K a t en o w l e s

P O R T F O L I O

+44 (0)7595742651kate.m.a.knowles@northumbria .ac.uk

E d u c a t i o n

W o r k E x p e r i e n c e

P a r t n e r s h i p P r o j e c t s

S k i l l s

O t h e r I n t e r e s t s

2010 - 2014 Design for Industry (BA) at Northumbria University

A b o u t M e . .

Summer 2012 - A month placement with Crown Cork working in many departments to widen my skill set and understanding of metal packaging.

• Mamas & Papas• Unilever

• Philips• Bowers & Wilkins

I am always eager to learn and develop new skills in every aspect of my life. As well as my keen interest in design, I also enjoy skiing, running and netball.

Competent with; Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Solidworks and Graphite.

Hel lo!

C o n t e n t s . .1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .

5 . 6 .

B I R D F E E D E R

B O W E R S & W I L K I N S

T H E G O O D J O U R N E Y

L i v e P r o j e c t s

N O N - L I T E R A L F O R M

S H O W E R G E L B O T T L E

S h o w e r g e l b o t t l e . .A shower gel bottle designed for Smirnoff using the branding and values of the company.

1 .

SMIRNOFF

VALUESWithin the market i t is well known for i ts quality with their brand morals and product. Smirnoff is seen as a fair ly high end but affordable goods.

QUALITY HERITAGE VARIETY ICEFounded by Pyotr Smirnov in the 1860s in Moscow Smirnoff is a brand very proud of i ts heritage. Even though it ’s now owned by Diageo it ’s Russian blood is st i l l prominent.

Smirnoff products include vodka, f lavoured vodka, and malt beverages. There is also a huge variety with the packaging ranging from cans to bott les.

The brand’s aesthetics reflect words l ike ‘ ice’ , ‘clear’ and ‘fresh’. I t f i ts perfectly with the quality tr iple dist i l led vodka served at cold temperatures for the optimum experience.

B i r d F e e d e r . .A new innovative bird feeder designed to f it into the RSPB range of products and branding.

2 .

In it ial Sketches

IMAGE: http://www.thatcutesite.com/uploads/2011/05/ground_squirrel_eating_lettuce.jpg

Available to order at www.rspb.co.uk from Jan 2012!

a mil l ion voices for nature

•Easy to clean

• Refillable

•Holds a variance of food for different species

..I needed to go on a diet,

anyway!

dynom

The NEW innovative and simple bird feeder is designed to tip and spin off any unwanted visitors!

dynom

Feed the birds, and not the squirrels,with this new bird feeder from the RSPB!

Visit www.RSPB.co.uk for more detai ls and prices

1

2

FILL

HANG

3

4

SPIN

EAT!

N o n L i t e r a l F o r m . .3 .A non literal form conveying rationally encapsulated electronics.

Balance

minimal

FUNCTIONAL

Final concept

T h i s p r o d u c t g i v e s t h e u s e r a w o r t h w h i l e e x p e r i e n c e . T h e s a t i s f a c t i o n o f c l i c k a n d s l i d e a l s o d e f i n e s t h e c l e a r s t a t e s o f ‘ o n ’ a n d ‘ o f f ’ .

T h e s i m p l e a n d b r i g h t i n t e r f a c e m a k e s i t i n t u i t i v e t o u s e . T h e t o u c h s c r e e n m a k e s t h e u s e r h a v e a n i n t i m a t e a n d h o n e s t e x p e r i e n c e w i t h t h e p r o d u c t .

T h e g o o d J o u r n e yThe RSA annual des ign compet i t ion with the t i t le of “The good Journey”

4 .

A Journey on the MetroI followed a passenger who has never used the metro before to do a journey from Byker to Airport and observed how easy he found it to change at monument and where the confusion comes into place.

Ticket machine a bit confusing with where to put what. Zones where clearly labelled.

He was also confused since the map makes it look like he could change at a number of the other stops after Monument.

The metro was quite busy but wasn’t unpleasant. Whilst on the metro there was no communication between any of the passengers. Most passengers read or were occupied their phone.

At monument he followed the rest of the passengers and ended up going up the escalator to the concourse of Monument station.

Here, he had another look at the map and the signs above each platform. We went down the right set of escalators.

Once back down the other escalators it took him a few minutes to realise which platform he needed.

Here he waited for a few minutes until the metro arrived. A few children were being loud and disruptive.

Monument station was confusing. “The atmosphere on the metro was fairly tense. Makes you feel quite isolated and lonely.

“I only saw one metro worker through the whole journey. No one checked my ticket, made me feel like I shouldn’t have bothered getting one.

He failed to realise the shortcut situated at the front of platforms 1 & 2 and the back end of 3 & 4. He didn’t even realise it was there.

“

“

-RICH, FIRST TIME METRO USER

When changing at Monument, the signs for the exit, or changing platforms are confusing and are not very easily visible.

The ‘Metro Map’ boards that are shown everywhere are confusing to first time passengers as most platforms have a number of metros that pass through them.

Some of the confusion comes from the fact that every platform looks so similar, and as its underground, the passenger loses their conception of where they are in the station.

There are four platforms at Monument; Platforms 1 (southbound) and 2 (northbound) are for Green and Yellow line trains running between South Gosforth and Pelaw, and Platforms 3 (eastbound) and 4 (westbound) are for Yellow Line trains between St. James and the North Tyne coast. Yellow line trains call at both sets of platforms on their journey from St. James to South Shields.

Platform 1

South Shields South Hylton Pelaw

Platform 2 Airport CoastRegent centre Monkseaton

Platform 3

Whitley Bay via Wallsend

Platform 4

St James

“

“

-NEXUS’ DESCRIPTION OF PLATFORMS AT MONUMENT

Green line Yellow line

• No key stations highlighted• No information about North, East,

South West

Although the London Underground has 11 lines as opposed to the metro’s 2lines,

it’s a long clearer. Once on the correct line trains only go two directions. It has some exceptions, but these are clearly

marked.

The underground constantly reminds you of which line you are on through colour,

and also which direction you wish to travel, e.g. North or South.

The metro offers none of these.• Yellow line confusing as there is

four ways out of Monument on the same line

Nexus estimate 3% - 5% of all users are tourists or first time users

The Problem

Current issues passengers outlined wrong with the metro map;

Improvements

• KEY STATIONS HIGHLIGHTED. Easier to work out which is your desired line because end stations are more visual. End of the line stations and also peek hour extra metro termination stops visible.

• COMPASS POINTS PUT ON MAP. Easier to quickly work out which direction to travel.

WEST EAST

NORTH

SOUTH

Platform 4 Platform 3

Platform 2

Platform 1

Having the extra map around monument will make it simpler for passengers who don’t know where they’re going because;• Breaks up the possible journeys• Lets the user understand that more trains

will be going from platform 1 and 2 so there is less chance they get on the wrong one

• Tells the user directly which platform they need to be at

• Makes the two possible lines a lot more visual

OLD NEW

Improvements to Monument• All maps changed• Clear arrows heading down to all platform• Clear and more informative announcements for platform 1 and 2• Clear markers for exit or further travel on every platform• Clear platform markings

WEST EAST

NORTH

SOUTH

Platform 4 Platform 3

Platform 2

Platform 1

Platform 3

EAST

Platform 1

SOUTH

Platform 3EAST21 3

The next train at platform 1 will be the train on heading North on the green line to Airport

4 5 Changing platforms

Platform 3

Exit

Platforms 1&2

ExitExitExit

Platforms 1&2 Platforms 1&2

WEST EAST

NORTH

SOUTH

Platform 4 Platform 3

Platform 2

Platform 1

AirportThe CoastSouth HyltonSouth Shields

Board of whole line and board showing connections from monument

Extremely visible directions. Passengers are in control of their journey at all times

Extremely clear which platform and direction you are heading

Platform 3 Platform 3

Platform 3

B o w e r s & W i l k i n sA group project looking into developing the current branding and three concepts to f it within the company.

5 .

Packaging Journey

Packaging Journey

360 Degree Sound The speaker hosts 360 degree surround sound, giving a fuller, more complete audioexperience. This function is controlled by rotation of the feature dial, giving the user opportunity to immerse themselves with 360 degree sound or alternatively choose a single direction

Fully Portable The large bidirectional carry handle creates an easy method of transporting the speaker throughout the day into different scenarios and environments. It doesn’t have a ‘docking station’ - it has no ‘home’. it is designed to go anywhere, charging via mains or USB.

DurabilityCareful material specifications enable the product to inhibit durable and robust properties allowing it to perform in a variety of environ-ments and situations whilst remaining high quality in aesthetical ap-pearance.

R e s o n a n c e

“With your Resonance app you can customise your playlists, so your ambi-ent light can adapt to you”

iPhone / iPad App

Time-lapse Scenario

Ambient Mood LightingThe in built mood light automatically mimics the tempo and beat of the music being streamed giving visual feedback of the ambiance the speaker is creating.

UsabilityThe interface for the speaker is located on the front face with a majority of the functions being con-trolled by a central dial. The dial allows the user to choose whether they want the functionality of the mood light to be on or whether they solely want to listen to music.

Diffusion

L i v e P r o j e c t sA number of l ive pro jects which can’t be shown becuase of c l ient conf identual i ty.

6 .

Social trends Strategic planning Campaigning

Researching the market Understanding the needs for ALL users Brand DNA

Conceptual Future design

DESIGN FORINDUSTRY

We often undertake live projects with industry collaborators, this year is no exception.

Such things can be a double-edged-sword, in that the things we do are often restricted by terms of a

Non-Disclosure Agreement. We always try to balance the educational benefit of the experiences the

projects provide with such restrictions.

The Design for Industry course has a 30+ year proven track record in working closely with industry,

one that we are proud of. We firmly believe that this helps to train design graduates that have real

world experience of working with clients to innovate and add value to their business.

We get some great feedback from those we work with – students are lauded for their ability to

quickly understand the values of a brand and translate that into new offerings and opportunities.

We would therefore like to beg your indulgence and perhaps to look beyond the veneer of ‘sketches’

and ‘renderings’ to their skills in defining the context of the design opportunity and their appreciation

of the key design criteria – ones that we feel set us apart from other courses. Our aim is for our

students to be able to add value and gain valuable insights that can allow you to innovate.

If you would like to know more about any particular student then please don’t hesitate to contact us

(details to the right), we would be more than happy to talk about what you’re looking for.

We wish you all the very best for a prosperous 2013 and beyond.

David O’Leary on behalf of the DFI teaching team.

HelloContacts;

For any third year students;David O’Leary,Third year tutordavid.oleary@northumbria.ac.uk0191 243 7224

Second year students, contact;Simon Scott-HardenSecond year tutorsimon.scott-harden@northumbria.ac.uk0191 227 3157

General Placement Enquries;Lee SweeneyPlacement Co-ordinatorlee.sweeney@northumbria.ac.uk0191 227 4893

Faculty of Arts, Design and Social Sciences

Northumbria University

Ellison Place,

Newcastle upon Tyne,

NE1 8ST. UK

Tel:+44 (0) 191 243 7224

+44 (0)7595742651kate.m.a.knowles@northumbria.ac.uk

THANKYOU