology.
(9) I have a well finished prototype - but it may not be right, so I go through a couple more iterations to refine it.
(10) I pick a way to finish the piece in a way that I am happy with. I may be using colour or material detailing or a joining method as a visual language, but I have made these decisions through the process.
(11) All of this work, sketches, photos, prototypes etc I have recorded in my usual way, but it’s all on my blog and shows 12 weeks of work that I have done through the project. It also has some inspirational work that I have seen by other designers - but I have not changed my process to fit the blog, merely gone through my normal design routine and translated this online so it can be seen by others.
(12) I have also designed the instructions for the project, alongside the digital files I am using, as these will be downloaded by others and I need to communicate them to people who have never made this object before. This is where the process of my blog acts as a good reference as I shows all my mistakes and learning, as well as my success.
(13) My instructions have a strong design aesthetic, being a design student, and I have examined graphics, layout, typography and other instructions by other designers, which I use as a reference.
(14) I now have my blog showing my process, in it’s entirety, I have a series of developments, prototypes and mock-ups and a completed piece of furniture. I have the digital files online for people to download and easy to follow instructions to make my furniture place, which could be made in any lab around the world that has the tools I specify. I have a strong body of work that is illustrative of my process and I am happy to present to the class, confident in the decisions I have made, the work I have done and the furniture I have produced.
(2) I have then Built specifications over this list i.e
A chair
for working in the electronics lab
for soldering surface mount components
It should be X mm height to work with a table at X height
It will be made on the shopbot
it will use easily available fixtures from the DIY store
It will have a magnetic section for holding tools
(3) I now have parameters to work with within my project
I can consider the tools I will be using (I have already looked on the fab lab site and looked at the core set of tools, but I have also gone to the autoprogettazione site and looked at the different tools offered at fab lab turin, then I have scoured the web for the different capabilities of different labs) so I look at the design parameters for these tools. I have already had lectures about this which are online, and I use the workshop technicians, and sites like Ponoko to get more information.
(4) I develop constraints from the specifications above. I look at ergonomics data on chairs from the library and online. I also use existing chairs as references to develop measurements, shapes and forms that I can use.
(5) I examine the process of soldering and the other operations that happen around this.
(6) I make models and full size mock ups from a range of different materials. Some are rough and ready and use existing furniture, some are made in the workshop using traditional tools to test my thinking.
Note:
Just because this is a digital fabrication project DOES NOT mean that all you use are digital tools (unless you have decided this in the specification above). You need to use a combination of traditional model making, testing, prototyping with a consideration to how this would be made by someone in the fab lab, and what level of skill they require.
(7) When I am not sure about something in my design I test it to see if it works. It could be a hinge, or slotting system - but I never merely assume it won’t work and move on to a completely different idea. I use making and prototyping as the way to empirically test my designs.
(8) When I have developed the work to a stage I am happy with, I then make it with the tools in the fab lab. I have developed the files from the lectures and what I have learnt online to be well detailed and executed with the available technology.
(9) I have a well finished prototype - but it may not be right, so I go through a couple more iterations to refine it.
(10) I pick a way to finish the piece in a way that I am happy with. I may be using colour or material detailing or a joining method as a visual language, but I have made these decisions through the process.
(11) All of this work, sketches, photos, prototypes etc I have recorded in my usual way, but it’s all on my blog and shows 12 weeks of work that I have done through the project. It also has some inspirational work that I have seen by other designers - but I have not changed my process to fit the blog, merely gone through my normal design routine and translated this online so it can be seen by others.
(12) I have also designed the instructions for the project, alongside the digital files I am using, as these will be downloaded by others and I need to communicate them to people who have never made this object before. This is where the process of my blog acts as a good reference as I shows all my mistakes and learning, as well as my success.
(13) My instructions have a strong design aesthetic, being a design student, and I have examined graphics, layout, typography and other instructions by other designers, which I use as a reference.
(14) I now have my blog showing my process, in it’s entirety, I have a series of developments, prototypes and mock-ups and a completed piece of furniture. I have the digital files online for people to download and easy to follow instructions to make my furniture place, which could be made in any lab around the world that has the tools I specify. I have a strong body of work that is illustrative of my process and I am happy to present to the class, confident in the decisions I have made, the work I have done and the furniture I have produced.
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