Week 7 Collaboration

This week we look at Vanity and Ego followed by Idea evolution.

Task 1: Vanity and Ego

01  – Are you capable of being vain about your art & design?

Yes, it's good to be proud in your work. At the same time it's good not to be too vain as you don't give others recognition.

02  – Do you have a healthy ego?

Yes, it gets me by.

03  – What defines an unhealthy ego?

Unhealthy ego is when you are all too important, when you are negative all the time. Pride gives way to vanity.
Ego is your greatest enemy ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ralgm95jeM

04  – When others want to change your ideas, do you get offended?

In regards to design, I enjoy the input. 

05  – When you are asked for opinions on other’s work, do you compare it to your own?

I compare it to general work and think of how I might incorporate ideas or colours into my own work. I give a critic depending on time and experience the artist has.

06  - When you are asked for opinions on your work, do you compare it to others?

Yes, I feel like I am still learning so am trying to improve hence I compare my work to others.

07  – If somebody plagiarised your work, would you be proud?

No, I'd feel cheated.

08  – What is the difference between pride in your work, and vanity about your work?

Pride is a justified feeling of satisfaction. Vanity if over--inflating  your opinion of your work.

09  – Do you expect others to listen when you speak?

Yes because social protocol is that everyone should listen. Also, I speak up.

10  – When somebody else speaks are you thinking about what you are going to say
next?
I try to correct myself of this habit, but I excitedly think of other things based on what people say. I tend not to do this in a social situation.

11 – Do you form opinions about others quickly?
Yes, generally positive.

12 – What percentage of your judgements about others talents are right? 
60% , it takes time to learn what people are about.

Task 2: Idea Evolution

1 . Do you have a strong belief in your personal ideas?
Yes, I'm open to herring others ideas and even changing mine, but I like my ideas and think they are valid.

2. How do you evaluate your personal ideas over a period of time?
I think ideas evolve with life experience, a crisis or event can sometimes bring ideas into focus for review.

3. How flexible are you in changing your mind about the value of your ideas?
If life is working against my idea, I'll change tack.

4. How flexible are you in changing your mind about the value of others’ ideas? 
If evidence or an argument is presented for another idea I would consider it but not necessarily agree with it, I'm open to changing my mind but it will be considered.

5. Does hanging on to your old ideas block new ones?
Yes, if you hang on to your old ideas without listening of looking at new ideas you can not evolve.

6. Are you slow or fast in moving on when an idea has burnt out? 
I'll take the idea to the end and then move on, for example if I am making a design I will look for different angles before I change my idea.

Research:

My aim here is to research and design potential logos for our helmet cover.
Riding a bike, for me, is about freedom, the wind in my hair, feeling youthful and the independence to travel a distance much faster than walking.
The feeling of riding a bike is, for me, closely related to comics, that youthful feeling and the escape.
My first thought is to research the DC Comics logo as it is a logo that stands out, is recognisable and brings back fond memories, I also like the use of bold lines.

DC Comic Logos over the years

http://kabooooom.com/2012/01/news-dc-submits-new-logo-for-trademark-protection/

From the logos above I will try a design inspired by the 1970's period.

My helmet cover logo

What is the name of our helmet cover business? Helmet Cover Design would limit the business to just helmet covers, but it could be good to specialise in one area, but always better to leave room to grow.

When talking with a team member we thought the business name could be made up of our first initials, PCK, CPK, KCP, KPC, PKC or our last HPM, PMH, MHP, PHM, HMP, MPH and so on. I think the surname initial combination sound a bit like a bank. From the first initial combination, a K at the front looks like KFC, the C is round and inviting but CKP looks crowded, CPK is OK , the P is solid. I like the combination PCK, you could do a play on words, for example PiCK the Helmet Cover from PCK.

From here I tried a variety of logo designs, pictured below.

My final design ......

Concept Investigation:

Thinking back to the exercise in 2&3D I'll apply concept investigation.

2 key concepts I am trying to convey:

• retro
• funky

2 key feelings I am trying to communicate:

• fun
• good times ahead

Visual appeal:

I like the way the logo looks. I question the space below the text, maybe the text needs to move down?
Do we really need to use the white gradient? Why do designers do this? Is the background colour too dark?

Week 7 Origination

This week we complete a Quiz on Law 6  before discussing Edward De Bono's 6 hats.

Task 1: Law 6, John Maeda, The Law of Simplicity

1.  What does the word ENTROPY mean and why is this relevant?
Entropy means a decline or deterioration. Maeda states that entropy is always increasing in the universe as people try to continually fill in the blank space the negative space they see. If all the space is filled we loose focus.

2.  If you are attuned to everything around you, does it help you deal with what is in front
of you and why or why not ?
If you deal with everything around you, you can loose focus of what is in front of you, however everything around you might be important to what is in front of you. The "immediate relevance may not be nearly as important compared to everything else around." R001 Page 54

3.  How is this different from FOCUS ?
Focus is the same as narrowness, reaching excellence by concentrating on what is in front of you, ignoring everything in the background.

http://www.keithabraham.com/blog/tag/focus/page/2/

4.  Being “comfortably lost” is a balance between what 2 feelings?
being familiar, feeling danger - simplicity and complexity - being found and being lost

5.  Describe a recent scenario when you found yourself to be “comfortably lost”. Did you enjoy the sensation?
On holidays in Brisbane walking in the city, I did enjoy the experience as it was an adventure.

6.  If you couldn’t hold back the urge to write on the “don’t write on this page” page – what would you write? 
Who could be bothered writing on the “don’t write on this page”, I just thought to myself, I don't have time and it you don't want me to write on the page, it is such a small request and I have no need to that I'm happy to comply.

Task 2: Edwards De Bono 6 Hats

Using the hats gives people the ability to understand others from a different perspective.

White Hat people might be the Accountants, Managers, Administrators, IT
Red hat - Creative people, Primary school teacher
Black Hat - Logistics
Yellow Hat - Motivators, Kids
Green Hat - Writers, Creative people, Design
Blue Hat - Management, Mothers

The hats can be used as a tool to think about things when producing something.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJmoq1R3KVc

Week 6 Origination

This week we completed the Reading quiz before researching Edward de Bono's "6 Thinking Hats"

Task 1: Quiz Chapter 5 John Maeda, Simplicity

1. Describe the relationship between complexity and simplicity
Without complexity you can not appreciate simplicity, it is the comparison that makes simplicity stand out. Complexity adds interest to simplicity and vis versa.

2. What analogy does Maeda use to demonstrate this relationship?
The relationship of complexity to simplicity can be seen in the iPod compared to other MP3 players.

3. In what context does Maeda discuss rhythm / beat in relation to the fifth law Contextualise this relationship and discuss how this can be used in relation to the Student Exhibition - giving specific examples
If a rhythm never changes it becomes uninteresting, if you have a complex rhythm and add simplicity the overall experience will be improved, likewise, if you have  simple rhythm and add complexity to again becomes interesting.
This can be used in exhibition by diversifying the exhibits, don't have too many pieces the same, for example at the recent exhibition at Territory Craft they featured 3 exhibitors to add variety, it would have been far less interesting with independent exhibits.
The rhythm is the theme, the change in the rhythm relates to the different exhibitors.
Another example is the helmet covers .. theme, and the variety of illustration

4. HOMEWORK: Find visual examples - pieces of design & multimedia work that demonstrate the relationship between simplicity and complexity – post the results on your blog, with contextual analysis and reflection 

http://sarah-harte29.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/modernism-vs-postmodernism.html

If the image kept with the colours featured on the left with its simple pattern itt would be rather dull, adding the complexity of a spiral to a centre adds interest.

http://wallpapers.free-review.net/12__Rainbow_Modern_Pop_art.htm

The analogous colours are simple, the curves are simple but together it forms a complex object.

Research: Edward de Bono "6 Thinking Hats"

6 thinking Hats is about lateral thinking.
De Bono gave each hat a colour that related to its function, it makes remembering them easier. R001

White Hat - "white is neutral and objective. The white hat is concerned with facts and figures." R001
Red Hat - "suggests anger, rage and emotion. The red hat gives the emotional view" R001
Black Hat - "black is gloomy and negative. The black hat covers the negative aspects - why it can not be done." R001
Yellow Hat - "Yellow is sunny and positive. The yellow hat is optimistic and cores hope and positive thinking." R001
Green Hat  - " Green is grass, vegetation and abundant fertile growth. The green hat indicates creativity and new ideas."
Blue Hat - "Blue is cool, and it is also the colour of the sky, which is above everything else. The blue hat is concerned with control and the organisation of the thinking process." R001

The benefit of talking in terms of hats is it is neutral, for example you can ask someone to take off the black hat, you cant ask them to stop being negative.


The hats .....

http://www.olivewriting.com/six-thinking-hats/

What the hats mean ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbheGvB590U

Questions when wearing the different hats...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWpGn3Fmsq4

To use this lateral thinking in terms of our helmet cover project prompts the following questions:

White Hat - How much will it cost? How long does it take to make a single cover? What will you need to sell it for to make a profit? What is the general retail price of these items? What time frame do we have? What steps need to be completed to achieve our goal?

Red Hat - Will people like the hat? Is it something people will feel they need?

Black Hat - It seems long a long process with expensive processing, will people really want to spend their money? What benefit does the cover add, is it worth the price? If someone can put their MP3 player in their pocket, why would they want to buy a helmet cover?

Yellow Hat - The designs will sell themselves because they will look so good compares to a helmet, and they will be handy for holding personal items.

Green Hat  - Maybe the helmet cover could have built in speakers so you don't need to put ear pieces into sweaty ears. Maybe the cover could introduce a cooling system for hot riding days.

Blue Hat - Blue hat tells me we don't have much time to consider all ideas, we need to run with our researched idea and make it happen. We do need some White hat thinking to get the job done.



Reference:
R001: Edward De Bono, Six Thinking Hats, Published by Penguin Books 1990

Week 6 - Collaboration

This week we discussed relinquishing ownership before looking at the legal framework in the creative context.

Task 1: Relinquishing Ownership
We discussed the following questions in class

01 - Do you usually think your ideas are the best?
02 - Are you shy in presenting ideas?
03 - Do you hold back your best ideas?
04 - Are you happy when others want to change your ideas?
05 - Are you totally truthful when you are asked for opinions on other’s work? 
06 - Would you ever present somebody else’s idea as your own?
07 - Would you borrow just a little bit?
08 - How would you feel if somebody borrowed just a little bit of your idea? 
09 - Do you think you have any ideas that are totally original?
10 - Would you feel the same way about that original idea in 30 years?
11 - Does a knowledge of design history help or hinder your idea originality? 
12 - Would you be prepared to sell an idea? 

We all like to think that we are open to others ideas.
I feel that I am open to others ideas and ideas building from multiple people.
Do you re-use ideas? Yes if it helps with the new creation.
I am happy for others to change my ideas in group work, happy for others to give their opinion, happy to hear but at the end of the day it will be what I am happy with if it was an individual project.
I do give truthful feedback on work, it will be written on my face before I answer. If I don't like it I might say it's not for me but more likely I will find the bit I do like and comment on this. You might like to look at the motivation of the person giving critic.
I would not present others idea as my own, I would borrow just a bit for inspiration, influence to form my own idea.
If I wasn't doing anything with the idea I wouldn't mind if someone borrowed it, I would be flattered, but if I had plans for the idea I would not be happy.
I feel that I have original ideas, some of my ideas I don't see, but I would have to answer maybe.
In 30 years I would not feel the same way about my ideas.
I think design history helps, inspires. It might hinder as it has already been done.
I would be happy to sell an idea if I didn't want to do anything with it.

How does it make you feel? .....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNCrMEOqHpc

It can be very frustrating when people steal your idea to make themselves look better, the frustration can be exasperated by the amount of work you put into the idea and how original it was.

Task 2:  The Legal Framework / Creative Content

We began by researching the following:

Part 1: Understanding the law

1. The Berne Convention

An international agreement between member countries to acknowledge the copyright laws or Literacy and artistic works of the other member countries and to reach certain levels of copyright law.
9 sep 1886, Australia is a member, 165 parties, WIPO shown the signatories.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berne_Convention_for_the_Protection_of_Literary_and_Artistic_Works

2. IP (Intellectual Property) legislation in Australia 

Is the legislation that protects intellectual property, such as your idea, invention or brand.
There are different types of IP in Australia

• patents
• trade marks
• designs - the shape and appearance of goods
• plant breeders rights
• copyright
• circuit layout rights
• confidentiality trade secrets

Each IP has its own legislation

http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/understanding-intellectual-property/what-is-ip/ip-protection/

eg, register a domain name in australia but not .com as this has already taken. Then register trademark in australia, to do this internationally you have to pay more.

3. Australian Copyright Law

Australia copyright law governed by Australian legislation. The law says if you create it it is yours, you just need to prove that you created it and when. This is easy with digital work or copies of your work presented digitally.

http://www.copyright.org.au/

4. Creative Commons

You agree to share your work with others. You can freely use others work, e.g. You Tube, they have the right to play the video. Facebook you share the work. Not reversable. Do you want to put your work on the internet? Non-profit organisation 

http://creativecommons.org.au/

5. P2P networks and software licences 

Allows users to download files, e.g. torrent, napster,.
Illegal use of others work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer-to-peer

Part 2 - Defining your own ethical approach

We were to answer these questions:
1. Is it illegal to copy a design?
yes

2. Is it ethical to sell a non-original design as your own?
no

3. What is the difference between ethics and law?
ethics is your own sense of morals
law is the legal framework of country

4. Do you value others intellectual property the same as your own? 
yes

Here is some good advice in regards to NDA, Non-disclosure Agreements and what work of protect you might need.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoUm-jyrpIg

Part 3: Applying your Code

Here we made a list of 5 behaviour principles we consider essential for each of these:
1. At CDU in the MacLabs

no food no drink, 
no swearing

respect for gender, 
respect nationality
arrive on time
complete work on time

2. Outside class in a social setting
Dress appropriately
Keep conversations appropriate to setting.
Respect others
Accept the difference of others
Listen

3. In a professional workplace in which you may be employed after studies 
Dress appropriately
Use appropriate language
Respect peers
Respect boss 
Meet work requirements / deadlines

Research and Development: Helmet Cover

This week we made a pattern from a bicycle helmet for the helmet cover prototype.
We started with a paper cut out (option 1), folding the paper in half we traced the outer boundaries of the helmet at quarter intervals. This resulted in a round pattern, when trying this on the helmet it was evident there would be too much material and it would gather. Option 1 was put on hold.

Paper cut out

Too much extra paper from pattern of option 1

To avoid the bunching of material on the helmet we then traced the round paper cut out and added some darts at the front and back of the helmet (Option /Pattern 2). We then transferred this to a sample of material, cut it out, pinned the sides and trialed it on the helmet again. We were pleased with the result so took the next step are repeated the pattern and pinning on a piece of nylon/spandex, the material we plan to use in the final product. When we applied the nylon/spandex to the helmet it still seemed too big as we oversized it to allow for elastic. To test the prototype Paul agreed to sew the darts together and slowly reduce the size of the cover until the stretch was suitable.

Option/ pattern 2

Pinning the material

Material on helmet, trial of pattern 2

Applying pattern to Nylon/ Spandex

The Nylon /Spandex cover needs to be sewn  to see the final result

Week 5 Origination

This week we completed a Quiz on Chapter 4 and then presented our project for exhibition.

Task 1 - Chapter 4 John Maeda, Simplicity

Week 5 – Origination

Question time: answer the following questions as succinctly as possible in your own words.

–  Describe the relationship between teaching and learning according to Maeda?
Maeda acknowledges that to be a better teacher it helps to be a learner. It’s easy to be a teacher “you just have to act like you know all the answers”. (Page 34) To be a student you have to write the answers and make sense of them.
Maeda also refers to the phenomenon where taking time to learn often feels like a waste of time.
You learn how you deliver things as a teacher by being a student.
Learning occurs best when you are passionate about it.
As a teacher you have to rework knowledge to its basic form to be able to teach it.
If you keep working the ideas and inspiration will come.

–  Describe the importance of the use of metaphors in learning, why would you use
them, how, give an example?
It is important to use a metaphor in learning as you take a short cut between something people are familiar with to something more complex you are introducing, for example the “desktop metaphor” where files and a trashcan on your desktop represent what you use them for in your office.
A metaphor is another way of representing something, e.g. hit the ground running.

–  BRAIN - what does the acronym stand for – why is it important?
Basics are the beginning.
Repeat yourself often.
Avoid creating desperation.
Inspire with examples.
Never forget to repeat yourself.
It is important because it helps to teach and helps to learn.

–  Describe a situation where you have been required to teach someone a skill.
How could you apply the BRAIN principle to it?
Teaching my children how to get ready for school.
Basics are the beginning. – Teach them to get dressed, do a button, put on their shorts
Repeat yourself often. – Always repeating myself, do’s and don’ts
Avoid creating desperation. – Take small steps so it’s not overwhelming
Inspire with examples. – Inspire by noticing how good it is when we achieve the task
Never forget to repeat yourself. – Always repeat myself.

John Maeda looks at how a teacher can part information to a student, the next phase of being a student is doing the homework. In this video the presenter has some great ideas on how to motivate yourself for study and some practical ideas on how to study.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXNfVs1pPQc

Task 2 - Presentation of concept for exhibition

Group 1: Presented a sketch of their plan for a promotional video for the university, how uni life really is, trying to make it as entertaining as possible.
Started with brainstorming on location and characters.
Idea is 3 students, inspired by a key word to create art, the weather gets hotter, at the end the 3 pieces of art form one then it starts to rain. The End

Group 2: Little Bear, Little Brownie - children's story book (age 5), 10 page spread, A4 size. Will be hand drawn with a background in photoshop. Static presentation. The drawings are done in pencil, the lecturer suggested that this might not be interesting to children, with this in mind I did some research to show different mediums of illustration ...

hand drawn bear with paint and text

http://www.best-childrens-books.com/canadian-illustrators.html

adding a bit of paint can help

http://www.notcot.org/shadeelaine/page/2/

sketch with paint

http://monkeyworks.org/tag/sketch/

What is the mum thinking? Is that really their mum or was she just looking for somewhere to sleep?

http://weheartit.com/eyespy

love these drawings

http://thequietus.com/articles/00893-cinematic-santas?page=8

Group 3: Pop up book, 2 pages about Thailand, 1 bout the journey and 2 about Darwin and CDU. Very impressive example of a pop-up booked shown.

Group 4: Our group presented the helmet cover information we have already blogged.

Week 5 Collaboration

"This week completed a group exercise acknowledging differences.

Task 1 - Crossing the Line

We all stand on a line, and the lecture reads statements about a person, for example, cross the line if you have cried this year. We then cross the line if the statements applies to us, In this exercise we can see how people in the group are all different, sometimes in an unexpected way.

People are different and we should respect this.

A number of questions we put to us, my response is outline below.

1. I felt very comfortable with sharing information as I believe people are who they are and I'm comfortable with myself. I was surprised to see some answers and it was nice to know I was not alone in some answers that I gave. I was also surprised when I was the only person to cross the room, but again I'm comfortable with my decisions so I'm happy to stand by them as it were. For example, when I was the only XXX supporter in the room, I felt a little awkward, but since I stand by this I'm fine to disclose my preference in class, I might be more discreet in public, depending on who I was talking with.

2. I think other people were comfortable to share in the most part, sometimes they may have felt a little uncomfortable when the question was very personal, for example "do you feel attractive?"

3. This exercise helps us to understand that people are different and in ways that we would not expect. It also shows us that others students are the same, again in ways we would not expect. The insight into peoples life, or the further understanding of what people are about helps us to accept their differences as we also see our own difference. Sometimes we are different together, so we are the same. For example, when there was a question of XX in families it was comforting to see others in the same group, it helps me to understand those people more. When I saw a difference it also helped me to understand the possible needs of those people. Knowing that we are different and the same in so many ways helps me to relate more to the class.

Task 2 - Discretion and Judgement

Discretion is when we make a judgement on which parts of information we should share with others.
Judgement is when you form an opinion.

"Professional discretion and judgement may relate to:

• assessing when to keep quiet 
• being aware of and responding to different personality types 
• knowing when it is appropriate or inappropriate to share information 
• knowing with whom information should be shared " R001
  
• knowing when to stay in a conversation or situation and when to leave
• respecting others relationships and loyalties

Examples:

• Keep quiet when people are gossiping
• Knowing what joke or language is appropriate for your audience, footy game vs class room
• In the work place confidentiality is very important, if a staff member tells you in private why they have not been at work you then don't share that with others
• If your house is broken into you might not share this with young children as it would be too frightening for them 
• As a manager you might choose to leave a party early before staff are inappropriate
• It would not be a good idea to complain to your co-worker about the boss if the boss was his wife

You use discretion and judgement in a work place so as not to offend others and to respect each person. You also use it to stay out of trouble.

Task details;
"1. Add 2 items to the list above
2. Give a REAL example from your own experience to illustrate all 6 points
3. What is the difference between “discretion” and “judgement” in your own words?
4. Why do you use these two things in a professional setting?
(explain by using examples) " R001

Featured in this video is some advise on a situation where we all need a bit of discretion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dkXpFYCi3Q

3D Design Project - Helmet Cover

Real Expert - Spotlight

When in doubt it's always a good idea to ask an expert, with this in mind I visited Spotlight.
I asked about material that might be suitable for our project. Lucky for me the person I asked had worked in New Zealand in a bike accessory design company and they had designed helmet covers.

What I learnt:

• Lycra and Spandex are the same material, Lycra is a brand name, Spandex is the non-branded version of that material
• It would be better to use a Nylon Spandex mix rather than an Polyester spandex mix as it is easier to apply colours to Nylon and it is a longer lasting product.
• Nylon/ Spandex is a 80/20 mix
• Nylon/ Spandex comes in a variety of colours as seen in the photo below
• Nylon/ Spandex $25 per meter (150 width)

Colour of Nylon/ Spandex

Tag info of material $25 per m

Real Expert - MooGully

I then went to MooGully, a local printing firm and found that there are two printing processes that might work, I would need to deliver a sample for them to test.

The first process is Digital Vapour Infusion (DVI), this is where the colour pigment is set into the material. It is best that the material is white to accommodate the colours.

DVI process result

The second method of printing is called Digitex, this is where a plastic sticker styled item is heated to the material. The material can be any colour as the sticker is not transparent.

Digitex result

DVI requires three times the heat when compared to Digitex, there may be a problem with the material at this heat. I have left a white nylon/ spandex sample for them to test, I also left a sample logo and design so I could test the colours at the same time.

Cost Structure:
1          item  - $30 each
2-4       items - $23 each
5 - 9     items - $20 each
10 - 25 items - $15 each
26 - 50 items - $12 each
51 - 99 items - $10 each
100+    items - 8 each

All material must be supplied and laid flat.

MooGully in Winnellie

Real Expert - Irene is a sewing/ pattern expert

What we learnt:

• Make the pattern from paper by tracing from the centre of the helmet around the helmet, following the curves as you go, this will give you less seems. You can add 2-3 cm here for your hems or you can add 2-3cm to your material when you cut.
• When creating the pattern, lay the paper down the centre ridge of the helmet and mark at each quarter point. This will give you the shape and length from the centre to the bottom
• When creating a pro type use cheap material to start with, try this to test the pattern.
• Make sure the fabric just fits so the final result is not too big with stretchy material
• Material stretches differently, as we would like the contents of the pocket not to stretch the helmet cover we would need the stretch to go from front to back as apposed to top down
• Use an overlocker for the edges
• Use Velcro on the pocket to keep content secure
• Reverse pocket to hide seems
• Maybe create a pocket on each side to aesthetically balance the cover
• Trial different elastics, try non-rolling flat elastic, thinner elastic with hold better, wider elastic will sit better
• Make pro type with elastic being optional so you can trail different elastics

Research results:

One challenge we thought we would have is printing onto the material we chose, a Nylon/Spandex mix. When we initially called the printing company they said they had had problems in the past printing on the nylon/ spandex material we chose, the high heats sometimes ruin the material. With this in mind we took a sample of the material to the printers to test, this would determine our future design constraints.
Luckily, both the Digitex and Digital Vapour Infusion methods worked well. The DVI colours vary from what is in illustrator, so in the design process I would say that your colour choice will have to be approximate rather than an exact match.

original image for print

Digitex on the left and DVI on the right

You can also see the flares did not work, however they might be able to do this in the final print.

References:
R001: Class Notes Week 5 Collaboration, Certificate IV Design, Charles Darwin University

Week 4 Collaboration

Today we are looking at ethical behaviour and trust & creative partnership.

NB: Law is legislated, ethics is your moral code and changes depending n where you are.

Task 1: Ethical behaviour

Trustworthy and ethical behaviour in collaboration may relate to:

A list of 8 examples were provided, we then sort then into 2 lists, essential and secondary. To these lists we then added one more example.

Essential

• being prepared to fully participate 
• honouring commitments 
• showing respect
• communicating in an open way
• contributing to the process - for example, you attend the meetings, you participate but once you leave you don't do any work and you don't contribute

Secondary

• acknowledging discomfort or anger 
• understanding of the consequences of actions
• sensitivity to social, cultural, personal situations and dynamics 
• honesty 
• actively listen - for example, you actively hear what others have to say, you comment on it, give it your time.

Class contribution to Essential and Secondary:

• Assisting others
• Kindness
• Co-operative

Unethical behaviour can be a difficult hurdle to jump in the work environment. Here David Batstone suggests a few ways to combat the problem of unethical behaviour while maintaining a good working relationship. He also highlights the reality, if you "become a whistle blower" to change unethical behaviour you are most likely to loose your job and or be blacklisted in your industry. He adds, not to worry about this, as out of your misfortune you will find a new career. 
This seems to be a very black and white way of looking at the problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-nz0kojLv8

Task 2: Trust exercise

Trust exercise 1:

Would you volunteer your money? yes

How did you feel when you were asked for the money? fine

Did you feel a little sheepish? felt unsure, what was going on. no

When it went to $5 did your feelings change? At first I was glad it wasn't my $5.

What if it went to $20? As I believe I would get the money back I would give $50 as I have this note in my wallet.

Did  you think volunteers were foolish? No, just participating in a task.

In this exercise I was trusting that the lecturer was not stealing our money, just completing an exercise.

Trust Exercise 2:  

For this exercise we were required to stand apart for one person, face them and stare into their eyes for 30- 60 seconds.

Exercise 1: looking into eyes of person 1, Andre - 3 steps away - 60 seconds

I felt uncomfortable staring into someone's eyes that I did not know. I had to try very hard not to laugh, my sides hurt so much from laughing. Andre was also trying not to laugh which added to the situation. 

Exercise 2: looking into eyes of person 2 - 3 steps away - 60 seconds

I felt more comfortable with June, this was made easier with the sun blocking my view so I could ease into the exercise, once I was more relaxed I could then see Junes' eyes. June looked relaxed so this helped me to feel more comfortable.

Exercise 3: looking into eyes of person 3 - stand 1 step away and hold hands - 30 seconds

This felt uncomfortable as I don't know Denise and it isn't something you normally do. For ethical reasons you certainly don't stand so close to a person in a work environment, more would you have physical contact.

Exercise 4: looking into eyes of person 3 - stand a comfortable distance away - 30 seconds

This suddenly felt much better, there was the choice to decide how far away to stand.

Exercise 5: looking into eyes of person 3 - stand 8 steps away - 30 seconds

A this was such a long distance and the clarity of the eyes was diminished this exercise was easier and although I still felt uncomfortable is was better than the other exercises, I still felt uncomfortable because it is not normal behaviour to stare into someone's eyes.

I felt uncomfortable starting into another person eyes as it is not socially acceptable to stare into a strangers eyes. To stare carries connotations that do not apply in this exercise, for example, you might stare at someone if you are interested in a relationship, if you are in a relationship, or you are familiar with a person and trying to send them a message.

I felt more comfortable when partnered with a female as, on a scale, this is one step closer to being acceptable as it carries less connotations. This comfort, however did not apply when having to hold the hands of another as again this is certainly not the norm, whether male of female.  For ethical reasons you certainly don't stand so close to a person in a work environment, nor would you have physical contact.

Trust is the belief in the reliability, ability and truth of someone. As I am not particularly familiar with my exercise partners there was not a natural feeling of trust, not to say that I think of them as untrustworthy, but a culture of trust had not been built. This lack of trust added to my discomfort. In fact, I was most comfortable with June and it may be because she had shared a personal insight in the previous exercise when she mentioned she wanted to fit in, be part of the group.

3D Design Project

My favourite concept for 3D Design is the helmet cover used to cover bicycle helmets. The cover can be used for aesthetic purposes or as a form of identification. Here I blog about research I have completed.

Two Experiments:

Option 1: Use lycra as the cover and then print on this.

http://www.e-sciconbags.com/images/copricasco.jpg?osCsid=c0d2f58e104fde60e7dca72286e92015

Option 2: Use a more flexible material that may be better suited to printing. I have gathered a few examples below ....

http://alumnifashions.com/college-bike-helmet-covers-c-607.html

This helmet cover material is 87% polyester and 13% spandex. It is water repellent, stretchable and breathable. It retails in the USA for $18.

http://www.diytrade.com/china/pd/7694062/Bicycle_Helmet_Cover.html

http://www.adventurecycling.org/store/index.cfm/product/530/helmet-cover.cfm

http://theshoppingmama.com/2010/06/tail-wags-helmet-covers-review/

http://www.oneinhundred.com/Wholesale-personalized-logoed/Bicycle_2.htm

Pros & Cons:

Option 1

Pros: Fits to the helmet well, water resistant, breathable, stretchable to fit most helmets. Can make one size fit all.

Cons: Maybe difficult to print on. Can you get lycra in different colours? Will the design be clear in colour if the background is black?

Option 2 

Pros: Easier for printing? More colour varieties.

Cons: Unless it is a material that fits snuggly to the helmet it ends up looking like a shower cap on your head..  we don't need to make the helmet look worse.

Choosing & Refusing:

I'm certainly keen on the aesthetics of option 1, using lycra as it fits snuggly to the helmet. However, after discovering the polyester/ spandex option I would be keen to explore this for its printability, particularly since if comes in a divers range of colours.

Research

The video below show how to print onto material. The author has tried using polyester blends but they are not receptive to the colours.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQWUiEaVM1s

These videos shows how to print on polyester and explains the troubles you might have.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SclnM-nVYUQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5XAEQhGTPI

There seems to quiet a few problems with printing on polyester, this will need to be discussed with the printers when the time comes.