TASK 2 - ADAPTING STYLES

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Design Task: The Memphis Playground

Brief: You are to redesign a standard piece of playground equipment (a slide, a swing set, or a see-saw) using the radical design language of Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis Group.

Your goal is to move away from "boring" functionalism and create a piece of "functional art" that looks like it has leapt out of a 1980s comic book.

Task Instructions.

Select Your Subject: Choose either the Slide, the Swing, or the See-saw.
Deconstruct: Identify the essential functional parts (e.g., for a slide: the ladder, the chute, the supports).
Reappropriate: Replace those standard parts with Memphis-style "totems."
- Example: Could the ladder of the slide be made of giant, stacked wooden blocks of different shapes?
- Example: Could the see-saw beam be a zig-zag "lightning bolt" shape?
Apply Surface Graphics: Add the signature Memphis patterns (dots, squiggles, stripes) to specific panels of your equipment.
Final Render: Produce a 3D sketch or a series of orthographic drawings (front, side, and top views) using bold markers or coloured pencils to capture the "pop" of the movement.

The Memphis "Rulebook".

To succeed, your design must incorporate at least three of the following design "DNA" strands:

Geometric Mashups: Avoid standard poles and supports. Use chunky cylinders, oversized spheres, pyramids, and cubes.
The "Bacterio" Pattern: Memphis is famous for its "squiggles." Incorporate busy, hand-drawn black-and-white patterns on flat surfaces.
Asymmetry: Does the swing set need two identical legs? No. One side could be a giant yellow triangle, the other a series of stacked blue circles.
The "Offbeat" Palette: Use clashing colours. Think lemon yellow, bubblegum pink, teal, and electric blue, often outlined in bold black.
Material Contrast: Visually mix textures—plastic-look laminates, faux-marble finishes, and matte metals.