Konichiwa! Ogenki desu ka? Japanese packaging

Genki desu (:

I think everybody knows that I love anything to do with Japanese culture. Everything is so precise and delicate. If you've seen the Japanese film 'Departures' you'll know what I mean (watch it, if not only for the main actor)

I'm pretty sure my face did this when I saw the word 'Japanese' on the screen...

OTT happy face.

 

Possibly with a little celebratory *clap* who knows?

You just sit there knowing the designs that are about to appear on the screen will be intricate and perfect in every sense.

Traditional Japanese packaging arose by using whatever natural occuring materials were close at hand. These tended to be rope or rice straw which could be unwrapped a bit at a time as and when needed. Oak leaves were also used in order to wrap rice cakes. Overall they were free of excess and were simple designs using no glue. The packages became works of art in their own right. Consequently, it implicates a new persepective on the 'what is and what isn't supposed to be thrown away' society.

A characteristic of Japanese natural packaging is the process. It is often seen as a sacred ritual. ( I don't mean to go on about this but the film Departures also helps to express this point).

Such packaging would not be possible to create without handwork. The disappearance of this style of packaging is due to the fact it is painstaking to make and therefore cannot be easily mass produced.

Photo time...because I can only explain so much.

We were then given a task to create something using 'recycled' cardboard and rope to package three oranges. The packaging had to be completed in 20 minutes and could not contain glue or tape. We were encouraged to keep the designs minimalistic yet present the oranges in a way that was aesthetically pleasing.

Billy, Paulo and I came up with the above design, it didn't really work but at least we knew where we went wrong. It was also fun to do but my fat western hands just don't do delicate. The rope was plaited to give it more strength and was threaded through in a criss-cross shape. This, in theory, was to prevent the oranges from falling off the cardboard. However, when the packaging was lifted up the oranges fell out as they were not held in tight enough.

Royal Parks Half Marathon.

Okay, strictly speaking this is nothing to do with the Green Design course. However, I think it's sort of useful/interesting.

Let me get out this out of the way first;
I finally have an answer to the question

     "What good is it planting 3 more trees when you cut one down? Because it's going to take it 50-100 years to grow back again"

Well apparently because of the types of trees and the fact they are being planted in the rainforest, they only take 15 years to grow back. Who knew eh?

WELL ANYWAY, my boyfriend ran this race at the weekend. As I was waiting at the finish line (where I completely missed him but saw four celebrities) I listened to the announcer explaining how 'Sustainabilty was the top agenda for the race'

Copied directly from the googled website (haha)

• The winning trophy has been created by master craftsman, Mark Wilkinson, from an Oak Burr found in Richmond Park 
•  Wood is used for the leaf shaped finisher’s medal that everyone receives - it's your 'piece of the parks'
•  Approximately 50,000 plastic bottles around the course will be recycled by Marks & Spencer
•  Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon race shirts are made from bamboo and recycled polyester 
•  All discarded running clothes along the route are collected and donated to Oxfam
•  All participants receive Fairtrade bananas to replenish energy levels after the race
•  Surplus food will be collected and redistributed to those in need by Fare Share

Trophy

Medal

The point being; things are changing.

Task 02 Sustainable Furniture

This blog post is in relation to Task 02 where a video relating to either;

*Sustainable Architecture
*Vegetable Ink Printing
*Sustainable/multi use packaging
*Sustainable 3D Product Design
*Sustainable Furniture Design

had to be located and the 14 points of the eco-designer manifesto had to be discussed.
(I've written a lot about this topic on pages 8 & 9 of my journal.)

I chose this video

(which scores 9/10 on the cheese factor scale)

The points of the eco-designer manifesto that were discussed were;

1. Design to satisfy real needs as opposed to transient, fashionable or market-driven needs?
  It does so by using the least amount of wood possible.

2. Design to minimise the ecological footprint of the product/material/service product, i.e.
reduce resource consumption, including energy and water.
The wood used is dried using solar panels. The designs are simple so that less material is used.

6. Design to engender maximum benefits to the intended audience and to educate the client
and the user and thereby create a more equable future.
 Yes "where is YOUR chair from?" technique.

 7. Design to use locally available materials and resources wherever possible (thinking
globally but acting locally).
Yes. This is main reason as to why it is environmentally friendly. Everything is local so that there is less travelling.

12. Design to foster debate and challenge the status quo surrounding existing
products/materials/ service products.
"Why is there a need to travel far to recieve materials?"

14. Design to create more sustainable products/materials/service products for a more
sustainable future.
 "Think sustainably then design" The main concept about these designs is that the consumer learns about the benefits of such techniques. 

Watching other peoples videos enabled me to realise that the video I had chosen was incredibly shoddy. Here are a few that stuck in my head.

WELL I CAN'T FIND THE COCA COLA ONE. But here's some information about it.

 CLICK ME 


The second one doesn't want to embed so CLICK THIS
 The issue I have with this video is that it would cost a LOT to design a house like that. It also looks like the house would be freezing. Still, good effort!