I’ve chosen my fab lamp project because it was the project that I got a physically working product out of, I understand that the designing process for this project wasn’t massive but I enjoyed it thoroughly, I loved the way my lamp came out and it works well in all different types of rooms but still holding the function to light up a certain area.
Today I laser cut most of my components to make my lamp, unfortunately I had to let someone else use the laser cutter so I didn’t manage to make my lamp, however it will be done in January, so I used Corel draw to draw out all the little components, then changed all the files to vector and rasta files, and cut them out,
I think laser cutting out the parts was the best possible method to complete this process because it’s clean, fast and cheap to do you can also reduce the amount of waste material by sustainably fitting all the components on one sheet of plastic
i took my CAD model i previously made on solid edge and imported it into Keyshot for redering, im really happy with the way it came out and in my eyes it looks stunning, im happy with the colours and the materials i have used to make the lamp.
i had to make a poster form my lamp, however thisn poster is alittle different aposed to the poster my group did for our last project.
on our last project we had to ‘advertise’ the product we came up with, but this time i had to describe what my lamp is, show all the relevent details of the lamp and design, show the design process and show all the research i had done on the various aspects we were asked to research into.
here is my poster;
this is the poster i came up with, i used the red because it replicates the colour of the blood cells, ive added a development strip down the right side, this shows how i got the shape of my lamp, starting with the shape of the haemoglobin molecule, then tweaking that shape into the final shape which i used on my lamp. on the middle colum i showed how i used inspiration from exsiting products and buildings to design my lamp and the material im using and why compared to other materials, on the first colum i just described what i wanted my product to be and what type of lighting i used and what i could of used.
over the last two days I have been working on a full CAD model of my lamp, I really like the way the model came out, and it looks exactly what I want it to look like which is a good thing because it means I can now make it on the 3D printer or the laser cutter.
Here is the model of the stand that I made on solid edge.
I came up with shape during the development of my lamp design, however I did tweak it a little bit, in this I changes the material to solid white acrylic plastic but I’m not sure whether I want it clear or white just yet.
This is the wheel part of the lamp
I change the material on this to clear white acrylic plastic I really like the look however I will change the top of the wheel (the pieces that will be connecting the two faces together) to the colour of red because I think that it will add a different face to my design.
Now this is my assembled product, including the treaded rod that will hold all the pieces together
I really like the outcome of my CAD model and think it really displays what it is without any explanation or design description. I will post a fully rendered image of my product when I get my hands on Key shot.
So here’s my development work on my lamp, I choose to develop this shape because it strikes me as unique also it doesn’t look like a Ferris wheel, which was a massive concern of mine because I didn’t want to confuse the user however I really like the shape but I needed alittle tweaking in some areas to make it more stable and usable, also I developed the channels where the water will be running!
For my lamp I have been searching for the best way to illuminate it, I looked at just standard energy saving bulbs but they just do not quite cut it for me in terms of aesthetics or light quality, they lack brightness and the light the do radiate is very white which will make my lamp look dull, I looked at LED strips which is just a wafer thin tape with LED bulbs embedded in it, they do preform very well also they are very economic and do give off heat which will be a very bad idea as it might evaporate the liquid I’m putting within the to plastic sheets, however I had the same problem as I had with the energy saving bulbs they are just to white and boring on colour, so I did some minor research and I discovered a very aesthetically pleasing and illuminating type of light source called EL wire, which is a thin copper wire coated in a phosphor which glows when an alternating current is applied to you can get it in a range of different bright colours, I think this type of lighting source will be perfect with my lamp because I can get it in Red, it’s also a cheaper alternative to bulbs, it’s very durable and doesn’t give off much heat.
as ive done nearly all the research I need to get my product made I have decided to dabble in a bit of inspiration so I can have a guide or an understanding of why and how im going to accomplish this project, so I looked towards a few designers/design groups for inspiration such as the fundamental group I really like the work I discovered by this designer as it is nearly the same type of geometry I want to use on my lamp , I also looked at the work foursteel have been doing and they have designed at radiator that is built up of geometric shapes, and this is what I want to do however mine will be built up of pentagons.
these a4re the two designs I have been talking about, I think I can use these as a massive influence on my design if I keep referring back to them, I also had another influence from something completely different but it is completely the same too, I did a little research into the Eden project, which essentially is just a massive green house and that’s how its completely different from a lamp design however the similarities the design to my design is the way it has been designed, the roof is made up of 1000’s of hexagons and pentagons that have been joined together to make two massive dome structures and that is how it is completely relevant to my design, so I will also be referring back to this building for design help.
I am going to decorate the lamp design with geometric pattern using the haemoglobin molecules as a guide, but first im going to put some research and information here about it,
A geometric shape is the geometric information which remains when location, scale, orientation and reflection are removed from the description of a geometric object. That is, the result of moving a shape around, enlarging it, rotating it, or reflecting it in a mirror is the same shape as the original, and not a distinct shape. Objects that have the same shape as each other are said to be similar. Many two-dimensional geometric shapes can be defined by a set of points or vertices and lines connecting the points in a closed chain, as well as the resulting interior points. Such shapes are called polygons and include triangles, squares, and pentagons. Other shapes may be bounded by curves such as the circle or the ellipse. Many three-dimensional geometric shapes can be defined by a set of vertices, lines connecting the vertices, and two-dimensional faces enclosed by those lines, as well as the resulting interior points. Such shapes are called polyhedrons and include cubes as well as pyramids such as tetrahedrons. Other three-dimensional shapes may be bounded by curved surfaces, such as the ellipsoid and the sphere. A shape is said to be convex if all of the points on a line segment between any two of its points are also part of the shape.
(Wikipedia)
Geometry and the golden ratio in art, architecture and design are frequently used as a way to perceive aesthetically pleasing structures rather than as a principle to further develop visual coherence and as a basis for rational decisions in the design process. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how geometric relationships can be applied to the product design process. It will also investigate how geometric relationships can provide effective design rules which can be practical and directly applicable in design. Geometry workshops were carried out in the Creativity Zone at the University of Brighton and in the Design Studio at the University of Sussex between 2011 and 2012. During the workshops three hypotheses have been tested on product design students to investigate how design practitioners perceive geometry and how the golden ratio in designs may be utilised to recognise harmonious geometry.
(design society)
a lot of my product is going to be based around most of what is said above, I think by using the simple yet elegant techniques of geometry I can develop and interesting product.
initially I was thinking about making the whole lamp red using acrylic plastic but after doing some thinking and revaluation of my design proposal I discovered that it would look to boring and creepy if it was all red plastic, so I’ve decided that it would be a better idea to make it all clear translucent plastic and then the red will be the EL wire that will run throughout the inside of the shell, this will make the lamp look less like a Halloween toy and more professional and scientific. also using the red EL wire on the inside will through some interesting shapes out from the inside onto walls and the ceiling.
Becoming a Designer. 