Ben Stainsby
BA
he/him
I can say with confidence that the thing I admire most about myself within the world of design is having a good grasp of what I like and what I don't. It sounds simple enough but being able to trust my eye isn't a skill I've always had or always been able to rely on the way I do now. Instead, it is something I developed through interacting with design and art that inspires me, and figuring out why I don't like certain things rather than writing them off with a simple "its just ugly". My favourite example of 'good design' is a deck of playing cards. There's almost nothing else that gives such a degree of freedom to the user. Tens of thousands of ways to use 52 cards split into 4 suits, its simple, portable and infinitely designable through beautiful graphics.
Switch Stone
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The switch stone is a desk-top device with the aim of helping young adults more effectively maintain momentum and consistency within their working time. The product is designed to make starting work feel less of an impossible task by representing ‘switching headspaces’ with the flip of a stone. In the modern world, we’ve lost the ability to switch on and off when it is required, and instead, many feel stuck in between, never focused but never at rest. The switch stone provides young adults with a tactile aid to help them differentiate these modes of behaviour for themselves. When you would like to focus on work, simply flip the stone. During the focus session, the device keeps the user aware of time by running a 25-minute timer for work, followed by a 5-minute reflection period. When satisfied with the focus session, the user flips the stone back over and records a voice note that plays when the stone is next flipped. The work stays in the stone, giving your mind enough closure to finally take some time off.
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Bamboo-Bot
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The Bamboo-bot is a noise control device designed for KS1 classrooms.It allows teachers to keep their class quiet or encourage noise. A bot is placed with each group of children and the stalk of bamboo grows when the kids remain at the desired noise level. For example if the teacher would like silence, the bamboo only grows when it is silent in the surrouding area. When the students are at the desired noise level, the light at the top of the stalk glows, allowing them to self-govern their own noise more effectively. The pot acts as a storage system for whatever task the kids are completing, holding paint-brushes, pencils, pens or more, making it the hub of activity.
