Tools of the trade

In an age of constant development with technology, it's often tough to keep up with emerging initiatives and ideas. One feature of modern society is how traditional methods are being made obsolete, overtaken by the many technologies that we have on offer. Things like car windows that used to be manual are now automatic, bikes that used to have single speed gears have been replaced with battery packs, human evolution continues to fascinate us with life changing inventions. Personally, I have hopped on the technological bandwagon along with millions of others over the last ten years. Now Apple, Facebook and Tesla effectively shape the way we live our lives with completely electric cars and speakers that talk back to us. (Fowler, G. 2017). Born into a period where tech is at the centre of everything, it is now a way of life for us as the millions that make up Generation Z. Through sport, school and my social interactions, I have found myself over the last five years adapting to the constantly changing world we live in, to the extent that I have recently swapped out paper for glass. Thanks to a very generous donor, I received the BYOD scholarship for design, allowing me to get my hands on a new iPad Pro. This bit of tech is nothing like I have ever used before, equipped with its own pencil; it has effectively replaced my use for paper. Featured on my website is my visualisations project as well as some sketches designed on the iPad through the app ' Pro Create', allowing me to make some awesome art. Not only is sketching easier on this device, but it is far more accurate and flexible, with hundreds of different pens, brushes and effects to select. Having a Kindle should have been a sign of things to come in terms of paper becoming obsolete, but now with devices like this, it makes designing the future a whole lot easier. For something as fundamental as paper is to design, trading it for a black slate of glass worried me initially. However, there are no boundaries for creativity when it comes to sketching, making it the ultimate device for a design student. In terms of devices, machinery and software I have used in the past to aid me with design, this has to be up there with the best aid for design and study due to its versatility, it is effectively like carrying the contents of a tool box in the form of a notebook. Considering that the iPad, a device that has been around for ten years, can effectively replace paper, it makes it fascinating to consider what the future holds in terms of design and how we fabricate. The dynamic of work and play is ever changing, leaving us in the dust, struggling to keep up.

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