Fleming Creative

My Ode is a wellbeing product that has recently been developed and is currently in the final testing phase. Ode helps to create the link between the “power of scent and its effect on our relationship with food”. The product does this through releasing an authentic food aroma around meal times in order to stimulate the users appetite and help to regain their interest in food. It is often found that people living with dementia lose their appetite and are not interested in food,unless stimulated. There are three scents within the ode and the user or their carer can set their preferences to decide when each scent is released. Ode is very discreet so it easily fits on a book shelf, next to the chair or even next to the TV.

Ode has been funded and supported through the “Living Well with Dementia Design Challenge”, a competition that was run through the Design Council and the Department of Health. Ode is a start-up venture that was incubated by Rodd Design and the Olfactory Experience. Upon researching further into Rodd Designs – run by Managing Director Ben Davies – their products tend to be beautifully crafted and are focused on consumer experiences. The company also worked with Lizzie Ostrom who is the fragrance specialist at The Olfactory Experience and Kate Williams who is a creative perfumer at Seven Scent. Alongside this, the two companies worked with Gwen Coleman, who is a registered dietician and dementia specialist.

For my product design third year dissertation I have decided to focus on "How can design help promote and facilitate the independence and well-being of someone living with dementia?" I decided on this title as I was inspired by the ever increasing elderly population and the issues the face. Dementia affects 820,000 people in the UK and according to Alzheimer's Research UK - "25 million people in the UK have a close friend or family member with dementia".

For September I have recently started researching into existing products and upon doing so, I have found some fantastic products for dementia care such as the Freedem products and My Ode.

Freedem Products are designed to support “a more independent way of living for those people with dementia”. Freedem Oral Care has been designed around user centred research, to help someone with dementia to maintain their own oral hygiene. The product uses sensor technology combined with intuitive design. New products can be very daunting for someone with dementia; a lot of products designed around dementia are designed in a classic style so that the user still finds the product intuitive. The product guides the individual through the process of their oral hygiene; it supports them and their carers. 

The second product is called Freedem Dressing which was developed to support the individual with the daily task of getting dressed. People with dementia find getting dressed quite difficult as it involves making decisions, ordering and coordination which is a common factor throughout dementia. The hangers are numbered allowing the user to put their clothes on in order via a recordable message – making the product personal and individual. By using a recordable message and numbers, it makes the product versatile as it can be used internationally.

The Buzz Creative Spaces team went to Cookridge Holy Trinity school today for the grand opening of their school's sensory garden which the team has recently installed. We had a fantastic time celebrating the school and the legacy of their former headteacher Mr Pickles. Within the mosaic seats there were brass letters which spelt Mr Pickles, a quiet reminder to the students of a brilliant headteacher.

There was a huge turn out for the celebration day and it was lovely to see people enjoying one of our sensory gardens! Balloons with good wishes and hopes were released, the children then sang the school song and recited the school prayer. It was so lovely to be part of the experience and seeing the children enjoy their new sensory space.

Pre-made logo which is available for customisation now available on Etsy at £10! Take a peak, new items are being designed this weekend and are soon to be made. What do you think they may be?

If you've seen my portfolio, you may have clicked on Whiteley Retirement Village, a care home in Surrey. The retirement village is set within 255 acres of gorgeous woodland, however, the home had an enclosed space that was proving difficult for residents to access. So Whiteley got in touch! 

Here are the before pictures:

As you can see from the images, the retirement village's concealed area was in a bit of disarray. Below are the pictures after the fantastic Buzz Creative Spaces team installed my design! I hope all those living in the Whiteley Retirement Village love their new garden this summer, it features lots of social seating, planters with sensory plants in, trellis and a metal work canopy which will be lit with outdoor fairy lights. A water feature is soon to be installed also. Any questions? Get in touch - [email protected].

Hello all!

This blog post is about my dissertation - Design within Dementia. I spent last Wednesday with C2L, Care to Learn, a provider of learning and development programmes within dementia fields. They are part of the Dementia Action Alliance and I met with them in order to gain a further understanding of dementia and designing for people with dementia.

I learnt a lot from the training and I'm looking forward to another session on Monday with a care worker who has been in the care industry for many years, from managing a care home to being a lecturer in the industry. I've found that dementia is so complex that I have undertaken a lot of research and I am looking forward to completing more research over the summer period. 

With two weeks to go till the presentation at Priestmangoode, a UK based design agency. The project has been set by Luke Hawes, an ex York St John Student who is now one of the directors at Priestmangoode. The design brief has been set as a module in my Second Year at YSJ. The finishing touches are now currently being made and the presentation is well on its way. Here is a mock up of an in-flight brochure for the Brazilian based budget airline, Eden Air. The photography used has been provided by an American photographer, Porter Yates. The mock up includes a list of the top 10 places to visit in Brazil and the list will be able to download to your tablet or phone via the Eden Air app. 

Alongside the brochure, a branding and marketing pack has been created. This will be handed to Priestmangoode during the presentation to illustrate the branding concept in the form of a marketing pack inside an Eden Air branded bag. Please email me with any suggestions as they are very welcome!

Hello all,

I've redesigned my branding to freshen up my identity for 2013. I'm currently looking for placement as part of my degree at University so want to make an impact. I've combined some of my favourite colours to create a striking colour palette. I will shortly be having my business cards printed and also letterheads etc. 

A new addition to my portfolio are Melbourne School and Whiteley Retirement Village 3D CAD Visuals. Both of these projects have been completed in my job at Buzz Creative Spaces. Melbourne are currently applying for funding to complete the project and work at Whiteley Retirement Village will be starting soon. Pretty successful so far!

Since my last blog post I have started two new modules at University - my first one is a group project to design a budget airline for an emerging market in Russia, China, Brazil and/or India. Once we have created our airline we will present the ideas to Priestmangoode, a leading multidisciplinary design company in London. I'm currently redesigning the airline chair and reassesing the materials for the chair. Keep an eye out on my blog and you may see the ideas as they progress! If not, you can keep an eye on our progress @ http://www.alphaaviate.blogspot.co.uk/

My second project is my dissertation which I will carry on into my third year, I have decided to base my dissertation around dementia and the ageing population within the UK. I'm looking forward to researching further into the condition and hopefully developing a product that could maybe change someone's life!

I've created a new website, flcreative.co.uk. What do you think? It's more of a gallery style approach in comparison to the last website. There will be lots of new work appearing over the up and coming months as it's a busy year! I've recently secured a job with Buzz Creative Spaces, doing 3D CAD Visuals and marketing.