The Pencil

All objects around us are part of the technology and if I have to choose my favorite it would be something as simple as the pencil. Yes, it sounds ridiculous, but I think that single object it's better than any other. It gives us the ability to transfer abstract ideas in our minds to facts, without it we couldn't have created all the advanced technology that we know and use today.

What better way to spend the time to have a paper and a pencil? It's one of most revolutionary and important invention of our lives that have gone through it, regardless the location and year. It's undoubtedly the best tool of communication and expression in history, which has served all types of vocation and disciplinary fields.

This artifact is busier and it's transcendental to any social class and country. I think very few objects reach the level of practicality and functionality that has the pencil. Advanced technology is important but usually falls in a game of selling because selling, and in many cases don't satisfy real necessities as the pencil does.

Well, that's all.

Studying Industrial Design

When you study Industrial Design in the University of Chile, I think you have to develop many skills to approve all branches at the same time. It’s very difficult to pass all of them because they are so many and each teacher tend to talk about different things instead of relate them to a single project in common.

First of all, I think you have to be emotionally strong to not get disappointed when you go badly. In this three years I really get disappointed many times and wanted to throw everything to hell, but I couldn’t because I’m not the one who pays my studies, is my mother. So in the second place I think you have to be conscious with your parent’s wallet.

Ok, in this career you need to be informed about all new technologies around the world, new materials and artifacts that could be considerate on new processes in projects of design. Also you have to be permanently filling an encyclopedia inside our minds about user’s profiles, material’s costs and a lot of technical concepts.

Well, some of the things I’ve applied are to be organized and constant. These two techniques have helped me not to reprove any branch until now. Being organized with time and work and being constant with the long projects that tend to be boring. It’s difficult to approve branches with good marks because if dedicate your time to a single one, you’ll do badly on other.

Ok, that’s all for now.
Regards!

Ecodesign Speech

Sustainable Technological Innovation

It’s an area of Design that is related with industries and it is based on a new way to employ technology in productive processes. It considers using the energy and all type of resources in the best possible way.

Design has to focus on new methods that allow the satisfaction of necessities and desires considering the context and environment, proving if they are true necessities and if they really need a new product or can be satisfied with existing services. This would help to stop the overproduction of unnecessary products.

When a new product is created it has a life cycle similar to this in which all steps are related.

Extraction

There are many alternatives of materials to choose from the nature. We have to select materials that use clean extraction processes with low energy consumption, renewable and recyclable materials. This would help to keep our planet more healthy and clean.

Transportation

A new product must minimize the amount of material employed, reducing its total weight and volume to facilitate the transportation. This would help to reduce costs using fewer amounts of energy, fuel, package and garbage.

Production

Nowadays, there exist a lot of technological alternatives about massive production, and industries must choose the cleaner one, using recyclable and biodegradable materials, opting for methods with fewer numbers of machines. This would help to reduce the impact of industries in the atmosphere and in the nature.

Distribution

Companies should analyze the amount of package that really is necessary, designing an efficient storage and logical way to stack them side by side. This would help in the reduction of distribution trucks and boxes.

Utilization

Many products generate the biggest impact during this stage, because of the energy consummated and a constant waste. A good design must be sure that the product will be used with a clean source of energy and a low consumption of resources, like fuel or electricity.

Rejection

One of the most important objectives is to extend the duration of the products, even as long as the life of the user. Design must develop modular products and consider easy ways of maintaining and repairing them, so they could endure for many years. This would help to fortify and extend the relationship between the user and his product.

Garbage

Consist in getting advantage about wasted materials that can be used again, so they could be recycled and reconditioned for future applications.

Justification

Finally I want to say that a good design is not the one that has a unusual form or a super form, it's the one that consider all this steps, one by one, with the perfects decisions. If a design is able to view the future repercussions in the humans and in the planet, then is able to avoid most of the problems and adopt a perfect form.

Designers and Architects must design with this type of vision, because if they don't do it, nobody will do it... engineers? Maybe, buy not with the sensitivity and creativity that we have.

So, let's make conscious design.

Alvar Aalto

Hi everyone!

Alvar Aalto was born on February 3 of 1898 in Finland. He was an architect and designer that based his work in the funcionalism principles and organic forms. This consists in that the use of an object and the purpose of a building determines its form. He also stablished that objects need to have clarity and few ornaments in the form, and that a good design should always consider the utilization of the human and to function without problems, so it could endure in the daily use.

I think this architect has a lot of reason because this few fundaments work great when you project a design. A good design is not the one that is extremely innovator or have a creative form, but it's the one in which every part is carefully elaborated so it could remain with a perfect function and an interesting aesthetic.

When a form gets saturated of ornaments, it become confusing and more expensive. A good design needs to be resolved with the less material possible but to keep the same attracting characterics. This also will have a positive impact in the nature and the whole world.

Alvar Aalto proved that designing products or buildings need to be focused on their purpose to be successful.

"True architecture is only to be found where man stands in the centre".

Cya!