What Techno-Aesthetics Is.

Big fancy name. Sounds all intimidating to the juniors, when they ask you, 'What course are you doing?', and you open your gob to say 'Techno-Aesthetic Detailing' with a smirk on the face that says, 'Oh I'm so cool, and I am in the third year, and I'm in the senior, and I'm learning all this cool stuff.'
When we asked this to our seniors, we've always gotten different replies. They say, 'It's the study of form at the functional level', or 'Using the functional elements in such a way that their form is appealing too'. These definitions were not entirely wrong too. For example, consider a hinge in a product. Generally, a hinge joint will always be hidden in a product, as it is a functional element and will reduce the external appearance of the product. Techno-Aesthetics is a school of thought, according to which this hinge joint has to be shown and made visible in such a way that it looks stellar to the eye, and becomes the most aesthetic element.
 The HOD of Product Design, Prof. Sanjay Jain, gave a different twist to the project this year. What we are going to do, is consider a certain product and enhance to give a certain sensorial experience to the user. May it be any of the 5 physical or the 5 vestibular senses (which is extremely hard to nail). We are actually delving deeper into the 'experience' designed around a product, instead of just the visual enhancement. But who has ever said that aesthetics are only visual? The following's the definition of aesthetic according to the Oxford Dictionary.

Definition of aesthetic

adjective

• concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty:the pictures give great aesthetic pleasure
• giving or designed to give pleasure through beauty:the law applies to both functional and aesthetic objects

noun

[in singular]

• a set of principles underlying the work of a particular artist or artistic movement:the Cubist aesthetic

Now, this can be for any of the senses. Well, this is what I interpret through 2 days of lecture. I'm sure there's a lot to learn, and I have to dive deeper to get into the roots of good design and good techno aesthetic design. :)

Where are we all moving?

In one of the meetings with Dhimant Sir, Director, MIT-Institute of Design, he mentioned that there were 17 graduates in design the year he passed out (Early 80's). Today, after 30 years, the foundation batch is of 180 students. I can't help but wonder why it isn't the same today. Yes, of course, we have CAD and RPT and CNC machines; but is that it? Dhimant sir also mentioned that in his product design learning, he was exposed to subjects like Film Appreciation, conducted by none other than P.K. Nair -  founder, NFAI (National Film Archive of India); whereas today's product design discipline has nothing to do with study of films, and students are hellbent on not being like communication designers.

The Coventry Experience

26^th July 2012
                MIT-ID has always been making efforts to collaborate with world class design institutes and to send it’s students for exchange and twinning programmes there. In July, Head of Department, Industrial Design and the Dean, Coventry, UK, visited our campus and interacted with students. Accompanied by our very own Prof. Sanjay Jain and Prof. Gaurang Shah and a few more faculty members, they went through the work done by students in different courses.
                In a very excited and busy morning, we, the Semester 5 students of Product Design set up our studio with sketches, printouts and models of various projects. We had spent the previous two days preparing presentations for the projects we wished to show them. Anticipation rose as the time for them to arrive approached. When they entered, the MIT-ID faculty and the students escorted them through a brief trip of the MIT-ID product design discipline.
                A very appreciative critic, Prof. Michael Goatman explained to us an interesting insight, which divides all products into ‘My Products’ or ‘The Products’. Products are designed to suit a certain class of audiences and buyers. For example, a cell phone is always ‘My phone’. One expects a touch of himself, a sense of belonging in his cell phone. Hence, it is designed such that one can customise or personalise it. A washing machine is always ‘The Washing Machine’. It has been designed for many people to use it. One expects functionality more than personalisation in ‘The Products’. He briefed that products, by nature, can be functional, aesthetic or both.  He also added that designers should know their audiences and whether the product they are designing are ‘My Products’ or ‘The Products’, and design accordingly.
                He stressed very much on the importance of simplicity in design, and also asked us what kind of work we would want to do as designers. He said that designers are influenced and constricted by more than one external factor, and need to come up with the best designs within the constraints of costs, materials, customer and technology, amongst many other things. He also explained that designers don’t only need to design well but also sell themselves well and have that unique selling point which will convince the consumers.
                Their trip to the class was surely helpful for all the students present. We ended up knowing more than what is taught in the curriculum
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Design Links

Links to various websites related to Industrial design I stumbled upon in a long time.

Product by Process:
Detailed manufacturing processes of various products along with videos. An amazing collection of videos from youtube, sorted in very convenient headings!
http://bencollette.com/productbyprocess

A Watchmaker's Diary:
For all those who're interested in mechanical clocks and clockwork, here's an amazing blog!
http://awatchmakersdiary.blogspot.in/

Philips Design:
Detailed reports of live-projects. Need I say anything else? :)
http://www.design.philips.com/

Design for India:
An active blog of NID's M.P. Ranjan.
http://design-for-india.blogspot.in/

Design Observer:
A huge archive of books, and write-ups on design issues, along with jobs.
http://designobserver.com/

DimensionsInfo:
The title says it, information about standards and information for a wide range of products
http://www.dimensionsinfo.com

Engineer Vs. Designer:
A weekly online audio/video show that discusses design projects and issues, one designer a week.
http://engineervsdesigner.com/

Protomold:
Submit your designs for rapid injection moulding, and get it delivered back. Very helpful about injection moulding.
http://www.protomold.com/

Spicy Nodes:
These guys provide infographics and digital graphic design solutions in their own tree-like style.
http://www.spicynodes.org

Engineer's Edge:
Products, mechanisms, manufacturing processes explained with photographs and schematics.
http://www.engineersedge.com/

A Bunch of Ergonomics Websites:
http://www.ergonomics.ucla.edu/
http://kareproducts.com
http://www.ergonomics.com.au
http://iitg.vlab.co.in/
http://www.ise.org.in/
http://www.iea.cc
http://www.designingforhumans.com

Antimicrobialcopper:
A deep research about copper and it's properties.
http://www.antimicrobialcopper.com

Cutting Tool Engineering Magazine:
A lot of information on a lot of materials, manufacturing processes, machines, machine tools, etc.
http://www.ctemag.com/

Wood-Smith tips:
The name describes the site! Information about woodworking.
http://www.woodsmithtips.com

Kiosk Design Guide:
http://www.kiosk.com


Basic Physics for Designers:
http://www.physics.brown.edu


CAD History:
http://mbinfo.mbdesign.net


Patent Pending Blog:
A list of designs with photographs and schematics.
http://patentpending.blogs.com

CNC Cookbook:
Software and Info for CNC
http://www.cnccookbook.com

Mekanizmalar:
Detailed Flash animations and videos of mechanisms
http://www.mekanizmalar.com/

Rob Ives:
Again, detailed mechanisms.
http://www.robives.com/

Mechanisms Index:
This website is aimed at introducing pupils to mechanisms and how they work. CAM profiles are discussed in detail as well as the design of a CAM toy. Linkages are also considered. 
http://www.technologystudent.com/cams/camdex.htm

GWP AG:
Metal and Plastic manufacturing solutions. http://www.gwp-ag.com/en/at-a-glance/index.html

Design/Engineering Terminologies Dictionary:
http://www.motorera.com/dictionary/index.htm

Complete Sheet Metal Guide:
http://www.sheetmetalguy.com/

Look for existing patents here:
http://www.strutpatent.com/
http://patents.google.com

So how grown up are we?

Just today, I came home from my last day at my first ever internship. My work was appreciated, and I felt good, as though I had achieved something. Thinking that I had grown up, I kick-started the bike and went home. Internship, appreciation for work, formal tucked in shirt and all that jazz. Look who's grown up.
What did I do next?
Went out and bought myself a Batman action figure that had just come to the market. :D