Open Things are open source products initiated by Roy Mohan Shearer and Brian Loudon. They are simple technical products that are crafted according to open source principles. On this website you will find all the information required to build from scratch, hack, edit, remix, redesign or de-design any Open Thing.
This website is also home to some analysis on the topic of Open Design. Roy first developed this work as part of a Craft Development Bursary at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. This bursary was part of the larger research project Past, Present and Future Craft Practice in partnership with the Scottish Arts Council.
About Roy
“I am Roy Mohan Shearer, a designer, maker and musician based in Glasgow, UK. I am a proud member of the Southside Studios, and trade under the name of Zero-waste Design. You can find out more about my previous design work at www.zero-waste.co.uk.
Email me here at info(at)openthing(dot)org.”
About Brian
Brian is a freelance product design engineer, programmer and he plays the fiddle. His work is documented at www.loud1design.co.uk.
Some Analysis
There follow some mindmaps from the initial stages of this project. Previously all my meanderings on this topic have been catalogued on the Zero-waste Design Blog here.
Generally, open sourcing in design can be split into four topics of concern. I like to use analogies with open software, so here goes:
- Starting Points – mindmap
- Collaboration Platforms – mindmap
- Encoding – mindmap
- Compilation processes – mindmap
These mindmaps are in progress are written in Freemind. Feel free to adapt.
Latest in Analysis from the blog:
- The maker's bill of rights - revised
- Going 3D and on being Generously Open
- Obligatory iPad post
- Niftymitter 0.25 - Updating components
- Niftymitter 0.24 Parts list update
