What do you think of the ten Long Life design criteria overall ? Which criteria in particular might assist in meeting the challenges created by climate change and how? What criteria would you add or how would you update the current list to account for specific design challenges presented by the Anthropocene?
I think those criteria are really comprehensive and detail. I think the 1,2,5,6,7,9 might assist in meeting challenges from climate change. These criteria make the design has longer service life, less cost, and cater to a specific environment; let us have more advantages in the face of the impact of climate change, such as more defensive, more flexible response, and cheaper costs.
I may add criteria of meaningful, which mean add more additional value for design, such as able to pass a lifestyle through this design, it makes consumers to more easily appreciate a design, and thus use a longer time.
Analyze the design from your home country (in production for longer than 50 years) that you shared in class this week according to the 10 Long Life Design criteria. In what ways does this object/product meet the criteria and in what ways does it not meet them?
The folding fan
Repair: The material of the folding fan is wood and rice paper, and its structure is not complicated, so it is well repaired.
Cost: The cost of materials for folding fans is not high, and its value is reflected in craftsmanship and reputation of the manufacturer.
Sales: Folding fan market is the seller’s market.
Manufacturing: Each folding fan is handmade, not exactly the same fan, so each one is unique. The manufacturer must have enough enthusiasm to make an excellent fan.
Function: Folding fan is the daily necessities, in the summer every day will be used. And a good folding fan can not only have a very high artistic value but also become a symbol of identity.
Safety: The material of the folding fan is wood and rice paper, it is not sharp, it will not hurt people.
Planned Production: Good folding fans often need to be customized, and needs for customizing are often more than productivity
User: A good folding fan is like an automatic watch that can define the user’s social status, they can also appreciate the art through the fan.
Environment: It is more carrying an artistic value, art in any age will not lose value.
Design: A good folding fan is equal to a work of art.
Next week we will visit Tea Drunk NYC, a Chinese tea shop founded by Shunan Teng. Please visit her store website (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and learn about her work and pop-up shop at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. How does this business seem related to Long Life Design? Despite being a new business, which of the Long Life Design criteria do you think it might be able to fulfill over the next 50 years, and why? What are two questions you have for the owner, Shunan Teng, related to long-life design and sustainability?
First of all, China’s tea culture has existed for thousands of years, countless people want to know it and try it. And the company says they produce tea entirely in the traditional way since the traditional method of tea producing has existed for thousands of years in China, so I guess this is already a long-life design.
I believe the User and Design will fulfill over the next 50 years. The tea is not only a product but also a culture. In addition to the different characteristics of various teas, the traditional tea drinking process has a complete ritual ceremony. This ritual contains a very profound oriental philosophy. This process can guide the user to think about more self-reflection. For design, I think tea itself is a very simple product, it needs to be constantly designed ( the form of packing and brewing) to keep people fresh for it.
Questions
For those who do not have professional tea tools, how do you let them use your tea products to make a good taste?
How can you promote the Chinese tea culture to more people through your business?
Please watch the following design talks video on Regeneration Design Links to an external site.and answer the following seven questions on your LP.
– At the start of the program Industrial Designer Fumikazu Masuda says, “we cannot continue like this, there is no future in mass production and consumption.” Do you agree?
Yes, I agree with his opinion. The mass production and consumption is not a recyclable process, which means this process is only one way to consume the resources on Earth. But as we talked in the really beginning of our class, the speed of regeneration of the Earth’s resources is far less than the speed of human consumption. Blindly consuming resources will have a devastating impact on our future.
– What was the transformative experience that made Matsuda realize he had a responsibility for what he designed?
He found an abandoned washing machine nearby a river, which he had designed. It made he realized he had a responsibility for he designed. He thought as a designer, he is a part of the product. He also feels a designer have the responsibility to make their designs be not easily eliminated and discarded.
– Do you think you would take better care of objects if you had to repair them?
I think I will, because of my personal habit, I take care every object I have, no matter it had to repair or not.
– What are examples of materials that you could design with today, that could later return to the “natural cycle” (such as the bamboo that Masuda mentions)?
I can think of silk, the main ingredient of silk is protein, which can easily degrade in the soil. And then become the soil nutrients.
– Masuda says, “nobody wants to leave the next generation with nothing but trash.” Do you think designers should consider the ability for their designs to be repaired, as part of their initial design process? What else might help create less waste?
Yes, of course, designers should consider how to make their designs used for longer periods of time, not just how to make their designs sell better. It is one of the ways to extend the service life by designing the product to be easily repaired in the beginning.
I think a product, in addition to its own design and materials, in the production process to ensure the quality of the product is also one of the ways to reduce waste. A product with excellent quality and design will not be easily eliminated
– What are the two things that Masuda says designers should be mindful of when designing (see timecode 20:00)? Why does he say this is important? Do you agree?
The first he said is designers at first need to create something simple which doesn’t use a lot of resources. I agree with it. Because the many resources in today are nonrenewable. The more resources a design uses, it also consumes more energy (such as electricity), and the production of energy also requires more resources. The second is focus on natural materials. I also agree with that. Because the natural materials are more easily to be recycled, they will not cause an excessive burden on the environment.
– What are you overall thoughts on this video? Did you enjoy it?
I pretty like this video, it has deepened my awareness of long life design, Masuda’s point of view inspired me a lot. Now I think I can find more long-life design factors for my own design. Also, after watching this video, I may pay more attention to the material and functional options in my future design.
