A blog about design at the OU.
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Fixation in design
Fixation on a known idea or on a known way of solving a problem is a commonly observed phenomenon in creativity and design. Often, attachment to initial ideas or repeating solutions or parts thereof is seen as a negative thing. But does it always lead to worst outcomes? Researchers are not so sure about it. […]
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Redesigning the construction industry?
Good news, for everyone involved in the design and construction of the built environment: the UK Government is putting aside £72 million to ‘transform the construction sector’. It is doing so through setting up a ‘Core Innovation Hub’ (https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/142/overview). The announcement defines three innovations it wants the hub to focus on: a digitally driven manufacturing […]
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Drawing to remember
Research carried out by Professor Charles Spence, Head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at Oxford University has found that for most people taking photographs on holiday results in digital amnesia where a scene is taken and then forgotten. In contrast using more than one sense, such as drawing, which involves both vision and touch, can […]
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Pay or Play?
This week the UK government announced a proposal to encourage recycling of bottles and cans by creating a returnable deposit scheme funded by increased prices on drinks. Scotland have already announced plans for such a scheme and the Welsh Assembly are also considering this. Such schemes, for glass bottles, we around from early in the […]
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‘It’s OK, to want to be ordinary…’
Recently one of my colleagues, for the purposes of this blog let’s call her Helen, is nearing two notable landmarks in her life. One is her fortieth birthday and the second is her final ophthalmic consultation to register her as blind. For most of her life, Helen has been visually impaired, but she then became […]
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Facing austerity with clever design
Braving a snowstorm and impending TMA deadlines, three students and a visitor joined us to explore the Imperial War Museum’s exhibits in the North. We investigated the effects austerity measures had on the designs and designing throughout the 20th century. The scarcity of materials and resources, and resulting inventions of new materials and production techniques, was […]
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A fairground of ideas in Milton Keynes
Sometimes, you just have to do it – get everyone in one place and bounce ideas, share inspirations and motivations. So what was the Milton Keynes Design Fair like? Three tutors, three central academics, seven students across the Design Innovation Qualification and two visitors made their way to the Open University Campus on a rainy […]
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Memories of Lionel March (1934 – 2018)
Memories from friend and former-student, Chris Earl: Lionel March was a scholar and artist. He inspired generations of students and colleagues to combine the formal and the creative in planning and design. His contributions to theory and practice ranged from mathematics to painting, from computation to stage set design, from architectural history to architectural practice […]
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Farewell Trevor Baylis -Inventor, Designer and Engineer
