Monster's Inc.

So, how does one go about designing something? Sketch, sketch and maybe a little sketch is the attitude we are taught here in UL, but apparently the process should revolve less around pen and paper, and more around foam and card. Models, loose sketches and quick thumbnails are worth their weight in gold over the highly rendered Photoshop and Illustrator we are learning so much about, according to Irish designer Peter Sheehan anyway. His attitude is more about quick, rapid model making and little sketches used to simply portray a point as opposed to over rendering and over working it. The idea is simple get the idea across, in the best fastest way possible. Something that we do not get shown in college, with us being able to spend weeks on end developing the idea all the way up.

But how does one go about making and creating, especially if it is something completely unrelated to you? Easy. Do as method actors do and live as the user for an hour, day or however long you need. It will help you to understand current issues and pit falls in the system, product or products. It also helps to work in a variety of places to help you think creatively. Also the main thoughts to remain in your head throughout the process are “Why and who?” This is to ensure you keep context and need in the forefront of your mind for the duration of the project. The thoughts should always revolve around the end user and consumer, and very little else. This helps keep all the thoughts on what is needed rather than on anything unnecessary.

In the second half of our CDC class, we were tasked to make and fabricate a model of an iPad stand and case, complete with a keyboard, within an hour. So while doing this, I kept thinking back on what Peter taught us. From the constant thoughts of who and what, to the monster models, it was something I really enjoyed to do. At the end of the day I had 4 or 5 models made, but it was at least a concept for him to view. All in all the day was great fun, and one that I would love to repeat. From start to finish Peter was extremely interesting and the workshop he gave was not only thought provoking, but also enjoyable.

The day really put in perspective just how much time I personally waste on a day to day basis, even if on an extreme basis. From the tight time schedule, to having to fabricate models and sketches, it was something that I thoroughly enjoyed and look forward to doing again in the not too distant future.