Proposal

Research Project
Abstract
This project will explore the usage of digital media to develop the marketability of interior products and foster community among designers and consumers. Digital media and mass production have become increasingly effective in the accessibility and marketing of well crafted and designed products. Respectively, consumer goods are increasingly marketed online in addition to the traditional print format. Photorealistic representation infused with the inactive web provides a new tool for emerging product designers to connect their design ideas to consumers. The ability to virtually produce an object as a form of collaborative design allows a greater level of communication of the design intent to be established among designers, consumers, and manufacturers. This potential level of communication then becomes a digital aid for the representation of a designer’s original intent as it relates to both the aesthetics and craft (Spalter, 1999, pp. 432-5). Essentially, this project will embody attributes of both contextual and intangible design. The experience of collaboratively designing objects both physically and virtually can foster a sense of community while designers’ facilitating the design can appropriately introduce the design process to consumers (Mitchell, 1993).
This project investigation may require a review of marketing strategies utilized through interactive interfaces between 2000 and 2010. Information of this nature will inform my exploration of optimal digital representation. The scope of this research will be limited to the time constraints of the semester, including the time constraints associated with the learning curve of new software programs and interfaces.

Project Description
Existing prototypes produced during the previous graduate studio will provide the foundation for this investigation. Digital manipulation of cutting and folding material (representing steel sheet metal) will be utilized to re-create the original prototypes and develop new variations of the existing prototypes. The aesthetic design will continue to emulate that of origami paper folds. Variations will be developed within the parameter of designs inspired by possible dinnerware or cookware products. The Inspiration of these products was originally transpired from the desire to foster community through products used during social activities.
Method
Sketch Up will first be utilized to replicate the existing prototypes. Screen captures will be utilized to record the digital design process and serve as a visual aid for imputing the products into flash and creating a interactive method of digitally stimulating the original design process. Material qualities will be rendered through programs such as Podium or 3D s Max. Additionally the utilization of Flash will stimulate the co-design experience for potential consumers. The initial consumer experience may be documented provided that time remains for potential end-users to practice digitally designing their own products.


Results
The expectation of this project is to learn the proper navigation of Sketch Up, Podium and Adobe Flash in order to digitally simulate the design and craft that has previously been accomplished through the physical manipulation of sheet metal. By providing an interactive interface for potential consumers to explore the digital cutting and folding process of the material, consumers will be engaged in the act of collaborative co-design while gaining a greater understanding of the design intent. The collective utilization of the interface can potentially foster conversations about the design process among various consumers. In a larger scope the developed knowledge gained through this research investigation will also aid designers in assessing the appropriate forms of digital media for marketing products digitally (Inns, 2007; Wood & Landry, 2008a, 2008b).

Conclusions
Technology can be utilized to create new venues for social interactions to occur as forms of collaborative and contextual design (Inns, 2007). The intellectual and creative process of design can be openly expanded to the public through interactive software. The success of this project will embody opportunities for knowledge and community to occur through the process of product design and digital representation.

References
Inns, T. (2007). Designing for the 21st Century: Interdisciplinary Questions and Insights. Burlington,VT: Gower Publishing Limited.
Mitchell, T. C. (1993). Redefining Designing: From Form to Experience. New York, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Spalter, A. (1999). The World Wide Web. In The Computer in the Visual Arts (pp. 432-435). Addision Wesley Longman Inc.
Wood, P., & Landry, C. (2008a). Shopping as Social Linking. In The Intercultural City: Planning for Diversity Challenge (pp. 150-3). Sterling, VA: Earthscan.
Wood, P., & Landry, C. (2008b). The Nature of Modern Retailing. In The Intercultural City: Planning for Diversity Challenge (pp. 149-150). Sterling, VA: Earthscan.