How can design evoke awareness surrounding sound pollution and its related health effects? As a musician and as someone committed to principles of design that are sustainable as well as user-centered; I feel that subjectively experienced sound is an oft ignored topic in sustainability as well as in design practices. Whether it’s direct health concerns from sound pollution such as hearing loss and stress or generally looking at improving our experienced acoustic environments; quality acoustic experiences are going to be even more important to the future of our communities as the population is set to increase in cities globally (WHO, 2018). I propose a range of design initiatives with my thesis work for the NSCAD University MDes 2020 program. These initiatives aim to manage the way in which we experience sound that will be helpful and healthful.
Rotating image of the final ear plug design
Black ear plug design with silver aesthetic pieces
Blue ear plug design with steel aesthetic pieces
Green ear plug design with brass aesthetic pieces
White ear plug design with gold aesthetic pieces
Red ear plug design with copper aesthetic pieces
White ear plug design with gold aesthetic pieces
The design process involved multiple literature reviews, ad hoc explorations of potential design outcomes, moodboarding, sketches throughout the process, developing multiple thesis infographics, in-field research gathering sound samples from 5 locations over a month-long period and graphically analyzing & displaying the research findings, building a website while working on the thesis to document the outcomes, 3D printed mockups, and eventually a summarizing infographic, a thesis book, a thesis process book and final product 3D rendering.
Infographic describing the research, exploration and drafting design stages of the thesis
Looking at the achieved goals of the thesis project, the project evolved as the project ideas and proposals were experimented and moved forward with. The initial sketches of the outcomes for the final design project were fundamental in solidifying design responses to the thesis question of spreading awareness and mitigating the health effects related to sound pollution. In playing with the various ideas and mediums possible for the design project, architecture, installation work, app design, and multidisciplinary art approaches were also considered in the making of the final designs. Although some of these ideas were not decided on for the final design, they all played an important role in considering the options and possibilities available to an interdisciplinary design project. There included a completed infographic of the design research conducted to draw the link between sound pollution and stress.
The final design thesis project is an aesthetically-driven ear plug. It functions as a way to deliver awareness of sound pollution, by means of the piece of jewellery that emerges from the concha cavum body of the ear piece. The visibility of the piece, as well its serving an aesthetic function the way an earring or piece of jewellery would, aims to normalize and broadcast that ear health and protection is meaningful, important, and significant to
stress reduction.
stress reduction.
Hardcover mockup of the thesis book
Mockup of the process book (describes the process behind the thesis work)
Sample spread from the process book