Designing for the Royals

So something we have been wanting to shout about for a long time, we have recently worked on a one off product for the newest addition to the British Royal Family!!!!!! A quick thanks to Steuart Padwick the project leader for inviting us to be part of such an interesting project and everyone else involved, lets hope she likes it!!!!

Interesting clarification on the use of the new "I-size" regulation for Children's Car Seats. Provided by the BPA

Clarification regarding the use of i-Size child restraints
10th June 2016
...

It would appear that there is still some uncertainty in relation to the use of i-Size child restraints and the Baby Products Association would like to provide some clarification.
UN Regulation No. 129 came into force on 9th July 2013. It sets out performance requirements and test methods for integral ISOFIX child restraint systems, in which the child is restrained by means of a harness or shield that is coupled to a child seat. In addition, it introduces the “i-Size” concept for child restraint to car compatibility, a stature-based system of classification (for child restraints), a new family of child dummies (the Q-Series) and a side impact test procedure.
With regards to compatibility, a parent that buys an i-Size child restraint system is assured that it will fit in any i-Size seating position in any car. Even today, relatively few cars on the road have i-Size seating positions, although the number is increasing all the time. Child restraint manufacturers provide a list therefore to specify which other cars and (ISOFIX) seating positions their i-Size child restraint can be used in. There is no legal barrier to doing this, and it ensures that as many children as possible can benefit from the increase in safety that the new Regulation is likely to bring.
UN Regulation No. 129 does state that i-Size child restraints are for use in i-Size seating positions and this simply helps to define what an i-Size child restraint is. However, this has been misinterpreted and so in the proposed 01 Series of Amendments (of UN Regulation No. 129), this was re-worded to say they are primarily designed for use in i-Size seating positions. This amendment has one more stage of voting to pass through later this month and it is likely to come into force in January 2017.
Although not in force yet, it illustrates clearly the thinking of regulators about the use of i-Size child restraints. More recently, the very latest proposal to amend Regulation No. 129 clarifies this even further. To avoid any doubt, the following has been added “The instructions of a forward facing i-Size integral ECRS that utilise a top tether as the anti-rotation device may declare that the ECRS can be used in any ISOFIX seating positions. The instructions of other i-Size integral ECRS may declare that the ECRS can be used in ISOFIX seating positions specified in a car fitting list”. This addition is contained in the proposed 02 Series of Amendments, which have their final voting stage in November 2016, and are likely to be in force by July 2017.

Commercial Realities of Design…………………………………..

We have had an a young intern working with us for the last couple of months and as the want of enquiring young minds he has asked some interesting questions that have caused both some thought to answer and a subject for a blog article.

Most of his questions have been not about the actual process of design, but more about the business side of what we do. I list a few for you to see my point.

1. How do you make sure you have a successful business?
2. How do you know how much to charge?
3. How do you make your calculations for profit?
4. How did you learn to make a business from design?

Now this sort of commercial knowledge is not what your normal design student is asking but it was definitely in our young guys mind.  How to be a successful and make money in the world of design?

When I think back I have learnt any useful information about this from previous employers, asking questions, some reading, some teaching courses and a load of mistakes to learn from.

It was not something I thought about at university but it would have been useful to have some guidance in things like proposal writing, profit and loss, following budgets, project management. At the end of the day you may be the best designer in the world but if you don’t know how to turn that skill in to a paid profession it will be useless.

It would definitely help students be more employable to have some basic commercial understanding.