Brief
The Chair
We live our lives surrounded by products and so-called inanimate objects. However as human beings we relate to these products more often than not in an emotional way. It may be down to aesthetics or the way it performs a certain function or how it has aged or remained with us through day to day existence. We begin to project characteristics and qualities which we see in other humans and animals onto these products. We can feel attraction/ repulsion, grow to love or hate them and even feel remorse when they stop functioning or have to be disposed of.
These products may also have a perceived value or quality that reflects on ourselves when we own or use them. It’s almost as if when we use or buy a product it may become part of us and define who we are. Can ownership or usage of a product make us feel better about ourselves? Do we bring expectations to a product that are either exceeded (leaving us happy) or not met (leaving disappointment)? As designers we have to ask these questions and begin to explore the possibilities of our medium. The humble chair offers us the ideal example. This is an object found in a large variety of environments yet can vary between each other dramatically in both form and function. Subtle changes in form, colour, material and construction can all alter our perception and relationship with them. We have to learn to control these signs and relationships in order to give products this added value in the marketplace and to the user.
You are being asked to design a utility chair that is suitable for a variety of environments, including: domestic, office, bar, restaurant etc. The chair needs to retail at a price between £60- £180 per unit, so realistic and accurate considerations into materials, manufacture and construction need to be investigated.
Work Required:
During this project you should be able to:
- Visually explore and understand the notion of added value in design.
- Gain a competent understanding of anthropometrics in chair design.
- Investigate and articulate ideas based around adding qualities to the chair which may form part of an emotional connection with the user.
- Subtly manipulate form, colour, texture, function, construction and detailing to alter the user perception of the furniture.
- Propose responses which arouse emotions and enhance the product experience.
- Demonstrate an ability to design behaviour and establish emotional connections.
- Assemble a diverse range of visual references to exploit rational and irrational experiences.
Assessment Criteria
You will be assessed on your ability to:
- Provide background information and research as a relevant basis and direction to the project.
- Generate and accurately communicate design concepts in answer to the brief (including sketch sheets and models).
- Refine ideas using self imposed framework and directions.
- Communicate all facets of the design through visual presentation.
- Effectively manage the project.
Assessment Requirements:
You are asked to produce:
- Chair sketch studies and investigation
- Research log/sketch book including initial investigations into ideas.
- Sketch work investigating 20-25 in depth proposals.
- Development of key ideas to high level of detail (inc. appreciation of manufacturing processes, construction etc.)
- Research log/ sketch book supporting manufacture, technologies, finishing.
- Presentation material – communicating all aspects of final object.
I began my research by looking at different emotions human beings feel and display, since the aim of this project is to produce a design which will leave the user feeling a certain way when they encounter the chair i felt it was a good idea to pick an emotion which the design should provoke on some level.
Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources.
- Pleasure
- Engagement
- Relationships
- Meaning
- Accomplishments
Awe is an emotion comparable to wonder but less joyous, and more fearful or respectful.
Curiosity is an emotion related to natural inquisitive behaviour such as exploration, investigation, and learning.
Desire is a sense of longing for a person or object or hoping for an outcome.
Ecstasy is a subjective experience of total involvement of the subject, with an object of his or her awareness. Because total involvement with an object of our interest is not our ordinary experience since we are ordinarily aware also of other objects, the ecstasy is an example of altered state of consciousness.
Euphoria is medically recognized as a mental and emotional condition in which a person experiences intense feelings of well-being, elation, happiness, ecstasy, excitement and joy.
Pleasure describes the broad class of mental states that humans and other animals experience as positive, enjoyable, or worth seeking. It includes more specific mental states such as happiness,
entertainment, enjoyment, ecstasy, and euphoria.
Interest is a feeling or emotion that causes attention to focus on an object or an event or a process. In contemporary psychology of interest, the term is used as a general concept that may encompass other more specific psychological terms.
Passion is a term applied to a very strong feeling about a person or thing. Passion is an intense emotion compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something.
Anger is an automatic response to ill treatment. It is the way a person indicates he or she will not tolerate certain types of behaviour. It is a feedback mechanism in which an unpleasant stimulus is met with an unpleasant response. The external expression of anger can be found in:
- Facial expressions
- Body language
- Physiological responses
- Public acts of aggression
- Humans and animals for example make:
- Loud sounds
- Attempt to look physically larger
- Bare their teeth
- Stare
Passive Anger
Passive anger can be expressed in the following ways:
- Dispassion
- Giving the cold shoulder
- Phony smiles
- Looking unconcerned
- Sitting on the fence
- Dampening feelings
- Overreacting
- Oversleeping
- Not responding to another's anger
- Frigidity
- Talking of frustrations but showing no feeling
- Evasiveness
- Phobic
- Ineffectualness
- Choosing unreliable people to depend on
- Accident prone
- Underachieving
- Sexual impotence
- Expressing frustration at insignificant things but ignoring serious ones
- Obsessive Behaviour
- Psychological manipulation
- Emotional blackmail
- False tearfulness
- Feigning illness
- Sabotaging relationships
- Using sexual provocation
- Secretive behaviour
- Gossiping
- Self-blame
- Self-sacrifice
Aggressive Anger
Aggressive Anger can be expressed in the following ways:
- Bullying
- Destructiveness
- Grandiosity
- Hurtfulness
- Manic behaviour
- Selfishness
- Threats
- Unjust blaming
- Unpredictability
- Vengeance
Emotions for the design of my chair
- Doubt
- Distrust
- Suspicious
- Disbelief
- Uncertainty
- Hesitant
- Shifty
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