Adrian Jankowiak's Blog

Indian lunch in Malaysia

adrianjankowiak — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:47:14 +0000

This used to be my daily lunch when i lived in India. So much more satisfying than a sandwich out of a plastic box, don’t you think?

A few photo memories from Paris…

adrianjankowiak — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 23:39:56 +0000

Thought I’d share a few photos from when I visited Paris in the Spring. There are a few that I’m particularly happy with. The whole album can be viewed here.

Exploration: Reflecting on my travels

adrianjankowiak — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:40:53 +0000

I’ve recently started writing for a new online travel magazine called Exploration. I figured that I could relive some of the memories that I have from my various travels and possibly entertain a few people along the way. I often find it difficult to finish a blog post once started, so this can serve as an outlet for all those ideas I’ve had and never wrote up fully. My first article, about what to take and what not to take travelling to India can be found here. I hope it can be of some use to people.

The reason I became a designer

adrianjankowiak — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:55:53 +0000

I got in from work today to see that the toys I had worked on in India while at Gween Toys had gained the recognition I always hoped they would get. They’ve appeared on Inhabitots.com with the headline “Exquisite, Interactive Wooden ‘Gween’ Toys Engage and Delight Tots”. To a designer, there is no higher satisfaction than knowing that the people who use your products enjoy them.

I remember being sat down on my first day at Gween with a pencil and sketchpad and being told to design some toys. Six months later, I left having worked tirelessly developing not only the toys, but the packaging and the whole brand with my colleagues, in particularly Anindita Sengupta, who designed Gwomies and Gusto in the range.

It’s now great to see that they’re selling well and being enjoyed by their new owners. The toys are available from the Gween Toys website and Amazon.

Mussels in Brussels

adrianjankowiak — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 19:42:29 +0000

I just wanted to make a few observations from my visit to Brussels last week. Although I’ve passed through it ten times or more, I’d never preciously managed to explore the city in more depth. The inhabitants and architecture make it one of contrasts that you don’t often see.

Brussels is extremely multicultural, with a constant mix of languages from all over the world audible at all times. Very near a European Commission building, I found a bustling high street with Asian, European and South American people going about their daily business. A road leading to one of the richest areas of the city featuring shops such as Tiffany’s is almost parallel to the area known as ‘little Africa’. Homeless people were settling in for the night by an office building less than 100m away from the EC headquarters.

The architectural mix consists of old, new, ugly, beautiful and just plain strange. The monumental 19th century built Palace of Justice (Palais de Justice), once the largest building in Europe, has a half ~~demolished~~ built block of flats standing next to it, and a white bridge constructed out of metal tubing leading up to it. Graffiti is prominent, often next to some landmark sights and derelict structures are commonplace, even in the city centre.

The locals often seemed to be very indifferent to outsiders, staying within the borders of politeness, but only just. Perhaps that’s the results of having such an influx of cultures. There also seemed to be no politeness on the metro, with people in a hurry to get on the train before letting anyone off, unlike almost any other that I’ve seen. What I did thoroughly enjoy however, was the constant music that played at every station, ranging from classical to trance, something for every taste.

The food, from mussels to waffles, was spectacular. Going to see what costume the famous peeing boy fountain was donning that day provided a perfect excuse to also visit the waffle shop opposite.

Brussels really is unique, perhaps thanks to its history and current significance in Europe. It’s a place well worth discovering and my short trip definitely left me wanting more.

Frustrating interface design: elevator

adrianjankowiak — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 21:16:52 +0000

Stuff like this really gets to me. The elevator control panel you see below is a classic example of thoughtless design. When I first used it, I pressed the top buttons only to realise that they’re not…buttons. Only after a few presses, I noticed that the buttons were in fact below. It makes you wonder what the point of the arrows above is. They’re larger and placed more conveniently to be pressed for a standing adult. In fact, when I returned later, I saw the ‘mistake’ I’d made repeated by someone else, so I’m not alone.

And this was in an expensive department store that should be looking to optimise customer experience in every detail?

Can anyone see a reason for this? I'd love to know!

’9′ the movie- inspired by Final Fantasy?

adrianjankowiak — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 03:15:07 +0000

Having watched the film ’9′ and really enjoyed it, I wanted to point out something that attracted my attention throughout, the similarities to the Final Fantasy series of games, particularly to FF VII.

Although these could be coincidental, I think there are too many examples throughout the film for this to be the case. The animators and artists who created ’9′ must have been very heavily influenced by the Squaresoft classic. Below is a rundown of the similarities I have managed to spot…

Church scene:

Aeris’s/2′s death:

Cloud’s/8′s sword:

7/Freya Crescent:

Midgar:

Life stream:

I recently watched the film again with a friend who’s probably more Final Fantasy obsessed than me and he agreed. I’d be really interested in finding out if anyone else has spotted these and others, as I’m sure there are more.

First Impressions of Hull

adrianjankowiak — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 07:27:08 +0000

One thing I regretted after returning from India was that I didn’t post enough of my observations about the country, people and culture to this blog, so I’m making another attempt at it, this time having relocated to Hull in northern England. It may not seem as exotic, but in my opinion, every place in the world has something to offer and I’m definitely looking forward to this new adventure.

Let me begin by saying that so far I have found that the people are welcoming, the city centre is attractive and quite cheap, all plus points as far as I’m concerned. Below are a few observations I have made in my first two weeks here:

People: I was surprised to see the mix of nationalities that you come across on a daily basis, which is very pleasing for someone used to London. As anywhere, you can expect some people to be less welcoming, but mostly the locals seem helpful and chatty, reminding me somewhat of my experiences with people in Spain.

Drivers: Driving around Hull, I felt like a pirate compared to the other drivers on the road. Unlike London, where survival is the name of the game, here people see calm, civilised and extremely polite. There is no need to push in to queues because people just seem to let you in. Similarly, as a pedestrian, I feel very safe here. Perhaps the only downside I have experienced is that after leaving a car parked on the street, I came back to find it very badly scratched, presumably by a passing van. Not nice.

The City: Having received a very significant overhaul in the last ten years, the majority of the city centre seems extremely easy on the eye. Gardens, cafes and shops fill the spaces between the renovated docks and modern train/bus station, while Princes Avenue offers a variety of restaurants that I have yet to try, but they certainly smell good!

Humber Bridge: Thought this is worthy of a mention as it is really impressive. It’s longer even than the famous Golden Gate bridge and until 1998 was the longest in the world. Below I’ve added a video I made while crossing it.

Public Transport: On my commute to work, I have already spotted a number of quirks within the design of the system, so I’ll leave this for another post.

Hopefully I’ll find the time to go exploring soon and take some photos around the city. The Humber bridge, docks and city centre seem particularly photogenic. Looking forward to it!

Cas de Nîmes featured in ecouterre competition

adrianjankowiak — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 22:03:51 +0000

I’ve been fortunate enough to have one of my projects featured as a finalist on ecouterre’s ‘Recycled Denim Challenge’, a competition that looks at innovative implementations for used denim. The project is Cas de Nîmes, a laptop sleeve that provides great protection for your device. While being stored, it disguises the laptop as a pair of jeans that won’t attract thieves. There is also sufficient space in its pockets for any accessories and peripherals you might be carrying.

If you like the project, please vote for it in the competition, as currently it’s one of the top ones! Votes are open until November 4th.

http://www.ecouterre.com/recycleddenimchallenge/denim-laptop-case-and-clever-computer-disguise/

Credit goes out to all the other entries as well, as they’re all great!

Update 08/11/2010: Even though it did not win, my design was one of the top finalists, with 260 votes! Thanks to everyone who voted.

Good and bad design pt.4 Rover 45 interior

adrianjankowiak — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:28:41 +0000

I’ve recently been driving a Rover 45 and I have to say that on the basis of their design, I can’t really be surprised that Rover went out of business. I feel like the interior has been designed to frustrate its occupants and in some cases it can even prove dangerous, with poor consideration for the user experience and not much evidence of anthropometric research.

The steering wheel itself has several annoyances. When a driver wants to use their horn, they usually slam the centre of the wheel, where they expect to find it. In the case of this car however, they will be confronted by a hard piece of plastic. The only way to use the horn is via one of two small buttons on the sides. Beside the fact that this is very frustrating, it could also prove fatally dangerous. A horn is there to be used when needed, almost like a reflex. If the driver can’t access it quickly, they may be putting those they are trying to warn at risk.

Another problem I’ve encountered with the steering wheel is with the inbuilt radio controls. They work by pushing and pulling two small paddles and adjust volume and radio stations. However, they are positioned so far in and deep on the wheel that I can barely reach them and I can imagine that there are people with thumbs shorter than mine. They are also unresponsive and spongy needing to be pushed all the way down to actually work. Very frustrating.

Behind the steering wheel is the stalk for controlling lights and indicators. The problem with this comes when you want to flash someone to let them by. When you pull the stick back to flash your lights, you often end up pulling it all the way and turning on your fog lights, blinding the oncoming driver instead of helping them (see video).

The window adjustment also seems as though it is there to confuse people. On the driver’s side, it is where expected, by the window. On the passenger side however, there is no such option, the only switch being by the hand brake. While I understand that this is to enable the driver to adjust the passenger side window, it only makes things more annoying. It means that whenever the passenger wants to open their window, the driver has to explain to them where the switch for it is. However, because theirs is by the window, they tell them that their one should also be there. Only after some confusion does the driver realise where it actually is and end up getting to it before the passenger. Also, because there is no switch near the handbrake for the driver’s window, it means that you can’t close both with the use of one hand, as you can in most cars. Surely having a switch for both under the driver’s window and just a single one on the passenger’s side would have been a much easier solution?

The door lock is something that annoys me practically every time I get in to the car. If the driver leans their elbow on the door they press a button almost without realising, locking all the doors. They then drive and when it comes to getting out, everyone becomes confused as to why they can’t get out, including the driver. While I understand the importance of a safety feature for children, this could be very dangerous if everyone needs to get out quickly. As a child lock, it’s devalued by the fact that it’s actually easier to access from the back seats than the front.

Some of these ‘features’ feel like they have been designed in on purpose, but the reasons behind them have not been thought through. The prevention of unnecessary horn use is a good idea, but not at the expense of safety. In a country where most roads are extremely narrow, drivers rely on using lights to signal to others and trying to discourage it by blinding those in front is not a good idea. Users also like to know if they’ve chosen to lock themselves in the car. All of this add up to a very frustrating experience, leaving you with a feeling of the car conspiring against you and passengers thinking you are slightly incompetent.