Assignment #2: 3 Ted Talks

The three Ted Talks by Alice Rawsthorn, Paola Antonelli and Ross Lovegrove offered unique and varied views on 3D design and it’s designers purpose.

Paola Antonelli’s, a woman who curates design pieces, showed how design serves many functions outside of decoration. It was interesting to see how she showed design being used as a tool not only for innovation or beauty but simply to make a statement. This is outside the realm of what I had previously thought 3D design’s purpose to be. Some of the examples in the talk were even objects that seemed to only serve the function of discussing a topic through humour or oddity. Many of the objects she showed would likely not be used in the everyday lives of people, but were able to use the principles of design to function almost like a fine art piece.

Alice Rawsthorn’s discussion of design focused on it’s more socially innovative aspects. By discussing radical thinkers throughout history she showed how design can be used not only for the aesthetic, but to help solve many different issues. Personally, I believe this is an important way to view a designers job. Rather then simply creating beautiful objects or altering current products appearances, designers should have a responsibility to use their power to create positive change through their work.

Ross Lovegrove focused on designing 3D objects inspired by the design seen in nature. This method could be used not only to make things beautiful, but to also make them more sustainable and streamlined. He also showed, like some of the other speakers, how designers need to create and think radically in their work. Some designs he discussed, such as a car created with less pieces that served multiple functions alongside using a sustainable energy source, I found to be innovative. However, much of his process also seemed to be focused simply on the aesthetics of an object, without considering it’s ability to function properly. These variances in his projects seemed somewhat counterintuitive and made me question his method. However, despite some of my dislike for Lovegrove’s particular goals as a designer, I do believe that it is in many ways beneficial to learn from nature whilst considering an objects design.

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